October 2020 | DC Beacon

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VOL.32, NO.10

What retirees (should) want

A road map to retirement Dychtwald points out that when people retire — unlike when they enroll in college or start a new job — “There’s no orientation. There’s no workshop. In fact, that’s one of the reasons we wanted to write this book,” Dychtwald said. “Because there has never really been a roadmap.”

To begin to sketch a map, Edward Jones Company and Age Wave released a new

Safe and Connected Senior Living 14269625

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PHOTO COURTESY OF AGE WAVE

By Margaret Foster Since he was 24 years old, author and aging expert Dr. Ken Dychtwald has studied the psychology of retirement. Now 70, he has given presentations on his research into the subject of aging to more than one million people over the years.

Yet the renowned gerontologist is in no hurry to retire himself from the company he started 40 years ago.

“The irony of the fact that I’m not terribly interested in retirement [personally] is not lost on me,” Dychtwald, CEO and Founder of Age Wave, said in an interview with the Beacon.

“Over the decades I’ve been studying retirees, and what I’ve found is about half the retired population are bored out of their wits….If you retire at 65, you might have 20 or 30 years in front of you. That’s a long time.”

This spring, Dychtwald published his 17th book, What Retirees Want: A Holistic View of Life’s Third Age, with researcher Robert Morison. The book, which includes not only charts and graphs but personal stories, is the culmination of years of research on the topic of aging and is intended to be a retirement guidebook of sorts.

Dychtwald will be speaking about the book and its major takeaways as the keynote speaker of the Beacon’s first Virtual 50+Expo this fall.

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ARTS & STYLE

Ken Dychtwald has studied the psychology of aging for more than four decades. In his 17th book, published this year, he and co-author Robert Morison reveal their research on retirement, or “life’s third age.” Dychtwald will be the keynote speaker at this year’s Virtual 50+Expo, which runs Nov. 1 to Jan. 31, 2021.

study in August on the “four pillars of the new retirement” — health, family, finances and purpose. Already, the study has received 1.5 billion media impressions.

All four pillars are key ingredients for living well in retirement, which may seem obvious. But there are issues acquiring

each of them, researchers found.

For example, even though it’s “never too late” to improve your health, many retirees don’t follow through on their wellmeaning intentions. The study also found See DYCHTWALD, page 32

When it comes to senior living, there’s no safer, smarter place to be than at an Erickson Living®-managed community like Ashby Ponds, Greenspring, and Riderwood.

Call 1-877-575-0231 for your FREE brochure.

High school teacher publishes collection of short stories inspired by his urban students; plus, books by TV celebrities, and Bob Levey on robocalls page 31 TECHNOLOGY k Learning to spot fake news

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FITNESS & HEALTH 6 k First vaccines may not be best k Finding safer fish choices SPOTLIGHT ON AGING k Newsletter for D.C. seniors

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LAW & MONEY 21 k Help your savings last k Spotting signs of elder abuse LEISURE & TRAVEL 26 k Texas Hill Country’s German roots k Birding in Papua New Guinea ADVERTISER DIRECTORY

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The choice is ours Generally, whatever the situation, we couldn’t or were no longer able to.

The good news is, there are many ways like knowing we have choices in life. Being we can let our families, doctors boxed in, having no alternaand lawyers know what our tive, being forced into a decichoices would be in these situsion doesn’t feel good. We ations. That’s what advance diwant to be in control. rectives and powers of attorThat applies to nearly ney are for. every aspect of life — what to Did I see you flinch? Are eat, what to wear, what to spend our time on — at every you folding up the Beacon stage of life, from the terrible and leaving it on the chair? twos, into adolescence, and So many of us either glaze throughout adulthood. over or clam up whenever But what about deciding FROM THE someone asks us about makhow we want to be treated in PUBLISHER ing these kinds of choices. a situation where we have be- By Stuart P. Rosenthal I don’t think it’s because come seriously ill or injured we don’t have a preference. and can’t express ourselves? For some rea- On the contrary, I think it’s because the son, many of us recoil from exercising our potential situations are so troubling, and choices there. the choices to be made are so significant I’m not talking about the choice to end and fraught, that we are afraid to even face one’s life early. That’s for a different col- the possibility they might someday occur and that others would need our guidance. umn, perhaps.

Let me make a suggestion: Take a look Now I simply mean the choices we might make about what degree of medical at the website fivewishes.org and its Five care we would want in an emergency or Wishes document. Five Wishes is an adlife-threatening situation if we aren’t in a vance directive in simple language that position to communicate our opinions at you can customize to answer questions the time. Or about who we would want to like: Who do I want to make care decisions handle our finances if we temporarily for me when I can’t? What kind of medical

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The Beacon is a monthly newspaper dedicated to inform, serve, and entertain the citizens of the Greater Washington DC area, and is privately owned. Other editions serve Greater Baltimore, Howard County, Md. and Richmond, Va. Readership exceeds 400,000.

Half-price subscriptions are currently available for only $6 a year. D.C. and Maryland residents: add 6 percent for sales tax. Send subscription order to the office listed below.

Publication of advertising contained herein does not necessarily constitute endorsement. Signed columns represent the opinions of the writers, and not necessarily the opinion of the publisher.

Publisher/Editor – Stuart P. Rosenthal President/Associate Publisher – Judith K. Rosenthal Vice President of Operations – Gordon Hasenei Vice President, Sales & Marketing – Alan Spiegel

treatment do I want? What do I want my loved ones to know?

The document lets you name the person you would like to represent you, and lays out numerous actions you might want your agent to take on your behalf. You can cross out whatever you don’t want that person to do and add in whatever requests you don’t see there.

Five Wishes costs $5, and is legally effective in most states (without any attorney fees). You can fill it out, have your signature witnessed by two others, then print and share it with family members and professionals. Presto, a valid advance directive.

It even describes how to revoke it and issue a new one at any time, should your choices change.

In Montgomery County, an educational program called Voice Your Choice is currently offering free webinars to answer questions about advance directives. The website, voiceyourchoice.org also allows you to upload an existing directive to a secure website, or will walk you through filling one out online.

Perhaps many of those who refrain from expressing their choices are telling themselves, “Well, if I can’t make my own decisions at that time, what difference would it make if someone else decided for me?”

Keep in mind it’s possible that you may very well wake up and find the decisions others made have changed your life in ways you now don’t like.

Above all, an advance directive or power of attorney can smooth a difficult path for your loved ones.

(Note: Those who are already seriously ill or frail and wish to prevent resuscitation or emergency medical care will need another document — a POLST or, in Maryland, MOLST — prepared by a physician, PA or nurse practitioner.)

These aren’t easy things to think about, I grant you. But look around: We are all

more attuned to the possibility of sudden illness since COVID-19 showed up.

In many ways, the pandemic stole some of our choices. Early lockdowns and emergency orders took a number of options off the table for all of us. Even now, we find many choices we might normally make are constrained by our safety concerns or those of others.

Though this loss of choice may feel constricting, many of us have seen some silver linings in the forced retreat to home and family. In addition to staying safe, we are often bonding with loved ones, developing skills with the latest technology, and learning to communicate in new ways.

Maybe another silver lining is that the coronavirus may lead more of us to exercise our powers of choice in the areas where we still can. One of those is to choose to “get our affairs in order.”

Coming November 1 As you may have noticed from our ads in recent issues, this fall’s Beacon 50+Expo will be a virtual event for the first time in 21 years.

We are very excited about the opportunities this gives us to provide many more speakers, classes, exercise demonstrations and entertainers than ever before.

And because there will be, literally, days’ worth of interesting programs to watch, our Virtual Expo will be available to you, free of charge, from November 1, 2020 through January 31, 2021. (And we’ll be holding weekly door prize drawings throughout that period.)

If you’d like to register in advance for the event, please fill out the form found at: bit.ly/beacon50expo. And come November 1, please visit www.beacon50expo.com and pass this on to your friends!

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 info@thebeaconnewspapers.com.

Please include your name, address and telephone number for verification.

Managing Editor – Margaret Foster Art Director – Kyle Gregory Director of Operations – Roger King Advertising Representatives – Dan Kelly, MK Phillips Assistant Editor – Catherine Brown

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Dear Editor: When I bought my house 14 years ago, Montgomery County’s Department of Assessments and Taxation made an error, listing an extra full bathroom instead of a half bath. As a full bathroom is assessed at a higher value, I have been overpaying (property tax) for years.

I’ve tried many times over the past 10 years to contact them via email and telephone, with no success. During the pandemic, I finally had some extra time at home to devote to contacting them again, and I was successful. The Department of

Finance submitted a request for reimbursement for part of my overpayment (only three years, per county policy).

Now I have a property tax bill due on Sept. 30, which was calculated prior to the record being changed. I asked for the correct amount and was told that I should pay the amount on the bill that I have (another overpayment), and they will submit another request for reimbursement of the overpayment.

Seriously?

Carol Liebman Germantown, MD

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KEYNOTE SPEAKER

2020 PRESENTED BY

Ken Dychtwald, PhD, a national expert on aging and author of the new book, What Retirees Want

WHAT:

WHERE: All online at a new

A 50+Expo like you’ve never seen before:

website designed just for this event: www.beacon50expo.com

More than 60 hours of speakers, classes and entertainment, 100 exhibitors, and 3 months in which to enjoy it! Plus, weekly door prizes

WHEN:

A sampling of our programs:

The Virtual 50+Expo goes live

Sunday, November 1 at noon, and continues through January 31, 2021.

Classes: Meditation 101; Line Dancing; Drawing with Pastels; Healthy Cooking

Speakers: Low Vision Solutions, Interview with the Oldest Living Tuskegee Airman; Fall Prevention Gear and Gadgets; Caregiving During COVID; Options for Intergenerational Activity

Entertainment: Jazz piano; Standup Comics; Classical String Quartet; Classical Piano; Jazz Singing

GOLD SPONSOR

WHO:

Brought to you free of charge by the Beacon Newspapers, in partnership with the Baltimore County Department of Aging and the Howard County Office on Aging & Independence.

SILVER SPONSORS

BRONZE SPONSORS

www.beacon50expo.com – going live Nov. 1.

Businesses and organizations interested in exhibiting/sponsoring: Call Alan at (443) 285-9336.

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Technology &

Innovations Will telehealth visits outlive pandemic?

By Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar Telehealth is a bit of American ingenuity that seems to have paid off in the coronavirus pandemic. Medicare temporarily waived restrictions predating the smartphone era, and now there’s a push to make telemedicine widely available in the future.

Consultations via tablets, laptops and phones linked patients and doctors when society shut down in early spring. Telehealth visits dropped with the reopening, but they’re still far more common than before.

Permanently expanding access will involve striking a balance between cost and quality, dealing with privacy concerns and potential fraud, and figuring out how telehealth can reach marginalized patients, including people with mental health problems.

“I don’t think it is ever going to replace inperson visits, because sometimes a doctor needs to put hands on a patient,” said Seema Verma, head of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid and the Trump administration’s leading advocate for telehealth.

Caveats aside, “it’s almost a modern-day

house call,” she added.

“It’s fair to say that telemedicine was in its infancy prior to the pandemic, but it’s come of age this year,” said Murray Aitken of the data firm IQVIA, which tracks the impact.

Huge growth during pandemic In the depths of the coronavirus shutdown, telehealth accounted for more than 40% of primary care visits for patients with traditional Medicare, up from a tiny 0.1% sliver before the public health emergency.

As the government’s flagship health care program, Medicare covers more than 60 million people, including those age 65 and older as well as younger disabled people.

A recent poll of older adults by the University of Michigan Institute for Healthcare Policy & Innovation found that more than seven in ten are interested in using telehealth for follow-ups with their doctor, and nearly two out of three feel comfortable with video conferences.

But privacy was an issue, especially for those who hadn’t tried telehealth. The poll

found 27% of older adults who had not had a telemedicine visit were concerned about privacy, compared with 17% of those who tried it.

Those who tried telehealth weren’t completely sold. About four in five were concerned the doctor couldn’t physically examine them, and 64% worried the quality wasn’t as good.

