May 2013 Baltimore Beacon Edition by The Beacon Newspapers

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When Ferrucci made the decision to become part of the solution, he began working in a geriatric hospital in Italy, but decided that wasn’t quite the right fit. “It’s sort of difficult to be only a clinician when you work with aging because the rate of success is very low. You’re dealing with very old, frail people. I wanted to do

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Moving into research

MAY 2013

More than 125,000 readers throughout Greater Baltimore

The secrets of healthy aging By Barbara Ruben Luigi Ferrucci set out to study aging as a young man. As an idealistic 20-year-old medical student and volunteer for the Red Cross in Italy, Ferrucci found himself intrigued by a professor who told him the coming wave of aging adults would transform not just medicine, but politics and society as well. “He was absolutely right. If you think about it today, what everybody’s talking about in political discussion is passing healthcare [reform], how costly modern medicine is, how we’re going to afford Social Security, how we’re going to take care of people in a nursing home,” said Ferrucci, now 59. He’s pursued his early interest ever since, and is currently the scientific director of the National Institute on Aging (NIA), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), where he oversees more than 600 employees. From the NIA’s Baltimore offices, Ferrucci leads the largest and longest study of aging in the world — the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging. As part of that research, he is now studying the secrets of very old, very healthy people in a study aptly named IDEAL (short for “Insight into Determinations of Exceptional Aging and Longevity”). But nearly 40 years after he first decided to focus on aging, it’s still a topic that gets far too little attention in everyday life, Ferrucci believes. “Unless we’re really focused very, very intensively on aging, we’re not going to be able to address it. So our cities will be designed by young people but inhabited by old people. We will have a social and environmental structure designed for 30-year-olds, but will in fact be used by 60- or 70-year-old people. And that’s a problem,” he said.

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Dr. Luigi Ferrucci, scientific director of the National Institute on Aging, discusses the long-running Baltimore Longitudinal Study on Aging with colleague Dr. Toshiko Tanaka. In a new study, Ferrucci is now seeking very healthy people 80 or older to help uncover why they have aged so much better than their peers.

research. I started being interested in the epidemiology of aging,” he said. So rather than taking his vacation to relax in Rome or visit the canals of Venice, Ferrucci used his time off to go to NIA to learn about its work. He soon began to commute between Baltimore and his native Florence, spending three months here each year before returning home to his family and his work with the Laboratory of Clinical Epidemiology at the (Italian) National Institute for Research and Care on Aging. When the NIA sought a director for the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging (BLSA), Ferrucci decided to apply, never dreaming he’d get the job.

“I thought it was unlikely an Italian would ever get such a good position. But I was wrong, because one of the beautiful things about this country is that it gives people a chance. “They liked what I was saying, they liked the work I was doing, and they offered me a position. I was 48 or 49, and I thought if I don’t do it now, I’m never going to do it.” So in 2002, Ferrucci took the reins of the longitudinal study, which had begun in 1958. A few of the earliest participants are still members of the study, which continues to accept new applicants. About 1,200 See HEALTHY AGING, page 10

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Anonymously yours The scariest thing about sitting down to doubt, even when your thinking has mawrite a column, especially in the Internet tured. age, is that you risk putting You’d think (well, I’d think) your ignorance on display to these consequences of Interthe entire world, forever. net search engines would It used to be if you made make people more reluctant an error or there was an to say the first thing that “editing mistake,” you might came into their minds, that get a comment or two, perperhaps they might lead to a haps a letter. You could then more reflective type of disissue a retraction or correccourse in the public arena. tion (“sorry I misspoke”) and After all, being told to pretty much figure that had “think before your speak” taken care of it. meant one thing when we FROM THE But today, every word you PUBLISHER were sitting in our elemenwrite in a blog, article, col- By Stuart P. Rosenthal tary school classrooms, but umn or even comment gets quite another when our “cached” in cyberspace and can remain ac- words may immediately be broadcast cessible ad infinitum — and searchable by worldwide. your name — despite all efforts to erase it. On the contrary, however, many people And what about expressing opinions today appear to lose most of their inhibithat, upon further reflection, you realize tions when writing online. To them, it’s libwere somewhat half-baked. (I’m speaking erating to see their words immediately and theoretically here.) Those, too, will always indelibly expressed in print with the click resurface, at an inopportune time no of an “enter” button.

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Of course, I’m omitting a crucial qualification here. Most Internet comments are submitted pseudonymously, or at least using a truncated name that cannot easily be traced back to the author. The ability to hide one’s identity online is, indeed, one of the signature features of the Internet. This privacy is what makes the medium so useful to people — for both positive and prurient purposes. And the threats allegedly posed to this privacy by some features of the latest technology, including that of Google and Facebook, have caused a storm of criticism online and elsewhere. On the other hand, the ability to comment while remaining out of sight isn’t really a new development. Book authors and columnists have used pseudonyms for hundreds of years. But when push comes to shove, people can usually ferret out a person’s true (or should I say, primary) colors in the publishing world. This appears to be more difficult online, though digital sleuths do have their ways. So would people step back and be more circumspect (or at least less vicious) if they were required to write in their own names at all times? Would writers be more careful to check their facts and think

through their arguments? Would we be able to have more faith in online product reviews if we could tell whether a PR hack wrote them? I think it’s clear all of these would be true. But I also think we’re unlikely to see the day when all Internet postings are clearly identifiable. While sites like Facebook tell users they are required to use their “real name,” and the fine print on many sites says you must at least register in your real name before being able to comment, there are still plenty of opportunities to hide one’s identity online. And for all practical purposes, the fact that a site’s owner has access to your real name doesn’t make your otherwise anonymous comments identifiable without a court order. At least there is one good thing about the fact that people so often hide behind pseudonyms when they write the most outrageous things. It means they do still have a sense of shame. When people choose to use their real names in rants, we’ll know the barbarians truly are at the gates.

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: I was interested in your publisher’s column in April, “Driven by Technology.” My cousin was in charge of the “Urban Chal-

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lenge” in California a few years back [a contest for teams developing self-driving cars]. It was a defense project sponsored by Defense Advanced Research Project Agency (DARPA). He invited me and my wife to come out and watch the contest. About 30 cars made the finals. Here is a photo of the Google entr y. $150,000 per car seems low based on all the money they put into the contest. Bob Wood Columbia, MD

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B A L T I M O R E B E A C O N — M AY 2 0 1 3

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MEDITERRANEAN DIETS WIN A large study shows heart-healthy Mediterranean diets beat low-fat ones

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FEELING NO PAIN Implanted nerve stimulation devices work by blocking pain signals TENNIS ELBOW, ANYONE? Commonly used steroid shots for tennis elbow may worsen the condition INTOLERANT EATERS Why do so many people avoid gluten and lactose products today?

Sometimes it’s better to wait than operate By Marilynn Marchione In a stunning example of when treatment might be worse than the disease, a large review of Medicare records finds that older people with small kidney tumors were much less likely to die over the next five years if doctors monitored them instead of operating right away. Even though nearly all of these tumors turned out to be cancer, they rarely proved fatal. And surgery roughly doubled patients’ risk of developing heart problems or dying of other causes, doctors found. After five years, 24 percent of those who had surgery had died, compared to only 13 percent of those who chose monitoring. Just 3 percent of people in each group died of kidney cancer. The study only involved people 66 and older, but half of all kidney cancers occur in this age group. Younger people with longer life expectancies should still be offered surgery, doctors stressed. The study also was observational — not an experiment where some people were given surgery and others were monitored, so it cannot prove which approach is best. Yet it offers a real-world look at how more than 7,000

Medicare patients with kidney tumors fared. Surgery is the standard treatment now. But perhaps it shouldn’t be. “I think [the study] should change care” and that older patients should be told “that they don’t necessarily need to have the kidney tumor removed,” said Dr. William Huang of New York University Langone Medical Center, who led the study. “If the treatment doesn’t improve cancer outcomes, then we should consider leaving them alone.” The research was discussed in a recent telephone news conference sponsored by the American Society of Clinical Oncology and two other cancer groups. In the United States, about 65,000 new cases of kidney cancer and 13,700 deaths from the disease are expected this year. Twothirds of cases are diagnosed at the local stage, when five-year survival is more than 90 percent. However, most kidney tumors these days are found not because they cause symptoms, but are spotted by accident when people are having an X-ray or other imaging test for something else, like back trouble or chest pain. Cancer experts increasingly question

the need to treat certain slow-growing cancers that are not causing symptoms — prostate cancer in particular. Researchers wanted to know how lifethreatening small kidney tumors were, especially in older people most likely to suffer complications from surgery. They used federal cancer registries and Medicare records from 2000 to 2007 to find 8,317 people 66 and older with kidney tumors less than 1.5 inches wide. Cancer was confirmed in 7,148 of them. About three-quarters of them had surgery and the rest chose to be monitored with periodic imaging tests. After five years, 1,536 had died, including 191 of kidney cancer. For every 100 patients who chose monitoring, 11 more were alive at the five-year mark compared to the surgery group. Only 6 percent of those who chose monitoring eventually had surgery. Furthermore, 27 percent of the surgery group, but only 13 percent of the monitoring group, developed a cardiovascular problem such as a heart attack, heart disease or stroke. These problems were more likely if doctors removed the entire kidney instead of just a part of it.

The results may help doctors persuade more patients to give monitoring a chance, said a cancer specialist with no role in the research, Dr. Bruce Roth of Washington University in St. Louis. Some patients with any abnormality “can’t sleep at night until something’s done about it,” he said. Doctors need to say, “We’re not sticking our head in the sand, we’re going to follow this” and can operate if it gets worse. One of Huang’s patients — 81-year-old Rhona Landorf, who lives in New York City — needed little persuasion. “I was very happy not to have to be operated on,” she said. “He said it’s very slow growing and that having an operation would be worse for me than the cancer.” Landorf said her father had been a doctor, and she trusts her doctors’ advice. Does she think about her tumor? “Not at all,” she said. For more information on kidney cancer, see www.cancer.net/cancer-types/kidneycancer and www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/types/kidney. More information on the study can be found at http:// gucasym.org. — AP

Programs pair cancer survivors and patients to be OK, until you’ve talked to someone who actually is OK, you don’t really know.” Through face-to-face visits or by phone, Reach to Recovery volunteers give support for people recently diagnosed with breast cancer or facing a possible diagnosis of breast cancer. They also assist those interested in or who have undergone a lumpectomy or mastectomy, who are considering breast reconstruction, who have lymphedema, who are undergoing or who have completed treatment such as chemotherapy and radiation therapy, and who are facing breast cancer recurrence or metastasis. Volunteers are trained to give support and up-to-date information, including literature for spouses, children, friends and other loved ones.

Returning the favor Calling her experience with her Reach to Recovery volunteer a “turning point” in

her own recovery, Hirsch decided that when she was fully healed, she would “pay it forward” and become a volunteer herself. Two years later, she began her volunteer work with the American Cancer Society and Reach to Recovery. After taking on more and more volunteer responsibilities, Hirsch eventually decided that she was more passionate about her work as a breast cancer volunteer and advocate than her work as a lawyer. She left the legal profession behind. Just last month, Hirsch was appointed president of Reach to Recovery International. She will serve as the face and voice of Reach to Recovery International for the next two years, leading the organization’s efforts to grow existing grassroots groups and form new support groups around the world. Hirsch will also chair the organization’s international advisory committee, and will be a member of the board of management. “We want to bring as much attention as

PHOTO COURTESY OF CATHY HIRSCH

By Carol Sorgen Cathy Brice Hirsch was 43 years old, a practicing attorney, and mother of two young daughters when she was diagnosed with Stage II breast cancer 10 years ago. While recuperating from bilateral mastectomies and gathering her strength for the rounds of chemotherapy to follow, Hirsch received a phone call from a volunteer at Reach to Recovery, a program of the American Cancer Society that provides peer support and services to improve the quality of life for women facing breast cancer. The volunteer who called Hirsch had had a similar diagnosis and treatment herself, and also had young children at home. “I had wonderful medical care,” recalled Hirsch, a Towson resident, “but I had never spoken with someone who had been in my situation. “She provided me with hope,” Hirsch continued. “Even though my doctors were telling me everything was probably going

Breast cancer survivor Cathy Hirsh was recently named international president of Reach to Recovery.

possible to the issue of breast cancer and survivorship,” said Hirsch, who added that meeting other breast cancer survivors around the world brings her a deep feeling of sisterhood and joy. See CANCER SURVIVORS, page 5

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Mediterranean-style diets beat low-fat ones By Marilynn Marchione Pour on the olive oil, preferably over fish and vegetables. One of the longest and most scientific tests of a Mediterranean diet suggests this style of eating can cut the chance of suffering heart-related problems, especially strokes, in older people at high risk of them. The study lasted five years and involved about 7,500 people in Spain. Those who ate Mediterranean-style with lots of olive oil or nuts had a 30 percent lower risk of major cardiovascular problems compared to others who were told to follow a low-fat diet. Mediterranean meant lots of fruit, fish, chicken, beans, tomato sauce, salads and wine — and little baked goods and pastries. Mediterranean diets have long been tout-

ed as heart-healthy, but that’s based on observational studies that can’t prove the point. The new research is much stronger because people were assigned diets to follow for a long time and carefully monitored. Doctors even did lab tests to verify that the Mediterranean diet folks were consuming more olive oil or nuts as recommended.

Better than medication Most of these people were taking medicines for high cholesterol and blood pressure, and researchers did not alter those proven treatments, said the study’s leader, Dr. Ramon Estruch of Hospital Clinic in Barcelona. But as a first step to prevent heart problems, “we think diet is better than a drug”

because it has few if any side effects, Estruch said. “Diet works.” Results were published in the New England Journal of Medicine and were discussed at a nutrition conference in Loma Linda, Calif. People in the study were not given rigid menus or calorie goals because weight loss was not the aim. That could be why they found the “diets” easy to stick with — only about 7 percent dropped out within two years. There were twice as many dropouts in the low-fat group than among those eating Mediterranean-style. Researchers also provided the nuts and olive oil, so it didn’t cost participants anything to use these relatively pricey ingredients. The type of oil may have mattered — they used extra-virgin olive oil, which is richer than regular or light olive oil in the chemicals and nutrients that earlier studies have suggested are beneficial.

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The study involved people ages 55 to 80, just over half of them women. All were free of heart disease at the start but were at high risk for it because of health problems — half had diabetes and most were overweight and had high cholesterol and blood pressure. They were assigned to one of three groups: Two followed a Mediterranean diet

supplemented with either extra-virgin olive oil (4 tablespoons a day) or with walnuts, hazelnuts and almonds (a fistful a day). The third group was urged to eat a lowfat diet heavy on bread, potatoes, pasta, rice, fruits, vegetables and fish — and light on baked goods, nuts, oils and red meat. Independent monitors stopped the study after nearly five years when they saw fewer problems in the two groups on Mediterranean diets. Doctors tracked a composite of heart attacks, strokes or heart-related deaths. There were 96 of these in the Mediterranean-olive oil group, 83 in the Mediterranean-nut group and 109 in the low-fat group. Looked at individually, stroke was the only problem where type of diet made a big difference. Diet had no effect on death rates overall. The Spanish government’s health research agency initiated and paid for the study, and foods were supplied by olive oil and nut producers in Spain and the California Walnut Commission. Many of the authors have extensive financial ties to food, wine and other industry groups but said the sponsors had no role in designing the study or analyzing and reporting its results.

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more information on the American Cancer Society’s Reach to Recovery program, visit www.cancer.org/treatment/supportprogramsservices/reach-to-recovery.

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❏ Anemia Studies (see ad and article on page 9) ❏ Cardiovascular Risk Study (see ad on page 10) ❏ Coronary Artery Disease Study (see ad on page 9) ❏ Depression & Alzheimer’s Study (see ad on page 11) ❏ Diabetes Study (see ad on page 9) ❏ Fall Prevention Study (see ad on page 11) ❏ Healthy Volunteers 80+/IDEAL (see ad on page 10) ❏ Smoker’s Study (see article on page 9) ❏ Toenail Fungus Study (see ad on page 11)

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Rachel Johnson, a University of Vermont professor who heads the American Heart Association’s nutrition committee, said the study is very strong because of the lab tests to verify oil and nut consumption and because researchers tracked actual heart attacks, strokes and deaths — not just changes in risk factors such as high cholesterol. “At the end of the day, what we care about is whether or not disease develops,” she said. “It’s an important study.” Rena Wing, a weight-loss expert at Brown University, noted that researchers

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American experts weigh in

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From page 4

provided the oil and nuts, and said “it’s not clear if people could get the same results from self-designed Mediterranean diets” — or if Americans would stick to them more than Europeans who are used to such foods. A third independent expert also praised the study as evidence diet can lower heart risks. “The risk reduction is close to that achieved with statins” — widely used cholesterol drugs, said Dr. Robert Eckel, a diet and heart disease expert at the University of Colorado. “But this study was not carried out or intended to compare diet to statins or blood pressure medicines,” he warned. “I don’t think people should think now they can quit taking their medicines.” — AP

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Hirsch has also taken her volunteer efforts to another level by founding her own nonprofit organization, Within Reach, which works closely with the American Cancer Society to provide peer support and education to persons facing cancer of the colon, prostate, lung, esophagus, head and neck, and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma through its Recovery Coach Program. As well as introducing the Recovery Coach and Reach to Recovery programs to

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Widening her reach

Coach or Reach to Recovery programs. “My hope is that we can spread Within Reach across the country,” said Hirsch. For more information on Within Reach, visit www.withinreachonline.org. For

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From page 3

healthcare providers and patients throughout the South Atlantic region of the U.S., Within Reach provides funding to five Baltimore area hospitals for taxi service to transport oncology patients to and from essential oncology appointments, such as chemotherapy and radiation appointments. The hospitals receiving funding are Greater Baltimore Medical Center; Mercy Medical Center; St. Agnes Hospital; St. Joseph Medical Center, and University of Maryland Greenebaum Cancer Center. The program also partners with Let’s Dish to provide frozen, prepared meals to certain patients referred to the Recovery

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Implants help relieve chronic nerve pain By Dr. Halena M. Gazelka Dear Mayo Clinic: Eighteen months ago, I had surgery on my back to relieve the nerve pain that radiates down my leg. It didn’t help as much as I’d hoped, and my doctor said additional surger y isn’t likely to help. I have tried pain meds, steroid injections, chiropractic and physical therapy, but I’m still in a lot of pain. What exactly are implanted pain relief devices, and would I be a candidate for one? If so, how effective are they? The pain you’re describing is called radiculopathy, and it is a type of nerve pain. There are several devices for pain relief from varied types of chronic nerve pain.

Some rely on stimulating nerves with a mild electrical current. Other implanted devices deliver pain-relieving medication directly into the spinal canal. These devices are typically implanted by physicians specializing in pain management. Both types are usually considered only after more conservative options have failed, and they seldom provide complete pain relief. However, when they are effective they can change debilitating pain into tolerable, manageable pain that allows you to function and regain your life.

Blocking pain signals Nerve stimulation devices work by blocking pain signals as they travel from the nerves to the spinal cord. In doing so,

they send electrical impulses from the spinal cord out along affected nerves. These electrical impulses may produce a pleasant “tingling” sensation that can be directed to the area where you feel pain. The two main forms include: 1. Spinal cord stimulators. With these, a wire electrode is implanted in the epidural space within the spinal canal. It provides electrical stimulation on an area of the spinal column called the dorsal columns, which is where sensory nerves from the spinal cord are located. Spinal cord stimulators are FDA approved for conditions that involve pain generated from damaged or dysfunctional nerves of the trunk, legs or arms. This includes problems such as radiculopathy, pain that persists after spine surgery, peripheral neuropathy, post herpetic neuralgia, and a condition called complex regional pain syndrome, which usually results in leg or arm pain. 2. Peripheral ner ve stimulators. Placed along nerves that branch off from the spinal cord, these may be used for pain arising from numerous peripheral nerve problems, including remaining leg pain after back surgery, post-herpetic neuralgia, and some types of headaches. Peripheral nerve stimulators are more targeted to a specific nerve or group of nerves than are spinal cord stimulators. Occasionally, spinal cord and peripheral nerve stimulators are used in combination to achieve better pain relief. Determining if one or both nerve stimulation devices are right for you depends on many factors, including the cause of your pain, its location, your overall health, and your ability to care for an implanted device. If your doctor thinks you may be a candidate, you’ll likely undergo a stimulation test with a temporarily placed electrode to find

out how well you respond to the therapy. If the device has a beneficial effect, the wire electrode and the electrical generator (or battery pack) can be fully implanted under the skin during a separate surgical procedure.

Medication pumps Technically called intrathecal drug delivery systems, these deliver pain medication directly into the fluid that surrounds the spinal cord. They’re most often used to relieve pain from cancer or to relieve chronic back pain that’s unresponsive to more conservative therapies. They also may be used as a “last resort” option for certain types of severe chronic pain. They may be considered if a nerve stimulator fails to provide relief, or rarely, in conjunction with a nerve stimulator. Medication pumps consist of a small flexible catheter that’s placed in the spinal fluid. The catheter is connected to a drug infusion pump that’s implanted into your lower abdominal wall. The pump is programmed to dispense the drug it contains — often opioid pain medications (such as morphine) or other medications to treat nerve pain — at a set rate, and can be refilled with an injection through your skin into a sealed port on the device. A key limitation of medication pumps is the eventual development of tolerance to the drugs. Dosages of pain medication can be increased as tolerance rises, but there are limits. That’s why this therapy is generally used for people with limited life expectancy or those in extreme circumstances. One main advantage of this type of device is that the medication is delivered directly to the site of action (spinal cord), and the effective dose can be reduced by See NERVE PAIN, page 8

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B A L T I M O R E B E A C O N — M AY 2 0 1 3

It’s not too late to join 1

Kaiser Permanente’s 2013 5-Star Medicare Health Plan. Come to a FREE2 Straight-Talk Seminar to learn more.

Kaiser Permanente Medicare Plus (Cost) is the only Medicare health plan rated an excellent 5 out of 5 Stars in Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, DC, for 2013.1 And that means you can change to this plan right now, all for a $0 monthly premium.3

Marriott Towson University 10 West Burke Ave. Towson, MD May 7 at 1:00 p.m. May 17 at 1:00 p.m.

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Call now to reserve your space at a Straight-Talk Seminar. Toll free 1-877-497-9728 (TTY 711), seven days a week, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Or go to kp.org/seminarfinder/mas.

1Plan

performance Star Ratings are assessed each year and may change from one year to the next. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Health Plan Management System, Plan Ratings 2013. Kaiser Permanente contract #H2150. 2Free with no obligation. 3For our Standard Option Plan. You must continue to pay your Medicare Part B premium and any other applicable Medicare premium(s), if not otherwise paid by Medicaid or another third party. Kaiser Permanente is a health plan with a Medicare contract. You must reside in the Kaiser Permanente Medicare Plus service area in which you enroll. A sales person will be present with information and applications. For accommodations of persons with special needs at sales meetings, call toll free 1-877-497-9728 (TTY 711). Kaiser Foundation Health Plan of the Mid-Atlantic States, Inc., 2101 East Jefferson Street, Rockville, MD 20852.

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M AY 2 0 1 3 — B A L T I M O R E B E A C O N

BEACON BITS

Nerve pain

May 15

From page 6

COMMUNICATING WITH YOUR DOCTOR Learn strategies to communicate effectively with your doctor about

Alzheimer’s and make the most of each visit. This live, interactive call on Wednesday, May 15, from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. is hosted by the Alzheimer’s Association. There will be time for Q&A. Registration is required. Once you have registered you will receive the call-in number and access code. To register, call 1-800272-3900 or go online at www.alz.org/maryland/in_my_community_15542.asp.

100 fold from the equivalent dose by mouth. This greatly reduces the risk of side effects from the medications. Surgery to implant any pain device carries some risk of complications, such as infection, bleeding or even the potential for spinal cord or nerve damage. Fortunately, the risks are quite low. Nerve stimulators and medication pumps can work exceedingly well in the right situations. When effective, a reasonable goal with these devices is to reduce pain by at

least 50 percent. The main objective is to reduce pain to a manageable level, allowing improved function and quality of life. — Halena M. Gazelka, M.D., Pain Medicine-Anesthesiology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. Medical Edge from Mayo Clinic is an educational resource and doesn’t replace regular medical care. To submit a question, write to: medicaledge@mayo.edu. For health information, visit www.mayoclinic.com. © 2013 Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research. All rights reserved. Distributed by Tribune Media Services, Inc.

BEACON BITS

Apr. 24

SKIN CANCER SCREENING LifeBridge Health is offering a free visual screening of the skin by dermatologist Dr. Saif Sayed at Northwest Hospital’s Education

Center, 5401 Old Court Rd. in Randallstown, on Wednesday, April 24 beginning at 4:20 p.m. Appointments are required. Call (410) 601-9355 for more information and to register.

Apr. 25

BEREAVEMENT SUPPORT GROUP Northwest Hospital and Seasons Hospices are sponsoring a monthly bereavement support group designed to provide support

through group interaction and grief education to persons grieving the death of a loved one. The meeting with be held at the Hospital’s Education Center, 5401 Old Court Rd., in Randallstown, on April 25, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Pre-registration is required. Call (410) 601-9355 for more information.

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“Untreated hearing loss may increase your risk of Alzheimer’s”

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“Hearing loss is twice as common in adults with diabetes”

ANNALS OF INTERNAL MEDICINE (JULY 2008)

“Older people with mild hearing impairment are nearly twice as likely as those with normal hearing to develop dementia” CNN HEALTHLINE (FEBRUARY 2011)

Call Today for an Assessment (410) 318-6780 Most major insurance plans accepted

THE HEARING AND SPEECH AGENCY Improving Lives through Communication Since 1926 5900 Metro Drive | Baltimore, MD 21215 www.hasa.org | hasa@hasa.org

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Health Studies Page

THE PLACE TO LOOK FOR INFORMATION ON AREA CLINICAL TRIALS

Studying the brain’s reaction to cigarettes By Carol Sorgen Tobacco use is the leading preventable cause of disease, disability and death in the United States, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). Cigarette smoking is responsible for more than 400,000 — or about one in every five — preventable deaths in the U.S. each year. Despite the well-documented and wellpublicized health effects of smoking, many smokers find it very difficult to quit, and many others — as many as 1,200 a day — are newly becoming addicted. To help smokers break the addiction, researchers are trying to understand the many effects of nicotine on the brain and body and determine just why it is so addictive. One such study is being conducted at the NIDA Intramural Research Program on the Johns Hopkins Bayview campus in East Baltimore. Volunteers who smoke daily are now being recruited.

