April 2018 | Howard County Beacon by The Beacon Newspapers

The Howard County

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So, after all is said and sometimes rhymed, just how important is poetry in today’s world? Here is what some prominent Howard County poets have to say. “Poetry matters today more than ever,” according to Ann Bracken. “Over and over, I’ve witnessed poetry serve as a natural vehicle for people to express secrets and longings, as well as deeply held beliefs.” The Columbia poet has offered writing workshops in places as diverse as community education centers and prisons. She

APRIL 2018

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PHOTO BY DAVID HOBBY

Why poetry matters

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More than 30,000 readers throughout Howard County

Expressing our inner essence By Robert Friedman Iambic pentameter, free verse, quatrains and a haiku or two will resound around Howard Community College on April 26, as students, local writers and prize-winning poets Marilyn Chin and Joseph Ross gather on the Columbia campus for the 10th annual Blackbird Poetry Festival. The all-day event, co-sponsored by HCC and HoCoPoLitSo (the Howard County Poetry and Literary Society), will be filled with student workshops, book sales and, of course, poetry readings. April has been designed National Poetry Month since 1996, and April 26 is nationally designated as Poem in Your Pocket Day. On that day, we are all urged to carry a poem in our pockets and share it with colleagues, students, significant others, passersby, and the like. Beware that the poetry police will be on duty at the HCC event, distributing “citations” to students and staff who are found to be without a poem in their pocket. On the other hand, the police will hand out rewards to those who carry a verse, according to HCC authorities. No further information could be attained by press time as to the specific penalties and rewards.

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Poet Linda Joy Burke is pleased that there are an increasing number of venues where people can read and hear poetry. She is a Columbia Festival of the Arts Poetry Slam winner, and a 2013 Howard County Women’s Hall of Fame inductee. For those who want to hear and learn more about poetry, the Blackbird Poetry Festival will be held on April 26 at Howard Community College.

has learned that, through poetry, “Kids have talked about their lives in ways that are surprisingly deep, and incarcerated people share the same regrets and longings as all of us.” Bracken, who puts her age “on the right side of 60,” is the author of two poetry collections: No Barking in the Hallways:

Poems from the Classroom and The Altar of Innocence. Mike Clark, 78, answered whether poetry matters by asking: “Does your first love matter, your first born child, the death of a friend?” See POETRY FESTIVAL page 36

ARTS & STYLE

Sculptor injects humor into his works, crafting animals using many media and placing them in human situations page 35 TECHNOLOGY k Stores that keep track of you

FITNESS & HEALTH 7 k Why are men such kvetches? k Get the jump on spring allergies THE 50+ CONNECTION 17 k Newsletter from Howard County Office on Aging & Independence LAW & MONEY 25 k Five cheap stocks to consider k Start your own business ADVERTISER DIRECTORY

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A P R I L 2 0 1 8 — H O WA R D C O U N T Y B E A C O N

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Calling all artists! You may have noticed that we’ve been In whichever of these arts you shine, highlighting the arts for a number of you are invited to enter your best works in months in our pages, featurour online Celebration of the ing in nearly every issue Arts competition — open only older adults who have either to amateur artists 50 and over returned to an art or craft who live in Maryland, D.C. or they enjoyed in their youth, Virginia. or taken up something comWinners will receive awards, pletely new in retirement. cash prizes (up to $100), as well We have also recently pubas public showings of their lished lists of the many arts works, including the opportuniand craft classes offered in ty to exhibit at one or more the local area. area galleries. All of this has been part of FROM THE In addition, photos of all our Celebration of the Arts PUBLISHER artists and their works will be — a year-long project of the By Stuart P. Rosenthal published in a special “CeleBeacon to encourage readers bration of the Arts” section to to find a new artistic passion (or reinvigo- be printed in the September issue of the rate an old one). Beacon. The Celebration of the Arts was inspired by moving stories from Beacon How to enter You may enter original works created readers who have developed a passion later in life for fine arts, photography and after the age of 50 in one or more of four poetry — people like Lori Gottlieb, jewelry categories, up to three items in each: — Painting or Drawing: using any medimaker, who graced the Baltimore Beacon cover in March, and Pauline Rakis, fea- um (watercolor, pastel, oil, pen and ink, tured in the February Howard County Bea- etc.) — Sculpture/Jewelry/Pottery/Mixed con. So tell me: Do you paint or draw? Per- Media: this broad category includes any haps you make pottery, jewelry or sculpt. three-dimensional artwork in any medium Or do you enjoy digital photography or (wood, stone, metals, fired clay, fiber art, found object art, etc.) write poetry?

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The Beacon is a monthly newspaper dedicated to inform, serve, and entertain the citizens of the Greater Baltimore area, and is privately owned. Other editions serve Howard County, Md., Greater Washington, DC and Richmond, Va. (Fifty Plus). Subscriptions are available via third-class mail ($12), prepaid with order. Maryland residents add 6 percent for sales tax. Send subscription order to the office listed below. Publication of advertising contained herein does not necessarily constitute endorsement. Signed columns represent the opinions of the writers, and not necessarily the opinion of the publisher. • Publisher/Editor ....................Stuart P. Rosenthal • Associate Publisher ..............Judith K. Rosenthal • Vice President, Operations........Gordon Hasenei • Vice President, Sales & Marketing ....Alan Spiegel • Managing Editor............................Barbara Ruben • Art Director ........................................Kyle Gregory • Director of Operations ........................Roger King • Advertising Representatives .................................. ................................Barbara Koscielski, Steve Levin • Assistant Editor ..........................Rebekah Alcalde

The Beacon, P.O. Box 2227, Silver Spring, MD 20915 (410) 248-9101 • Email: info@thebeaconnewspapers.com Submissions:

The Beacon welcomes reader contributions. Deadline for editorial is the 1st of the month preceding the month of publication. Deadline for ads is the 1st of the month preceding the month of publication. See page 39 for classified advertising details. Please mail or email all submissions.

— Photography: images of people, places or objects, as well as abstract and other images manipulated by digital means — Poetry: a poem in any format no longer than two pages typed, doublespaced The online competition opens April 1 and runs through June 29, 2018. PLEASE NOTE: All entries must be photos of your artwork (and even of poetry), and must be uploaded to our online competition website. Detailed instructions and rules can be found at bit.ly/BeaconCelebration or on the Beacon website’s Celebration of the Arts page. If you need assistance in either photographing your artwork or in uploading your entries, print out the instructions and take them to a friend (or perhaps child or grandchild) who can help you. If you live in a community with a computer center, someone there may also be able to assist you.

More info Winners will be announced in August, with first, second and third place awards as well as honorable mentions. Winners works (or photos of them) will be displayed at 50+ Expos in Baltimore County, Howard County and Montgomery County, Md., and in Fairfax County, Va. While there is a modest fee of $10 for each entry, entering will entitle you to a one-year membership in the Maryland Federation of Art (new members only; value: $70).

Among other things, that membership will enable you to set up your own portfolio on their website. There you can upload your bio and images of up to 20 artworks or poems, and share the link with family, friends and the community. Entries will remain archived on the site, and will be visible to the general public once winners are announced. You may also offer your works for sale through the website! Community partners, including dozens of area nonprofits and governmental entities, are helping spread the word about the Celebration throughout the region. Corporate sponsors include AARP, Pepco, Sommerset Retirement Community, Vantage House and Brooke Grove Retirement Village. Communities and businesses wishing to become sponsors or community partners may call the Beacon at (301) 949-9766. I think this contest is well named. There is so much to celebrate when people try something new later in life and discover a new passion. We’re very excited about our Celebration of the Arts, and look forward to seeing the works of hundreds of our readers entered in the competition. Including yours! Again, for complete rules and more information, visit bit.ly/BeaconCelebration or www.theBeaconNewspapers.com. You may upload entries into the actual competition starting April 1.

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 e-mail to barbara@thebeaconnewspapers.com. Please include your name, address and telephone number for verification. Dear Editor: When my husband and I attempt to obtain our medicines, no one will even quote a price without a prescription. [We find] the same medication from different pharmacies varies in price by $10 to $45. So our busy doctor’s office must take time to issue the prescription before I can compare the price. I know many seniors just take the first price that is offered. This could result in either paying exorbitant prices, or because of limited income, a senior might not buy a needed drug, which could even result in death. Manufacturers of drugs give no assistance so that those of modest income can efficiently obtain our necessary medications. Is there any assistance you could give to help my friends and me? Marilyn Chaney Edgemere, MD Editor’s response: Many Medicare recipi-

ents find signing up for a Medicare Part D Drug Plan can help reduce their costs for prescriptions. If you are not eligible for such a plan, or do not choose to pay the monthly fee for one, there are a number of “discount pharmacy cards” available at no charge. These are typically offered by organizations or companies, including pharmacy chains, and when presented at a cooperating pharmacy can reduce the price of many prescriptions. Each state also sponsors its own savings card. Maryland residents may download the Maryland Rx Card free at www.marylandrxcard.com and begin using it immediately. The State of Maryland website says the card “will provide you with Rx medication savings of up to 75% at more than 68,000 pharmacies across the country including CVS/pharmacy, Albertsons, Walgreens, Stop & Shop, Giant, Safeway, Rite Aid, Kmart, and many more.” In addition, prescriptions processed through the state program are confidential.

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THREE AWARD-WINNING PROFESSORS ONE AMAZING DAY OF LEARNING SATURDAY, APRIL 7 | 9:30 AM – 1:15 PM Baltimore Museum of Art | 10 Art Museum Drive | Meyerhoff Auditorium Do you love to learn? !"#"!#$%&&#%#"'&"#!(#&"%("#%#)%(''(#!(#*+,-,,#.!/#('0+1('2'3"&4#512$,6#*!(#"7'# $+('#*+3#!*#1"4#8',,9#&!#:!#;'<#=7%">&#;76#?3'#@%6#A31B'(&1"6#)('%"'&#*%&)13%"13C#:%6&#!*#,'%(313C# :'&1C3':#"!#13B1C!(%"'#6!+(#213:4#8'#;!(D#;1"7#%;%(:E;13313C#$(!*'&&!(&#*(!2#"7'#)!+3"(6>&#"!$# )!,,'C'&#"!#)('%"'#'B'3"&#"7%"#%('#%,;%6&#':+)%"1!3%,9#'3"'("%1313C#%3:#+3*!(C'""%/,'4#F"#?3'#@%6# A9#"7'('>&#3!#7!2';!(D#%3:#3!#C(%:'&4#G+&"#,'%(313C#*!(#"7'#$+('#.!6#!*#,'%(313C<

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A P R I L 2 0 1 8 — H O WA R D C O U N T Y B E A C O N

Technology &

Innovations Stores’ floors may track your every move By Ivan Moreno The next phase in data collection is right under your feet. Ads you click on online give retailers valuable insight into consumer behavior, but what can they learn from your footsteps? It’s a question Milwaukee-based startup Scanalytics is helping businesses explore, with floor sensors that track people’s movements. The sensors can also be used in office buildings to reduce energy costs and in nursing homes to determine when someone falls. But retailers make up the majority of Scanalytics’ customers, highlighting one of several efforts brick-and-mortar stores are undertaking to better understand consumer habits and catch up with e-commerce giant Amazon. Physical stores have been at a disadvantage because they “don’t have that granular level of understanding as to where users are entering, what they’re doing, what shelves are not doing well, which aisles are not being visited,” said Brian Sathianathan, co-founder of Iterate.ai, a small Denver-based company that helps businesses find and test technologies from startups worldwide.

Wi-Fi and motion sensors But it’s become easier for stores to track customers in recent years. With Wi-Fi — among the earliest available options — businesses can follow their customers as soon as they connect to a store’s Internet. One drawback is that not everyone logs on to each store’s Wi-Fi, so the sample size is smaller. Another is that it’s not possible to tell whether someone is inches or feet away from a product. Sunglass Hut and fragrance maker Jo Malone use laser and motion sensors to tell when a product is picked up but not bought, and make recommendations for similar items on an interactive display. Companies such as Toronto-based Vendlytics and San Francisco-based Prism use artificial intelligence with video cameras to analyze body motions. That can allow stores to deliver customized coupons to shoppers in real time on a digital shelf or on their cellphones, said Jon Nordmark, CEO of Iterate.ai. With Scanalytics, Nordmark said, “to have (the sensors) be super useful for someone like a retailer, they may need to power other

types of things,” like sending coupons to customers. Scanalytics co-founder and CEO Joe Scanlin said that’s what his floor sensors are designed to do. For instance, the sensors read a customer’s unique foot compressions to track that person’s path to a digital display and how long the person stand in front of it before walking away, he said.

Individually tailored offers Based on data collected over time, the floor sensors can tell a retailer the best time to offer a coupon or change the display before the customer loses interest: “Something that in the moment will increase their propensity to purchase a product,” said Scanlin. The 29-year-old started developing Scanalytics’ 2-square-feet paper-thin sensors as a student at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater in 2012. He now employs about 20 people. Wisconsin-based bicycle retailer Wheel and Sprocket uses Scanalytics’ sensors — which can be tucked under utility mats — to count the number of customers entering each of its eight stores. That helps them

schedule staff. “That’s our biggest variable expense,” said co-owner Noel Kegel. “That sort of makes or breaks our profitability.” Kegel wants to eventually have sensors in more areas throughout his stores to measure where customers spend most of their time and to determine what products are popular, but he said it’s too expensive right now. The cost of having the sensors ranges from $20 to $1,000 per month, depending on square footage and add-on applications to analyze data or interact with digital signs, Scanlin said. He said he’s working with 150 customers in the U.S. and other countries, and estimates that about 60 percent are retailers.

No privacy concerns? The emergence of tracking technologies is bound to raise concerns about privacy and surveillance. But Scanlin noted his sensors don’t collect personally identifying information. Jeffrey Lenon, 47, who was recently See STORES’ FLOORS, page 6

Secure passwords with less headache By Kaitlin Pitsker Security experts have warned for years that to protect our online accounts we need to change passwords frequently and make sure that those passwords are “complex” — meaning, filled with letters, numbers and random characters. But that advice may have done more harm than good. Such passwords are nearly impossible to remember (try recalling something like “Tri3cer&top$”). So, many people continue to rely on weak passwords, such as “123456,” “password” and “qwerty.” Now, new research shows that not only are complex passwords user-unfriendly, but they’re also not hacker-proof. That’s partly because once people finally commit passwords to memory, they often reuse them for multiple accounts. That makes “passphrases” — long, easy-to-remember strings of words — a better deterrent to the bad guys.

common words, such as cloud-tomato-history-bridge, or a phrase that may be obscure but that you can remember. Length is more important than randomness, although many websites currently limit you to, say, a dozen characters. Put capital letters, numbers or special characters within the passphrase, not just at the beginning or the end, said Lorrie Cranor, a computer science professor at Carnegie Mellon University. For example, you could use “Cloud!Tomato2HistoryBridge.” Avoid repetitive or sequential characters, such as “777” or “XYZ,” or even using letters that form a pattern on the keyboard. Still, the average Internet user has more than 100 accounts to keep track of. And even the best passwords are easily compromised if you write them down — which is what 73 percent of people do, according to a 2017 survey by the Pew Research Center.

Use a password manager Pick an obscure phrase Start by picking a series of unrelated

One solution is to sign up with a password manager that will store all of them

behind one master login — the only password you’ll need to remember. A password manager can also help you create strong, unique passwords for each of your accounts. Passwords generated by the service will still be long, unpredictable and impossible to remember. But that’s okay because you’ll never need to type them in yourself. For example, if you want password manager LastPass (free) to generate a password for you, log onto www.LastPass.com and then visit whatever site you want LastPass to hold your password for. Ask the site to reset your password, then use the LastPass browser extension to generate a new password. Change your password on the site, and log in to that account using the newly generated password. A pop-up will ask if you’d like to add the new password to LastPass. After that, LastPass will fill in the new password automatically whenever you go to that site. The service’s premium option ($24 a year) adds a few features, including priori-

ty tech support, some multifactor authentication options (see more below), and 1 gigabyte of encrypted storage. The family plan ($48 a year) allows up to six people to use the service and share login information with one another for shared accounts.

Also use authentication To add another layer to your security network, enable two-factor or multistep authentication on any account that allows you to. To do that, you’ll enter your username and password as usual, but the account will then confirm your identity by asking you to enter a code that has been sent to your smartphone or e-mail address. This extra step deters hackers (they’d need to know your usual password and also possess your phone or access your email account). Also, you’ll be informed if an intruder attempts to log in with your password. © 2018 The Kiplinger Washington Editors, Inc. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC

Mar. 29

HOW TO USE MEDICARE’S PLAN FINDER

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Check the boxes you’re interested in and return this form to: The Beacon, P.O. Box 2227, Silver Spring, MD 20915 or fax to (410) 248-9102.

