January 2022 | DC Beacon by The Beacon Newspapers

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VOL.34, NO.1

Teaching kids to read critically

JANUARY 2022

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PHOTO COURTESY OF THE NEWS LITERACY PROJECT

By Margaret Foster Journalist Alan Miller won a Pulitzer Prize for reporting, but he’s equally proud of a second award for his second career. Last month, Miller, 67, won a 2022 AARP Purpose Prize, which celebrates people 50 and older who use their life experience to solve social problems. The prize recognizes his work on the News Literacy Project, which he founded in 2008. The project aims to teach students how to evaluate what they read, with a view to distinguishing true information from misinformation. Starting with in-person lessons at a Brooklyn high school, the project has evolved into an online platform with video lessons, a curriculum and materials for teachers. Now with a staff of almost 30, the News Literacy Project has taught hundreds of thousands of students how to separate fact from fiction. “To me, journalism had always been more of a calling than a career,” he said in an interview with the Beacon. After retiring from the Washington bureau of the Los Angeles Times 12 years ago, Miller said, “I moved into another realm that I believed was so critical — not only for education and for sustaining quality journalism, but also for maintaining a strong democracy and creating informed and engaged citizens. “What I’ve done with the News Literacy Project is a second kind of calling.” “The existential threat to democracy from misinformation is so urgent,” Miller added. “Most people don’t want to mislead friends and family, and most people don’t want to contribute to what may be an emerging misinformation dystopia,” he said. Often, though, they’re not aware that they’re perpetuating fake news — hence

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L E I S U R E & T R AV E L Maryland journalist Alan C. Miller founded The News Literacy Project in 2008, aiming to teach students how to think critically and distinguish fact from fiction. AARP recently awarded him a Purpose Prize, which honors people who use their years of experience to make a difference in the world. Access to the project’s nonpartisan educational website, Checkology.org, is free to all.

the need to teach people how to spot misinformation.

cy Project in 2006, when he spoke to 175 of his daughter Julia’s classmates at Pyle Middle School in Bethesda about “what I

Idea sparked at Bethesda school Miller got the idea for the News Litera-

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By Stuart Rosenthal, Publisher I don’t know about you, but I frequently find my New Year’s resolutions generate a sense of deja vu. There are just some things about me that I want to improve, or tasks I’d like to accomplish, that hang around from year to year. A friend who knew I like to keep notepaper in my front pocket (so I can incessantly write down or remind myself of things I need to do) once made me burst out laughing when he suggested I write a to-do list of things I’ve already done! THAT was a suggestion I could get into. Well, that’s sort of what I’m doing this year. In the last few weeks, I’ve finally accomplished (well, started) something that I’ve long aimed for, and I’m going to call it my New Year’s resolution anyway. As you may recall from earlier columns, last spring I took a seven-week “sabbatical” from the Beacon to test drive my “retirement plan” — composing original piano pieces. That’s something I used to do in middle and high school and always loved. Doodling around on the piano (which I studied for 12 years) and coming up with interesting note combinations and rhythms were things that made me look forward to my daily piano practice as a kid. So, in May and June I pulled out some of the short pieces, themes and sketches I wrote

down as a youth and worked on developing them into compositions of a respectable length (we’re talking 3 to 5 minutes). I produced three new pieces and reacquainted myself with two from high school that my friends and family tell me are nice to listen to. I also learned how to use music notation software so I could make sheet music for the pieces. That checked off a couple of resolutions I’ve been making, or thinking of making, for years. (It also convinced me that my retirement plan of pursuing my passion for music is a good one.) It also brings me to this year’s alreadybegun resolution — to share my music with the world. I have been recording those five pieces and making videos of myself playing them. And just the other day, I set up a YouTube channel (Stuart’s Melodies), website (stuartsmelodies.com) and, heaven help me, registered for my first Facebook page. I’m also getting ready to contact a music distribution company about putting my audio tracks on Spotify, Apple Music and the like. I don’t know how many people make “join the world of social media” (or really “become an exhibitionist”) one of their New Year’s resolutions, but that’s basically what I’m doing. So, is this what the world’s been waiting

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Publisher/Editor – Stuart P. Rosenthal President/Associate Publisher – Judith K. Rosenthal Executive Vice President – Gordon Hasenei Managing Editor – Margaret Foster Art Director – Kyle Gregory Director of Operations – Roger King Advertising Representatives – Dan Kelly, M.K. Phillips, Alan Spiegel Assistant Editor – Catherine Brown Content Manager – Ashley Griffin

The Beacon, P.O. Box 2227, Silver Spring, MD 20915 (301) 949-9766 • Email: info@thebeaconnewspapers.com Website: www.theBeaconNewspapers.com Submissions: The Beacon welcomes reader contributions. Deadline for editorial is the 10th of the month preceding the month of publication. Deadline for ads is the 15th of the month preceding the month of publication. See page 31 for classified advertising details. Please mail or email all submissions.

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New year, new project

for? Will millions beat a path to my door? You tell me. It would certainly be a big kick to have you listen to my pieces and perhaps download them and/or the sheet music. Learning that a Beacon reader somewhere has decided to play one of my pieces would be especially gratifying. Two pieces are there as I write this; the other three are in process and should be up in the next few weeks. You can download the recordings and sheet music at no charge from my website. There is an option on the site to pay whatever you want for downloads, but payment is optional. I fervently hope to write and post more pieces in the future. (You can sign up on the website to be notified when new works are Beacon publisher, Stuart Rosenthal, has returned to added.) I couldn’t have done this playing and composing for the piano after many years away from the keyboard. You can listen to his newest without the help of others, compositions at stuartsmelodies.com. so I want to thank the Beacon staff (especially Margaret Foster, Roger King and Gordon useful information provided by dozens of Hasenei) for taking over my duties last exhibitors. That’s all available free online spring during my sabbatical, Jon Seipp through January 31 at beacon50expo.com. Thanks for listening! Feel free to send (audio engineer extraordinaire) for recording my pieces, my friend and indefatigable me an email via stuartsmelodies.com or to videographer and video editor David Hugh- post comments on YouTube or Facebook. es, and music and software mentor Jason I look forward to hearing from you. The entire Beacon staff joins me in wishSherwin (a composer of note, by the way). I hope you will check out my music in ing you a happy, healthy, peaceful and meaningful 2022. one way or another. A few of my videos are also now available at the Beacon Virtual 50+Expo, which I encourage you to visit even more for the wonderful speakers and classes, and for the

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 to info@thebeaconnewspapers.com. Please include your name, address and telephone number for verification. Dear Editor: The November edition of the Beacon arrived this week, and I must say, I was really impressed. First, reading about all the awards the newspaper has won this year. What a wide range of interests and information you’ve introduced to your readers! Then, in this particular issue, the number of informative stories regarding flu shots and stem cell clinics and palliative care. That story went well in combination with the work you did on my piece [November’s cover story, “What’s next for Diane Rehm?”], presenting another option with which to view end-of-life care. Good work and good reading all!

Please continue to send me your newspaper. I know it will add to my reading pleasure. Diane Rehm Washington, DC Dear Editor: Why did your writer have to give credit that Biden puts Rehoboth, DE “on the map?” [December, “Delaware’s beaches delight in wintertime”].That is an insulting claim that Rehoboth is only valuable because of our current president. To make this pedestrian claim is to minimize the history of many generations who built and made Rehoboth a lovely hometown See LETTERS TO EDITOR, page 23

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Health Fitness &

COVID NEWS Boosters can best defend against omicron as drugmakers update vaccines UNNECESSARY PILLS? Antidepressants are often prescribed for chronic pain, but how well do they work? SUBZERO HEROES Surprisingly, many foods retain more nutrients when frozen than bought fresh CURB SUGAR CRAVINGS To control a sweet tooth, drink water, limit processed carbs and sip peppermint tea

Half of cancer experiments not replicable By Carla K. Johnson Eight years ago, a team of researchers launched a project to carefully repeat early but influential lab experiments in cancer research. They recreated 50 experiments, the type of preliminary research with mice and test tubes that sets the stage for new cancer drugs. The results reported in December: About half the scientific claims didn’t hold up. “The truth is we fool ourselves. Most of what we claim is novel or significant is no such thing,” said Dr. Vinay Prasad, a cancer doctor and researcher at the University of California, San Francisco, who was not involved in the project. It’s a pillar of science that the strongest findings come from experiments that can be repeated with similar results. In reality, there’s little incentive for researchers to share methods and data so others can verify the work, said Marcia McNutt, president of the National Academy of Sciences. Researchers lose prestige if their results don’t hold up to scrutiny, she said. And there are built-in rewards for publishing discoveries. But for cancer patients, it can raise false

hopes to read headlines of a mouse study that seems to promise a cure “just around the corner,” Prasad said. “Progress in cancer is always slower than we hope.”

Current treatments not affected The new study reflects on shortcomings early in the scientific process, not with established treatments. By the time cancer drugs reach the market, they’ve been tested rigorously in large numbers of people to make sure they are safe and they work. For the project, the researchers tried to repeat experiments from cancer biology papers published from 2010 to 2012 in major journals such as Cell, Science and Nature. Overall, 54% of the original findings failed to measure up to statistical criteria set ahead of time by the Reproducibility Project, according to the team’s study published online by eLife. (The nonprofit eLife receives funding from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, which also supports the Associated Press Health and Science Department.) Among the studies that did not hold up was one that found a certain gut bacteria was tied to colon cancer in humans. Another was for a type of drug that shrunk breast

tumors in mice. A third was a mouse study of a potential prostate cancer drug. A co-author of the prostate cancer study said the research done at Sanford Burnham Prebys research institute has held up to other scrutiny. “There’s plenty of reproduction in the [scientific] literature of our results,” said Erkki Ruoslahti, who started a company now running human trials on the same compound for metastatic pancreatic cancer. This is the second major analysis by the Reproducibility Project. In 2015, they found similar problems when they tried to repeat experiments in psychology. Study co-author Brian Nosek of the Center for Open Science said it can be wasteful to plow ahead without first doing the work to repeat findings. “We start a clinical trial, or we spin up a startup company, or we trumpet to the world ‘We have a solution’ before we’ve done the follow-on work to verify it,” Nosek said.

Lack of cooperation a problem The researchers tried to minimize differences in how the cancer experiments were conducted. Often, they couldn’t get

help from the scientists who did the original work when they had questions about which strain of mice to use or where to find specially engineered tumor cells. “I wasn’t surprised, but it is concerning that about a third of scientists were not helpful, and, in some cases, were beyond not helpful,” said Michael Lauer, deputy director of extramural research at the National Institutes of Health. NIH will try to improve data sharing among scientists by requiring it of grantfunded institutions in 2023, Lauer said. “Science, when it’s done right, can yield amazing things,” Lauer said. For now, skepticism regarding novel findings is the right approach, said Dr. Glenn Begley, a biotechnology consultant and former head of cancer research at drugmaker Amgen. A decade ago, he and other inhouse scientists at Amgen reported even lower rates of confirmation when they tried to repeat published cancer experiments. Cancer research is difficult, Begley said, and “it is very easy for researchers to be attracted to results that look exciting and provocative, results that appear to further support their favorite idea as to how cancer should work, but that are just wrong.” —AP

Eating healthy? A diet can be ‘too clean’ By Matthew Kadey We’ve all heard the term “clean eating” and how it’s supposed to give us pictureperfect health. For good health, there is obviously nothing wrong with striving to eat fewer processed foods and cooking from scratch more often. But for some people, the quest to clean up their diet can veer into a problematic preoccupation with what they are putting on their plate. In a disordered eating condition referred to as orthorexia nervosa, there is a preoccupation with eating healthy and only consuming foods someone considers to be clean, according to Alexis Conason, PsyD, a New York-based clinical psychologist and author of The Diet-Free Revolution. “Rigid food rules are a hallmark of orthorexia that can become all-consuming and where you have a life that maintaining healthy eating is ever ything,” she said.

Obsessing over food isn’t good What starts out as a worthy desire to kick a sugar habit or reduce the intake of packaged foods can morph into an unhealthy obsession to rid one’s diet of anything with sweeteners or other ingredients considered to be lacking in nutritional value. Gradually, eating can become more restrictive to the point where any foods deemed unhealthy or toxic are eliminated. People may only consider eating foods with the highest nutritional value and healthiest cooking methods. For example, someone may eat only grass-fed, organic, non-GMO, low-carb, low-sodium and non-dairy foods. If they deem the food available to be unhealthy, they may forgo eating. Eliminating food groups is pretty common with orthorexia. And this can leave someone unknowingly setting themselves up for nutritional deficiencies. Over time, nutritional shortfalls can adversely affect

cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, neurological and endocrine health.

Mental health issues can arise While an individual begins with good intentions, over time this unhealthy fixation on spick-and-span eating can have unintended physical and psychological consequences. “Avoiding parties and eating at restaurants with friends and family because you are worried about the healthfulness of the food available can leave you being socially isolated,” Conason said. A clean eating obsession can also cause someone to be preachy about diet and judgmental toward those who don’t follow their narrow definition of healthful eating, sometimes leading to strained relations with friends and loved ones. Conason cautions that, when self-esteem is so strongly intertwined with food choices, depression, self-loathing and anxi-

ety can become common mental health outcomes of orthorexia. While orthorexia doesn’t have an official psychiatric diagnosis like other eating disorders such as bulimia, Conason notes that it’s gaining recognition as a form of disordered eating in the field. While there is a lack of hard science regarding the prevalence of orthorexia, many experts believe that cases have been steadily rising among both women and men.

Social media and ads promote The rise of social media likely has played a role. Seeing people you follow flaunting their green smoothies and Buddha bowls as part of restrictive diets can leave you feeling inadequate when dinner ends up being takeout pizza. A report in the journal Eating and See TOO CLEAN, page 6

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How can you protect yourself from the new omicron variant? The same way you guard against COVID19 caused by any other variant: Get vaccinated if you haven’t yet, get a booster if you’re eligible, and step up other precautions you may have relaxed, like wearing a mask and avoiding crowds. It will take a few more weeks to learn key aspects about this latest variant. In the meantime, “what we need to do is add more layers of protection,” said Dr. Julie Vaishampayan of the Infectious Diseases Society of America. A booster shot is one of those layers. The added dose triggers a big jump in virus-fighting antibodies. Even if the antibodies don’t prove quite as effective against omicron as they are against other variants, simply having more of them might compensate — in addition to bolstering protection against delta. In addition to masking, avoiding crowds and improving ventilation, testing is another protective step. That’s recommended for anyone who has COVID-19 symptoms or was potentially exposed to the virus. —AP

There’s no clear-cut definition for when a pandemic starts and ends. How much of a threat a global outbreak is posing can vary by country. “It’s somewhat a subjective judgment because it’s not just about the number of cases. It’s about severity and it’s about impact,” said Dr. Michael Ryan, the World Health Organization’s emergencies chief. In January 2020, WHO designated the virus that causes COVID-19 a global health crisis “of international concern.” In March, the United Nations health agency described the outbreak as a “pandemic,” reflecting the fact that the virus had spread to nearly every continent, and numerous other health officials were saying it could be described as such. The pandemic may be widely considered over when WHO decides the virus is no longer an emergency of international concern — a designation its expert committee has been reassessing every three months. But when the most acute phases of the crisis ease within countries could vary. “There is not going to be one day when someone says, ‘OK, the pandemic is over,’” said Dr. Chris Woods, an infectious dis-

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Too clean From page 4 Weight Disorders suggests that people who have an Instagram feed dominated by imagery of beautiful, clean foods are at a greater risk for obsessive eating patterns,

including orthorexia. “These outlets can elicit comparisons where you think you need to eat like the people you follow to look like them,” Conason explains. It also doesn’t help that marketing terms we see every day on food labels that

J A N U A R Y 2 0 2 2 — WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N

we’ve come to associate with healthy eating — such as “natural” and “pure” — are ambiguous enough to fit into our subjective definitions and ideals. “With orthorexia, people can have different beliefs of what healthy food is,” Conason said. Notably, research also suggests that orthorexia may not carry the stigma of other eating disorders, such as anorexia and binge-eating. That means the condition can hide in plain sight, under the guise of healthy eating and good health. In the end, if someone suspects clean eating food rules have gotten in the way of

gleaning any joy out of life, it’s probably time to talk to someone. “Speak to a licensed therapist who specializes in eating disorders or seek help at an eating disorder treatment center,” Conason recommended. Soon a person may once again fret a lot less when enjoying a slice of chocolate cake with friends and family. Reprinted with permission from Environmental Nutrition, a monthly publication of Belvoir Media Group, LLC, 1-800829-5384, EnvironmentalNutrition.com. © 2021 Belvoir Media Group. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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Jan. 19+

DEMENTIA PROBLEM SOLVING

Every month, TEEPA and the Positive Approach to Care team offer free problem-solving webinars for family care partners, professionals and people living with brain change. This month’s program takes place Wed., Jan. 19 from 7 to 8:30 p.m. on their Facebook page. For more information, visit bit.ly/ProblemSolvingPAC.

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HEART-HEALTHY RESOURCES

Learn more about how to prevent heart disease by visiting the website for Million Hearts, a national initiative to prevent 1 million heart attacks and strokes over the next five years. For heart-healthy recipes, prevention tips and recent research, visit millionhearts.hhs.gov.

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VIRTUAL SUPPORT GROUP

The Chesapeake Life Center offers a virtual support group for those grieving the loss of a life partner/spouse from 10:30 a.m. to noon on Jan. 12, Feb. 9 and March 9. To register, email griefinfo@chesapeakelifecenter or call 1-888-501-7077. Visit hospicechesapeake.org for more information about the Chesapeake Life Center.

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RED CROSS AND YOU

Learn about the work of American Red Cross volunteers and how you can impact your community in this virtual information session that takes place Fri., Jan. 14 from noon to 1 p.m. For more information and to register, visit redcross.org/volopenhouse. Additional dates are available.

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COVID news From page 5 ease expert at Duke University. Although there’s no universally agreed-upon criteria, he said countries will likely look for sustained reduction in cases over time. Scientists expect COVID-19 will eventually settle into becoming a more predictable virus like the flu, meaning it will cause seasonal outbreaks but not the huge surges we’re seeing right now. But even then, Woods says some habits, such as wearing masks in public places, might continue. “Even after the pandemic ends, COVID will still be with us,” he said. —AP

Drug makers are updating vaccines Vaccine makers are racing to update their COVID-19 shots against the newest coronavirus threat even before it’s clear a change is needed, just in case. Experts doubt today’s shots will become useless, but say it’s critical to see how fast companies could produce a reformulated dose and prove it works — because whatever happens with omicron, this newest mutant won’t be the last. Omicron “is pulling the fire alarm. Whether it turns out to be a false alarm, it would be really good to know if we can actually do this — get a new vaccine rolled out and be ready,” said immunologist E. John Wherry of the University of Pennsylvania. It’s too soon to know how vaccines will hold up against omicron. The first hints were mixed: Preliminary lab tests suggest two Pfizer doses may not prevent an omicron infection, but they could protect against severe illness. And a booster shot may rev up immunity enough to do both. Better answers are expected in the com-

ing weeks, and regulators in the U.S. and other countries are keeping a close watch. The World Health Organization has appointed an independent scientific panel to advise on whether the shots need reformulating because of omicron or any other mutant. If vaccines do need tweaking, remember that companies aren’t starting from scratch. COVID-19 vaccines work by triggering production of antibodies that recognize and attack the spike protein that coats the coronavirus, and many are made with new technology flexible enough for easy updating. The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are fastest to tweak, made with genetic instructions that tell the body to make harmless copies of the spike protein — and that messenger RNA can be swapped to match new mutations. Pfizer expects to have an omicron-specific candidate ready for the Food and Drug Administration to consider in March, with some initial batches ready to ship around the same time, chief scientific officer Dr. Mikael Dolsten told the Associated Press. Moderna is predicting 60 to 90 days to have an omicron-specific candidate ready for testing. Other manufacturers that make COVID-19 vaccines using different technology, including Johnson & Johnson, also are pursuing possible updates. Pfizer and Moderna already have successfully brewed experimental doses to match delta and another variant named beta. Those shots haven’t been needed, but the effort offered valuable practice. Even if the current vaccines’ immunity against omicron isn’t as good, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the top U.S. infectious disease expert, hopes the big antibody jump triggered by booster doses will compensate. Antibodies aren’t the only layer of defense. Vaccines also spur T cells that can

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prevent serious illness if someone does get infected. Also, memory cells that can create new and somewhat different antibodies form with each dose. “You’re really training your immune system not just to deal better with existing variants, but to deal with new vari-

ants,” Dolsten said. When will we know if the vaccine updates work? U. Penn’s Wherry doesn’t expect data from volunteers testing experimental omicron-targeted shots until at least February. —AP

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The County’s active Age-Friendly workgroup focuses on 10 areas, called domains: civic involvement communications and outreach elder abuse prevention employment health and wellness home and community-based services/caregiving housing planning, open spaces, parks and community buildings senior public safety transportation and mobility.