Your brain on nicotine Most smokers want to quit, but only about 5 percent are successful, reports William Furmanski, senior vice president for Collaboration and Outreach for Legacy (www.legacyforhealth.org), a Washington, D.C.-based national public health organization dedicated to helping people live longer, healthier lives through tobacco prevention and cessation. One reason for the difficulty in breaking

the nicotine habit may be that nicotine actually changes the way people think, making it difficult for them to realize their goals. NIDA, a part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), is conducting a study to compare how the brain works when people use — and don’t use — drugs such as nicotine. Research has shown that nicotine influences the same brain regions as other drugs of abuse, such as cocaine, heroin and marijuana. Like those drugs, nicotine increases levels of the neurotransmitter dopamine and produces lasting changes in the cells of the brain. These changes can eventually lead to addiction. Besides the proven health risks of smoking — including higher rates of heart disease, high blood pressure, and cancer — researchers are also exploring the possibility that tobacco products could act as “gateway” drugs, increasing the likelihood of abusing cocaine and possibly other drugs as well. Animal studies have shown that mice had an exaggerated response to cocaine after being “primed” with nicotine. These animal findings suggest that if nicotine has similar effects in humans, effective smoking prevention efforts could prevent the negative health consequences associated with smoking as well as lower the risk of progression and addiction to cocaine and possibly other illicit drugs.

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STUDIES ON ANEMIA Are you 65 years or older? Have you been recently diagnosed with anemia? OR Have you had anemia in the past? en you may be interested in: “THE JOHNS HOPKINS registry of older adults with anemia” • Several new research studies are being designed by researchers at Johns Hopkins University speciﬁcally for older adults with anemia. • By volunteering to join our anemia registry, you will be kept up to date on anemia research studies that match your situation.

Call us at 410-550-2113 to join the Anemia Registry today! We can conduct the study in your home. No travel is required. If you choose to come to Bayview to participate, your parking will be paid.

We look forward to hearing from you! Principal Investigator: Dr. Jeremy Walston, MD. IRB application No: NA_00035307

Who is eligible for the study? NIDA’s research studies will help find out how nicotine affects the body and brain (similar studies are being done on other drugs such as cocaine and marijuana). The purpose of Study #430, as it is being called, is to determine how smokers respond to things that may remind them of smoking. This study is accepting men and women who are between the ages of 18 and 64, who are generally healthy, and who smoke cigarettes every day. The study consists of three visits to the

Johns Hopkins Bayview campus. Each visit will last two to five hours and will take place within the course of one week. Participants will provide urine and breath samples, work on a task to get puffs from cigarettes, complete various written and computer-based thinking tasks, and complete questionnaires about smoking and mood. Participants will be paid for their time and travel. To see if you are eligible to participate in this study, call 1-800-535-8254 for a confidential screening.

Diabetes Research Study 50-80 year old men & women with Type 2 Diabetes are needed to participate in an exercise research study at the University of Maryland/Baltimore VA Medical Center. Call 410-605-7179. Mention code: EPC-DM.

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Healthy aging From page 1 people are currently enrolled; in all, there have been more than 3,000 participants over the past 55 years. Those entering the BLSA must be at least 20 years old and commit to spending two to three days at NIA every two to three years for intensive testing — on everything from cardiovascular health to personality. “At the end of this visit, they do a survey and the most important complaint is that they do not have enough time to go to the

bathroom because we test them constantly,” he joked. “Up to about 10 years ago, almost everything we knew about aging was coming from the BLSA,” Ferrucci, said. “In the last 10 to 15 years, there has been a groundswell of interest, as many other people are starting to study aging.”

Cornerstone findings The BLSA has documented some sweeping discoveries about older adults, including the concept that there is no chronological timetable of aging; everyone ages differently.

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Also, while people’s bodies change as they age, a number of disorders that typically occur in old age are a result of disease processes, not normal aging as had previously been thought. Ferrucci said a few of the most important findings from the study are the following: • The development of the glucose tolerance test to diagnose diabetes was due to the BLSA. • The study discovered that artery stiffness is a strong predictor for cardiovascular disease. • In autopsies of some of the study patients, their brains showed all the hallmarks of severe Alzheimer’s, yet they were able to function normally with no signs of dementia. (Those in the study are encouraged to agree to an autopsy, but it is not required.)

“If we could understand why some people escape the devastation of Alzheimer’s, that would be a very good way to develop new treatment strategies,” Ferrucci said. • The decline in strength during aging is much more severe than the decline in muscle mass indicates. “Not only do the muscles become smaller, their quality seems to decline. If we could understand the biological process, we could implement strategies that would allow us to prevent muscle decline and some of the disability that occurs with aging,” he said. • People maintain the same personality for their whole lives. “There are some stereotypes that people become more vicious and grumpy as they age, but BLSA data show See HEALTHY AGING, page 11

BEACON BITS

May 29

BEHAVIORAL HEALTH FAIR The 15th Annual Baltimore County Behavioral Health Fair and

Town Meeting will be held Wednesday, May 29, from 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at Oregon Ridge Park, 13401 Beaver Dam Rd. in Cockeysville. Learn from individuals who have coped with behavioral health issues and have been successful in improving their health. A consumer panel will offer suggestions on resources they have used. Lunch will be provided. For more information, contact Susan Parks at (410) 235-1178 or sparks@mhamd.org.

SHE RELEARNED HOW TO HOLD A BRUSH.

NOW TOMORROW LOOKS BETTER THAN EVER.

At the Louis and Phyllis Friedman Neurological Rehabilitation Center at Sinai Hospital, we’re committed to giving people like Patricia Gardner-Smith a renewed sense of hope. Following a stroke, Patricia experienced right-sided weakness, which caused her difficulty walking, talking and even swallowing, but our team of dedicated physicians, therapists and nurses helped her regain her strength and relearn functional skills such as eating and grooming. Now at home with her husband, she continues to progress every day. Learn more at lifebridgehealth.org/sinairehab.

410-601-WELL (9355) www.lifebridgehealth.org/sinairehab

at 410-601-4795

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B A L T I M O R E B E A C O N — M AY 2 0 1 3

Healthy aging From page 10 this is actually not the case…When change in personality occurs, it usually indicates there is some pathologic problem, some disease is occurring,” Ferrucci said.

Aging ideally Intrigued by the fact that some of the older study participants remain healthy while others don’t, Ferrucci began the IDEAL study two years ago. “What we’ve realized is that being a centenarian is not what people really want. What people want is to be long-lived [and] to live those lives as fully and joyfully as possible. The real outcome everyone wants is to be old and healthy — to live many years, but not have disease or disability.” The IDEAL study is now recruiting participants age 80 or older who can walk a quarter mile unassisted, have no severe memory problems, and have no major

medical conditions. These healthy agers will be compared with ones in the BLSA who have had more problems as they’ve grown older. Only about one-tenth of one percent of the population fits the criteria for the IDEAL study, Ferrucci said. There are currently about 70 patients in the study, primarily from the Baltimore and Washington areas. Participants must spend two to three days at NIA each year for a battery of tests — including six hours of cognitive testing and an MRI of the brain, as well as testing of walking ability, vision, hearing, personality and more. As he approaches 60, Ferrucci is applying his decades of research to his own life. His wife and two children in their 20s live in Italy, and he said he plans to be around for his grandchildren and beyond. He follows a Mediterranean diet, including fruit and yogurt for breakfast; a lot of vegetables, nuts, fish and olive oil; a small amount of carbohydrates; and wine several times a week.

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Ongoing

Sign up for the electronic version of “The Caregiver Connection,” a quarterly newsletter for caregivers of older adults, at www.baltimorecountymd.gov/subscribe, and receive the newsletter in your email account.

Ongoing

JOIN A CAREGIVING SUPPORT GROUP

Share the challenges of caregiving, meet other caregivers, and learn ways to manage stress at a new bi-weekly support group at Saint Agnes Hospital. The group meets every other Monday evening from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at the New Saint Agnes Cancer Institute at 3407 Wilkens Ave. The next group meets on April 29. Call Will Bundesen, LGSW, at (410) 368-2587 for more information.

Online

RESOURCE FOR CAREGIVERS Check out the online caregiving support offered from the National Family Caregiving Association Community at www.nfca.lotsahelpinghands.com.

Ferrucci runs three to five miles several times a week and insists on getting at least six to six and one-half hours of sleep a night. And he’s preparing for a time when he’s older. Worried he won’t be able to run for too many more years, Ferrucci is taking up tennis as an alternative, less intensive exercise. He also believes it’s important to cultivate interests and social interaction. He’s honing his art skills, noting his mother painted while she was in her 90s. And he’s cooking up a storm. “My friends feel the best Italian restaurant in Baltimore is my house,” said Ferrucci,

who lives in Roland Park. He’s also trying to learn as much as he can from the patients in his studies. “Friday is the best day of the week for me because I go to the clinic and talk with the patients. I’ve learned about mobility problems, about their everyday worries and concerns,” he said “Unless you see them, unless you talk to them personally, your awareness of them as individuals and not just numbers is just not there.” To find out more about the IDEAL study, call toll free 1-855-80-IDEAL (43325) or email IDEAL@westat.com.

Seeking Men and Women The University of Maryland & Veterans Aﬀairs of Baltimore are conducting a research study to better understand balance & prevent falls as we age. With your participation you will receive:

• Health evaluation • Balance, step, strength, and/or ﬂexibility exercises • Compensation for your time For Information, please call the Baltimore VA/University of Maryland Gerontology Recruitment Phone Line

410-605-7179 Mention code: LIFT *You must be at least 65 years old and in good health *Participants will be seen at the Baltimore VA Medical Center and University of Maryland School of Medicine for approximately 41 visits for 1 to 4 hours of time per visit

Diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease? Depressed? Are you or someone you know experiencing persistent aches, sad, anxious or empty feelings? Have you had a loss of appetite, increased irritability, restlessness or insomnia? We are conducting a research study to examine this and to see if a drug called venlafaxine may help people with Alzheimer’s Disease who are depressed.

To learn more about the study Call Jane Pollutra, RN at The Johns Hopkins Memory and Alzheimer’s Treatment Center

410-550-4258 Approved October 15, 2012

Paul Rosenberg, M.D. JHU IRB Application #: NA_00066043

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You’re on top of your medications. But we make a good back up. You know it’s important to stay on your medications exactly as prescribed. However, if you miss a dose, want a lower-cost alternative, or experience any side effects, we can answer any questions. Speak to your local CVS Pharmacist to learn more. Find a store near you at www.cvs.com

M AY 2 0 1 3 — B A L T I M O R E B E A C O N

014331RXX11

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B A L T I M O R E B E A C O N — M AY 2 0 1 3

Health Shorts Avoid steroid shots for tennis elbow Commonly used corticosteroid shots may worsen tennis elbow in the long run and increase chances that the painful condition will reappear, a small study found. So-called tennis elbow is caused by repetitive activity or overuse of the arm, which can cause small tears in tendons that attach to the elbow bone. Rest, applying ice, and over-the-counter pain medicine can help relieve symptoms. Researchers at the University of Queensland enrolled 165 adults aged 18 and older suffering from tennis elbow. They were divided into four treatment groups: a single steroid injection; a shot of a dummy liquid; a steroid shot plus about eight weekly half-hour sessions of physical therapy; or a dummy injection plus physical therapy, After four weeks, steroid patients fared best, but after one year, those who didn’t get a steroid shot did better: All the patients who had physical therapy without steroids and 93 percent who got just dummy injections reported complete re-

covery or much improvement, versus about 83 percent of those who had steroids with or without physical therapy. A recurrence of tennis elbow was reported by about half of the patients in both steroid groups, compared with just 5 percent of the physical therapy patients and 20 percent in the placebo group. While the study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, echoes previous findings, injections of cortisone or similar steroids are still widely recommended by doctors to treat tennis elbow and similar conditions, probably because they can provide short-term pain relief. One reason steroid injections aren’t always the best choice is that they reduce the pain without fixing the underlying problem, so patients are more likely to resume activity too soon, said Dr. Michael Perry, a sports medicine specialist at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago.

istration (FDA) approved the Argus II Retinal Prosthesis System as the first treatment for the disorder that causes the breakdown of cells in the retina. The technology will initially be available only to a small number of patients, but could eventually be used to treat vision disorders that affect millions of people, including macular degeneration. The device was approved in Europe in late 2011. The system includes a small video camera and transmitter mounted on a pair of glasses. Images from the camera are processed into electronic data that is wirelessly transmitted to electrodes implanted into the patient’s retina. The FDA approved the device from Second Sight Medical Products for patients who have advanced retinitis pigmentosa. The inventor, Dr. Robert Greenberg, first

proposed the technology as a doctoral student at Johns Hopkins University’s medical school about 20 years ago. He founded Second Sight to develop the technology in 1998. Results from a study of 30 patients with the condition showed that most were able to perform daily activities better with the implant than without it. Activities included navigating sidewalks and curbs, matching different color socks, and recognizing large words or sentences.

FDA approves targeted breast cancer drug The FDA has approved a first-of-a-kind See HEALTH SHORTS, page 14

Gentle Foot Care in Your Home Diabetic foot exams Corns/calluses Wound/infection care Toenail fungus

Prosthetic retina restores some vision Patients who have lost their sight due to retinitis pigmentosa, a rare inherited disorder, may be able to regain some vision using a new device implanted in their retinas. In February, the Food and Drug Admin-

Dr. Richard Rosenblatt DPM

Over 25 years experience

410-358-0544 6606 Park Heights Avenue Baltimore, MD

Same Day, Weekend and Evening appointments. Most Insurance Accepted

Quality Home Eye Care Visits For Beacon Readers Dr. Thomas Azman, O.D. is a Baltimore-based yet world renowned Low Vision Specialist dedicating his life to helping individuals of all ages who suffer from vision problems. For 38 years, Dr. Azman has provided unique comprehensive eye care to patients challenged by macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma, stargardt's, albinism, retinitis pigmentosa, obesity and any other condition affecting eyesight. In addition to routine eye examinations, Dr. Azman helps patients who have been told by their doctors that 'nothing' can be done to help their vision problems and that

eyeglasses will not help them see any better. With over 98% success rate, Dr. Azman has helped thousands of patients regain vision, independence and a quality of life they could only imagine. His patients now can drive, read their mail, write, paint, play cards, see a menu, recognize faces, watch TV, and enjoy live theater. Dr. Azman is known amongst Dr. Azman with homecare patient Geraldine Soellner. his patients as the "Miracle Eye Doctor". You can be assured from your Dr. Azman is available for home visits throughout Maryland and Virginia. first phone call, Dr. Azman and his Call 1-888-343-6198 today for your personal staff will treat you with appointment. respect, compassion, and care.

Home Eye Care Specialists 1-888-343-6198 | HomeEyeCareMD.com Serving Maryland and Virginia

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Health shorts From page 13 breast cancer medication that targets tumor cells while sparing healthy ones. The drug Kadcyla, from Roche’s Genen-

M AY 2 0 1 3 — B A L T I M O R E B E A C O N

tech unit, combines the established drug Herceptin with a powerful chemotherapy drug and a third chemical linking the medicines together. The chemical keeps the cocktail intact until it binds to a cancer cell, delivering a potent dose of anti-tumor poison.

BEACON BITS

May 8

GRIEF AND LOSS LECTURES

The Fifteenth Annual Irvin B. Levinson Memorial Lecture Series on Death, Dying and Bereavement will be held on Wednesday, May 8 from 6 to 9:15 p.m. at Sol Levinson & Bros., Inc., 8900 Reisterstown Rd. in Pikesville. This year’s lecture features Kay Redfield Jamison, Ph.D., speaking on “Nothing Was the Same: Grief and Loss,” and Rabbi Stuart Weinblatt presenting “Living in the Shadow of Death: Lessons for Living.” The program is open to the community at no charge. Seating is limited and will be available beginning at 5:15 p.m. on a first-come, first-served basis. No registration is required and no reservations can be accepted. For more information, call (410) 466-9200.

Enjoy Your Favorite Foods Again Implant-Supported Dentures provide the strong, natural feel of real teeth and are SURPRISINGLY AFFORDABLE

Cancer researchers say the drug is an important step forward because it delivers more medication while reducing the unpleasant side effects of chemotherapy. “This antibody goes seeking out the tumor cells, gets internalized, and then explodes them from within. So it’s very kind and gentle on the patients — there’s no hair loss, no nausea, no vomiting,” said Dr. Melody Cobleigh of Rush University Medical Center, who helped conduct key studies of the drug. “It’s a revolutionary way of treating cancer.” The FDA approved the new treatment for about 20 percent of breast cancer patients with a form of the disease that is typically more aggressive and less responsive to hormone therapy. These patients have tumors that overproduce a protein known as HER-2. Patients taking Kadcyla lived about 2.6

years, compared with 2 years for patients taking the other drugs. Roche estimates a full course of Kadcyla, about nine months of medicine, will cost $94,000. FDA specifically approved the drug for patients with advanced breast cancer who have already been treated with Herceptin and taxane, a widely used chemotherapy drug. However, doctors are not required to follow FDA prescribing guidelines, and cancer researchers say the drug could have great potential in other patients as well. Kadcyla will carry a boxed warning, the most severe type, alerting doctors and patients that the drug can cause liver toxicity, heart problems and potentially death. The drug can also cause severe birth defects and should not be used by pregnant women. — AP

BEACON BITS

Apr. 27

FREE DOCUMENT SHREDDING AT SEVEN OAKS Clean out your files and bring them to Seven Oaks Senior Center

on Saturday, April 27, from 9 a.m. to noon. To help protect your privacy, the center is offering free document shredding of personal information. Attendees may

For a free brochure and consultation call 1-800-847-0494 www.TheDentalCenter.org • Dr. Edward Leventhal 3 convenient locations: Perry Hall, Pikesville and Glen Burnie

bring five standard sized boxes of paper material. Paper clips, staples, folders, credit cards and CDs are all acceptable. Seven Oaks Senior Center is located at 9210 Seven Courts Dr. For more information, call (410) -887-5192.

Treating Difficulty Standing or Walking, attributed to Arthritis, Spinal Stenosis, Neuropathy, Poor Circulation or Poor Balance I am a patient who had severe foot pain for 2 years, with no relief in sight....by the end of the 4 days I was 85% pain free in both feet. I thank God for Dr. Goldman and his passion for research in healing people with foot and leg pain.

How fortunate I feel to have found a doctor who could not only diagnose an underlying problem that many specialists missed, but who has been able to find a painless and rapid method of relieving the worst symptoms.

– Alvin, Baltimore

– Susan, Baltimore

As a podiatrist with over 30 years experience, I have always focused on non-surgical treatment of foot and leg pain. I find that most people with foot or leg symptoms (arthritic, aching, burning, cramping or difficulty walking) , even those who have had other treatments, including surgery of the foot (or back), can be helped, usually in 1or 2 visits.

Stuart Goldman, DPM

410-235-2345

4419 Falls Road, Suite A, Baltimore 4000 Old Court Road, Suite 301, Pikesville

— Dr. Stuart Goldman Fellow American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons Marquis Who’s Who in Medicine and Healthcare Author, multiple articles on Foot & Leg Symptoms

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APARTMENT HOMES FOR ACTIVE ADULTS 62 OR BETTER Regency Crest is an extraordinarily carefree community because of the convenient lifestyle enjoyed by those who live here. We go the extra mile to provide our residents with distinctive amenities and service that cannot be found in ordinary active adult communities. COMMUNITY AMENITIES • Beautiful club room with theatre and demonstration kitchen • Salon • Indoor saltwater pool • Yoga studio & classes • Bingo, and many more planned activities • Movie theatre & Billiards Room • Business center – 24 hours • Incredible courtyard and meditation garden with koi pond and gazebo • Guest suites PLANNED ACTIVITIES SUCH AS WATER AEROBICS, RESIDENT MIXERS, COOKING CLASSES, ZUMBA, MOVIE NIGHTS, BBQ’S AND MANY MORE!

3305 Oak West Drive Ellicott City, MD 21043

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B A L T I M O R E B E A C O N — M AY 2 0 1 3

Why do so many avoid gluten and lactose? Q: So many people follow a gluten- consumption of lactose with greater risk of free or lactose-free diet today. Do they ovarian cancer, the overall evidence is not play a role in reducing conclusive, and some animal cancer risk? research shows possible proA: For people who have celitective effects of lactose in the ac disease, closely following a colon. gluten-free diet is vital. Gluten High consumption of dairy is a protein in wheat, rye and products is linked with inbarley that poses no risk to creased risk of prostate canmost people, but for people cer, especially advanced or with this condition, it damages fatal forms. But this may rethe intestines, and that could late to excess consumption or increase risk of cancer. calcium or some other compoPeople with celiac disease NUTRITION nent of milk, not lactose itself. can eat a well-balanced diet, re- WISE Overall, research shows no placing these three grains that By Karen Collins, reduction in cancer risk by are harmful to them with pota- MS, RD, CDM avoiding foods with lactose toes, rice, soy, amaranth, (dairy products) if you are not quinoa, buckwheat, beans, and lactose-intolerant. In fact, AICR’s starch or flour made from them. expert report and its updates link consumpHowever, for people without conditions tion of dairy products with lower risk of colon that make them sensitive to gluten, re- cancer. search shows no cancer protection from Q: Do stevia sweeteners offer any speavoiding it. In fact, whole-grain foods con- cial advantage because they are natural? taining gluten can be good sources of fiber A: Keep in mind that “natural” on food and antioxidant phytochemicals that may labels has no legal definition; in fact, stevia be cancer-protective. sweeteners are highly purified compounds For people who can’t digest lactose, a technically called steviol glycosides, promilk sugar, the problem is the uncomfort- duced as extracts of the stevia plant. Reable cramping and diarrhea that result search does not identify these products as from consuming it. any more beneficial to health than other Although a few studies have linked high zero-calorie sweeteners.

•

• •

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Stevia sweeteners are available under several different brand names and are 200 to 300 times sweeter than sugar. So in the small amounts needed to sweeten foods, they are essentially calorie-free. Like other calorie-free sweeteners, stevia sweeteners do not raise blood sugars and are safe for people with diabetes. Substituting sweeteners like this for a single teaspoon of sugar only saves 16 calories. But in foods or drinks in which it replaces larger amounts of sugar, stevia and

other zero-calorie sweeteners can make a significant calorie difference over time. Of course, when added to desserts or to soft drinks to replace some sugar, those foods still contain calories from the other ingredients. “Reduced-calorie” foods are not “zero-calorie.” Stevia sweeteners are one of many options for adding sweetness without calories. Yet even though some refer to stevia as “natural,” See NUTRITION WISE, page 17

A HOME-STYLE RESIDENCE WITH A FAMILY FEEL Three generations of our family have operated College Manor since we founded it in 1952.

This is what 101 years old looks like at College Manor. My mother has been a resident of College Manor for over seven years. It has provided a warm, loving, caring, activity- filled atmosphere and is truly an “extended family” assisted living home. – Daughter, Judy

The Green House Residences is the perfect place to get you back on your feet following orthopedic and cardiac procedures. Our goal is to get you back home! Offering the following amenities: •All Private Rooms•All Private Bathrooms•Home-Style Dining•Occupational Therapy•Speech Therapy•Physical Therapy•24/7 Nursing Coverage•TV, Cable, wireless Internet•Lovely Screened-In Porches

Spacious private rooms Nutritious and delicious meals Compassionate Staff • Gorgeous 11 acre campus Stimulating fun activities

reach me by calling 410-252-0440 Jane Banks, Owner and Administrator

For your personal tour, call 443-414-6218

300 W. Seminary Avenue Lutherville MD, 21093 | 410-252-0440 E XTENDED FAMILY

All faiths welcomed

Please accept my personal invitation for a complimentary lunch and a personally guided tour of College Manor. You can

A SSISTED L IVING

www.collegemanor.com

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M AY 2 0 1 3 — B A L T I M O R E B E A C O N

Now New & Improved

The Jacuzzi® Walk-In Hot Tub… your own personal fountain of youth. The world’s leader in hydrotherapy and relaxation makes bathing safe, comfortable and affordable. 100% guaranteed not to leak. The high 17” seat enables you to sit comfortably while you bathe and to access the easy-to-reach controls. Best of all, your tub comes with the patented Jacuzzi® PointPro® jet system with a new jet pattern– which gives you a perfectly balanced water-to-air ratio to massage you thoroughly but gently. These

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temperature. The tub features a high gloss acrylic coating which is more durable, scratch resistant and easier to clean than traditional gel-coat surfaces. It’s American made with full metal frame construction and comes with a limited lifetime warranty on both the tub and the operating system. Isn’t it time you rediscovered the comfort and luxury of a soothing therapeutic hot tub experience again? Call now and knowledgeable product experts will answer any questions and you can have one in your home next week. Don’t wait, call now.

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emember the feeling you had the first time you got into a hot tub? The warm water, the energizing bubbles and the gentle hydrotherapy of the jets left you feeling relaxed and rejuvenated. Aches and pains seemed to fade away, and the bubbling sound of the water helped put you in a carefree and contented mood. The first time I ever got in a hot tub at a resort, I said to myself “One of these days I’m going to have one of these in my home– so I can experience this whenever I want.” Now that I’m older, I’d still like to have the pain relief and relaxation, but I have to be careful about slipping and falling in the bathroom. That’s why I was thrilled to find out that Jacuzzi, Inc. had combined the safety of a walk-in bath with the benefits of a hot tub. Now that I have one in my home I can have that luxurious resort experience… whenever I want.