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Master online tools as you search for a new job, exploring the power of social media, USAJobs, and job aggregator sites such as CareerBuilder. Learn how to coordinate an effective job search with job alerts, word clouds, and a strong online presence at this class at the Central Branch Library on Tuesday March 27 from 7 to 8 p.m. The library is located at 10375 Little Patuxent Pkwy., Columbia. Advance registration is preferred by calling (410) 313-7800.

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Mar. 27

JOB HUNTER’S GUIDE TO THE INTERNET

See LINKS & APPS, page 6

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Learn how to use the “Plan Finder” tool on the www.medicare.gov website in a workshop on Thursday, March 29 from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at the Bain 50+ Center, 5470 Ruth Keeton Way, Columbia. Included will be instructions on comparing drug plans as well as health plans. To learn more, call (410) 313-7389.

A slew of apps and other online services have appeared to help city dwellers and

★ FREE INFORMATION ★ FREE INFORMATION ★ FREE INFORMATION ★ I N F O R M AT I O N

BEACON BITS

The search for parking made easier

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Heart and Soul HASfit offers hundreds of free, full-length online workout videos for all levels. Most feature two down-toearth trainers, merely identified as Coach Kozak and Claudia. While Kozak demonstrates the exercises, from high intensity training to weight training, Claudia shows how to do modi-

RV owners can traverse the country with all the comforts of home just behind the driver’s seat.

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Workouts for the heart and soul

Homes on wheels

The website Your RV Lifestyle includes dozens of articles on choosing RVs, costs, campgrounds and more. There’s even information about the best RV toilets and heaters, as well as RVs listed for sale. But beware, the site is chock full of ads. You will need to scroll halfway down the home page to get to links to the articles. www.your-rv-lifestyle.com

F R E E

Connecting with others who share similar diseases or challenges as yourself can help you feel less alone and offer coping tips. The new website, aGroupForME, makes it easier to join a wide range of support groups, including ones that address addiction, depression, cancer, divorce and PTSD. There is currently no charge to use the service Using group video technology, aGroupForME matches and then connects people sharing the same issues and concerns for ongoing, scheduled support group sessions online. The groups are hosted by vetted moderators, scheduled on a weekly basis, limited to 12 members at any one time, and are accessible on any device.

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Online video support groups

I N F O R M AT I O N

By Barbara Ruben

fied versions for those who are less fit or can’t keep up. There are many ways to access Hasfit. You can watch the videos on the website, view them through their YouTube channel (so you can watch them on your smart TV), or see them on your smartphone through apps for both iPhones and Android. http://hasfit.com http://bit.ly/hasfit-youtube Free in the iPhone app store and from Google Play

F R E E

The founder, Dr. Gina Ghods, a doctor of psychology, started aGroupForME after leading an Alzheimer’s Association support group in New York for eight years. While there, she noticed the difficulties and challenges people encountered to attend meetings. Transportation issues, dependent care struggles, finding the right group and other obstacles inspired her to build an online community where anyone can connect to the right support group, at a time and place that works best for them. http://agroupforme.com

Beacon Links & Apps

Say you saw it in the Beacon | Technology & Innovations

H O WA R D C O U N T Y B E A C O N — A P R I L 2 0 1 8

Technology & Innovations | More at TheBeaconNewspapers.com

Links & Apps From page 5 travelers across the country find, reserve and pay in advance for parking in crowded urban areas. Washington, D.C. is one of six cities that have the most demand for residential parking, according to Michael Rosenbaum, CEO and founder of spacer.com — a site that matches up those with parking to

spare and those in need of a spot. You pay through the app. Another service, SpotHero.com, lists parking spaces — mainly excess vacancies in hotel garages — in the United States and Canada. Listings also include offerings of space in home garages or driveways. Park Whiz is another source for shortor long-term parking spaces. It’s designed to work with Amazon Alexa, so spaces can be reserved via voice commands.

A P R I L 2 0 1 8 — H O WA R D C O U N T Y B E A C O N

Parkingcupid.com, yet another service linking those with parking spaces to those in need of them, also features a sample rental lease to give some legal protection to both parties. On the other side of the steering wheel, residents could make extra income from renting out their spaces. But experts warn that before you put your city parking space up for rent, you should check building rules. Many condo and apartment buildings

don’t allow residents to rent out parking spots to people who don’t live in the building, especially when entry to the parking garage is secured and leads directly inside the building. Detached garages tend to have fewer regulations about parking space rentals. www.spacer.com https://spothero.com www.parkwhiz.com www.parkingcupid.com

Stores’ floors

These technologies have not become ubiquitous in the U.S. yet, but it’s only a matter of time, said Ghose Anindya, a business professor at New York University’s Stern School of Business. “In a couple of years, this kind of conversation will be like part and parcel of everyday life. But I don’t think we’re there yet,” he said. — AP

BEACON BITS

Summer

SUMMER CAMPS FOR SINGERS 55+

Encore Creativity for Older Adults is holding chorale camps for singers age 55 and older this summer at Washington College in Chestertown from June 24 to 28, and at the Chautauqua Institution in western New York from August 26 to 31. In addition, St. John’s College in Annapolis will host the first Rock and Roll Summer Camp for singers 55 and over from August 26 to 31. To learn more about the camps and tuitions, visit www.encorecreativity.org or call (301) 261-5747.

From page 4 shopping at the Shops of Grand Avenue mall in Milwaukee, said he wasn’t bothered by the idea of stores tracking foot traffic and buying habits. “If that’s helping the retailer as far as tracking what sells and what no, I think it’s a good idea,” Lenon said.

BEACON BITS

Your NEW li liffestyle begins here

Apr. 23 AL

communLities are SMOKE

APAR TMENT HOMES FOR THOSE 62 AND BETTER

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Learn how to take, edit and share photos with friends and family through this social media app. Bring your phone to follow along with the demonstration and discussion on Monday, April 23 from 7 to 8 p.m. at the Miller Branch Library, 9421 Frederick Rd., Ellicott City. Registration is required; call (410) 313-1950.

Ongoing ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY

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Furnace Branch 410-761-4150 410 761 4150 Severna Park 410-544-3411

Easton 410-770-3070 3070

HARFORD COUNTY BAL LTIMORE CITY Ashland T Terrace errace 410-276-6440 Coldspring 410-542-4400

Bel Air 410-893-0064 Box Hill 410-515-6115

HOWARD COUNTY BAL LTIMORE COUNTY Catonsville 410-719-9464 Dundalk 410-288-5483 Fullerton 410-663-0665 Miramar Landing 410-391-8375 Randallstown 410-655-5673 Rosedale 410-866-1886 Taylor 410-663-0363 Towson 410-828-7185 Woodlawn 410 410-281-1120 281 1120

Colonial Landing 410-796-4399 Columbia 410-381-1118 Ellicott City 410-203-9501 Ellicott City II 410-203-2096 Emerson 301-483-3322 Snowden River 410-290-0384

PRINCE GEORGE’S COUNTY Bladensburg 301-699-9785 55 AND BETTER! Laurel 301-490-1526 Laurel II 301-490-9730

Call the t community nearest you to inquire about ut eligibility y requirements and to arrange a personal tour. www.rhomecommunities. com

ALL PARK PARK VIEW COMM COMMUNITIES MUNITIES ARE PET-FRIENDL LY

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PREVIEW MAIL WITH SMARTPHONE OR TABLET

The U.S. Postal Service has introduced Informed Delivery, a free mobile app that allows previewing mail deliveries in progress (via a scan of the envelope) on smartphones or tablets. To learn more and sign up for service, visit usps.com/getinformed.

Apr. 8+

PATAPSCO PARK SEEKS VOLUNTEERS

Rangers and staff at Patapsco Valley State Park are seeking volunteers on Saturdays in April to join them in clearing trails at the park of invasive garlic mustard plants. The park is located at 8020 Baltimore National Pike, Ellicott City. To learn more, call the park office at (410) 461-5005 or email volunteerpatapsco.dnr@maryland.gov.

Apr. 22

FREE RENAISSANCE CONCERT

The Barclay Brass ensemble, St. Louis Church choir and guest artists will perform chants of the European Renaissance masters in a free concert at 4 p.m. on Sunday, April 22 at St. Louis Church, 12500 Clarksville Pike, Clarksville. For more information, visit www.stlconcertseries.org or call (410) 531-6040.

H O WA R D C O U N T Y B E A C O N — A P R I L 2 0 1 8

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Health Fitness &

FLU AND HEART ATTACKS The risk of a heart attack is six times higher when you have the flu FIND YOUR POWER HOUR Your mental energy peaks at the same time each day; make the most of it ALLERGY EARLY ACTION PLAN Start treatment, such as a corticosteroid nasal spray, before allergy season LOOKING GOOD Tips for rested-looking eyes, glowing skin and shiny hair

Wishes don’t come true by themselves Family, doctors need to know what you want By Mary Kane, As a nurse, Kim Von Asten of Dousman, Wis., knows it’s important to document how you want to be cared for at the end of your life, or when you can no longer speak for yourself because of a major illness or accident. She has seen too many families agonizing at a hospital bedside, trying to decide whether a loved one would want to be taken off life support. But a few years ago, she realized she had multiple copies of her own advance directive “just laying around the house.” During routine visits, her doctor would ask if she had one. “I’d say, ‘Well, they’re at home somewhere, and I have no idea where I put them. Just give me another copy,’” said Von Asten, 52. “Then I’d fill out that copy and who knows where I’d end up putting it. I finally thought to myself, if something ever did happen to me, I couldn’t find them, and my family would never be able to find them, either.”

Share your wishes Like Von Asten, you may think you’ve done your duty by filling out an advance directive listing your preferences for end-of-

life care — such as whether you want aggressive treatment or just pain management — and naming a relative or family friend as a healthcare agent to express your wishes. But that may not be enough. You still need to make sure your paperwork will translate into reality. That means ensuring that your family fully understands your wishes, updating your directive regularly, and making the document easily accessible to those who need it. “People think that, ‘Well, because my family knows what I want, I’m covered,’” said Judith Schwarz, clinical director of End of Life Choices New York, an advocacy and counseling agency. “But that’s often not the case at all.” If you haven’t created an advance directive or named a healthcare proxy, or your loved ones can’t find your directive in an emergency, you run a higher risk that your wishes won’t be honored. “Once you get caught up in the treatment train, it’s hard to get off,” Schwarz said. In an emergency room, she said, “the default position is to treat first and ask questions later.”

Fill out the forms now If you don’t already have an advance directive, create one now — and share it widely. An advance directive, which usually refers to a living will and a healthcare power of attorney, should document your preferences for medical treatment in an accident or at the end of your life, plus name a healthcare agent to make decisions on your behalf if you’re incapacitated. You can download advance directive forms specific to your state from the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization at http://bit.ly/advance-directive-forms. When you’ve completed your advance directive, make multiple copies, said Schwarz. Give them to family members and all the providers on your medical team. Keep your copies where they can be easily located. Paramedics often are trained to check a refrigerator door for a do-not-resuscitate order — so if you have one, tape it there. “Your documents are like nuggets of gold to caregivers left wondering, ‘How do I do this well?,’” said Paul Malley, president of Aging with Dignity, a nonprofit that advocates for end-of-life planning. “You want to tell as many people as possible that you’ve

made your decisions, and where your records are kept.” If you’re a caregiver for someone who is seriously ill or frail, ask a healthcare provider about a “physician order for life sustaining treatment,” or POLST, form, in addition to an advance directive. The POLST form is a medical order created with a healthcare provider so that medical personnel know someone’s wishes in an emergency situation. Your loved one can specify if he or she wants resuscitation or other life-sustaining treatment, hospitalization, comfort care or something in between. Maryland’s version of POLST is called MOLST, for “medical orders for life-sustaining treatment.” It is the same sort of directive and can be found at http://marylandmolst.org/index.html.

Discuss with family Make sure your loved ones are clear about your wishes and that they are willing to carry them out. Start by holding a family conversation that includes as many people as possible, See WISHES, page 8

Do men suffer more, or just kvetch more? By Dr. Robert Shmerling Q: Do men really suffer more with the flu than women? A: I’d never heard of “man flu,” but according to a new study of the topic, the term is so ubiquitous that it has been included in the Oxford and Cambridge dictionaries as “a cold or similar minor ailment as experienced by a man who is regarded as exaggerating the severity of the symptoms.” As commonly used, the term “man flu” could describe a man who develops a cold or flu and then embellishes the severity of their symptoms, quickly adopts a helpless “patient role,” and relies heavily on others to help them until they recover. Another possibility is that men actually experience more severe symptoms from respirator y viral illnesses than women do.

Men and women do differ There are other examples of differences in how men and women experience disease. For example, with heart attacks or angina, men tend to have “classic” crushing chest pain, while women are more likely to have “atypical” symptoms such as nausea or shortness of breath. Here are the highlights from the new study on man flu: • Influenza vaccination tends to cause more local (skin) and systemic (bodywide) reactions and better antibody response in women. A better antibody response may lessen the severity of flu, so it’s possible that vaccinated men get more severe symptoms than women because they don’t respond to vaccination as well. • In test tube studies of nasal cells infected with influenza, exposure to the female hormone estradiol reduces the immune re-

sponse when the cells came from women, but not in cells from men. Since flu symptoms are in large part due to the body’s immune reaction, a lessened immune response in women may translate to milder symptoms. • In at least one study, men were hospitalized with the flu more often than women. Another reported more deaths among men than women due to flu. Together, these findings suggest that there may be more to “man flu” than just men exaggerating their symptoms or unnecessarily behaving helplessly. While the evidence is not definitive, they suggest that the flu may, in fact, be more severe in men.

The bottom line Diseases can look different in men and women. That’s true of coronary artery disease. It’s true of osteoporosis, lupus and depression. And it may be true of the flu.

So I agree with the author of this new report, who states “...the concept of man flu, as commonly defined, is potentially unjust.” We need a better understanding of how the flu affects men and women and why it may affect them differently. Until then, we should all do what we can to prevent the flu and limit its spread. Getting the flu vaccination, good handwashing, and avoiding others while sick are good first steps. And they’re the same regardless of your gender. Robert H. Shmerling, M.D., is associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and clinical chief of rheumatology at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston. For additional consumer health information, visit www.health.harvard.edu. © 2018 President and Fellows of Harvard College. All Rights Reserved. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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Health Shorts Flu increases risk of heart attack As if the flu wasn’t bad enough already: Researchers have confirmed that flu sharply increases the risk of heart attack for older people. Doctors have long known that flu can trigger heart problems. It’s one of the reasons flu

shots are recommended for nearly everyone. A new Canadian study found that risk was six times higher in the first week after flu is diagnosed, compared to the year before and after the bug hits. Unlike previous studies, the researchers used lab tests to make sure people suspected of having the flu really did. “It’s a much more rigorous study that allows us to make a much more specific link between flu infection and heart issues,” said Richard Webby, a prominent flu researcher at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis. He was not involved

A P R I L 2 0 1 8 — H O WA R D C O U N T Y B E A C O N

in the research. Results were published in the New England Journal of Medicine. The researchers reviewed more than five years of hospital and lab records in Ontario. They found 332 mostly elderly people who had a positive flu test and had suffered a heart attack within a year. There was one strong pattern: 20 had a heart attack within a week of getting the flu. Six died. “The increased risk was only in that first week,” said lead author Dr. Jeffrey Kwong of the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences in Toronto. How does flu — a respiratory ailment

with a fever, cough and aches — trigger a heart attack? Flu can cause swelling or inflammation in the coronary arteries, which can shake loose plaque and cause blockages, cutting off blood flow. “That’s the main culprit,” said Dr. Mohammad Madjid, a cardiologist and flu researcher at Houston’s University of Texas Health Science Center. Adding to that is the strain that flu and other viral infections place on alreadyweakened hearts. Lung infections make it

Wishes

livingwillregistr y.com) or DocuBank (www.docubank.com), and allow healthcare providers to access it. Or create and store an advance care plan using MyDirectives, a free online service. You can use it to notify your healthcare agent, and he or she can accept or decline the responsibility. You can also share a link to your plan with caregivers and relatives. Von Asten decided to use MyDirectives because she could better organize her documents and keep them in one place. To be sure your wishes are honored, you or your health proxy also will need to be proactive — double-checking with surgeons, nurses and paramedics to be sure they have your directive or other documents in hand through every phase of your treatment. In one instance, a daughter discovered that her father’s advance directive failed to accompany him when he was moved to a different hospital floor, said Malley.