Age-Friendly Montgomery: A Community for a Lifetime Did you know that nearly 30% of Montgomery County’s population will be over 60 by 2040? Our County wants all our residents to continue living and thriving here in “a community for a lifetime.” That’s why we are a proud member of the national AARP network of AgeFriendly States and Communities.

partnership of government and community organizations across the County needs to focus both inwards and outwards — that is, on policies within each organization as well as on their mission in the community. And they need to work together aiming towards policies helpful to our older residents.

Like 562 other communities in the U.S., we are working hard to meet the growing needs of our rapidly aging and increasingly diverse population. We believe that everything we are doing to support our older residents — both those who are healthy and active and those who are more vulnerable — benefits all the County’s residents.

Our partners include AARP Maryland, and our longtime advocate for older residents, the Montgomery County Commission on Aging, plus more than 40 partners from businesses and nonprofit organizations throughout the County representing the arts, diverse cultural communities, education, faith-based organizations, employment, federal government, healthcare, life-long learning, transportation and technology.

What needs to happen to create an Age-Friendly community? A strong

The groups working on these issues also work collaboratively with partners and organizations on issues of mutual concern. As we move forward, all aspects of Montgomery County will continue working to keep the needs of older residents in mind as we strive to become a more Age-Friendly County. To find out more about specific County programs and services, or to offer suggestions for ways to make Montgomery County more age-friendly, please call (240) 777-3000, or write to ADS@ MontgomeryCountyMD.gov For more information about AgeFriendly Montgomery, visit the Age-Friendly website: https://www. montgomerycountymd.gov/ senior/age-friendly.html For information on AARP’s AgeFriendly program, visit: https:// states.aarp.org/maryland and https://www.aarp.org/livablecommunities/network-agefriendly-communities

www.montgomerycountymd.gov/senior

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How well do antidepressants relieve pain? By Robert H. Shmerling, M.D. Did you know that antidepressant medications are often prescribed for people without depression? It’s true. Antidepressants are frequently prescribed for chronic pain, especially pain related to nerve disease (called neuropathic pain), chronic low back or neck pain, and certain types of arthritis. In fact, some guidelines for the treatment of chronic low back pain and osteoarthritis (the most common type of arthritis) include antidepressants. One antidepressant in particular, duloxetine (Cymbalta), is FDA-approved for these conditions. Just how antidepressants reduce pain is not well understood. One possibility is they affect chemicals in the brain involved in pain perception, a mechanism that differs from how they fight depression. But a recent study calls into doubt how much pain relief antidepressants really deliver. For people with chronic low back or neck pain or osteoarthritis of the hip or knee, an antidepressant medication is not usually the first treatment recommended. Other approaches, such as physical therapy, exercise, losing excess weight, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), or cortisone injections are usually tried first. But if these aren’t helpful, antidepressants such as duloxetine or amitriptyline might be a reasonable next step. When prescribed for pain, the initial dose is typically low (often lower than the starting dose for depression). It’s gradually increased if necessary. Ideally, people notice a benefit within weeks of starting the drug, and the medication can be continued at the lowest effective dose. Switching to a different antidepressant

may be recommended if pain is not well controlled, side effects develop, or there is an interaction with another medication.

Research suggests minimal benefit Past research on antidepressants for chronic pain, such as duloxetine for osteoarthritis of the knee, amitriptyline or duloxetine for chronic low back pain, and amitriptyline for chronic neck pain, demonstrated modest, short-term benefit. But the studies were limited. Most trials were small and lasted only a few months or less. Notably, medication side effects — such as nausea, constipation and erectile dysfunction — were common in these trials. Now, a 2021 study has combined the data from past research to get a better sense of just how safe and effective antidepressants are for these conditions. The news isn’t good: On average, treatment with antidepressants minimally reduced pain and disability compared with placebo. The improvement in pain — about 4 points on a scale of 0 to 100 — was considered too small to be noticeable. People treated with certain antidepressants for chronic pain often stopped taking the medication because it didn’t work, caused unacceptable side effects, or both. People with both chronic pain and depression did not experience more improvement than people with chronic pain alone. Sciatica may be an exception: antidepressants may have reduced pain for up to a year. However, the quality of the prior research was poor, so the study authors were not confident about these conclusions. These findings cast doubt on the useful-

ness of antidepressant treatment for these common causes of chronic pain. However, they don’t rule out the possibility that some individuals may get more relief from these medications than others.

The bottom line The available evidence suggests that, on average, the benefit of antidepressants for osteoarthritis or chronic low back pain and neck pain is modest at best, and tends to be temporary. That’s disappointing because, for many pain sufferers, there are no reliably effective treatments (short of joint replacement for osteoarthritis). So, if you’re on an antidepressant for

pain and you aren’t sure if it’s working, talk to your doctor about whether you should consider stopping it. Not only might you simplify your medical regimen, you may also reduce the cost of your medicines and the risk of medication-related side effects. But don’t stop it on your own. There may be other reasons your doctor is recommending this medication, and many antidepressants should be gradually reduced, not stopped all at once, to avoid discontinuation symptoms. Robert H. Shmerling, M.D., is a senior faculty editor at Harvard Health Publishing. © Harvard University. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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Frozen vegetables, fruit are good choices By Matthew Kadey Nearly every health expert will be quick to tell you that it’s a good idea to load up your shopping cart with more vegetables and fruits. Their unique nutritional stew of fiber, antioxidants, vitamins and minerals is key to lasting health. But sometimes fresh options in the produce aisle don’t look so fresh and are expensive, especially when out of season locally. That’s when it’s time to head to the frozen food department for the unsung subzero heroes of the supermarket. Certainly, fruits and veggies don’t always have to be fresh to be best. And in some cases, frozen food provides you with more nutrients than fresh. There’s a common misconception that frozen fruits and veggies are not as healthy as their fresh counterparts, but New York City dietitian Deborah MalkoffCohen said this is not necessarily true.

“Fruits and vegetables are picked when they are at their peak ripeness and flashfrozen to retain all of their nutrients, antioxidants and flavor,” she said. And this occurs shortly after harvesting, so think of the process as Mother Nature’s pause button. Many vegetables undergo blanching in hot water for a short time before freezing to inactivate enzymes that degrade color, smell, flavor and nutritional value. As a result, some items like green peas and peaches retain a much more appetizing, vibrant color when frozen than when canned. Contrast this with fresh out-of-season produce fated for long-haul shipping. These are generally picked before ripe and, in turn, fall short of their full nutritive and flavor potential. Plus, long-haul transport from farm to fork and lengthy storage times can further degrade nutrition and taste. To this point, an analysis of frozen and

fresh-stored fruits and vegetables published in the Journal of Food Composition and Analysis found that in many cases, items like broccoli, green beans, corn and blueberries retained higher levels of vitamin C, beta-carotene and folate when in frozen form compared to fresh, as these nutrients are diminished during days of refrigerator storage. Cup for cup, Malkoff-Cohen called out frozen spinach for having notably higher amounts of fiber, iron, folate and calcium than its fresh counterpart. Overall, a study in the journal Nutrients shows that people who sneak more frozen fruits and vegetables into their diets take in higher amounts of must-have nutrients like fiber, calcium and potassium. Still, Malkoff-Cohen recommended opting for fresh produce when it is in season, especially if items are locally grown or

come from a nearby farm stand. “For some dishes like stir-fries and salads, sometimes you just want the crunchy texture of fresh.”

Easy way to eat healthy Busy schedules can make it a challenge to prep and cook fresh produce all of the time. Buying frozen veggies and fruit — which are often already chopped, pitted or peeled — can make healthy eating more convenient. Simply toss a few cups of frozen broccoli florets into a soup, stir some cherries into oatmeal, toss thawed corn kernels into a bean salad, and whip up a smoothie with cubed frozen mango. With a quick heat in the microwave, prechopped frozen vegetable mixes can be your answer to an ultra-quick side-dish. “The variety of fruits and vegetables you eat can increase tremendously when you add in frozen types,” said Malkoff-Cohen. And that is a pathway to eating a more nutritionally diverse diet.

Boiling can reduce nutrients But preparation matters when it comes to the nutrition on your plate. When you grab that bag of frozen cauliflower and start preparing dinner, boiling runs the risk of leeching out water-soluble nutrients like vitamin C and folate. Malkoff-Cohen suggested steaming, microwaving, roasting and stir-frying as less destructive cooking methods. If you’re looking to cut back on food waste and its added cost to you and the environment, by buying frozen you don’t have to worry about eating your frozen raspberries before white fuzz takes over. Space permitting, you can buy a lot more frozen veggies and fruits well in advance and use them in the weeks to come. And these days there are more exciting options than ever, ranging from deep freeze dragon fruit to jazz up your next smoothie to frozen cauliflower “rice” that replaces a starch with a low-calorie veggie serving for tonight’s stir-fry.

Securing your frozen assets Choose bags of frozen fruits and vegetables where you can feel the individual contents. A bag that feels like a block of ice has been partially thawed and refrozen, which degrades quality. Steer clear of frozen fruits and vegetables with added sweeteners, salt or mysterious sauces. “You just want to see fruits or vegetables in the ingredient list,” MalkoffCohen said. Stored in a zero-degree freezer, frozen fruits and vegetables have a shelf-life of about one year before their flavor, texture and nutrients suffer. Once the food has been opened, store extras in an air-tight bag so they don’t get freezer burn. Reprinted with permission from Environmental Nutrition, a monthly publication of Belvoir Media Group, LLC, 1-800829-5384, EnvironmentalNutrition.com. © Belvoir Media Group. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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How to avoid peripheral arterial disease By the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Approximately 6.5 million people 40 and older in the United States have peripheral arterial disease. Known as PAD, the disease is the narrowing or blockage of the vessels that carry blood from the heart to the legs. It is primarily caused by the buildup of fatty plaque in the arteries, which is called atherosclerosis. PAD can happen in any blood vessel, but it is more common in the legs than the arms.

Risk factors for PAD • Smoking • High blood pressure • Atherosclerosis • Diabetes • High cholesterol • Age above 60 years Both men and woman are affected by PAD; however, African Americans have an increased risk of PAD. Hispanics may have similar to slightly higher rates of PAD compared with non-Hispanic white people. If you have PAD, you are at risk for developing coronary artery disease and cerebrovascular disease, which could lead to a heart attack or stroke. However, other health conditions and disorders of arteries can mimic the symptoms of PAD, and not all PAD is due to ath-

erosclerosis.

Signs and symptoms The classic symptom of PAD is pain in the legs with physical activity, such as walking, that gets better after rest. However, up to 4 in 10 people with PAD have no leg pain. Symptoms of pain, aches or cramps with walking (claudication) can also occur in the buttock, hip, thigh or calf. Physical signs in the leg that may indicate PAD include muscle atrophy (weakness); hair loss; smooth, shiny skin; skin that is cool to the touch, especially if accompanied by pain while walking (that is relieved by stopping walking); decreased or absent pulses in the feet; sores or ulcers in the legs or feet that don’t heal; and cold or numb toes.

How is PAD diagnosed?

How is PAD treated?

If you have symptoms of PAD, your doctor may do an ankle brachial index (ABI), which is a noninvasive test that measures the blood pressure in the ankles and compares it with the blood pressure in the arms at rest and after exercise. Your doctor may also do imaging tests such as ultrasound, magnetic resonance angiography (MRA), and computed tomographic (CT) angiography.

Your doctor may recommend that you take aspirin or other similar antiplatelet medicines to prevent serious complications from PAD and associated atherosclerosis. You may need surgery to bypass blocked arteries. You may also need to take medicine to reduce your blood cholesterol. This information is courtesy of the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention.

How to prevent PAD • Get plenty of physical activity to help prevent PAD or improve symptoms. • Do not use tobacco. Smoking increases the risk of PAD and makes symptoms worse. • Control high blood pressure and manage high blood cholesterol and diabetes. If you have PAD, participating in supervised exercise training programs can improve and prolong your ability to walk longer distances.

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Strategies to stop sugar cravings now I feel like in winter I go into hibernation mode: I put on weight and just crawl into bed earlier than I should. Do you feel that way when it gets dark at 5 p.m.? Do you want to eat whenever you watch the news or a scary movie? It happens to all of us; you’re not alone. If your cravings have increased due to going overboard on holiday treats, or even from stress and the current early darkness of winter, then read on because I have some simple, natural solutions that you

can try. And I want to emphasize that this is very important to your immune system. Curb the crave and start today. Trying the following five things is the first and only commitment you have to make today. You can always revise the plan, have a little donut, and then get back on track! 1. Drink something instead. Take notice of how many times you go to the fridge and open the door. The next time you do that, open the freezer instead and get some ice cubes.

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Put them in a glass of water, or iced tea, tunately, those get destroyed sometimes and drink instead of eating! This also hy- for people with an autoimmune condition. drates you and reduces your [Ed. Note: WebMD.com risk of headache. lists several drugs gymnema 2. Add cinnamon. interacts with and advises Cinnamon has a well-known caution by those taking ability to help your insulin and them.] blood sugar levels, which in 5. Take a whiff of pepturn, reduces cravings. Sprinpermint. kle it on some green apple Peppermint is known to reslices, sweet potatoes, Greek duce cravings. You could yogurt or coffee. drink some herbal pepper3. Minimize grains. mint tea with your meal (or DEAR This is a hard one, but you right before) and see if that PHARMACIST can do it. If you eat a lot of helps you to reduce portions. By Suzy Cohen bread, rolls or buns, please reAlso, you could sniff the esduce that. These are lacking in sential oil. fiber, and they provide empty calories that I have the same love of sugar as you. We spike your blood sugar, which then later would die without consuming some type of crashes. glucose, but that is different from consumI suddenly see in my mind’s eye a ing carbs and sugar all day. mouth-watering foot-long sub, but that is a I have a longer, extended version of this heavy carb hit for me. article, which you can receive by subWhat’s needed is a change in ratios. In- s c r i b i n g t o m y f r e e n e w s l e t t e r a t stead, I order a wrap or make it an open-face suzycohen.com. This information is opinion only. It is sandwich and toss the top bun. Effective! not intended to treat, cure or diagnose 4. Try gymnema sylvestre. This plant has been studied extensively your condition. Consult with your doctor and is able to help support regeneration of before using any new drug or supplement. Suzy Cohen is a registered pharmacist pancreatic cells that have the job of lowering your blood sugar. The more of those and author of The 24-Hour Pharmacist pancreatic islet cells the better, and unfor- and Real Solutions from Head to Toe.

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WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N — J A N U A R Y 2 0 2 2

Health Studies

INFORMATION ON AREA CLINICAL TRIALS

Studying a drug to prevent heart attacks By Margaret Foster Heart disease is the number-one cause of death in America, accounting for 1 in 4 deaths in a normal year. According to the CDC, before the pandemic about 659,000 Americans died from heart disease each year. Many of us know someone who has had a heart attack or takes medication to prevent one. Common heart disease medications include statins, beta-blockers, diuretics and ACE inhibitors. Now, researchers at NIH’s National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute are testing a new drug that may help remove excess cholesterol — a major cause of heart attack — from arteries. In a phase 1 trial this year, they’re testing that drug, which may also be used for asthma, colitis and kidney disease, to see if it’s safe in healthy individuals. According to NIH, “Models have shown that Fx-5A can minimize inflammation associated with diseases like asthma, colitis and chronic kidney disease. This study will evaluate how well [participants] toler-

ate a single dose of Fx-5A when given through an IV and how safe it is to use in healthy individuals.”

Four visits, one overnight The study lasts five to 10 weeks, and people who enroll will make four visits to the NIH campus in Bethesda, Maryland. At the first visit, participants will spend a few hours at NIH to give blood and take several tests. During the second visit, participants will receive a single dose of the drug, Fx-5A, by IV and remain in the NIH clinical center for up to two days. (They will be compensated for their time.) “We try to make their stay as pleasurable as possible,” said Marcelo J. Amar, M.D., of the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, the study’s principal investigator. “I want them to be interested in the study,” he said. “They’ll get to know more about themselves and their health.” After the overnight stay, participants will have two short follow-up visits one

week and one month later. At these visits, they will give blood and have an electrocardiogram (EKG), a painless test that takes a few minutes. Healthy people over 18 are welcome to participate as long as they don’t take any medications, vitamins or supplements for eight weeks prior to the study and four weeks after the study ends.

Hope for the future After this Phase I study of the investigational drug ends, researchers will design a

larger clinical trial to test Fx-5A. Because previous studies showed the drug reduced plaque in the arteries, scientists are cautiously optimistic about the drug’s potential to save lives. “It’s something that could potentially help a lot of people … and people like to have that feeling of helping other people,” Amar said. In addition, NIH will compensate participants a maximum of $1,500 for completing the study. For more information, call 1-800-411-1222 or (301) 451-4383 or email PRPL@cc.nih.gov.

BEACON BITS

Jan.

WALK-UP COVID-19 VACCINE CLINIC Throughout January, the Department of Health and the D.C. Public

Library will host walk-up Covid-19 vaccine clinics every Tuesday, Wednesday,

FREE Taxi Service to COVID-19 Vaccination and Testing!

Thursday and Saturday at Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Library and the Capitol View Neighborhood Library from 1 to 7 p.m. The last walk-ups will be accepted 15 minutes prior to closing. Email vaccinateDC@dc.gov or call the D.C. COVID-19 Call Center at 1-855-363-0333 with questions.

The Montgomery County Department of Transportation (MCDOT) is offering FREE Taxi Service to COVID-19 Vaccination and Testing for Residents 65+ and Residents with Disabilities! Taxicab companies operating in Montgomery County (Action, Anytime & Regency/Barwood) can provide roundtrip transportation to older adults and residents with disabilities to COVID-19 Vaccination and Testing locations at no cost to the rider. MCDOT will reimburse taxi companies for the trips. To Schedule a Trip: • Call Connect-A-Ride at (301) 738-3252 and provide your name, address, phone number, age to receive a “Free COVID Taxi Code.” • Call Action (301-840-1000), Anytime (301-637-9292) or Regency/ Barwood (301-990-9000 / 301-984-1900) taxicab companies and provide the following: – Your “Free COVID Taxi Code” – Name, phone number, trip information – date, time, origin and destination • At the end of each trip, the rider signs a trip voucher. • Drivers and riders must wear face coverings for the duration of the trip.

For COVID-19 Information and resources, visit:

www.montgomerycountymd.gov/COVID19 We

focused on your safety.