Say you saw it in the Beacon | Fitness & Health

B A L T I M O R E B E A C O N — M AY 2 0 1 3

Try linden herb tea, with doctor’s blessing Dear Pharmacist: an essential oil called farnesol, which At one of your lectures, I heard you helps relax the cardiovascular system. say you drink linden tea at night, but This may have a positive impact on aryou never said why. What rhythmias while also curbing is it and why is it somestress. Most people report thing you like? feeling relaxed and even — L.P. drowsy. Linden can also help Dear L.P.: with indigestion as well as Linden herb is chock-full of nausea and vomiting. antioxidants and ingredients This is interesting. Linden that impact your cardiovascular, mildly reduces blood pressure digestive and respiratory tract. because the farnesol it conLinden herb is awesome, and tains acts like a natural calcibecause it has so many health um channel blocker (drugs DEAR benefits, I incorporate it into that are in this category inPHARMACIST many home-made herbal teas. clude amlodipine, nifedipine By Suzy Cohen You may not have heard of and diltiazem among others). it before, but this centuriesLinden also is a mild diuretold herb has been historically used as a ic and gently dilates blood vessels allowing non-narcotic treatment to help with mild blood to flow more freely. Sweet, if you insomnia and anxiety. have high blood pressure! That said, don’t One of the active ingredients in linden is give up your medication. I don’t think it’s

Nutrition Wise From page 15 adding it (or any other zero-calorie sweetener) to a food or drink with no nutritional value does not suddenly turn it into “health food.” The American Institute for Cancer Research offers a Nutrition Hotline, 1-800843-8114, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday

through Friday. This free service allows you to ask questions about diet, nutrition and cancer. A registered dietitian will return your call, usually within three business days. Courtesy of the American Institute for Cancer Research. Questions for this column may be sent to “Nutrition Wise,” 1759 R St., NW, Washington, DC 20009. Collins cannot respond to questions personally.

as strong as medicine unless you combine it with other antihypertensive herbs. Linden is also capable of soothing the upper respiratory tract, great if you have a cold or flu. It promotes sweating, so this as a great natural way to break a fever and release toxins from your body. It also has natural antiseptic properties so it could ward off infections. Having both expectorant and anti-inflammatory properties, linden can help thin mucus, and this could be very soothing for some people, especially those with bronchitis, emphysema, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) or asthma. In addition, linden supports liver health and enhances bile secretion. These actions help you eliminate toxins better. Linden is not that popular (yet), so if you want it, there are only a few options: Dried herb is sold online and at some health food stores. Just make tea like I do (one table-

spoon herb per cup of water). For a stronger effect, buy a pure extract made by Herb Pharm or capsules made by Nature’s Way. Linden is a gorgeous tree. But if you have one, be careful harvesting from it because of possible skin reaction. Also, too much linden can adversely affect the heart. Because it has widespread effects on the body, head to toe, it could interact with medications, especially lithium and diuretics. It’s important to ask your doctor if new herbs, even great ones like linden, are appropriate for you. This information is opinion only. It is not intended to treat, cure or diagnose your condition. Consult with your doctor before using any new drug or supplement. Suzy Cohen is a registered pharmacist and the author of The 24-Hour Pharmacist and Real Solutions from Head to Toe. To contact her, visit www.dearpharmacist.com.

BEACON BITS

June 6

TAKE A TRIP TO DUTCH APPLE THEATER Seven Oaks Senior Center invites you to join them on a trip to

Dutch Apple Theater to see Cats on Thursday, June 6. The cost is $48. To register, call (410) 887-5192.

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M AY 2 0 1 3 — B A L T I M O R E B E A C O N

Always saving for a rainy day brews storm Dear Solutions: pen. You must achieve some practical balAll our life, my husband Bill has in- ance. sisted on “saving for a The trouble with Bill is that rainy day.” As a result, we he’s making every day into a have kept putting off lots of rainy day. Tell him he’d better vacations I wanted to take. let some sunshine in — some He’s just retired, and I pleasure before that rainy day want to take a long vacation turns into a stormy marriage! on some of those beautiful exDear Solutions: otic sunny islands I’ve always I live in a community read about. He says now, eswith many retired seniors. pecially as we get older, we A local newspaper put out have to be practical and think a call for a senior to write a SOLUTIONS about rainy days ahead. column. It was a competiWe’re not rich, but we’re By Helen Oxenberg, tion. not paupers, either. We just MSW, ACSW Two of the people who keep arguing. How can I live here thought it would change his attitude? What can I say to be fun and applied for it. I also aphim when he worries that we’ll never plied. know when that rainy day may come? They are not writers or journalists and — Tillie just thought this would be fun. I am a reDear Tillie: tired professional in a field that relates to Tell him if he takes that vacation, he’ll fi- the subject the newspaper wanted, and I nally know when that rainy day will come. am also a freelance writer. It will come as soon as you get settled on My column was chosen. Now one of that sunny beach — guaranteed! the women tells people that I “stole” Seriously, you can keep saving forever, their idea and she’s very hostile to me but no umbrella is big enough to protect and berates me every time I happen to against every raindrop. cross her path. This is very upsetting There will always be a certain amount of to me since I had no idea what their risk. That’s life. You can’t keep putting off column proposal was about. living, waiting for the “catastrophe” to hapI need some suggestions as to how

to deal with her anger and sarcasm because no matter what I say, she still leaves angry. — Lil Dear Lil: Evidently, she wraps herself in indignation and leaves with it. You can’t strip her of this jealousy, which is hiding inside as moral indignation, by arguing and/or defending yourself. All you can do is remain calm, tell her you’re sorry she feels this way and that you hope she can get past this and allow both of you to get to a better place in your relationship. Then move on. It takes a lot of maturity to deal with someone like this. You probably can’t change her, so your best bet is to just ignore her outbursts. Dear Solutions: This may be a strange pet peeve, but it really annoys me. It’s the music that is played constantly wherever I am. Ever y store I go to has music playing, and it’s not music I appreciate, either. If I have to wait on the phone for “the next available,” they think I can’t wait unless they play music. I’d like that time to think my own thoughts or to review what I’m calling about. Is it just me? Do you think I’m just a

grumpy old man? I think silence is golden. What do these other people who are playing music all the time think? — Sam Dear Sam: They think silence is deafening. There evidently is a feeling today that there’s an empty space between your ears, and it must be filled in or you may walk away, or, even worse, heaven forbid, you may hang up the phone! I’m on your side. I’m pro-choice about the music I want to hear. Unfortunately we’re not on the winning side. You could try voicing your complaint to these companies, but don’t count on results. I doubt if you can be heard above the music! [Editor’s note: Here’s another suggestion. If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em. Get an MP3 player and load it with music that you like, or with podcasts of speakers you enjoy, and wear your earpods with pride! Even if you don’t turn the thing on, the earphones will help block out the elevator music around you. Of course, none of this will help when you’re on hold…] © Helen Oxenberg, 2013. Questions to be considered for this column may be sent to: The Beacon, P.O. Box 2227, Silver Spring, MD 20915. You may also email the author at helox72@comcast.net. To inquire about reprint rights, call (609) 655-3684.

B A L T I M O R E B E A C O N — M AY 2 0 1 2

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Housing Options | Say you saw it in the Beacon

M AY 2 0 1 3 — B A L T I M O R E B E A C O N

How to make your home aging-friendly By Jim Miller Dear Savvy Senior: My husband and I are both in our 60s and are interested in making some modest changes to our home to make it more practical as we age, but aren’t sure what to do. What resources can you recommend to help us figure this out? Homebodies Dear Homebodies: Most people, like you and your husband, want to stay living in their own home. But

being able to do so often depends on how easy it will be to get around the house if you develop physical limitations. Here are some helpful resources you can turn to, to get an idea of what types of improvements you should make that will make your home safer and more convenient as you grow older.

Get informed A good first step in making your house aging-friendly is to do a home assessment.

Go through your house, room by room as if you’ve never set foot in it before, looking for problem areas like potential tripping or slipping hazards, and areas that are hard to access. To help you with this, there are various organizations that offer published lists of questions to ask, and things to look for to identify problems. The Fall Prevention Center of Excellence (see www.homemods.org), for example, offers a number of online checklists including one called “How Well Does Your Home Meet Your Needs?” You can obtain it directly at www.homeneedschecklist.org. Or download and print off the National Caregivers Library “Home Modification Checklist” at www.caregiverslibrary.org — click on “Checklists & Forms,” then on “Housing” to get there. AARP also has an excellent resource

called “The AARP Home Fit Guide” that provides a checklist and tips to keep your home safe and livable as you age. You can access it at www.homefitguide.org, or if you’re an AARP member, call 1-888-6872277 and ask them to mail you a free copy.

Personalized advice If you want more personalized help, consider getting a professional in-home assessment with an occupational therapist. An occupational therapist, or OT, can evaluate the challenges and shortcomings of your home, make modification recommendations, and refer you to products and services to help you make improvements. Ask your doctor for a referral to an OT in your area. Your local Area Agency on Aging can also help you find nearby therapists. (See box on See AGING IN PLACE, page B-3

Area Agencies on Aging for the Greater Baltimore area include: Anne Arundel County Department of Aging and Disabilities: (410) 222-4464 CARE Services, Baltimore City Health Department: (410) 396-4932 Baltimore County Department of Aging: (410) 887-2108 Carroll County Bureau of Aging & Disabilities: (410) 386-3800 Harford County Office on Aging: (410) 638-3025 Howard County Office on Aging: (410) 313-6410

ROLAND PARK PLACE

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Now that Mom’s at The Maples, our time together is all about the good stuff. Our community is lovely, our programming stimulating, our amenities top-notch, but ultimately assisted living is about quality of care and The Maples is simply the best – care you can trust, so you can take the worry out of your relationship. We’ve earned our reputation by being the best in Towson for more than fifteen years. Come for a visit. See the community against which the others should be judged.

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A primer on continuing care communities Imagine hunting for a new home, making high-stakes healthcare decisions, and negotiating a complex business deal — all at the same time. That’s the challenge facing those considering a move to a continuing-care retirement community. These communities, known as CCRCs, typically offer independent-living units as well as assisted-living and skilled-nursing facilities, allowing them to serve everyone

from active newcomers to older residents requiring round-the-clock care. Seniors move in to enjoy amenities such as libraries, golf courses and posh dining rooms while they’re healthy, and to receive excellent skilled-nursing care if they fall ill. When all the pieces fall into place, that’s exactly what happens. But finding a CCRC that fits your vision of a financially secure retirement may require some hard-nosed nego-

tiation with the facility’s management and detailed analysis of the development’s finances. You’ll need to assess your ability to pay monthly fees that may rise faster than inflation. And with the typical CCRC charging six-figure entrance fees, you’ll need to understand the size of any refund that you or your heirs may receive if you decide to move or when you die. Some CCRCs may be struggling with fi-

nancial challenges. Amid the housing downturn, many CCRCs saw occupancy rates drop because prospective residents had trouble selling their homes. Many also offer a growing array of complex contract types, offering residents a number of options, but calling for the eye of an attorney.

Aging in place

friendly as you age, such as securing throw rugs with double-sided tape to avoid tripping, installing brighter full-spectrum bulbs in existing light fixtures to improve visibility, and adding grab bars to the bathroom for support. There are also a number of bigger, more extensive projects like installing a stair-lift or elevator for multi-floor access, and replacing the tub with a walk-in shower for easier entry and exit. To get a list of more aging-friendly home improvement ideas and illustrations, see the National Aging in Place Council website at www.ageinplace.org — click on “Practical Advice” then on “Making Your Home Senior Friendly.” Another good resource that’s loaded with tips and universal design ideas is the AARP Guide to Revitalizing Your Home. It’s available in book stores nationwide as well as online at sites like Amazon.com for around $16. Send your senior questions to: Savvy Sen-

ior, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070, or visit SavvySenior.org. Jim Miller is a con-

tributor to the NBC Today show and author of “The Savvy Senior” book.

page B-2 or call the Eldercare Locator at 1800-677-1116 for contact information.) Many health insurance providers, including Medicare, will pay for a home assessment by an OT if prescribed by your doctor. However, they will not cover the physical upgrades to the home. Another good option is to contact a builder who’s a Certified Aging in Place Specialist (CAPS). He or she can suggest ways to modify your home that will fit your needs and budget. To find one, go to the National Association of Home Builders website at www.nahb.org/hireacaps where you can search by state and zip code.

Home modifications ideas There are dozens of small, simple things you can do to make your home more user-

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From page B-2

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Housing Options | Say you saw it in the Beacon

CCRCs From page B-3

Decoding contract options Traditionally, CCRCs offered “life care” or type A contracts, which typically involve high entrance fees but limit future cost in-

M AY 2 0 1 3 — B A L T I M O R E B E A C O N

creases for long-term care services. By prepaying for long-term care, residents are limiting their risks if care costs skyrocket. While these contracts are still common, many CCRCs also offer other options. These include “modified” or type B contracts, which typically have lower entrance

fees but include only a limited amount of assisted living and nursing care in the initial fee. This contract potentially requires residents to shoulder higher fees as their care needs increase. Fee-for-service, or type C, contracts may have lower entrance fees than type A or B contracts but require residents to pay for care at the market rate when they need services. The choice of contract can depend on your ability to absorb future cost increases, health status and risk tolerance. With a type A contract, “If you prepay all that medical care and die within the first few years in the community, you would have been better off with fee-for-service,” said James Ciprich, wealth manager at RegentAtlantic Capital, in Morristown, N.J.

Fees and finances No matter what type of contract you’re considering, ask for a breakdown of all fees and a history of past fee increases — and understand what you’re getting for those fees. An entrance fee is a one-time, upfront charge that usually doesn’t buy you ownership interest in a CCRC apartment. Instead, it allows you to occupy the unit, and typically guarantees you access to longterm care at the facility. Monthly fees, meanwhile, may cover meals, housekeeping, maintenance and activities, along with some or all healthcare services. Plan on monthly fees increasing at least 4 to 6 percent annually while you’re in the

independent-living unit — and potentially steeper increases for assisted-living or skilled-nursing stays. Many CCRCs say they have a “benevolent fund” to assist residents who run out of money. The question is: “For how long and in what circumstances?” said Doris Hawks, an elder law attorney in Los Altos, Cal. The details should be spelled out in the contract. Check recent annual reports for details on the benevolent fund. Given the growing needs of an aging community, these funds can run dry. Also review CCRC agreements for provisions governing discharge from the facility. Facilities may attempt to discharge residents if they run out of money or develop above-average care needs, said Eric Carlson, directing attorney at the National Senior Citizens Law Center. Check for specific circumstances that might justify the facility forcing out a resident, Carlson said. “Look out for fuzzy language,” he said, such as involuntary discharges being allowed for “good cause.” With CCRCs eager to fill empty units, there is often room to negotiate fees and other contract provisions. For example, you might negotiate to pay half of the entrance fee now and half in a year. Another bargaining chip is a refund of entrance fees, which may be paid to you if you move out or to your estate if you die. Contracts can include such provisions as promSee CCRCs, page B-5

PICKERSGILL RETIREMENT COMMUNITY

Value. Independence. Confidence. Common threads in the fabric of retirement freedom For more than two centuries, Pickersgill Retirement Community has had one vision—providing value, independence and confidence for seniors. We are the area’s only rental, continuing care community, with no entrance fee or turnover of assets, and a not-for-profit mission that allows us to deliver extraordinary value. Access to onsite rehab and two levels of assistance promotes ongoing independence, with the confidence of knowing that higher levels of care are available right here on campus, if and when needed. Value. Independence. Confidence.

Call us at 888-920-2447 to arrange a personal tour. 615 C H E S T N U T A V E N U E , T OW S O N , MD 21204 W W W.P I C K E R S G I L L R E T I R E M E N T. O RG • 888-920-2447

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April 26, 2013 8 a.m. - 4 p.m. DoubleTree by Hilton 1726 Reisterstown Rd. Pikesville, MD 21208 Nursing, social work and nursing home administrator CEUs pending.

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B A L T I M O R E B E A C O N â&#x20AC;&#x201D; M AY 2 0 1 3

CCRCs From page B-4 ising to refund a set percentage of the entrance fee or saying the refundable portion will decline over a certain number of years. The refund is often contingent on your unit being occupied by a new resident â&#x20AC;&#x201D; which may mean long refund delays when the housing market is in the doldrums. If youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re confident in your choice of CCRC and refundability is not that important to you, you might negotiate to waive your right to a refund after a short period in exchange for a lower entrance fee.

Foreclosure fears Besides reviewing the contract provisions, prospective residents should examine the facilityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s financial strength. Even the ritziest CCRCs can have financial problems. If a CCRC is forced into bankruptcy, residents may be considered unsecured creditors and could lose any refundable entrance fees. Or the facility may be bought out of bankruptcy by a new owner, resulting in service changes and other upheaval for residents. Ask the CCRC for its audited financial statements, and seek help in evaluating them from a financial adviser. Some red flags: expenses that are greater than operating income, or liabilities that exceed assets. CARF International, which provides accreditation to CCRCs, has a consumer guide to understanding CCRC finances at www.carf.org. The facilityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s occupancy rate is another key measure of its viability. Occupancy below 85 percent â&#x20AC;&#x153;can be a cause for concern, unless itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s in a newer community thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s filling up,â&#x20AC;? said Stephen Maag, director of residential communities at LeadingAge, an association of nonprofit senior care providers. Prospective residents should examine the CCRCâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ownership structure, since problems at a parent company can mean problems for residents. In a 2010 review of CCRCs, the U.S. Senate Aging Committee found that parent organizations are â&#x20AC;&#x153;represented by a complex organizational mazeâ&#x20AC;? of for-profit and nonprofit entities. Some residents of both for-profit and nonprofit CCRCs are concerned about how the organization uses residentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; fees, said Katherine Pearson, a law professor at Penn Stateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Dickinson School of Law who studies CCRCs. A parent organization may control how money is used across its operations, leaving CCRC residents wondering if their fees are really going toward services at their own facility. If the CCRC has a large parent company, speak with management and residents, and check out its annual report for details on its activities and future plans.

Care and lifestyle considerations The fact that CCRCs offer multiple levels of care within a single community is a key selling point. But transitions between those levels of care can be a major source of tension between residents and providers.

Residents may feel pressured to move from one level of care to another, such as when a facility says it cannot deliver the required care in an independent-living unit, lawyers say. That may mean leaving a longtime home in the independent-living unit and being separated from a spouse â&#x20AC;&#x201D; resulting in higher fees for a couple occupying two units. Some CCRCs have an appeals process for residents who are transferred involuntarily. Before signing a contract, ask about the process for transferring to the next level of care. Prospective residents can push to have their own physician involved in the decision, said Henry Carpenter, an elder law attorney in Yardley, Pa. Also ask about the rules on hiring your own care providers, in addition to those offered by the CCRC. Many CCRCs mandate that residents who need more than a set number of hours of care per day transfer to assisted living, said Susan Ann Silverstein,

senior attorney at AARP Foundation Litigation. Another key question: Will an assistedliving or skilled-nursing bed be available when you need it? CCRCs are often built in phases, starting with independent-living units for the healthy new residents. In some cases, residents need skillednursing facilities that arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t even built yet. In other cases, CCRCs will admit people from outside the community to the nursing facility. Ask about the process for moving to a nearby facility if the nursing facility fills up and how any extra cost would be covered. To get a sense of what life is really like at a CCRC, make several unannounced visits and have a few random meals there. You may find a lively, collegial community â&#x20AC;&#x201D; or something that more resembles your worst memories of grade-school bullying. Talk to current residents about their activities and their relationships with each other as well as with management and staff. While many CCRC residents say

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theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve noticed an uptick in the age of incoming residents, that may or may not say anything about the communityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s activities. Richard Waite of Brandywine, Pa., an 88year-old former insurance company executive, has lived in a CCRC for about 12 years and said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m busier here right now than I was when I was working for the corporation.â&#x20AC;? In addition to his regular bridge and poker games, Waite serves on the resident advisory council and finance committee. His negotiations with management on behalf of residents have dealt with everything from a refurbishing charge for fixing up vacant units to the amount of credits residents receive for unused meals on their meal plan, he said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve been a very strong advocate of residentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; rights,â&#x20AC;? he said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The corporation has asked me at times to cool it a bit.â&#x20AC;? Excerpted from Kiplingerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Retirement Report. Distributed by Tribune Media Services, Inc. ÂŠ 2013 The Kiplinger Washington Editors

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At North Oaks, we never stop improving on our ability to keep the people who live here connected to the best in life. Now, weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re in the midst of some exciting renovations that will add a new look and an exciting new dimension to daily living at this LifeCareâ&#x201E;˘ retirement community. Other features, including new amenities, are being added to help promote health and wellness, which are, of course, hallmarks of life here. While itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s true that many things are changing, the important things are staying the same. Visit www.NorthOaks.net/Rejuvenation to download a copy of our successful aging brochure or call (410) 486-9090 today to schedule a personal appointment.

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B-6

Housing Options | Say you saw it in the Beacon

M AY 2 0 1 3 — B A L T I M O R E B E A C O N

Preparing parents for a caregiver at home By Francine Parnes Wanted: licensed caregiver, to provide full-time, at-home care for elderly parents guaranteed to balk over a complete stranger invading the privacy of their home. Indeed, who ever thought their home would double as a caregiver’s workplace? People 65 or older increasingly are being persuaded, cajoled and otherwise prevailed upon by their children to open their doors to paid caregivers, whose pres-

ence redefines their home. In some cases, the health aides are welcomed and become part of the family. In others, seniors may see them as intruders, and lash out or curse while getting bathed or fed. Most older adults say they prefer staying at home to moving into a community or in with relatives or friends, according to a recent AARP survey. Home seems to offer familiarity, privacy, independence. In some cases, people stay put because they can’t

BEACON BITS

May 10

FOLK CONCERT Singer-songwriter Lucy Kaplansky plays the last concert of the

season at the Cellar Stage on Friday, May 10 at 8 p.m. Tickets are $21. The concert takes place in the basement of Faith Community United Methodist Church, 5315 Harford Rd. For more information and tickets, call (410) 521-9099.

PREVENT FALLS

May 16

Learn how to prevent falls at Seven Oaks Senior Center’s instruc-

tional program on Thursday, May 16. There will also be education about older adult risk factors. The event begins at 10:30 a.m. at 9210 Seven Courts Drive. Pre-registration is required. Call (410) 887-5192.

Discovery Day at Broadmead

Open House

sell their house. But spending the golden years at home often means adapting both home and mindset to accommodate live-in caregivers. The initial hurdle is psychological. “Once we got my dear, sweet mother-inlaw in her 80s past the first battle — ‘I don’t need any help, I am doing just fine’ — she still didn’t want caregivers in her house who weren’t part of her family,” said Cheryl Phillips, a San Francisco-based doctor specializing in geriatrics, and past president of the American Geriatrics Society. “How many of us would want someone we don’t know — and may not like — living in our space, creating a very intimate relationship not based on our choices?” she asked. “Do the health aides get to watch your TV? Can they park their car in your garage? Can their kids visit? Each point may get negotiated.” Experts offer these tips for ushering in an aide with minimum stress: • Introduce the health aide into the home gradually, in shorter shifts, advised Dr. Eric Rackow, a professor at New York University School of Medicine and president/CEO of Senior Bridge, an organization that manages at-home care. Be prepared, he said, for the older person to struggle at first with this new reality: “Not only is someone sharing my home, but whether it’s four hours or eight or 24 hours a day, I’m dependent on a ‘stranger.’” • Don’t forget that aides have their own lives, too. “To demonstrate concern for an aide,” said Rackow, “consider showing her where she can comfortably put her personal things, and offer to add some foods that she might enjoy to the shopping list —

especially if the aide will be working long days or living in.” • Track the older person’s important possessions. “I encourage seniors to think of their aide like anyone else coming to your home to provide a service,” said Shellie Williams, a doctor specializing in geriatrics at the University of Chicago Medical Center. “You should not leave out in open sight cash or sensitive legal, financial or medical information, or credit cards.” Of course, verify identity before admitting a stranger into your home, Williams said. • Establish ground rules. As Williams puts it, “This is your home,” not the caregiver’s. Remember: “Aides are employees; we hire them to provide care,” said Debra Greenberg, a psychiatric senior social worker in geriatrics at Montefiore Medical Center in New York City. “Becoming a part of the home may set up an unrealistic expectation if we think of aides as surrogate family.” Lines do blur: Some families bond with caregivers, breaking bread over dinner. But don’t lose sight of the work relationship, agreed Marki Flannery, president of Partners in Care, an affiliate of the Visiting Nurse Service of New York. “You don’t just want someone ‘nice.’ You want someone who has been trained in the many safety and care skills needed to provide the client with the best possible care,” she said. “Don’t hire someone you think is going to be a good friend, but rather hire someone who is trained to act like a guest in the client’s home — friendly but professional,” Flannery said. —AP

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B A L T I M O R E B E A C O N — M AY 2 0 1 3

B-7

Keys to thinking about reverse mortgages By Alex Veiga Reverse mortgages represent an alluring proposition for seniors: Stay in your own home while the bank pays you either a lump sum or a stream of payments to help supplement your retirement income. For some, that arrangement can help bring peace of mind. Others will scoff at the hefty fees and restrictions involved. And in many cases, alternative options, such as using one’s home as collateral for a loan from a family member, might be a better fit. Types of reverse mortgages vary, but generally, a reverse mortgage allows homeowners age 62 or older to borrow against their home’s equity. They can opt for a lump sum, line of credit or regular payments, and don’t have to pay a monthly mortgage. The homeowner retains title and must pay insurance and property taxes while living there. The loan and fees are due once all parties listed on the deed die, or the home is vacated for 12 straight months. The home is usually sold, and the proceeds from the sale are used to pay off the loan, plus interest and fees. The interest on the loan balance is typically calculated monthly and accrues over time. So, if you elect to receive regular payouts, for example, the amount you owe, plus interest, grows. When the loan is repaid, the lender also collects all the compounded interest. Here are some tips experts recommend when considering whether to get a reverse mortgage: 1. Put it off Even though homeowners can qualify for a reverse mortgage as early as age 62, experts suggest putting it off as long as possible. The longer you wait, the more you can borrow against your equity. You also stand to save more money on interest if you put off the timing of the loan or when you start receiving payments. Since, the longer the loan period, the more interest adds up. Another consideration: the sooner you start depleting your home equity, the greater the chance that you may not have

BEACON BITS

Apr. 27+

MYSTERY THEATER Do or Die Mysteries

will start dishing up murder mystery shows that include dinner on the last Saturday of each month, starting April 27 at the Tremont Grand Historic Venue, 222 N. Charles St. Diners will become embroiled in a comic, interactive murder mystery. Tickets are $55. For more information, see www.DoOrDieMystery.com.

enough to meet your needs when you’re older, said Noreen Perrotta, finance editor at Consumer Reports. “The troubling trend now is that people are taking reverse mortgages as soon as they’re qualified to do so,” she said. “Life expectancy being what it is, if you’re tapping your home equity at 62, you have to wonder what’s going to be left at 82.” While reverse mortgages are intended to supplement retirement income, many borrowers are opting to take out loans at younger ages. That could increase the risk that they will go broke later in life, according to a report issued last year by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). 2. Understand reverse mortgage types Reverse mortgages generally fall into three categories, Home Equity Conversion Mortgages, or HECMs, which are backed

by the federal government; proprietary reverse mortgages, which are essentially private loans; and, single-purpose reverse mortgages, which come with restrictions as to what you can spend the money on. By far, the more commonly available reverse mortgages today are the HECMs.