“After the initial excitement, in the afterglow, patients realize ‘I can’t get my vaccine,’ or ‘You can’t see this thing in the back of my throat over the computer,’” said Dr. Gary LeRoy of Dayton, Ohio, a primary care doctor and president of the American Academy of Family Physicians.

sure in a doctor’s waiting room, and even more about losing her diabetes supplies if she missed Medicare’s checkup deadline.

“I would have had to go back to taking insulin by syringe,” she said.

Grady prepared for the virtual visit by calling her clinician’s tech department and downloading teleconference software.

She said she would do some future visits by video, but not all. People with diabetes need periodic blood tests, and their feet must be checked for signs of circulatory problems.

Still, quite a few follow-ups “could be done very efficiently and be just as useful to the physician and myself as going in and seeing them in person,” Grady said.

Virtual check-ups work for some

Paying for it is an issue

For Medicare beneficiary Jean Grady of Westford, Vt., telemedicine was a relief.

She needed a checkup required by Medicare to continue receiving supplies for her wearable insulin pump.

Being in a high-risk group for COVID19, Grady worried about potential expo-

Many private insurance plans, including those in Medicare Advantage, offer some level of telemedicine coverage.

But pre-COVID, traditional Medicare restricted telemedicine to rural residents, See TELEHEALTH, page 5

How to spot fake news and propaganda Dear Savvy Senior, misleading content.

Are there any resources you know Some other possible theories are that of that can help people dethose who experience some tect fake news? My 75cognitive decline as they age year-old mother shares a are more likely to fall for lot of misinformation she hoaxes. Many older adults sees on Facebook with her also suffer from chronic lonefamily and friends. liness, which can cause them I’ve talked to her about it, to share misinformation as an but for some reason she has attempt to make connections a difficult time deciphering with other people. real news from fake news Furthermore, studies have and propaganda.

SAVVY SENIOR shown that older generations —Frustrated Daughter By Jim Miller are generally more trusting Dear Frustrated, than younger generations, Unfortunately, the digital which can make them more misinformation problem your mom is ex- susceptible to misinformation. periencing is not uncommon. According to All this is particularly concerning now researchers from Princeton and New York as we sit in the midst of a global health University, people aged 65 and older are pandemic and a 2020 election season, both up to seven times more likely to share fake of which are ripe with misinformation, runews and dubious links on social media mors and conspiracy theories.

Older adults are prime targets of this than their younger counterparts.

Why? There are several theories. The false/misleading information because first is that many older adults started using they are much more likely to vote than social media sites like Facebook only with- their younger cohorts, and are much more in the past five or six years and may lack vulnerable to getting sick and dying if they the digital literacy skills to identify false or contract COVID-19.

Free online resources To help your mom detect and combat online misinformation there are several great resources she can turn to that offer free courses and tips.

One is MediaWise for Seniors, a project of the Poynter Institute, which offers two free online courses to help seniors detect and combat online misinformation. See Poynter.org/mediawise-for-seniors.

The first four-week course has already filled up, but your mom can still enroll in a self-directed course called “Hands-On Lessons to Separate Fact and Fiction Online.”

The four-lesson course, with sessions being released into October, is hosted by Christiane Amanpour and Joan Lunden and can be watched at any time after it airs.

In addition, Poynter has worked with AARP to produce Fact Tracker interactive videos and a webinar on spotting and filtering misinformation at AARP.org/facttracker.

Some other free course options you should look into include Senior Planet, which is offering a one-hour online course on “How to Spot Fake News” at SeniorPlanet.org.

The News Literacy Project that provides the Checkology virtual classroom, which was initially created for middle and high school students, is now offering an independent learning option that is ideal for older adults.

See Get.Checkology.org. Their lessons will help your mom detect the difference between news, opinion and propaganda.

And Coursera, a free worldwide online learning platform, offers an in-depth sixweek course called “Making Sense of the News: News Literacy Lessons for Digital Citizens,” which she can access at Coursera.org/learn/news-literacy.

Check out the latest claim There are also many good websites, like PolitiFact.com, Snopes.com and FactCheck.org that will let your mom factcheck a story to help her identify fact versus fiction. These sites have most likely already fact-checked the latest viral claim to pop up in her news feed.

Send your senior questions to: Savvy Senior, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070, or visit SavvySenior.org. Jim Miller is a contributor to the NBC Today show and author of The Savvy Senior book.

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Despite the risks, advocates see opportunities.

Expanded Medicare telehealth could: —Help move the nation closer to a longsought goal of treating mental health the same as physical conditions. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., wants to use telemedicine as a springboard to improve mental health care. IQVIA data shows 60% of psychiatric consults took place by telehealth during the shutdown.

—Increase access for people living in remote communities, in low-income urban areas and even nursing homes. Medicare’s research shows low-income beneficiaries have had similar patterns of using telehealth for primary care as program enrollees overall.

—Improve coordination of care for people with chronic health conditions, a goal that requires persistent monitoring. Chronic care accounts for most program spending.

University of Michigan health policy expert Mark Fendrick said Medicare should figure out what services add value for patients’ health and taxpayers’ wallets, and pay just for those.

Telehealth “was an overnight sensation,” said Fendrick. “Hopefully it’s not a one-hit wonder.”

—AP

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Telehealth’s advantages

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who generally had to travel to specially designated sites to connect.

Under the coronavirus public health emergency, the administration temporarily waived Medicare’s restrictions so enrollees anywhere could use telemedicine.

Patients could connect from home.

Making such changes permanent would require legislation from Congress, but there’s bipartisan interest.

Sen. Lamar Alexander, chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, says he’d like to see broader access, without breaking the bank.

“Our job should be to ensure that change is done with the goals of better outcomes and better patient experiences, at a lower cost,” said Alexander, R-Tenn.

That’s a tall order. Payment will be a sticky obstacle. For now, Medicare is paying clinicians on par for virtual and in-person visits.

“Policymakers seem to be in a rush to pass legislation, but I think it is worth taking a little more time,” said Juliette Cubanski, a Medicare expert with the nonpartisan Kaiser Family Foundation. “Fraud is one big area that policymakers need to be cognizant of.”

Fraud-busters agree. Telehealth is so new that “we don’t have at this point a real sense of where the huge risks lie,” said Andrew VanLandingham, a senior lawyer with the

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Health Fitness &

PROTECT TEETH OR BONES? Antibacterial agent once common in toothpaste may harm bone density UNCOMFORTABLY NUMB Does numbness in your hands and feet indicate anything seriously amiss?

TOXIC TUNA Eating fish with too much mercury can be dangerous. How to limit exposure STUDY NEEDS VOLUNTEERS National Institute on Aging studies a ketone drink for cognitive benefits

Third virus vaccine in final U.S. testing

By Lauran Neergaard and Carla K. Johnson A handful of the dozens of experimental COVID-19 vaccines in human testing have reached the last and biggest hurdle — looking for the needed proof that they really work.

Once a vaccine wins approval, the first limited doses will need to be rationed. Last month, a U.S. advisory panel suggested some ways that can happen.

Three vaccine candidates began final testing this summer in tens of thousands of people in the U.S. One was created by the National Institutes of Health and manufactured by Moderna Inc., another by AstraZeneca, and the third developed by Pfizer Inc. and Germany’s BioNTech.

“To have just one vaccine enter the final stage of trials eight months after discovering a virus would be a remarkable achievement; to have three at that point with more on the way is extraordinary,’’ Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said in a statement.

NIH Director Francis Collins tweeted that his agency “is supporting several vaccine trials since more than one may be needed. We have all hands on deck.”

AstraZeneca said development of the vaccine, known as AZD1222, is moving ahead

globally (after a brief halt in September) with late-stage trials in the U.K., Brazil and South Africa. Further trials are planned in Japan and Russia. The potential vaccine was invented by the University of Oxford and an associated company, Vaccitech.

Roll-out will be rationed Meanwhile, a U.S. advisory panel released a draft plan last month for how to ration the first doses of vaccine. The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine proposed giving the first vaccine doses — initial supplies are expected to be limited to up to 15 million people — to high-risk healthcare workers and first responders.

Next, priority would be given to older residents of nursing homes and other crowded facilities and people of all ages with health conditions that put them at significant danger.

In following waves of vaccination, teachers, other school staff, workers in essential industries, and people living in homeless shelters, group homes, prisons and other facilities would get the shots.

Healthy children, young adults and everyone else would get the vaccinations once supplies increase.

The panel of experts described “a moral imperative’’ to lessen the heavy disease burden of COVID-19 on Blacks, Hispanics, Native Americans and Alaska Natives, and suggested state and local authorities could target vulnerable neighborhoods using data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

First is not necessarily best There’s a good reason so many COVID19 vaccines are in development.

“The first vaccines that come out are probably not going to be the best vaccines,’’ said Dr. Nicole Lurie at a University of Minnesota vaccine symposium. Lurie helped lead pandemic planning under the Obama administration.

There’s no guarantee that any of the leading candidates will pan out — and the bar is higher than for COVID-19 treatments because these vaccines will be given to healthy people. Final testing, experts stress, must take place with large numbers of people to determine the vaccines are safe enough to deliver to the general public.

Vaccines are made in a wide variety of ways, each with pros and cons. One problem: Most of the leading candidates are being tested with two doses, which length-

ens the time required to get an answer — and, if one works, to fully vaccinate people.

Another: They’re all shots. Vaccine experts are closely watching development of some nasal-spray alternatives that just might begin the first step of human testing later this year — late to the race, but possibly advantageous against a virus that sneaks into the airways.

For now, here’s a scorecard of vaccines that already have begun or are getting close to final-stage tests:

Genetic code vaccines The Moderna and Pfizer candidates began Phase 3 testing in late July. Neither uses the actual coronavirus. Instead, they’re made with the genetic code for the aptly named “spike’’ protein that coats the surface of the coronavirus.

Inject the vaccine containing that code, called mRNA, and the body’s cells will make some harmless spike protein — just enough for the immune system to respond, priming it to react if it later encounters the real virus.

These mRNA vaccines are easier and faster to make than traditional vaccines, but the technology is new and unproven.

See VACCINE, page 8

Gut microbes linked to severe vision loss

By Dr. Alice Gasch Imagine looking at the center of a clock with hands and seeing the peripheral numbers, but not the central hands. That’s the effect of severe age-related macular degeneration (AMD): loss of central vision, but retained peripheral vision.

AMD is a disease of the macula, which is the central area of the retina. The retina lines the back of the eye like wallpaper.

In developed countries, AMD is the primary cause of legal and irreversible blindness among individuals age 65 and older.

Worldwide it affects 30 to 50 million people, including 3.28 million Americans.

There are two types of AMD: dry and wet. In dry AMD (the more common type, affecting 80% of patients with AMD), the macula thins, and small clumps of fat combined with protein develop under the retina (so-called “drusen”).

In wet AMD, abnormal blood vessels

grow beneath the retina (termed “choroidal neovascularization,” abbreviated “CNV”).

The vessels may leak blood and other fluids, causing scarring and faster loss of vision than dry AMD. There is no cure for either type, though treatment may slow progression of the disease.

What boosts risk of AMD? The exact cause of AMD is not known, but the following factors increase risk of developing the disease: —Family history (Genes play a role in 3 out of 4 cases.)

—Caucasian race —Light-colored irises (maybe because they provide less protection from light) —Female gender —Age over 50 years (One-third of U.S. adults over 75 years have AMD.) —Prolonged light (UV-B) exposure —Factors reducing blood flow and thus

oxygen delivery to the retina, which consumes oxygen at a high rate, including smoking, high blood pressure, inactivity and obesity.

—Diets low in antioxidants and green, leafy vegetables and high in fat and highglycemic-index foods (i.e., foods that rapidly raise blood sugar, such as starches, like rice, potatoes, bread, pasta, and cereals, and sweet foods and drinks, including juices).

Dietary changes may cut risk The good news is that you can control some of these risk factors, including diet.

Your diet determines what microbes inhabit your gut, and some gut microbes may play a significant role in promoting wet AMD. In a human study done in 2017, 11 individuals without AMD had significantly higher amounts of Bacteroides bacteria in their gut than 12 individuals with AMD.