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WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N — J A N U A R Y 2 0 2 2

DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE

By Laura Newland, Director D.C. Department of Aging and Community Living Happy New Year! While 2021 started inauspiciously with a terrorist attack on the Capitol building, we still managed to end the year with joy, celebration and well wishes at the Mayor’s 23rd Annual Senior Holiday Celebration! We had such a great time welcoming you, catching up with you, and dancing with you. It was the perfect way to end the year. With all of 2022 in front of us, we have a lot to look forward to. One of the things I’m most excited about is our Future of Aging project. If you were at our Holiday Celebration last month, you may have participated in one of our activities where we asked you about how certain interactions with government and other organizations made you feel. The Future of Aging project is all about redesigning systems and programs around your insights, feelings and experiences. Together, we are creating a customer experience that we can all be proud of. If you’re interested in participating in some of these activities, please contact us at dacl.communications@dc.gov. Before you know it, Valentine’s Day will be here, which means Cupid’s Kids from District public and charter schools will be making cards for our homebound seniors. It’s a small gesture with a huge impact — especially these days when we could all use reminders that our community supports us. As I mentioned last month, the holidays don’t mean the same thing for everyone. For a lot of folks, this season can be particularly lonely, so please take a minute and call a friend or neighbor or send a note. Taking a few minutes of your time to say hi can make someone’s day — we all have the superpower of making someone feel great! Finally, most of you reading this are probably vaccinated, but if you’re not, please get vaccinated as soon as possible!! And if you’re vaccinated but not boosted, get your booster! DC has a lot of places you can go to get a vaccination or booster, and if you need some help getting to a vaccination site, give us a call, and we’ll connect you with transportation options. If you already have your booster, thank you for doing your part to keep our community safe! And remember to practice good hygiene, wear your mask, and practice social distancing (but don’t be socially distant!). Thanks for helping make 2021 a great year for DACL, and I can’t wait to see what’s in store for us in 2022. As always, if you have ideas or thoughts, feel free to reach out. We’d love to hear from you!

Makes a great gift!

Thanks for Attending Mayor Bowser’s 23rd Annual Senior Holiday Celebration! Together, we rang in the holidays at the 23rd Annual Senior Holiday Celebration! Thanks go to Mayor Bowser, Dr. Nesbitt, our phenomenal performers, volunteers, exhibitors, and DC Government agencies that celebrated with us. To view photos from the event, please visit dacl.dc.gov and click on Photo Gallery.

Living Boldly is published by the Information Office of the D.C. Department of Aging and Community Living for D.C. senior residents. Advertising contained in the Beacon is not endorsed by the D.C. Department of Aging and Community Living or by the publisher.

Director Laura Newland

Editor DACL External Affairs

Photographer Richard Williams

500 K St. N.E., Washington, D.C. 20002 | (202) 724-5626 | www.dacl.dc.gov

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Director Laura Newland to Testify at Annual Performance Oversight Hearing At the Performance Oversight Hearing on Monday, January 10, at 10 a.m., Director Laura Newland will testify on the fiscal year 2021 and 2022 performance of the Department of Aging and Community Living. All public hearings will be held via virtual meeting platforms. Written or transcribed testimony from the public is highly recommended and will be taken by either voicemail or email. We encourage you to join us and share your thoughts. To submit written testimony, please email or mail to The Office of At-Large Councilmember Bonds, 1350 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Suite 404, Washington, DC 20004. To submit testimony via voicemail, please call (202) 350-0894. All testimony received will be made a part of the official record. To testify live, the Committee on

Housing and Neighborhood Revitalization will provide slots for witnesses to testify on a first-come, first-served basis. If you would like to sign up to testify live, send an email to and you will be emailed a link to access the virtual hearing. Please include your name, address, phone number, organizational affiliation and title (if any), your preferred email address, and the name of the agency or program that you are testifying about. If you would like to testify by phone, please call 202-724-8064 and leave your name and phone number. The committee will call you before the hearing to make sure that you are connected. The Committee will contact all witnesses by phone or email on the day before the hearing to confirm that they have received a slot. Please sign up to

testify no later than the close of business two days prior to your hearing date. Witnesses will be limited to three minutes. The committee encourages only one witness per organization. For more information, please contact the

Committee on Housing and Neighborhood Revitalization at or 202-724-8064. Watch: – On the Council site, at – On the OCTFME site, at – On TV, DCC Channel 13

WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N — J A N U A R Y 2 0 2 2

SPECIAL PULL-OUT SECTION

Say you saw it in the Beacon

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When a loved one requires memory care By Mary Kane For Marylander Larry Barrett, the agonizing decision to find a memory care community for his wife, Martha, began more than 10 years ago. That’s when Larry first noticed that something was going on with Martha, then 60, a lawyer. She’d forget the name of a person she met the night before. On a trip to Louisville, Ky., where she grew up, she forgot the way to her childhood home. Larry persuaded Martha in 2010 to see a neurologist, who diagnosed her with mild cognitive impairment. In the years that followed, Martha’s condition progressed to Alzheimer’s. Larry tried to care for her himself, but things got complicated. He sold their house in Montgomery County and moved them into a nearby apartment. But Martha began to wander. Once, when Larry was attending a support group for spouses of people with dementia, the apartment building’s front desk staff called to say they had found Martha disoriented. “It was reaching the point where she couldn’t be appropriately cared for at home,” said Larry. After a yearlong search, he found a nearby memory care community for Martha in 2017. The process took an emotional toll. “It’s one of the hardest decisions you can make in your life,” he said.

Memory and person-centered care Memory care is typically the name given to care communities with staff that has specialized dementia training and offers appropriate programming. Some memory care units are in standalone communities, while others are part of a larger assisted living, nursing home or continuing care (or Life Plan) community. For instance, at Vinson Hall Retirement Community in McLean, Virginia, the memory care unit is located across the street from its main campus, where its independent living and assisted living communities are. Known as the Sylvestery, the memory care community houses a solarium, interior courtyard and “sensory oasis rooms” for relaxation. About 42% of residents in assisted-living communities have Alzheimer’s or other dementias, and 61% of nursing-home residents have moderate or severe cognitive impairment. As a result, memory care has become a bigger component of long-term care, wherever it’s offered. Many family members of people with dementia face the same decision Larry Barrett did. They want a spouse or parent to get 24-hour, supportive care, but also still enjoy some quality of life. Loved ones also sometimes worry about

stereotypes of long-term care, such as an elderly parent being left alone all day. These fears can induce guilt in family members. Fortunately, many long-term care communities for people with dementia are changing their culture and practices to be “person centered” — focusing on the individual needs of residents and recognizing they still require meaning and purpose in their lives. In this evolving version of care, staff work closely with families to understand and respect the qualities someone had before entering long-term care, and to learn the person’s interests, routines and needs. A care community might use a resident’s previous occupation or interests to offer daily activities to look forward to. Perhaps a resident who loved gardening arranges flowers for the dining room each night. Or staff recognize that a resident who wakes at 4 a.m. every day had spent his life as a farmer, accustomed to rising early and having a strong cup of coffee. They adjust to his routine, instead of “correcting” his behavior and persuading him to go back to bed. To emphasize individuality, a “shadow box” that describes each resident hangs outside every room of Harmony Senior Services communities in Maryland and Virginia, according to spokesperson Allison Waters. The boxes include “pictures of themselves when they were younger, maybe a picture of

their children — things that they’re interested in,” Waters said, helping staff get to know each resident. [See sidebar, “Better understanding leads to better care,” on page B3.] Beyond that, there is an effort to please residents with things they like. “If someone is known to enjoy gospel music, we’ll play that,” Waters said.

Part of the larger community Care communities embracing these changes also are connected to their neighborhoods and the outside world. For example, at Alexandria Silverado, a memory care community near Old Town, residents are encouraged to engage with the community by making sandwiches for the homeless or baking dog biscuits and visiting animals at the local shelter. “So many negative dementia behaviors in facilities in the past were related to people feeling like a prisoner, or just boredom and having no sense of purpose,” said Kim Butrum, Silverado’s senior vice president of clinical services. “But allowing a person to still feel like they make a difference is part of what makes you human. That doesn’t stop because you’re having trouble with language or your memory declined.” See MEMORY CARE, page B-3

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Memory Care Community 9ʋʐʕʑʐ +ʃʎʎ 5ʇʖʋʔʇʏʇʐʖ &ʑʏʏʗʐʋʖʛ

Every moment is an opportunity. The Sylvestery at Vinson Hall Retirement Community strives to ensure that each moment is an opportunity for meaning and comfort. The Sylvestery offers round-the-clock dementia care for those who are still active but require specialized support for Alzheimer’s or other forms of memory loss.

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WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N — J A N U A R Y 2 0 2 2

Memory care From page B-2 This view is supported by the Alzheimer’s Association, which last year released its recommendations for dementia care that call for a “holistic, person-centered approach to care” and “a positive approach” to supporting people with dementia and their caregivers. “I don’t want to minimize the challenges, because of course a dementia diagnosis is scary,” said Sheryl Zimmerman, co-director of the program on aging, disability and long-term care at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. “But many assisted living and other providers know ways to offer quality services for people with dementia. In fact, years ago we didn’t use the words ‘quality of life’ and ‘dementia’ in the same sentence. But now we do.”

Do your homework Be proactive in researching person-centered care practices, Zimmerman advised. You also can advocate for them in a community you’re considering. For example, people with dementia can find showers uncomfortable. But staff can adjust the bathing routine to have a resident sit in a chair, lean back and have her hair washed in the sink, which resembles the pleasant experience of going to a salon and makes the task far less stressful. And person-centered communities will “meet residents where they are,” Zimmerman said, meaning they’ll tailor care to individual needs. So if a loved one is agitated or begins to wander, staff will look to address the underlying cause, rather than turning first to medication or restrictions. “We really focus on companionship,” said Waters of Harmony Senior Services, which recently opened a new community in Bowie, Maryland. Staff members keep

residents engaged with a full but predictable schedule of events. “Removing the anxiety of anything new, and avoiding any sort of variation in the routine, is so important,” Waters said.

Don’t be afraid to ask questions Start to plan as soon as a loved one is diagnosed with dementia. You want to ensure you know his or her wishes about how to be cared for as the disease progresses. Together, you and your loved one can fill out a dementia directive, which outlines your loved one’s preferences for care. Larry Barrett created a list of seven communities that met his criteria, which included commuting distance and cost. As his visits progressed, he narrowed his list. At one community, despite repeated requests to talk to staff, he could never meet with anyone except the marketing manager. “That was a red flag,” he said. Look behind the tour. Drop in unannounced on weekends or at mealtime. If a community has a problem with that, that’s also a warning sign. Talk to the life enrichment or activities team. Find out how they include meaningful activities in the daily life of the community, and look for creative approaches beyond an arts and crafts table or a game room. Scout out the mood of the place. Do the staff smile? Do residents look happy? Talk to other families. Do they have a family council whose members (relatives of residents) share experiences with families of prospective residents? If a community won’t let you talk to other families, consider it a red flag. Also, ask how often you’ll meet with direct care and other staff. Barrett said he paid close attention to the ratio of hands-on staffers to residents, and “the skill and empathy” those staffers displayed in regular interactions with residents. “Once I had my short list, I revisited those places and spent time just observ-

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Say you saw it in the Beacon | Housing Options

ing,” he said. Judge whether a community feels like a home rather than an institution. He said he also realized that what might have been appealing to him — a nice lobby or a large room — wasn’t necessarily what Martha needed. More important for her was the help she’d get for activities of daily life and whether she felt comfortable in her new community. After a loved one moves in, be an advocate, visiting often and consulting staff. And care for yourself as well. Barrett advised joining a support group for family members. He said that made his yearlong search for a care community much less lonely. Most assisted living and memory care units are private pay. Costs in the D.C. area average about $72,000 per year, according to Genworth’s annual Cost of Care Survey. and can reach nearly $115,000 for memory care, Nursing homes in this area cost around

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$156,000 per year on average for a private room, according to Genworth. But the most expensive community isn’t necessarily the best. You’ll also want to consider convenience and the programs offered. For personal assistance in selecting a community, you can hire an aging life care professional (formerly known as a geriatric care manager) to help evaluate a variety of communities and advise you on the best ones for your needs. To find a nursing home, use Medicare’s Nursing Home Compare tool. Before picking a facility, consider talking to your local long-term care ombudsman. For D.C., call (202) 724-5626; for Montgomery County, Maryland, call (240) 777-3369; and for Northern Virginia, call (703) 324-5861. Margaret Foster contributed to this article. © The Kiplinger Washington Editors, Inc. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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J A N U A R Y 2 0 2 2 — WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N

Tips for choosing a retirement location Dear Savvy Senior, Best Place” retirement quiz at Sperling’s Best My husband and I will both be retir- Places (BestPlaces.net/fybp). ing in a few years and are This free quiz asks 10 quesinterested in relocating to a tions about your preferences, warmer climate, but could such as climate, recreation, use some help. What recommunity size and more. sources can you recomThen it suggests possible destimend for locating and renations that match your ansearching good places to swers. retire in the U.S.? MarketWatch also has a —Retiring at 65 new matchmaking tool called Dear Retiring, “Where’s the best place for If you’re interested in relome to retire?” at Marketcating when you retire, like SAVVY SENIOR Watch.com/graphics/bestmillions of other Boomers, By Jim Miller place-to-retire. there are a wide variety of Media resources like U.S. books and online resources that can help News & World Report, Kiplinger’s, Forbes you research and find a new location that and Money magazine also publish “best meet your wants, needs and budget. places to retire” lists on their websites If you’re at the beginning of your search, a each year. good starting point is to take the “Find Your And be sure you check out Milken’s

“Best Cities for Successful Aging” (SuccessfulAging.MilkenInstitute.org), which ranks 381 U.S. metropolitan areas based on factors that are important to older adults. You should also consider getting a copy of America’s 100 Best Places to Retire, which looks at a range of destinations, and groups some in categories like best college towns, mountain towns, undiscovered towns and main street towns. Once you find a few areas that interest you, your next step is to research them. Here are some important issues to investigate: Cost of living: Can you afford to live comfortably in the location where you want to retire? Numbeo.com and BestPlaces.net offer tools to compare the cost of living from your current location to where you would like to move. They compare housing costs, food, utilities, transportation and more.

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Taxes: Some states are more tax-friendly than others. If you’re planning to move to another state, Kiplinger’s has a tax guide for retirees (at Kiplinger.com/links/retireetaxmap) that lets you find and compare taxes state-by-state. It covers income and sales taxes, taxes on retirement income, Social Security benefits taxes, property taxes, and inheritance and estate taxes. Crime rate: To evaluate how safe a community or area is, websites like AreaVibes.com provide crime data for certain localities. Climate: To research the climate in the areas you’re interested in moving, Sperling’s Best Places is again a great resource that offers a climate/weather comparison tool at BestPlaces.net/climate. Healthcare: Does the area where you want to relocate have easy access to good healthcare? To locate and research doctors and hospitals in a new area, use Medicare’s compare tool at Medicare.gov/care-compare. Also see Healthgrades.com, which provides detailed information on U.S. hospitals and doctors. Transportation: If you plan to travel much, or expect frequent visits from your kids or grandkids, convenient access to an airport or train station is a nice advantage. You should also investigate alternative transportation options, since most retirees give up driving in their 80s. To do this, visit RidesInSight.org, a free website with information about senior transportation options in local communities throughout the U.S. [Ed. Note: Many communities have established neighborhood “villages,” which offer rides and other services to older resident members. Read more about villages on page B-11.] Once you have narrowed your choices down to two or three, spend a couple weeks in each location at different times of the year so you can get a feel for the seasonal weather changes, and so you can carefully weigh the pros and cons of living there. You may find that you like the area more as a vacation spot than as a year-round residence. It’s also a good idea to rent for a year before buying a home or making a commitment to a retirement community. Send your questions to: Savvy Senior, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070, or visit SavvySenior.org. Jim Miller is a contributor to the NBC Today show and author of The Savvy Senior book.

BEACON BITS

Feb. 13

HANDMADE FOR THE HOMELESS

Join the Edlavitch DCJCC via Zoom to knit and crochet warm winter items to be distributed to individuals experiencing homelessness in the D.C. area. For more information, visit bit.ly/EDJCCHandmade. Email Chana at chanaengel@gmail.com to register and receive a Zoom link.

Say you saw it in the Beacon | Housing Options

WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N — J A N U A R Y 2 0 2 2

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Options to pay for long-term care needs By Samuel V. Gaeta, CFP® Long-term care insurance helps pay for the cost of home healthcare or a nursing home. It also covers extended illness or disability. While long-term care (LTC) coverage can be great for retirees, premiums have begun to rise in recent years, making it a difficult expense for those on a limited income. So, how do you determine the best way to prepare for long-term care costs in retirement? Here are two factors you should consider: Would you prefer a long-term care facility or in-home care? Before you determine what kind of insurance you want, you need to determine how much LTC will likely cost. A good first step is identifying where you want to live. The average price to live in a nursing home in our region of the county is more than $140,000 a year ($385 a day) in a semi-private room and $157,000 ($430 a day) in a private room, according to Genworth. By 2030, those costs are projected to be more. Tour the LTC facilities in your area to

see how much they cost and determine whether you can envision living there. What if you want to live in your own home? You can maintain that comfort and familiarity by hiring someone to come to your house. The average price of in-home care in our region is $55,200 per year. The average price of home healthcare is slightly higher at $56,700 per year. Should you choose traditional longterm care insurance or a hybrid plan? Once you decide where you want to live, the next step is to determine whether you can self-insure the cost — essentially figuring out whether you can earmark some of your current assets to pay for these longterm care expenses if needed. I recommend thinking about this in a what-if context: “If I go into an LTC facility for ‘x’ years at ‘y’ cost, can I pay for this cost without it affecting my other retirement goals?” If the answer is yes, self-insurance is most likely going to be the most cost-effective and flexible solution to cover a possible long-term care expense. If the answer is no, but you have substan-

Return coupon on page B-9 to enter our prize drawing.

tial liquid assets held outside of qualified retirement accounts, a hybrid LTC insurance policy might be an alternative solution. These insurance policies are designed to provide LTC benefits. but use whole life insurance as the foundation. After you pay a single up-front premium, the policy pays a specified monthly benefit for LTC for a predetermined number of years. If you end up not needing LTC, or you decide to stop insuring the risk at any point, you would get your original premium back. Hybrid long-term care policies tend to have a more transparent cost structure and more flexibility than a traditional LTC policy. Also consider the likelihood of your rates rising during the life of your policy. A

report in 2019 claims General Electric does not have enough funds to cover claims for its LTC insurance plans. As a result, the company plans to raise premiums by $1.7 billion over the next 10 years. Many companies are doing the same thing. In this case, if you are unable to pay your premium, your policy will lapse and you may get nothing back. I recommend talking to a Certified Financial Planner to determine the best option for you. Ed. Note: A public relations firm was paid to assist with media placement of this article. © 2021 The Kiplinger Washington Editors, Inc. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

NOW L E AS I NG f 1rstdc.com 844.765.0164 Pursuant to the District of Columbia Inclusionary Zoning program, income restricted units are available at this development. Please contact the Department of Housing and Community Development at www.dhcd.dc.gov regarding the availability of such units and requirements for registration in the Inclusionary Zoning program.

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J A N U A R Y 2 0 2 2 — WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N

Remodeling trends to watch for in 2022 By Carol J. Alexander After spending most of their time at home for the last 21 months due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many homeowners are looking for ways to make their homes fit their new realities. Open floor plans are out; dedicated spaces for remote work and learning are in. Yards are being transformed into entertainment spaces, and walls are being repainted. At the same time, increased demand and safety concerns can make the remodeling process take much longer than before. Here are five trends to watch for this home-remodeling season: 1. A focus on dedicated spaces At the start of 2020, “the most requested design concept was open space,” said

Jimmy Dollman, principal of Dollman Construction in Roanoke, Virginia. “But now, we face a different set of design implications because everyone’s living conditions have changed.” Dollman noted that remote workers and learners need privacy and quiet. “A year ago, it was rare for one family member to work from home,” he said. “Now, [parents] and kids find it difficult to get work done because of the noise in the open design.” This year, expect to see homeowners spending less time knocking down walls to open up shared areas, and more time transforming spare rooms or nooks into dedicated spaces. That might mean adding a home office or

home theater, for instance, or transforming a nook into a space for distance-learning. 2. Making room for home offices To add home offices to residences, “homeowners aren’t adding square footage,” said Doug King, owner of King Contracting, a design-build firm in St. Petersburg, Florida. “Rather, they’re taking out rarely used closets, like in the hallway, and moving interior walls to make space.” And the home office trend isn’t going away anytime soon. “Even when the pandemic is over,” King said, “there’ll be a lot of people still working from home.” He also noted that, because of this trend, use of home technology is increasing as households install items such as ethernet cables for computer networks and Bluetooth speakers. 3. More outdoor living One cure for that cooped-up feeling is outdoor living areas. “People want their back yards to be their oasis,” King said. In his area, pools are the number-one thing being added to back yards. Outdoor kitchens and fire pits are the next most popular. Homeowners spending more time at home may also start to seek out remodeling projects that bring beautiful outdoor views inside — for instance, by installing larger windows or glass doors that let in more natural light.