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including adult grandchildren, said Marian Grant, a palliative care nurse practitioner and senior regulatory adviser with the Coalition to Transform Advanced Care, a Washington, D.C., advocacy group. State your preferences: Do you want to be kept alive on a ventilator? Are you willing to live in a nursing home? Once you’ve shared your preferences, ask a trusted relative or friend to be your healthcare agent. Select someone who can handle the task, and discuss it with them in depth. “The appointment is only as good as the conversation,” Schwarz said. “What you want is someone who will assume the significant responsibility, and decide as you would want, rather than as the daughter who doesn’t want her mom to die.”

Store in a safe place Next, ensure your documents will be accessible when they’re needed. Despite technological advances, you can’t assume your paperwork will be recorded electronically with your medical records or shared with your doctors. Methods for storing directives vary by state and by hospital system. In many cases, you’ll need to physically present your paperwork. Keep a copy in your wallet or car, or download it onto your phone. You can store your directive electronically at the U.S. Living Will Registry (www.us-

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Update as needed Update your directive regularly, and give a copy to all those who had the prior version. And follow the advice of Charles Sabatino, an elder law expert with the American Bar Association, on when to update. He suggests using the “five Ds”: a new decade of life, death of a family member, divorce, new diagnosis or a medical decline. © 2018, Kiplinger. All Rights Reserved. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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H O WA R D C O U N T Y B E A C O N — A P R I L 2 0 1 8

Health shorts From page 8 harder for people to breathe, so the heart has to pump harder to get oxygenated blood out to every part of the body. Flu wasn’t the only viral infection that fell into the same week pattern, the study found. The researchers found the risk of heart attack was about more than three times higher with respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, and nearly three times higher for a grab bag collection of germs that include the common cold.

Breast cancer therapies and heart risk Save your life but harm your heart? Health experts are sounding a warning as potential side effects of a growing number of breast cancer treatments come to light. In its first statement on the topic, the American Heart Association recently said women should consider carefully the risks and benefits of any therapies that may hurt hearts. Not all treatments carry these risks, and there may be ways to minimize or avoid some. Some treatments for other types of cancer may pose heart risks, but they are growing more common for breast cancer patients and the statement addressed only that form of the disease. Among the problems: Herceptin and similar drugs for a specific type of breast cancer can cause heart failure. Sometimes it’s temporary and goes away if treatment is stopped, but it can be permanent. Radiation can affect arteries and spur narrowing or blockages. Other drugs can lead to abnormal heart rhythms or artery spasms, which can cause chest pain and possibly lead to a heart attack. Still others can damage DNA. Some research suggests that powerful new drugs that harness the immune system to fight cancer may, in rare cases, cause heart damage, especially when used together. Side effects of various treatments can include abnormal rhythms, valve problems or heart failure, where the heart slowly weakens and can’t pump effectively. Symp-

toms may not appear until long after treatment ends. If heart failure develops early during breast cancer treatment, sometimes therapy can be slowed down or altered. Certain chemotherapies such as doxorubicin, sold as Adriamycin and in generic form, might be less risky if given more slowly, rather than all at once. Some research suggests that a drug called dexrazoxane may minimize damage if given to women with advanced breast cancer who are getting high doses of doxorubicin. What can patients do? Women should make sure doctors are monitoring their heart before, during and after breast cancer treatment. The diseases share many common risk factors such as obesity, smoking and too little exercise, so reducing these can also help.

Safer option than saline IVs New research calls into question what’s in those IV bags that nearly every hospitalized patient gets. Using a different intravenous fluid instead of the usual saline greatly reduced the risk of death or kidney damage, two large studies have found. The difference could mean 50,000 to 70,000 fewer deaths, and 100,000 fewer cases of kidney failure, each year in the U.S., researchers estimate. Some doctors are hoping the results will persuade more hospitals to switch. “We’ve been sounding the alarm for 20 years” about possible harms from saline, said Dr. John Kellum, a critical care specialist at the University of Pittsburgh. “It’s purely inertia” that prevents a change, he said. Kellum had no role in the studies, which were discussed at a critical care conference in San Antonio and published recently in the New England Journal of Medicine. Federal grants helped pay for the work. IVs are one of the most common things in healthcare. They are used to prevent dehydration, maintain blood pressure, or give patients medicines or nutrients if they can’t eat. Saline — salt dissolved in water — has been the most widely used fluid in the U.S.

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for more than a century even as evidence has emerged that it can harm kidneys, especially when used a lot. Other IV solutions — called balanced fluids — include saline, but also contain potassium and other things that make them more like plasma, the clear part of blood. Balanced fluids are widely used in Europe and Australia. The studies involved 28,000 patients at Vanderbilt University who were given IVs of saline or a balanced fluid. For every 100 people on balanced fluids, there was one fewer death or severe kidney problem. Since there are about 30 million people

hospitalized in the U.S. alone each year, “there are tens or hundreds of thousands of patients who would be spared death or severe kidney problems by using balanced fluids instead of saline,” said one study leader, Vanderbilt’s Dr. Matthew Semler. After seeing the results two months ago, Vanderbilt hospital officials decided to primarily use balanced fluids. The University of Pittsburgh also has largely switched to them, Kellum said. The fluids cost about the same — a dollar or two per IV — and many suppliers make both types, so switching should not be hard or expensive, doctors said. — AP

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A P R I L 2 0 1 8 — H O WA R D C O U N T Y B E A C O N

How to find and use your best time of day By Mirel Ketchiff Most people’s mental energy is a roller coaster, said Chris Bailey, the author of The Productivity Project. “There are certain hours when you naturally have much more drive than at other times,” he said. The tricky thing is that the time of day when mental energy peaks is different for everyone. Fortunately, your highs tend to occur at about the same times every day, so you can learn to plan your schedule around

them and maximize your productivity. Here’s how to take advantage of your personal power hour: 1. Pinpoint your peak productivity hour. Pay close attention to the times you feel inspired to dive into small and easily completed tasks, like going through your inbox or organizing your desk, suggested David Gard, Ph.D., the director of the Motivation and Emotion Research Laboratory at San Francisco State University.

Taking on simple to-dos indicates you’re craving a sense of accomplishment, which is a sign that your motivation is starting to peak. Track your productivity for a few days in a row and you should notice a pattern. 2. Next, choose just one challenge to conquer. Your instinct may be to get as many things done as possible when your motivation is high. But it’s actually more efficient to work on one task that requires sustained energy and focus. More ambitious tasks may be daunting at first, but they’re ultimately more motivating. Plus, over time your brain will start to associate your power hour with achievement, which will make you even more productive. 3. Prime your brain to concentrate. A ritual — like writing a to-do list or taking a walk — right before your power hour can help strengthen your brain’s natural increase in focus. “It’s classical conditioning. After practicing the same behavior for several weeks, that activity can cue your mind to get ready for a productive work period,” Gard said. Exercise is an especially powerful cue. “My studies have shown that your ability to focus your attention is improved for up to two hours after a single 50-minute workout session,” said Wendy Suzuki, Ph.D., a professor of neural science and psychology at New York University and the author of Healthy Brain, Happy Life.

4. Set yourself up for success. “Before you begin a project, break it down into exaggeratedly small steps,” Gard advised. If you’re working on a presentation, for instance, step one might be to open PowerPoint and get your document cued up and ready to go. If you’ll be batch-cooking, assemble all your ingredients and preheat the oven. Getting all the necessary prep work out of the way beforehand lets you dive right in to the tough stuff. Then, eliminate any potential distractions — your phone, your inbox, noisy co-workers — and get to work. 5. Finish strong. To kick your motivation into high gear to complete your project, take a mini-break halfway through. “After 20 to 25 minutes, your productivity is shot. But you can cultivate and prolong your energy by taking frequent breaks. And no, checking your in-box doesn’t count,” Gard added. “It’s better to get out of your environment,” he said. “If you’re at your desk, get up and visit a co-worker for five minutes. Afterward, you’ll be primed to finish what you started.” Ketchiff is health editor at shape.com. SHAPE magazine is dedicated to helping you live a healthy and happy life. Online at www.shape.com. © 2018 Meredith Corporation. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

BEACON BITS

Apr. 5+

FREE DIABETES COURSE Howard County General Hospital will present a free six-week work-

shop for persons with diabetes or pre-diabetes and their caregivers beginning Thursday, April 5 through Thursday, May 10. The weekly sessions will take place from 5:30 to 8 p.m. in the Hospital Wellness Center, 10710 Charter Dr., Columbia. To register or to learn more, visit www.hcgh.org or call (410) 740-7601.

Apr. 7+

WALK FOR WELLNESS PROGRAM Howard County General Hospital’s weekly Walk for Wellness program in Laurel will begin its 2018 season on Saturday, April 7 at

the North Laurel Community Center, 9411 Whiskey Bottom Rd., in Laurel. The program is free and open to the community, individuals and families, and begins with registration of participants at 8:45 a.m. The exercises and walk are led by a personal trainer. For more information, call (410)740-7601.

Apr. 19+

FAMILY CAREGIVERS COURSE A five-week course on skills and strategies for caring for loved ones at home will be offered on Thursdays at 5 p.m. from April 19

through May 17 at the Howard County Community College Health Sciences Building, 10901 Little Patuxent Pkwy., Columbia. Taught by Howard Community College nursing instructors and staff, the course will address challenges and solutions for both the caregiver and the care recipient. The fee is $195. The Howard County Office of Aging and Independence is partnering on the course. For more information, contact Kathy Wehr at kwehr@howardcountymd.gov or call (410) 313-5955.

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H O WA R D C O U N T Y B E A C O N — A P R I L 2 0 1 8

How to reduce spring allergy symptoms By Howard LeWine, M.D. Q: I have spring allergies. Ever y year I think they won’t be too bad. In reality, it’s awful, and I have a hard time getting ahead of the symptoms. Suggestions? A: People with spring allergies are usually affected by pollen from birch, elm, maple, oak or poplar trees, depending on where you live. Don’t wait until you get the runny, stuffy nose and itchy eyes. Get started on treatment now, before the spring allergy season kicks in. When pollen floats through the air and reaches the nose, the body sometimes overreacts. Mast cells in the lining of the nose mistake the harmless tree particles for dangerous invaders. They summon help by releasing chemicals such as histamine and tryptase, which then recruit more immune system cells to the battle. Instead of allowing the body to conduct an unnecessary fight against pollen, you can turn off your defense system with medications. But it’s best to do so before those allergens arrive. This is partly be-

cause some drugs take a few weeks to become fully effective. It’s also because the reaction to even a few allergens has a snowball effect. Once the reaction starts, it’s hard to stop. More inflammatory cells are recruited to the nose and sinuses, symptoms become more severe, and it’s difficult to treat them. Thus, it’s better to block the reaction before it begins, in order to prevent symptoms or at least lessen their severity.

while allergy season lasts. Another medication that can be taken in advance of anticipated symptoms is an antihistamine. Several non-sedating pills are available without prescription. Also, you could use a prescription antihistamine spray. And if you also have eye symptoms, you may need antihistamine eye drops as well. Don’t forget about drug-free ways to avoid allergens — such as keeping air conditioning and heating filters and vents

clean, keeping windows closed, wearing a mask for outdoor yard work, and avoiding going outside when pollen levels are highest. Howard LeWine, M.D., is an internist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston and assistant professor at Harvard Medical School. For additional consumer health information, visit www.health.harvard.edu. © 2018. President and fellows of Harvard College. All rights reserved. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

What to take The best medication to start in advance is a corticosteroid nasal spray, such as mometasone furoate (Nasonex) or fluticasone propionate (Flonase). Some of these sprays are now available over the counter. They more effectively counteract symptoms of allergies than other types of drugs. It takes a month of a corticosteroid spray for mast cells to feel the full impact and to turn off inflammatory chemicals. So, ideally, you want to start three to four weeks before you usually get your symptoms. And then use the spray every day

Never eschew a nutrient-packed cashew

Many uses Cashews (Anacardium occidentale) are seeds of an evergreen shrub related to pistachios, mangos and poison ivy. The cashew seed is attached to the bottom of its fruit, the cashew apple, which is high in vitamin C and popular where cashews are grown, which includes tropical regions of India and Brazil. The kidney-shaped cashew has two layers of shells, between which is a potentially toxic resin/oil that is removed and used to make many products, including varnish and insecticide.

Magnesium and fatty acids Just a handful (one ounce) packs a satisfying 10 percent DV (Daily Value, based

on 2,000 calories per day) of protein, and 20 percent DV of bone-healthy magnesium. Compared to most nuts, cashews are lower in fat, and its fat is mostly of the heart-healthy monounsaturated kind. A rich source of both monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids, which are associated with reducing the risk of heart disease, cashews (when regularly substituted for high-carbohydrate snacks) may help control total and LDL (“bad”) cholesterol levels, according to a study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2017. Due to these fatty acids, emerging research is showing that maternal consumption of cashews may result in better reflexes and memory in their offspring (International Journal of Developmental Neuroscience, 2017). High in total phenolic and flavonoid content, cashews are also known for their antioxidant activity, which has been shown to regulate blood glucose and help in the treatment of patients with diabetes (The Scientific World Journal, 2017).

How to buy and store Both raw and roasted cashews are widely available. When purchasing from bulk bins, be sure the container is well sealed and the nuts are moisture-free and smooth. A quick sniff for rancidity is wise as well. For longer freshness, choose vacu-

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By Lori Zanteson The cashew is a favorite nut flavor-wise, and is commonly regarded as a nutrition star for its punch of protein, heart-healthy fats, vitamins and minerals. Native to Brazil, the cashew was introduced to India and Africa by Portuguese explorers in the 16th century. The cashew tree, from its wood and bark to its fruit, was highly prized for its healing properties. In Brazil, cashew nut oil was used to treat leprosy, while in India the cashew was used restoratively — as an appetizer, hair tonic and aphrodisiac. But it wasn’t until the 20th century that the cashew nut became a culinary star. It’s now the third-most consumed tree nut in the U.S.

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A P R I L 2 0 1 8 — H O WA R D C O U N T Y B E A C O N

Try these beauty tips from a pharmacist No matter what your age, you always want to look your absolute best. Throughout my life, I’ve learned all kinds of beauty tips and tricks from reading, talking to friends, and getting to know a few make-up artists when I appeared as a guest on TV shows. I always ‘pumped’ these girls to get their secret beauty tips while sitting in their chair and getting made up. I recall one lady who made me look amazing even though I hadn’t slept in two nights! She brought me to life with a few tricks, which I’ll share in this column. 1. Get rid of red If you wrap an ice cube with a paper towel and apply it under your eyes for five minutes, the red puffiness of ‘bedroom eyes’ will

vanish for a little bit. Then you can apply your eye cream and concealer, and look fresh and happy. 2. Curl your lashes like the pros I don’t use eyelash curlers ever. They freak me out, but I know a lot of you use them. A make-up artist once told me her secret. She said to warm up your eye lash curler for a few seconds with a hair dryer. It needs to be warm, not hot, or you’ll burn yourself. (I feel bad telling you something that is obviously common sense. So anyway, be careful…) The point is that a slightly warmed eyelash curler works better. She said its effect is akin to a curling iron on your hair.

3. Hide insomnia half a cucumber slice, and apply under After a 20-something hour flight from your eyes for 10 minutes. South Africa, I had to land, get 5. Shiny hair through customs, get over to You can take 10 years off the Dr. Oz studio and tape a your age by making your segment. I looked rough. hair soft and shiny again. The make-up artist made Whisk one banana and one me up, and luckily I had my egg together, and apply to best tool — a white eyeliner wet hair after shampooing. pencil. Just be careful putting it Leave on for about three to on, because it goes in an awkfive minutes, then rinse. ward area called the waterline. 6. Glowing skin So, first apply your normal Soak a clean face cloth in a DEAR darker eyeliner where it goes, PHARMACIST cup of cold milk that has three then apply the white eye-liner By Suzy Cohen drops of essential oil of lavenin the waterline: across your der mixed in. Wring out and top rim on your lower eyelid. drape the cloth over your face. Google “waterline eye” for more details. Relax with it for 10 minutes, then rinse 4. Fresh eyes your face. Tone and moisturize like norHomemade gel under eye masks is one mal. This brightens and moisturizes your of my favorite treatments for puffy eyes. skin, giving you a luminous glow and reYou make these yourself with gelatin, laxed sensation. which is rich in collagen. This information is opinion only. It is not Here is a DIY recipe for a de-puffing eye intended to treat, cure or diagnose your conmask. The green tea imparts a touch of dition. Consult with your doctor before using caffeine, which helps remove dark circles: any new drug or supplement. Mix together one tablespoon chilled Suzy Cohen is a registered pharmacist Manuka honey with one tablespoon pre- and the author of The 24-Hour Pharmacist pared green tea. Add unflavored gelatin and Real Solutions from Head to Toe. To powder to desired consistency. Spoon onto contact her, visit www.SuzyCohen.com.