That’s because, as with other types of home loans, the government has become the main purchaser of reverse mortgages since the housing collapse. Lenders approved by the Federal HousSee REVERSE MORTGAGES, page B-8

B-8

Housing Options | Say you saw it in the Beacon

Reverse mortgages From page B-7 ing Administration offer HECMs, which makes the loans widely available. Borrowers don’t have to meet any income, credit or medical criteria to qualify, and are free to use the funds any way they please. The Federal Trade Commission said most homeowners with a low or moderate income can qualify for the single-purpose loans, which also are the least expensive. But they may not be available in all areas. 3. Evaluate fees and interest rates

M AY 2 0 1 3 — B A L T I M O R E B E A C O N

Reverse mortgages involve a slew of fees, such as costs for closing and servicing the loan, origination fees, a premium for mortgage insurance (in the case of federally backed loans), and, of course, the interest rate. For HECMs, origination fees can range from 2.1 percent to 8.3 percent of the loan amount, depending on the home’s loan-tovalue ratio. Mortgage insurance premiums on HECMs are charged monthly and based on an annual rate of 1.25 percent of the loan balance. Like regular home loans, reverse mort-

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gages can come with a fixed interest rate or one that’s adjustable, meaning it can rise or fall over time. ARMs also can potentially lessen the amount of equity available to the borrower, because more of the equity could end up going toward interest. In the case of a HECM, the borrower is required to meet with a counselor from an independent housing agency who must explain how much the loan will cost, as well as possible alternatives, according to the FTC. You can find a counselor in your area by calling 1-800-569-4287 or visiting www.hud.gov/counseling. 4. Avoid lump sum payout Generally, reverse mortgages that come with a fixed interest rate require the borrower to take the lump sum payout, and some 70 percent of reverse mortgage borrowers opt for the one-time payment, according to the CFPB. That option makes sense for borrowers who want to get as much of their money as they can at once. Many borrowers who opt for the one-time payment do so as a way to refinance traditional mortgages or make another large purchase. But it puts them in a position where they have to manage that money, while continuing to pay their property taxes, homeowner’s insurance, upkeep on the home and other costs. And if they should run out of money, they could lose the home to foreclosure. Some 9.4 percent of reverse mortgage borrowers are at risk of foreclosure because they haven’t paid taxes and insurance, according to a report by the CFPB. Also, if you don’t need all the money at once, you end up paying more interest than you’re earning. A better option for those looking for a steady stream of income is to take a credit line, suggests Jack Guttentag, professor of finance emeritus at the Wharton School of

the University of Pennsylvania and operator of mortgage information website MTGprofessor.com. Such an option is available only as an adjustable-rate loan, but borrowers can elect to draw on the credit line only as needed, preserving their home equity. In contrast, borrowers who take the lump sum payout can end up paying more than 5 percent in fees, Guttentag said. “And where are you going to invest today to earn more than 5 percent?” he asked. 5. Consider healthcare needs If a borrower becomes ill and has to be moved to an assisted living facility for more than 12 months, their reverse mortgage will come due, because reverse mortgages require borrowers to live in their home. In the case where a borrower’s spouse has yet to turn 62, should the borrower become ill and leave the property for more than 12 months or die, the loan also would come due. 6. Explore alternatives Homeowners should investigate whether there are any alternatives available before borrowing against the equity in their home, particularly if they’re weighing drawing funds soon after they meet the minimum age requirement. “If you have to tap it at that early age, you might be better off selling the home,” Perrotta said. The advantage of selling a home is you can draw all the equity you have built up. In a reverse mortgage, you only get a portion of that, because you have to cover the fees and interest costs. Of course, if you sell your home, you have to find and pay for a new place to live. Some options include moving into a smaller, more affordable home. Another option: Selling the property to relatives and then renting it back from them so the property stays in the family. — AP

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MOM STAYS SAFE & HAPPY with Assisted Living at Charlestown and Oak Crest Assisted Living at Charlestown and Oak Crest offers your loved one everything she needs to live a rewarding life. Your mom will benefit from an entire community filled with great neighbors, top-notch on-site health care and lots of fun things to do.

Learn more today. Call for your free brochure and activities calendar.

Looking for a Skilled Nursing/Rehab Facility? Here is just some of what we offer. Orthopedic Surgery Rehab • Cardiac Surgery Rehab Dialysis and TPN therapies for Long-term care • Therapy Gym Mental health wing for younger people • New Renovations New Fine Dining Program • Family Reception Areas TV, cable, wireless Internet • Private bathrooms • Social events Locked dementia and Alzheimer's care • Buffet-style dining Private bathrooms • Private and 2 person-only rooms Call Julie today to schedule your personal tour at 410-979-4822.

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B A L T I M O R E B E A C O N — M AY 2 0 1 3

B-9

Some of the best urban areas for retirees Do you want to remain in an urban environment when you retire? Many retirees want to live in a city where their money stretches far, but they can retain a high quality of life. The financial tool website NerdWallet examined factors that are important to seniors, including affordability, social life, weather and walkability. It then calculated the best urban retirement cities based on six main questions: 1. Can you afford to live there? The cost of living index is included to determine if the city is affordable for retirees on a fixed income. The average cost of living index is 100 across all U.S. cities. 2. Can you afford help if and when you need it? The cost of assisted living varies widely across cities, so the calculation includes the costs of homemaker services. Homemaker services include basic household assistance such as shopping, laundry, personal hygiene and meal preparation, allowing older individuals to live in their own homes as they age. 3. Is healthcare affordable? NerdWallet assessed the relative cost of healthcare through the cost of a doctor’s visit. 4. Can you have an active social life? To assess whether seniors can have a peer group and active social life in these cities, we included the percentage of the population over 65.

5. Is the weather warm? Many seniors prefer to move to sunny locales, so we incorporated cities with a high average annual temperature. 6. Is the city walkable? We assessed how easy it is to live without a car through the Walk Score of each city. The top 10 cities 1. Miami, Fla. It’s no wonder Miami is a popular retirement destination — a full 16 percent of the city is over 65 years old, and the average temperature is a sunny 76.7 °F. Beaches abound in Miami, making this scenic destination the perfect retirement spot, and it’s easy to avoid driving in this walkable city. Miami has fun yearly festivals as well, including Calle Ocho Festival and Carnaval Miami. 2. El Paso, Texas El Paso has extremely low-cost assisted living services, making the city very affordable for seniors. The warm weather and high proportion of the population over 65 ensures that seniors can have an active social life, too. El Paso also has great dining, theater venues and museums, so the city offers plenty of entertainment. 3. Jacksonville, Fla. Jacksonville has a fairly low cost of living and very low healthcare costs, and although Jacksonville’s assisted living costs are on the high side, the warm weather makes up for it. The city center is home to the Jacksonville

Landing and Jacksonville Riverwalks, popular dining and shopping venues. 4. Tampa, Fla. Tampa has it all. The city is affordable, warm and has a large population of seniors. Full of museums, parks, zoos and major sports teams, the city has something for everyone. 5. Memphis, Tenn. The low cost of living in Memphis can be enticing to seniors on a fixed income, and the warm weather doesn’t hurt, either. The city has social events as well, including the month-long Memphis in May celebration, Africa in April, and the Memphis Italian Festival. There are also several film festivals in Memphis for movie buffs. 6. Oklahoma City, Okla. Oklahoma City is a full 10 percent

cheaper than the average U.S. city, and although the city is not as warm as some other options, almost 12 percent of the population is over 65, giving seniors plenty of peers. Oklahoma City has a rich arts culture. Seniors can find art at the Oklahoma City Museum of Art, ballet at the Oklahoma City Ballet, and theatre at the Stage Center for the Performing Arts. 7. San Antonio, Texas San Antonio’s hot weather is a plus for seniors, and the city is affordable as well. The city has plenty of fun activities and attractions as well, including the Spanish Missions, the Alamo and the River Walk. 8. Louisville, Ky. Louisville is very senior-friendly, with a See PLACES TO RETIRE, page B-10

The Meadows of Reistertown offers the maintenance-free, independent lifestyle you’ve been looking for in a retirement community. • Social, Educational and Recreational Events • Patios or Balconies • Individual Climate Control • Convenient to Shoppings, Banking and Restaurants

• Emergency Response System • Controlled Access Entry • Hair Salon • Elevators • Smoke Free • Small Pets Welcome

Live the carefree life you’ve been waiting for, and let us take care of all the details!

For more information call

410-526-3380

300 Cantata Court • Reisterstown, MD 21136

www.firstcentrumcommunities.com

930 Bay Forest Ct. • Annapolis, MD 21403

410-295-7557

7975 Crain Hwy. • Glen Burnie, MD 21061

410-969-2000

B-10

Housing Options | Say you saw it in the Beacon

M AY 2 0 1 3 — B A L T I M O R E B E A C O N

Rank

City

Overall cost of living index

Miami, FL

108.1

$36,608

$107

16.0%

76.7

67.0

El Paso, TX

94.6

$30,316

$74

11.2%

64.7

64.6

Jacksonville, FL

95.7

$40,040

$67

10.9%

60.9

Tampa, FL

92.2

$41,756

$85

11.0%

73.1

59.9

Memphis, TN

85.6

$37,752

$75

10.3%

62.4

58.2

Oklahoma City, OK

90.5

$38,896

$85

11.8%

60.1

56.4

San Antonio, TX

87.7

$40,040

$98

10.4%

68.7

56.0

Louisville, KY

91.6

$40,040

$83

12.6%

55.6

Tucson, AZ

93.8

$43,998

$100

11.9%

68.7

54.8

Nashville, TN

87.7

$38,896

$79

10.2%

58.9

54.6

Methodology: Each city’s overall score for retirees was calculated from the following measures:

Annual cost of in-home homemaker services

Cost of a doctor’s visit

Percentage of population over 65

Average annual temperature (°F)

Walkability Score

Overall score for retirees

1. Cost of living index from ACCRA Cost of Living Index, compiled by the Council for Community and Economic Re-

Senior Apartments LIVE WELL FOR LESS Roland View Towers

search, www.coli.org 2. Annual cost of in-home homemaker services from the Genworth 2012 Cost of Care Survey 3. Cost of a doctor’s visit from ACCRA Cost of Living Index. Price reported is the general practitioner average charge for an established adult patient. 4. Percentage of the population over 65

from the U.S. Census 5. Average annual temperature from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 6. Walkability score from Walk Score, www.walkscore.com Note: Fifty of the most populous cities were included in this analysis.

Places to retire

country, the city has a lot of offer retirees. Tucson often holds public fairs and festivals, and the Tucson Folk Festival is one of the biggest free festivals in the country. 10. Nashville, Tenn. Nashville is very affordable, with a high percentage of seniors in the population. Country music lovers will feel welcome in this city, with its Country Music Hall of Fame and regular concerts from top performers, and seniors can take classes at nearby Vanderbilt University as well.

From page B-9

• One- and Two-Bedroom as well as Efficiencies • Rents from $443-$744* Utilities Included! • 24/7 on-site Maintenance and Reception Desk • Beauty/Barber Shop on premises • Bus Trips and Social Events and many more amenities! • Only 2 blocks from Hampden’s ‘The Avenue’

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high population of seniors and a low cost of living. Plus, the city has plenty of fun events, including the Kentucky Derby, the Humana Festival, and Abbey Road on the River, a large Beatles festival. 9. Tucson, Az. Tucson is warm and affordable, making it a great city in which to retire. With some of the best Mexican restaurants in the

Spectacular View

For your personal tour contact Arthur or Laura Ruby at

410-889-8255 St Mary’s Roland View Towers 3838/3939 Roland Ave • Baltimore MD 21211

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B A L T I M O R E B E A C O N — M AY 2 0 1 3

Pull out and keep this section | Housing Options

B-11

FREE HOUSING AND OTHER INFORMATION For free information from advertisers in this special section, check off those that interest you and mail this entire page to the Beacon. Please do not request info if you are not interested. All replies will be entered into a random drawing for West Side Story tickets to be held June 3, 2013.

HOUSING COMMUNITIES:

❑ Charlestown . . . . . .B3 and B19 ❑ Glen Forest . . . . . . .B9 and B17 ❑ The Greens at Irvington ASSISTED LIVING Mews . . . . . . . . . . .B3 and B15 ❑ Charlestown Assisted Living .B8 ❑ Charlotte Hall . . . . . . . . . . . .B9 ❑ Maples of Towson . .B2 and B13 ❑ Maples of Towson . . B2 and B13 ❑ Meadows of Reisterstown . . . . . .B9 and B12 ❑ Oak Crest Assisted Living . . . .B8 ❑ Weinberg Assisted Living . .B20 ❑ Oak Crest . . . . . . . .B3 and B12 ❑ Overlook at Monarch Mills . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .B12 CONTINUING CARE ❑ Augsburg Lutheran Village . .B17 ❑ Park View Dundalk . .B7 and B18 ❑ Broadmead . . . . . . .B6 and B13 ❑ Park View Ellicott City B7 and B18 ❑ North Oaks . . . . . . .B5 and B17 ❑ Park View Fullerton . B7 and B14 ❑ Pickersgill . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .B4 ❑ Park View Laurel . . . B7 and B19 ❑ Roland Park Place . .B2 and B13 ❑ Park View Rosedale .B7 and B15 ❑ Park View Taylor . . .B7 and B14 INDEPENDENT/ACTIVE LIVING ❑ Park View Towson . .B7 and B19 ❑ Aigburth Vale . . . . .B2 and B15 ❑ St. Mary’s Roland View Towers . . . . . . . . .B10 and B16 ❑ Bay Forest . . . . . . . .B9 and B14

❑ Westminster House Apts. . . .B10 ❑ Weinberg Independent Living . . . . . . . . . .B18 and B20

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Bayada Home Care . . . . . . . .B8 Comfort Keepers . . . . . . . . . .B6 Options for Senior America . .B4 P-B Home Care . . . . . . . . . . .B3 Progressive Home Care . . . . . . . . . . . .B7 and B16

NURSING/ REHABILITATION ❑ Charlotte Hall . . . . . . . . . . . .B9 ❑ White Oak Health Care . . . . . . . . . . . .B8 and B16

Check the boxes you’re interested in and return this entire coupon to: The Beacon, P.O. Box 2227, Silver Spring, MD 20915-2227. You may also include the free info coupon on page 5. One entry per household please. Name __________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Address ____________________________________________________E-mail_______________________________________________ City _______________________________________________________ State ______________________ Zip ____________________ Phone (day) _______________________________________________ (eve) ________________________________________________ BB 5/13

Please provide your telephone number and e-mail address so we may contact you promptly if you win the drawing.

B-12

Housing Options | Say you saw it in the Beacon

INDEPENDENT LIVING COMMUNITY

Overlook at Monarch Mills 410-381-0769 7570 Monarch Mills Way Columbia, MD 21046 Overlook at Monarch Mills offers those 62 or better a beautiful and convenient place to call home. Residents can enjoy musical entertainment at Merriweather Post Pavilion, shop at The Mall in Columbia, and dine in the most popular local restaurants. This amenity-rich facility has an exercise room, beauty salon, arts and crafts room, library and cyber-center as well as a community room featuring a fireplace and kitchen. Call 410-381-0769 or email monarchmills@sheltergrp.com today to arrange for your personal visit. We look forward to meeting you!

INDEPENDENT LIVING COMMUNITY

Oak Crest 1-800-986-0859 8820 Walther Boulevard Parkville, MD 21234 www.ericksonliving.com Retire in style at Oak Crest! We have floor plans to match your taste and budget. When it comes to maintenance-free retirement living, one size doesn’t fit all! Oak Crest offers over 20 unique apartment designs with a variety of exciting features. Looking for a cozy studio or onebedroom home? We’ve recently upgraded several floor plans with gleaming granite countertops, stackable washers and dryers and other premium finishes. Is a large, luxurious home more your style? Then tour our spacious two-bedroom, two-bath apartment homes, featuring elegant hardwood flooring, stainless steel appliances, granite countertops, crown molding and more. Only a handful of these larger homes remain. Call 1-800-989-0859 for your free brochure and to schedule a personal tour!

ACTIVE ADULT COMMUNITY

Meadows of Reisterstown Senior Apartments 410-526-3380 300 Cantata Court Reisterstown, MD 21136 www.ﬁrstcentrum.com Enjoy carefree leisure living at The Meadows—an affordable senior apartment community for seniors 62+. Each spacious one- and twobedroom apartment features a fully equipped kitchen, roomy closets and a balcony or patio. You can exercise the mind in the library and media room or the body in our fitness area. Keypad entry and the emergency response system provide peace of mind. The atmosphere is filled with gracious living. Here, you will appreciate not having to worry about maintenance chores. At the same time, you can take advantage of nearby shops, library, banks, postal services, grocery store and convenience to I-695. We invite you to tour The Meadows of Reisterstown.

M AY 2 0 1 3 — B A L T I M O R E B E A C O N

Good reasons to downsize in retirement By Emily Brandon One of the quickest ways to stretch your retirement budget is to shrink your housing costs. Moving into a smaller house, condo, or apartment can also reduce your taxes, utility bills and home maintenance costs. Here are other reasons to consider downsizing in retirement: Boost your nest egg. Cutting your housing costs is a quick way to increase your retirement savings. “Having less money locked up in your housing frees up more money to invest or just for your lifestyle,” said Kathy Hankard, a certified financial planner. “If you’re deciding just by the numbers, it’s pretty much a nobrainer to downsize.” For example, if you moved from a $300,000 home with a paid-off mortgage into a $150,000 condo, you could add $100,000 or more to your nest egg, after transaction costs. Lower your cost of living. For retirees who still have a mortgage or pay rent, moving into more compact quarters in your current town or relocating to a lowcost locale can lower one of your biggest monthly expenses. Ideally the smaller space would also cost less to heat, furnish and maintain. Slimming housing costs will produce far greater results than skipping coffee and clipping coupons. Aim for a town that balances a low cost of living with amenities such as high-quality healthcare and plenty of fun, affordable activities. Reduce taxes. Inexpensive housing has the added bonus of smaller property tax bills. “I have clients who have saved a couple of thousand dollars per year because they have moved from an urban area with a high property tax to an area with a lower property tax that doesn’t assess seniors for school taxes,” said Micah Porter, a certified financial planner. Taxes can vary considerably by location. Alaska, Florida, Nevada, South Dakota, Texas, Washington and Wyoming have no state income tax. New Hampshire and Tennessee tax dividend and interest income only. “If you anticipate earning income in retirement, being able to forgo that state income tax could save you thousands of dollars as well,” said Porter. Five states levy no sales tax: Alaska, Delaware, Montana, New Hampshire and Oregon. Also look for state and local tax breaks specifically for seniors who reach certain ages. Less upkeep. Ron and Jean Mirabile, both 67, traded in a three-story townhouse with a basement in Cromwell, Conn., for a three-bedroom apartment with a lake view in Port Charlotte, Fla. The couple was looking for a change of scenery and housing that required less upkeep when they retired in 2008. “If something breaks, I call the office and the maintenance man comes and fixes it,” said Jean, a former proofreader. Ron, a

retired dentist who makes wooden fishing lures as a hobby, no longer needs to travel to fish. “I can take one pole and lure and go out in the backyard and fish for bass,” he said. “The best things in Florida are free: The weather, the beach, and the scenery.” Slash utility bills. Cozier quarters may also result in lower heating and cooling expenses and a smaller homeowner’s insurance bill. “A smaller space should save you money on utilities,” said Porter. Ask for copies of the previous owner or tenant’s utility bills to determine approximate monthly expenses. Increase flexibility. Some retirees go back to renting in retirement. “Renting makes a lot of sense because there is more flexibility,” said Hankard. “Most people would rather do other things with their time and money, unless they are really in love with their home.” Renters can try out a few retirement locations. Sometimes priorities also shift throughout retirement. For example, immediately upon retirement, you might want to move to the Sunbelt or travel. But after a few years, you might want to move closer to your children and grandchildren. More amenities. First-time home buyers are often concerned about space for children and living in a good school district. But retirees need to think about whether their home will continue to be convenient as they age. “As you get older, those stairs are not going to be your friend,” cautioned Julie Schatz, a certified financial planner. Seniors may want to consider a single-level home and proximity to family and friends who can help with household tasks. If you have any type of health problem, it is essential to live near a medical facility. Art and Barb Thomas, 80 and 76, of Lawrence, Kan., have downsized twice. The former college professor and middle school teacher sold their home and moved into a three-bedroom, two-bathroom town house shortly before retiring in 1994. “Things like lawn care and snow removal are taken care of for us,” said Art. “Neither of us like outside work, and it just relieves you of a lot of responsibilities that you don’t want to do.” The couple then relocated to a two-bedroom unit in a retirement community in February 2010 that provides assisted living and healthcare services. “We see this as an insurance policy for the future, and it relieves our children from the responsibility of having to figure out what to do with us,” Art said. When children and grandchildren come to visit, the couple pays for a hotel room. Said Art: “We have found that in many ways, it is just as inexpensive to buy a hotel room for a few nights as it is to maintain more space.” U.S. News & World Report

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B A L T I M O R E B E A C O N — M AY 2 0 1 3

Housing Notes By Rebekah Sewell

Free energy efficiency help Project Lightbulb, operated by Civic Works, an AmeriCorps program, helps increase home efficiency and decrease the cost of utilities in moderate- to low-income Baltimore neighborhoods. This program provides tips on conservation and free installation of efficient materials. In each home, AmeriCorps members typically install compact fluorescent (CFL) light bulbs, low-flow faucet aerators, a low-flow shower head, an insulating hot water heater wrap, several feet of hot water pipe insulation, and a carbon dioxide/smoke detector. Participation in this program is free and is funded through a grant by the Maryland Energy Administration. So far, this project has served more than 3,000 homes in Baltimore City. It is now being expanded into Baltimore County, where more than 500 households will receive assistance. To qualify for the service, your neighborhood must have an overall lower income than the median income for Baltimore County. To request service or check if your neighborhood qualifies, contact Civic Works and ask for Project Lightbulb at (410) 366-8533, ext. 221 or email lightbulb@civicworks.com.

ordinator, and priority admission to skilled nursing and rehabilitation services at Green House Residences at Stadium Place will also be available. Residents can choose a one- or two-bedroom apartment. There are five different floor plans. A model apartment is currently open to the public by appointment. Information sessions are being scheduled. For more information or to schedule a tour, contact Karen at (757) 560-0291 or visit www.heritagerun.org.

Fire safety toolkit Older adults have the highest risk of firerelated injury or death of any age group. Those 65 and over are twice as likely to die in a home fire as the average person. The Electrical Safety Foundation International (ESFI) offers a Fire Safety for Older Adults Comprehensive Toolkit, which includes tip sheets that provide information about fire hazards related to cooking, heating and electrical equipment. These are the major causes of home fires. Also included are tip sheets about smoke alarms and escape planning in the event of an emergency. The materials are available for download online at www.esfi.org/index.cfm/ page/Home-Fire-Safety-for-Older-AdultsProgram-Toolkit/pid/12817. Or, to request a copy by mail, call ESFI at (703) 841-3229.

Heritage Run To Open at Stadium Place Presbyterian Senior Living has announced plans for Heritage Place — an affordable rental senior living community to be located on the grounds of Memorial Stadium in Baltimore. Heritage Run is part of the larger Stadium Place senior community campus and is expected to open in Spring 2014. GEDCO (Govans Ecumenical Development Corporation), a nonprofit that provides affordable housing and support services, helped develop Stadium Place to serve lower income seniors of Baltimore and is partnering with Presbyterian Senior Living at Heritage Run. Apartments will be available only to those ages 62 and up. Rent includes utilities, off-street parking and trash removal. Reduced membership at the adjacent YMCA, contact with a life enrichment co-

North Oaks completes renovation North Oaks, a senior community in Pikesville, has completed a $4 million renovation. The 20-year-old community was renovated from top to bottom. Many restrooms, floors, windows and elevators have been updated. Rooms feature better lighting, and 40 percent of the windows were replaced. The roof has also been replaced. The community added the Acorn Café, which offers freshly baked goods, sandwiches, salads, desserts and specialty coffee beverages. The North Oaks beauty salon has been recreated as a spa. North Oaks has 146 residents, who are offered a continuum of care. For more information about North Oaks, visit www.northoaks.net or call (410) 484-7300.

BEACON BITS

May 30

REPAIR YOUR DRYWALL Seven Oaks Senior Center presents a program on how to repair

drywall as part of its DIY home repair series on Thursday, May 30 at 12:30 p.m. Learn how to make small repairs and get hands- on instruction. The senior center is located at 9210 Seven Courts Drive. Pre-registration is required. Call (410) 887-5192.

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ASSISTED/INDEPENDENT LIVING COMMUNITY

The Maples of Towson 410-296-8900 7925 York Road Baltimore, MD 21204 www.themaples-towson.com Upon walking through the door at The Maples one can see that it’s a superior community – beautifully decorated, impeccably maintained. “What really makes us unique is our dedication to personalized care, customized to each resident’s needs and preferences,” says owner and founder Kelly Cook Andress. Setting their sights beyond simply “assisted living” has been the key to their success. With gourmet meals and room service, a programs calendar tailored to residents’ needs and desires, and a physician on call around the clock, The Maples continues to earn its spot as Towson’s premier senior community. We're big enough to count on and small enough to care. Call to schedule a visit today.

CONTINUING CARE RETIREMENT COMMUNITY

Broadmead 410-527-1900 13801 York Road Cockeysville, MD 21030 www.broadmead.org Nestled amid 94 acres in the picturesque Hunt Valley countryside, Broadmead offers gardenstyle courtyard homes with a variety of floor plans, including private patios or patio enclosures and personal gardens. Broadmead offers exceptional dining venues, a vibrant lifestyle and community amenities, including a fitness and aquatic center, trips and transportation, entertainment, activities and more. We offer an all-inclusive healthcare program, including an onsite medical center with physicians available 24 hours a day, pharmacy services and continuum of care for the ultimate peace of mind.

CONTINUING CARE RETIREMENT COMMUNITY

Roland Park Place 410-243-5700 830 W. 40th St. Baltimore, MD 21211 www.rolandparkplace.org Roland Park Place is the only full service CCRC in Baltimore City. Located in a beautiful park-like setting in northern Baltimore, just minutes away from Johns Hopkins University, Centerstage, the Meyerhoff, Camden Yards and so many of the other wonderful attractions Baltimore has to offer. The intimate size of Roland Park Place means never having to walk too far to reach any part of the community for dining, exercise or stimulating conversations. Offering beautifully renovated Independent Living apartments, full-sized private Assisted Living apartments and all private Health Care Center rooms for skilled nursing or rehab, Roland Park Place has everything you need just where you want it.