4. Longer wait times Besides shifts in design trends, homeowners can expect a continued slowdown in the industry. In some cases, safety concerns have changed how contractors and workers approach projects. Supply chain woes are also making it take longer, or in some cases to be nearly impossible, to obtain desired products. Getting permits can also take much longer than usual as demand increases and those who approve the permits adapt to new working conditions — for instance, working at home rather than in the office, or working with a limited staff. 5. Bold colors For homebound do-it-yourselfers looking for affordable ways to make rooms more welcoming this year, adding a colorful fresh coat of paint will likely be high on their list. A sign that bold colors and color combinations could be gaining favor: They featured prominently among Color of the Year winners for 2021 announced by brands including Sherwin Williams, Pantone and Benjamin Moore. For homeowners, painting walls in striking colors could be an appealing low-cost way to add depth, excitement and personality to a room. —AP/NerdWallet

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Say you saw it in the Beacon | Housing Options

WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N — J A N U A R Y 2 0 2 2

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How to choose a remodeling contractor By Family Features When planning a potential home remodeling project, the list of decisions to make may feel nearly endless. Ultimately, you may find the most important decision is choosing a trustworthy team of professionals to complete the job. For example, an organization like the National Association of the Remodeling Industry (NARI) provides homeowners with helpful ways to find qualified, professional remodelers and contractors. These seven tips can help guide you through the selection process and assist you in making an informed decision that best suits your needs: 1. Look local Local remodelers have a vested interest in performing quality work that satisfies their customers in order for their business to survive. That’s why word-of-mouth referrals can be especially helpful in finding options near you. Ask relatives, friends, neighbors and business colleagues who live nearby about projects they’ve completed and the professionals they’ve used. Other resources may include people you know in the local home industry, such as lenders, real estate agents and material suppliers. 2. Follow building codes

Another advantage to hiring a local professional is that he or she typically knows and understands the local building codes and permit requirements for your town or city. Building codes can vary considerably from each jurisdiction and are known to change from year to year. Most structural work or footprint expansions require permits. 3. Check for licenses and insurance Many, but not all, states require contractors to be licensed, bonded and insured. Contact your state or local licensing agencies to ensure the contractor you’re considering meets all requirements. Most states require a contractor to carry worker’s compensation, property damage and personal liability insurance. Ask for copies of their licenses and insurance to make sure it is current. 4. Check for violations and complaints Check with your Consumer Affairs Office and your local chapter of the Better Business Bureau to ensure there are no complaints on record for the contractors you’re considering. You can also search for reviews online and verify they are members of reputable trade organizations that promote professional excellence, such as NARI. 5. Compare apples to apples If you solicit estimates from more than one

contractor, be sure they are working off the same scope and quality of work. Discuss variations in prices and beware of any estimate that is substantially lower than the others. 6. Be informed A good remodeling professional educates clients on green remodeling, universal design, lead safety, new products, building techniques and trends. Make sure you’re hiring someone who

has knowledge and expertise relevant to the remodeling industry, as well as the appropriate certifications and experience to complete the job. 7. Check references Don’t rely on a contractor’s personality or demeanor. If a professional does not offer references, ask for them — and follow up with a phone call. Ask if you can make a site visit to see their workmanship.

BEACON BITS

Jan. 13+

MLK, JR. WEEKEND OF SERVICE Volunteer Fairfax has planned a Martin Luther King, Jr. Weekend

of Service, with events taking place Thurs., Jan. 13 through Mon., Jan. 17. Events include a community conversation, an Americorps Seniors service project, and a food drive. To learn more and register for individual events, visit bit.ly/Weekendofservice. Call (703) 246-3460 with questions.

Jan. 18

ALTERNATIVE VITAL RECORDS Learn how to use alternative vital records to discover your family’s history. This workshop, presented by the Mount Vernon

Genealogical Society, takes place via Zoom and at the Hollin Hall Senior Center on Tues., Jan. 18 from 1 to 3 p.m. Members will receive an email with registration instructions before the meeting. Nonmembers can attend one free meeting each year and should email contact-us@mvgeneaology.org to register. For more information, visit bit.ly/MVGSRecords.

EVERYTHING YOU WANT, NEED AND HOPE FOR. Discover a community for older adults that has it all: maintenance-free living, fulfilling and award-winning programs, and a range of services to help you successfully age in place. Enjoy an award-winning lifestyle, without the burden of a large entrance fee. • Independent living at Ring House and Revitz House • Assisted living and memory care at Landow House • Memory care at Cohen-Rosen House • Skilled nursing and post-acute care at Hebrew Home of Greater Washington • Physician office specializing in primary care for older adults at Hirsh Health Center

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INDEPENDENT LIVING COMMUNITY

Brooke Grove Retirement Village 301-637-8928 18100 Slade School Road Sandy Spring, MD 20860 www.bfg.org You’ll feel it as soon as you drive onto our 220-acre campus of lush pastures and hardwood forest—all that makes independent living at Brooke Grove different. Beautiful cottages in a truly picturesque setting. Maintenance-free living, with more time for what you really want to do. Personalized fitness programs, meals prepared by talented chefs, clubs and social events. Neighbors who share your interests and passions. Come for a visit and see why Brooke Grove Retirement Village is one of the most soughtafter retirement communities in the state. Living here is simply different … because what surrounds you really matters.

INDEPENDENT LIVING COMMUNITY

Covenant Village Senior Apartments 301-540-1162 18889 Waring Station Road Germantown, MD 20874 www.qpmgmt.com • Spacious 1 and 2 bedroom plans with washer/dryer in each apt. • Shuttle bus for shopping and local trips • On-site fitness, game, and craft rooms, movie theatre, library, beauty salon, and courtyard garden plots. It's about our residents, said Management staff, Debra and Janiece. They always ensure that they have interesting and exciting things going on. Some of the fun includes: Garden Party Cookouts, Trips to Washington, DC to see the Cherry Blossoms, the Franciscan Monastery, and the National Zoo, Black Hills Pontoon Boat Ride, Low-Impact Fitness Classes, Resident Birthday Celebrations, Craft Classes and Potlucks. Also, many guest speakers are invited to speak to our residents on topics that are relevant to them.

INDEPENDENT LIVING

Seabury at Springvale Terrace (301) 587-8717 8505 Springvale Road Silver Spring, MD 20910 SpringvaleTerraceApts.com Discover Seabury at Springvale Terrace, inside and out. Enjoy the benefits of Independent Living just steps away from downtown Silver Spring. Within blocks, you will have access to the Silver Spring Civic Center, pharmacies, movie theaters, library, shopping, & restaurants. Come join us to dine and experience one of our chef inspired,delicious meals that are served restaurant style each and every single day. Enjoy a comfortable private studio apartment with care services available. Rents from as low as $835 per month with a signed lease before February 15th. Call 301 587-0190 or email svtadmissions@seaburyresoources.org for info and to schedule a tour.

J A N U A R Y 2 0 2 2 — WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N

Help that can keep you living at home By Harvard Health Letters Home healthcare and private duty care can help you maintain your independence in a familiar space. We all want to hold on to our independence for as long as possible. But what if you need help caring for yourself and you’re not ready to move to an assisted living facility? The answer for many people is to have someone come to the home and provide that care. “We always make an effort to keep people in their homes when it’s appropriate. It’s less expensive, provides more freedom, and keeps people from being exposed to infections in institutional settings,” said Dr. Eric Weil, director of the program that manages high-risk Medicare patients at Harvard-affiliated Massachusetts General Hospital. The options for home care are private duty care and home healthcare. They have two different purposes.

Home healthcare Home healthcare is a temporary service that brings nurses and therapists into your home to provide treatment. It’s intended for people who are recovering from illness, injury or surgery, with the goal of helping you get better and regain your independence. For example, a physical therapist can visit if you’ve had a stroke or joint replacement surgery, or a nurse can come to help with wound care. The professional who visits will provide only a specific skilled service, and won’t cook, perform light housework, or shop for you. Home healthcare is covered by Medicare, but you’ll have to meet certain eligibility requirements. A doctor must certify that you need the service, and also that you are homebound, i.e., unable to get to an appointment on your own. A doctor must also review your home healthcare plan regularly, and the home health agency must be Medicare-certified. You can still qualify for home healthcare if you attend adult day care or if you have a caregiver who lives with you.

Private duty care Private duty care provides the day-today help most people need to remain in their homes. Care is available for a few hours or up to 24 hours per day. But private duty care workers usually fall into two categories: licensed or registered.

Both are able to offer homemaker services, such as housework, cooking, shopping, overseeing medication routines and transportation. The difference is that a licensed worker, such as a home health aide, will also be trained in body mechanics and able to provide hands-on physical care such as help with bathing, eating, brushing teeth and using the bathroom. Medicare does not pay for private duty care, but some long-term care insurance policies do. Costs range from $15 to $25 per hour, and most agencies require a minimum of three to four hours per visit.

Choosing a service When choosing a private duty service, think twice before working with an independent contractor or a registry that simply acts as an employment agency that matches workers with clients for a fee. In both those cases, you’ll be the only one supervising the caregiver, and you’ll pay the worker directly. You will also be responsible for all payroll taxes and Social Security withholding. It is easier to go with a company that employs its workers. That way, you won’t be responsible for the caregiver’s taxes. You’ll also have the assurance that the caregiver’s company is monitoring his or her performance as well as the care you receive. When shopping for a home care company, ask: • how long the agency has been in business • which certifications it has from your state • what kind of background checks are performed on caregivers • what kind of training is required for caregivers • who will handle payments to the caregiver • whether a customized care plan will be created and updated • how closely the quality of care is supervised • who will be coming into the home — a team or just one person. Dr. Weil said it’s also important to have a caregiver who’s a good communicator. “Make sure the person or company has a reasonable understanding of basic health issues, and is comfortable reaching out to your health professionals if you need additional care.” © Harvard Health Publications

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WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N — J A N U A R Y 2 0 2 2

Two lucky winners will win tickets for 2 to Rocky, the Musical at Toby’s Dinner Theatre. Complete and return the form below to enter the drawing.

FREE HOUSING AND OTHER INFORMATION For free information from advertisers in this special section, check off those that interest you and mail this coupon to the Beacon. All coupons received by February 11 will be entered into a random drawing for tickets. You need not request advertiser info to win. ❑ Landing of Silver Spring, The .B-6 Ashby Ponds/Erickson B-5, B-15 ❑ Landow House Asst Living . . .B-7 ❑ Maplewood Park Brooke Grove Retirement Place . . . . . . . . . . . . .B-4, B-15 Village. . . .B-8, B-14. B-15, B-16 ❑ Quantum Property Mgmt . .B-10 Chesterbrook Residences . . . . . . . . .B-3, B-15 ❑ Revitz House . . . . . . . . . . . .B-7 Chevy Chase House . . .B-6, B-12 ❑ Riderwood/Erickson . .B-5, B-12 Covenant Village . . . . . . . . .B-8 ❑ Ring House . . . . . . . . . . . . .B-7 Emerson House . . . . . . . . .B-15 ❑ Sommerset . . . . . . . . . . . .B-10 F1RST Residences . . . . . . . .B-5 ❑ Springvale Terrace . . . .B-3, B-8, B-13, B-14 Greenspring/Erickson .B-5, B-14 HIP Home Sharing . . . . . . .B-11 ❑ Vinson Hall . . . . . . . . .B-2, B-15 Homecrest House . . . .B-2, B-12

HOUSING ❑ ❑

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HOME HEALTH CARE/COMPANION SERVICES ❑ Best Senior Care . . . . . . . .B-11

MEMORY CARE

❑ Brooke Grove . . . . . . . . . . .B-15 ❑ Cohen-Rosen House . . . . . . .B-7 ❑ The Sylvestery . . . . . . . . . . .B-2

REHABILITATION/ NURSING

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Check the boxes you’re interested in and return this entire coupon to: The Beacon, P.O. Box 2227, Silver Spring, MD 20915-2227. You may return the free info form on page 5 together with this coupon. Name __________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Address ____________________________________________________E-mail_______________________________________________ City _______________________________________________________ State ______________________ Zip ____________________ Phone _____________________________________________________

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Five ways to save energy this winter By Family Features Winter is the time of year when energy bills can skyrocket as we look for ways to stay warm and cozy indoors on chilly days. Focusing on energy efficiency can help you keep your home temperature comfortable and your energy bills at bay while also reducing your carbon footprint. Energy efficiency means using less energy to accomplish the same tasks while cutting energy bills and reducing pollution in the process. With Americans slated to spend an average of $746 on natural gas this winter, according to the Energy Information Administration’s “Winter Fuels Outlook,” now is a perfect time to focus on energy efficiency. Consider these suggestions from the ex-

perts at Best Pick Reports for ways to improve your home’s energy efficiency without breaking the bank this winter. 1. Do a heating systems check-up Be sure all vents and registers throughout your home are clear of obstructions. Checking that all plugs, vents and appliances are in safe, working order can also help improve efficiency and prevent potential hazards. Also consider hiring a professional annually to tune up your HVAC system, tighten electrical connections, and check controls to ensure they are working properly and safely. 2. Install energy-efficient light bulbs and appliances It’s important to replace old light bulbs and appliances in your home with newer,

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energy-efficient ones. Using LED light bulbs in place of traditional incandescent bulbs can save homeowners about $225 in energy costs each year, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. You can also install timers to ensure you’re only using electricity when needed. Whether you love spending time in the kitchen or you’d rather leave the cooking to someone else, you can make your kitchen a greener space by installing energy-efficient appliances, such as refrigerators, ovens, microwaves and dishwashers. 3. Add insulation Install insulation in and around windows, walls and doors to decrease heat flow from warmer spaces to colder ones, helping to maintain your home’s temperature and lower your heating and cooling costs. Also, insulate your water heater with a blanket or cover, and check the insulation in your attic, basement, walls and crawlspaces for leaks. 4. Improve flooring and windows Adding rugs or carpet to hardwood floors and ceramic tiles can help prevent drafts and make the room feel cozier. Installing double-paned windows can also help prevent cold air from leaking into your rooms, while opening blinds and curtains during the day to let in light can naturally heat up the space.

5. Use an energy-efficient space heater A space heater is a simple option for heating up a single chilly room for a short amount of time, which makes it perfect for those looking to save money and energy. Some space heaters are designed specifically for energy efficiency. They use infrared technology to heat rooms, sensing spots that need heat and distributing it accordingly by heating objects instead of filling the space with heat.

Do it every year Every winter, be sure to take action to make your home more energy efficient. You don’t have to do it alone, however. You can hire a professional to help you with energy efficiency projects; just be sure to do your homework. Look for unbiased customer reviews on independent business directories, or review websites like Best Pick Reports, Washington Consumer Checkbook and Five Star Rated. These printed directories and online sites often use a combination of third-party research and consumer reviews to rate contractors. Some even offer guarantees on the quality of work. Once you have everything in place, you can reduce the amount of money you spend on heating costs this winter without sacrificing comfort or convenience.

Say you saw it in the Beacon | Housing Options

WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N — J A N U A R Y 2 0 2 2

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Founder of local village saw opportunity By Catherine Brown Last month, Constance Row, co-founder and president of the Friendship Heights Neighborhood Network (FHNN) — a volunteer-run “village” — received the Debra Levy Humanitarian Award from GROWS, the Grass Roots Organization for the Wellbeing of Seniors. Debra Levy, for whom the award was named, served the Montgomery County area as a geriatric care manager for more than 30 years before she passed away in 2012. “It was a special honor to receive an award named for someone who mattered so much in Montgomery County,” Row said in an interview with the Beacon.

The origins of villages Row, now 80, retired to Friendship Heights because she and her husband had lived there when they were first married. “Our oldest friends [still] live here,” she said. About six years ago, after her husband’s death, Row, who has a background in managing nonprofits, attended a meeting about establishing a neighborhood “village” — part of a grassroots movement of neighbors helping neighbors who coordinate and provide supportive services for older adults in their community. “I decided what I was seeing was a great opportunity,” she said. The Villages movement started 20 years ago in Boston’s Beacon Hill neighborhood. Residents there realized that many older members of their community wanted to stay in their homes as they aged, but needed certain services to make that possible. Members of the community combined their skills to provide such help and hired a concierge to help coordinate everything. The idea proved successful there, and over the past 20 years has spread throughout the country. Today, more than 300

neighborhood villages have been established nationwide. Nearly 70 villages exist in the D.C. area alone, providing services such as rides to doctor’s appointments or church, delivering groceries and medications, helping with household tasks, as well as social events, book and movie clubs, and the like.

with sight impairment, helping members get prescriptions, and assisting with technology — enable its members to age in place. “Having things your way is the most important value aging in place gives you, and we can provide that for people,” Row said. “You have to have the infrastructure to age in place successfully.”

Putting a team in place

Real-life impact

Row put a strong team in place when she started FHNN in 2016. She enlisted former geriatric care manager Jacqueline Lapidus as co-founder and recruited Evan Smith, who currently serves as vice president and treasurer. They received support in getting up and running from Pazit Aviv, who works for Montgomery County as its “Village coordinator.” Her efforts have helped greatly expand the number and reach of neighborhood villages. FHNN focuses on helping older residents of nine high-rise residential buildings in Friendship Heights, Maryland. Each building has its own volunteer representative. Many members themselves volunteer to assist more vulnerable members and share their expertise during enrichment programs. Most villages charge member households an annual fee, ranging from $20 a year to several hundred dollars, depending on services offered. (Some of the costlier villages waive fees for low-income residents.) “What most people take advantage of is rides,” Row said. “The care and concern volunteer [drivers] show aren’t something you’d get from a taxi driver.” The varied services volunteers provide — shopping for people who can’t get out and can’t afford delivery, reading to members

Without the village that Row established, Elly Waters, 94, said she might not be living on her own. She is legally blind and hard of hearing, so daily tasks can be a challenge. “I don’t want to disengage, though,” Waters said. After the death of her husband three years ago, the retired counselor’s needs increased. Although she considered other living options, Waters said she decided to stay in Friendship Heights in large part because of the village’s volunteer network. “FHNN played a role in my decision,” Waters said. “I could count on a degree of support.” Village volunteers help with chores and transportation but also provide opportunities for social interaction. Waters participates in a regular walking group and attends lectures and smaller events. “At ice cream socials, I can sit outside and talk to one or two people at a time…I have gotten to know people from other

buildings that way,” Waters said. “FHNN has added to my sense that Friendship Heights is a good place to live.” The sense of community fostered by villages, which, according to Row, offer “a mechanism for fighting social isolation,” is the reason she believes many others are worthy of the recognition she received last month. “I’m no more deserving than any people in the villages in Montgomery County,” she said. “It’s a team effort, and I did no more than the many people who founded villages all over.” According to the Washington Area Villages Exchange, an association of local villages, there are currently 61 villages operating in the D.C. metro area. That includes 31 in Suburban Maryland, 18 in Washington, D.C. and 15 in Northern Virginia. Additional villages are in development. On the following page is a list of operating villages and their website addresses. Contact the village serving your neighborhood if you want to learn more. If you would like to consider starting a new village in Montgomery County, email pazit.aviv@montgomerycountymd.gov. In D.C., contact the DC Department of Aging at (202) 724-5626. In Northern Virginia, contact your county Area Agency on Aging. See LIST OF VILLAGES on page B-12

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A list of area villages

INDEPENDENT LIVING COMMUNITY

Riderwood Retirement Community 877-742-4390 3140 Graceﬁeld Road Silver Spring, MD 20904 Riderwood.com What Will You Gain When You Live at Riderwood? Freedom and peace of mind in all seasons. There’s a myth that moving to a senior living community means giving up your independence. But at Riderwood in Silver Spring, you have so much to gain and nothing to give up—except your everyday worries. Bad weather won’t disrupt your plans for the day. Benefits like a pool, fitness center, and restaurants are just steps from your door through climate-controlled walkways. No matter what the forecast holds, the full-time team is here to support you. You can feel confident in the strength of Riderwood, which is managed by Erickson Senior LivingSM, a nationally recognized leader among continuing care retirement community providers. Learn more today! Call 1-877-742-4390 or visit Riderwood.com for your FREE brochure.