Cashews From page 13 um-packed cans or jars over plastic bags. Store short-term in a cool, dry place, or refrigerate or freeze them up to six months or a year, respectively. Whole cashews are equally welcome as a snack or a party appetizer. Try them chopped in a stir-fry or curry, as well as a

topping on salads and vegetable or whole grain side-dishes. They can even be blended into cashew butter or “cheese” for a decadent, yet healthy spread. Reprinted with permission from Environmental Nutrition, a monthly publication of Belvoir Media Group, LLC. 800-829-5384. www.EnvironmentalNutrition.com. © 2018 Belvoir Media Group. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

BEACON BITS

Mar. 31

DAFFODIL DAY BENEFIT The eleventh annual Daffodil Day to benefit the Whipps Garden

Cemetery will be held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, March 31 at the historic cemetery, 3651 St. John’s Lane, Ellicott City. Admission is free. Sponsored by Friends of the Whipps Garden Cemetery, the day-long event will include talks and guided tours by Master Gardeners of Howard County, who maintain the no longer active cemetery. For further information, call Aleta Gravelle at (410) 2747795 or email her at agravelle@verizon.net.

Say you saw it in the Beacon | Fitness & Health

H O WA R D C O U N T Y B E A C O N — A P R I L 2 0 1 8

SPRING INTO EXCEPTIONAL SENIOR LIVING AT F I V E STAR SENIOR L IVI NG

See what’s blooming this spring at Five Star Senior Living. Join us for a tour and discover a full schedule of Lifestyle360 activities, chef-prepared meals offering flavor and flexibility, and exceptional senior living experiences. At Five Star, the possibilities are endless.

CALL TO SEE HOW YOU CAN BLOSSOM THIS SPRING. HEARTLANDS AT ELLICOTT CITY 3004 North Ridge Road • Ellicott City, MD 21043 • 410-461-9494 Independent Living • Assisted Living • Respite Care • On-site Rehabilitation SOMERFORD PL ACE COLUMBIA 8220 Snowden River Parkway • Columbia, MD 21045 • 410-313-9744 Bridge to Rediscovery™ Memory Care Program • On-site Rehabilitation www.FiveStarSeniorLiving.com ©2018 Five Star Senior Living

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A P R I L 2 0 1 8 — H O WA R D C O U N T Y B E A C O N

Sonnette™ Cellular Roller Shades

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REBATES STARTING AT

$100* on qualifying purchases

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*Manufacturer’s mail-in rebate offer valid for qualifying purchases made 1/13/18–4/9/18 from participating dealers in the U.S. only. Rebate will be issued in the form of a prepaid reward card and mailed within 4 weeks of rebate claim receipt. Funds do not expire. Subject to applicable law, a $2.00 monthly fee will be assessed against card balance 6 months after card issuance and each month thereafter. Additional limitations may apply. Ask participating dealer for details and rebate form. ©2018 Hunter Douglas. All rights reserved. All trademarks used herein are the property of Hunter Douglas or their respective owners. 18Q1MAGSC2

H O WA R D C O U N T Y B E A C O N — A P R I L 2 0 1 8

Say you saw it in the Beacon

A Publication from the Howard County Office on Aging and Independence

Volume 8, No. 4 • April 2018

Occupational Therapy Students Gain Real World Experience at the Loan Closet

ccupational therapy is the only profession that helps people across the lifespan to do the things they want and need to do through the therapeutic use of daily activities (occupations). Each year in April, Occupational Therapy Month highlights the work of OT practitioners who enable people of all ages to live life to its fullest by helping them promote health, and prevent — or live better with — injury, illness, or disability. (www.AOTA.org) Occupational therapy interventions also provide support for older adults experiencing physical and cognitive changes. An occupational therapist or Certified Aging in Place Specialist (CAPS) can suggest changes that may enable them to live independently and safely in their homes. Suggestions include adding equipment such as grab bars or stair lifts, lowering counter heights, adding railings or ramps, replacing door knobs with lever style handles, widening doorways, etc. An integral part of the Office on Aging and Independence’s Aging In Place program is the Loan Closet of Howard County, a clearinghouse of durable medical equipment available to County residents. Since its relocation to the Long Reach Village Center two years ago, the Loan Closet has served over 5,000 people and processed close to 10,000 pieces of equipment. A key element of its success is the training that staff provides to ensure the safety of the residents who need the adaptive equipment. Local occupational therapy graduate students also provide support, and recently assisted with the production of a series of videos to educate consumers on the proper use of equipment prior to signing it out.

Towson University Occupational Therapy graduate students Emiko Tanabe, left, and Kelsey Seybuck, shown here in the Loan Closet Demonstration Room, where consumers are educated on products.

8775 Cloudleap Court, Suite #11, Columbia 21045 410-313-0363 (voice/relay)

“Our collaboration with Towson University Department of Occupational Therapy and Occupational Science is one of the innovative methods we use to improve upon the quality of our services to Howard County residents,” says Vanessa Hughes, Loan Closet Coordinator. “I am so impressed by the quality of work Emiko Tanabe and Kelsy Seybuck demonstrated on this project. In addition to increasing staff efficiency, the ongoing benefit of the videos will improve the consumer experience and access to important information.” Choosing the Loan Closet of Howard County as their fieldwork site assignment has enabled Emiko and Kelsey to gain valuable real world experience as occupational therapists. “Our experience at the Loan Closet has helped us develop a greater understanding and application of activity analysis for various kinds of durable medical equipment. This will enable us to teach our patients how to properly and safely use equipment and identify possible areas that can hinder performance.”

Loan Closet Program Requirements • Appointments to receive equipment are required and available Monday through Friday. • Call ahead to check equipment availability; we function solely on donations. • No appointment necessary for equipment donations and returns, which are accepted Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Closed noon to 1:00 p.m. • Client or caregiver must be a Howard County resident and be able to independently load/unload equipment in/out of their vehicle. • Manual/transport wheelchairs are available for 30 days, but may be extended upon request. • Delivery of equipment or pick up of donations is available on a limited basis by volunteers. • EFFECTIVE 7/1/2018 – ALL equipment will require a referral from an Allied Health Care professional (PT, OT or MD). Referral forms are available at www.howardcountymd.gov/ loancloset. Completed forms may be scanned and submitted via email to loancloset@howardcountymd.gov or faxed to 410-313-0369.

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A P R I L 2 0 1 8 — H O WA R D C O U N T Y B E A C O N

Storm Damage Repair

New Medicare Cards!

and Helpful Clean Up Tips

By Howard County State Health Insurance Assistance Program/SHIP

Severe weather events — such as Nor’easters, thunder storms, tornados and flash flooding — can cause homeowners thousands of dollars in home repair, tree removal and debris clean-up.

eginning in April and continuing over the next year, people with Medicare will be mailed new Medicare cards. Since Maryland is included in the first wave of the mailings (between April and June), we would like to share some helpful information about your new card. WHAT WILL MY MEDICARE CARD LOOK LIKE? Your card will have a new Medicare number that is unique to you and does not include your Social Security number. The new card no longer shows your gender or requires your signature. These changes will help protect your identity. (See what the new card looks like below).

Before Hiring Emergency Repair Services Check with your insurance company first. The company may require that you use specific contractors, or offer recommendations. Also ask about the extent of your coverage. For example, your insurance may cover the cost of replacing only damaged sections of siding and roofing materials. If you want the surrounding area to match, you would need to pay for replacing the non-damaged areas. Home improvement contractors and tree care services must be licensed. Make sure your contractor is properly licensed. ! To verify a contractor’s license, contact: the Maryland Home Improvement Commission at 410-333-6301 or at www.dllr.state.md.us. ! Verify a tree services license by calling the Maryland Department of Natural Resources at 410-260-8511 or at www.dnr.maryland.gov. Be on the lookout for traveling door-to-door con artists. They may offer low prices but often don’t deliver. All door-to-door solicitors must be registered and carry an ID card issued by the Office of Consumer Protection. Do not do business with an unregistered solicitor. Take your time and comparison shop before signing a contract. Contracts should be specific about materials and brands, and start and completion dates. Make sure all verbal promises are included in the contract. Door-to-door sales contracts must also include a 3-day right of cancellation. Do not obtain any County building permits yourself. Contractors are required by law to obtain all permits. For more information on consumer topics, contact the Howard County Office of Consumer Protection at 410-313-6420 (voice/ relay) or online at www.howardcountymd.gov/consumer.

The 50+ Connection is published monthly by the Howard County Office on Aging and Independence. This publication is available in alternate formats upon request. To join our subscriber list, email kahenry@howardcountymd.gov 6751 Columbia Gateway Dr., Suite 200, Columbia, MD 21046 410-313-6410 (VOICE/RELAY) • www.howardcountymd.gov/aging Find us on

www.Facebook.com/HoCoCommunity

Kim Higdon Henry, Editor • Email: kahenry@howardcountymd.gov Advertising contained in the Beacon is not endorsed by the Office on Aging and Independence or by the publisher.

WHEN WILL I GET MY NEW MEDICARE CARD? Mailing everyone a new card will take some time; your card might arrive at a different time than your friend’s or neighbor’s. Those new to Medicare (in April 2018 or later) will receive the new card when they are enrolled. ONLY YOUR MEDICARE CARD AND NUMBER ARE CHANGING. Your Medicare benefits will not change and your Social Security number stays the same. The new card will not impact any other health insurance coverage that you may have. START USING YOUR NEW CARD AS SOON AS YOU GET IT. All Medicare providers are aware of this change. WHAT DO I DO WITH MY OLD MEDICARE CARD? Once you get your new card, destroy your old Medicare card. Remember, you will still need to keep and use the cards from any other health and/or drug plans that you have. HOW CAN I PROTECT MYSELF FROM FRAUD? Scam artists may try to take advantage of the transition by contacting you about the new card. Medicare will not call you to ask to confirm your personal information or to ask for money to get the new card. HOW DO I GET MORE INFORMATION? Visit the website for details at go.medicare.gov/newcard. The Howard County SHIP Program will also update its website, www.howardcountymd.gov/ship, with helpful information about the new cards (including flyers in languages other than English) and other Medicare-related programs and topics. AS A FINAL NOTE, if your mailing address needs to be updated (perhaps you have moved recently), contact the Social Security Administration directly at ssa.gov/myaccount or 800-772-1213 (TTY 1-800-325-0778).

H O WA R D C O U N T Y B E A C O N — A P R I L 2 0 1 8

The 50+ Connection

Say you saw it in the Beacon

Howard County’s 5th Annual Veterans and Military Families Resource Fair

he Howard County Department of Community Resources and Services and its Office of Veterans and Military Families will host a Veterans and Military Families Resource Fair on Tuesday, April 10 from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. at the North Laurel Community Center, located at 9411 Whiskey Bottom Road in Laurel. While geared toward veterans living in Howard County, all veterans and their families (active, guard, reserve and dependents) are invited to attend. Admission is free. The fair will offer attendees the opportunity to talk face-to-face with more than 40 organizations, including local, state and federal agencies, nonprofits and businesses dedicated to providing services, support and jobs to veterans. Plus, Department of Maryland American Legion Commander, James Marchinke, will discuss the Legion’s role in advocating for veterans, as well as his role as a Disabled Veterans Outreach Program Specialist (DVOP) for the State of Maryland. THE VETERANS HISTORY PROJECT (VHP) of the American Folklife Center will be onsite to interview veterans who want to share their stories. VHP collects, preserves, and makes accessible the personal accounts of American war veterans so that future generations can better understand the realities of war. If you would like to schedule an interview, email ehub@loc.gov or call 202-707-1819 in advance. BREAKOUT SESSIONS will give attendees an opportunity to hear from Howard County resident and local history enthusiast, Nicholas Keplinger, who has successfully returned many items of military history to families, including the Purple Heart Medal of a Maryland War hero and World War II letters to the man’s son in Massachusetts. LOCAL AUTHORS Tom Glenn and Heather Shreve will also be on hand to share military war stories and sign books. Glenn’s latest book, Last of the Annamese, is a historically accurate and semi-autobiographical novel about the last days of the Vietnam War and the fall of Saigon in 1975. Heather’s new historical novel, Once a Colonel, is based on her grandfather’s experiences; COL Arthur L. Shreve, Jr. was a pilot in WWI and a POW of the Japanese in the Philippines. INSTRUCTION IN YOGA AND MEDITATION will be provided courtesy of DTM-Fitness owner, disabled veteran and Vetogatrained Dan Hill. Vetoga is a DC nonprofit whose mission is to provide yoga, meditation, and healing arts to military, veterans, their families, and communities. They hold free monthly yoga classes, events and veteran specific 200-Hour Teacher Trainings throughout the year.

2018

VETERANS

Resource Fair Tuesday, April 10 • 5 TO 8 PM North Laurel Community Center 9411 Whiskey Bottom Road, Laurel 20723 An event to provide local veterans the opportunity to meet with businesses and non-profit organizations dedicated to providing services, support and jobs to veterans. All active, guard and reserve veterans are invited to attend.

A Partial List of Fair Participants American Legion Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Fort Meade Army Community Services Fort Meade Soldier for Life – Transition Assistance Program Hero Dogs Hiring Our Heroes, U.S. Chamber of Commerce Howard Community College Howard County Department of Community Resources and Services Howard County Department of Housing and Community Development Howard County Health Department Howard County Veterans Foundation, Inc. Maryland Center for Veteran Employment and Training (MCVET) Maryland Department of Veterans Affairs (MDVA) Maryland’s Commitment to Veterans VA Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization (OSDBU) Vet Arts Connect Veterans History Project Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Vetoga

For a full list of exhibitors, visit www.howardcountymd.gov/veterans For additional information about the Resource Fair or the Howard County Office of Veterans and Military Families, contact:

Lisa B. Terry at 410-313-0821 (VOICE/RELAY) lbterry@howardcountymd.gov

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The 50+ Connection

A P R I L 2 0 1 8 — H O WA R D C O U N T Y B E A C O N

CALENDAR HIGHLIGHTS Howard County 50+ Centers Go to www.howardcountymd.gov/50pluscenters for a complete list of events, programs and services.

Bain 50+ Center Wednesday, April 4 • 10:00 to 11:30 a.m.

Gentle Hand Therapy with Adrian Hausman, Master Aromatherapist

East Columbia 50+ Center Thursday, April 5 • 4:00 to 6:00 p.m.

Latin Jam Happy Hour

Experience a slow, gentle, rhythmic touch to balance the autonomic nervous system, promote lymphatic drainage, relieve stress and give the mind and body a quiet rest. RSVP: 410-313-7213.

Mocktails, hors d’oeuvres and Latin dancing led by Laurie Anderson. FREE; donations appreciated. Register: 410-313-7680.

Tuesday, April 10 • 10:30 to 11:30 a.m.

Sunday, April 15 • 12:30 to 2:30 p.m.

Mind and Body Connection

Easy Gardening for Busy People

Join holistic practitioner Sharon Burns, RN, BSN, MA, to learn the connection between everyday stress, emotional pain and physical ailments, based on the seven major energy points in our bodies, and how to remove physical pain from your body. FREE. Register: 410-313-7213.

Calling all lazy gardeners... discover easy to grow vegetable and native plants, learn the benefits of growing them and get soil and time-saving planting tips. FREE; offered in partnership with Transition HoCo. Register: 410-313-7680.

Friday, April 27 • 1:00 to 2:00 p.m.

Wednesday, April 25 • 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

Friday Afternoon Recital: The Works of Mendelssohn and Mozart

Bring Your Own Beads (BYOB) Returns

Join us for a musical performance with Amadi and Debby Azikiwe, a string and piano duo who have performed professionally throughout the United States. FREE. RSVP: 410-313-7213.

Friday, April 20 • 1:00 to 2:30 p.m.

BETA Presents: African American Art Otis M. Robertson has been collecting fine art for 37 years; his collection has been widely exhibited throughout the state. Mr. Robertson will discuss his extensive collection and show selected images. FREE. RSVP: 410-313-7213.

P4C Pet Evaluations If you are interested in volunteering, or wish to receive a FREE evaluation for your pet, contact:

Ingrid Gleysteen PROGRAM COORDINATOR

igleysteen@howardcountymd.gov 410-313-7461 (voice/relay)

April 5 • May 3 • June 7 7:00 TO 9:00 PM Bain 50+ Center 5470 Ruth Keeton Way Columbia 21044

Bring in your tired beads for repair or restyling, or make something new! Supplies, new beads and expert advice will be available; minimal supply charge. Register: 410-313-7680.