And in mice, diets high in fat, glucose or fructose have been shown to significantly reduce gut Bacteroides and increase CNV development.

The human study was too small to make generalizations, but it suggests that modulation of the human gut microbiome might moderate AMD progression. The mouse studies suggest such modulation can be accomplished through diet.

In light of this research, individuals with AMD or a family history of AMD (the primary risk factor for the disease), should try to avoid high intakes of fat, glucose and fructose, thereby promoting optimal proportions of gut bacteria and possibly reducing the likelihood of vision loss from CNV. An added benefit: These dietary modifications promote general good health.

Dr. Alice Gasch is an ophthalmology specialist in Washington, D.C., with more than 28 years of experience.

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Injectable drug helps heal broken bones Purdue’s Department of Chemistry.

Based on discoveries of agents that accelerate bone regeneration, Novosteo has designed a series of fracture-targeted drugs that concentrate a drug’s healing power specifically at the fracture site, thereby greatly accelerating and improving the healing process.

One of the startup’s injectable drugs is unique in that it concentrates at the fracture site while reducing exposure to the rest of the body. As the team prepares to move the drug into clinical trials, more scientists are joining Novosteo at its Indiana headquarters in Purdue Research Park West Lafayette.

“The stories we have heard from so many people about their devastating experiences with broken bones really pushes us forward,” Stewart Low said.

“It may be an elderly patient, a loved one or someone suffer-ing from a rare disease who is dealing with bone fractures. We want to provide non-inva-sive options to improve the Father and son scientists Philip Low and Stewart quality of life and, in some Low, co-founders of Novosteo Inc., are developing and commercializing injectable drugs that speed the cases, save a life.” healing of broken bones.

One new addition to the Novosteo team is Jeffery

By Chris Adam A Purdue University-affiliated startup known for its novel injectable drug to heal broken bones is growing and adding additional scientists to its team. One of those scientists is using his experience recovering from being hit by a truck to help other patients.

Novosteo Inc. was co-founded by fatherson team Philip S. Low, the Presidential Scholar for Drug Discovery and the Ralph C. Corley Distinguished Professor of Chemistry, and Stewart A. Low, the company’s chief scientific officer and visiting scholar in

Nielsen, a Purdue alumnus who serves as director of research and development. As a child, Nielsen was hit by a moving truck.

The impact crushed his skull and broke dozens of bones.

“Recovery from bone fractures was tough as a child, but we know it is significantly more difficult for older adults,” Nielsen said. “I am driven to use my personal and profes-sional experiences to help improve lives.”

Nielsen previously worked with target-ed bone therapies, technology startups

and organ growth procedures.

The injectable treatment was developed in the Purdue laboratory of Philip Low in the Purdue Institute of Drug Discovery.

Novosteo is already looking at the future use of the injectable-targeted drug for other applications, including dental im-plants, head and facial fractures, and hip and knee replacements. Novosteo also has a pipeline of drugs for treating an array of See INJECTABLE DRUG, page 9

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Good for your teeth, bad for your bones?

By Robert H. Shmerling, M.D. Regular brushing and flossing are the cornerstones of good oral health. But what if you learned that your toothpaste was good for your teeth, but bad for your bones? That possibility has been raised by a recent study.

The cause of this unprecedented finding may be triclosan — an antibacterial agent added to toothpaste to reduce gum infec-

Vaccine From page 6

Trojan horse vaccines Britain’s Oxford University and AstraZeneca are making what scientists call a “viral vector’’ vaccine, but a good analogy

tions and improve oral health. However, it may actually be causing more harm than good.

Rethinking a popular germ killer Triclosan is an antibacterial agent that’s been around for decades. Not only has it been used in soaps, hand sanitizers and deodorants, but it’s found its way into cutting boards, credit cards, trash cans and, is the Trojan horse.

The shots are made with a harmless virus — a cold virus that normally infects chimpanzees — that carries the spike protein’s genetic material into the body. Once again, the body produces some spike protein and primes the immune system. This,

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mals or on human cells in the lab have raised concern about whether all this “cleanliness” might have some unintended — and negative — consequences, including: —The development of resistant bacteria —Interference with normal hormonal function: in animal studies, triclosan has been linked with abnormal thyroid func-

too, is a fairly new technology.

Two possible competitors are made with different human cold viruses.

Shots made by Johnson & Johnson began initial human studies in late July.

The company began Phase 3 testing in September in as many as 60,000 people in the U.S. and elsewhere.

China’s government authorized emergency use of CanSino Biologics’ adenovirus shots in the military ahead of any final testing.

underway in Brazil and Indonesia. Competitor SinoPharm has announced plans for final testing in some other countries.

Safely brewing and then killing the virus takes longer than newer technologies. But inactivated vaccines give the body a sneak peek at the germ itself rather than just that single spike protein.

‘Killed’ vaccines

now that are Call or email Admissions@CulpepperGarden.org.

yes, toothpaste.

Adding triclosan to all of these consumer products allowed marketers to slap “antibacterial” on the packaging and emphasize this feature of the product.

Though unproven, the implication is that products containing triclosan (or other antibacterial agents) might prevent serious infections.

But for many years, studies done in ani-

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Making vaccines by growing a diseasecausing virus and then killing it is a triedand-true approach — it’s the way Jonas Salk’s famed polio shots were made. China has three so-called “inactivated’’ vaccine candidates against COVID-19.

Sinovac has final studies of its candidate

See TRICLOSAN, page 9

Protein vaccines Novavax makes “protein subunit’’ vaccines, growing harmless copies of the coronavirus spike protein in the laboratory and packaging them into virus-sized nanoparticles.

There are protein-based vaccines against other diseases, so it’s not as novel a technology as some of its competitors. But it only recently finished its first-step study; the U.S. government’s Operation Warp Speed aims for advanced testing later in the fall.

—AP

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Triclosan From page 8 tion and bone mineral density (a measure of bone health and strength) —More allergic reactions, perhaps because lowering exposure to bacteria may prevent the immune system from developing as it should —Impaired muscle function, as noted in mice, minnows and human heart cells in the lab —Uncertain environmental impact, since many products containing triclosan wind up in wastewater and, eventually, into bodies of water. And there’s this disturbing observation: It can survive treatment at a sewage facility.

If triclosan is bad for humans, the problems it causes could be widespread: One study found that more than 75% of the public have detectable amounts of triclosan in their urine. While we are still uncertain of the health impacts of this, if any, the FDA has taken action in recent years to curtail its use.

Triclosan’s fall from grace First, the FDA asked companies using

Injectable drug From page 7 musculoskeletal maladies.

Novosteo’s technology is licensed through the Purdue Research Foundation Office of

triclosan in their cleaning products to produce research demonstrating that they were more effective than soap and water.

In 2016, when no such proof had been offered, triclosan was banned from soaps sold to consumers.

The following year, it was banned from healthcare cleansers. And in 2019, the FDA announced that triclosan would be banned from consumer hand sanitizers as of April 2020.

What did the new research find? In the study, researchers reviewed data from more than 1,800 women and found that: —Those with the highest levels of triclosan in their urine had the lowest measures of bone density.

—Osteoporosis (as measured by bone density) was most common among those with the highest urinary triclosan levels. Osteoporosis is a condition in which the bone density is so low that fracture risk from even a minor fall or injury is increased.

—The connection between low bone density and urinary triclosan was stronger for postmenopausal women than among younger women. This may be important, since bone density often falls dramatically

during menopause, and postmenopausal women have the highest rates of osteoporosis-related fractures.

Triclosan risks This is just the latest research to raise concerns about the safety of triclosan. My guess is that it won’t be long before the FDA bans its use in toothpaste, especially if no new studies find that it’s particularly beneficial. The impact of such a ban at this point may not be large; most toothpaste makers have stopped putting triclosan in their products.

To be fair, a previous review of research in 2013 concluded that there was less plaque, gum inflammation and gum bleeding among users of a toothpaste containing triclosan compared with users of toothpaste without triclosan. However, the

9

authors noted that “these reductions may or may not be clinically important.” There was also a small reduction in dental cavities among users of the triclosan-containing toothpaste, and no safety concerns were raised over a three-year period of use.

Still, the more recent studies may have tipped the balance. Triclosan’s days in consumer products may be numbered.

The bottom line Check your toothpaste when you next brush. If you see triclosan listed among the ingredients, you may want to switch to a brand without it, at least until you can discuss it with your doctor or dentist.

Robert H. Shmerling, M.D., is senior faculty editor at Harvard Health Publishing. © 2020 by Harvard University

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What causes hands, feet to fall asleep?

By Robert H. Shmerling, M.D. We’ve all been there. You awaken in the morning, and one of your hands is completely numb. It feels dead, heavy and simply won’t work. Perhaps there’s some tingling as well.

Or, you arise from a long dinner or movie and one of your legs feels that way. Then over a few minutes — maybe you shook your hands, stamped your foot — everything goes back to normal.

But did you ever wonder why in the world this happens? Read on!

Some nerves are unhappy When someone complains to me about their hand or leg falling asleep. I usually explain, “The nerves are not happy.”

In general, numbness, tingling and other symptoms called paresthesia are most commonly due to abnormal nerve function. And when this is intermittent, temporary and related to holding one position for a long time, it’s rarely anything to worry about.

The cause in these cases is simply pressure on one or more nerves traveling into the hands or feet. When you remove the pressure (by changing position, for example), the problem goes away.

However, many other causes of nerve problems — more than 100, in fact — can cause similar, though more prolonged and persistent, symptoms, as noted below. If you have one of these conditions, you’re far from alone: An estimated 20 million people have a form of peripheral neuropathy that

might make hands or feet numb or tingly.

A word on nerve terminology So, what is peripheral neuropathy? It’s worth clarifying some commonly used medical terms.

Neuropathy means nerve disease.

Peripheral neuropathy is a condition affecting nerves in the peripheral nervous system, which includes nerves outside of the brain and spinal cord. Nerves of the legs and arms are part of the peripheral nervous system and tend to be the first ones affected by diseases of peripheral nerves.

Compression (or entrapment) neuropathy develops because of pressure on a nerve. Carpal tunnel syndrome, which occurs when a nerve becomes compressed in an already tight channel in the wrist, is one well-known example. Having your hand or foot fall asleep is another. Fortunately, the latter is quite temporary, while carpal tunnel syndrome is often chronic.

Paresthesia is a sensation of pins and needles, numbness or another abnormal sensation, often tied to peripheral neuropathy. Having your hand or foot fall asleep is a temporary paresthesia.

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If your hands or feet fall asleep occasionally and normal sensation quickly returns, that’s fine. No need to call your doctor.

But call your doctor promptly if you have persistent numbness, tingling or other unusual sensations in your hands or feet. This is especially important if these sensations cause trouble with walking or holding onto things.

Your doctor should investigate further and will likely consider possible causes of peripheral neuropathy, including the following: —Type 2 diabetes is the most common

identifiable cause of peripheral neuropathy, accounting for nearly a third of cases.

Sometimes it’s the first indication that a person has diabetes.

—Diseases of the liver, kidney and thyroid.

—Nutritional deficits, such as vitamin B12 deficiency or other vitamin deficiencies. Vitamin B6 is unique in this regard because too little or too much can cause neuropathy; too little is quite rare, but it’s possible to get excess B6 from supplements.

—Alcohol ingestion is probably the most common cause of toxic neuropathy.

Alcoholics may also have nutritional deficiencies that can cause neuropathy.

—Certain medications, including some antibiotics and chemotherapy drugs, or lead, mercury, and other chemical and industrial toxins, may be culprits.

—Vascular disease, which occurs when the blood supply to a peripheral nerve is impaired, as with atherosclerosis. The nerve becomes unhealthy or dies.

Additional causes of neuropathy are infection, compression or trauma to nerves, and inflammatory or autoimmune conditions that affect nerves.

It’s worth noting that nearly a third of cases have no clear cause — a problem known as idiopathic neuropathy.

The bottom line: The causes of peripheral neuropathy are many, and range from the harmless and annoying to the intolerable and dangerous. When in doubt, see your doctor.