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Housing Options | Say you saw it in the Beacon

INDEPENDENT LIVING COMMUNITY

Bay Forest Senior Apartments 410-295-7557 930 Bay Forest Ct. Annapolis, MD 21403 www.ﬁrstcentrum.com Love to be close to the water? Then you will love it at Bay Forest Senior Apartments. An affordable independent community for persons 62 years of age or better! A beautifully landscaped country setting with plenty of parking for you and your visitors. Only 10 minutes from Annapolis Historic City Dock, which offers a variety of stores, restaurants, banks and the Watermark Cruises boat tours. Just a few minutes’ drive from the shores of the Chesapeake Bay and walking distance to the Quiet Waters Park. You’ll love the 24-hour emergency maintenance service, many activities hosted by the resident association and the convenience of joining fellow residents at the nutrition site located in the community room for a hot lunch Monday through Friday. Come visit Bay Forest soon. We’re waiting for you!!

INDEPENDENT LIVING COMMUNITY

Park View at Fullerton 410-663-0665 4300 Cardwell Ave. Fullerton, MD 21236 parkviewfullerton@sheltergrp.com Park View at Fullerton is newly renovated and simply offers the best in carefree living for those 62 or better. Located just north of 695 off of Belair Road in Fullerton, this community is convenient to everything you want and need. Residents enjoy a stunning community room with fireplace, computer center with free Internet access, fitness center, salon, and many social activities including bus trips. Our apartment homes feature stylish kitchens, new baths, and Energy Star appliances. Our controlled-access elevator community has so many amenities to enhance your living experience you need to call today and see for yourself. Call 410-663-0665 or email parkviewfullerton@sheltergrp.com today to arrange for your personal visit. We look forward to meeting you!

INDEPENDENT LIVING COMMUNITY

Park View at Taylor 410-663-0363 4102 Taylor Ave. Baltimore, MD 21236 parkviewtaylor@sheltergrp.com Park View at Taylor simply offers the best in carefree living for those 62 or better. Located just north of 695 off of Belair Road, this community is minutes away from everything you will want and need. Our residents appreciate our community room with fireplace, computer center with free Internet access, fitness center, salon, and many social activities including bus trips. Spend an afternoon chatting with friends on the veranda, reading a book in the library or join an exercise class. You have so many choices. Our controlledaccess elevator community is designed for you. Call 410-663-0363 or email parkviewtaylor@sheltergrp.com today to arrange for your personal visit. We look forward to serving you!

M AY 2 0 1 3 — B A L T I M O R E B E A C O N

Keeping clutter from taking over your life By Fiona Morrissey. By June 2008, the number of people with personal computers worldwide hit the one billion mark. With the PC it was hoped that there would be less paper accumulation in the home. I have seen no evidence of this in my work as a professional organizer. The trouble is that new technology doesn’t always displace old technology. For instance, not everyone likes to read the news online. A friend of mine who owns a laptop and a regular computer still hoards newspapers. He keeps a three-foot stack on top of his dog’s crate. Recently, he has started to store his papers inside the crate, so poor Fido has to sleep somewhere else. Excess paper is unsightly, takes forever to go though, and is adept at concealing items you actually need. In enough quantities, paper presents a fire hazard, and it also attracts a special kind of flying cockroach.

I’m refering to those leaning towers of newspapers, newsletters, magazines, clippings and catalogs. If you haven’t looked at them by now, kick ‘em out. (Except for the Beacon, of course.) Like all clutter, paper clutter has a mind of its own. So no matter how fascinating, informative or crucial these leaning towers pretend to be, remind yourself that they are one of the reasons you keep apologizing for your home when friends visit. Loose recipes are another scourge. One of my clients had 27 recipes for cheesecake stuffed inside an old jar of Hellmann’s Mayonnaise. I finally convinced her that she didn’t have enough years in her life to make all those cheesecakes. Books that you’ve never had time to read, or have read and won’t read again, belong to this category too. Earlier I warned you about paper and flying cockroaches, but also be aware that the glue from bookbindings contain a special starch that these creatures enjoy snacking on.

What to keep or pitch

Question your clutter

There are two sorts of paper: Paper you need to keep for good, and paper you don’t. Important examples of the first kind are active insurance policies (car, disability, health, life, long term care, umbrella), adoption and naturalization papers, birth, marriage, death certificates and divorce decrees, military/veterans records and discharge papers, passports, Social Security cards, stock and bond certificates, your will and general powers of attorney. Paper that you don’t need falls into two distinct groups. The first group is paper that was necessary at one stage in your life but no longer is. Obsolete insurance policies, for example, instruction manuals for things you replaced long ago, and old car registrations — it still surprises me how many of my clients hang on to car registrations when they no longer own the vehicles in question. This group also includes bank statements/checkbook registers, charitable contributions, childcare expenses, medical expenses, mortgage interest records, nonreimbursed business expenses, self-employment income/expenses, tax returns and tax forms 1099-B, 1099-DIV, 1099-G, 1099-INT, 1099-MISC, 1099-R and W-2. You do not need any of these provided they are six years old or older. If they are less than that, you hold onto them for now.

You may have heard it said, “Leap and the net will appear.” However when you’re grappling with paper, a leap is a very long distance indeed. I recommend short hops. Set aside a certain amount of time — about half an hour — and begin with the clutter you find most offensive. If it’s a pile of magazines, begin with that. Pick up a publication and before it has a chance to beguile you into keeping it, start firing questions: What’s so special about you? Do you contain vital information that I cannot get anywhere else? You have lived on this chair rent-free for three years. How would it benefit me to keep you any longer? Are you one of the reasons I feel depressed whenever I walk in my door? When you’re done, continue with the pile until the time is up. Persistence is the key thing here. Half an hour every day until that ugly pile has gone. Then do the next one. As Winston Churchill said, “Never, never, never give up.” The payoff is that you will become better and faster at throwing out paper that doesn’t matter, you will grow more confident at disposing of non-paper clutter, and you will develop a greater sense of what it is that makes you feel truly alive. A neighbor of mine told me recently, “After I took the plunge and cancelled all my subscription magazines, I discovered what I’ve been wanting to do all along — sit on my deck and listen to the birds!” Fiona Morrissey is a professional organizer in Silver Spring, Md. For more information, see www.happyroomsbyfiona.com or call (301) 593-4026.

Magazines, recipes, books The second group of paper that you don’t need is the tricky one. This group takes only a short time to accumulate and, if you’re not careful, will soon have the run of your house.

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B A L T I M O R E B E A C O N — M AY 2 0 1 3

Buying rental property for extra income By Alex Veiga Low mortgage rates have made buying a home more affordable, and turned rentals into an attractive option for investors. Throughout the downturn in the housing market, average investors, sometimes pooling their money, have bought foreclosures at a sharp discount and turned them into rentals. Many homeowners also have purchased a second home and rented out their first property. Although the housing market is showing signs of recovery, demand for rental housing is expected to remain strong. The national unemployment rate remains high at 7.6 percent, banks are still working through a backlog of foreclosures, and tight lending requirements prevent many renters from becoming homeowners. And the Fed has said it will keep its short-term interest rate, the federal funds rate, at a record low until U.S. unemployment falls below 6.5 percent, something many economists don’t expect to happen until late 2015 at the earliest. “In this market, at this point, it’s a sweet spot,’’ said Chris Princis, a senior executive at financial advisory firm Brook-Hollow Financial and owner of two rental properties in Chicago. “You’re getting the market where it’s just starting to rebound, but still at the bottom, with what’s looking to be a great recovery.’’ Here are six tips on becoming a landlord or investor in rental property: 1. Understand what it means to be a landlord Residential real estate generally provides three possible ways to get a return on your investment: when it’s sold, assuming it has grown in value, by collecting rent, and through tax savings, such as the mortgage interest deduction. So, if you elect to buy a property for the long-term investment potential, the goal should be to ensure that the rental income covers the cost of your mortgage and monthly maintenance costs. If you buy a foreclosed home, you’ll have to factor in the cost of repairs to ready the home for rent. And if you have a mortgage on the property, you’ll need to be prepared to cover the costs for however long it takes to find a tenant. “Real estate is a great investment if people are paying their rent,’’ said Princis. “If they’re not paying their rent, it’s a horrible investment.’’ 2. Buy in an area with a history of strong rental demand Neighborhoods near universities are a good option. For homes in residential areas, proximity to schools can be a good draw for families. Condominiums and similar properties in communities with a homeowners’ association can be a great option because the association arranges for upkeep on the property.

But check the fine print on your mortgage and homeowners’ association rules to make sure turning your property into a rental isn’t forbidden. If you’re going to buy a foreclosure, be prepared to compete with other investors, many of them paying in cash. And because many require upgrades and repairs, expect that it will take longer until you’ll be generating rental income. Websites like Zillow.com and Trulia.com list foreclosures, as well as rentals in a given area. Foreclosure tracker RealtyTrac Inc. recently ranked U.S. metro areas, with a population of 500,000 or more, according to the supply of available foreclosures for sale and their discount versus other homes, among other criteria. Among the top 20 cities deemed the best places to buy: Miami, Chicago, Philadelphia, El Paso and Poughkeepsie, N.Y. Claire Thomas, a retiree in Phoenix who owns 10 rental condos in Las Vegas, said that landlords looking to keep their properties as income-generating rentals for many years should look into areas that are not too expensive. “I would rather have a middle-of-theroad rental that stays rented than a higherend (property),’’ she said. 3. Consider using a management firm Determine whether you want to select the tenant and handle property issues or hire a company to do it. If you take on the responsibility, you are obliged to fix any problems (leaky faucets, broken furnace, etc.) or find professionals to do it. “Are you prepared to do all of this on your weekends or evenings or get calls while you’re at work because a pipe burst and it’s flooding?’’ asks Jim Warren, chief marketing officer for property management company FirstService Residential Realty. “What’s that threshold worth to you?’’ Property management firms can charge a percentage of the rent, sometimes 10 percent or more. Hiring out the hands-on landlord job also makes sense if your rental property is not in the same city where you live. 4. Do the math Although prevailing rental prices will go a long way toward determining what you can charge, getting the best return on your investment starts with making sure you’re going to get enough rent to, ideally, cover expenses and costs. Princis’ formula is charging 15 percent above monthly mortgage and maintenance costs. So if those costs add up to $1,000, he’ll look to charge $1,150. Of course, flexibility might be called for if you’re unable to get a tenant in for months and months. Experts recommend starting with popuSee RENTAL INCOME, page B-16

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INDEPENDENT LIVING COMMUNITY

Aigburth Vale Senior Community 410-698-4749 212 Aigburth Road Towson, MD 21286 Looking for convenience in a peaceful setting? Aigburth Vale Senior Community is nestled on a quiet neighborhood street ideally located in the heart of Towson. We offer modern onebedroom apartments for moderate-income seniors aged 62+, with rents ranging from $743 to $903. All units in our secure building feature fully equipped kitchens, air conditioning, carpeting and walk-in closets. Residents have access to laundry facilities, a game room and a party room. Professionally managed by St. Ambrose Housing and subject to annual income limitations of $36,000. Call us today for your tour.

INDEPENDENT LIVING COMMUNITY

Park View at Rosedale 410-866-1886 1315 Chesaco Ave. Rosedale, MD 21237 parkviewrosedale@sheltergrp.com Park View at Rosedale is newly renovated and offers tremendous value in carefree living for those 62 or better. Our residents appreciate acres of greenery in a quiet residential neighborhood, yet are just minutes away from everything they want and need. You too can enjoy a stunning community room with fireplace, computer center with free Internet access, fitness center, salon, and many social activities including bus trips. Our apartment homes feature stylish kitchens, new baths, and Energy Star appliances. Our controlledaccess elevator community has so many amenities to enhance your living experience you need to call today and see for yourself. Call 410866-1886 or email parkviewrosedale@sheltergrp.com today to arrange for your personal visit. We look forward to meeting you!

ACTIVE ADULT COMMUNITY

The Greens at Irvington Mews 410-644-4487 4300 Frederick Avenue Baltimore, MD 21229 The Greens at Irvington Mews offers charming new, affordable oneand two-bedroom apartments for seniors 62 and over located in beautiful historic Irvington, Baltimore City, Maryland. Our professionally managed community features exciting amenities, as well as a convenient location near parks, shopping and medical services. Our residents enjoy the many amenities we have to offer at The Greens at Irvington Mews such as a community room overlooking Mount St. Joseph High School Football Field, inviting hospitality suite, relaxing library and business center with computers. Residents can also enjoy shuttle van trips to local retail shops and restaurants, and numerous and diverse activities within the community, including seasonal celebrations, arts & crafts, fitness and much more. Senior living at its best at The Greens at Irvington Mews. An Equal Opportunity Community

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Housing Options | Say you saw it in the Beacon

HOME CARE

Progressive Home Care 410-337-5200 1407 York Road, Suite 207 Lutherville, MD www.progressivecareathome.com Progressive Care at Home is a private duty non-medical home care agency serving seniors in Harford, Baltimore and Howard counties with Companions and Certified Nursing Assistants. Care at Home is a division of Progressive Nursing Staffers, offering compassionate quality health care services for 25 years under one committed owner. Our caregivers are screened beyond industry standards. Our employees must pass rigorous screening and recruitment processes. We are available 24/7/365 and can customize schedules to meet your unique needs. Call today to set up your FREE consultation with a Registered Nurse so you can see firsthand, the quality and integrity we bring to your home and to your life. There is no obligation. Call for an appointment at 410-337-5200. Let our family care for your family.

SKILLED NURSING AND REHABILITATION

White Oak Health Care 410-979-4822 921 E Fort Avenue Baltimore, MD 21230 White Oak Health Care is a premier Nursing and Rehabilitation Center consulting company. The company manages seven facilities in Maryland and West Virginia. Blue Point, Northwest, and Holly Hill are conveniently located in the Baltimore region. These facilities specialize in short-term nursing care after hip, knee, and any joint surgeries. They can also assist in rehabilitation after a stroke or accident. These centers pride themselves on the great therapy and nursing care given to their patients. If you are considering a joint surgery, or find that it becomes necessary, call the admissions department for more information on scheduling a tour, selecting your room, and meeting the therapy staff prior to your surgery. For a rapid response, please call Julianna Hawthorne at 410-979-4822.

ACTIVE ADULT COMMUNITY

St. Mary’s Roland View Towers 410-889-8255 3888/3939 Roland Avenue Baltimore, MD 21211 www.smrvt.com Located in the heart of Hampden, St. Mary's Roland View Towers is a complex of two, high-rise apartment buildings exclusively for households that are 62 years of age or older. Since 1964, SMRVT has provided affordable, comfortable and safe apartment living. There are 360 apartments at the property, including efficiencies, one-bedrooms and two-bedrooms, at a rent structure that is lower than comparable apartments in the Baltimore area, and utilities are included in the rent! SMRVT is within walking distance to grocery shopping and pharmacies. An impressive list of features include- 24/7 on-site maintenance, library, beauty/barber shop, social activities, Church services, rooftop restaurant, and 24/7 reception desk. Call Arthur or Laura Ruby for your personal tour.

M AY 2 0 1 3 — B A L T I M O R E B E A C O N

Pay off the mortgage? Maybe not By Jane Bennett Clark Retiring your home loan makes sense if your stomach churns at the idea of making payments into old age, or you aren’t confident that you can get a return on your money that beats your mortgage rate. But moving heaven and earth to write that last check may not be the best use of your resources. Before you decide, follow these five steps. Pay off consumer debt. Given today’s interest rates, you’re probably paying less than 5 percent on your mortgage, compared with, say, 13 percent on credit card balances. Paying credit card debt gives you an instant return on your money equal to the rate on your cards — and you can continue to deduct the interest on your mortgage. Fuel retirement accounts. The remaining few years before retirement represent your last chance to stash money in tax-advantaged retirement accounts. You’ll waste that opportunity by not maxing out your accounts. In 2013, you can sock away $23,000 in a 401(k) and $6,500 in an IRA if you’re 50 or older. An even worse idea is withdrawing money from your IRA to pay off the mortgage. With a traditional IRA, you’ll owe tax on the distribution, plus a 10-percent penalty if you take a withdrawal before you’re 59 1/2. Keep a reser ve fund. Even if you don’t plan to touch retirement savings to pay off the mortgage, be sure to have enough in your emergency fund to cover

six months of living costs; otherwise, you could end up tapping retirement accounts anyway. Also be mindful that you’ll need income in retirement to cover other expenses. Draining investments to pay off the mortgage could leave you house-rich and cashpoor. Weigh return versus risk. If you’re paying 4 percent on your mortgage and you have nonretirement cash accounts earning less than 1 percent, retire the mortgage. But if you think you can earn, say, 6 percent on your investments and your mortgage costs 4 percent, keep the mortgage and let your investments grow — assuming you won’t kick yourself if your investment return takes a dive. Stay flexible. You could refinance to a shorter-term mortgage, saving thousands of dollars in interest. The downside: You would incur closing costs and could also lock yourself into a higher monthly payment, depending on your current interest rate. Consider prepaying your current mortgage each month instead. And if your finances hit a rough patch, you can revert to the lower payment. Jane Bennett Clark is a senior editor at Kiplinger’s Personal Finance magazine. Send your questions and comments to moneypower@kiplinger.com. Kiplinger’s has a new service to pinpoint the ideal time to claim Social Security to maximize benefits. Visit http://kiplinger.socialsecuritysolutions.com. © 2013 Kiplinger’s Personal Finance

Rental income

with the tenant and ask that they sign off on the condition of the property before they move in. That will help avoid conflicts over the security deposit if there are damages once they’re ready to move out. 6. Get familiar with landlord laws As a neophyte landlord, it’s important to know your exact responsibilities under the law. Two good resources for rental rules are the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Web site (www.hud.gov), and The Landlord Protection Agency (www.thelpa.com), which includes statespecific rental guidelines and standardized forms for rental agreements. An attorney or the Landlord Protection Agency also can help you craft a well-written lease, which is crucial to protect your property. It will help you evict a tenant or hold them accountable for damage if necessary. — AP

From page B-15 lar rental listings in newspapers or on Web sites such as Craigslist.com, Trulia and Zillow, to see what comparable apartments or rooms are going for. Another option is rent analysis website Rentometer.com. The good news: Rents for single-family homes rose 2.3 percent last year from 2011, according to Trulia. 5. Screen tenants thoroughly Once your rental starts drawing inquiries, it pays off to screen prospective tenants by asking for previous landlord references and running a credit and a criminal records check. Experts also recommend asking for a deposit equal to one month’s rent, plus extra if the tenant has pets. That will help cover any damage to the property and protect you if a tenant moves without paying rent. Also, have a walkthrough of the unit

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B A L T I M O R E B E A C O N — M AY 2 0 1 3

Considering an addition? Be prepared By Melissa Rayworth Ask William Carter about expanding your home, and he’s going to be blunt: It will be expensive. It will be messy. And it will take time. “This is a very taxing process,” said Carter, who has renovated homes in California for three decades and has served as board chairman of the National Association of the Remodeling Industry (www.nari.org). “You’re probably going to make 1,500 to 2,000 decisions before this project is completed.” But, he said, if you plan carefully and trust your instincts, you can “end up with a quality project, and everyone will be friends afterwards.”

Do your research Like all remodeling projects, adding on to your home starts with planning and research. In surveys of Consumer Reports readers who have remodeled their homes, “the thing they wish they had done is spent more time upfront,” said Celia Kuperszmid-Lehrman, deputy home editor at the magazine. Make detailed notes about the basics you want, and a separate list of special things — maybe skylights or a fireplace — that you’d love to include but can live without. “There is almost always a conflict between what you can afford and what you want,” said Bill Harbrecht, a retired contractor from Florida who shares his knowledge at Remodeling4Dumbells.com. Basics such as “foundation, framing, basic electric and heating are built-in costs and there is no way around them. Many are governed by building codes and cannot be changed to make them less expensive,” Harbrecht said. But “you do have control over everything else, and everything else encompasses hundreds of choices, each one more or less expensive than the other.” Be sure to plan a large enough addition, he said, because scrimping on space may leave you unsatisfied with the finished product. But also consider how the value and size of your home compares with others in the neighborhood. “You don’t want to go crazy beyond what’s common in your neighborhood,” said KuperszmidLehrman, because building too big can make it harder to recoup the money when you eventually sell. Do research at local stores to decide what you like — particular appliances, types of flooring, etc. — and what it costs. This legwork makes you more informed when interviewing contractors, and helps create a budget. Knowing exactly what you want will help you avoid expensive

changes once the job is underway. Work up a realistic budget, KuperszmidLehrman said, leaving room for cost overruns of 5 to 10 percent. When budgeting, consider whether you’ll need to live elsewhere while work is being done. Look into financing in advance, said Mark Donovan, founder of the DIY website HomeAdditionPlus.com. Don’t wait until you’ve signed a contract to confirm how you’ll pay for it. Once you know what you want, ask friends and neighbors to recommend contractors.

Conduct extensive interviews You can commission plans from an architect before interviewing contractors, or work with “design/build” contractors who create plans for their work. If the addition isn’t elaborate, you also can buy software to design your own plans. Software can cost up to several hundred dollars, Donovan said, but “that’s what an architect would charge you for one hour.” When interviewing contractors, make sure all decision-makers are present. Come prepared with questions, and ask for clarification of details. Once you have several bids, be sure you’re comparing apples to apples. Low bids may not offer the same services or quality items as higher ones, so ask for specifics. “If someone offers a much lower bid than others, he’s probably not going to be on the job all the time,” Carter said. “It’s going to start, then languish awhile.” Carter’s proposals are carefully organized, and include numerous documents detailing every aspect of the job. “Look at how the bid was presented,” he said, because the effort put into the proposal may give a sense of the effort that will go into the finished job. Look for someone who is experienced in the specific type of work you’re planning, and perhaps is certified in that area. Does the contractor point out potential difficulties up front or promise that the job will be totally smooth sailing? Ask about things like downtime while they wait for supplies. Get references from former customers, and “don’t just say, ‘Did you like the guy?’” said Kuperszmid-Lehrman. Ask how the job went and whether there were any surprises. Ideally, visit former customers’ homes to see the work. Most important: Listen to your instincts in choosing the right contractor. “Find the builder you have the right chemistry with,” Carter said, because this person will See ADDITION, page B-18

B-17

CONTINUING CARE RETIREMENT COMMUNITY

North Oaks 410-486-9090 725 Mt. Wilson Lane Pikesville, MD 21208 www.northoaks.net North Oaks is a warm and welcoming, newly renovated Life Care living community conveniently located in Pikesville, Maryland. When you live here, you are thoroughly connected in all the ways that really matter. Connect to a rich cultural, social and intellectual environment that distinguishes life at North Oaks. Connect with a community of interesting neighbors and a skilled and supportive professional staff. Expect to remain wonderfully connected to family and friends, and to the broader community outside North Oaks. Expect to make many new friends right here. When you live here, you enjoy not only a comfortable, secure and maintenance-free apartment home, but also the security of our Life Care program, offering peace of mind and financial predictability should your care needs ever change. Call today for your tour.

CONTINUING CARE RETIREMENT COMMUNITY

Augsburg Lutheran Home and Village 1-888-347-7008 6811 Campﬁeld Road Baltimore, MD 21207 www.Augsburg.org Augsburg is a nationally accredited, non-profit, continuing care community, featuring independent living, assisted, skilled nursing and rehabilitation services. Nestled on a beautiful 52-acre campus in Baltimore County, we have been a leader in providing affordable quality senior living since 1892. Our apartment-style independent living allows you to enjoy the comforts, privacy and independence of your own home without the concern of home ownership. We offer spacious studios, one- and two-bedroom apartments with a variety of floor plans. For those needing assisted living, Augsburg residents enjoy private rooms, an individualized care plan and a bed-and-breakfast style setting. Skilled nursing services with various levels of care are also available in a progressive neighborhood style model designed with comfort in mind. Call today for your tour!

INDEPENDENT LIVING COMMUNITY

Glen Forest Senior Apartments 410-969-2000 7975 Crain Hwy Glen Burnie, MD 21061 www.ﬁrstcentrum.com Glen Forest is centrally located to the numerous conveniences of the region, including Baltimore Washington International Airport, the Baltimore & Annapolis Trail and North Arundel Hospital. This independent living community for persons 62 years of age or better is also convenient to local shopping and dining that can be found throughout the Glen Burnie and Baltimore area. A shopping mall is located right across from the property which includes grocery, clothing and other shopping stores, banks and restaurants. While living at Glen Forest you will enjoy many activities hosted by the resident association, a senior center nutrition site that serves a hot lunch Monday through Friday for a nominal fee and carefree 24 hour emergency maintenance service. Come visit and see why our residents love it here at Glen Forest.

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Housing Options | Say you saw it in the Beacon

INDEPENDENT SENIOR LIVING

Weinberg Village Campus 410-581-7878 3430 Associated Way Owings Mills, MD 21117 www.weinbergvillage.net This lovely campus of five buildings offers you the opportunity to maintain your healthy and active lifestyle. While living in one of the spacious apartments, you will have access to many amenities that include a convenience store, hair salon, and community rooms that are supplied with computers, games, community garden, televisions and books. In addition, residents take part in daily activities planned by resident volunteers and staff members. Located in a quiet corner of Owings Mills, you will have easy access to many shopping, dining and entertainment businesses. Weinberg Village has a community shuttle bus that makes regular trips to many local attractions.

INDEPENDENT LIVING COMMUNITY

Park View at Ellicott City 410-203-9501 8720 Ridge Road Ellicott City, MD 21043 parkviewellicott@sheltergrp.com Park View at Ellicott City I and Park View Ellicott City II extends an invitation to those 62 or better to enjoy a carefree lifestyle. The communities are conveniently located near shopping, Historic Ellicott City, and local senior centers. The buildings have electronically controlled access, elevators for the residents’ convenience, plus many amenities for social and recreational activities. Call 410-203-9501 or email parkviewellicott@sheltergrp.com today to arrange for your personal visit. We look forward to welcoming you to our community!

M AY 2 0 1 3 — B A L T I M O R E B E A C O N

Condominium ownership makes comeback By Patricia Mertz Esswein Condos have traditionally attracted firsttime buyers who are ready to own but don’t want the upkeep required by a single-family detached home with a yard. They also appeal to empty-nesters and retirees who want to trade a house and yard for convenience and, sometimes, coddling in a luxury high-rise. But condo ownership has its downside. Because the association of owners shares responsibility for the building’s exterior and common areas, you pay a monthly fee in addition to the mortgage payment, and you could be liable for special assessments to cover unexpected repairs.