Tuesday, April 17 • 1:00 p.m.

Clutter Busters The quest for a clutter free life continues! Monthly meetings feature tips, book reviews, sharing and projects -- laughter required! FREE; register: 410-313-7680.

Elkridge 50+ Center Wednesday, April 4 • 10 a.m. to noon

Community Spring Egg Hunt Come celebrate Spring with the Elkridge community, featuring an egg hunt, games, prize and a visit from the Easter Bunny. FREE; donations accepted. RSVP to 410-313-5192.

Tuesday, April 10 • 10:00 to 11:00 a.m.

Insurance Fraud: Know Your Rights Join the Maryland Insurance Administration to learn how to avoid becoming a victim of insurance fraud, and find out if you are paying too much for your coverage. FREE. Register: 410-313-5192.

Monday, April 23 • 10:00 a.m. to noon

International Monday: Japan “Travel” to Japan as you learn more about this amazing country and taste authentic Japanese cuisine. FREE; donations accepted. Register: 410-313-5192.

Find us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/HoCoCommunity Stay connected to the Howard County Department of Community Resources and Services. Like us today!

H O WA R D C O U N T Y B E A C O N — A P R I L 2 0 1 8

The 50+ Connection

Say you saw it in the Beacon

Ellicott City 50+ Center Friday, April 13 • 1:00 to 3:00 p.m.

At the Opera House with Dr. Sam Stern A new musical series led by opera enthusiast Dr. Sam Stern opens with the interpretation of “Nabucco,” Verdi’s most famous opera. FREE; register: 410-313-1400.

Wednesday, April 18 • 11:00 a.m.

Features of a Good Walking Shoe A proper shoe fit helps to give a better balance. John Bacon, a local fit specialist will discuss the importance of wearing the correct shoe. FREE.

Friday, April 20 • 1:00 p.m.

Travel Talks: It’s Raining Travel Travel experts Debbie Richmond and Andy Lunt will discuss travel opportunities that may be on your bucket list and how to make those travel plans a reality. FREE.

The all new Elkridge 50+ Center is officially open! Below, Howard County Executive Allan H. Kittleman, DCRS Director Jackie Scott (left), library officials, members of the County Council, and the community took part in the grand opening celebration.

Thursday, April 26 • 12:30 p.m.

Amadi Azikiwe Live in Concert Amadi and Debby Azikiwe share an afternoon of music on the violin/viola and piano, featuring works by Mendelssohn and Mozart. FREE. Register: 410-313-1400.

Glenwood 50+ Center Friday, April 6 • 11:00 a.m.

The Sounds of Frank Sinatra Don’t miss Steve Flynn’s performance of the best of “Ole Blue Eyes,” Frank Sinatra. FREE; register: 410-313-5440.

Tuesday, April 10 • 11:30 a.m.

Faith-Based Outreach Luncheon We are planning a luncheon for leaders and lay persons of local faith communities to learn about services for their members. For information and an invite to share with your faith leadership, call 410-313-5440.

BUILD CONFIDENCE. REDUCE FALLS.

Friday, April 20 10:00 a.m.

Is Africa My Home? Dr. Debra Ham, retired history professor, will discuss the American Colonization Society, founded in 1816 to settle free people of color in Africa. FREE; register: 410-313-5440.

Thursday, April 26 • 1:00 p.m.

April Book Club: Circling the Sun Join the Glenwood Book Club, a sanctioned club with the Glenwood library. Read the April selection and come ready to discuss it with the group. FREE; register: 410-313-5440.

SteppingON is a seven-week, evidence-based program designed to help reduce falls and increase confidence, strength and balance. Health and community-service professionals provide expertise on balance-related issues. The small group setting encourages active discussion, decision-making and behavior changes.

North Laurel 50+ Center

Elkridge 50+ Center 6540 Washington Boulevard, Elkridge 21075

Tuesday, April 3 • 1:00 to 3:00 p.m.

50+ Jam Session Meet up with local music enthusiasts to share and play; bring your instrument of choice. All talents welcome. Information: 410-313-0380.

WEDNESDAYS • 1:30 to 3:30 PM

April 18, 25 AND May 2, 9, 16, 23, 30 $

28 includes 16 hours of workshop and all educational materials

Thursday April 12 • 11:00 a.m. to noon

Physical Therapy Seminar: Stretching Presented by trained physical therapists, come learn all about stretching and leave with a better understanding of your body and how to prevent future complications. FREE; register at 410-313-0380.

Thursday, April 19 • 11:00 a.m. to noon

Spring Opera: Anything Goes – The Music of Cole Porter One of America’s best loved composers, Cole Porter’s music and lyrics will be brought to life by a singer/dancer duo accompanied by a jazz pianist. FREE; reservations: 410-313-0380.

To register or for more information, contact:

Carla Johnston Health and Wellness Coordinator

Howard County Office on Aging and Independence cjohnston@howardcountymd.gov

410-313-3506 (VOICE /RELAY)

www.howardcountymd.gov/aging

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The 50+ Connection

A P R I L 2 0 1 8 — H O WA R D C O U N T Y B E A C O N

Practical Skills Training for Caregivers Offered at HCC

hen Caregiver Education Specialist Kathy Wehr joined the Office on Aging and Independence (OAI) in 2016, she met many caregivers who were looking for support with stress relief, caregiver grant funds and other resources, but also wanted to learn how to safely provide physical care. “The more I talked to caregivers, the more I found they were not equipped to care for their loved-ones at home,” says Wehr, “Many could not afford institutional or skilled nursing care, but wanted their loved-one to remain at home.” Realizing that providing care without proper training can prove dangerous for both caregivers and those they care for, Wehr searched for available caregiver education options in the community. “The only classes I found were Certified (CNA) or Geriatric (GNA) Nurse Assistant type classes, and caregivers are not apt to seek trainings like these,” she explained, “So I reached out to Jennifer Bukowitz at Howard Community College (HCC), who agreed there was a need in the community for a practical skills class for caregivers, and offered to host the class through HCC’s Continuing Education curriculum.” As part of an educational partnership initiative, OAI and HCC offered “Practical Skills for Caregivers: Useful Skills and Strategies for In-Home Care” last Fall to a small group of caregivers. Taught by HCC nursing instructors and staff, the class provides caregivers with hands-on training to care for loved ones in their own home,

and addresses challenges for both the care recipient and caregiver. Reactions to the pilot program were overwhelmingly positive; attendees found the hands-on nature of the curriculum to be “extremely helpful” and “long overdue.” “It was heart-warming to see the caregivers learn needed skills in a hands-on environment, and share their caregiving experiences with one another. It was obvious to us how much a class like this is needed in the community,” said Wehr. The next session of Practical Skills for Caregivers: Useful Skills and Strategies will be offered at Howard Community College from April 19 through May 17. Cost is $195. Register for course #XH-599 7117online at howardcc.edu. For more information, contact Kathy Wehr at kwehr@howardcountymd.gov or 410-313-5955 (voice/relay).

Through collaboration with the Assistive Technology for Aging Program (from the Maryland Department of Aging), you can learn more about low- and high-tech, manufactured and homemade tools that can help you remain independent. This demonstration will give you an opportunity to learn more about accessibility tools, and where to purchase the equipment. We will also provide details and registration information about related programs such as the Loan Closet, Health & Wellness, Caregiving, Nutrition, Maryland Access Point, and more through the Howard County Office on Aging and Independence. UPCOMING DATES

Thursday, April 5 NORTH LAUREL 50+ CENTER 10:00 AM to NOON

Thursday, April 12 BAIN 50+ CENTER 10:00 AM to NOON For more information, contact

MARYLAND ACCESS POINT OF HOWARD COUNTY

map@howardcountymd.gov 410-313-1234 (VOICE/RELAY)

Taught by HCC nursing instructors and staff, this five-week course will provide learners with helpful information to care for a loved one in the comfort and safety of their own home. The course will address day-today challenges for both the care recipient, as well as the caregiver.

Howard Community College Health Sciences Building, Room 364 10901 Little Patuxent Parkway, Columbia, MD 21044

Thursdays • 5 to 8 PM | April 19 thru May 17 $

195 (includes $160 in fees) • Course XH-599 7117

Registration is open online at howardcc.edu For additional information or questions, contact Kathy Wehr at kwehr@howardcountymd.gov. AN EDUCATIONAL PARTNERSHIP INITIATIVE

H O WA R D C O U N T Y B E A C O N — A P R I L 2 0 1 8

The 50+ Connection

Low Vision Group Chana Hurvitz, OTR/L, presents safe and functional living tips to support independence and maintain daily activities. Registration required.

Tuesdays • 10:15 to 11:45 a.m. Bain 50+ Center 5470 Ruth Keeton Way, Columbia 21044 Loss of vision is often a devastating, frightening experience. How does one navigate with vision loss and continue life as independently as possible? The SeniorsTogether Low-Vision peer support group can help individuals cope with vision loss, maintain independence, learn new skills, and discover resources in the community. Group members find value in sharing their challenges and struggles with others facing the same issues, and discuss topics such as resource availability, new assistive devices, updates on research and treatment. They also regularly host resource presentations and speakers, and offer an annual local day trip. Led by a trained facilitator, the low-vision group nurtures goodwill among its members, creating a place to share ups and downs with humor and perseverance. Contact Elaine Widom at 410-313-7353 or email at ewidom@howardcountymd.gov for more information.

Facilitator Needed for SeniorsTogether Low Vision Group The low-vision group is currently in need of a facilitator. This is a volunteer leadership role for someone with good listening skills, who is flexible and reliable, and enjoys working in a small group setting. Though not a requirement, the ideal candidate would have an interest in working with low-vision, older adults, and personally be living with their own low-vision challenges, or have experience in the low-vision field. If you are up to the challenge and wish to share your talents with us, contact Karen Hull, Program Coordinator, at khull@howardcountymd.gov or 410-313-7466. Training is provided.

Say you saw it in the Beacon

MAP staff will be on site to answer questions about advance directives, powers of attorney, guardianship and its alternatives. Also, pick up your free copy of the FIVE WISHES® booklet.

Monday, April 16 • 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Ellicott City 50+ Center 9401 Frederick Road, Ellicott City 21043

Monday, April 16 • 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Glenwood 50+ Center 2400 Route 97, Cooksville 21723 For more information, contact Maryland Access Point (MAP) of Howard County at 410-313-1234 or map@howardcountymd.gov

LIVING WELL with

CHRONIC CONDITIONS Elkridge 50+ Center 6540 Washington Blvd. Elkridge 21075

Wednesdays • 1:00 – 3:30 PM April 4, 11, 18, 25 AND May 2, 9

Bain 50+ Center 5470 Ruth Keeton Way Columbia 21044

Fridays • 1:00 – 3:30 PM April 20, 27 AND May 4, 11, 18, 25 Course materials will be provided, and can be purchased on-site for a nominal fee. To achieve the most benefits from this program, we encourage a commitment to attend all six sessions.

To register or for more information, contact:

Carla Johnston SeniorsTogether Support Groups provide a safe, confidential environment for older adults to meet others, share concerns, find help and stay engaged. Activities include luncheons, guest speakers and workshops, all developed with sensitivity to sensory and mobility issues. For more information: www.howardcountymd.gov/sentog, or call 410-313-7466 (voice/relay).

Health and Wellness Coordinator Howard County Office on Aging and Independence

cjohnston@howardcountymd.gov 410-313-3506 (VOICE /RELAY) FOR DETAILS ABOUT THESE PROGRAMS, VISIT US AT

www.howardcountymd.gov/livingwell

The 50+ Connection

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Howard County 50+ Centers

SPOTLIGHT ON THE

ELLICOTT CITY 50+CENTER www.howardcountymd.gov/50pluscenters for all 50+ Center events

A Full Campus of Programs and Services for All! By Cindy Saathoff, Director, Howard County Ellicott City 50+ Center

he Ellicott City 50+ Center, 9401 Frederick Road in Ellicott City, houses over 40 programs and services available for those who have reached their half century birthday and beyond.

The Ellicott City campus is comprised of three focus areas: the main 50+ Center building, the 50+ Fitness Center and the Connections Social Day Program at Ellicott City. THE MAIN 50+ CENTER building boasts daily drop-in activities, weekly blood pressure screening, moderately paced exercise programs, billiards, painting groups, entertainment, discussion groups, a lunch program and more. Lunch is offered each day as part of the Congregate Meal program and is available by donation. A new catering contract has brought fresh options to the program that members find exciting. Those interested in having lunch at the Center can sign up a week prior and are asked to notify the Center if they need to cancel their lunch reservation. THE ELLICOTT CITY 50+ FITNESS CENTER houses a variety of exercise options for those who enjoy active group exercise, personal training or those who prefer to use fitness equipment. The equipment room is part of the GO50+ Fitness package that is available to all 50+ Center members for a nominal annual fee. In addition to the Ellicott City location, Go 50+ Fitness allows participants access to several other County equipment rooms which include Elkridge 50+ Center, North Laurel, Gary J. Arthur and Roger Carter Community Centers.

THE CONNECTIONS SOCIAL DAY PROGRAM AT ELLICOTT CITY is located within the main building of the Ellicott City 50+ Center. This program serves adults 18 and older with disabilities, or adults 50 and older who may benefit from a social program. The Connections program strives to support the continued independence of people who may need some physical assistance and supervision. The Connections program operates from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Fridays. Daily activities include seated exercise, bowling, musical entertainment, cooking, creative arts, trivia, games, stories, time with children and much more. Members are offered a morning snack and a nutritionally balanced lunch. They can choose the days they wish to attend, and bus transportation can be arranged for a small fee. The cost of the day program is determined by the participant’s income; a sliding scale is available to Howard County residents. Prospective members are welcome to spend the day as a guest with Connections to determine if the program fits their needs, and if they are appropriate for the program. For more information or to schedule a visit, please contact Felicia Stein at 410-313-1425 or fstein@howardcountymd.gov.

FITNESS PROGRAM GO50+ membership packages are designed to enhance the quality of life for the 50+ population that lives, works and plays in Howard County. A JOINT PROGRAM OF

CENTERS Membership includes access to Gary J. Arthur and N. Laurel Community Centers and all Howard County 50+ Centers.

• Game Room Areas • Gymnasiums • Walking Tracks • Wellness Programs

FREE

FITNESS Membership includes access to Gary J. Arthur, N. Laurel and Roger Carter Community Centers and all Howard County 50+ Centers.

!!"##!$%&!'()*(+!,()(-*.! • Dance/Aerobics Studio* • Fitness Rooms

Resident: $75 per year Nonresident: $100 per year

POOL Membership includes access to Gary J. Arthur, N. Laurel and Roger Carter Community Centers and all Howard County 50+ Centers.

!!"##!$%&!/0*)(..!,()(-*.! • Pool Access During Open Swim Hours

Resident: $175 per year Nonresident: $225 per year

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Money Law &

BUY LOW As stock prices rise, it’s difficult to find good ones with low share prices. Try these five stocks under $20 EASIER ENTREPENEURSHIP Businesses you can start with little money include tutoring and personal training

Protect your assets in this volatile market By Anne Kates Smith After a long stretch of calm and a relentless rally, the stock market recently took a breather. No one should be surprised — unless you’re surprised it took so long for this bull market to take some downtime. Stock market corrections, typically defined as a loss between 10 percent and 20 percent from the peak, occur about every two years, on average. The last one began in May 2015, so we were due, especially considering that the Standard & Poor’s 500 index trades at about 18 times estimated corporate earnings for the coming 12 months — above the five-year average of 16 times and the 10-year average of 14. Get used to a rockier market, said Jim Stack, president of InvesTech Research and Stack Financial Management “The road ahead will be more volatile with increasing risk,” he said. When a market is ready to correct, it will seize on a trigger — and this market has plenty to choose from. Worries include some warning signs of inflation, with wages ticking higher. Bond yields are rising, making stocks look even more expensive in comparison and raising fears that higher rates could

eventually crimp economic growth. All eyes are on a new Federal Reserve chief as the central bank navigates a tighter monetary policy in 2018. And then there’s the partisan divide in Washington, with intermittent threats of a government shutdown, not to mention escalating nuclear tensions with North Korea. Whatever the cause, any market drop is particularly worrisome for retirees and near-retirees, who have less time to make up for losses. Here are seven tips to help you survive any turmoil.