But try not to worry when your hands or feet fall asleep due to holding your arms or legs too long in one position, as long as the tingling resolves within minutes and doesn’t happen often.

Robert H. Shmerling, M.D., is a senior faculty editor at Harvard Health Publishing. © 2020 by Harvard University

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Advice for making healthier fish choices

By Lori Zanteson We know fish is important for health — it’s high in protein; low in saturated fat; a good source of heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids; rich in vitamins, such as vitamins D and B2, and minerals, including iron, iodine, magnesium and potassium.

Research shows that eating fish once or twice a week may reduce risk of several chronic conditions, including stroke, depression, Alzheimer’s disease and, in the case of fatty fish, death from heart disease.

But there are fish we’re better off avoid-

ing, due to high mercury levels that can pose a health risk. This list of low-mercury fish — SMASH — can help us make the healthier choices.

What is SMASH? The acronym SMASH stands for salmon, mackerel, anchovies, sardines and herring. These are the fish that are safest and healthiest to eat. They are nutrientrich, high in omega-3s and low in mercury.

Mercury is a natural element found all around us in air, water and all living things,

but in very small amounts. It makes its way into our food in several ways, including pollution. All fish have at least some mercury in them, but levels vary widely by species.

Most of these levels are far below what the U.S. has deemed allowable in seafood, but large and longer-living fish — like shark, swordfish, large tuna — have the highest amounts of mercury. (It should be noted that canned light tuna is made from smaller tuna, so it has lower levels of mercury than large tuna.)

Mercury risk Most of us have at least trace amounts of mercury in our bodies. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) data show that most of these levels are below those associated with health risk.

Exposure to mercury most commonly occurs when people eat fish with high levels in their tissues, and this is associated See HEALTHIER FISH, page 13

Lower mercury canned fish For those concerned with the mercury levels of many fish products, a company called Safe Catch has developed proprietary testing technology that enables the testing for mercury of every single tuna and salmon used in its products.

Safe Catch Elite and Safe Catch Ahi products are the only brands of tuna that meet Consumer Reports’ “Low Mercury” criteria set for vulnerable populations

like pregnant women and children.

Furthermore, all Safe Catch tuna are sustainably caught using Pole-and-Line or FAD-free fishing methods. The company also sells mercury-tested salmon and sardines.

Products, which include many varieties of flavored tuna, are available in grocery stores and online at safecatch.com and Amazon.

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13

Beacon 50+Expos go virtual for first time For the past 20 years, the Beacon Newspapers has attracted thousands of people each year to its 50+Expos in Montgomery County and Northern Virginia, featuring speakers, exhibits, entertainment and more.

For the same number of years, the Howard County Office on Aging & Independence has produced its own 50+Expo for its residents, and Baltimore County has similarly done so for more than 30 years.

This year, for the first time, all three area Expos will join forces to present a unique Virtual 50+Expo experience offering many times the content of past years’ programs, to be pro-

moted throughout the mid-Atlantic area.

Guests to the event’s custom-designed website will obtain immediate, free access to dozens of classes, speakers and entertainers chosen especially for them.

The event’s keynote speaker will be Dr. Ken Dychtwald, a nationally-renowned gerontologist and the author of 17 books on aging. Dychtwald will discuss his most recent book, What Retirees Want, followed by a question-and-answer session with Beacon publisher Stuart Rosenthal.

In addition, the online expo will include more than 20 demonstrations or classes on

Healthier fish

our diet, but when it comes to eating fish, the health benefits far outweigh the small risk of mercury for most people. Eating fish on the SMASH list promotes good health and protects against many chronic diseases, including several risk factors for heart disease.

These fish are also good sources of: —Omega-3s: These healthy fats are good for the heart.

—Selenium: Often lacking in the diet, it helps protect against mercury toxicity.

—Vitamin D: Supports immune function and bone health, and protects against heart disease.

From page 11 with serious health issues — high levels can be toxic.

As a neurotoxin, which means it affects the nervous system, mercury, in excess, can impair vision, coordination and speech, and can cause muscle weakness.

Research, including a study published in a 2020 issue of the journal Biomolecules, has found higher levels of mercury in the brains of patients with Alzheimer’s disease.

Especially at risk are women who are pregnant or nursing and young children, who should avoid fish known to have high levels of mercury. They should eat smaller fish — such as those on the SMASH list — and no more than two to three servings of fish each week to minimize exposure.

Be aware that fish that comes from other countries is not regulated by the same stringent U.S. seafood industry regulations, which could mean higher mercury levels.

Benefits of eating fish It’s important to minimize mercury in

Bottom line Most of us don’t have to worry about toxic mercury levels in our bodies, but it makes sense to minimize mercury by limiting fish to two to three servings per week, avoiding eating fish with high mercury levels, and enjoying fish on the SMASH list.

Reprinted with permission from Environmental Nutrition, a monthly publication of Belvoir Media Group, LLC. 1-800-8295384, EnvironmentalNutrition.com. © 2020 Belvoir Media Group

tai chi, yoga, Zumba, cooking, meditation and more. Expert speakers will address health and wellness, legal matters and estate planning, money and investments, retirement housing options and more.

Entertainment will range from stand-up comedy and Broadway show tunes, to dance lessons, classical music and jazz piano.

The Virtual 50+Expo will also include more than 100 informative exhibitors, including government agencies, nonprofits and area businesses offering products and services to older adults and their families.

To enable area residents to enjoy this wealth of material, the Beacon 50+Virtual Expo will remain free and accessible 24/7 for three months — from noon on Sunday, November 1, 2020 through Sun-

day, January 31, 2021.

And to reward repeat visitors, there will be new door prize drawings every week.

Corporate sponsors include Gold Sponsor Maplewood Park Place, an award-winning retirement community in Bethesda, Silver Sponsors AARP, Holy Cross Health, Adventist HealthCare Adventist Medical Group, CIGNA and Pepco and many bronze sponsors.

To register to receive updates and reminders, visit bit.ly/beacon50expo. Look for more details in upcoming issues of the Beacon and visit the Expo website at www.beacon50expo.com starting Nov. 1.

Businesses and organizations interested in exhibiting or sponsoring may call Alan at (443) 285-9336.

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Good news for pre- and Type 2 diabetics

By Alyson Kelley-Hedgepeth, M.D. Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is a metabolic disorder of insulin resistance — a reduced sensitivity to the action of insulin — which leads to high blood sugar, or hyperglycemia.

Approximately 12% of American adults have T2D, and more than one-third of Americans have prediabetes, a precursor to T2D. This is a major public health concern, as T2D dramatically increases risk for heart disease — including heart at-

tacks, atrial fibrillation and heart failure.

The development and progression of T2D is affected by many factors. Some, such as a person’s race/ethnicity, age and gender, cannot be modified. Others, including body weight, exercise and diet, can be changed.

Can lifestyle changes help reduce heart disease risk if you have diabetes? In 2010, the American Heart Association (AHA) published “Life’s Simple 7,” which they de-

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fined as “seven risk factors that people can improve through lifestyle changes to help achieve ideal cardiovascular health.”

The Simple 7 touched on smoking status, physical activity, ideal body weight, intake of fresh fruits and vegetables, blood sugar, cholesterol levels and blood pressure.

Subsequent studies found that people in optimal ranges for each of these factors had lower risks of heart disease compared to people in poor ranges. But given the significant increase in heart disease risk in those with T2D, it was not clear if the impact of these modifiable factors would hold true for the T2D population.

Join the Arlington Public Library for an introduction to GIMP, a free, open-source photo-editing software. This free event will take place via Zoom from 5:30 to 7 p.m. on Wed., Oct. 21. To register, go to http://bit.ly/GIMPIntro.

Lifestyle changes suggest benefit A study published in JAMA Cardiology looked at whether the ideal cardiovascular (CV) metrics covered in Life’s Simple 7 translate into improved CV health for

those with T2D or prediabetes.

The results were exciting and consistent with other large population-based studies. Patients who had five or more ideal CV measures had no excess of CV events compared with people with normal blood sugar levels.

CV events measured in the study included death, heart attack, stroke and heart failure. Each additional ideal health metric was associated with an additional 18% drop in CV event risk for people with T2D, and an additional 15% drop for those with prediabetes.

This was a prospective, observational study, examining the association of risk factors only. It was not a randomized trial looking at an intervention. As a result, we cannot draw conclusions about cause and effect.

Nonetheless, this is the first study to show a positive association between ideal lifestyle factors and CV health in people who are at high risk for CVD due to T2D. These results showcase the importance of our lifestyle choices, suggesting that meeting ideal health metrics can help reduce risk of CV events.

Life’s Simple 7

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So, what lifestyle and metabolic health goals should you strive for, whether or not you have diabetes?

1. Manage blood pressure: 120/80 mm Hg or lower is best.

2. Control cholesterol. Aim for total cholesterol below 200 mg/dL. 3. Reduce blood sugar. Get your HbA1c (an average measure of blood sugar over the past three months) under 5.7% if you have prediabetes, or below 6.5% if you have T2D. 4. Get active. Your goal is 150 minutes per week of moderate-intensity activity or 75 minutes per week of vigorous activity.

5. Eat well. That means at least 4.5 cups of fruits and vegetables per day.

6. Lose weight. You want a body mass index (BMI) of less than 25.

7. Stop smoking. You’ll reap CV benefits, not to mention lowering your risk for cancer, COPD and much more.

Alyson Kelley-Hedgepeth, M.D., is a contributor to Harvard Health Publications. © 2020 by Harvard University

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Ongoing

HEALTHY AGING SERIES

What are the components of healthy, happy aging? Join Dan Cronin from the Alzheimer’s Association for a free, three-part series of programs on a variety of topics for seniors and their families.

“Healthy Living for Brain and Body” takes place Thurs., Oct. 15 at noon.

Other programs will be on the second Thursdays in Nov. and Dec. Find the links at chesterbrookres.org/events.

Say you saw it in the Beacon | Fitness & Health

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

Health Studies

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INFORMATION ON AREA CLINICAL TRIALS

Can a ketone drink help you think better?

By Margaret Foster Maybe you’ve heard of the “keto diet” — a high-fat, low-carb fad. Or you’ve wondered about those expensive ketone drinks that athletes rave about.

Or maybe you’ve never heard of ketones — chemicals your liver makes when you can’t get energy from glucose.

This fall, the National Institutes of Health’s National Institute on Aging is enrolling people in a study to see if a citrus-flavored ketone supplement can give people a mental boost.

“We will have the opportunity to see if, after drinking this supplement, people get sharper memory and improved cognitive performance” said Dimitrios Kapogiannis, M.D., the study’s principal investigator. It’s the perfect study for “someone who’s interested to see what ketones can do for their brain.”

Volunteers 55 and up needed The study is open to people age 55 and older who have a condition they might not know about: metabolic syndrome. If you are overweight, have high blood pressure, high blood sugar and high cholesterol, you may have metabolic syndrome.

About a third of Americans do. The condition isn’t life-threatening, but it can lead to type 2 diabetes and heart disease. It may also increase your risk for Alzheimer’s disease.

“We want to test this supplement in a population that has a somewhat higher risk for Alzheimer’s…because of insulin resistance,” Kapogiannis said.

When a person has Alzheimer’s, the brain can’t use glucose for energy, but it is able to use ketones. That’s how this drink may help.

“We’re trying to prove several things: First, that drinking this drink increases the ketones in your brain, not just in your blood, which we already know it does.

“If we see the increase of ketones in the brain, does this make your cognitive performance faster and more accurate?” Kapogiannis asked. “Also, does it move biomarkers in the blood related to Alzheimer’s in the right direction?”

Four visits, drink at home Once enrolled in the trial, participants will make four in-person visits to the National Institute on Aging’s clinic in Harbor Point, south of Federal Hill. Free parking is available, and compensation is provided.

Two visits will be relatively short checkins. The other two half-day visits will include cognitive tests, blood work and an MRI (magnetic resonance imaging).

“The cognitive tests are designed to push you to the limit without getting you too frustrated,” Kapogiannis said. “I think [the cognitive tests] are fun.”