INDEPENDENT LIVING COMMUNITY

Chevy Chase House 202-905-0708 5420 Connecticut Avenue NW Washington, DC 20015 www.chevychasehouse.com It’s a new year and a new opportunity to live better and healthier! Chevy Chase House integrates wellness throughout the resident experience. Enjoy fitness classes and individualized exercise programs in our new state-of-the-art gym led by our full-time exercise physiologist. Beginning in 2022, residents can try out our new class, Vitality by Revolution in Motion. Our program also incorporates balance training; PT, OT, speech therapy; and specialized Parkinson's programs from Fox Rehab. Spend time with friends and family on our enlarged patio! Our spacious apartments start at $4499 for a studio. Call 202-905-0708 to schedule a tour, or stop by to learn more about our community. We look forward to meeting you!

INDEPENDENT & PERSONAL CARE COMMUNITIES

B’nai B’rith Homecrest House 301-244-3579 14508 Homecrest Road Silver Spring, MD 20906 www.homecresthouse.org Homecrest House is a non-profit, affordable, subsidized community neighboring Leisure World. Our community offers 2 senior living options, and residents may qualify for rent & service subsidies based on eligibility. EDWARDS PERSONAL CARE BUILDING offers: onsite 24 hour staff, daily meals, weekly housekeeping & laundry services, assistance with bathing & optional medication administration. HOMECREST INDEPENDENT LIVING offers: dinner meals, full calendar of activities & scheduled trips. Our Computer Lab, Fitness Center, Salon & Convenience Store are just a few of the amenities our residents enjoy. Contact Ileana at 301-244-3579 or marketing@homecresthouse.org for a personalized tour or visit us at www.homecresthouse.org.

D.C. Villages • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Capitol Hill Village: www.capitolhillvillage.org Cleveland & Woodley Park Village: www.cwpv.org DC Waterfront Village: dcwaterfrontvillage@gmail.com Dupont Circle Village: www.dupontcirclevillage.net East Rock Creek Village: www.eastrockcreekvillage.com Foggy Bottom West End Village: www.fbwevillage.org Georgetown Village: www.georgetown-village.org Glover Park Village: www.gloverparkvillage.org Greater Brookland Intergenerational Village: emma@brooklandvillage.org Kingdom Care Senior Village: www.kingdomcarevillage.org Legacy Collaborative Senior Village Ward 8: www.legacycollaborativeward8.org Mount Pleasant Village: www.mountpleasantvillage.org Northwest Neighbors Village: www.nnvdc.org Palisades Village: www.palisadesvillage.org Pennsylvania Avenue Village East: www.pavillageeast.org

Maryland Villages • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Aging Well with Friends of Sandy Spring: www.agingwellwithfriends.org At Home Chesapeake: www.athomechesapeake.clubexpress.com Bannockburn Neighbors Assisting Neighbors: www.bannockburncommunity.org Bethesda Metro Area Village: www.bmavillage.org Bradley Hills Village: bhv.clubexpress.com Burning Tree Village: www.burningtreevillage.org Cabin John: www.cabinjohn.org Cheverly Village: www.cheverlyvillage.org Chevy Chase At Home: www.chevychaseathome.org East County Village Seniors: www.eastcountyvillageseniors.org Friendship Heights Neighbors Network: www.fhneighbors.org Greater Stonegate Village: www.greaterstonegatevillage.org Helping Hands University Park: HHUniversityPark@gmail.com Hyattsville Aging in Place: www.hyattsvilleaginginplace.org King Farm Neighbors Village: kfnvinfo@gmail.com Little Falls Village: littlefallsvillage.org Manor Connections: www.manorconnections.org Mill Creek Village: http://millcreekvillage.org Muslim Community Center: www.mccmd.org Neighbors Helping Neighbors of College Park: www.NHN-CP.org North Bethesda Village: www.northbethesdavillage.org North Chevy Chase Connections: www.northchevychaseconnections.org Olney Home for Life: www.olneyhomeforlife.org Parkside Village: www.parksidevillagemd.org Potomac Community Village: www.potomaccommunityvillage.org Silver Spring Village: www.silverspringvillage.org Somerset Helping Hand Senior Village: www.townofsomerset.com Takoma Park: Village of Takoma Park: www.villageoftakomapark.com Village at Kentlands & Lakelands: www.villagekentlandslakelands.org Villages of Kensington: www.villagesofkensingtonmd.org Wyngate and Maplewood Neighbors Helping Neighbors (WNHN): www.lotsahelpinghands.com/c/731244/

N. Virginia Villages • 22202 Neighbors United (22202 NU): www.arcaonline.org/current-arca-projects/arlington-villages • Aging in Crownleigh Community Association Village: (703) 503-0108 • Arlington Neighborhood Village: www.arlnvil.org • At Home in Alexandria: www.athomeinalexandria.org • Herndon Village Network: www.herndonvillagenetwork.org • Kings Park West Neighborhood Assist: wallbds@gmail.com • Lake Barcroft Village: www.lakebarcroftvillage.org • Lake of the Woods, Living Independently in Our Community (LOWLINC): www.lowlinc.org • McLean Community Village Association: www.McLeanCVA.org • Mount Vernon at Home: www.mountvernonathome.org • Reston for a Lifetime: www.restonforalifetime.org • Reston Useful Services Exchange: www.restonuse.org • Rutherford Neighbor to Neighbor: Heidi.garvis@gmail.com • Spring Hill Community Village: peppi114@yahoo.com • Village Drive Village: www.villagedrivevillage.org

Say you saw it in the Beacon | Housing Options

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Tips to shovel safely; avoid falling on ice By Margaret Foster It’s snow season, which can bring both joy and pain. If you have to shovel your driveway or walk across a slick sidewalk, take extra precautions this winter. After all, as of press time, local hospitals are inching toward overcapacity. “Not having to be in the hospital is critical,” said Dr. Scott Faucett, orthopaedic surgeon at The Centers for Advanced Orthopaedics, which has several locations in Maryland, Washington, D.C. and Virginia. If you do injure yourself, he suggests, “Utilize urgent care or your primary care physician rather than go to the emergency room that could be full of COVID patients.”

In addition to seeing patients, Faucett is a team physician for the U.S. Ski and Snowboard team. Although most of us won’t be skiing or snowboarding this winter, injuries can happen close to home in bad weather.

Reduce risk of ice “In this region, as we all know, [storms] are often a mix of sleet, rain and snow. That base layer is often very icy,” Faucett said. That’s why pre-treating your driveway or walk is so important. Before the storm starts, buy a bag of sand or chloride-free pre-treatment pellets. Try to avoid ice melts or “rock salt,” both of which contain toxic chloride. Most

How to avoid electrical fires in the home By Margaret Foster Do you have a lamp that flickers? Or a light switch that doesn’t work quite as well as it used to? Play it safe — don’t use it, said Jim Resnick, program manager for Senior Outreach and Education at Montgomer y County Department of Fire and Rescue Ser vices. As a firefighter for 45 years, Resnick has some advice: Turn off that light or device. Throw it away or call an electrician to check it out. Five Montgomer y County residents over age 60 died from an electrical fire in their home in 2021, according to Resnick. Older adults are at greater risk than others when it comes to house fires due to mobility problems, medication side effects, reduced hearing and other issues. In fact, at age 65, people are twice as likely to be killed or injured by fires; and by age 75, people are nearly four times as likely to die in a fire. What can you do to protect yourself this winter? “We want folks to take an inventor y of ever y electronic device in their home,” Resnick suggested. “Ver y often people will say after the fact, ‘You know, there was something with that appliance (or device or light) that was not quite right.’” Pay attention to those concerns. Turn off the device, unplug it and don’t use it, Resnick said. Then either get it fixed or throw it away. The other cause of electrical fires is wiring in older houses. “When it comes to wiring situations, often there are warning signs. There might be an unusual odor,” he said. “It might be worthwhile to not use that light and get an electrician in to

hardware stores sell eco-friendly pre-treatment products, some of which are made from natural ingredients such as volcanic rocks. “Precondition the walk with salt or sand to avoid a slipping or falling injury,” he said.

make whatever repairs are needed.”

Free fire safety inspection Resnick and his team of firefighters have given free safety assessments to “thousands and thousands” of homeowners, he said. The process works like this: First, they check for working smoke alarms on ever y level of the house. They suggest installing a smoke alarm in the bedroom, too. “We also take a look around the home for some of the common causes of fires,” he said. “We sometimes notice that people have overloaded electrical outlets. Sometimes they have high-intensity lights near combustible items, like curtains. Or electrical cords that are underneath carpets.” Most home fires start in the kitchen. It’s important to pay attention when you cook. Don’t leave cooking items unattended, and make sure the area around your stove is clear of flammable items. Smoking is the leading cause of firerelated deaths in the United States. If you smoke, do not smoke in bed. “Many fires are started when ashes or cigarette butts fall onto couches, chairs, wooden decks or in mulch. Ashes can smolder for hours before re-igniting,” according to the county website. The Montgomer y County Fire and Rescue Ser vice of fers free smoke alarms to some older residents, those with disabilities and low-income homeowners in Montgomer y County, Mar yland. Call (240) 777-2430 for more information. To schedule a free fire safety inspection in your home, call 311 or (240) 7772430. For a checklist of suggestions to avoid fires, see https://bit.ly/AvoidingFires.

During a snowstorm Faucett offers the following tips this winter: • Shovel often, before the snowstorm is over • Wear shoes with good traction and gloves with rubber grips • Use your legs, not your back, when you shovel • Consider hiring someone to shovel

your walk • Use a snowblower for larger jobs If you do injure your back, it may not be necessary to rush to the doctor. “Most injuries are self-limiting [self-recovering], meaning they don’t need prescription medication,” Faucett said. “It’s mostly just a soft-tissue strain. They can be managed with rest or an over-the-counter anti-inflammatory.” Although many people like to hunker down indoors during snowstorms, Faucett said that if you have to shovel, it’s a good idea to go outside while it’s still snowing to get a jump start on shoveling. “The biggest thing is, for bigger storms, go [shovel] more often rather than wait until it’s all over,” he said.

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PERSONAL CARE/ASSISTED LIVING

Seabury at Springvale Terrace (301) 587-8717 8505 Springvale Road Silver Spring, MD 20910 SpringvaleTerraceApts.com Discover Seabury at Springvale Terrace inside and out. Our Assisted Living offers a price and lifestyle you will love, with personal care subsidies for those who qualify. Affordable value that can only be found at our community, providing personal care, exercise, music, a host of daily activities and social events. Starting at only $3,901/month including private apartment with private bathroom, three nutritious meals a day, medication administration, nurse oversight, housekeeping and laundry services. Come take a look at Springvale Terrace. Assisted Living Apartments are available now (Medicaid accepted). Call 301-587-0190 or email svtadmissions@seaburyresoources.org for info and to schedule a tour.

J A N U A R Y 2 0 2 2 — WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N

Prepare yourself against natural disaster By Liz Weston Emergency preparedness experts recommend that you have a “go bag” and a “stay bin” for disasters: kits with supplies to help you survive a few days if you have to evacuate your home or shelter in place. Preparing your finances for natural disasters is also smart. Having cash on hand, access to credit and the right insurance coverage can help you get through perilous times. Fortifying your home against disasters can also be a good investment. Not everyone can make these preparations, of course. People with the fewest resources often suffer the brunt of disasters. But anything you can do to bolster your situation now could help you limit the toll.

Stash some cash REHABILITATION

Brooke Grove Retirement Village 301-637-8928 18100 Slade School Road Sandy Spring, MD 20860 www.bfg.org Imagine an extraordinary staff and the best therapies and equipment—in a beautiful environment that rejuvenates and restores. Physical therapy spaces bathed in sunlight. The quiet comfort of a garden walk or relaxing massage. Imagine getting back to the activities that matter to you. Our new, state-of-the-art rehab addition at Brooke Grove Rehabilitation and Nursing Center offers innovative therapy services for seniors, including NeuroGym® Technologies mobility training, the Korebalance system and much more. Visit us to see why Brooke Grove Retirement Village is one of the most sought-after continuing-care retirement communities in the state. Rehab here is simply different… because what surrounds you really matters

Having cash on hand could help you pay for groceries, gas, shelter and other necessities if ATMs and payment systems aren’t functioning, which could happen if the power goes out or cyberattacks knock systems offline. You may need more than you think, especially if you’re away from your home for more than a few days. Insurance consumer advocate Amy Bach recommends keeping at least $2,000 in a safe place somewhere in your home. After a widespread disaster, there is often “incredible competition” for rentals and other lodging, and a cash deposit could help you secure a place to stay, said Bach, executive director of the nonprofit United Policyholders. The currency should be in addition to any emergency savings you have at the bank. Again, anything is better than nothing. While financial planners typically recommend an emergency fund equal to three to six months of expenses, even a couple hundred dollars can help you cope.

INDEPENDENT LIVING COMMUNITY

Greenspring Retirement Community 877-589-9570 7410 Spring Village Drive, Springﬁeld, VA 22150 GreenspringCommunity.com Stay Active in Winter and Beyond Greenspring is the premier senior living community in Fairfax County. Here, you’ll enjoy the independent life you’re used to, plus a host of amenities, services, and on-site care available to you no matter the weather. When you live in a house, you live with the uncertainty of power outages, high energy costs, and weatherrelated repairs. But at Greenspring, your costs remain the same all year long, thanks to a predictable Monthly Service Package. You and your loved ones will enjoy peace of mind knowing that Greenspring is part of a network of communities managed by Erickson Senior LivingSM, a nationally recognized leader among continuing care retirement community providers. Learn more today! Call 1-877-589-9570 for your FREE brochure.

Get some credit Your insurance may have high deductibles or other limitations on your coverage that require you to pay thousands or even tens of thousands of dollars out of pocket. Earthquake and hurricane policies, for example, often have deductibles of 10% or more of the insured value. Insurers also may limit how much they pay for upgrades needed to meet current building codes or for replacing older roofs, Bach said. A home equity line of credit (HELOC) can give you access to a relatively inexpensive source of money in an emergency. You’ll need to set this up long before disaster strikes, however, since lenders won’t let you borrow against a damaged home. Resist the urge to tap this credit for other purposes, so that the money is available when you need it. An alternative if you’re a renter or other-

wise can’t qualify for a HELOC is to ask your bank for a personal line of credit. Credit cards can also help pay the bills if there’s enough available credit. Once you have $500 or so set aside for emergencies, consider paying down your credit cards and aim to use no more than 30% of your credit limits. Using even less of your credit limits would be even better, because it frees up more space on your cards and also helps to build or maintain your credit scores.

Try to cover the big risks Check your home’s susceptibility to various disasters at freehomerisk.com, a database created by HazardHub, which supplies risk data to insurance companies. Each hazard your property might face is graded from A to F. The lower the grade, the more you should consider ways to mitigate the risk if you can, said HazardHub co-founder Bob Frady. That could mean buying additional coverage. A typical homeowners or renters policy doesn’t cover damage from floods or earthquakes, for example, but such coverage can be purchased separately. Review your policy to see what’s covered and what’s not. Make sure you have replacement coverage for your possessions rather than actual cash value coverage, which pays considerably less. You’ll also want at least 24 months of loss-of-use coverage, which pays for your living expenses while your home is rebuilt, Bach said. Widespread disasters can cause even longer rebuilding times. For example, “It usually takes at least two years to rebuild after a wildfire,” she said.

Protect your property if you can There’s no way to make your home entirely disaster-proof, but there are ways to “harden it” to reduce potential losses, Frady said. Frady helped start HazardHub after a friend’s home suffered significant uninsured damage when a nearby river overflowed its banks. The friend didn’t realize she lived next to a flood zone because she wasn’t required by her mortgage lender to buy flood insurance, Frady said. If she’d known, she could have purchased the insurance and taken steps to protect her property, such as regularly changing the batteries in her sump pump, which failed, and keeping valuable items out of the basement or other low points in the house. Installing storm shutters may reduce losses to hurricanes and tornadoes, while bolting your house to its foundation can help it survive an earthquake. “There’s power in knowing what the perils are, and that can lead you to create a safer location,” Frady said. —AP

WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N — J A N U A R Y 2 0 2 2

CONTINUING CARE RETIREMENT COMMUNITY

Maplewood Park Place (301) 571-7444 9707 Old Georgetown Road Bethesda, MD 20814 MaplewoodParkPlace.com Discover the best of all worlds at Maplewood Park Place, the area's premier resident-owned retirement community, with continuing care — all “under one roof.” We've redefined retirement living for active adults 62-plus. Enjoy a warm and charming community you'll be happy to call home. Take part in a broad array of social, cultural, educational, spiritual, and recreational events each month. Delight in five-star dining, beautiful amenities, outstanding services, and attentive staff. Have peace of mind knowing a full range of health care options are available, when and if you need them. Come see for yourself why Maplewood has been the right choice for so many!

INDEPENDENT LIVING COMMUNITY

Emerson House 301-779-6196 5999 Emerson Street Bladensburg, MD 20710 Our community features bright onebedroom apartments in a nine-story elevator building for today’s active and independent seniors who are 62 or older. Emerson House is subsidized for low- to moderate-income households. Activities are yours to choose from: gardening, Bingo, Wii bowling league, movie night, parties, bus trips, exercise classes, learning to line dance — it’s all waiting for you and more! Emerson House offers an in-house Resident Service Coordinator to assist with finding helpful resources. Please call today for an appointment to tour our community or request an application; 301-779-6196 Monday-Friday from 8:30 to 5:00.

ASSISTED LIVING COMMUNITY

Chesterbrook Residences 703-531-0781 2030 Westmoreland Street Falls Church, VA www.chesterbrookres.org A vibrant lifestyle, compassionate assisted living care, and a great location – it can all be found at Chesterbrook Residences! From entertainment and outings to birthday and holiday celebrations (not to mention the delicious food) there is always something to look forward to. Resident health and well-being are our team’s top priority. Licensed nurses are available around the clock and visiting physicians provide convenient access to quality medical care. We offer all of this and more in the comfort of beautiful one- and two-bedroom apartments tucked away in a quiet, Falls Church neighborhood. Call us today at 703-531-0781 to schedule your personal tour!

Say you saw it in the Beacon | Housing Options

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ASSISTED LIVING & MEMORY CARE

Brooke Grove Retirement Village 301-637-8928 18100 Slade School Road Sandy Spring, MD 20860 www.bfg.org This community hums with warm-hearted camaraderie and a zest for life shared by residents and staff alike. Experience all that makes assisted living at Brooke Grove extraordinary. Cozy, homelike dwellings with easy access to beautiful courtyards and walking paths. Caring staff trained in using memory support techniques, building independence and lifting self-esteem. Innovative LIFE® Enrichment Programming with meaningful activities and off-site adventures. Visit us to see why Brooke Grove Retirement Village is one of the most sought-after continuing care retirement communities in the state. Living here is simply different … because what surrounds you really matters.

LIFE PLAN COMMUNITY

Vinson Hall Retirement Community 571-556-4136 6251 Old Dominion Drive McLean, VA 22101 www.vinsonhall.org Welcome to Vinson Hall, a vibrant senior living community located in McLean, Virginia. Here you'll discover a tight-knit community with all the amenities you want alongside a full continuum of care from independent living, assisted living, memory care support, nursing care, rehabilitative care, to respite care. We are now offering rental options for one-bedroom, onebathroom apartments! Instead of paying an entrance fee, renters pay a one-time $10,000 payment and monthly fees to access all VHRC amenities. Our rental plan also includes a $350 per month meal allowance to enjoy delicious meals at our two dining areas. To find out more about our available apartments or learn more about our rental program, call us at 571-556-4136.

INDEPENDENT LIVING COMMUNITY

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Furry friends can be expensive, but pet insurance can help. See story on page 18.