Don’t panic One of the important lessons from the devastating 2007-09 downturn is that, even in the worst of times, “recoveries happen within a reasonable period,” said financial planner Cicily Maton, of the Planning Center, in Chicago. Since 1945, it has taken an average of just four months to recover from market declines of 10 to 20 percent. Bear markets (resulting in losses of 20 percent or more) have taken an average of 25 months to break even. Fight the urge to cut and run, and avoid selling your depreciated stocks, if you can. If

you are in your 70s, remember that you have until Dec. 31 to take required minimum distributions from your retirement accounts.

Keep your portfolio on track Even retirees should have an investment horizon long enough to weather this storm or whatever the market can dish out. For a retirement that can last decades, T. Rowe Price recommends that new retirees keep 40 to 60 percent of their assets in stocks. And because stocks stand up to inflation better than bonds and cash over time, even 90-year-olds should keep at least 20 percent of their assets in stocks. If you’ve been regularly monitoring your portfolio, you’ve already been cutting back on stocks periodically over the past few years. Now is a particularly good time to revisit your investment mix to ensure that it is consistent with your tolerance for risk. During the bull market, “people were getting comfortable with those returns, and may have let their stock allocation drift higher,” said Maria Bruno, a senior investment strategist at Vanguard. “We’ve been reminding them to rebalance.”

Make sure you’re diversified When stock prices are being pummeled, bonds are often pushed higher by investors seeking a safe place to hide. That’s been a bit tricky recently, with bond prices falling as yields rise (yields and prices move in opposite directions). Nonetheless, a diversified portfolio is your best defense against the ups and downs of any single assets class or industry sector. In general, investors should own a mix of domestic and foreign bonds and U.S. and overseas stocks. And within the stock allocation, you should have a variety of market sectors. No single sector should claim more than 5 to 10 percent of your holdings, said T. Rowe Price senior financial planner Judith Ward.

Stick with high-quality holdings This is no time to speculate. Look for companies with dependable earnings, impeccable balance sheets and healthy dividends — or funds that invest in such companies. T. Rowe Price Dividend Growth (PRDGX) See VOLATILE MARKET, page 26

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Five cheap stocks to buy for $20 or less By Dan Burrows Stocks with low share prices can be a cost-effective way for small investors to diversify their portfolios. But even after a bumpy few weeks, the market remains near all-time highs and is as expensive as ever, making quality cheap stocks more and more difficult to find. Before a rising market tide lifted almost all boats, it wasn’t too tough to find stocks for less than $10 that offered an acceptable balance of risk and reward. Now, with the Dow bouncing between 25,000 and 26,000, investors should probably raise that limit to $20, just to be safe. Any stock still languishing below $10 likely often comes with an extra heap of risk (as we’ll see in one case), and can risk losing the benefit of institutional buying from entities such as mutual funds. It’s easy to see the appeal of stocks for $20 or less, especially if you don’t have a lot of money left over to invest after you

pay bills and pad your emergency fund. However, many low-priced stocks are priced that way for a reason, so you need to be particularly discerning when you try to pick stocks that go for $20 or less. Is it risky? Sure. Don’t plow your life’s savings into a stock simply because it seems cheap. But you should take a chance on a promising stock when you can snag it at a bargain price. Let’s take a look at five such cheap stocks trading for $20 or less (prices as of March 14, 2018):

Callaway Golf Company Market value: $1.4 billion Dividend yield: 0.3 percent Analysts’ opinion: 8 strong buy, 0 buy, 3 hold, 0 sell, 1 strong sell The game of golf might not be growing like it once was, but it’s still a massively popular pastime and a big business. Indeed, there are 24 million golfers in the

U.S., contributing to what amounts to a $70 billion global industry. Shares in Callaway Golf Company (ELY, $15.93) are a low-cost, pure-play bet on the game, and analysts are mostly bullish on its fortunes. Callaway, for the uninitiated, is a golf equipment, clothing and accessories maker with a reach of more than 70 countries. It’s one of the top sponsors in the sport, boasting PGA names such as Phil Mickelson, Henrik Stenson and Sergio Garcia. Analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters expect Callaway’s earnings to expand by 22 percent next year, and at an average annual rate of 31 percent for the next five years. That sort of growth makes ELY shares, which currently trade for 24 times expected earnings, look like a bargain.

Graphic Packaging Holding Company Market value: $4.9 billion Dividend yield: 1.9 percent Analysts’ opinion: 7 strong buy, 0 buy, 1 hold, 0 sell, 0 strong sell Graphic Packaging Holding Company (GPK, $15.42) is one of the largest makers of folding cartons and paper-based packag-

Volatile market From page 25 is one of Kiplinger’s favorite no-load mutual funds. It delivers steady returns with belowaverage volatility by focusing on sturdy companies that dominate their businesses and pay out reliable and rising dividends. PowerShares S&P 500 Low Volatility Portfolio ETF (SPLV) is a good choice for exchange-traded fund investors.

Tap your cash bucket Instead of dumping stocks, use Social Security and any annuities, plus the portion of your portfolio that comprises cash and short-term CDs, to meet your expenses. Some financial advisers recommend creating three “buckets” of investments: One with cash and short-term CDs; the second with short- and intermediate-term bonds; and the third with stock and bond funds. Relying on the first bucket will leave the stocks-and-bonds bucket of your portfolio intact.

Rethink your withdrawal strategy Don’t rely blindly on a rule of thumb that bases its assumptions on historical returns rather than current conditions. For instance, the 4 percent rule — a withdrawal strategy based on back-testing 30year periods starting in 1926 — said you can safely take 4 percent of your total portfolio in the first year of retirement and in subsequent years, adjusted for inflation. Now, with stocks down and 10-year

ing for the food and food-services industries. And a transformative deal has it poised for outsized growth in the future. The company kicked off the year by completing its merger with International Paper’s (IP) North America Consumer Packaging business. GPK now owns 80 percent of the combined company. As a result, analysts expect the company’s revenue to soar 46 percent in 2018. Longer-term, Wall Street’s pros think GPK can deliver average earnings growth of 21 percent a year for the next half-decade. With shares going for just 17 times expected earnings, Graphic Packaging could be a steal at current levels.

Huntington Bancshares Market value: $17.1 billion Dividend yield: 2.7 percent Analysts’ opinion: 9 strong buy, 1 buy, 9 hold, 0 sell, 0 strong sell Regional banks are among stocks that should benefit from Republicans’ tax overhaul, as their almost entirely domestic operations have long resulted in high effective tax rates around 30 percent on averSee CHEAP STOCKS, page 27

Treasury bonds yielding 2.8 percent or more, you might be wise to scale back distributions to, say, 3 percent or less of total assets (plus an inflation adjustment), or to take 4 percent and skip the inflation adjustment. Such measures are especially important if you’re at the beginning of your retirement. An unrealistic first-year withdrawal during a bear market could cripple your portfolio’s potential for long-term growth. If you don’t have other income to offset lower withdrawals, consider deferring gifts, trips and other discretionary expenditures until the market stabilizes. Also keep in mind that your spending changes — and typically declines somewhat — in retirement. You may find that cutting back is more doable than you think, said Blanchett.

Postpone retirement Sound drastic? Maybe so, but “delaying retirement does an amazing amount for improving retirement success,” said Blanchett of Morningstar Investment Management. Not only do you have more time to save, including making catch-up contributions to your retirement accounts, but you’re also letting the money in your accounts grow, and you have fewer years during which you must rely on savings once you do retire. “Working longer really reduces the stress on your portfolio,” he said. © 2018 The Kiplinger Washington Editors, Inc. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC

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Cheap stocks

quisitions and consolidation of branches.”

From page 26

Nabors Industries

age. That will drop to 21 percent. Good news for Huntington Bancshares (HBAN, $16.12), which already delivered revenue gains, lower provisions for loan losses, and continued growth in both loans and deposits when it posted quarterly results on Jan. 23. Results matched Wall Street’s estimates and helped goose a stock that’s been hot of late. Shares in Huntington are up 12 percent over the past month vs. a gain of 4 percent for the Standard & Poor’s 500-stock index. “The company has a solid franchise in the Midwest, and is focused on capitalizing on its growth opportunities,” note analysts at Zacks Equity Research, who caution that rising costs and unstable credit metrics pose challenges, but still rate shares at “Buy.” “We remain optimistic about the company’s several strategic actions, including ac-

Market value: $2.4 billion Dividend yield: 2.9 percent Analysts’ opinion: 10 strong buy, 0 buy, 8 hold, 0 sell, 0 strong sell For a higher-risk, higher-reward bet on recovery in the oil patch, look no farther than Nabors Industries (NBR, $7.12), the only sub-$10 name on this list. Nabors is one of the largest land drillers in the country, and is thus highly sensitive to oil prices. Happily for investors, benchmark West Texas Intermediate crude oil prices have climbed from the low $40s in mid-2017 to around $65 per barrel currently. That includes a roughly 10 percent improvement so far this year.

Market value: $4.9 billion

NONPROFIT VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES

Locate and connect with local nonprofits needing volunteers through the Volunteer Center at 6310 Hillside Ct., Columbia. For more information, call (410) 715-3172 or email info@volunteerhwoard.org.

Ongoing

BEACON BITS

Apr. 18

AGING IN PLACE COURSE A two-hour course featuring financial, health and other “what ifs”

to 8:30 p.m. at the Gateway Campus of Howard Community College, 6751 Columbia Gateway Dr., Columbia. Tuition is $49. For questions or additional information, call (443) 518-1700 or visit www.howardcc.edu.

DON’T GET SCAMMED

Learn to identify the signs of financial scams and how to protect yourself and your loved ones in this presentation by the Howard County Police Department. It will take place on Monday, April 16 from 6:15 to 8 p.m. at the Central Branch Library, 10375 Little Patuxent Pkwy., Columbia. Registration is preferred by calling (410) 313-7800.

Ongoing

tions and lower tax rates will assist Sallie Mae in maintaining its leading position in the student lending market,” Zacks analysts said. Meanwhile, at Credit Suisse, which rates shares at “Outperform,” Moshe Orenbuch and James Ulan believe the company has “superior growth for the next several years.” With SLM shares trading at less than 10 times expected earnings, it’s possible the market still is undervaluing the company’s growth prospects. © 2018 The Kiplinger Washington Editors, Inc. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC

of retirees wanting to age in place will be held on Wednesday, April 18 from 6:30

SLM Corporation

BEACON BITS

Apr. 16

Dividend yield: N/A Analysts’ opinion: 7 strong buy, 0 buy, 0 hold, 0 sell, 0 strong sell SLM Corporation (SLM, $11.10), the student-loan company best-known as Sallie Mae, is on the cusp of a growth spurt, analysts say. That should drive market-beating returns. Wall Street’s experts, on average, forecast revenue growth of 19 percent this year and 15 percent in 2019, according to data from Thomson Reuters. Earnings are projected to rise at an average annual rate of nearly 26 percent over the next half-decade. “We believe improving economic condi-

EVENT SHUTTLE OFFERS FREE RIDES

The Columbia Association’s Senior Advisory Committee offers a free shuttle to cultural events throughout Howard County for groups of four or more residents 60 and over. Riders must call one week in advance to request a ride. For more information or to request a ride, call (410) 715-3170.

Apr. 11

CREDIT SCORE AND COUNSELING INFO Learn how to find your credit score with Guidewell Financial Solutions. The event, on Wednesday, April 11 from 6 to 8 p.m., in-

cludes the opportunity to speak with a certified credit counselor. It will be held at Glenwood Branch library, 350 Maryland 97, Cooksville. No registration required. For more information, call (410) 313-5577.

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Businesses you can start with no money By Jackie Zimmerman Starting a business is often a pricey ordeal. But low- or even no-cost ideas exist for aspiring entrepreneurs with unique and marketable talent. Take inventory of the skills you already possess, recommends Holly Reisem Hanna, founder of a career blog called, “The Work at Home Woman.” List your past jobs, education, training, passions, skills and talents to help identify vocational patterns and interests that can guide you toward your new business venture. “In this exercise, you want to go deep,” she said, “so include what you liked and didn’t like about past jobs, training and schooling.” Need more small business ideas to get the wheels turning? Consider these classic business ideas you can start with no immediate costs.

Consulting and teaching Your best assets are the knowledge and skills you already have. So whether you’re a math whiz, grammar guru or musical wunderkind, consider selling your wellhoned expertise.

While you may eventually want to spend a few dollars to get the word out about your services — beyond, say, your social media contacts — you already have the tools you need to get started, which will help keep overhead low.

Manual work Everyday home maintenance and repairs have a habit of piling up, so if you’re naturally handy around the house, consider positioning yourself as a master of manual labor. Start by specializing in a niche area, like building your expertise in painting or landscaping to help build credibility among clients and not overextend yourself.

Freelancing More and more companies are looking to freelancers, or independent contractors, to lower their in-house costs, giving creative types — writers, photographers, designers — an opportunity to share their talents with multiple clients.

Pet services Americans shell out big bucks when it

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comes to their pets. According to the American Pet Products Association, pet owners spent $66.8 billion on their animals in 2016, with $5.8 billion of that going toward services like grooming and boarding. If pets are your passion, you can start a dog-walking or pet-sitting business for little to no money. Later on, you might take it a step further and become a trainer, though you’ll want to invest in a certification to give your business credibility.

Personal training Cashing in on the fitness craze is a great idea for the athletically blessed, and there are no required costs for starting out. You can start by working out with clients in public spaces like parks, and focusing on body-resistance exercises. Take your business to the next level by investing in some gear, like resistance bands or weights, to keep your clients progressing — and coming back to you for more. While there are no state or federal laws regulating who can and cannot declare themselves a personal trainer, a potential cost (and a worthwhile one, at that) is getting certified by an industry organization like the American Council on Exercise. You’ll also want to consider liability insurance to cover any client injuries that

may happen while you’re training them.

Entrepreneur beware Hanna recommends avoiding work in highly regulated industries, like healthcare, because the guidelines can be hard to navigate. Even outside of tricky industries, there are common pitfalls to avoid when pursuing your side job: • Don’t jeopardize your main job. You may need to maintain full-time employment to generate income while your business is getting off the ground. It’s crucial you don’t allocate your best self to your side business and “phone it in” on your regular job. It’s also good to double-check your contract — you don’t want to start a new business only to realize you signed a non-compete clause with your full-time employer. • Look into licensing and certificates. Keeping overhead costs low is important, but there are some corners you don’t want to cut. Even if you’re building a business off of your existing skills, like cutting hair or baking, for example, make sure you follow regulatory guidelines for your industry. If you plan to run your business from your home, check your home insurance policy for what incidents are covered and which ones aren’t, and buy riders accordingly for added protection. — NerdWallet via AP

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Travel Leisure &

Puerto Vallarta’s Malecon promenade is lined with seaside sculptures.

Why so many keep coming back to ‘PV’ An unexpected treat for many first-time visitors is a gathering of art galleries in the Zona Romantica (Romantic Zone) neighborhood, and the proliferation of eclectic sculptures that line the Malecon — a walkway along the seashore. It teems with street entertainers, food vendors and others seeking to pry a few pesos out of a visitor’s wallet or purse.

PHOTO BY DIEGO GRANDI

By Victor Block The destination that my wife Fyllis and I were visiting isn’t for everyone. Some beaches consist of more pebbles than sand, and the ocean in places lacks the clarity and multi-hued colors of the Caribbean. Despite those drawbacks, in recent years Puerto Vallarta, Mexico has grown from a sleepy village into a magnet for people who favor it for a variety of reasons. When I asked fellow vacationers with whom we crossed paths what attractions the place holds for them, I received a variety of responses. For Mary and William North, the warm weather and friendly people persuade them to travel there each year from Nebraska. Portland, Ore., native Beth Taylor explained that she enjoys the culture scene and casual lifestyle. The mystique of the place was best summed up by Colorado residents Jim and Arlene Warner. They praised the city’s location between the rugged Sierra Madre Mountains and the Pacific Ocean, and the fact that “it’s a walking town.” Then they added, “PV just gets under your skin.” That seems to be the case because PV, as those in the know call it, teems with repeat visitors. The area offers the usual variety of activities expected at oceanfront resorts. In addition, it throws in a few surprises — like a graffiti tour, hunting excursions, climbing a mountain on mule back, and rappelling down waterfalls.