Most of the fun of the blind, controlled study will take place at home. One group of participants will receive a citrus-flavored ketone drink (“an interesting taste,”

Kapogiannis said), and the other will receive a placebo beverage. They’ll be required to drink it three times a day for 28 days, logging each dose.

The National Institute on Aging will provide a free 28-day supply of the drink, which is the most potent on the market in raising ketone levels, Kapogiannis said. The beverages, which sell for $99 for a one-day supply, are considered safe and are widely available at vitamin stores and on Amazon.

At the end of the study, researchers will compare the MRIs and results of other tests to see if brain ketones increased and cognitive performance improved after drinking the ketone supplement.

The study may pave the way for more re-

search on Alzheimer’s disease, Kapogiannis said.

“If we see an effect in 28 days, obviously

that will motivate future studies to enroll See KETONE STUDY, page 16

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

A one-hour, one-pot recipe welcomes fall

By America’s Test Kitchen With many of us still staying close to home, it’s a perfect time to add a great-tasting, quick-cooking meal to your recipe rotation. In this one-pot recipe, lively lemon zest, bright peas and summery basil combine with pasta, meat and vegetables for a satisfying, light and lively fall dish.

In the Test Kitchen, we’ve found that the best way to pull off a one-pot pasta dinner is to forgo the standard approach of boiling, draining and saucing the pasta.

Instead, we cook the pasta in a carefully controlled amount of liquid that reduces into a flavorful sauce. (Not only does it

make for a more cohesive dish, it also dirties fewer dishes.) For this recipe, that optimal amount of liquid was 4 cups for 12 ounces of pasta.

Before we cooked the pasta, we made a flavorful base by taking a few links of sweet Italian sausage out of their casings and browning the crumbles in a Dutch oven with sliced cremini mushrooms. We then deglazed the pot with dry white wine and added the pasta and water. Once the pasta was al dente, we turned off the heat and stirred in frozen peas (no need to thaw), basil, Parmesan, and some lemon zest for brightness.

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VIRTUAL ZUMBA

Learn easy-to-follow, Latin-inspired Zumba dance moves at a lower intensity. Around Town D.C. hosts a virtual class on Zoom every Monday from 10 to 11 a.m. Sign up at http://bit.ly/ZumbaDC FREE MEDITATION Three days a week, the Smithsonian offers free 30-minute online sessions from 12:15 to 12:45 p.m. They’re appropriate for all levels and include a variety of practices. Friday sessions include inspiration from art in the collection. To register, go to http://bit.ly/MeditationSmithsonian.

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One-Pot Pasta with Sausage, Mushrooms and Peas Serves 4 Ingredients: 1 pound cremini mushrooms, trimmed and sliced thin 1 pound sweet Italian (or vegetarian) sausage, casings removed 2 shallots, chopped 1¼ teaspoons table salt 1 teaspoon pepper ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes ½ cup dry white wine 12 ounces (4 ½ cups) medium pasta shells 4 cups water 2 cups frozen peas 1 cup fresh basil leaves, chopped 1 ounce Parmesan cheese, grated (½ cup), plus extra for serving 2 teaspoons grated lemon zest, plus lemon wedges for serving Directions: 1. In a large Dutch oven set over high heat, cook the mushrooms, sausage, shallots, salt, pepper and pepper flakes, stirring mixture frequently and breaking up

meat with wooden spoon, until liquid has evaporated and browned bits have formed on bottom of pot, about 15 minutes.

2. Add wine and cook, scraping up any browned bits, until the liquid has evaporated, about 2 minutes.

3. Stir in pasta and water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, until pasta is al dente, about 10 minutes (some liquid will remain in the bottom of the pot).

4. Off heat, add the peas, basil, Parmesan and lemon zest. Stir vigorously for 1 minute, until sauce has thickened. Serve, passing lemon wedges and extra Parmesan separately.

Recipe notes: You can substitute white mushrooms for the cremini mushrooms, and 12 ounces of orecchiette for the medium pasta shells, if desired.

The pasta will not absorb all the cooking liquid in Step 2; stirring vigorously in Step 3 helps thicken the sauce so it will coat the pasta.

For a nonalcoholic version, substitute ½ cup of water for the wine in Step 2 and stir in 1 tablespoon of lemon juice with the lemon zest in Step 3.

There is no need to thaw the peas.

For 25 years, confident cooks in the know have relied on America’s Test Kitchen for rigorously tested recipes developed by professional test cooks and vetted by 60,000 athome recipe testers. See more at americastestkitchen.com/TCA. © 2020 America’s Test Kitchen. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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One final step remained: stirring it all vigorously for a minute. Agitating the components this way knocked starch from the pasta into the small amount of cooking liquid, transforming it into a sauce that lightly cloaked each shell.

In just about an hour, we had a substantial, tasty meal that would please the whole family after a busy day.

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Ketone study From page 15 people for longer periods of time and also people with memory problems. It’s a step-

ping stone for future research on this compound.”

For more information, or to volunteer, call (410) 350-3941 or email niastudiesrecruitment@mail.nih.gov.

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

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Hand sanitizers to use, others to avoid As the country has opened up these are pretty resilient even if you are vigorous past few months, I find myself carrying with them. hand sanitizer with me wherever I go. Hand sanitizers are Elyptol Antimicrobial Hand Sanitizer a must if you travel because These come in wipes, gel and they quickly eliminate 99.9% spray, so you can pick the best of germs (at least the ones type for your needs. As you may tested!), and you can carry have guessed from its name, the them in your purse or pocket product boasts the use of natuand keep them in the car. ral eucalyptus, which reduces With the pandemic this year, risk of contact dermatitis and hand sanitizers became inprovides a broad range of “kill” stantly essential. A lot of them DEAR properties. are capable of destroying cer- PHARMACIST tain pneumonia and influenza By Suzy Cohen strains, E. coli and MRSA in Everyone Peppermint Citrus Hand Sanitizer seconds.

There’s a reason that sanitizers sell like There are other scents aside from pephotcakes, but please be careful because permint citrus, but this brand offers anothsome opportunistic business folks are now er option utilizing alcohol (derived from making a killing at your expense. non-GMO sugar cane) with aloe and glycThey’re formulating toxic garbage at erin so it won’t feel as drying. home and then selling it online to people. You Organic to Green Lavender Lemon cannot trust everything available right now.

This contains some alcohol along with On August 27, 2020, the Food and Drug Administration issued a new warning to glycerin, organic coconut, lavender and consumers to make sure that we do not lemon peel oil. When I read the natural but buy or use any hand sanitizers that contain powerful ingredient list, I was jealous I “methanol” or “1-propanol.” hadn’t thought of the formula myself.

Today, I’ll list some of the safest commercial hand sanitizers on the market. Some of Dr. Bronner’s Lavender Hand them are sprays, and others are wipes. I’ve Sanitizer based my list below on the organization Another awesome product sold widely called EWG Skin Deep (ewg.org/skindeep). in health food stores, this brand utilizes As to where you can purchase any of the strength of Fair Trade ethanol along these, I’d suggest looking online or asking with organic peppermint oil and glycerin. your local health food store manager.

EO Hand Sanitizer spray or wipes Here are my favorites: This is an easy-to-find brand that is great Hero Wipes because it uses alcohol (sourced from nonThese have alcohol and aloe in them, GMO sugar cane), plus lavender essential plus more. Each wipe is individually oil, Echinacea herb (an antibacterial), and wrapped in a pouch to keep it sterile. They some glycerin.

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Grove Collaborative Blood Orange Sanitizer This product utilizes ethanol plus aloe, orange oil, coconut and sunflower seed oil, plus jojoba. This is an excellent combination that will leave your hands feeling nourished. It also comes in lavender and is sold at grove.co.

See SuzyCohen.com for more options.

This information is opinion only. It is not intended to treat, cure or diagnose your condition. Consult with your doctor before using any new drug or supplement.

Suzy Cohen is a registered pharmacist and the author of The 24-Hour Pharmacist and Real Solutions from Head to Toe. To contact her, visit SuzyCohen.com.

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VOLUME XXXII, ISSUE 10

DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE

By Laura Newland, Director D.C. Department of Aging and Community Living

In February of this year, DACL did a video series entitled “I am Black History” as part of D.C.’s celebration of Black History Month. (You can check it out on our YouTube channel, @DCAgingNews!) We were planning on continuing the video series before the Public Health Emergency (PHE), but the PHE changed all of our plans.

I’ve been thinking about the concept of I am Black History because D.C. is so rich with history and you — your generation — has an incredible wealth of knowledge and experience that we need to remember.

These days, you, and the lives you’ve led and continue to lead, have been on my mind: the lifetime of experiences and the changes you’ve seen over the course of your lives. Many of you participated in the 1963 March on Washington, and many of you participated again in the 2020 March on Washington.

In a span of 57 years, this city, and this country, has transformed itself. Now, we have a Deputy Mayor of Health and Human Services, Wayne Turnage, who is the son of sharecroppers. Virginia Ali, the owner of Ben’s Chili Bowl, served and was a part of the Civil Rights Movement, including the original March on Washington. Our own Mayor is a fifth-generation Washingtonian. We’ve had a two-term Black president.

When I say that seniors made D.C. the incredible city that it is today, this is what I mean — the deep connection to social justice, the incubation of Black arts and music, the constant reshaping of D.C. to reflect what the Mayor calls D.C. values. Of course, this is the city where a road was named Black Lives Matter Plaza and written in unavoidable letters on the street.

And yet, 2020 has shown us how fragile and illusory progress towards equality really is (if anyone needed to be reminded). There has been so much to grieve. And because of COVID-19, it can feel like we’re alone. But we’re not.

I know this because Washington, D.C. is Black History, and this city continues to add to that history. I haven’t been able to talk to as many of you lately as I’d like, but the conversations I’ve had have been heartening.

I’ve been able to meet centenarians in the past few weeks, and this year, it occurred to me that we’re not just celebrating longevity, even though longevity is certainly worth celebrating! We’re celebrating the lives of ordinary people who have become extraordinary in their own ways. Some are quiet. Some are flamboyant. All of them have done the best they could to live their best lives and continue to do so.

Part of the powerful history of D.C. is how Washingtonians have shaped the city by showing up to vote. At every virtual event we’ve held over the past several months, at least one person has asked about voting — how to do it safely, how to encourage others to vote, how to make sure each vote is counted.

Living in D.C. has taught me that voting isn’t just about expressing an individual preference. Voting is really about creating and supporting the See DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE, page 19

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

A newsletter for D.C. Seniors

October 2020

DACL makes socially distant visits to District Centenarians

For the past 33 years, the Department of Aging and Community Living has celebrated Washington, D.C.’s oldest residents at the Annual Salute to Centenarians — a luncheon featuring great music, great food and a special presentation of medals by Mayor Bowser. And while we honor seniors all year long, DACL wanted to make sure our centenarians felt extra special this year, even at a safe social distance.

For our 34th Annual Salute to Centenarians, DACL partnered with the Mayor’s Office of Community Affairs to make socially distant visits to over 40 centenarians in Washington, D.C. Each centenarian received a program booklet, featuring their biographies and photos, along with a certificate and medal from Mayor Bowser.

To view the program booklet, visit https://dacl.dc.gov/page/2020-centenarian-program-booklet.

DACL Adds New Events to Virtual Events Calendar If you miss attending the workshops at our usual Senior Symposium, DACL’s Virtual Events Calendar has you covered! We’ve partnered with the Office of the Attorney General, Around Town DC, and the East River Family Strengthening Collaborative to curate several in-

sightful workshops designed to keep you informed, engaged and connected.

Head over to our Virtual Events Calendar today! To participate in an upcoming event, visit dacl.dc.gov and click on the “DACL Events” tab or contact us at 202-724-5626.