More mortgage requirements Fewer condos available And today you face new challenges: limited selection and tight mortgage financing. In many cities, including Atlanta, Boston, Los Angeles, New York, Orlando and Seattle, the selection of condos for sale is limited. Across the U.S., the number of existing condos for sale has fallen by just over half since 2010, according to the National Association of Realtors. Plus, buyers at the entry level may still be competing with investors for the best bargains. Competition for move-up properties is more muted because many buyers in those markets must sell another home first. Looking for new construction? Most developers don’t need to offer incentives to attract buyers now. Developers offer the best prices before they’ve sold half of the

Addition From page B-17 be in your home for months to come.

Get everything in writing INDEPENDENT LIVING COMMUNITY

Park View at Dundalk 410-288-5483 103 Center Place Dundalk, MD 21222 parkviewdundalk@sheltergrp.com Park View at Dundalk offers carefree living for those 62 or better right in the heart of historic Dundalk. Just a block from Dundalk Avenue, this community has easy access to public transportation, shopping and restaurants. East Point Mall and Johns Hopkins Bayview are just minutes away. Residents enjoy many social, recreational and educational activities including bus trips. Our residents receive up to four hot, nutritional, low-cost meals per week in conjunction with the on-site Baltimore County Eating Together Program. This controlled-access elevator building offers such amenities as a community room, clothing care center, and fitness center. Call 410-288-5483 or email parkviewdundalk@sheltergrp.com today to arrange for your personal visit. Come see what you’re missing!

project’s units — but the earlier you buy, the greater your risk that the project will never get off the ground. You may also get a better deal when a developer wants to get rid of the last few units. You may find some of the best prospects in buildings that are just a few years old — units that were updated and remodeled during the boom can offer great value. However, the owners associations of some new buildings may still be struggling with legal problems left over from the developer, dealing with structural or mechanical problems that took time to emerge, or trying to establish a working condo board.

“A lot of people get bids, and by then they’re already so tired of the process” that they just jump in and get started, Carter said. But it’s vital to move slowly and carefully when signing contracts. Don’t assume details are implied. Outline everything on paper — from which materials will be used to how clean the worksite will be at the end of each day. Agree in writing on an estimated time frame and overall estimate of costs. But accept that contractors can’t predict the

To get a mortgage for a condo, you have to jump through more hoops than for a single-family home. Not only must you qualify for financing, but the building where you buy must qualify, too, by meeting criteria established by the Federal Housing Administration (FHA), Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. When you apply for a conforming mortgage guaranteed by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac (which require a minimum down payment of 5 to 10 percent), your prospective lender will perform a risk assessment of the condo association and may overlay even more-stringent requirements of its own on top of Fannie and Freddie’s. Patricia Mertz Esswein is an associate editor at Kiplinger’s Personal Finance magazine. © 2012 Kiplinger’s Personal Finance

weather, and things like frayed wiring or termites may be discovered when walls are opened. “Even the best contractor doesn’t have X-ray vision,” said Kuperszmid-Lehrman, “and the older your home is, the more likely it is you’re going to find something like that.” Once the project is underway, stay in written communication. Phone messages can cause confusion, said Carter, so he prefers e-mail updates, with everyone copied in. Written communication with a date and time stamp is the best way to prevent “he said, she said” conflicts, and preserve a good relationship until the end. —AP

BEACON BITS

May 5

DISCOVER SENIOR SOLUTIONS

The Baltimore County Department of Aging presents the Senior Solutions Conference on Thursday, May 9 at the Marriott Hunt Valley Inn. This event is designed for professionals and others who want to learn about the challenges of helping older adults become independent. Hear speaker Dr. Josephine Egan discuss research on aging. Learn strategies to prevent falls, treat hearing loss, assess frailty, and more. The fee is $65, which includes breakfast and lunch. For additional information, view the brochure online at http://resources.baltimorecountymd.gov/Documents/Aging/seniorsolutionsbrochure2013.pdf or call (410) 887-2012.

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B A L T I M O R E B E A C O N — M AY 2 0 1 3

Redecorate your home simply, affordably By Anne D’Innocenzio With the housing recovery gaining steam, Americans have more incentives to paint up, touch up and otherwise redecorate their homes. But there’s no need to spend a fortune. From finding treasures on eBay to taking advantage of new offerings at department stores and discounters, there are plenty of ways to make your home more stylish on the cheap. “There’s no excuse for an undecorated home on any budget,” said Candace Corlett, president of WSL Strategic Retail, a retail consultancy. “Home has as much retail selection as fashion. And you can get a lot of buys.”

Where to shop Walmart Stores Inc., the world’s largest retailer, has this year expanded its assortment of window treatments like blinds, and is also bolstering offerings on rugs, decorative pillows, bathroom accessories and patio furniture. Under the discounter’s Better Homes & Gardens brand, decorative pillows range from $11.97 to $13.97. Meanwhile, Target Corp., known for its cheap, chic home designs, has launched a full line for the new store brand called Threshold, which offers a variety of goods from dinnerware sets to sheets and towels. And J.C Penney Co. is counting on a newly revamped home area that opened in April that houses new brands like Jonathan Adler, Sir Terence Conran, and Bodum. Michael Graves, who ended his 13-year partnership with Target last year and is known for his stylish tea kettles, is also joining Penney this spring.

Six decorating tips Do your homework: First, create a budget and search around to get inspiration. To get ideas, attend open houses to see how other people are decorating their homes. You can also find how-to videos and decorating blogs on such sites as HSN, HomeGoods, Lowe’s and Home Depot. There are fewer home decor magazines than there used to be. But you can always flip through catalogs from stores such as Ballard Designs to get some tips. Also, experts encourage you to do

broad searches on the Web. EBay just launched a new technology called Feed that allows you to personalize your searches based on your style, like mod 1960s. “It’s all about getting unexpected things,” said Chris Benz, an American fashion designer who is collaborating with eBay on various fashion collections. He said he has furnished his apartment and office with eclectic eBay finds like vintage Italian turquoise pottery pieces. Pick and choose: Study your space and figure out what pieces of furniture you’ll be using more. So if you spend a lot of time in your living room, you may want to spend more on a sofa and an entertainment center that would house your flatscreen TV and books. It’s like investing in good shoes or a handbag, said Pallavi Naidu, vice president of merchandising and product development at Atlanta-based Ballard Designs. Spending more on items that get lots of use means they will last longer and give you more satisfaction. Improvise: You don’t need the real thing. If you don’t have money to spend on a granite backsplash for your kitchen, turn to peel-and-stick wall tiles. Not sure if you want to invest in a carpet? An area rug could cost less and accomplish the same thing. Repurpose pieces: Shop in flea markets and even your mother’s attic to find pieces that could be reinvented as useful home decor items. And think beyond the original purpose: WSL’s Corlett said that old sewing machines or leather-trimmed luggage can be used as tables. Check out financing deals: If you’re strapped and need to stagger payments, instead of charging all at once on your credit card, check out financing deals from various retailers. Most furniture stores have some kind of interest-free financing deal going most of the time. Just remember to keep up with the monthly payments or else you will wind up paying heavy-duty interest and sometimes extra fees. When in doubt, paint: Often, just a fresh coat of paint will make all the difference in a room. “Painting is one of the affordable ways to change the decor,” Corlett said. — AP

BEACON BITS

May 14

EXPLORE HISTORIC BALTIMORE Join Wayne Schaumburg on Tuesday, May 14 for “Bygone Baltimore: A Historic Look at Baltimore City from 1729 to the Pres-

ent.” This presentation traces Baltimore’s history from its days as a tobacco town to the recent urban renaissance, highlighting a variety of people, places, and events that tell Baltimore’s story. The event will take place at Catonsville Senior Center, 501 N. Rolling Rd., Baltimore and will begin at 10 a.m. For more information, call (410) 887-0900.

B-19

INDEPENDENT LIVING COMMUNITY

Charlestown 1-800-608-1784 715 Maiden Choice Lane Catonsville, MD 21228 www.ericksonliving.com NOW OPEN — new apartment homes at Charlestown! Begin your maintenance-free retirement in a beautiful setting. The Edgewood building at Charlestown in Catonsville is now open, with ten stylish floor plan options. The new homes boast expansive designs and luxurious features, including granite countertops, stainless steel appliances, upgraded fixtures and more. And these spacious apartment homes are just the beginning of Charlestown’s multimillion-dollar renovation project! Our fully renovated clubhouse—featuring a pool, fitness center and restaurant—opens this summer. Call 1-800-608-1784 today to schedule a tour or request your free brochure.

INDEPENDENT LIVING COMMUNITY

Park View at Towson 410-828-7185 20 Dunvale Road Towson, MD 21204 parkviewtowson@sheltergrp.com Park View at Towson offers carefree living for those 62 or better. Located in the heart of Towson, this community is convenient to Dulaney Plaza and Towson Town Center, as well as the specialty stores and restaurants Towson offers. Residents enjoy many social, recreational and educational activities including bus trips. Our controlled-access community offers lounge areas for socializing, multiple clothing care centers, and a lending library. Our residents receive up to four hot, nutritional, low-cost meals per week in conjunction with the on-site Baltimore County Eating Together Program. Call 410-8287185 or email parkviewtowson@sheltergrp.com today to arrange for your personal visit. We look forward to welcoming you to our community!

INDEPENDENT LIVING COMMUNITY

Park View at Laurel 301-490-1526 9000 Briarcroft Lane Laurel, MD 20708 parkviewlaurel@sheltergrp.com Park View at Laurel is newly renovated and simply offers the best in carefree living for those 62 or better. Located just off of Route 198 in Laurel, this community is convenient to everything you want and need. Residents enjoy a spacious community room, mail delivery lounge and media room with library, as well as a computer center, fitness center, salon, and many social activities including bus trips. Our apartment homes feature stylish kitchens, new baths, and Energy Star appliances. Our controlled-access elevator community has so many amenities to enhance your living experience you need to call today and see for yourself. Call 301-490-1526 or email parkviewlaurel@sheltergrp.com today to arrange for your personal visit. We look forward to meeting you!

B-20

Housing Options | Say you saw it in the Beacon

M AY 2 0 1 3 — B A L T I M O R E B E A C O N

Your Life,

OMMUNITIES S

Enriched

Perfectly designed residential communities for seniors and younger residents with disabilities* located in Northwest Baltimore: Weinberg Village Community 3430 Associated Way Owings Mills, MD 21117 410-356-4660 weinbergvillage.net Weinberg Gardens 1500 Bedford Ave. Pikesville, MD 21208 410-602-8200 Weinberg House 16 Old Court Road Pikesville, MD 21208 410-602-2405 Weinberg Manhattan Park* 5715 Park Heights Ave. Baltimore, MD 21215 410-466-8080 Weinberg Manor East* 3601 Fords Lane Baltimore, MD 21215 410-358-5581

Weinberg Manor West 3615 Fords Lane Baltimore, MD 21215 410-358-9393 Weinberg Park Assisted Living* 5833 Park Heights Ave. Baltimore, MD 21215 410-664-0100 Weinberg Place* 2500 West Belvedere Baltimore, MD 21215 410-542-4111 Weinberg Terrace 1450 Bedford Ave. Pikesville, MD 21208 410-602-3950 Weinberg Woods 3211 Clarks Lane Baltimore, MD 21215 410-318-6625

ENJOY THE BEST YEARS OF YOUR LIFE in one of our communities designed just for you. Weinberg Senior Living provides quality, affordable apartments for seniors and younger residents with disabilities*. Our residents will make you feel at home, and the friendly staff will be there to answer any questions that you might have. You’ll enjoy getting to know your neighbors and making new friends. In addition, you will find residents who take active interest in their community and meet regularly to discuss ways to improve their campus, inside and out. They work together to keep Weinberg Senior Living beautiful and accommodating to your lifestyle. You owe it to yourself to see how good the best years of your life can be. Weinberg Senior Living apartments are owned by CHAI, a local non-profit organization. CHAI’s mission is to develop and support thriving stable communities in Northwest Baltimore. In addition to constructing new housing and renovating existing housing, CHAI promotes many programs and services that help seniors to continue to live independently.

Senior Living

*For 62 and over or disabled

COMING SOON NOVEMBER 2013

Renaissance

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PERFORMANCE. PEOPLE. PRIDE.

B A L T I M O R E B E A C O N — M AY 2 0 1 3

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Money Law &

GETTING CREDIT WHERE IT’S DUE Take a close look at your credit report. Twenty percent of consumers may have an error FINDING MISPLACED ITEMS A new technology uses cellphones and iPods to find missing keys, remotes and other easily lost items LOST LIFE INSURANCE While there’s no central database for lost life insurance policies, there are many resources to help

Stocks may be less risky than you think By Bernard Condon Is it too late? If you’ve stayed out of stocks recently, you might be worried that you’ve missed your chance to get back in. After all, they must be expensive now that the Dow Jones industrial average has risen 120 percent in four years to a record high. The good news is that stocks still seem a good bet despite the run-up. The bad news: They’re no bargain, at least by some measures, so don’t get too excited. Many investors obsess about stock prices. But you must give equal weight to a company’s earnings. When earnings rise, stocks become more valuable — and their prices usually rise, too. That seems to be happening now. “We’ve had record profits upon record profits,” said John Butters, senior earnings analyst at FactSet, a research firm. “And estimates are we’ll have record profits this year, too.”

What’s more, some of the typical threats to stock run-ups — such as rising inflation and interest rates, which often trigger a recession — seem unlikely to appear soon. Among reasons to consider stocks again:

A stronger economy While it’s difficult for those without jobs to believe, there are no traditional signs of a recession. And that’s encouraging for stocks, which almost always fall ahead of an economic downturn. Stocks started falling two months before the Great Recession began in December 2007 and one year before the recession that started in March 2001. Better yet, the economy may be on the verge of faster growth. The unemployment rate in February dipped from 7.9 percent to 7.7 percent, its lowest level since December 2008. Employers added more than 200,000 jobs each month from November

to February, compared with 150,000 in each of the prior three months. More jobs mean more money for people to spend, and consumer spending drives 70 percent of economic activity. And there has been a flurry of other hopeful signs lately. Homebuilders broke ground on new homes last year at the fastest pace in four years. Sales of autos, the second-biggest consumer purchase, are at a five-year high. If recent history is any guide, this economic expansion is still young. The expansion that began in June 2009 is 44 months old. The previous three expansions lasted 73 months, 120 months and 92 months. Corporate earnings grow in expansions, which can push stocks higher. In the 1982-1990 expansion, earnings of companies in the Standard and Poor’s 500 stock index grew 50 percent, according to S&P Dow Jones Indices, which oversees

the index. The S&P 500 itself surged nearly 170 percent. For 2013, earnings of S&P 500 companies are expected to grow 7.9 percent, then jump another 11.5 percent next year, according to FactSet. If that’s right, stocks could rise fast. But history offers three caveats: First, if you look at the 11 expansions back to World War II, instead of the last three, they last 59 months on average. By that measure, the current expansion is middle aged, not young. Second, investing based on U.S. economic expansions may not work as well as in the past. Big U.S. companies generate nearly half their revenue from overseas now so you need to worry about other economies, too. The 17 European countries that use the euro as a currency have been in recession for more than a year. See STOCKS, page 20

Protect your spouse with life insurance Often, when individuals retire, the need sadly, my spouse died about five years later. for life insurance either is greatly reduced I was fortunate enough to re-marry. But or eliminated. However, that as is often the case, I was not is not always the case. able to add my new spouse to If you are fortunate enough my pension plan as a survivor. to be eligible for a lifetime penSo I needed to protect my sion, you may also have the present spouse. Millions of retired individuals are in the option to elect a lifetime pensame situation. sion for your spouse (should I was 65 when I re-married. you die first) in exchange for I investigated the cost of term accepting a lower monthly insurance at that time, using amount. If you have this opan independent insurance tion, you have less need for THE SAVINGS agent. Luckily, my health was ongoing life insurance. GAME good, and I was able to purBut for those without a By Elliot Raphaelson chase term insurance at a realifetime pension, and the opsonable cost. tion to elect continued payFor a little more than $100/month, I was ments to their spouse, life insurance can be helpful. Many households do not have able to purchase $250,000 worth of term enough savings and investments to en- insurance for 20 years. I also initiated a sure that a surviving spouse will have suf- new investment program that utilizes dolficient income for life. In that case, life in- lar-cost-averaging, so that if I live past age surance is still required. Fortunately, 85 (when my term insurance ends), my even at age 65, term insurance is available spouse will no longer need life insurance. at reasonable prices for healthy individuals. Other reasons for insurance Sometimes, insurance can be needed even There are other circumstances that may with a pension. For example, when I retired, I necessitate the need for life insurance selected a survivor option for my spouse re- when you are in retirement. Sometimes garding my employer-provided pension, but you will run into unexpected expenses, or

your investments will not perform as well as you expect. For example, even though my wife and I have excellent health insurance, we do not have good dental insurance, which is the case for many retirees. I have used more than one dental policy with poor results. A few years ago, both my wife and I incurred approximately $50,000 in un-reimbursed dental expenses, which we paid for over a one-year period utilizing “CareCredit” in order to avoid any interest costs and to continue to earn as much as possible on our invested assets. [Editor’s Note: CareCredit is a credit card that allows interest-free payment for medical expenses as long as minimum monthly payments are made and the entire balance is paid off in a pre-determined number of months. See www.carecredit.com for more information.] Unfortunately, we are still likely to be faced with high dental bills in the future. If I die when there is still a large outstanding dental bill, I want my spouse to be protected. Accordingly, I purchased additional term life insurance for a shorter time frame.

For those with little savings The reality is that many households

have an insufficient capital base to protect a sur viving spouse. In a recent Wells Fargo sur vey, respondents between the ages of 25 and 75 were asked about their level of savings. The median savings was $25,000. Obviously, that is insufficient for just about any type of retirement. Thankfully, the cost of term insurance is reasonable. Costs have actually decreased because people are living longer due to better medications and improved healthcare in general. It pays to review your financial situation in retirement at least annually. At age 65, and even at 70, term life insurance is affordable. But it won’t be when you’re 10 years older. If you are in good health, you should consider whether term life insurance makes sense while you are insurable and can afford it. A good financial plan can ensure that either surviving spouse will have sufficient income and/or assets to maintain a prosperous retirement. Elliot Raphaelson welcomes your questions and comments at elliotraph@gmail.com. © 2013 Elliot Raphaelson. All rights reserved. Distributed by Tribune Media Services, Inc.

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Stocks From page 19 Japan, the world’s third largest economy, has struggled to grow. Third, earnings forecasts are often too high. They come from financial analysts who study companies and advise on stocks to buy. In the past 15 years, their annual earnings forecasts were an average 10 percent too high, according to FactSet. Last year, they got closer: They overestimated by 4 percent.

Stocks are reasonably priced Investors like to use a gauge called price-

earnings ratios in deciding whether to buy or sell. Low P/E ratios signal that stocks are cheap relative to a company’s earnings; high ones signal they are expensive. Right now P/E’s are neither low nor high, suggesting stocks are reasonably priced. To calculate a P/E, you divide the price of a stock by its annual earnings per share. A company that earns $4 a share and has a $60 stock has a P/E of 15. Most investors calculate P/E’s two ways: based on estimates of earnings the next 12 months and on earnings the past 12. Stocks in the S&P 500 are at 13.7 times

M AY 2 0 1 3 — B A L T I M O R E B E A C O N

estimated earnings per share in 2013. That is close to the average estimated P/E ratio of 14.2 over the past 10 years, according to FactSet. The P/E based on past earnings paints a similar picture. The S&P 500 trades now at 17.6 times earnings per share in 2012, basically the same as the 17.5 average since World War II, according to S&P Dow Jones Indices, which oversees the index. Again, a caveat. Another way to calculate P/E’s, called a “cyclically adjusted” ratio, suggests stocks are not such a decent deal. Its champion is economist Robert Shiller of Yale University who warned about the dotcom and housing bubbles. Shiller thinks it’s misleading to look at just one year, because earnings can surge or drop with the economic cycle. To smooth such distortions, he looks at annual earnings per share averaged over the prior 10 years. The cyclically adjusted ratio is 23 times. Since the end of World War II, it’s ranged between 6.6 and 44.2, and the average is 18.3. That suggests stocks are expensive, though perhaps not wildly so. No matter which P/E you choose, it’s important to think of it as a rough guide at best. Stocks can trade above or below their average P/E’s for years.

Optimistic investors A new love of stocks could prove a powerful force pushing prices up. In fact, it can push them up even if earnings don’t increase. That’s what happened in the five years through 1986. Earnings fell 2 percent, but the S&P 500 almost doubled as small investors who had soured on stocks throughout the 1970s returned to the market. The multiple — shorthand for the price-earnings ratio — rose from eight to nearly 17. Market watchers refer to this as “multiple expansion.” Will it happen again?

As stocks have surged over the past four years, individual investors have been selling, which is nearly unprecedented in a bull market. But they may be having second thoughts. In January, they put nearly $20 billion more into U.S. stock mutual funds than they took out, according to the Investment Company Institute, a trade group for funds. Some financial analysts say we are at the start of a “Great Rotation.” That would mean investors shifting money into stocks from bonds. If that happens, stocks could soar. It’s too soon to say if the buying will continue.

Low interest rates Interest rates are near record lows. That’s good for stocks because it lowers borrowing costs for companies and makes bonds, which compete with stocks for investor money, less appealing. If you want to kill a stock rally, then hike interest rates. That’s what happened in the runup to Black Monday, Oct. 19, 1987. In August that year, the yield on the 30-year Treasury bond rose above 10 percent. Investors thought, “If I could make 10 percent each year for 30 years in bonds, why keep my money in stocks?” So they sold and stocks drifted lower. Then Black Monday struck. The Dow plunged 508 points, or nearly 23 percent — its largest fall in a single day. Today, the yield on the 30-year Treasury bond is 3.2 percent. The yield on the 10year Treasury note is 2.05 percent, less than half its 20-year average of 4.7 percent. It could be years before rates even return to that average level. Of course, interest rates could jump on fears of higher inflation. But inflation has been 1.6 percent the past year, below the Federal Reserve’s 2 percent target. What’s more, the Fed has promised to keep the benchmark rate it controls near zero until unemployment falls to 6.5 percent. Unemployment today is 7.7 percent. — AP

Say you saw it in the Beacon | Law & Money

B A L T I M O R E B E A C O N — M AY 2 0 1 3

Use your cellphone to find lost keys, etc. By Peter Svensson Jimmy Buchheim is behaving oddly. On the floor of the world’s largest cellphone trade show in Barcelona, Spain, he’s looking at the screen of his iPod Touch, taking a few steps, and then looking again. Now and then he backtracks or turns, and looks again. Slowly, he confines his movements to a smaller and smaller area. Then he drops to his knees, and checks the screen again. He scrabbles forward. “There we are!” he says. Buchheim has found his keys, which had been hidden behind a wastebasket by a skeptical reporter. On the key ring is a small disc, slightly bigger than a quarter. That’s what Buchheim was homing in on with his iPod. It allowed him to find his keys, hidden out of sight in an apartmentsized booth. Buchheim’s company, Stick-N-Find Technologies, wants to give people a way to find things — whether it’s keys, wallets, TV remotes or cat collars. There’s no real trick to sending out a radio signal and having a phone pick it up. That’s been done before. What makes the Stick-N-Find practical is a new radio technology known as Bluetooth Low Energy, which drastically reduces the battery power needed to send out a signal. That means the disc can be small, light enough for its sticky back to adhere to a

lot of surfaces, and be powered by a watchtype battery that lasts up to two years without recharging. The signal can be picked up as far as 300 feet away, but that’s under ideal circumstances. On the floor of the wireless show, with a multitude of Wi-Fi transmitters jamming the airwaves, the range was roughly 20 feet. One downside to Bluetooth Low Energy: It doesn’t come cheap. Stick-N-Find charges $50 for two “stickers” from its first production run. It gave early backers a better deal — 4 discs for $65 — on crowdfunding site Indiegogo.com, where it had sought to raise $70,000 from donors and ended up getting $931,970 by the time the campaign ended recently. Another downside is that few devices can pick up the signals. The latest two iPhones can do it, as can the latest iPod Touches and iPads. The latest high-end Samsung smartphones work, too. Bluetooth Low Energy is expected to become a standard feature in phones, but it’s not yet. Furthermore, whatever device you use, it won’t tell you exactly where your sticker is located. All it can tell is how far away it is. That means finding something is a process of walking around and checking whether you’re getting “hotter” or “colder.” Of course, often you don’t really need to know where your wallet is: knowing that it’s within 8 feet and therefore somewhere

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Ongoing

BROMO SELTZER TOWER ARTS OPEN HOUSE

Twice a month the historic Bromo Seltzer Tower welcomes guests inside to visit more than a dozen talented resident and guests artists from the region, browse and purchase original artwork, and tour the tower and clock room. The Tower is located at 21 S. Eutaw Street. Upcoming dates are Saturdays, April 27, May 4, May 18, June 1, and June 15, from 1 to 5 p.m. Call (443) 874-3596 or log on to www.bromoseltzerartstower.com for more information.

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in the car with you is assurance enough. Buchheim says the company has plans to add direction-finding features. Users can also set up a virtual “leash” between a sticker and a Bluetooth device. Depending on the settings, when the two devices move a certain distance away from each other, the sticker starts beeping or the device’s screen shows an alert. That way, you could place a sticker in your wallet, link it to your phone, and you’d know if you’re leaving either one behind.

Buchheim sees this as just the start for what Bluetooth Low Energy can do. StickN-Find is working with a museum that’s interested in putting stickers on its exhibits, so they can issue tablets or other devices to visitors that can sense the proximity of exhibits, and say “Hello, this is the statue of so-and-so,” Buchheim says. It could even end up as a technology for the blind — one that tells them where their belongings are, he notes. —AP

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May 16

TRANSITIONING TO MEDICARE Turning 65 years of age or disabled? Are you ready to enroll in

Medicare? Baltimore County Senior Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) will set you on the right course. Register for the next session on May 16 at the Randallstown Library, 8604 Liberty Rd. Randallstown, by calling (410) 887-2059 or emailing medicareinformation@baltimorecountymd.gov.