Made famous by Hollywood Given the almost around-the-clock activity in the town today, it can be hard to imagine that Puerto Vallarta (pronounced pwer’-toe vuh-yar’-tuh) was a tiny fishing village with only a handful of small hotels until the early 1960s. Then came fame, in the persons of Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton. In 1963, the well-known director John Huston selected a site just outside of PV to film The Night of the Iguana, a movie based on the play by Tennessee Williams. He was attracted by the location’s then-tranquil setting between forest-clad mountains and the Bahia de Banderas (Bay of Flags), one of the largest ocean inlets in the world. Richard Burton starred in the movie and Elizabeth Taylor, with whom he was having an extramarital affair, accompanied him to the area. Their tempestuous relationship attracted an influx of Hollywood paparazzi who reported on every detail of the liaison, and PV suddenly became world famous. Based on that publicity, the town blossomed into a popular vacation destination

Puerto Vallarta is located on Mexico’s Pacific coast, bordering Banderas Bay. Its growth from a small fishing village to a bustling city and tourist destination followed the filming there of the 1963 movie Night of the Iguana, starring Richard Burton.

that offers different vibes from other resort developments in Mexico that were created specifically to cater to tourists. The feeling of a “real” town beneath the veneer of a resort community is welcomed by many visitors. That is true even though, in places, “real” translates to somewhat threadbare. But that only adds to the city’s charm for those who love it.

Bountiful beaches PHOTO BY VICTOR BLOCK

Puerto Vallarta, or PV for short, offers sandy beaches along curving coves framed by mountains and lush jungle foliage. Many tourists like to return there year after year.

While locations associated with the Burton-Taylor love affair are high on the mustsee list of many first-time visitors, they soon discover other attractions worth visiting. Not surprisingly, appealing beaches, which contrast with some rock-strewn stretches of shoreline, are a major draw, and there’s plenty of variety there to suit every preference. Mismaloya Beach is inviting enough for its setting, following a gently curving cove with a verdant backdrop of dense jungle foliage. Adding to its allure is the fact that it’s where much of The Night of the Iguana was filmed. Other beaches also have their own attractions. Playa Gemelas (Twins Beach) fronts some of the clearest water in the bay. Las Animas, Quimixto and Yelapa are isolated stretches of sand accessible only by boat. Playa Conchas Chinas offers shallow pools favored by families with young children or grandchildren, while the off-

shore reef is popular with snorkelers. There’s more than one theory about how Playa de los Muertos (Beach of the Dead) got its name. Some stories suggest that either Indians or pirates killed the crew of a ship passing by that was transporting gold and silver. Another, more likely, version is that the beach once served as a burial place for the Huichol natives. The Huichol people were living in the Sierra Madre mountain range when the Spanish arrived, and they continue to be a presence in the region. Among touches of native Huichol culture to explore are ancient petroglyphs etched into even more ancient stones, lovely beadwork made and offered for sale by Huichol women, and performances of a ceremonial Pole Dance along the Malecon. Indian lore also is one focus of a small museum in the heart of Puerto Vallarta. That archaeological showcase shares the Isla Cuale (Cuale Island) with a smattering of restaurants, souvenir shops and cultural sites. Among its exhibits are artifacts found during archaeological digs near the government-planned tourist resort of Ixtapa. Those excavations also uncovered the ruins of a pyramid, remains of a ceremonial ball court, and a collection of pottery, jewelry and other relics. See PUERTO VALLARTA, page 31

H O WA R D C O U N T Y B E A C O N — A P R I L 2 0 1 8

Puerto Vallarta From page 30

Experiencing village life Visitors seeking to immerse themselves in the present-day life of locals and the area’s inviting natural setting, may find it at several tiny villages not far from the hustle and bustle of Puerto Vallarta. The hamlet of Boca de Tomatlan is set amidst a tropical jungle environment teeming with birds and butterflies. Sayulita in ways resembles a hipstersurfer setting with rideable waves, an eclectic mix of restaurants, and a variety of stores. But my (and my wife’s) personal fa-

vorite was Las Palmas — a village of about 1,000 people perched in the Sierra Madre foothills that has hardly been touched by the 21st century, nor in ways even by the 20th. This is horse country, and we spotted a number of steeds walking slowly down the dusty, nearly deserted main (and almost only) street, ridden by Mexican cowboys fitted out in full regalia. Looking for a place to have lunch, we used very broken Spanish and hand signs to ask several people if there was a restaurant in town. Finally a man uttered the word “casa” and pointed to the doorway of a humble house nearby. As we gingerly entered the open door, a

Is Puerto Vallarta safe to visit? The State Department urges U.S. travelers to “exercise increased caution” traveling to Mexico, and even to “reconsider travel” to, or avoid altogether, certain Mexican states where drug-related crime is extensive. That said, it is worth remembering that “increased caution” is also urged for countries like France, Germany, Italy and the UK. And while the Mexican state of Jalis-

co (where Puerto Vallarta is located) is tagged “reconsider,” there are no State Dept. restrictions on the cities of Guadalajara and Puerto Vallarta. That is, they are explicitly exempted from the Jalisco “reconsider” warning. Security experts suggest one might take some additional precautions, such as not traveling at night, and not hailing cabs off the street. Instead, pick up a regulated cab at a hotel.

Say you saw it in the Beacon | Leisure & Travel

woman inside greeted us with a smile and led us into a cramped kitchen where earthenware bowls on the stove were brimming with a variety of local fare. After we pointed to several choices, our hostess directed us to the back porch where we took seats on somewhat rickety chairs beside an equally rickety table. She served us a bountiful meal of refried beans, rice, string bean casserole, tortillas and potato tostados. The food was good, the beers we sipped were cold, and the total bill came to about $10. The meals that we ate at restaurants in Puerto Vallarta, while reasonably priced, cost

more — and were less memorable — than that simple lunch. In fact, that experience continues to stand out for us, in contrast to the lively city of Puerto Vallarta, time spent basking in the sun, and taking part in some of the long list of things to do and see there. It’s that something-for-everyone variety that tempts people to make their first visit to PV and, for many, convinces them to return again and again. American Airlines offers the least expensive tickets from the BWI in mid-April for $377 roundtrip. For information about PV, log onto www.visitpuertovallarta.com.

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A P R I L 2 0 1 8 — H O WA R D C O U N T Y B E A C O N

Best ways to find companionship online Dear Savvy Senior: ences so they can steer you to matches What can you tell me about online that are best suited for you. dating for baby boomers? Here are some other tips to I’m 57 and recently dihelp you get started. vorced, and would like to Choose a site or two: There find a new friend to spend are literally hundreds of differtime with. ent matchmaking websites and — Lonely Linda apps available, so choosing can Dear Linda: be a bit confusing. Costs typicalWhether you’re interested ly range between $15 and $20 in dating again or just looking per month; however, some datfor a friend to spend time ing sites are completely free to with, online dating sites have use. SAVVY SENIOR become a very popular and efDepending on your preferBy Jim Miller fective way for baby boomers ences here are some popular to meet new single people. options to look into. Making new friends can be challenging If you don’t want to spend any money, as we get older, which is why online dating free sites like OKCupid.com and Plentysites are an excellent option for baby ofFish.com are good places to start, but boomers. They provide an easy and con- these sites do have a lot of advertising. venient way to meet dozens of new people, There are also free apps like Tinder without ever having to leave home. (GoTinder.com) and Bumble.com, but And, to make things even easier, many these tend to be geared toward younger sites today use matchmaking algorithms adults looking for casual “romance.” that factor in your interests and preferIf you’re interested in lots of choices,

Please tell our advertisers, “I saw you in the Beacon!”

consider Match.com, which has a huge membership in all demographics. Or check out eHarmony.com, which is also very large but more targeted to people who want to take things slowly. If you are looking to find a specific type of person, there are hundreds of niche sites like: OurTime.com, SeniorPeopleMeet.com and 50more.com for those 50 and older; EliteSingles.com for professionals; DateMyPet.com for animal lovers; VeggieDate.org for vegetarians; JDate.com for Jewish singles; BlackPeopleMeet.com for African Americans; and ChristianMingle. com for Christians. Create a profile: When you join a matchmaking site, you’ll need to create a personality profile that reflects who you are. Include recent photos, hobbies, interests, favorite activities and more. If you need some help, sites like ProfileHelper.com can write one for you for a fee. Use caution: After you register with a site, you remain anonymous to the outside world. No one gets access to your personal contact information until you decide to give it out, so be prudent whom you give it to. Before meeting, you should chat on the phone or do a video chat a few times. And when you do meet in person for the first time, meet in a public place or bring a friend along.

And if someone you’ve gotten to know online asks you for money, don’t send it. Online dating/sweetheart scams are plentiful, so be aware. If you want to be extra cautious, you can even do a quick background check on your date at MyMatchChecker.com. Don’t be naive: In an effort to get more responses, many people will exaggerate (or flat out lie) in their profiles. Some post pictures that are 10 years old or from when they were 20 pounds lighter. So don’t believe everything you see or read. Make an effort: A lot of times, people (especially women) sit back and let others come to them. Don’t be afraid to make the first move. When you find someone you like, send a short note that says, “I really enjoyed your profile. I think we have some things in common.” Keep it simple. Don’t get discouraged: If you don’t get a response from someone you write to, don’t let it bother you. Just move on. There are many others that will be interested in you, and it only takes one person to make online dating worthwhile. 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.

Say you saw it in the Beacon | Leisure & Travel

H O WA R D C O U N T Y B E A C O N — A P R I L 2 0 1 8

What if your flight is canceled or delayed? By Miriam Cross In the first 10 months of 2017, 18.4 percent of domestic airline flights were delayed on departure, and only 1.6 percent were canceled, according to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics. But when you’re the unlucky passenger stranded at the gate with no plane in sight, knowing what your rights are and what airlines typically offer to keep customers happy can help get you on your way. The Department of Transportation requires airlines to compensate passengers only when they’re bumped from an oversold flight. Federal rules also govern how long planes can linger on the tarmac before an airline has to feed the passengers or let them off. Rules for all other kinds of delays and cancellations are spelled out in each carrier’s contract of carriage. For disruptions that airlines consider beyond their control — which can include bad weather, fuel shortages and labor disputes — the airlines typically offer you a seat on the next available flight or, depending on how long the delay is, a refund. For problems considered within their control — including crew shortages and maintenance issues — you’ll fare better. For example, Alaska Airlines and JetBlue both provide credit for future flights in

case of a long delay. Some airlines might arrange ground transportation as an alternative to flying. Alaska, American, Delta, Spirit and United, among others, may comp one night at a hotel — typically when an overnight holdup lasts at least four hours. Food and beverage vouchers may also be part of the deal. In general, lowcost carriers offer fewer amenities. Being assertive and resourceful will help speed up the process as well. “Rather than asking the gate agent, ‘What will you do for me?’ it’s better to have a solution in mind,” said travel writer Ed Perkins. For example, airlines generally rebook you on the next available flight, but some airlines may agree to transfer your ticket to another carrier, so pull out your smartphone and look up alternate routes. While waiting in line to speak with an agent, call the customer service number (or a phone line reserved for loyalty program members, if you are one) and simultaneously reach out to the airline’s social media team to get first crack at an empty seat. It’s always best to resolve the problem while it’s happening rather than requesting a voucher or other compensation by complaining after the fact. Even if an airline is stingy with perks, you may still be able to negotiate, say, loyalty-program miles by asking for them,

said Paul Hudson, president of consumer organization Flyers Rights. If you’re rerouted on a new flight, be aware that many airlines count certain nearby airports as the same destination. And if a cancellation or significant delay (as defined by the airline) would upend your trip completely and you decide to forgo rebooking, you can ask for an “involuntary refund” of the unused portion of your ticket — even for nonrefundable tickets. Don’t expect the airline to tell you about

this option, said Hudson. You may have to ask to speak with a super visor to discuss an involuntary refund. Airlines have become more flexible about waiving change fees for customers when bad weather is forecast, said Anne McDermott, editor of FareCompare.com. You may not pay a difference in fare, either. But your window to reschedule is usually short. © 2018 The Kiplinger Washington Editors, Inc. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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SMOOTH MOVE SEMINAR

“HOW TO SELL YOUR HOME FOR TOP DOLLAR” A free seminar presented by Eric Stewart, Long & Foster senior real estate specialist and host of a weekly radio show on WMAL 105.9 FM

Tuesday, april 24 • 11 A.m.-12:30 p.m. check-in & Hors d’oeuvres at 10:30 a.m. Brooke Grove Rehabilitation and Nursing Center 18131 Slade School Road • Sandy Spring, MD 20860

In this highly engaging presentation, you’ll get the inside scoop on how to sell your home for top dollar. Learn about the local real estate market and gain insights on how to approach the sale of your home, including tips on timing, pricing, sorting through your possessions and home improvements with the best rate of return.

RSVP to Toni Davis at 301-388-7209 or tdavis@bgf.org by Sunday, April 22.

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H O WA R D C O U N T Y B E A C O N — A P R I L 2 0 1 8

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Arts &

Elephants are among the animals Ken Beerbohm likes to sculpt.

A Columbia sculptor with animal instincts

An affinity for birds Beerbohm says he chooses animals than any other living beings as the subject for his creations. Perhaps it has to do with his being born and raised in Montana. He also spent more than 30 years in California, operating his business. “I love animals, the way they take care of their offspring, and I especially love birds,” he said. “Birds are free to fly, and

we [humans] are so grounded.” Not that his sculpted birds are off and flying. “I put them in human situations,” he noted. Among those are the birds resting on the outhouse, eating the ice cream, as well as others sitting atop the wing of a single-engine plane (“Bird in Migration”), balancing with one claw on a pointy rock (“Rock Star”), and swaying from a parachute (“Hanging Loose”). Beerbohm works in clay, wood, plastic, wire, foam and any other material that he believes will fill the sculptural need. When he was working for a living, he dealt with many materials for designs and construction. “I can use them all in my art work now,” he said. “I made things for my family, my kids. That’s how I started,” Beerbohm said. “When I sold my first piece in a gallery, that’s when I thought, ‘maybe I can be an artist.’”

PHOTO COURTESY OF KEN BEERBOHM

By Robert Friedman What have we here? There’s an elephant with its trunk holding up a striped umbrella, a bear sitting behind a desk, a bird perched on an outhouse titled “Bird with an Urge,” and a “Sweet Beak” work with another bird tipping into a scoop of ice cream in a cone. These are but a few of the sculptured works created by Columbia artist Ken Beerbohm. About 10 years ago, Beerbohm, who’s now 70, retired from his own plastics business and went full-time into his passion for carving and casting clay (and several other materials). It’s something he had put by the wayside for 35 years. He noted that he had to give up his early efforts in sculpting when his two children were born, and “I had to support my family.” Now that his “kids” are parents themselves, he is sculpting full time in the basement studio in his home, where he has lived for the past six years with his wife, Kathi.

Ken Beerbohm returned to sculpting after his children grew up. He works in clay, wood, plastic, wire, foam and other materials to create a menagerie of animals using a humorous touch. He has a special affinity for birds.

A self-taught loner Beerbohm, who graduated from San Francisco University with a degree in design and industry, sees himself, nevertheless, as an innocent when it comes to art education. He said he never took a course in the fine arts, and knows little about the works of other sculptors — or even who they are. He has never heard of Jeff Koons, whose stainless steel balloon puppies, among other works, have made him one of the most famous (and rich) of contempo-

rary artists. Nor did he know of Claes Oldenburg, whose “soft” and outsize replicas of such everyday objects as typewriters, clothes-

pins and erasers are mounted outdoors in parks, plazas and gardens in several cities, See SCULPTOR, page 37

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Poetry festival From page 1 “Poetry,” said the retired journalist (who covered Howard and Anne Arundel counties for the Baltimore Sun) “deals with these sensibilities, making us more human, and possibly hopeful that lifting the veil allows us to come to an understanding of what matters, whether it be in joy or sorrow.” Clark, a resident of Ellicott City, added upon reflection, “I think we move through life sometimes unaware of purpose or meaning until we are re-awakened. And poetry offers that opportunity to us.” At the same time as providing such profound answers, Clark prefers to describe himself as” just some guy who writes poetry” rather than calling himself a poet. He offered these written words: this poem is to remind you that all your life that has just past is just a prelude for the surprise awaiting you inside the crackerjack box your grandson is opening. Of the local poets interviewed, Linda Joy Burke of Columbia is perhaps the most sanguine regarding both its present state as well as future.

A P R I L 2 0 1 8 — H O WA R D C O U N T Y B E A C O N

“Poetry is actually widely celebrated with an ever-growing number of traditional and non-traditional venues,” she said. The 61-year-old, who writes poems, fiction and non-fiction features, is also a 2013 inductee to the Howard County Women’s Hall of Fame. “Every night of the week, poetry is being read (and spoken word is being performed) in the DMV [District of Columbia/Maryland/Virginia area]. Emerging and established voices gather in coffee shops, libraries, community-based open mics, in bars, tea shops, restaurants, and on university and college campuses,” she said. She added: “I think that poetry is celebrated even more now than when I started reading [it] publicly over 40 years ago.”