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

Spotlight on Aging

Nutrition Corner: How to Make Chef Tregaye’s Grilled Vegetable Salad 2 bell peppers (red, orange or yellow), core removed, cut in half 1 small onion, cut in half 1 bunch of asparagus 8 oz. of grape tomatoes (whole, don’t cut) 1/2 cup of olive oil Optional: Arugula Mixed greens Honey Lemon Vinaigrette 3 tbsp of extra-virgin olive oil Grilled Vegetable Salad 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice 2 zucchini, cut lengthwise or into 2 tsp of honey (1 packet) ¼” size slices 1 clove garlic, minced 1/2 lb. of baby eggplant, cut in Optional: quarters 1 pinch of crushed red pepper flakes

Say you saw it in the Beacon

19

Thank you for attending the Mayor’s 9th Annual Virtual Senior Symposium In case you missed it, Mayor Bowser’s 9th Annual Virtual Senior Symposium was a blast! Live on DCTV’s Channel 16, DACL hosted the first-ofits-kind symposium, featuring our fantastic host, Shawn Perry of the Senior Zone, a Zumba warm-up from FIT DC, a Year in Review video tribute showcasing our amazing seniors, and a live cooking demonstration with Food Network’s Chef Tregaye Fraser.

All seniors who registered received a delicious meal kit, filled with fresh

vegetables to join Chef Tregaye in preparing a grilled vegetable salad.

Seniors even got to hear from DACL’s Nutritionist, Charanya Sundar, on the best ways to eat healthy during the public health emergency.

If you tuned in, we hope you enjoyed yourselves, right from the comfort of your homes. To engage in more programming like the symposium, visit dacl.dc.gov to sign up for our virtual events and important workshops.

INGREDIENTS

INSTRUCTIONS Prepare the Oven 1. Heat oven to 375 degrees, place all the vegetables on the sheet pan and drizzle with oil roast for 25-30 mins. DO NOT burn them!

2. If preferred, slice the vegetables of your choice into small bite size pieces.

For the Dressing: 1. Pour the ingredients for the vinaigrette in a jar or container with a lid.

2. Close the lid tightly and shake the ingredients together to form an emulsion. Set aside. ~NOTE: If you like extra dressing, double or triple the vinaigrette ingredients. You can also make it ahead of time and chill it in the fridge until ready to use.

For the Vegetables: 1. Wash and dry all the vegetables with a dry cloth or paper towels.

2. Cut all the vegetables by cutting the vegetables in half and rubbing them with olive oil 3. Next, season the vegetables with salt and pepper.

For the Salad 1. Arrange all the roasted vegetables on a large platter. Top with grape tomatoes, if using.

2. Garnish the platter with lemon slices.

3. Divide the salad into 8 salad bowls. Drizzle each salad with dressing. *Salad can be prepared with raw vegetables excluding the eggplant

Director’s message From page 18

community we want. If you aren’t registered to vote, get registered. The dead-

line to register online or by mail is October 13. Please visit dcboe.org/Voters/Register-To-Vote/Register-to-Vote to get registered. Or, you can register and vote at the same time in person.

Director Laura Newland

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

DACL External Affairs

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

Mayor Bowser releases “Six-Month Look Back” Just over six months ago, Washington, D.C. confirmed its first case of COVID-19.

It was weeks before that first confirmed case that the District began planning for the pandemic. Since then, the community has done a lot to prevent and respond to the spread of the virus. As a District, the response has been guided by six pillars: 1. Flattening the curve

2. Sharing accurate and timely information 3. Enhancing our healthcare capacity 4. Expanding community support 5. Preserving government continuity 6. Managing the unexpected Learn more about these six pillars in the Six-Month Look Back report at coronavirus.dc.gov.

Calling All Caregivers — DACL wants to hear from you!

In partnership with Age-Friendly DC, the Department of Aging and Community Living is conducting a study to learn more about the experiences of caregivers. Supporting caregivers is a big part of our mission as an agency, and we If you’re already registered to vote in Washington, D.C., your absentee ballot will be mailed automatically to you (you don’t have to request it) if it hasn’t been already. You can fill it out and mail it back or drop it off at one of several Board of Elections boxes throughout the city. If you want to vote in person, early voting is from October 27 to November 2, from 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. On Election Day, November 3, vote centers will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

I’m going to ask one more thing of you. Many of you have friends and family who live in other states.

Please encourage them to register

want to know what your needs are and how we can better serve you. To participate, please complete this brief survey: https://bit.ly/caregiver_survey_dacl.

To request a survey by mail, please contact 202-724-5626. and vote. Our election on November 3rd is urgent. For Washingtonians, this election could be the one that decides whether we finally receive the American promise of representation in Congress. For all Americans, this election is a referendum on whether or not we believe in democratic ideals.

Each of you has played a critical role in making Washington, D.C. the city it is today. Continue making history.

Continue fighting for Washington, D.C. Continue believing that America can be better than the founding fathers could ever have imagined. See you at the polls (in spirit)!

20

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

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We are taking strict steps to maintain a safe environment and rigorously adhering to recommendations from national and local health authorities.

WE HAVE ADDED THE FOLLOWING NEW PREVENTION AND CLEANING MEASURES TO OUR ALREADY STRINGENT DISINFECTION AND SANITIZATION PROCESS AND HEALTH PROTOCOLS. ALL PRODUCTS ARE SAFE AND ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY. • activTek Mini EM® for mini-split HVAC units uses light waves and a catalytic process to reduce air pollution, surface contaminants, odors and dust

• Victory professional cordless electrostatic handheld sprayer provides excellent coverage for disinfecting and sanitizing surfaces

• Coming soon! Fresh-Aire UV® ultraviolet germicidal irradiation system disinfects HVAC systems to sterilize and reduce the transmission of airborne bacteria and viruses

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

Some practical downsizing, moving tips

By Amanda Scudder Moving is stressful, especially when it involves downsizing from a home you’ve lived in for years. Yet many of us plan to do just that.

According to the Demand Institute, four out of 10 Boomers plan to move, and 42% of these expect to move into a smaller home.

If the decision to downsize is keeping you up at night, you are in good company.

With the right planning and support, your move can be a dream come true.

Ask for help Downsizing takes a great deal of physical, mental and emotional energy. Those who do it well delegate. Identify friends, family and qualified professionals to help you.

Senior move managers can be essential members of your team. With their specialized training and extensive knowledge of resources, they can help you plan, declutter, pack, manage the logistics of your move, troubleshoot, make recommendations, unpack and organize your new space, all of which will

ensure that you rest easy in your new home.

One of the biggest barriers to downsizing is the question of what to do with all the stuff. Over the years, acquisitions accumulate, and the older we get, the less energy we have to deal with them.

While it’s hard to confront decades — or even generations — of possessions, downsizing is a great opportunity to curate a lifetime of collections.

A neutral third-party can be invaluable in this process, serving as a sounding board, documenting household inventory, supervising distribution of items to family, and coordinating the sale or donation of things you no longer need.

Sort it out Deciding what to keep and what to get rid of is easier if you start by sorting your belongings into categories, then evaluate the items using the following criteria: Function — Does the item meet a recurring need and does it do its intended job well?

Form — Is it more attractive, suitable or flattering than another that does the same job?

Feeling — Does it make you happy or is it being kept out of guilt or obligation?

Fit — Does it fit you, your new space and your new lifestyle?

A floor plan of your new home will be

tremendously helpful when making decisions about furniture. Choose furnishings that can serve double- or triple-duty, like end tables with drawers and storage ottomans.

While making decisions takes some effort, it will save you time and money later.

It is far less expensive to pack and move only what you love, use, feel good about and have room for.

Have a plan There are a lot of moving parts in any moving plan. Work back from your anticipated move date to establish timelines with moving partners such as realtors, movers, cleaning services, residential communities and others.

Be sure you understand the scope of services they will provide so that you can compare across providers. And always ask for references. The lowest bid is not always the best deal.

Move-in day On move-in day, there is a lot going on — loading, unloading, placement of furniture, household goods to unpack, beds to make, essentials to stock.

To prevent important items like wallets, glasses, medicines and paperwork from See DOWNSIZING, page B-3

Your home should be a sanctuary

We’re still here

for y

Out of an abundance of caution for the health of our residents and associates, we’re taking a thoughtful approach to re-opening. And we’re going above and beyond the recommended guidelines related to infection control protocols and procedures.

Our commitment to helping you find the right community remains unchanged.

Brookdale Potomac

Assisted Living Alzheimer’s & Dementia Care 11215 Seven Locks Road Potomac, Maryland 20854

Brookdale Olney

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To set up a virtual tour, call (301) 363-2036.

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Our all-new, affordable apartment community, The Sanctuary, is designed for those 62+, and offers so many amenities:

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a Mount Jezreel Senior Housing Community 426 University Boulevard East, Silver Spring, MD 20901 *Income restrictions may apply.

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Who is renovating during the pandemic?

By Ivey Noojin During the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, some Americans are counting every penny to ensure a roof over their heads, while other homeowners are using this time to renovate their homes.

“For some, this recession, like any, is also a good time to get good deals on many desirable consumption goods and services if [they] have the money and ability to do so,” said Marcus Casey, a fellow at the Brookings Institution.

As a result, some local renovating companies have not seen a decrease in clientele during the pandemic.

“If anything, our business has improved over this pandemic,” said Sam Banks of Banks and Son Builders, a family-owned business for home improvement and building in the District.

Many high-earning workers haven’t lost their jobs due to the pandemic and thus are able to fund renovation projects, according to Casey.

Design company Cosgrove and Sons, for example, has maintained its high-earning clientele, mostly in the Greater Washington area. In March, at the beginning of the pandemic, the firm postponed a few jobs, but it has since bounced back.

Downsizing From page B-2 getting lost in the shuffle, gather them up into a brightly colored bag or bin and put them in the front seat of your car.

Unpacking and organizing your belongings will take a substantial amount of time.

Most movers only unload and place furniture and boxes in designated rooms.

You will need to have a plan to get the boxes unpacked, the packing materials re-

“I’m surprised [the house renovation market] is as buoyant as it is,” said Lisa Cosgrove, principal designer and managing partner. “This is disposable income people are spending on their homes.”

Working from home Many workers have been fortunate to be able to work from the safety of their home during the pandemic, unlike those with essential jobs that can’t be done remotely and are often lower-paying, Casey noted.

As a result, many with disposable income are spending the whole day in their house, noticing the aspects they want to change.

“They’re seeing the same old stained bathroom sinks and crummy kitchen cabinets,” Cosgrove said. “It makes them want to make their home more beautiful.”

While the pandemic has made Banks and Son Builders “busier than ever,” other companies weren’t as lucky, especially last spring.

Case Architects and Remodelers, one of the biggest design firms in the area, experienced a decrease in business in March.

“We’ve definitely slowed down,” said Samantha Klickna, director of project manmoved and everything put away.

Prioritize essential areas: bedrooms, bathrooms and kitchen. You may also want to recruit help with provisioning your new household with supplies and groceries so that your first night will be as comfortable as possible.

Amanda Scudder, MSW, is a Certified Professional Organizer and Senior Move Manager at Abundance Organizing in central Virginia. To contact her, call (804) 212-2160 or email info@abundanceorganizing.com.

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“I think a lot of people have been sitting around in their homes, and they got tired of waiting and wanted to improve the space they spend time in,” Klickna said.

In fact, Klickna agrees with Casey’s analysis of recession consumers: When the economy rebounds, renovation costs will likely rise.

“With the climate of everything going on, the price increases are headed our way,” she said. “Now’s a really good time to get this done.”

Of course, no one knows when the economy will bounce back or when social-distancing guidelines won’t be necessary.

The one consensus: “We’re probably going to be in this situation for longer than we thought,” Klickna said.

Some are being cautious

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agement. “We didn’t lose projects, but we saw a lot of projects be put on hold.”

In response, Case emphasizes the safety measures its workers and staff have implemented, including virtual meetings, face masks and protective booties, air filters and daily sanitation.

“It’s a lot of extra work, but our focus is to keep everyone safe,” Klickna said.

Cosgrove and Sons and Banks and Son Builders have also taken safety precautions.

They adhere to social distancing, wash their hands often, use portable toilets outside, and don’t use the house’s main door.

Partly because of measures like these, many Case Design clients who originally wanted to wait decided to restart their projects in May.