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M AY 2 0 1 3 — B A L T I M O R E B E A C O N

How to locate a lost life insurance policy By Kimberly Lankford Q: My sister-in-law passed away recently. We thought she had a life insurance policy, but we’ve searched through her papers and can’t find one. Is there a way to find out if she still had a policy and, if so, with what company? A: There isn’t a centralized database for tracking down life insurance policies, but you can use several strategies, and a few new resources, to help with your investigation. Searching through your sister-in-law’s

papers is a good first step (obviously, you must be her legal representative or an approved family member to do so). Look in her bank records and canceled checks for premium payments, and check her tax returns for evidence of any taxable withdrawals or dividends, which can help you find the insurer. Also look through her address books for contact information for a life insurance agent, financial planner, accountant, attorney or other adviser and ask if the adviser

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knows about a life insurance policy. Contact each insurer with whom she had other types of policies and ask if she had life insurance there, too. And keep an eye on the mail for any premium notices. If your sister-in-law was working at the time of her death, contact her company’s employee benefits office — she might have had some workplace coverage. Check with former employers, as well, to see if she purchased voluntary, extra coverage and kept it after she left the job.

Some states will help If your initial search fails to produce results, contact the insurance regulator in the states where she lived (To locate state insurance regulators, see the National Association of Insurance Commissioners map at www.naic.org/state_web_map.htm). Also, several states plus Puerto Rico have new resources to help people track down lost life insurance policies, including Louisiana, Massachusetts, Missouri, New York, Ohio and Oregon. Programs are also being developed in Rhode Island and

Texas. Missouri’s Policy Locator Service, for example, helps track down information about both life insurance policies and annuities purchased in Missouri. Executors and legal representatives of the deceased person, and people who believe they may be beneficiaries, may submit a notarized search-request form with an original death certificate. Requests are forwarded to Missouri-licensed life insurance companies within 30 days, and if a policy is located, the insurer will contact the beneficiary. Since its launch in November 2011, the service has located a total of $148,000 for beneficiaries. If a state doesn’t have a special program to find lost life insurance, it may still have resources that can help you with your search. Ask the state insurance department for contact information for life insurers licensed to do business in the state, and contact the companies yourself. The insurance department can also help See LIFE INSURANCE, page 24

BEACON BITS Call us toll free for a consultation and quote

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Ongoing

HATS AND SCARVES NEEDED

Jewish Volunteer Connection works with area volunteers to produce 1,500 hand-stitched hats and scarves to be included in winter care packages. These packages will be distributed to local shelters and soup kitchens on December 25, as part of Jewish Volunteer Connection’s Community Mitzvah Day. Donated scarves and hats are accepted all year long at 5709 Park Heights Ave. For more information, call (410) 843-7490, email volunteer@associated.org or visit www.jvcbaltimore.org.

Ongoing

VOLUNTEER TO HELP SICK CHILDREN

The Casey Cares Foundation provides ongoing, uplifting programs to critically ill children and their families in the Mid-Atlantic area. To learn about volunteer opportunities, visit www.CaseyCaresFoundation.org.

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B A L T I M O R E B E A C O N — M AY 2 0 1 3

Your credit report may well contain errors By Marcy Gordon One in five consumers had an error in a credit report issued by a major agency, according to recent government study. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) study also said that 5 percent of the consumers identified errors in their reports that could lead to them paying more for mortgages, auto loans or other financial products. The study looked at reports for 1,001 consumers issued by the three major agencies — Equifax, Experian and TransUnion. The FTC hired researchers to help consumers identify potential errors. The study closely matches the results of a yearlong investigation by The Columbus Dispatch. The Ohio newspaper’s report last year said that thousands of consumers were denied loans because of errors on their credit reports. The FTC said the findings underline the importance of consumers checking their credit reports. Consumers are entitled to a free copy of their credit report each year from each of the three reporting agencies. Visit www.annualcreditreport.com or call 1-877322-8228 toll-free to obtain yours. The FTC study also found that 20 per-

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Ongoing

PROTECT YOUR IDENTITY

Make identity protection part of your daily routine: Ask questions; lock it up; shred it; password-protect it; use security software. Learn more about how to protect your identity from theft at www.ftc.gov/idtheft.

cent of consumers had an error that was corrected by a reporting agency after the consumer disputed it. About 10 percent of consumers had their credit score changed after a reporting agency corrected errors in their reports. The Consumer Data Industry Association, which represents the credit reporting agencies and other data companies, said the FTC study showed that the proportion of credit reports with errors that could increase the rates consumers would pay was small. The study confirmed “that credit reports are highly accurate, and play a critical role in facilitating access to fair and affordable consumer credit,” the association said in a statement.

New enforcement clout In September, the federal Consumer Financial Protection Bureau gained the author-

ity to write and enforce rules for the credit reporting industry and to monitor the compliance of the three agencies. Prior to that, the reporting agencies weren’t subject to ongoing monitoring by federal examiners. The CFPB hasn’t yet taken any public action against the agencies. However, it is accepting complaints from consumers who discover incorrect information on their reports or have trouble getting mis-

takes corrected. The agencies have 15 days to respond to the complaints with a plan for fixing the problem; consumers can dispute that response. By contrast, the FTC can only take action if there is an earlier indication of wrongdoing. It cannot demand information from or investigate companies that appear to be following the law. — AP

BEACON BITS

Ongoing

CENTERSTAGE PRESENTS THE RAISIN CYCLE

This spring, CenterStage presents two landmark plays, each a response to the legacy of Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun: the Baltimore premiere of the award-winning Clybourne Park by Bruce Norris, and the world premiere of CenterStage Artistic Director Kwame Kwei-Armah’s Beneatha’s Place. The two plays will be produced in rotating repertory. Tickets, priced from $15 to $45, can be purchased at (410) 332-0033 or online at www.centerstage.org.

Law & Money | More at TheBeaconNewspapers.com

M AY 2 0 1 3 — B A L T I M O R E B E A C O N

Life insurance

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Ongoing

FOOD PANTRY VOLUNTEERS NEEDED

From page 22

Eastern Interfaith Outreach sorts, packs and distributes food to

you find current contact information for insurers that may have merged since your sister-in-law bought a policy.

needy people in the Essex area. Through donations from local churches, companies and the federal government, the organization distributes more than 20,000 tons of food annually to more than 2,800 residents. The pantry is open Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. To find out about volunteer opportunities, call (410) 391-6181.

Please patronize our advertisers. They keep the Beacon free!

Unclaimed property offices A state’s unclaimed-property office may eventually get the money if an insurer knows a person has died but is unable to contact the beneficiaries. You can search unclaimed-property databases for several states at www.MissingMoney.com or find links to each state’s unclaimed-property division through the National Association of Unclaimed Property Administrators at www.unclaimed.org. See Kiplinger’s “4 Ways to Get Lost Money from Government Agencies” at http://bit.ly/GetLostMoney for more information about tracking down money in the states’ unclaimed-property databases. The Medical Information Bureau’s Policy

Baltimore City Health Department Office of Aging & CARE Services

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Locator Service at www.mib.com/lost_life_insurance.html can also help. Insurers who are members of the MIB share general medical and other information they discover during underwriting about applicants for life insurance policies. The service tracks applications for individual policies made to member companies since 1996. (Although most life insurers are members, the service doesn’t track group policies.) Not everyone can get the information, however. You must be the executor of the deceased’s estate or the surviving spouse. If there is neither an executor nor a spouse, the child of the deceased or another eligible representative may make the request. Whoever makes the inquiry must provide an original death certificate. The service costs $75 and takes about 10 days to produce a report. If your sisterin-law applied for life insurance at any of the member companies, the report will include the company’s name, the date the application was submitted, and information about how to contact the insurer. The insurer can then tell you if the policy was actually issued, whether it remains in force, and who the beneficiary is.

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While you’re tracking down your sisterin-law’s life insurance policy, remember to keep good records yourself so you can spare your heirs the same hassle. The American Council of Life Insurers recently introduced a new tool called My Insurance Log at www.myinsurancelog.com. It helps people pass key information about insurance policies and retirement plans to their beneficiaries and personal representatives. Also be sure to keep the beneficiary contact information up-to-date with your insurers, which will make it easy for them to track down your heirs. © 2013 Kiplinger. All rights reserved. Distributed by Tribune Media Services, Inc.

B A L T I M O R E B E A C O N — M AY 2 0 1 3

Say you saw it in the Beacon

Travel

Leisure &

Make sure your paperwork is up to date before traveling overseas. See story on page 27.

Big Bend Nat’l Park is big even for Texas Desert, mountains and river

As you approach this National Park Service (NPS) park from the north across miles and miles of flat desert, suddenly big grayish-black limestone mountains loom, rising to 8,000 feet. As you get closer, they become orangey and russet bulging boulders, nubby knobs, protruding thumbs, rounded humps, sharp crevices, pointy mini-castles, curved ridges and jagged cliffs. Geologists treasure Big Bend because the rocks’ strata are easy to see. The park is 75 percent wilderness; 99.5 percent is open to visitors. Roads twist and turn, and trucks toot before attempting hairpin curves. The orange-brown-to-black hues and dramatic contrasts, from parched desert to mountain peaks, lure the curious. Visitors soak in the vastness, and at high elevations have long panoramic vistas for over 100 miles on a clear day. Quiet high-mountain trails invite short guided walks and long backcountry treks. Even the mountains’ name is inviting — chisos, probably shortened from the Spanish word “hechizos,” which means enchanted and is what early explorers called the mountains. Big Bend has three ecological regions and over 200 miles of trails as well as paved and unpaved roads. The park lies in the Chichuahuan Desert under a relentless sun where summer ground temperatures can reach 180 degrees Fahrenheit at midday. It’s so hot that many desert animals emerge only at night. The lower desert can be around 80 degrees even in winter. The Chisos Mountains are dotted with wildflowers, evergreen and deciduous trees, and hardy bushes like mountain mahogany, Texas madrone, juBig Bend National Park is home to more types of cacti than nipers and pinyon any other U.S. national park. Desert plants bloom from late pines. The Chisos oak February through April and July through September.

PHOTO BY GLENDA BOOTH

By Glenda C. Booth Any mention of Big Bend National Park invokes powerful descriptors: “One of the most remote,” “large and vast,” “one of the least visited,” “darker than anywhere else in the lower 48 states” and “one of the last remaining wild corners of the United States.” Larger than the state of Rhode Island, the park sprawls across west Texas, where the state juts into Mexico and the Rio Grande River flows through 1,500-feetdeep gorges as it makes a 90-degree bend (after which the park is named). The number of annual visitors is a testament to its remoteness — 365,000 versus Yellowstone’s more than 2 million. The park’s 1,250 square miles are a river-desert-mountain landscape, where Native Americans believed the Great Spirit dumped all the rocks left over from the creation. But there’s lots of life here, too. “You can see little miracles here every day,” said James Evans, who’s been photographing Big Bend for 23 years.

Visitors paddle canoes down the Rio Grande River in Texas’s Big Bend National Park. The sprawling park covers nearly 1 million acres in the southwestern part of the state.

and drooping juniper are found only here. For over 1,250 miles, the Rio Grande River serves as the international border between the U.S. and Mexico. About 250 of those miles constitute the park’s southern border, where the river has carved three rugged canyons — Santa Elena, Mariscal and Boquillas.

Paddling through the park Canoeing on the Rio Grande from Gravel Pit to Rio Grande village through the Hot Springs Canyon, you can glide on gently-rippling water and bounce through a few Class I rapids. You might see ravens nesting on canyon ledges. When your legs get cramped, you can stretch out on sand bars or bubble in a hot spring. Check out the fading murals in the remains of the former Hot Springs Resort and examine ancient pictographs on rock walls. A 2.5-mile hike up the winding Lost Mine Trail and back is a good introduction to Big Bend. This round trip from 5,500 to over 6,000 feet among Mexican pinyon pines, 17 species of oak and weeping junipers takes about four hours. You may be greeted by the cactus wren’s “ack, ack, ack,” protecting its globular nest in the cholla cactus, as a peregrine falcon soars overhead. The trail has many switchbacks and gets steep in a few places, but offers 75-mile views over the desert.

People say that in much of Big Bend, it is so quiet you can “hear yourself think.” And because of low artificial light at night, the park won the Gold Tier Level Dark Sky Park certification by the International Dark Sky Association in 2012. With minimal light pollution, star gazing is spectacular. Park ranger Gail Abend tells a story about introducing school children to the Milky Way. “I remarked how spectacular the Milky Way looked. The kids wanted to know where to look. Most had never seen that milky band of stars that crosses the sky. Here we can see our Milky Way from horizon to horizon. You don’t need equipment. Just look up. It’s inspiring.”

Fauna and flora Peering through my binoculars last October, looking for a pyrrhuloxia (the desert version of a cardinal), I sensed slight movement in the tall, amber grasses. It turned out to be a well-camouflaged, Sierra del Carmen whitetail deer, about three feet tall and unique to the area. “That’s prime mountain lion food,” quipped Mark Flippo, a local guide. In a place so open, so huge, so uninhabited by humans, some animals are quite visible, some not. There are 11 species of amphibians, 56 species of reptiles, 40 See BIG BEND, page 26

Leisure & Travel | More at TheBeaconNewspapers.com

Big Bend From page 25 species of fish, 75 species of mammals, 450 species of birds, and about 3,600 species of insects. Local favorites include the tarantu-

M AY 2 0 1 3 — B A L T I M O R E B E A C O N

la, road runner, coyote and javelina, a piglike animal with a pointy snout. The park is the northern-most habitat for some species more common south of the Rio Grande, like the Mexican long-nosed bat. Big Bend boasts more types of birds, bats

BEACON BITS

May 2

ENJOY SPRINGFEST IN OCEAN CITY Join Seven Oaks Senior Center as it celebrates Springfest in

Ocean City on Thursday, May 2. The cost is $35. To register, call (410) 887-5192.

May 18+

TRIP TO THE BIG EASY Visit the French Quarter, Jackson Square and tour a Louisiana plantation on this trip to New Orleans with the Catonsville Senior

Center from May 18 to 26. Gamble at Harrah’s Casino, and end the trip with a riverboat cruise on the Mississippi River. Cost is $730/double. Call (410) 8870900 for more information.

and cacti than any other U.S. national park. Big Bend is on the “bucket list” of many birdwatchers because every spring, Colima warblers arrive from Central America to mate and nest in the Chisos Mountains chaparral at 4,000 to 8,000 feet. Birders descend from March to September, undeterred by a long hike up to see these brown and gray yellow-rumped birds. Northern Virginia residents Ray and Anne Smith were determined to see them. Describing their trek, Ray said, “Going up and down at 45 degree angles on switchbacks, it was 9.3 miles round trip. We saw many new birds, including a Lucifer hummingbird, ash-throated flycatcher, Montezuma quail and elf owls. “The Colima warbler is definitely one of the most difficult birds to see in the U.S. Some people are lucky and catch it part way up the mountain. We were not and had to do the whole hike.” Wildflowers burst out of the parched desert in big bunches and little sprigs.

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There are 1,500 different types of plants, like ocotillo, yucca and desert marigold. Agaves reach up to your shoulder.

Visiting Big Bend Big Bend has five visitor centers open year round: Panther Junction, the park headquarters; Chisos Basin; Castolon; Persimmon Gap, and Rio Grande Village. Select one closest to where you enter the park and pick up materials and tips to fit your interests and schedule. The Chisos Mountain Lodge has 72 rooms and a dining room. Rooms start at around $125 a night in the summer. Reservations are strongly recommended. There are four campgrounds, including the Rio Grande Village RV Camp with full hookups. Backcountry campsites (a permit is required) have no amenities. Cellphone coverage is limited in the park. NPS staff can suggest lodging options outside the park if there are no vacancies in Big Bend. The most popular time to visit is October through April, say park rangers. All year, temperatures vary significantly between the desert floor and the mountains. Air temperature changes around five degrees for every 1,000 feet in elevation change. That means that the temperature in the high mountains can be 20 degrees cooler than temperatures along the Rio Grande. On the same day, you can sweat at ground level and wear fleece at 4,000 feet. May and June are hot, into the 90s. Desert plants bloom between late February and late April and July to September. Humidity is low. Big Bend is 559 miles from Dallas; 474 miles from Austin; 406 miles from San Antonio; 329 miles from El Paso; 39 miles from Marathon. A vehicle is a must since there is no public transportation in the park. Distances are long between services. Fill up your gas tank in Alpine or Marathon. Crossing the border from the park into Mexico is illegal, with up to $5,000 in fines and/or one year in prison. Park officials caution visitors against buying items from Mexican nationals who may approach you. Items can be seized as contraband. You can also check out the nearby funky ghost town of Terlingua. One October afternoon, the front porch of the trading post seemed infested with aging hippies, imbibing various liquids as mongrels wandered among dusty pickups and guitar pickers plucked. Next door, at the Starlight Café, margaritas, infused with who knows what, were going for $2. The joint was hopping, Texasstyle, at 2 p.m. For more information on Big Bend, download a visitor’s guide at www.nps.gov/bibe. A friends group sponsors some events. See www.bigbendfriends.org. See www.BigBendResortAdventure.com for van tours and http://bigbendfarflung.com for river trips. Ask NPS officials for recommendations. There are no equipment rentals in the park. Glenda C. Booth is a freelance writer in Alexandria, Va.

Say you saw it in the Beacon | Leisure & Travel

B A L T I M O R E B E A C O N — M AY 2 0 1 3

Heading overseas? Check your paperwork Several decades ago, a high-powered you can cross borders with a bit less, but Madison Avenue ad man I know was head- only by ground or sea. ing to an important client So don’t even think about meeting in Frankfurt. He had leaving the United States a reservation for a flight on without a valid passport. Lufthansa, but when he got to Unfortunately, even a valid JFK, he realized that his passpassport often isn’t enough. I port had just expired. spot-checked a few dozen of Being a resourceful sort, he the countries you’re most likefound a pencil, ducked into a ly to visit, and I found some handyman’s room, and — very important gotchas: carefully — altered the expira— Lots of countries aren’t tion date. He got on the flight. content with a valid passport TRAVEL TIPS Needless to say, that wouldn’t that’s due to expire soon. InBy Ed Perkins work today with machine-readstead, they demand a passport able documents and it wasn’t a very good with remaining validity ranging from one idea even then. to six months, often measured from the Fast-forward to last month. An Oregon end of your visit, not the beginning. friend has a son who works for an interna- Among them: Bolivia, China, Ecuador, Estional organization, and he was on his way tonia, French Polynesia (Tahiti), Jordan, to an assignment in South Africa. Every- and most countries in Southeast Asia. thing was OK on his flight from Oregon to — A few countries require one or two Washington, but when he arrived for his blank pages in your passport. The only connection to Johannesburg, the agent re- ones I found in my check were South Africa fused to board him because his passport, and Turkey, but there are probably others. although valid, did not have enough extra — Lots of popular destination countries pages. He was forced to delay his flight require visas issued in advance, including until he could get either a new passport or Brazil, China, India, Russia and Vietnam. a book of extra pages. Several others require visas but issue These days, you need a passport just them on arrival at your entry airport. about anywhere you want to travel outside — A few countries, including Australia the United States — and even to get back and Sri Lanka, require you to arrange an in the United States from most countries. “electronic travel authority” in advance, The only exceptions are a few nearby is- which you can do online. It’s used in place land countries, Canada and Mexico, where of a visa and is linked to your passport.

— A few South American countries — notably Argentina and Chile — assess a $160 fee on U.S. visitors in retaliation for a fee the U.S. imposes on their citizens, but Chile lets you pay on arrival. — Many countries have complex rules about travel with minor children, especially when traveling with only one parent. Some require written authorization from both parents, even when divorced. My spot-check was based on entry requirements for travelers who are tourists and plan to stay only a limited time, and maximum stay periods for tourists typically vary from 30 to 90 days. If your travel plans include work, business or study in a foreign country, requirements typically vary and are generally stiffer and more involved.

Countries don’t fool around with you if you arrive without proper documentation. Instead, they’ll refuse to admit you and make you get on a plane heading back where you came from — at your expense. Airlines are supposed to check for compliance before you leave the United States, but problems sometimes slip through the cracks. Unless you’re heading to very familiar territory, such as the Caribbean or Western Europe, I strongly recommend you visit the State Department’s detailed country-by-country rundowns at www.travel.state.gov/travel/. The “Entry/Exit Requirements for U.S. Citizens” sections provide all the details on various red tape requirements. © 2013 Tribune Media Services, Inc.

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PHOTO COURTESY OF VISIT BALTIMORE

Style Arts &

Explore historic Fells Point and other neighborhoods by foot. See story on page 29.

Amateur actor shares his love of theater PHOTO COURTESY OF BOB GIST

By Carol Sorgen Bob Gist has spent most of his life in love with the theater in general, and with one special theater in particular. “My mother took me to see Snow White and the Seven Dwarves at the Hippodrome in 1939,” said the 80-year-old Hunt Valley resident, even now remembering how “it just flipped me out.” From that introduction to the beautiful Beaux Arts building on N. Eutaw Street, Gist’s passion for all things theatrical took off. Putting on childhood puppet performances segued into learning magic tricks (inspired by another visit to the Hippodrome to see the famed stage magician and illusionist Harry Blackstone), to appearing in school plays throughout high school and college. As a young adult, he recalls spending what little money he had to see Gilbert & Sullivan operettas in the old Ford’s Theater. “I’d sit in the second balcony and get to see three productions for $1.21,” Gist recalled. “They’d put on six, but I only had money for three.” Throughout his career as an English

teacher in Baltimore County, Gist’s theatrical pursuits were limited to the classroom. But when he retired, he returned to his first passion, one that he now shares with Baltimore theatergoers in his role as docent for his much-beloved Hippodrome, where he leads tours for seniors, school groups, and visitors to Charm City from near and far.

The Hippodrome’s history On a recent tour, he was offering University of Baltimore architecture students a fascinating look at the history of the theater building itself, which will celebrate its 100th anniversary in 2014. As Gist related to the interested group, the Hippodrome was designed by the then-renowned theater architect Thomas Lamb and built on the site of the old Eutaw House, a luxury hotel constructed in 1835. It opened in 1914 as a movie palace that also showcased vaudeville performances. When Isidor Rappaport took over management of the theater in 1931 (a tenure that lasted for 30 years), the Hippodrome gained a reputation as a top vaudeville house, presenting such stars as Bob Hope,

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Docent Bob Gist guides visitors through the Hippodrome Theatre. The amateur actor first attended performances at the theater more than 70 years ago and loves sharing its history with visitors.

Jack Benny, Red Skelton, Benny Goodman and his orchestra, Dinah Shore, Martha Raye, Milton Berle, the Andrews Sisters and Morey Amsterdam. It was in the Hippodrome theater that Frank Sinatra first appeared with the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra and in 1939 with Harry James’ band. The Hippodrome was one of the first stages in the country to present both vaudeville and motion pictures, and maintained a house orchestra at the theater well into the 1950s. Through the ‘50s, theatergoers still flocked to the Hippodrome, until the last

stage shows were presented in 1959. In 1963, a major renovation of the aging building took place for the regional premiere of Cleopatra. And, in 1969, the Hippodrome was the site of the world premiere of Slaves, starring Ossie Davis. After the riots of the late 1960s, however, business at the theater — indeed, in all of downtown Baltimore — dropped off. When the Hippodrome closed in 1990, it was the last operating movie theater in downtown Baltimore. The Hippodrome reopened in 2004 as the See HIPPODROME, page 31

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B A L T I M O R E B E A C O N — M AY 2 0 1 3

Walking tours for you to explore Baltimore By Carol Sorgen In the brief sliver of time between the grayness of winter and the heat and humidity of Baltimore’s infernal summers, there is no better time to discover — or rediscover — your ol’ hometown. You can take a walk through your neighborhood, of course, but a number of community organizations and private guides have come up with walking tours (some free, some not) that can help you see Baltimore in an entirely new light. Try one, try all! Walk Baltimore (www.walkbaltimore.com) Walk Baltimore is a user-friendly website with suggested walking tours that you can print out and keep in your pocket as you stroll through your preferred neighborhood. Links for more information on interesting sites along the way are provided. Distance, terrain and difficulty are also included for each journey. Included are Federal Hill, Downtown, Charles Street, Inner Harbor to Canton, Little Italy and Fells Point, North Baltimore, Bolton HillMidtown, and West Side. Baltimore National Heritage Area (www.nps.gov/balt/planyourvisit/guidedwalking-tours.htm) From April through early November, the Baltimore National Heritage Area offers guided tours in some of the city’s most

historic neighborhoods. The walks include: Heritage Walk — The city’s oldest urban trail will lead you through the Inner Harbor, Little Italy and historic Jonestown. The route passes by the USS Constellation, Flag House and Star-Spangled Banner Museum, Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History and Culture, the Carroll Mansion, and the Jewish Museum of Maryland. Historic Fell’s Point Trail — Founded in 1726 by William Fell, a shipbuilder from England, Fell’s Point was Baltimore’s deep-water port for more than 100 years. Residents of the area saw first-hand the bombardment of Fort McHenry during the War of 1812. Shipbuilders were known for their impressive ships, including the then-young U.S. Navy’s USS Constellation and the USS Enterprise. Frederick Douglass periodically lived in Fell’s Point as a slave until 1838, when he fled bondage. Mount Vernon Cultural Walk — The Cultural Walk explores the architecture and world-renowned institutions along the Charles Street National Scenic Byway, from Benjamin Latrobe’s Basilica to Mies van der Rohe’s minimalist One Charles Center. The United States’ first monument to George Washington is the centerpiece of Mount Vernon Park, and nearby are some

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of the country’s (not just the city’s) most renowned cultural institutions, including the Walters Art Museum, Enoch Pratt Free Library, and the Peabody Institute. Pennsylvania Avenue Heritage Trail — Baltimore’s newest urban heritage trail explores the city’s historic African American neighborhood. You can explore Baltimore’s civil rights legacy, enjoy the residential and church architecture, and learn about Pennsylvania Avenue’s place in history as one of the nation’s premier African American entertainment districts. Baltimore Ghost Tours (www.fellspointghost) Offering a “haunting” experience of two of Baltimore’s legendary neighborhoods, Fells Point and Mt. Vernon, Baltimore

Ghost Tours explores the “spirited” world of the pubs, shops and residences of these historic districts. Baltimore Riot Trail (visitmaryland.org) Sites along this Civil War tour reveal the deeply divided loyalties of both Maryland and the nation. The Baltimore Riot Trail goes along Pratt Street from the Baltimore Civil War Museum to Sports Legends at Camden Yards, where you can stand on the spot where the first fatalities of the war occurred, one week after the first shots at Fort Sumter. Other sites along the way include Baltimore locales that served as prisons, hospitals and training camps, includSee WALKING TOURS, page 31

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M AY 2 0 1 3 — B A L T I M O R E B E A C O N

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Say you saw it in the Beacon | Arts & Style

B A L T I M O R E B E A C O N — M AY 2 0 1 3

Walking tours From page 29 ing those for U.S. Colored Troops. Architectural/Historical Walking Tour of Mt. Vernon Place (www.mvcd.org) Mount Vernon Place is the best-preserved 19th-century urban square in the country, and this guided tour relates the

Hippodrome From page 28 France-Merrick Performing Arts Center at the Hippodrome, the result of a restoration and expansion that combined the landmark Western National Bank (built in 1887), the Eutaw Savings Bank (built in 1888), the Hippodrome and a new building at the corner of Baltimore and Eutaw Streets. Gist knows the history of the building intimately and shares details of that long story with his tour-goers, such as the fact that the theater was built on a streetcar line so that people could more easily get there, that the Three Stooges held the house record for the number of performances given (10), and that in 1931 the Hippodrome had three price levels: 25 cents before noon, 35 cents between noon and 6 p.m. and 50 cents after 6 p.m. (A far cry, unfortunately, from today’s prices!)

stories of the wealthy and fashionable residents who built the first public monument in the nation and the elegant buildings that surround it. Immigration Tour (www.preservationsociety.com) Baltimore was second only to Ellis Island as a port of immigration. Many of the waterfront neighborhoods have retained their strong ethnic identities. On this immigration

tour, you can explore immigration sites and hear stories of the many immigrant groups who arrived in Baltimore to begin a new life. Charm City Food Tours (www.baltimorefoodtours.com) Charm City Food Tours and Culinary Events combine history, architecture, culture and local cuisine from family-owned restaurants and shops in the area’s historic neighborhoods, including Fells

Point, Federal Hill, Little Italy and Mount Vernon. Tours of historic Lexington Market and Cross Street Market are also offered. Nibble your way through such specialties as Baltimore’s best corned beef, housemade meatballs, award-winning crab cakes, locally brewed beers, authentic Polish and Eastern European cuisine and more.