Should you bank with your brokerage? By Chanelle Bessette If you’ve invested with a brokerage firm in recent years, you may have noticed that your brokerage offers a product called a cash management account (CMA). These accounts are very similar to a checking or savings account and typically provide competitive interest rates, debit cards and other money management features. However, those services aren’t always standard. So what, then, would be the appeal of opening a CMA with a brokerage? Here are some things to consider when deciding whether to let your brokerage help you manage your cash: How are cash management accounts different from bank accounts? Perhaps the most crucial distinction between a CMA and a bank account is that CMAs are offered by nonbank financial institutions that do not possess a bank charter. Usually, this would mean that CMAs cannot provide their customers federal insurance on their balances. But many brokerages partner with chartered banks that sweep customers’ funds into bank accounts behind the scenes. That allows them to offer insurance from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation on customer balances. What are the pros and cons of cash management accounts? Pros: —Interest rates tend to be higher than rates at traditional banks. Though some

brokerages don’t offer much interest on their CMAs, others offer significantly higher interest rates than the national average of 0.06% for savings accounts. Robinhood Cash Management, for example, offers 0.30%, and SoFi Money offers 0.25% with a $500 minimum balance. —Transfers between CMAs and investing accounts can be faster. When you have a CMA at your brokerage, you may be able to avoid a waiting period between account transfers so that you can invest your money faster. When it comes to investing, timing can be critical. For example, missing a day or two of having your cash in the market (say, the amount of time it takes to transfer cash from an outside account into your investing account) could mean losing out on market gains. By having all of your accounts in one place, you can take advantage of vital time in the market to potentially earn more money on your cash. —CMAs have benefits that are similar to checking and savings accounts. Some CMAs offer such account benefits as free ATM access, debit cards, mobile check deposit, early direct deposit and no monthly maintenance fees. Cons: —CMA customer service is typically online-only. Most CMA providers offer only remote customer service because they don’t have branches. As a result, customers who open an account will need to

be comfortable with service options that aren’t in person. —Interest rates have dropped. The financial industry is currently in a low-rate environment, meaning interest rates on deposit accounts are particularly low at the moment. Several CMAs that launched in recent years had notably high interest rates at first, but they dropped significantly in mid-2020 after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. —FDIC insurance is usually only available through third-party banks. Since brokerage firms aren’t banks, they typically have to partner with banks to offer FDIC insurance. Brokerages sweep customer funds into FDIC-insured accounts behind the scenes so that they’re covered. Other considerations: With a CMA account, “First and foremost, you are likely setting up a one-stop-shop for yourself so you can bank, save and invest all in one,” said Leah Bourne, by email. Bourne, the managing editor of the in-

vesting education website The Money Manual, also added, “Many of the companies that offer these accounts have made the ability to transfer money between accounts really, really easy. If you are actively investing, this is a big pro.” One of the other big practical perks when it comes to keeping a CMA with your brokerage? You have less to keep track of by keeping your cash accounts and your investment accounts at the same place. “That means you’ll have one app on your phone instead of a few, and will be seamlessly able to monitor your cash account and your brokerage account all in one spot,” Bourne said. As with any financial product, consumers should do their research to determine whether a CMA makes sense for their lifestyle and if the perks work for their spending, saving and investing habits. —AP/NerdWallet

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Pet insurance helps keep costs in check By Katia Iervasi Do you have a pet, or are you thinking of adding a furry friend to the family? If so, you’ll be in good company: 70% of U.S. households have a pet, according to a recent American Pet Products Association National Pet Owners Survey. As cute as pets are, they’re a financial commitment. Americans spent $103.6 billion on their pets in 2020 alone, APPA said. Some expenses, like food and shelter, are predictable. But if your new puppy or kitten gets sick or injured, an unexpected medical bill can derail your budget. For a growing number of Americans, pet insurance helps provide peace of mind.

pets, and costs are likely to rise, said Kristen Lynch, executive director of the North American Pet Health Insurance Association, or NAPHIA. “The fact that there’s continued innovation in the medical care of pets — just like there is for humans — means that the cost of those innovations will continue to go up.” Dog owners spend an average of $242 on routine visits and $458 on surgical visits each year, according to APPA. The cost for cat owners is slightly lower, at $178 for routine visits and $201 for surgical visits. “I’d say at least half of the clients I come in contact with have money concerns,” Dr. TB Thompson, a Phoenix-based veterinarian at Natural Pets HQ, said in an email. “When pets get into complicated, life-threatening medical trouble, costs add up fast.”

The cost of veterinary care Medical issues are almost inevitable for

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Pet insurance won’t reimburse you for every penny you spend at the vet, but it can help prevent you from being slapped with an expensive bill. A policy will typically pay 70% to 90% of your costs after you pay a deductible, which can range from $0 to $1,000 or more. “Consider buying pet insurance unless you can easily fund treating a pet emergency that costs $2,500 and up,” Thompson said.

care varies by region. • Species. Dogs are more expensive to insure than cats, for example. Coverage for other types of animals is rare. • Breed. Some breeds are predisposed to medical conditions, which can increase the cost of coverage. • Age. As pets age, they’re more likely to become ill or injured, Lynch said. Keep this in mind if you plan to adopt an older pet from a shelter.

Several types to consider

Suggestions for new owners

There are a few types of pet insurance plans. Comprehensive plans, the most robust, help cover the cost of care due to accidents, illnesses and surgeries, as well as vaccinations and diagnostic tests. Accident and illness coverage helps pay for emergency care, surgeries, hospitalizations and prescription medications, while accident-only policies help cover expenses after an accident. Some insurers also offer wellness plans, which take care of certain tests, exams, vaccinations and preventive treatments. While pet insurance can stop you from dipping into your savings to pay a vet bill, it is an added cost. The average cost of an accident and illness policy is $594 per year for dogs and $342 for cats, according to NAPHIA. For an accident-only policy, you could pay $218 for dogs and $134 for cats. Premiums are based on a range of factors, including: • Where you live. The cost of veterinary

As a new pet owner, many of these factors are out of your control. But there are a few things you can do to score a lower premium. Look at the fine print. Consider choosing a higher deductible and lower reimbursement level. Check for discounts. Some companies offer discounts for insuring multiple pets or for military service. Shop around. There are around 20 pet insurers in the U.S. competing for your business, so let them. Compare quotes from three insurers for the same amount of coverage, and go with the best pet insurance company for your budget. In Lynch’s view, some pet insurance is better than none. “People avoid taking their pets to the vet because they’re afraid of what those costs will be,” she said. “I like to think pet insurance gives us the ability to say ‘yes’ to those decisions at a time when we’re emotional, stressed and financially strapped about other things.” —AP/NerdWallet

Rising Medicare Part B premiums in 2022 As of January 1, 2022, all Medicare benefiBy law, Part B monthly premiums must ciaries will pay higher Part B premiums, and be set to fund 25% of the estimated total those with higher incomes will Part B costs for enrollees 65 pay higher surcharges as well. and older. In addition, the proThese increases were angram must maintain adequate nounced in November by the reserves in case costs are Centers for Medicare and higher than anticipated. Medicaid Services (CMS). “CMS is committed to enThey are the largest annual insuring high quality care and creases in recent history. affordable coverage for those The standard Medicare Part who rely on Medicare today, B premium has risen from while protecting Medicare $148.50 to $170.10 per month. THE SAVINGS sustainability for future generPart B covers doctors’ visits GAME ations.” said CMS Administraand other outpatient services. tor Chiquita Brooks-LaSure. By Elliot Raphaelson According to CMS, the in“The increase in the Part B crease is due to the rising prices and in- premium for 2022 is continued evidence that creased utilization of services across the the rising drug prices threaten the affordhealthcare system during the pandemic, as ability and sustainability of the Medicare well as anticipated intensity of care to be pro- program.” vided this year. CMS also indicated that Medicare needs How much will you be charged? to build contingency reserves because of the High-income surcharges for 2022 are uncertainty regarding the potential use of the based on income reported on your 2020 Alzheimer’s drug Aduhelm by people with tax return. There is always a two-year gap Medicare. [Note: Shortly before press, the in time from between your tax return and makers of Aduhelm announced plans to cut its See PART B, page 19 annual cost in half to encourage wider usage.]

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Steps to take to get your affairs in order Dear Savvy Senior, and describe how to access them. I would like to get my personal, legal Digital assets: Make a list of all your digiand financial information tal assets, including everything organized so my kids will from social media accounts to know what’s going on when online banking accounts to I’m no longer around. Can home utilities that you manage you offer any tips on the online. It should include userbest way to do this? names and passwords. Use Rut—Unorganized Emma gers Digital Assets Inventory Dear Emma, Worksheet (bit.ly/DigitalAsOrganizing your important setsInventory) as a guide. papers and getting your personPets: If you have a pet, give al and financial affairs in order is instructions for its care. SAVVY SENIOR a smart idea and wonderful gift End of life: Indicate your By Jim Miller to your loved ones. wishes for organ and tissue The first step in getting donation, and write out your your affairs in order is to gather up all your funeral instructions. If you’ve made preimportant personal, financial and legal in- arrangements with a funeral home, information so you can arrange it in a format clude a copy of the agreement, their conthat will benefit you now, and your loved tact information and whether or not you’ve ones later. prepaid. Then you’ll need to sit down and create various lists of important information and Legal documents instructions of how you want certain Will, trust and estate plan: Include things handled when you die or if you be- the original copy of your will and other escome incapacitated. tate planning documents you’ve made. Here’s a checklist to focus on: Financial power of attorney: This document names someone you trust to handle Personal information money matters if you’re incapacitated. Contacts: Make a master list of names Advance healthcare directives: This and phone numbers of close friends, doc- includes a living will and medical power of tors and professional advisers, such as attorney, which spell out your wishes reyour lawyer, accountant, broker and insur- garding your end-of-life medical treatment ance agent. when you can no longer make decisions Medical information: Include a list of for yourself. medications you take, along with any allergies and illnesses. Financial records Personal documents: Include such Financial accounts: Make a list of all items as your birth certificate, Social Secu- your bank accounts, brokerage and muturity card, marriage license, military dis- al fund accounts, and any other financial charge papers, etc. assets you have. Secured places: List all the places you Debts and liabilities: Make a list of any keep under lock and key, such as safe deposit loans, leases or debts you have — such as boxes, safe combination, security alarms, etc. mortgages, car loans, student loans, med-

Part B From page 18 the possible high-income surcharge, also known as income-related monthly adjustment amount (or IRMAA). In 2022, individuals with modified adjusted gross income (MAGI) of $91,000 or more, and married couples with MAGI of $182,000 or more, will pay a surcharge ranging from $68 to $408 per month, depending on income. Tables for the surcharges can be found at bit.ly/sssurcharges. If both spouses are covered by Medicare, the premiums and surcharges are charged to each of them. If you are subject to high-income surcharges on Part B premiums, you will also be subject to monthly surcharges on your prescription-drug plans. The additional surcharge ranges from $12.40 per month to $77.90 per month.

Social Security has also increased In November, the Social Security Administration also announced the largest COLA adjustment to benefits in recent

years, 5.9%. The average benefit for a retired worker will increase by $92 a month in 2022, and the average benefit for a couple will increase by $144 a month. Accordingly, the increase in benefits for most Social Security participants will be greater than the increase in Part B Medicare premiums. However, according to the Senior Citizens League, the Medicare B price increases will essentially cancel out the COLA adjustment of Social Security recipients with the lowest benefits. Part B premiums have ranked as one of the fastest-growing costs that older retirees face in retirement. It is not likely that will change in the near future. Many retirees are considering Roth conversions [which involves paying tax now on IRA funds to convert them to tax-free Roth funds]. It is important that retirees who are considering this consider doing the conversion gradually in order to avoid large increases in MAGI that can lead to large Medicare surcharges two years later. © 2021 Elliot Raphaelson. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

ical bills and credit card debts. Also, make a list of all credit and charge cards, including the card numbers and contact information. Company benefits: List any retirement plans, pensions or health benefits from your current or former employer, including the contact information of the benefits administrator. Insurance: List the insurance policies you have (life, long-term care, home, auto, Medicare, Medigap, prescription drug, etc.), including the policy numbers, agents and their phone numbers. Property: List real estate, vehicles and other properties you own, rent or lease and include documents, such as deeds, titles, and loan or lease agreements. Taxes: Include the location of your tax

records and your tax preparer’s contact information. Keep all your organized information and files together in one convenient location — ideally, in a fireproof filing cabinet or safe located in your home. Also be sure to review and update it every year, and don’t forget to tell your kids where they can find it. If you need help, get a copy of Get It Together: Organize Your Records So Your Family Won’t Have To at Nolo.com for $17.50 for the downloadable versions, or $20 for a printed copy. Send your senior questions to: Savvy Senior, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070, or visit SavvySenior.org. Jim Miller is a contributor to the NBC Today show and author of The Savvy Senior book.

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Are airline-mile credit cards worth it? See story on page 22.

The friendly, beautiful towns of Provence

Most beautiful villages During ancient times, many settlements

were perched on the peaks of towering hills for defensive purposes. Today, they’re collectively called hill towns, and each has its own unique appeal. Travelers reach them by way of twisty one-lane roads, hoping not to meet another vehicle heading in the opposite direction. It’s wise to park just outside a village and enter on foot. A French association has accomplished a task that would seem impossible. Among all of the magnificent places throughout the country, it designated 164 as “Plus Beaux Villages de France” (Most Beautiful Villages in France). After my stay in Provence, I’d say that many more could be added to the list. Seventeen of the honored enclaves are in Provence, including the village of Gordes. With a population of about 1,600, Gordes has been the site of a settlement since Neolithic times. It overlooks surrounding valleys from its strategic location on the peak of a towering rock, making it one of the most photogenic settings in all of France. The site is topped by an imposing castle originally built in the 11th century and remodeled during the Renaissance. Menerbes, another “Most Beautiful” town, was brought to the world’s attention by

PHOTO BY KONSTANTTIN/SHUTTERSTOCK

By Victor Block Some places are more than a destination. Provence, nestled in the southeastern corner of France, immerses visitors in a placid, captivating lifestyle. Although the nearby Cote d’Azur and French Riviera have many advocates, visitors may encounter traffic and crowded, blanket-to-blanket beaches. By contrast, in the tiny towns and even smaller villages of Provence, a Marylandsized enclave, tourists are few and far between. Last fall, my wife Fyllis and I decided to stay in the “real” Provence. We rented a beautifully renovated century-old farmhouse in the village of Pernes-les-Fontaines, a fortified Medieval town surrounded by remnants of stone ramparts. With our cozy home base, we ventured out each day to explore the nearby historyrich villages, with their stone buildings along narrow, winding cobblestone streets and compact tree-shaded squares lined by sidewalk cafés. There were no waits at restaurants, no lines at attractions and few other Englishspeakers.

A medieval castle presides over the ancient town of Gordes, one of the most beautiful villages in France. It is built high on a cliff, with spectacular views of the Provence countryside.

Provence, a region of southeastern France known for its lavender fields, olive groves and vineyards, has many picturesque villages worth exploring.

British-born author Peter Mayle’s popular book My Year in Provence, published in 1991. Despite centuries of wars and turmoil, Menerbes remains miraculously intact and preserved. Most of its restaurants and shops are grouped at the bottom of the mountain; a tranquil town square awaits at the top. The setting is very different in Roussillon, located near once-active ochre mines. Many of its 300-year-old houses are painted shades of red, pink and orange that echo the colors of the surrounding rock cliffs. I found it challenging to stop taking pictures of this Technicolor scene.

ment. The two-tiered Roman amphitheater in Arles dates from the first century B.C.E. Some of these well-preserved Roman antiquities continue to function in various ways. The arena in Arles hosts bull fights, concerts and other events, while plays and musical productions take place in Roman theaters in Orange and Vaison-la-Romaine. I could continue through the almost Ato-Z list of inviting, historic hill towns, but perhaps what makes a visit to this corner of France most memorable is its food, wine and people.

Local fare, local friends Echoes of the past Phoenicians who arrived in France in 600 B.C. were followed by Greeks, then Romans. While they held sway, from about 100 B.C.E. until the disintegration of their empire five centuries later, this swath of fertile land became one of Rome’s wealthiest provinces. During the Middle Ages, it was invaded by successive waves of marauders (hence the need for fortifications). Evidence of this past exists in every village. In Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, remains of the Greek city of Glanum are located near a Roman triumphal arch and funerary monu-

Much of France’s well-deserved reputation for fabulous food and wonderful wine is based upon what is grown, made and prepared in Provence. It didn’t take long for Fyllis and me to appreciate each mouthful and sip. The vegetables on our plates, often seasoned with ubiquitous garlic and local olive oil, grew in fields close by, as had fresh-from-the-farm fruit. Regional specialty sweets like nougat, artisanal chocolate and candied fruits tempt the palate and See PROVENCE, page 23

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What are frequent-flyer miles worth? A few years back, some economist with ing.com/value-of-frequent-flyer-miles) nothing better to do calculated that fre- posted its own latest values, alongside current values from two other quent-flyer miles were the top blogs, One Mile at a Time world’s third or fourth largest (onemileatatime.com) and currency. The total value of The Points Guy (thepointsmiles in circulation can only guy.com). have increased since then. But calculating aggregate The interesting finding value doesn’t really help anyisn’t that they show substanone: The real test is how tial variance. In fact, they’re much miles are worth to you, all in surprisingly close agreeindividually. And that’s a surment on the value of miles in prisingly complicated calculaeach program: TRAVEL TIPS • Giant airlines: Each mile tion. By Ed Perkins you earn is worth 1.3 to 1.5 There’s an entire community of blog writers devoted to frequent-flyer cents when applied to a ticket for a future minutia and arcana. And they regularly trip, with Alaska and Korean earning a tad post current values for airline miles, trans- more; Delta and Hawaiian a tad less. ferable bank miles and hotel points. • Bank cards with transferable miles Most recently, Gary Leff’s excellent (American Express, Capital One, Chase, blog, View from the Wing (viewfromthew- and Citi) generate a value of 1.6 to 1.8

cents a mile. • Hotel points: 0.4 to 0.7 cents a mile, with Hyatt higher at 1.4 to 1.7 cents. You won’t find much disagreement about collecting points by flying: Regardless of precise value, they’re worth something. The complexities arise with valuing miles earned by credit card. The problem is straightforward: • The best-earning bank cards earn 2 cents cash per dollar spent, compared with one airline mile per dollar charged. A few even earn two miles. So, on average, regardless of airline affiliation, you’re better off concentrating your charges on a 2-centor 2-mile-back reward card than on an airline card. • Many cash-back credit cards earn only one cent per dollar, so if that’s what you’ve got, your best bet is either to use a miles card or switch to a higher-earning

credit card. • Most airline cards earn one mile per dollar charged. • Some miles-earning bank cards offer premium rates — up to five miles per dollar charged — on some charge categories, so consider one of those cards for just those specific categories.

Flash sales are a better deal I’ve been amassing miles for years, and generally concluded that the best use was for premium cabin international trips. But those high-value calculations you see comparing mile cost with cash cost for business class to Europe using regular business class fares are ridiculous. Sure, you can get a $4,000 businessclass ticket on some lines for around 120,000 miles, but those miles are worth the calculated 3.3 cents each if — and only if — you’d be willing to pay $4,000 if you didn’t have the miles. Personally, I’d probably be willing to pay no more than $1,500 for that ticket, so the value of the miles to me is about 1.25 cents each. You can often catch airline flash sales for business class to Europe from the West Coast at less than $2,000 round trip, which puts the miles worth 1.67 cents. And you also have to consider the fact that many — if not most — 120,000-mile frequent-flyer trips are available only on flights at unpopular hours or trips with multiple connections and long layovers. Obviously, transferable credit-card points are better used for airline miles than hotel points. And just about everybody agrees that miles used for cash purchases are worth only 0.5 cents or less. Don’t use them for non-airfare purchases. Only you can decide what any given set of airline miles is worth to you. Compare the cash price for a ticket you’d actually buy with the price in miles, and decide. If you’re like me, you conclude that, in most cases, piling your charges on a twocent-back cash card and using the money to buy a ticket beats piling charges on a card that earns one mile per dollar charged. Also, two-miles-per dollar cards look good. When I first looked, miles were really valuable: fares were consistent and award charts were more generous. But frequentflyer miles, like veteran travel writers, do not improve with age. The quicker you use them, the more value you’ll retain. Send email to Ed Perkins at eperkins@mind.net or check out his rail travel website at rail-guru.com. © 2021 Ed Perkins. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Write a letter to the editor. See page 2.