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Retired? Good luck getting a mortgage financial portfolio and assets are worth.

The Equal Opportunity Credit Act technically prohibits lenders from discriminating against borrowers due to their age.

However, obtaining a mortgage when you’re older is often fraught with unexpected pains — including mountains of documentation, questions about income and repayment, and potential secondguessing on the part of the underwriter.

While securing a mortgage is never easy, regardless of your age, Heath’s tale serves as an important lesson if you’re trying to buy a home in retirement.

A HELOC for a backup Heath believed he had such a great relationship with the financial advisers at his bank that he wouldn’t run into many hurdles in securing his mortgage. In late September 2019, when he contacted his loan officer to talk about securing his mortgage to close on the home by Nov. 1, the representative told him that wouldn’t be a problem.

However, because he already had a home equity line of credit (HELOC) for $500,000, the bank kept urging him to use that instead to ensure he could close on time.

“I got the HELOC because I wanted to make sure I had a cushion in case I needed money quickly,” he recalled. “But the catch with my HELOC is that the interest

rate…is about twice the interest rate of the mortgage,” he said.

“The woman I normally work with at the bank repeatedly said, ‘Well, you can always fall back on the HELOC.’ But I said, ‘No, I don’t want to fall back on the HELOC. I want the mortgage.’ But she kept pushing back.”

That was only the beginning.

After filing the initial mortgage paperwork with the bank, Heath was soon inundated with requests for information. The bank not only wanted to know the status of his checking and savings accounts, investment funds and Social Security withdrawals, but also the reason for every single transfer over $1,000. If he took money from a family trust, the bank required that he provide a note and backup documentation to validate the transaction as legitimate.

It was a far cry from the experience he’d had 30 years earlier, when he obtained a mortgage for his existing residence.

“I had to start tracking all of my money — how I got it, what I’m doing with it — because the bank wanted to see everything,” he explained. “They wanted all documents for any deposits, including a personal loan from a relative. And they wanted it quickly.”

didn’t qualify for a mortgage with his bank.

“And I said, ‘But I have this large portfolio of retirement funds and personal investments — what do you mean it doesn’t count?’” Heath said.

Eventually, he obtained an “exclusion” from the bank, which essentially stated, “You don’t meet the criteria, but our institution understands you have the resources to pay off your loan,” Heath said.

Fifteen minutes prior to closing, Heath received a text message from the bank to say the mortgage was approved, but it would take another day to pay out.

So, Heath had no choice but to leverage his HELOC — the backup line of credit he’d never intended to actually use — to buy the house.

Then, as the owner of two homes, Heath was forced back to the drawing board to reapply for a brand-new mortgage! “[That] took a whole month out of my life — constantly finding paperwork, producing documents, driving back and forth, so it was extremely frustrating when I had to do it again,” he said. “But I finally got a fixed mortgage secured on January 27.”

Lessons learned Problems at closing

Heath said that while there’s little he

In spite of all of the paperwork, Heath was told several weeks after applying that he

See MORTGAGE, page B-7

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By Kiplinger Consumer News Service Just before James Heath (name changed for privacy) retired, he began the search for the home where he hoped to spend his senior years.

Heath, 70, certainly had the means to make the transition. He spent the last 30some years living in his existing home, a 5,200-square-foot property situated on two acres outside Denver. Throughout his career as a physician, Heath had also accumulated a sizable nest egg and had a high credit score.

In September 2019, when his real estate agent showed him a 3,000-square-foot, one-level home for $1.1 million, Heath was ready to move.

But what he wasn’t ready for was the challenge of securing a 20-year mortgage of $225,000 at a good interest rate. It was a process that would drag out much longer than he anticipated — in spite of his stellar financial circumstances.

“I knew that once I retired, I’d have little income,” Heath said. “But I thought, ‘I’m looking for so little money, and I’m going to sell another home. The bank knows jolly well that my money is secure.’ I figured, ‘There isn’t an issue here.’ But I was wrong.”

Heath’s challenge of securing a mortgage in retirement is, unfortunately, not uncommon among individuals in their 60s, 70s and 80s — no matter how much their

a community resident

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How area villages protect their members

By Margaret Foster The pandemic has its silver linings. Last month, for instance, a group of older adults in Arlington, Virginia, toured D.C. embassies without leaving their homes.

The free tour, organized by Arlington Neighborhood Village, was a popular event, according to the group’s executive director, Wendy Zenker, with more than 60 attendees.

“We had twice as many people joining us on Zoom than we had in person [last year],” Zenker said.

On Mondays, Arlington Neighborhood Village offers its 220 members a chance to play bocce outdoors; on Tuesdays, they can learn tai chi. These activities are all free during the pandemic. Members can also stay safe at home and have their groceries delivered free by a volunteer.

Although annual membership fees range from $100 to $500, in March the village decided to waive its membership fee due to the crisis.

“We welcome any Arlington resident,” Zenker said of the grassroots group founded in 2014. “We didn’t want there to be any barriers to helping any senior that needed resources.”

What’s a village?

Helping older adults stay in their homes

is what a village is all about.

Villages are “grassroots organizations promoting neighbor-to-neighbor support,” according to the Village to Village Network, a national coalition. These nonprofits, many of which are startups, help older adults age in place in their neighborhoods.

The idea began in Boston’s tony Beacon Hill neighborhood two decades ago. A group of neighbors didn’t want to move to retirement communities in the suburbs.

Instead, they said, they wanted “to stay engaged in our own neighborhood in this vibrant city.” They formed a nonprofit, Beacon Hill Village, in 2002.

Today, more than 250 villages exist in America, with 100 more in the works, according to the Village to Village Network.

In our area, D.C. has 17 villages, Virginia has 16, and Maryland has 40, according to the Washington Area Villages Exchange.

There are many different kinds of villages, but most offer free rides (or did so before the pandemic, that is). Volunteers would regularly drive people to the doctor, church or grocery store.

They may also offer technological help, make friendly phone calls and bring older adults together with events. Some villages, like the one in Takoma Park, Maryland, even send volunteers to do home repairs or declutter houses.

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Most villages charge a small annual fee for these services —the cost is low because the groups are powered by volunteers.

Many village members donate several hours a week to their local group. At the Arlington Neighborhood Village, for instance, about one in four members are also volunteers.

Weekly COVID Calls In Washington, D.C., the Georgetown Village’s volunteers are now delivering groceries to members.

The group “has totally pivoted” due to COVID, said its executive director, Lynn Golub-Rofrano, MSW. It has started offering online programs for free. The webbased programs fulfill some of George-

town Village’s core goals: to prevent social isolation, provide volunteer services, and offer education sessions.

For example, one of the village’s recent presentations, part of the series “Philanthropy, Protests and the Pandemic,” taught members how to vet charities.

“We don’t want people sending donations to organizations that aren’t worthy,” GolubRofrano said. “This series is offering the community resources to get through this as safely as possible in many areas — whether it’s the donations they’re making or telehealth.”

Another weekly virtual event, “Cocktails, COVID and Conversations,” hosts local professionals who brief members on, say, the See VILLAGES, page B-7

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B-6

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

How communities are coping with COVID Later in March, Falcons Landing increased the use of protective gear among residents and staff, requiring masks during indoor interactions and promoting social distancing.

“At that point, many residents believed we were overreacting and they chafed at the increasing restrictions,” Brannon said. “Still the majority thanked us for keeping them safe and complied with our guidance.”

Cleaning and screening Local facilities also instituted more rigorous cleaning and sanitation procedures.

For example, Charles E. Smith Life Communities, which has buildings for independent living, assisted living and memory care on its campus, developed a sixpoint protocol in response to COVID. One of the points involves frequent sanitation and disinfecting of public areas and high-touch surfaces using CDC-approved disinfectants.

Alongside the protective gear and sanitation measures, many communities implemented screening procedures to monitor staff and residents.

In mid-April, Falcons Landing decided to test all staff and residents to determine whether there were residents with COVID who were asymptomatic. “The Virginia Department of Health had just instituted a Point-Prevalence Survey (PPS),” Brannon

said. “Within four hours, a National Guard unit tested over 250 individuals.”

Falcons Landing continued routine testing, but has moved to less frequent testing after no longer having active cases.

Cold, warm and hot zones “We implemented daily monitoring of residents, including temperature and pulse oximeter readings,” said Rene Gomez, administrator of Brooke Grove Rehabilitation and Nursing Center.

When several residents, some of whom were asymptomatic, tested positive, Gomez designated what he called cold, warm and hot zones.

Cold zones housed patients who had tested negative for COVID, and hot zones, including a wing in the rehabilitation unit, a wing in the long-term care area, and a wing in the long-term care dementia unit, housed residents who had tested positive.

In the hot zones, “transmission-based precautions for COVID-19 were implemented, including standard, contact and droplet precautions,” said Gomez. Staff working in the hot zone could exit the facility without entering other units.

The warm zone provided a transitional space for staff to prepare to enter the hot zone if necessary, and for disinfecting any equipment that had been taken into the hot zone.

“The zone system resulted in successfully preventing in-house acquired COVID19 cases,” Gomez said.

By the time Governor Hogan announced the implementation of National Guard Strike teams to conduct on-site visits in every Maryland nursing home, Brooke Grove’s was already ahead of the game in implementing strategies to prevent the spread of the virus, and staff members focused their attention on reviewing current best practices for infection control standards.

Opening up gradually As the whole country has eased restrictions, so have many facilities, as long as they are not experiencing outbreaks.

Many have begun to allow family visits, within limits. AlfredHouse, for instance, currently allows two visits per day to each of their residences.

“One visitor can come in the morning, and one can come in the afternoon” to each house, said Silverstein. Visits take place outside — with masks — and visitors stay at least six feet apart.

Transitioning new residents Long-term care facilities and communities are also starting to open up to new resSee COVID, page B-7

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By Catherine Brown COVID, as we all now know, puts older adults at highest risk for severe illness. According to the Centers for Disease Control, eight out of ten deaths from COVID have occurred in people over 65.

So, the pandemic has required life care communities and long-term care facilities to take steps to mitigate risk and adapt quickly to changing circumstances.

In early March, many communities ordered protective equipment and restricted outside visitors.

Early lock-downs “We locked down very early,” said Ken Silverstein, Vice President of AlfredHouse Elder Care, which operates assisted living group homes throughout the area. They kept their residences closed off from visitors to prevent transmission of COVID within their properties.

Similarly, Falcon’s Landing, in Sterling, Va., decided to act quickly.

“When COVID hit the West Coast and tragically caused dozens of deaths in an assisted living community outside of Seattle,” said Barbara Brannon, CEO of Falcons Landing, “we recognized the risk was real and dangerous and more imminent that we had realized.” The staff revised and implemented a flu plan they had developed during the H1N1 swine flu threat.

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Mortgage From page B-4 could have done differently, he wished he’d realized that getting a mortgage with little earned income would be difficult. His advice to others: • Plan early. If you know you want to buy a house and need a mortgage, try to apply for one while you’re still working.

Villages From page B-5 Georgetown Business District. In addition, they have a weekly Zoom session on Thursdays about the latest coronavirus news.

“A retired nurse practitioner and a retired NIH official are members, so we have a ‘COVID Call’ where they answer questions and update information,” Golub-

COVID From page B-6 idents again, but doing so requires necessary precautions.

Charles E. Smith Living Communities is developing special apartments where new residents of the independent living community Ring House and assisted living community Landow House can quarantine while transitioning into the community.

B-7

Banks underwrite mortgages based on income, and when you are retired, you often have assets, not income. Get started early, if possible, and downsize before you retire to qualify for a traditional mortgage.

• Be ready to track. Know that your lender may want you to account for any transaction that’s more than $1,000.

• Prepare your documents. If you secured a mortgage 20 or 30 years ago, you

might not realize that you’ll need to be much more computer savvy. The lender may ask you to upload documents, for instance. “For me, that was challenging, so I ended up just driving back and forth with the documents,” Heath said.

• Ask for help. Try to communicate frequently with your loan officer if you need anything, such as help navigating a financial institution’s portal. “I have a great

relationship with my loan officer, but the experience of learning to upload and use the portal was chaos,” Heath said.