When he’s not leading tours at the Hippodrome, Gist is an audio descriptor for the visually impaired at the newly relocated Everyman Theatre around the corner from the Hippodrome. Gist also performs himself as a member of the Woodbrook Players, who include both members of the Brown Memorial Presbyterian Church, and community thespians. The company’s primary focus is on presenting works by such playwrights as Thornton Wilder, Shirley Jackson, Edward Albee and William Shakespeare, as well as

local playwrights including Stephen Vicchio, John De Prine, Bill Duff and Jo Sacks. Newcomers are both needed and welcome, said Gist. Those interested in auditioning, working backstage, building sets, or in other ways can contact WoodbrookPlayers@gmail.com. But it’s his lifelong love of the Hippodrome that takes, well, center stage. Despite the fact that the theater’s walls are hung with vintage framed posters, photos and newspaper accounts, much of the Hippodrome’s archives were lost during the

most recent renovation. Gist has taken it upon himself to organize as much information as he can into a written history of the building that first captured his heart when he was just a boy. He hopes that the book, already titled Showtime at the Hippodrome: Story of a Theatrical Comeback, will be helpful for generations of tour guides to come — perhaps, like himself, even 80 years in the future. At the very least, it will be a fitting legacy for a man who has been, perhaps, the theater’s most ardent and longest-running fan.

BENEFITING THE EDWARD A. MYERBERG CENTER

Sharing memories Older members of his tours, said Gist, also share with him their own memories, such as skipping school to see Frank Sinatra for the first time. “There have been a lot of ladies who have told me that,” Gist chuckled. Maintaining his connection with the Hippodrome gives Gist a link to his own past. “It’s like going back in time,” he said. At the same time, he hopes that he’s creating that same connection for younger audiences. “Those of us who remember the theater now won’t be around forever,” he said, adding that the rebirth of the Hippodrome has been important for Baltimoreans because it conveys a sense of tradition, ownership and pride in the city — “as well as being a state-of-the-art facility.”

BEACON BITS

Ongoing

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The Baltimore Playwrights Festival is accepting submissions of new plays for its 33rd season. Scripts may be submitted through July 31. Any playwright currently residing or working in Maryland or the District of Columbia, or who has previously lived or worked within Maryland or D.C., is eligible to submit. Plays must not have received a staged production. Only electronic submissions of plays via the BPF website at www.baltplayfest.org will be accepted. There is a $10 submission fee.

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M AY 2 0 1 3 — B A L T I M O R E B E A C O N

Recalling the real-life story behind Argo pened to be called Argo. Fifty-two other embassy workers weren’t as lucky and were taken hostage by the Iranians. Many were not released for more than a year. Today, Anders, 88, lives in Silver Spring, Md., after a Foreign Service career hopscotching from Rangoon to Manila to Oslo. He chatted with the Beacon about the months spent hiding at a Canadian diplomat’s home, his alter ego as film location manager Robert Baker, and just how much the Hollywood version of his escape deviates from actual events.

On the run Once they fled the American embassy on that terrifying day in 1979, Anders and four other embassy workers zigzagged through the streets of Tehran to Anders’ nearby apartment, where they holed up for the night. The next day, fearing his apartment was an obvious target and too close to the American embassy, they sought refuge at the British embassy. But they found demonstrators surrounding that compound as well, so they pressed on, wandering through an unfamiliar part of Tehran. Anders served in some respects as the defacto leader of the little group. He was 20 years older than the others and had pre-

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viously been posted in Rangoon and Manila as a Foreign Service officer. Iran was the first posting for the others. “I am a World War II veteran, so I have some experience with people shooting at me,” he said. “Perhaps I had a little less surprise and shock with people who didn’t like Americans, with people who are shouting and yelling all sorts of uncomfortable things.” Anders also had more high-level Western contacts in Iran. “One of the lucky breaks was that I had brought my little address book with me, and I called my very good Trapped in Iran during the hostage crisis in 1979, Canadian friend John Robert Anders and five fellow American Embassy workSheardown,” a high-rank- ers posed as Canadian movie executives to escape the ing immigration officer country. Their story is recounted in the Academy Awardwith the Canadian Em- winning movie Argo. After Foreign Service posts around the world, Anders now lives in Silver Spring, Md. bassy, Anders recalled. “I said, ‘This is Bob.’ I didn’t even get to diplomats three options to disguise their my last name, and I’ll never forget what he departure from the country: posing as said: ‘Where are you? Why didn’t you call agricultural researchers, teachers or sooner?’ I told him I didn’t know where we movie executives. While Anders’ character in the movie, were. I said I had four other people with played by Tate Donovan, calls the Argo me, and he said to bring them all.” The five Americans were joined by Lee movie plan, “the theater of the absurd” and Schatz, who had been hiding at the Swedish says, “We don’t know what the hell movie Embassy. Unlike in the movie Argo, only people do,” Anders recalls liking the movie two of the diplomats, husband and wife idea much more in real life, saying it was Kathleen and Joe Stafford, were secreted at the only viable alternative. Anders was assigned the role of movie the Canadian ambassador’s house, while the other four went to Sheardown’s ram- location manager in the guise of Robert Baker, born in Ottawa and educated at bling home built into a Tehran hillside. While the hostage crisis unfolded, An- McGill University in Montreal. Mendez drilled the Americans on their ders and his colleagues lived out their days in relative comfort, playing Monopoly new Canadian identities and provided and Scrabble to pass the time. Anders ex- everything from Canadian passports to ercised several hours each day in an interi- credit cards to business cards. Anders still or courtyard and was in the “best shape of carries that business card of his alter ego, now laminated, in his wallet. my life,” he recalled. He decided to really play the part. BeHe got word out to his wife, who was living with two of their five children in cause they escaped with literally only the shirts on their backs, the Canadians proAthens, Greece, that he was doing OK. “We had to try to have a sense of humor vided clothing. Anders was given a shirt about the whole thing. We said, ‘What’s two sizes too small that he could only butthe State Department going to do when we ton partially up his chest, ‘70s style. He get back?’ Were they going to charge us added a gold chain and sunglasses, having annual leave because we were just sitting fun morphing into a Hollywood mogul. But getting through the airport security there enjoying ourselves?” The Staffords had to be more circum- and onto a Swiss Air flight was less than fun, spect at the embassy, hiding in their bed- although not nearly as filled with anxiety and near-misses as portrayed in the film. room when guests arrived. The group left their Canadian friend’s “At first we thought it will be over in hours or days, and then in a month. So our home at 4 a.m. for the airport. “Waiting expectations were gradually stretching out was nerve wracking. You worked up a little and we were thinking, ‘Is this ever going to sweat, hoping everything was going to work out OK,” Anders said. end?’” Anders recalled. Only Schatz was questioned about his identity because his mustache didn’t match Plotting an escape In January, CIA spy and “exfiltrator” the one on his newly issued Canadian ID. Tony Mendez (played by Ben Affleck in the movie) arrived. He gave the American See ARGO, page 33 PHOTO BY BARBARA RUBEN

By Barbara Ruben Nov. 4, 1979 started like any other work day for Robert Anders, a senior consular officer at the American Embassy in Iran. He passed hundreds of demonstrators crowding the gates in the rain chanting “Allahu akbar! Marg bar Amrika!” — “God is great! Death to America!” But that was nothing new. A few weeks before, the Shah had fled Iran to come to the United States for medical treatment and the anti-American Ayatollah Khomeini took power. “I thought, ‘So what? It’s just another day at the office,” Anders recalled of a day that would become anything but routine. By mid-day, some of the more militant demonstrators scaled the walls surrounding the 27-acre compound and stormed the gate. Electric lines were slashed, and Anders finished issuing his last visa by flashlight. He and five other diplomats slipped out the back door — and into an 80-day odyssey of subterfuge and concealment that is documented in the recent Best Picture Academy Award-winner Argo. In a plot orchestrated by the CIA, and with the help of Canadian diplomats, Anders and the other Americans eventually escaped Iran by posing as Canadian filmmakers scouting a location for an absurd science fiction adventure film that hap-

Say you saw it in the Beacon | Arts & Style

B A L T I M O R E B E A C O N — M AY 2 0 1 3

Argo From page 32 The Americans thought they were almost home free — until there was an announcement that their flight was delayed. Initially told the flight would be three hours late, the delay ended up being only a half hour. Anders had one more moment of comic relief before leaving Iran. Walking out on the tarmac to the plane, he noticed that the real name of the type of jet they were boarding was Aargau. “I said to Tony [Mendez], you CIA guys really think of everything, don’t you?” Anders recalled. “The last, final moment of relief was when we crossed over the border. That was portrayed pretty accurately in the movie. We all looked at each other and had a drink and said, ‘Cheers.’” Anders went on to Foreign Service posts in Norway (Oslo), Jamaica (Kingston) and Austria (Vienna). He retired, moved to London for 12 years while his son was at Cambridge, and worked part time as a “glorified clerk” in the customs section of the American Embassy. He returned to the United States to house-sit for his daughter in Silver Spring when her husband, also in the Foreign Service, was posted to Latin America. Anders now lives in Silver Spring’s Leisure World retirement community with his partner. He has seven grandchildren. While the escape from Iran happened more than 30 years ago, it’s never been far from his mind. He initially toured the U.S. for several months after returning from Iran, sharing his story. But the public story was that the Canadians planned the escape, as the CIA’s role remained classified until 1997. “Between 1980 and 1997 interest gradually died out and people, especially younger people, said, ‘I don’t know what you’re talking about,’ and even if they did, they’d say ‘It’s ancient history.’ “But then it got more attention in 1997 [when it was declassified], and a lot more with the Argo film. It’s like when Andy Warhol said everybody gets their 15 minutes of fame. My 15 minutes have sort of stretched out over 30-some years. I get a minute or two every few years.”

Going Hollywood But these last two years, he’s gotten more than a few minutes. Anders even had a role as an extra in the Hollywood film. You can spy him in the scene near the end when the newly returned Americans visit the State Department. He’s the one in the crowd holding the sign “Welcome back Bob Anders.” Of course, Anders had a much larger role than that in the making of the film, although when he heard about the plan to make a movie of his adventure about five years ago, he was less than star struck. “I didn’t really know who Ben Affleck was. I’m not a real movie buff,” he said. And he certainly didn’t recognize actor Tate Donovan’s name. Donovan called Anders to help get a better sense of the per-

son he was to portray in the movie. “I did a little Googling and as far as I know, his claim to fame was he was engaged to Jennifer what’s-her-name and some other actress,” he said. (Anders was referring to Jennifer Aniston and Sandra Bullock, whom Donovan dated.) Before the movie began production, Anders and the other American diplomats were given the script to look over. He also met both Affleck and George Clooney, one of the producers. Anders remembers thinking, “’They’re leaving out the Canadians, and especially John Sheardown.’ To us that was a key factor. If I didn’t have John Sheardown’s phone number and he wasn’t so open in saying, ‘Come on and stay with me,’ the whole thing wouldn’t have happened.” Anders wasn’t alone in criticizing the minimizing of the Canadians’ role in the escape, but the script went unchanged. That oversight garnered more criticism as the film racked up awards: Movie of the Year

FROM PAGE 34

ANSWERS TO SCRABBLE

ANSWERS TO CROSSWORD

from the American Film Institute, a Golden Globe for Best Picture, and a second-place People’s Choice award at the Toronto Film Festival, where Argo debuted. In addition to not including Sheardown in the movie, Anders found a number of other errors, large and small. For one, the Americans never scrambled through a trap door to hide when visitors came to the Canadian ambassador’s house. They also never dressed up as their Hollywood characters and walked through Tehran’s open air bazaar. Another difference is the cascade of closecalls that ended the movie — from the plane tickets being canceled, to being detained by the Iranians at the gate, to the plane being

pursued by Iranian police as it took off. None of that happened, Anders said. Despite these qualms, Anders said, “It’s really a great film, and I like being a part of it and everything. It’s wonderful.” He says he’s glad his little role in history has been recognized. “We get a lot of hero treatment, but actually we didn’t really do anything. It was the Canadians and the CIA who were the real heroes of the thing — and also the people who were really hostages. “We were just lucky. We made a couple of good guesses and good decisions and [took] the right fork in the road. It’s nice to have all this attention, though.”

BEACON BITS OLDIES BUT GOODIES CONCERT

May 8

The Music & Art Traveling Heart Show, which performs oldies hits and invites audience participation in the music, will play at the Rosedale Senior Center, 1208 Neighbors Ave., on Wednesday, May 8 at 10:30 a.m. The event is free and open to the public. For more information, see www.travelingheartshow.org or call (410) 499-9777.

Apr. 27+

CIVIL WAR BROUGHT TO LIFE

Freedom, slavery, divided families and divided loyalties amid the tragedy of a Civil War are dramatically brought into focus with the special free theatrical presentation of Torn Asunder: The Civil War Midstream. A collaborative effort between the Baltimore School for the Arts, Maryland Historical Society and National Park Service, the production showcases four scenes that illustrate the human side of the conflict. The public performances will be held at 2 p.m. on April 27, at Hampton National Historic Site, a former slave plantation in Baltimore County, and at 6 p.m. on May 3, at the Maryland Historical Society. For more details, visit www.mdhs.org.

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M AY 2 0 1 3 — B A L T I M O R E B E A C O N

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Puzzle Page

Crossword Puzzle Daily crosswords can be found on our website: www.TheBeaconNewspapers.com Click on Puzzles Plus Ward Words by Stephen Sherr

3. Group meet-ups 4. EMT’s procedure 1. Holder for a Tall Decaf Mocha Frappuccino 5. Congressional page, for example 4. Atkins diet no-no 6. Shine back 8. Sample scents 7. Rather not; Jennings not 13. “What have I done?” 8. Sun. speech 14. Santa Monica landmark (not on land) 9. Unprecedented 15. ___ meenie miney mo 10. Ironic peace/time divider 16. TËEËTËRËA 11. Who’s position 19. Erupts 12. Govt. employees 20. Fraternal group 13. Words in 10 Steinbeck titles 21. Enterprise-ing start 17. Pet in The Thin Man movies 22. Parking places 24. Be vanquished 18. ìGod doesn’t require ___ succeed, he only requires that you try.î (Mother Teresa) 27. “Canoe”, for example 23. Signs of theatrical success 30. Performs at a dinner theatre 25. Unit of a snowman’s demise 31. Snack bit for mares and does 26. Driver’s lic. and passport 32. Small dots of land 27. Not tacit 36. Intense anger 28. Light beige shade 37. Buffoon 29. Prosecutors (abbrev.) 38. Spice measure (abbrev.) 33. Citrus producer 40. 50% of the population of 56 Down 34. Bedtime story penultimate word 41. Fellas 35. Transmit an e-mail 43. Response to a doctor 37. Egyptian snakes 44. “We agree” 38. Scintilla 45. RISE 39. “It’s freezing, ___ the door” 49. Least wordy 42. Its westernmost pt. is in Portugal 51. Not now 43. Where to pick up easels and paint 52. Rejections 44. Mind-blowing 53. Looks through the scope 55. Lauder, the only woman on TIME magazine’s 46. Have on list of the 20 most influential business geniuses 47. Stage whispers of the 20th century 48. “That was a close one!” 58. “CAW! I’m busy; I’ll have to caw you back later” 49. Burgs 62. Rap producer Sam, named almost like the golfer 50. Gravelly ridge 63. Cubemeister Rubik 52. Letters on a weather satellite 64. Track and field competition 54. Letters on a weather vane 65. ___ as a beet 56. Word in only one Steinbeck 66. Dance maneuver novel title 67. It can conclude cant 57. Bragger’s suffix 59. Tiny Down 60. Insert a rider 1. Karate maneuver 61. Keystone ___ 2. Like non sequiturs

Across

Scrabble answers on p. 33.

Answers on p. 33.

Answers on page 33.

B A L T I M O R E B E A C O N — M AY 2 0 1 3

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

Business & Employment Opportunities ANTIQUE SALE AND AUCTION to discuss ideas and vendors for summer sale in West Baltimore Co. Area any items from the 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s + 80s furniture, clothes, toys, books. 410-747-0168.

Caregivers FLEXIBLE NURSING ASSISTANT/MED TECH with own transportation available for personal care, cooking, cleaning, errands. 443559-2987.

For Rent/Sale: Real Estate

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For Sale TWO SIDE-BY-SIDE CEMETERY PLOTS in Apostles Garden at Dulaney Valley Memorial Gardens in Timonium. Will sell 70% discount of current price. Call 410-484-8529. CRYPT, INSIDE CHAPEL at Dulaney Valley Gardens. Dramatic discount from current cemetery pricing. 443-939-0525 or 410-3574291.

Home/Handyman Services ARTISTIC SLIPCOVERS – UPHOLSTERY COMPANY. Steve Gulin. Your fabric or mine. 45 years experience. References available. 410655-6696 – Cell: 410-207-7229. SANFORD & SON HAULING Trash removal, house & estate clean-outs, garage cleanouts, yard work & cleanups, demolition, shed removal. 410-746-5090. Free Estimates. Insured. Call 7 days a week 7am - 7pm.

TO PLACE A CLASSIFIED Deadlines and Payments: Ad text and payment is due by the 5th of each month. Note: Only ads received and prepaid by the deadline will be included in the next month’s issue. Please type or print your ad carefully. Include a number where you can be reached in the event of a question. Payment is due with ad. We do not accept ads by phone or fax, nor do we accept credit cards. Private Party Text Ads: For individuals seeking to buy or sell particular items, or place a personal ad. Each ad is $10 for 25 words, 25 cents for each additional word. Business Text Ads: For parties engaged in an ongoing business enterprise. Each ad is $25 for 25 words, 50 cents for each additional word. Note: Each real estate listing counts as one business text ad. Send your classified ad with check or money order, payable to the Beacon, to:

The Beacon, Baltimore Classified Dept. P.O. Box 2227, Silver Spring, MD 20915-2227

Personal Services ESTATE SPECIALIST Experts in estate clean-outs and preparing your house for sale. Trash removal, house cleanouts, light moving, demolition, yard work, cleaning. 410-746-5090. Free estimates. Insured. Call 7 days 7am 7pm.

Wanted

VINYL RECORDS WANTED 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.

BUYING OLD BASEBALL CARD COLLECTIONS Baseball Card Outlet at 7502 Eastern Ave near Eastpoint Mall is always in the market for buying vintage sports card collections & memorabilia from 1975 & older. 410284-4440 Open daily at 10AM.

LEARN ENGLISH – SPANISH – ITALIAN – FRENCH – PORTUGUESE Conversational. Grammatical. Private lessons. Reasonable Rates. Tutoring students. 443-352-8200.

CASH BUYER for old costume jewelry, pocket and wrist watches (any condition). Also buying watch maker tools and parts, train sets and accessories, old toys, old glassware & coins. 410655-0412.

NEED HELP WITH PAPER MANAGEMENT or checkbook balancing? Overwhelmed by medical claims/bills? Vision or Health Impairment? Call Bonnie Blas – The Organizer (over 20 years) 410-358-9290.

BUYING NUMISMATIC COINS and most gold or silver items including coins, sterling, jewelry, etc. Will come to you with best cash offer. Call Paul: 410-756-1906.

HELP YOU SELL sew help you sell any type of large item. Don’t lose the sale we’re there when you can’t. We run the ad, meet with clients, and Help with the transaction. Automotive, Motorcycles, RV’s, large vehicles, and Equipment, Boats, and More. Call Dave @ 443514-8583.

GARDENVILLE – Large, clean bedroom, private bath, with microwave + refrigerator. For rent in 2nd floor of private home – reasonable references. 410-485-1702.

$$$$$ NEED CASH $$$$$ WE help clear out and conduct sales for: Estates, Down Sizing, Clutter Clearing, Divorce, Moving, Rental Properties, and More. We Buy, Sell, and Trade Items. Free Estimates. Call David @ 443-514-8583 davidbalt7@aol.com.

For Sale

Personals

2 SALVADOR DALI woodblock prints from Dante’s Divine Comedy. Signed and framed. Asking $900 for the pair. Can email pictures if desired. Call Steve 410-913-1653.

TRYING TO LOCATE PATTY DODD from West Inverness, had a friend named Gloria & Brenda. Reward for info 410-238-4167, 443418-6329.

FINE ANTIQUES, PAINTINGS AND QUALITY VINTAGE FURNISHINGS wanted by a serious capable buyer. I am very well educated [law degree] knowledgeable [over 40 years in the antique business] and have the finances and wherewithal to handle virtually any situation. If you have a special item, collection or important estate I would like to hear from you. I pay great prices for great things in all categories from oriental rugs to Tiffany objects, from rare clocks to firearms, from silver and gold to classic cars. If it is wonderful I am interested. No phony promises or messy consignments. References gladly furnished. Please call Jake Lenihan 301-279-8834. Thank you.

BEACON BITS

May 19

On Sunday, May 19, from 11:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Art Outside, a juried arts event, will be held around the Druid Hill Reservoir. The event will feature Maryland artists who will display and sell their works, strolling performers and musical groups, an area for hands-on arts and crafts for children, and a lineup of food trucks. Art Outside is a free event and will take place rain or shine. There will be plenty of free parking around Druid Hill Reservoir. For more informa-

$$$$$ WE PAY CASH FOR ITEMS $$$$$ We buy the following items and more: Toys, Collectable Glassware, Dolls (Barbies, Ceramic), Automotive and Motorcycle Parts and Related Items, Electronics, Musical Instruments, Trains, Items of Any Kind – Just Ask – Vintage or Current Cars, Trucks, Motorcycles, RV’s and More. Call Dave @ 443-514-8583. Davidbalt7@aol.com. WANTED: YOUR HOUSE! Get a fair price and fast cash. Estate sales, fixer-uppers, any house in any condition. Call David at 410-2743295. WE BUY JUST ABOUT ANYTHING – Jewelry to coins, watches to tools, silver to toys, & clocks to artwork. Call Greg 717-658-7954. No middle man, no wasted calls. Call me, talk to me, deal with me personally. One piece through entire collections or whole & partial estates! Let me help you, give me a call 717658-7954.

MILITARY ITEMS Collector seeks: helmets, weapons, knives, swords, bayonets, webgear, uniforms, inert ordnance, ETC. From 1875 to 1960, US, German, Britain, Japan, France, Russian. Please call Fred 301-910-0783, Thank you. Also Lionel Trains.

BEACON BITS ART OUTSIDE

Thanks for reading The Beacon!

SPRING FESTIVAL

The first Chesapeake Gateway Chamber of Commerce Crossroads Village Spring Festival will be held on Sunday, May 19 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. The event is co-sponsored by BGE. More than 60 vendors will be set up with arts and crafts, food and more. On the Arbors of Crossroads stage will be three bands: Condor, Sons of Pirates and Ronnie Smith. Crossroads Village is located on Route 43, easily accessible from Eastern Ave., Route 40 or I-95. For additional information, email jay@harrispromotions.com or call (410) 561-0065.

tion, visit www.ArtOutsideMD.org.

Apr. 28

FOR BEETHOVEN AND HANDEL BUFFS Internationally performing artists and Towson University faculty members Cecylia Barczyk and Reynaldo Reyes perform works for

cello and piano by Beethoven and 12 Variations in G major on “See the

Apr. 20

CELEBRATE EARTH DAY

Plant native plants and protect the Robert E. Lee Park from invasives. Bring your friends and family and enjoy Earth Day-themed crafts and games on Saturday, April 20, from 10 a.m. to noon at Robert E. Lee Park, 1000 Lakeside Dr. Call (410) 887-4156 or email releepark-rp@baltimorecountymd.gov to register.

Conqu’ring Hero Comes” from Handel’s Judas Maccabaeus, on Sunday, April 28, at 7:30 p.m. at the Center for the Arts, Recital Hall. Proceeds benefit the Towson University Foundation Cello Scholarship and the Reynaldo Reyes Piano Scholarship Funds. Tickets are $15 ($10 seniors; $5 students). The Center for the Arts is located on the corner of Cross Campus and Osler Drives. Tickets can be purchased at www.tuboxoffice.com, by calling (410) 704-2787, or in person through the Center for the Arts box office

May 4

LADEW HOSTS ANNUAL GARDEN FESTIVAL

Now in its fifth year, the Garden Festival at Ladew Topiary Gardens on Saturday, May 4 will feature a collection of vendors from throughout the Eastern seaboard. More than 1,500 guests are expected to tour Ladew’s spectacular gardens, visit the historic home of Harvey S. Ladew, and stroll through the Nature Walk. For more information, a list of vendors or to purchase tickets, call the Ladew Office at (410) 557-9570.

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