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Provence From page 21 challenge your next step on a scale. Restaurant food portions are large, and then some. After we ordered a steak to share at an outdoor café, the waitperson suggested, only partly in jest, that we move to a larger table which could accommodate the oversized slab of delicious meat. Wine has been made in this region for at least 2,600 years, first by the Greeks and then the Romans. Provence is known predominately for rose wine, which accounts for about half of the local production. Some oenophiles also praise its spicy, fullflavored reds. Even beyond the historic paths of the past, and abundant flavors of food and wine, we found the people of Provence to be perhaps its most endearing treasure. Topping the list is their genuine friendliness. When we struggled with our elementary school French, they used their elementary school English to help. When we encountered a car problem, an off-duty policeman came to our rescue. If we looked lost while walking, a local passerby invariably offered assistance.

The genuine friendliness and welcoming attitude of the Provençales, as inhabitants are known, might be reason enough to visit this inviting corner of France. Given the many other enticements, it’s no wonder that the destination is high on many a travel bucket list.

If you go To get to Provence, fly into Nice or Marseilles. Round-trip flights on British Airways start at $800, but it’s possible to find a $600 round-trip ticket during the winter off-season. We chose to rent through Untours, a company with which we have traveled the past. Its motto and goal: “Live like the locals.” Untours provided us with a wealth of pre-trip information, accommodations, a rental car and first-day briefing from the on-site company representative. Rates begin at $959 per person per week, and depend on your chosen accommodation. Untours covers 13 European countries

and also offers canal, river and small ship sea cruises. For more information, call 1888-868-6871 or visit untours.com. When it comes to eating and sampling outstanding wines of Provence, it’s hard to go wrong. Even the most modest restaurants serve memorable meals. Case in point: At the L’Esqanquet de Font in Les Pernes (247 Quai de Verdun;

and summer resort for all walks of life. June Rose Futcher Via Email Dear Editor: Bob Levey’s observations on the value of a spouse who is a good dinner companion [December, “Keeping up my end of the conversation”] are undoubtedly valid, whether for film stars like Lauren Bacall or us ordinary folk. However, his comment he couldn’t recall a “female star from that era who ever said anything trenchant or lucent” overlooks the contribution Hedy Lamar made to both the war effort and many of today’s electronics. Wikipedia says, “She and composer George Antheil developed a radio guidance system for Allied torpedoes…The principles of their work are incorporated into Bluetooth and GPS technology… [and] led to their induction into the National Inventors Hall of Fame.” David Cosson Washington Grove, MD Dear Editor: After reading about a reader’s scam report in the December 2021 letters to the editor, I wanted to share another resource that I’ve used to report scams by emails and telephone. It’s the AARP Fraud Watch Network: 1-877-908-3360. They keep a record and count how many complaints they get for each company. You don’t have to be a member of AARP to report scams, but frankly the $12 AARP membership fee [for new members] is well worth it. They send a [quarterly] newsletter, and [bimonthly] magazines. Lynne Selznick Baltimore, MD

86-04-29-45), a meat-and-cheese charcuterie ($15) and roast duck with sides ($27) are enough for two people. We stretched our budget by enjoying some meals at “home.” Pick up pastries, cheese and meat in a village and live like a local. For more information about Provence, visit provence-alpes-cotedazur.com/en.

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Style Arts &

A new year calls for some humorous books and calendars. See suggestions on page 26.

He advocates for wronged WWII vets

Recognizing Filipino veterans From his home in Kensington, Mary-

land, Melegrito works as the executive secretary of the Filipino Veterans Recognition and Education Project (FilVetREP), which he co-founded in 2013. The nonprofit’s 25 volunteers are raising awareness of Filipino-American WWII veterans who were stripped of their recognition (and military benefits) after the Rescission Act of 1946, which rescinded certain benefits to Filipino troops for their military service. The project, Melegrito said, “gives me a lot of inspiration, gives me a lot of motivation, and gives me a lot of incentive to continue being an activist so that the American people, especially the next generation, will be aware and learn and be educated and inspired by the heroism and courage of the Filipino World War II veterans.” In 2018, Melegrito was recognized for his work by AARP, which awarded him the Asian American & Pacific Islander Hero Award, given to advocates who work to help the lives of older adults. The project was established with three goals: to secure a Congressional Gold Medal for all Filipino veterans, to teach students about that forgotten alliance, and to rescind

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By Katherine Mahoney Hours after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor that sparked World War II, Japan began bombing U.S. bases in the Philippines. In response, Gen. Douglas MacArthur recruited Filipino soldiers to fight alongside American forces in the Pacific, declaring, “Give me 10,000 Filipinos and I shall conquer the world!” One of those Filipino fighters was the late father of Maryland retiree Jon Melegrito. Melegrito, now 77, has fought for 30 years to keep his father’s legacy alive by advocating for him and thousands of other Filipino World War II veterans. His father, a survivor of the Bataan Death March, suffered hearing loss during the war but was denied benefits from the Veterans Administration. “It means a lot to me to keep his memory alive,” Melegrito said in an interview with the Beacon. “And especially for my children and grandchildren to know that their great-grandfather served as a soldier and fought in World War II gives me a lot of pride, to tell his story.”

Jon Melegrito, a retiree who lives in Kensington, Maryland, is executive secretary of the Filipino Veterans Recognition & Education Project. The all-volunteer group works to gain rights and recognition for Filipino veterans like Melegrito’s late father, who fought alongside U.S. troops in the Pacific during WWII.

the part of the 1946 act pertaining to Filipino veterans. Melegrito rejoiced when former President Barack Obama signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, which granted Filipino veterans compen-

sation for their dedication in WWII. However, the law came too late for many Filipino vets, including his late father. Then, on December 14, 2016, Obama See FILIPINO VETS, page 26

Say you saw it in the Beacon | Arts & Style

WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N — J A N U A R Y 2 0 2 2

January Events

Beethoven & American Masters: George Walker & William Grant Still Gianandrea Noseda, conductor Music Director of the National Symphony Orchestra Gianandrea Noseda conducts three glorious programs of Beethoven symphonies paired with music by trailblazing American composers George Walker and William Grant Still. These concerts will be recorded live in the Concert Hall for release on the NSO’s new record label.

George Walker & Beethoven’s First & Fifth Symphonies

William Grant Still & Beethoven’s Fourth Symphony

George Walker & Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony

Famed for its four-note opening, Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony is an imaginative, colossal crowdpleaser that immerses the audience in dramatic tension building to a passionate climax. The program also includes the First Sinfonia by George Walker, a Washington, D.C. native and the ﬁrst Black composer to win the Pulitzer Prize for Music.

The NSO performs the Fourth Symphony by William Grant Still—the ﬁrst Black composer to have a symphony performed by a leading orchestra and to conduct a major American symphony orchestra. To close, Beethoven’s Fourth Symphony starts small but grows into a giant. Upon ﬁrst hearing the masterpiece, Robert Schumann was so enthralled that he “sat in place without moving a muscle or even breathing.”

Experience the vast cosmic drama of the symphony by which all others are measured—the ﬁrst to include chorus in its orchestration. With grand emotional melodies and the tremendous ﬁnal “Ode to Joy,” Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 resonates as loudly today as it did two centuries ago. The Washington Chorus joins the NSO for this program.

January 13, 15 & 16 | Concert Hall

January 27–29 | Concert Hall

January 20–22 | Concert Hall January 8–March 20, 2022 | Hall of Nations Author, illustrator, and Kennedy Center Education Artist-in-Residence Mo Willems exhibits a series of large-scale abstractions inspired by the music and genius of Ludwig van Beethoven. Art © Mo Willems

Kennedy-Center.org

Groups call (202) 416-8400

(202) 467-4600 The NSO Music Director Chair is generously endowed by the Roger and Victoria Sant Trust. Support for Beethoven & American Masters is provided by The Leonard and Elaine Silverstein Family Foundation Fund for the National Symphony Orchestra and The Leonard and Elaine Silverstein Family Foundation Fund in Honor of Ronald D. Abramson; Dr. Gary Mather and Ms. Christina Co Mather; Noseda Era Fund Supporters

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Greet 2022 with wit, whimsy and humor Resolve to start the new year by exploring more than 40 short essays, all but two of new subjects and exercising which have appeared in the your mental curiosity to the magazine. fullest. But don’t be weighted Cranial Fracking explores a down by the gravity of the iswide variety of subjects from a sues you contemplate. Lighten humorous perspective: climate up and make learning a fun prechange, the Board of Ed school occupation. year calendar, Ken Burns’ docCranial Fracking, by Ian umentary about the Roosevelts, Frazier, 180 pages, Farrar, language-learning apps, the Straus and Giroux hardwoes of the NY Mets and NY cover, 2021 Jets, the advice to keep a dream THE Septuagenarian Ian Frazier journal, criterion for Boy Scout has been delighting readers of BIBLIOPHILE troop leaders, the cliché of the The New Yorker magazine By Dinah Rokach doctor on the golf course, the since 1974 with his off-beat proverbial check in the mail, the take on contemporary issues and universal British Museum collection of Americana, canards. This latest compilation consists of globalism, a behind-the-scenes look at serv

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Filipino vets

Forces since 1899, when the Philippines were colonized by the United States.”

From page 24

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signed a bill that honored the more than 250,000 Filipino veterans of World War II with a Congressional Gold Medal. “It was a relief,” Melegrito said. “There was a sense of gratitude. But you can never erase the outrage, the anger and the resentments that festered for almost 75 years.”

Father survived Death March Melegrito was born in Muñoz, a small town in the Philippines, in 1944, when his country was fighting against Japan. His parents had been schoolteachers, but his father became a soldier and later a major in the Philippine Commonwealth Army. He was then recruited to be a Philippine Army officer under the United States Forces during WWII. In 1942, after losing the Battle of Bataan to the Japanese, 60,000 U.S. POWs, including Melegrito’s father, were forced by the Japanese on the notorious Bataan Death March. It is estimated that more than 5,000 Filipinos and 500 American soldiers died of exposure, thirst, starvation, torture and summary execution on that 60-mile march. In the mid-1960s, in search of a better life in America, Melegrito’s family settled in Columbia, Missouri. After Melegrito graduated from college, he moved to the D.C. area, earning a master’s degree in journalism from American University He has worked in numerous jobs throughout his life, from selling vacuums in Missouri, to writing labor union newsletters, to supervising the library at George Washington University. Today, in addition to his role as executive secretary at the nonprofit, he’s an active volunteer for Meals on Wheels, his church and other groups. “Jon Melegrito is a consummate community servant,” said Antonio Taguba, 71, chairman of the FilVetREP and retired major general in the U.S. Army. Taguba’s father also fought on the side of America and survived the Bataan Death March. Taguba pointed out that Filipinos have “served in the United States Armed

See BIBLIOPHILE, page 27

Teaching the history Throughout Melegrito’s career and volunteer jobs, he worked on nights and weekends to raise awareness and gain rights for Filipino veterans. He witnessed these veterans in their 70s, 80s and even 90s walking through the halls of Congress asking that their benefits and honor be restored after it was wiped away by the Rescission Act. “And they always ended up with frustration and disappointment and heartache. And yet, despite all of that, they were loyal to America. They were never bitter about America,” he said. Melegrito and other volunteers at FilVetREP are working to teach students the history as well. “The latest project is developing classroom curriculum, some lesson plans for public school teachers, because the story of Filipino veterans is not taught in public schools,” Melegrito said. In addition, in November the project released a documentary called “Faces of Courage: Untold Stories of World War II Filipino Veterans,” which aired on Hawaiian television stations. Those stories are now part of a digital museum exhibit, “Under One Flag,” which the nonprofit launched in November 2020. As part of the project’s objective to educate others, the online interactive educational program details personal stories as well as “historical accounts and artifacts that were filed away at the National Archives, the Library of Congress and family records,” according to the website. Melegrito plans to continue to tell the stories of his father and other Filipino veterans who helped America. “When we are talking about justice, we’re not just talking about justice for a few; we’re talking about justice for [all] who were either mistreated or who were denied their rights,” Melegrito said. “This is really a fight for human and civil rights for everyone.” To see the online exhibition, visit dutytocountry.org.

WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N — J A N U A R Y 2 0 2 2

Say you saw it in the Beacon | Arts & Style

A few overdue thank-yous to my docs It was the end of yet another doctor’s ap- now just the same. In the next 12 months, I will personally pointment — routine, as it turned out, thank every one of the docthank heavens. tors who has contributed to The doc pronounced me fit my continuing existence. as a fiddle. I beamed. I purred. I can’t thank the pediatriHe gathered up his papers cian who diagnosed my Gerand prepared to leave. man measles when I was a And then I said thank you. toddler. She is long gone. Thank you to a doctor who And I can’t thank the physiworks more hours than any cian who helped me through human should. Thank you to a a cracked heel during my athdoctor who has been by my side letic days. He, too, has gone for more than 35 years. Thank HOW I SEE IT to the big softball diamond in you for heading big trouble off By Bob Levey the sky. at the pass more than once. But all the rest (except one) are still Just…thank you. “You don’t have to thank me,” the doc said. drawing breath. Because I am, too, I have started to seek them out, one by one, to do Which only proved why I did. Keeping each of us alive is a partnership what I should have done ages ago. Many years back, when I was still what game. We collaborate with spouses to eat right (or not to sin too often). We collabo- they used to call middle aged, my longtime rate with financial planners to keep us primary care doctor retired. I shook his hand from going broke. We collaborate with during our last visit. I wished him the best. I even wrote some silly songs for his reclergy to keep our souls in the right place. But the most critical collaboration is tirement party — and performed them a cappella (there are no tapes, fortunately). with the people in the white coats. He’s now in his 90s. I hear from friends Yes, they are sometimes abrupt. Yes, they are sometimes late — OK, more than of his that he still does the crossword puzsometimes. Yes, they have been known to zle every day and still plays something remake mistakes both great and small. Yes, sembling passable tennis. He’ll be on my thank-you list right up top. they cost an arm and a leg. Then there’s the dermatologist who But as you get near the finish line — aren’t we all edging closer? — and you still have long ago pronounced me her most boring your marbles, your blood, your organs and patient. Boring is what you want to be to your your get up and go…well, who has been your compadre, your Mr. or Ms. Fix It, your doctors. You never want to watch as they look at some part of you, say “Hmmmm” partner in crime? Who has taken your calls in the middle for about 10 seconds, and then reach for of the night, diagnosed everything like a their computer mouse. A few years ago, my dermatologist gave champ, prescribed just the right meds, wished you the best every time? And who me the Hmmmm treatment. A few weeks later, I was having surgery to remove pregets up the next day and does it all again? It’s not quite New Year’s as I write this, cancerous skin — and getting a stern lecbut I’m going to make a resolution right ture about sunscreen — from a physician

Bibliophile From page 26 this witty atlas of “countries” that no longer exist. An Atlas of Extinct Countries is written in the archetypal British satirical style, replete with must-read footnotes and pithy, snide commentary. If you’re in the mood for a soupçon of facts smothered in dollops of humor, read on. Looking for cocktail-party banter to add zest to your conversation? This is your cup of tea. You may remember the history of Texas, but did you know that in 1810 a Lone Star flag was unfurled to proclaim the Republic of West Florida? That entity lasted four months. It is now part of Louisiana. The Tangier International Zone, the Most Serene Republic of Venice — not to mention the Ottawa Civic Hospital Maternity Ward — all served strategic and vital purposes. Learn all about them. Most of the entries involve rascals, charlatans and scoundrels who founded “countries” to swindle investors, subjugate indigenous populations, gain fame and cre-

ate hereditary monarchies. The flags and anthems of five extinct countries conclude this tour-de-force in esoteric history. Non Sequitur 2022 Day-to-Day Calendar, by Wiley Miller; Close to Home 2022 Day-to-Day Calendar, by John McPherson; The Argyle Sweater 2022 Day-toDay Calendar, by Scott Hilburn, Andrews McMeel Publishing Each of these page-a-day desk calendars supplies a daily dose of whimsy, irony and humor from popular contemporary cartoonists whose works appear in the pages of daily newspaper comics. They provide humorous commentary on American culture and human nature. Non Sequitur and Close to Home launched 30 years ago; The Argyle Sweater debuted 14 years ago. They continue to be fresh and pointed, funny and ironic. If you’ve been following these comics in daily syndication, you’ll enjoy revisiting the best of previous entries from years gone by. If you’re a new reader, get hooked. Each of these calendars is printed with soy-based ink on recycled paper.

who has been saving lives, little patch of skin by little patch of skin, for more than 30 years. He gets a big thanks as soon as I can find him on the phone. So does the eye doctor who has been alerting me to possible glaucoma for two decades (none yet!). So does the orthopedist who fitted me for orthotics back in the last century. I still use them and still depend on them. And then there’s the surgeon who saved my life 25 years ago. He’s the “except one” from a few paragraphs earlier. He died suddenly one day, in the hospital where he practiced. Just keeled over and that was that. He was 51. But he’s the guy who implanted an artifi-

cial valve in my then-ailing heart. It — and I — have been cranking steadily ever since. If he were still here, I’d tell him about all the milestones I’ve reached in the last quarter of a century. I’d praise his epic sense of humor (yes, he told me a joke in the operating room right before I went under). I’d tell him that I think about him every day (that’s the truth — I do). And I’d thank him. Nothing more. No adjectives. No florid phraseology. Just thank you. For being a standout healer. Like so many who wear the white coats. Bob Levey is a national award-winning columnist.

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J A N U A R Y 2 0 2 2 — WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N

Crossword Puzzle Find a new crossword every day on our website at www.ThebeaconNewspapers.com/puzzles. News on the Twos 1

58 65

48 53

56 59

46 51

35 38

10 14

Jumble answers on p. 31.

Scrabble answers on p. 31.

8 13

By Stephen Sherr 6

67 69

Across

Down

1. Baseball promotion giveaway 4. Surrealist Salvador 8. Down in the dumps 11. “So that’s your secret plan!” 12. Musk, who was named Time’s 2021 Person of the Year 13. Abraham’s name for his first 99 years 16. Location of a 1962 crisis 19. Likely to get high SAT scores 20. The wisest spice on the whole rack 21. Member of a band inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2021 23. “Let your joy be in your journey, not in some distant ___” (Tim Cook) 25. I-95, for example 27. Part of a Tupperware purchase 28. Location of a 1972 burglary 33. A Wednesday before Easter 34. PlayStation seller 35. A Tuesday before Easter 36. ___-ball (ticket redemption game) 38. HHS, HUD, and 13 more 41. Partisanship 44. “That flamenco dancer is amazing!” 46. Parts of an eon 48. She appeared in the Get Back documentary 49. Location of a 1982 skirmish 54. ___ insult to injury 55. The waitress on “Alice” who got a spin-off 56. “Far __ from me to criticize, but ...” 57. Home of the Pantheon 59. Boyfriend 61. Oktoberfest music 65. Location of a 1992 sports competition 68. Listlessness 69. Grp. that added North Macedonia in 2020 70. Buddhist discipline 71. A chess board and 32 pieces 72. Panache 73. She never had to deal with in-laws

1. Top animated movie of 2006 2. “Um, excuse me ...” 3. Oldest of the Smurfs 4. Mortgage signers 5. Last word in the Pledge of Allegiance 6. Journalist who debuted in Action Comics #1 7. Early Peruvian 8. “Wait at the curb until it is ___ cross” 9. Doogie Howser, M.D. network 10. Viagra or Valium 14. Official formal end 15. Wizardry 17. Try to use influence 18. People-eating monster 22. Praiseful poem 24. “There is ___” (theist’s declaration) 26. One before Gee 28. “Sorry; I ___ wrong” 29. Set a list price 30. Protagonist of Hemmingway’s last novella 31. Created a manuscript 32. Terrif 37. Yellowstone Park inhabitant 39. International court 40. Insert in a USPS-based autograph request 42. An appropriate part of the word “ampersand” 43. “Mayday!”, in Morse Code 45. ___ on the Shelf 47. Slides into bed-time shoes 49. Where the near-sighted have trouble seeing 50. It means “mudbrick” in Spanish 51. Even though 52. Christmas carol word 53. Like the tilde to the “n” 58. Sea eagles 60. Top condition 62. Stay in the comfy chair 63. Capital of Ukraine 64. Beheaded Boleyn 66. Signal to come on stage 67. ___ loss for words

Answers on page 31.