Festival poets Marilyn Chin, 63, who headlines the festival at HCC, was born in Hong Kong and raised in Oregon. She has been described as an activist feminist poet who explores the intersection of the Asian and American worlds. In an interview in the Meridians scholarly journal, Chin said: “I see my poetry as the medium for the cross-fertilization of East and West, ancient and contemporary, the traditional and the experimental, the personal and the political — my muse is open to infinite possibilities.” Hard Love Province, her most recent work, won the 2015 Anisfield-Wolf National

Prize for Literature, given to writers who confront racism and examine diversity. Other past winners include Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X, Toni Morrison, Maxine Hong Kingston, Gwendolyn Brooks and Oprah Winfrey. How important is poetry in today’s world?” “One can’t ‘measure’ the value of poetry,” said Chin, via email. ”That’s the wonderful thing about it. For instance, the poem “The Tiger” by Blake — millions of people have read it. The poem’s value is immeasurable. In this throw-away-capitalist Instagram society, we need lasting art!” Also on tap to read his poetry is Joseph Ross, a D.C.-area writer-educator, who founded the Writing Center at Carroll High School, taught at American University, and currently teaches in the English Department at Gonzaga College High School. Ross, who could also be described as an activist poet, won the 2012 Pratt Library/Little Patuxent Review Poetry Prize for his poem “If Mamie Till Was the Mother of God.”

The four-stanza poem recalls the decision of the mother of Emmet Till, the 14year-old African-American lynched in Mississippi in 1955 for supposedly flirting with a white woman, to hold an open-casket funeral to show her son’s disfigured face and body. The last stanza reads: If Mamie Till was the mother of God every coffin lid would be glass, so even God could see how baptisms are done in Mississippi In an email interview, Ross was also asked about the importance of poetry in our times. His answer: “Poetry is vitally important today. In a world where words are meaning less and less — think of ‘alternative facts’ and ‘enhanced interrogation techniques’ — our language is under attack. Poets and other writers have a responsibility to speak the truth, to write the truth.” He said that, through his teaching, he sees See POETRY FESTIVAL, page 37

The Blackbird Poetry Festival Among the festival events: “Morning Songs” — at Duncan Hall Room 100. A mix of readings and interactive poetry exercises for literature students. Poets Chin and Ross will attend. The activity is open to the public. “Sunbird” — 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. at the Smith theater in the Horowitz Center for Performing and Visual Arts. Poets Chin and Ross will be joined onstage by students, local poets, faculty and staff for an afternoon of poetry. The event is free and open to the public. For those who would like to read at the event, contact rmay@howardcc.edu.

“Nightbird” — Smith Theater, 7:30 p.m. Marilyn Chin will read from and discuss her most recent book of poems, Hard Love Province, and other works. Admission tickets are $20 for the general public ($15 for those 60+ and $10 for students). The tickets are available online at www.brownpapertickets.com/event/3209754 or by sending a self-addressed envelope and check payable to: HoCoPoLitSo, 10901 Little Patuxent Parkway, Horowitz Center 200, Columbia, MD 21044. A book-signing will follow the reading. For more information, see http:// bit.ly/BlackbirdPoetryFestival or call HoCoPoLitSo at (443) 518-4568.

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Jumbles: ALTAR PLUME DELUXE CHISEL Answer: What Rover felt like after chasing the car -“EXHAUST-ED”

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H O WA R D C O U N T Y B E A C O N — A P R I L 2 0 1 8

Poetry festival From page 36 poetry “keeping young people alive. Many young people use poetry as a creative outlet to share their feelings, to think through on a page the messiness of human emotions.” He further noted that poetry “is not Twitter. It’s not a Pop-Tart. Poetry invites us to breathe, slow down and look carefully, lovingly, honestly at the world around us.” At a HoCoPoLitSo event some years ago, the late great poet Stanley Kunitz, told an audience what he thought poetry was about:

Sculptor From page 35 including Washington, where a giant oldfashioned typewriter eraser is on display in the National Gallery gardens. “When it comes to knowledge about works of art and about artists, I’m an innocent,” said Beerbohm. “I’m basically a loner. I do better by teaching myself,” he said. Galleries around Howard County, in the D.C. area, in Philadelphia and in San Francisco have all apparently seen value in Beerbohm’s whimsical works, which have been on display in many of them. His sculptures are currently being shown at the Art Emporium in Havre de Grace and the Bluestone Gallery in Philadelphia.

“Poetry is most deeply concerned with telling us what it feels like to be alive at any given moment. Before there were poets, there was no evidence of what it was like to be a human being on this earth,” said the two-time U.S. Poet Laureate. Do you write poetry? If so, consider entering one or more of your poems in the online Beacon Celebration of the Arts competition, which opens April 1. Winners will receive cash prizes and be honored at expos throughout the area. For complete rules, visit bit.ly/BeaconCelebration or go to the Beacon website: www.TheBeaconNewspapers.com.

Since so much of his work is filled with humor, does he still see himself as a serious artist? Beerbohm agreed that most of his works “are driven by humor, because that’s the one thing that keeps me somewhat sane in a not-so-sane world. At times my mind flips to the serious side, and a serious work pops up and I follow that to its conclusion,” he said. After more thought, he concluded, “Well, I love to do what I’m doing. I have fun making all these things. I have to make things, I have to do art. And I’m now doing it full-time. I guess this makes me a ‘serious’ artist.” To see his works, visit www.kenbeerbohm.com.

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EXHIBIT OF LOCAL ARTWORKS In partnership with Howard County Public Schools, the Howard County Arts Council is presenting “Drawing to Understand” —

hundreds of works by Howard County students in kindergarten through 12th grade at the Howard County Center for the Arts. 8510 High Ridge Rd., Ellicott City. In another gallery is “No Boundaries” — showcasing art by participants in programs offered by Howard County serving youth and adults with developmental disabilities. Both shows will run through Friday, April 20. Gallery hours are Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Saturday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Sunday noon to 4 p.m. For more information, call (410) 313-2790 or visit hocoarts.org.

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A P R I L 2 0 1 8 — H O WA R D C O U N T Y B E A C O N

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Crossword Puzzle Daily crosswords can be found on our website: www.TheBeaconNewspapers.com Click on Puzzles Plus A Crossword as Lovely 1

49 51

50 56

Jumble answers on p. 36.

Scrabble answers on p. 36.

ByStephen StephenSherr Sherr

52 59

Across 1. Item on a balance sheet’s left side 6. A Like Hydrogen on a Periodic Chart 11. Worker at the Rayburn House Office Building in DC 14. They’re homophone 15. Quote-___ (inspirational handbag) 16. Blvd. buddy 17. Prize fight, with a small prize 19. Employer of Jason Bourne and Jack Ryan 20. MI towns Ann, Glen, and Spring 21. And more (in fewer letters) 22. Slippery swimmers 23. Twenty Questions response 24. Pulp Fiction dancer Thurman 26. ‘net payment option 28. Expert roofers 32. Slamdance in a pit 35. Conquistador’s quest 36. Causing goosebumps 37. Skin cream ingredient 38. Toodle-oos 41. Direction from Madrid to Barcelona 42. Purple shade, paler than 47 Down 44. Participate in the Drama Department 45. Future owners of the Earth 46. Promote metallic fashion 50. “Stop being a ___ in my side” 51. OMELETS’ inside 52. “What ___ will be again” (Ecclesiastes) 55. Shallowest Great Lake 57. PC monitor 59. African nation which joined OPEC in 2007 61. Central Park attraction 62. Muzzles 64. Left soon after eating 65. Elton John’s instrument 66. What the cost of living generally does 67. About 25% of network TV time 68. Snake with good math skills 69. Vestibule Down 1. Cornered

2. Follow the guidance of Barney the Dinosaur 3. Ethnic group primarily east of the Adriatic Sea 4. Therefore 5. Attempt to cancel a contract 6. Overhead revolver 7. Let ___ (Last Beatles studio album) 8. Supported the home team 9. Ceiling enhancer 10. Vietnamese New Year 11. Triple Crown competitor 12. Like a Bond villain 13. Ingredients in Campbell’s Vegetable Soup 18. “It doesn’t matter; the point ___” 22. Respects greatly 25. Certain ambience 27. Good card in hi-lo poker 28. Put away a weapon 29. Cereal with slogan “Are you getting 100%?” 30. Religious ceremony 31. Hide and ___ 32. Thickened milk shake 33. Miscellany 34. “Don’t bring me problems; bring me ___” 39. Return from a fresh start at the gym 40. German POW site, a contraction of “Stammlager” 43. Top corp. money counter 47. Purple shade, brighter than 42 Across 48. Bit of progress 49. Assistant professor’s goal 52. Doctors make the ___ patients 53. Member of the birch family 54. Fresh-mouthed 55. Old Testament book written in both Hebrew and Aramaic 56. Kerouac bailiwick 58. Adjust a guitar’s strings 60. Get more time or ground 62. Relaxation location 63. Abbrev. in an international MLB box-score

Answers on page 36.

H O WA R D C O U N T Y B E A C O N — A P R I L 2 0 1 8

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ENJOY 100% GUARANTEED, DELIVERED to-the-door Omaha Steaks! Save 75% plus get 4 more Burgers & 4 more Kielbasa FREE! Order The Family Gourmet Buffet — ONLY $49.99. Call 1-844-302-3754, mention code 51689JCT or visit www.omahasteaks.com.

MILITARY ITEMS WANTED: Collector seeks to purchase military uniforms; flight jackets, patches, insignia, medals, etc. from the Civil War through Vietnam. Especially seeking U.S. Army Air Corps, USMC, Airborne, and German/Japanese/Italian items from WWII. ALSO BUYING old Boy Scout, Airline Items, Toys, Lighters. Call Dan, 202-841-3062.

Personal Services NEED HELP RUNNING ERRANDS? Like grocery shopping, pharmacy pick-ups, chores at home and more? Maison@Werk is an errand running service for seniors based in the D.C. Metro area. LGBT senior friendly and welcoming. 713-927-3780 or maisonatwerk@gmail.com. https://maisonatwerk.wixsite.com/website.

TV/Cable DIRECTV. CALL AND SWITCH NOW — Get NFL Sunday Ticket for FREE! Every Game. Every Sunday. CHOICE- All-Included Package. Over 185 Channels. $60/month (for 12 Months.) CALL 1- 888-572-4953. DISH Network. 190+ CHANNELS. FREE Install. FREE Hopper HD-DVR. $49.99/month (24 months) Add High Speed Internet - $14.95 (where avail.) CALL Today & SAVE 25%! 1844-560-5837. SPECTRUM TRIPLE PLAY! TV, Internet & Voice for $29.99 ea. 60 MB per second speed. No contract or commitment. More Channels. Faster Internet. Unlimited Voice. Call 1-888366-7573.

MONEY, TIME TO SELL! Make the right choice. Call Greg, 717-658-7954. We buy jewelry, coins, silver, antiques, watches, gold, art, paper money, toys, bottles, etc. No middleman, no fees, no overhead means more money for your stuff. Give me a call, and let’s do business.717-658-7954. COLLECTOR BUYING MILITARY ITEMS: Helmets, weapons, knives, swords, bayonets, web gear, uniforms, etc. from all wars and countries. Also Lionel Toy Trains, and coin operated machines. Will pay top prices for my personal collection. Discreet consultations. Call Fred, 301-910-0783. CASH FOR ESTATES, PARTIAL ESTATES, DOWNSIZING. I buy a wide range of items. Buy-out/cleanup. Gary Roman, 301-520-0755. BUYING VINYL RECORDS from 1950 through 1985. Jazz, Rock-n-Roll, Soul, Rhythm & Blues, Reggae and Disco. 33 1/3 LPs, 45s or 78s, Larger collections of at least 100 items wanted. Please call John, 301-596-6201.

Thanks for reading!

ADVERTISERS IN THIS ISSUE Events COGS Meeting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37 One Day University . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3

Funeral Services

Homecrest House . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 Park View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 Shriner Court . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9 Somerford Place . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15 Vantage House . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11

The 50+ Connection . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17-24

Senior Services Subscriptions

Going Home Cremations . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8 Harry H. Witzke’s Family Funeral Home, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10 Sol Levinson & Bros., Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . .33

Legal Services

Beacon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .36

Angels of Eldercare Planning . . . . . . . . . .27 Frank, Frank & Scherr, LLC . . . . . . . . . . .26 Lifson Law . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25

Technology

Hearing Services

Medical/Health

Chesapeake Hearing Centers . . . . . . . . . . .8

Medical Eye Center . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8

Home Health Care

Real Estate Services

A-1 Action Nursing Care . . . . . . . . . . . . .14 HomeCentris Personal Care . . . . . . . . . . . .9 Options for Senior America . . . . . . . . . . .10

Housing Alta at Regency Crest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9 Brooke Grove . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33, 40 Charlestown/Erickson Living . . . . . . . . . .13 Heartlands Senior Living . . . . . . . . . . . . .15

EXIT Spivey Professional Realty . . . . . . .27 Long & Foster-Nellie Arrington . . . . . . . .26

Retail/Services Antwerpen Hyundai . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Budget Bath . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13 Columbia’s Village Centers . . . . . . . . . . . .14 Dan Kugler’s Design Center . . . . . . . .16, 29 WOW! Computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28

Beacon Silver Pages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32 TheBeaconNewspapers.com . . . . . . . . . . .12

Theatre/Entertainment Candlelight Concert Society . . . . . . . . . . .37 Celebration of the Arts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34 Columbia Orchestra, The . . . . . . . . . . . . .37 Columbia Pro Cantare . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35 Toby’s Dinner Theatre . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35

Tour & Travel Eyre Tour & Travel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31 Festive Holidays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31 Nexus Holidays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31

40 More at TheBeaconNewspapers.com

A P R I L 2 0 1 8 — H O WA R D C O U N T Y B E A C O N

April 2018

UPCOMING SEMINARS & EVENTS at Brooke Grove retirement village

As experts in senior care and memory support, Brooke Grove Retirement Village is pleased to offer seminars and events that promote physical, spiritual and mental well-being. All seminars and events will be held at Brooke Grove Rehabilitation and Nursing Center, located at 18131 Slade School Road on the Brooke Grove Retirement Village campus, unless otherwise noted. Please register with Toni Davis at 301-388-7209 or tdavis@bgf.org. healthy living class: “everyday balance”

healthy living class: “Mindful meditation”

April 9 through May 16

April 11 through May 16

MONDAYS & WEDNESDAYS 10-10:30 A.M.

WEDNESDAYS • 11-11:30 A.M.

Six-week Session Fee: $30

Recent scientific studies have shown that mindful meditation changes the brain in astonishing ways—promoting greater focus, reduced anxiety, increased compassion and improved well-being. Experience guided, mindful meditation in a quiet space.

During this class, simple yet effective techniques are used to improve balance and agility and reduce your risk of falls. No props are used, so exercises may easily be performed at home.

Living WEll seminar: “Everything you need to know about LongTerm care insurance” WEDNESDAY, APRIL 18 1-2:15 P.M.

Six-week Session Fee: $20

Reservations are requested by April 8. Check-in begins at 10:30 a.m. on April 11, and the class fee is due at that time.

Reservations are requested by April 6. Check-in begins at 9:30 a.m. on April 9, and the class fee is due at that time.

caregiver connection: “Visiting the Doctor: How to Make the Most of Your Time Together” TUESDAY, APRIL 17 • 2-3 P.M.

18100 Slade School Road Sandy Spring, MD 20860

301-260-2320 · www.bgf.org

As a caregiver for someone with memory issues, you are a vital partner in their medical care. Planning ahead for a doctor’s appointment can go a long way toward effectively addressing your loved one’s needs. Learn what problems to watch for and how to communicate most efficiently with their physician. FREE. Register by April 15.

Find the answers to all your questions about long-term care (LTC) insurance from a consumer perspective. “What are the pros and cons of buying LTC insurance? What do Medicare and Medicaid cover? What if I need assisted living or nursing home care? What’s the best way to shop for this product? What constitutes a good policy and price? How do I access benefits?” Preceded by complimentary lunch at 12:30 p.m. FREE. Register by April 16.

Smooth move seminar: “how to sell your home for top dollar” TUESDAY, APRIL 24 11 A.M.-12:30 P.M. In this highly engaging presentation, you’ll get the inside scoop on how to sell your home for top dollar. Learn about the local real estate market and gain insights on how to approach the sale of your home, including tips on timing, pricing, sorting through your possessions and home improvements with the best rate of return. Reservations are requested by April 22. Check-in begins and hors d’oeuvres served at 10:30 a.m.

Independent living

assisted living

rehabilitation

long-term care

memory support