Say you saw it in the Beacon | Arts & Style

WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N — J A N U A R Y 2 0 2 2

Literacy From page 1

ONE BIG HAPPY By Rick Detorie

did as a journalist and why it mattered.” At that time, he was “already concerned about two things,” he said. “One was how Julia, who was 12, was assessing the value of this tsunami of sources of information of such varying credibility, accountability and transparency. And this was, by the way, just at the advent of the iPhone and Facebook and so on. “I was also concerned about the wrenching transformation that was underway in the news business amid the collapse of the business model for journalism, and whether there will continue to be an appreciation for the kind of work that I and many others have dedicated ourselves to.” As Miller left the school that morning, he said, an idea came to him as he walked across the parking lot: “If a lot of journalists brought their expertise and experience to bear in America’s classrooms, it could be truly meaningful.” After the speech, he received a hug from his daughter and 175 thank-you notes, which they read aloud together. From the handwritten comments, he said, “I could see where I had connected and what had resonated with the students. And that was the seed that subsequently grew into the News Literacy Project.”

A lucky encounter with fate Miller got the project off the ground thanks to a lucky encounter at his 30th college reunion at Wesleyan University. At that event, he spoke on a panel about the future of journalism, and the panel’s moderator was president and CEO of the Knight Foundation, which later provided a $250,000 founding grant. “Essentially, I was launched. There’s a Yiddish term, bashert, which means fate. To me, the synchronicity of these events was really bashert. This second calling was meant to be, and this opportunity sort of found me.” But Miller, a reporter for 25 years, didn’t know how to start the project. So, he said, “I put my journalism skills to use. I reported the hell out of it. You find the people with the greatest expertise from whom you can learn.” Miller wasn’t just an average reporter; he was an award-winning journalist with more than a dozen journalism awards. He and a Los Angeles Times colleague won the 2003 Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting for their four-part series on a flawed military aircraft. In early 2008, Miller retired from the Washington bureau of the Los Angeles Times, and by September had launched the News Literacy Project’s website. Its classroom program began in February 2009 in three schools in Brooklyn, Manhattan and Bethesda (Walt Whitman High School). In the project’s first eight years, journalists taught more than 750 lessons, mostly in person. “That classroom program really was our laboratory and our showcase,” Miller said. To reach more students, the News Liter-

acy Project “raised the money to build a cutting edge, highly engaging [online] platform to move to scale,” he said.

Just in time for 2016 election That new platform, named Checkology.org, launched in May 2016. The timing couldn’t have been better. “Then the 2016 election happened, and everybody saw [the misinformation that] was happening on the social media platforms really for the first time,” Miller said. (In one case, two Russian-linked Facebook groups organized competing protests in Houston in 2016.) “There was such a heightened concern then that it felt a little bit like we went from being a voice in the wilderness to an answer to a prayer. Suddenly, we had educators saying, ‘This is the most important thing I could teach.’ Then the platform really took off.” Silicon Valley companies began to invest in the News Literacy Project, and the media began to cover its work, too. Soon, educators in more than 100 countries signed up to use Checkology.

Today, Checkology is being used throughout the country, in “red states and blue states and purple states,” Miller said. “We are rigorously nonpartisan.” To date, more than 300,000 students have completed one or more lessons on the platform —108,000 in the past year alone. In our area, the News Literacy Project has partnerships with Arlington Public Schools and Loudoun County Public Schools, in Virginia, and Montgomery County Public Schools in Maryland. They also organize “NewsLitCamps” for teachers — a one-day virtual or in-person visit to a newsroom. “The educators get a chance to really engage with [journalists] and ask questions,” Miller said. Since April 2017, the project has hosted 30 NewsLitCamps at 33 news outlets, including the Los Angeles Times, CNN, NPR and the Wall Street Journal. About 2,500 educators have attended the camps, working with 272 journalists.

New lessons coming This spring, the project will unveil five new Checkology Virtual Classroom les-

sons: on editorial cartoons, understanding data, evaluating science-based claims, history of harm and distrust, and recognizing medical misinformation. “We feel a great sense of responsibility to move as quickly as we can to expand our reach and impact,” Miller said. The News Literacy Project does more than just educate teachers and students. It has a website for the public, a free newsletter, a monthly podcast, and an app called Informable, which is a game that lets people of all ages test their news literacy skills. Miller’s daughter now has a daughter of her own, age 7. As a grandfather, Miller said, “I’m trying to give her some basic news literacy skills, but I’m marveling at how much more fraught and challenging that information landscape is now for her than it was at the time that I went to speak to Julia and her classmates 15 years ago.” “There’s just so much more disinformation out there,” he said, especially during the pandemic. “The threat is so much more urgent now — to not only our public life, but to our public health.”

J A N U A R Y 2 0 2 2 — WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N

Subscribe online! See how on p. 26

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; Obituaries; Personals; Personal Services; Vacation Opportunities; and Wanted. For submission guidelines and deadlines, see the box on page 31. 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. Business & Employment Opportunities FRIENDLY MEDICAL OFFICE looking for part time receptionist 9-15hrs/wk. Call 301-2317070. Office hours M-W 9-4, Thurs.-Fri 1-4.

Caregivers A HOME HEALTHCARE- Experienced nurses, CNA, GNA are available 24/7. Cooking, companionship, personal care, housekeeping, driving. Full/Part-time or live-in care. 15 years’ experience. 240-533-6599 A CARE AGENCY - Been in business for more than 10 years. Experienced nurses, CNAs, GNAs. Any hours you need. Flat rate for live-in. Duties include cooking, housekeeping, bathing, errands, etc. Tel: 667-231-8235

Computer Services PROBLEM WITH YOUR PC/MAC OR NETWORK? Computer Systems Engineer will come to you with help. Call David G. at: 301-642-4526. Or 301-328-2112

Financial WESLEY FINANCIAL GROUP, LLC Timeshare Cancellation Experts. Over $50,000,000 in timeshare debt and fees cancelled in 2019. Get free informational package and learn how to get rid of your timeshare! Free consultations. Over 450 positive reviews. Call 855-626-8703.

Health

Wanted

DENTAL INSURANCE from Physicians Mutual Insurance Company. Coverage for 350 plus procedures. Real dental insurance - NOT just a discount plan. Do not wait! Call now! Get your FREE Dental Information Kit with all the details! 1-844366-1003 www.dental50plus.com/320 #6258.

STAMP COLLECTIONS PURCHASED/APPRAISED- U.S., Foreign, Worldwide, Regular Issues, Commemoratives, and Back-of-Book; Anything Philatelic!; Long-time APS Dealer/Member; Phone: 301-309-3622 or E-Mail: arogolsky@gmail.com

COLLECTOR BUYING MILITARY ITEMS: helmets, weapons, knives, swords, web gear, uniforms, etc, from all wars & countries. Also slots/pinball & other coin operated machines. Top prices paid, Vaccinated & COVID Safe. CALL FRED 301-910-0783.

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. LIFE ALERT. One press of a button sends help FAST, 24/7! At home and on the go. Mobile Pendant with GPS. FREE First Aid Kit (with subscription.) CALL 240-847-6732 FREE Brochure.

Home/Handyman Services HOME MOBILITY EQUIPMENT SALES, SERVICE & REPAIR! One Step Mobility Can Help You With Your Home Mobility Needs 24/7: Stair Lifts, Power Chairs, Scooters, Ramps & More. Please call 301-767-5070 or visit: onestepmobility.com DON’T LET THE STAIRS LIMIT YOUR MOBILITY! Discover the ideal solution for anyone who struggles on the stairs, is concerned about a fall or wants to regain access to their entire home. Call AmeriGlide today! 1-866-365-5170. THE BATHROOM OF YOUR DREAMS for as little as $149/month! BCI Bath & Shower. Many options available. Quality materials & professional installation. Senior & Military Discounts Available. Limited Time Offer - FREE virtual in-home consultation now and SAVE 15%! Call Today! 1-855-653-0087.

Legal Services APPLYING FOR SOCIAL SECURITY DISABILITY or Appealing a Denied Claim? Call Bill Gordon & Assoc. Our case managers simplify the process & work hard to help with your case. Call 1-866-970-0779 FREE Consultation. Local Attorneys Nationwide [Mail: 2420 N St NW, Washington DC. Office: Broward Co. FL (TX/NM Bar.)]

Personal Services WE ARE A TO Z PERSONAL ORGANIZERS, bringing order to your life and to the life of your loved ones. We specialize in relocation services for seniors. Check us out on the web: A2ZOrganizers.com, or give us a call at 240.432.4920. ESTATE LIQUIDATION AND DOWNSIZING SPECIALISTS ~ Our stress-free process helps you determine what to keep, gift, sell, donate, or discard, while partnered with a compassionate specialist. Services include estate liquidation, downsizing, junk removal, estate sales and consignment of antiques, jewelry, and collectibles. We buy estates, vehicles, and real estate. Call or text Philip 301-219-3600 DownsizingSpecialists.com. Projects big or small, one call can handle it all! ORGANIZE, DECLUTTER, OR HELP MOVING | Simplify Your Life! Maryland Senior Concierge Services, Certified Senior Advisor. 301.452.5730 | ccallahan@mdseniorhelp.com | www.mdseniorhelp.com

CASH FOR RECORDS, CDS AND DVDS. Best price guaranteed. Free appraisals. All types of music {33, 45, 78 & CDs.} Also buying turntables and stereo equipment. Will make house calls with CURBSIDE PICKUPS. Call or text Steve at 301-646-5403. LADY WHO LOVES PRETTY THINGS would like to buy yours. Dishes, figurines, pottery and similar. Favorites are bone china cups and saucers and old Christmas and Halloween decorations. Especially love Herend, Meissen and Shelley. Also, midcentury smalls of all kinds. Have to clear a house in a hurry? Would be happy to take a look at anything you have. Please call Susan, (301) 785-1129. CASH FOR JEWELRY: Buying jewelry, diamonds, gold, platinum, silver, watches, coins, flatware, etc. Ask for Tom. Call anytime, 301-654-8678 (Reg. 883). WANTED: OLDER VIOLINS, GUITARS, BANJOS, MANDOLINS, UKULELES. Musician/collector will pay cash for older string instruments. Masks & safe distance. Jack (301) 279-2158, leave message. WILL BUY MILITARY, WWII, WWI, Civil War memorabilia items. Uniforms, weapons, helmets, photos, war souvenirs, medals, photos or any other items associated with U.S., German, Japanese or other military history. Call Dave (240-4640958) or email (david.obal63@gmail.com). CASH FOR ESTATES. I buy a wide range of items; Jewelry, Silver, Art, Rugs, Cultural Items, ETC., ETC. BUY OUT/CLEAN, 301-520-0755 WEBSITE: TheAtticLLC.com. I have my own trucks, my own crew & insurance.

BOOK COLLECTIONS WANTED. Moving? Downsizing? Estate? Together the Bonafide Book Buyers have over 85 years experience as professional buyers & sellers of quality books in the D. C. area. Best prices paid for good books. Examples: Easton Press, Folio Society, First Edition Science Fiction & Mysteries, Military, History, Scholarly & Academic Press publications. SF paperbacks if in New condition. Call Nelson at 240-472-4615 for an appointment at your house. Also DVDs & will consider CDs. Curbside pickup possible, phone for details. WANTED: MILITARY ANTIQUES, MEDALS & OLD FIREARMS (Military and Civilian). Trusted by estates and individuals for over 35 years. Read testimonials at www.midatlanticmilitaryantiques.com. Call Tim Frank at 703-4477243 or email historian1975@gmail.com TOP PRICES PAID FOR FINE ANTIQUES, artwork and decorative objects including decorated crocks and jugs, unusual antique clocks, music boxes and mechanical things, coin operated devices, furniture, rare antique dolls and toys etc. I am 68 years old, well educated, financially capable, and have over 40 years in this business. Why pay outlandish auction house, estate agent or consignment store commissions when you can get a fair upfront price for your pieces with no hassle? If you have something interesting or unusual, 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,

BEACON BITS

Jan. 17+

MLK CELEBRATION

The Folger Shakespeare Library presents “Not Just Another Day Off,” a prerecorded reading with contemporary poets and actors celebrating the work of Martin Luther King, Jr. Recordings are available for free from Mon., Jan. 17 to Mon., Jan. 24. Visit bit.ly/FolgerMLK to reserve your spot.

Feb. 11+

CRAFT MARKETPLACE

American Craft Made hosts its marketplace at the Baltimore Convention Center Fri., Feb. 11 through Sun. Feb. 13, providing an opportunity to shop from more than 350 artists. Tickets for the in-person event are free, but registration is recommended, and donations are suggested. The online shop will be open through Feb. 20. For more information, visit bit.ly/AmericanCraftMade.

Jan. 19

CHEVY CHASE TECH CAFÉ

The Chevy Chase Neighborhood Library offers one-on-one tech assistance and general computer instruction on Wed., Jan. 19 from noon to 1 p.m. For more information, call (202) 282-0021.

Jan. 24

STRAIGHTEN UP WITH ERGONOMICS

In this free virtual event, learn how to protect your neck and wrists from damage when you use your computer. The event takes place Mon., Jan. 24 from 7 to 8 p.m. To learn more and to register, visit bit.ly/AARPErgonomics. Email findfun@aarp.org with questions.

Personals For Sale GENERAC STANDBY GENERATORS provide backup power during utility power outages, so your home and family stay safe and comfortable. Prepare now. Free 7-year extended warranty ($695 value!). Request a free quote today! Call for additional terms and conditions. 1-866964-8106. 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.

Health MOBILEHELP, America’s Premier Mobile Medical Alert System. Whether You’re Home or Away. For Safety and Peace of Mind. No Long Term Contracts! Free Brochure! Call Today! 1240-650-9189

VERY PRETTY SINGLE WHITE LADY would like to meet gentleman age 65 for Christmas and New Years Eve. I am 65 and have marigold hair (red) and I am 5 feet 3 inches tall. My name is Patricia and I can be reached after 6 p.m. at 443-845-7802.

Jan. 20

Learn how to use Google Maps in this free Zoom workshop that takes place Thurs., Jan. 20 from 4 to 5 p.m. Visit bit.ly/GoogleMapsMCPL for more information and the Zoom link. You can also access the workshop by dialing (301) 715-8592; use meeting code 817 4790 2447.

TV/Cable DISH NETWORK. $64.99 for 190 Channels! Blazing Fast Internet, $19.99/mo. (where available.) Switch & Get a FREE $100 Visa Gift Card. FREE Voice Remote. FREE HD DVR. FREE Streaming on ALL Devices. Call today! 1-844-560-5837. DIRECTV for $69.99/mo for 12 months with CHOICE Package. Watch your favorite live sports, news & entertainment anywhere. One year of HBO Max FREE. Directv is #1 in Customer Satisfaction (JD Power & Assoc.) Call for more details! (some restrictions apply) Call 1888-572-4953.

GOOGLE MAPS

Jan. 27

JUMP START YOUR JOB SEARCH

Learn strategies and tips for finding a new job in this free Zoom workshop presented by AARP Virginia on Thurs., Jan. 27 from noon to 1:15 p.m. To learn more and register, visit bit.ly/AARPJobSearch. Email aarpva@aarp.org with questions.

Feb. 8+

GUN VIOLENCE PREVENTION GROUP

The National Cathedral’s Gun Violence Prevention Committee meets via Zoom on the second Tuesday of each month at 7 p.m. All are welcome to attend. Email congregation@cathedral.org for a Zoom link.

Say you saw it in the Beacon

WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N — J A N U A R Y 2 0 2 2

ANSWERS TO CROSSWORD

FROM PAGE 28 ANSWERS TO SCRABBLE

C A R S

A H E M

W A A S S K F A A D R O B E

P D A E P U B A R T G O T E R S H E E O L E L K L F D M E A R C N N U S E

A L I L O N L I C O S A G A L R G A T E O N Y D E P T E R A N D I L O B B E A U E L O N I N A T E L

S A F E T O S A S E A T A

A D B R A M C U B A G O G E L I F F I C F A T B I A S O N L A N D I T P O L K S P A I O Z E N E V

HOW TO PLACE A CLASSIFIED AD O D E S O S A N N E

ANSWERS TO JUMBLE Jumbles: HOUND GLADE MARKET NAPKIN Answer: After paying to have an amazing deck constructed, the family — HAD IT MADE

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 amount 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

We thank our advertisers who make our publication possible. Please patronize them and let them know you saw their ad in the Beacon! Clinical Studies UM Hearing Study . . . . . . .13

Events Beacon Virtual 50+Expo . . .20

Funeral Services Going Home Cremation . . .26

Government Services/Utilities MCDOT Free Taxi Service .13 Montgomery County Age-Friendly Newsletter . .8 Montgomery County Aging & Disability Services . . . .7 PEPCO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14

Home Health Care/Companion Services Best Senior Care . . . . . . .B-11 Options for Senior America .6 Radiocw Health Care . . . . . .6

Housing Ashby Ponds/ Erickson . . . . . . .B-5, B-15 Brooke Grove Retirement Village . . . . . . . .B-8, B-14, B-15, B-16, 48

Cadence Living Olney . . . . .5 Chesterbrook Residences . . . . .B-3, B-15 Chevy Chase House B-6, B-12 Churchill Senior Living . . . .9 Covenant Village . . . . . . . .B-8 Culpepper Garden . . . . . . . . .9 Emerson House . . . . . . . .B-15 Enterprise Residential . . . . .23 F1RST Residences . . . . . .B-5 Friendship Terrace . . . . . . . . .9 Greenspring/EricksonB-5, B-14 Harmony Senior Services . . .1 HIP Home Sharing . . . . .B-11 Homecrest House . . . . . .11, B-2, B-12 Knollwood . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11 Landing of Silver Spring, The . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .B-6 Landow House Asst Living . . . . . . . . . . . . . .B-7 Maplewood Park Place . . . . . . . . . .B-4, B-15 Quantum Property Mgmt .B-10 Park View Apartments . . . .23 Revitz House . . . . . . . . . . .B-7 Riderwood/ Erickson . . . . . . .B-5, B-12 Ring House . . . . . . . . . . . .B-7 Sommerset . . . . . . . . . . .B-10

Springvale Terrace . .B-3, B-8, B-13, B-14 Tribute . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 Vinson Hall . . . . . . .B-2, B-15

Legal Services

Retail Perfect Sleep Chair . . . . . . .12

Skilled Nursing & Rehabilitation

Farr Law Firm . . . . . . . . . . .19 Law Offices of Nancy Feldman . . . . . . . .17 Law Offices of Paul Riekhof . . . . . . . . . .17

Brooke Grove . . . . . . . . .B-14 Hebrew Home of Greater Washington . . . . . . . . . . . .B-7 ProMedica Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation . . . . . . .6

Medical/Health

Subscriptions

Judy Oh, DDS . . . . . . . . . . . .7 MCDOT Free Vax Taxi Service . . . . . . . . . .13 Medical Eye Center . . . . . .12 Silver Spring Medical Center . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11 Steven Friedman, DDS . . . .13

Beacon Newspapers . . . . . .26

Memory Care

Travel

Brooke Grove . . . . . . . . .B-15 Cadence Living Olney . . . . .5 Cohen-Rosen House . . . . .B-7 The Sylvestery . . . . . . . . .B-2

Shillelaghs . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23

Real Estate

AccessJCA . . . . . . . . . . . . .18 Career Gateway . . . . . . . . . .18 Ride On Bus Drivers . . . . . . .7

Long & Foster/ Eric Stewart . . . . . . . .10, 22

Theatre/ Entertainment F. Scott Fitzgerald Theatre .27 Kennedy Center, The . . . . .25 Senior Zone Radio Show . .27 Toby’s Dinner Theater . . . . .24

Volunteering/Job Opportunities

J A N U A R Y 2 0 2 2 — WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N

Subscribe online! See how on p. 26

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