• Consider a HELOC during your later working life. “It’s a very useful thing to have, and it costs about $50 a year,” Heath said. “And it could save you in a bind.” © 2020 The Kiplinger Washington Editors, Inc. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Rofrano said. “These two extremely capable professionals are able to summarize for the members what’s new in the news; what’s changed this week.”

While stuck at home, why not write? In Maryland, some villages have offered memoir writing classes. In September, the Takoma Park Village offered a free writing class (open to members and non-members) called “Create Family Stories to Share.”

Drive-through flu shots Another unique program took shape in Silver Spring, Maryland this fall.

Hoping to keep its members safe, Doug Gaddis, the executive director of Silver Spring Village, reached out to a local pharmacy to provide drive-through flu shots in September. Members and their families were invited to stay in their cars while pharmacists gave them a flu shot in the parking lot.

In keeping with the times, Silver Spring Village is also moderating a series of discussions on racial justice.

No matter where they’re located, villages can be a “lifesaver,” as one member of Silver Spring Village reported in a summer survey.

As another member put it, the village is “almost as important as my family.”

Does your neighborhood have a village?

Search for your local village at vtnetwork.org.

For 14 days, new residents remain in the quarantine apartments and are given daily wellness checks. Call to ask about special offers.

“We want our new residents to have the opportunity for visitation and to be active,” said Deanna Ziemba, Vice President, Business Development and Marketing.

The new residents have access to closedcircuit televisions they can use to participate in the community’s exercise classes,

talk to family members through a video call, and communicate by video with front desk staff.

The pandemic still impacts people across the country, but staff at life care communities and long-term care facilities continue to

adapt as needed to keep residents safe.

For more information about these communities, contact: AlfredHouse at (301) 703-2308; Charles E. Smith Life Communities at (301) 276-7102, and Falcon's Landing at (703) 293-5054.

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LIFE PLAN COMMUNITY

Vinson Hall Retirement Community 703-536-4344 6251 Old Dominion Drive McLean, VA 22101 www.vinsonhall.org We are an active, vibrant senior living community located on 22 park-like acres in suburban McLean, Virginia. Vinson Hall Retirement Community offers independent living, assisted living, memory care support, nursing care, rehabilitative care, and respite care. Our community quickly responded to the Covid-19 crisis by implementing our own in-house grocery program and free meal delivery service in order to keep residents safe.

Residents maintain access to a variety of in-house activities such as art classes, fitness programs, and happy hour! Social engagement is critical and a top priority for our community.

We currently have one-bedroom apartments available.

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INDEPENDENT LIVING COMMUNITY

Sommerset Retirement 703-450-6411 22355 Providence Village Dr. Sterling, VA 20164 www.Sommersetretirement.com At Sommerset Retirement Community, located in the heart of Sterling, Virginia, you’ll experience exceptional independent living at its best, with a comfortable, fulfilling, secure and active lifestyle. Sommerset’s unique amenities include restaurant style dining, housekeeping, 24-hour front desk personnel and private transportation. Enjoy the convenience of being just minutes from medical services, shopping, banking and entertainment.

Sommerset has been voted by the readers of Virginia Living Magazine as one of the best retirement communities in Northern Virginia! Call us or visit our website to request more information or to schedule your tour and complimentary lunch.

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Discover Seabury at Springvale Terrace, inside and out. Enjoy the benefits of Independent Living just steps away from downtown Silver Spring. Within blocks, you will have access to the Silver Spring Civic Center, pharmacies, movie theaters, library, shopping, & restaurants.

Come join us to dine and experience one of our chef inspired, delicious meals that are served restaurant style each and every single day. Enjoy a comfortable private studio apartment with care services available. Rents from as low as $1,190 per month with a signed lease before November 15th. A three-course dinner is included. Additional meals are available. Call Donald at (301) 587-0190 or email svtadmissions@seaburyresources.org for info and to schedule a virtual tour.

ASSISTED LIVING & MEMORY CARE

Brooke Grove Retirement Village 301-260-2320 18100 Slade School Road Sandy Spring, MD 20860 www.bfg.org This community hums with warm-hearted camaraderie and a zest for life shared by residents and staff alike. Experience all that makes assisted living at Brooke Grove extraordinary. Cozy, homelike dwellings with easy access to beautiful courtyards and walking paths. Caring staff trained in using memory support techniques, building independence and lifting self-esteem.

Innovative LIFE® Enrichment Programming with meaningful activities and off-site adventures. Visit us to see why Brooke Grove Retirement Village is one of the most sought-after continuing care retirement communities in the state. Living here is simply different … because what surrounds you really matters.

Greenspring offers independent and secure senior living Life at Springfield’s premier senior living community offers extraordinary benefits in uncertain times.

A caring community to support you – Here, you gain a network of friends and neighbors, plus a caring staff including full-time doctors who specialize in senior health.

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Learn more. Call 1-877-589-9570 for your free brochure or to schedule your in-person or virtual visit.

INDEPENDENT LIVING COMMUNITY

Covenant Village Senior Apartments 301-540-1162 18889 Waring Station Road Germantown, MD 20874 www.qpmgmt.com • Spacious 1 and 2 bedroom plans with washer/dryer in each apt.

• Shuttle bus for shopping and local trips • On-site fitness, game, and craft rooms, movie theatre, library, beauty salon, and courtyard garden plots.

It's about our residents, said Management staff, Debra and Trisha.

They always ensure that they have interesting and exciting things going on. Some of the fun includes: Garden Party Cookouts, Trips to Washington, DC to see the Cherry Blossoms, the Franciscan Monastery, and the National Zoo, Black Hills Pontoon Boat Ride, Low-Impact Fitness Classes, Resident Birthday Celebrations, Craft Classes and Potlucks. Also, many guest speakers are invited to speak to our residents on topics that are relevant to them.

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HOME CARE SERVICES: ❑ Best Senior Care . . . . . . . . .B-6 ❑ Cherished Hands Home Health . . . . . . . . . . . .B-2

Check the boxes you’re interested in and return this entire coupon to: The Beacon, P.O. Box 2227, Silver Spring, MD 20915-2227.

You may return our free info form on page 5 together with this coupon.

Name __________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Address ____________________________________________________E-mail_______________________________________________ City _______________________________________________________ State ______________________ Zip ____________________ Phone (day) _______________________________________________ (eve) ___________________________________________WB1020

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

Tricky balancing caregiving and working

By Mary Kane For the past three years, Paula Gomes said that she has sometimes felt she is working two full-time jobs: her human resources position at Emory University in Atlanta, and her role as a caregiver to her mother and mother-in-law.

“There’s just a lot to learn” when you become a caregiver, said Gomes, 60, executive director of Emory’s Faculty Staff Assistance Program. “You’re stepping in all of a sudden to do so much. My husband and I feel overwhelmed sometimes.”

So, Gomes turned to her employer for

help. Emory offers a caregiver support program through its Work-Life Resource Center, which includes an on-site consultant to help employees find elder-care resources and support, even from a distance.

Mary Ellen Eady, Emory’s work-life specialist, referred Gomes to a resource for rehabilitation options in Virginia for her mother-in-law and offered advice on creating an informal care support network in her mother-in-law’s community.

The services provided by the university “made an incredible difference to me,” Gomes said.

BEACON BITS

Oct. 28

LEARN MICROSOFT WORD

Join the Arlington Public Library to learn how to use Microsoft Word in this free Zoom event. The event requires a computer and takes place from 5:30 to 7 p.m. on Wed., Oct. 28. To register, go to http://bit.ly/UseMSWord.

Ongoing

NEED FOOD ASSISTANCE?

The Cooperative for a Hunger Free Arlington is working to ensure that all residents who need food assistance have access to available resources.For more information, visit http://bit.ly/VAFoodAssist. If you need assistance getting groceries or meals, call (703) 228-1300.

Ongoing

STEM MENTORS NEEDED The American Association for the Advancement of Science needs scientists, engineers and physicians to assist K-12 STEM teachers virtually in the DC Metro area. To volunteer, contact bcalinge@aaas.org.

Balancing caregiving responsibilities with working is challenging. One in three U.S. workers voluntarily left a job because of caregiving responsibilities, a recent Harvard Business School study found.

And one-third of them were caring for a sick elderly relative. Yet fewer than 10% of employers surveyed offered subsidized elder-care services, according to the study.

Unpaid or paid leave help While juggling work with caregiving is only beginning to be addressed in the workplace, you may have options for help.

If you need to step back from work, you may be able to take up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave per year under the federal Family and Medical Leave Act, while keeping your job and health insurance.

Four states — California, New Jersey, New York and Rhode Island — offer paid family leave. Other states have expanded benefits or eligibility for family leave.

In April, the Maryland State Senate failed to pass the Time to Care Act, which would have established a Family and Medical Leave Insurance Program to make paid leave available to Maryland workers for up to 12 weeks. The National Conference of State Legislatures keeps track of state policies at ncsl.org.

While elder-care assistance is not yet a

common company benefit, some employers are stepping up to the plate. At audit and consulting firm Deloitte, about 5,000 employees have taken advantage of up to 16 weeks of paid family leave under a program established by the firm in 2016, a Deloitte spokesperson said.

Mortgage giant Fannie Mae was an early adopter of caregiving benefits, becoming one of the first companies to offer an onsite elder-care consultant in 1999.

The consultant has a typical caseload of about 50 clients per month with about 200 contacts, such as emails and calls, to help employees with elder-care needs, said Michelle Stone, Fannie’s work-life benefits manager. Fannie also reimburses employees up to $65 per day a maximum of 30 times per year for emergency adult care when a home health aide isn’t available.

Check with your employer to see what benefits may be available to you. A company’s employee assistance program might include some elder-care support services.

Also, reach out to your supervisor as early as possible to explain your caregiving situation. Propose a part-time or consultancy position to continue earning money and to create an on-ramp for your return. © The Kiplinger Washington Editors, Inc. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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

INDEPENDENT LIVING COMMUNITY

Seabury at Friendship Terrace 202-244-7400 4201 Butterworth Place NW Washington, DC 20016 www.friendshipterrace.org Active, affordable senior living close to stores, restaurants, transportation and entertainment can be found at Seabury at Friendship Terrace! Located in a quiet, tree-lined northwest Washington neighborhood, Friendship Terrace is just a short walk from the Tenleytown Metro station. The community offers affordable senior living with subsidy assistance to those who are eligible, as well as exciting on-site events including performances, lectures, holiday observances, socials, and more. A rooftop deck, greenhouse, library, lounges, and a dining room overlooking an outdoor courtyard are highlights of the community. Your new home awaits. Remarkable in town value!

Applications now being accepted. Call for your apartment. today!

CONTINUING CARE RETIREMENT COMMUNITY

Say you saw it in the Beacon | Housing Options

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ASSISTED LIVING

Chevy Chase House (202) 686-5504 5420 Connecticut Ave., NW Washington, DC 20015 www.meridiansenior.com/chevychasehouse

Come visit the newly renovated Chevy Chase House on Connecticut Avenue in a vibrant NW DC neighborhood.

Enjoy all the city has to offer, while we provide the services and amenities you may want or need. On-site physical and occupational therapy is provided by FOX Rehabilitation.

An in-house gym opens soon with a new and exciting wellness program, exercise classes and more. Select a spacious apartment starting at a base price of $4,499 for a studio. Join us for lunch and a tour by calling 202-686-5504.

Everyone deserves a great life; continue your next chapter with us at the Chevy Chase House.

INDEPENDENT LIVING COMMUNITY

Maplewood Park Place (301) 571-7441

Falcons Landing 703-293-5054

9707 Old Georgetown Road Bethesda, MD 20814 MaplewoodParkPlace.com

20522 Falcons Landing Circle Potomac Falls, VA 20165 www.falconslanding.org

Discover the best of all worlds at Maplewood Park Place, the area's premier resident-owned retirement community, with continuing care — all “under one roof.” We've redefined retirement living for active adults 62 plus. Enjoy a warm and charming community you'll be happy to call home. Take part in a broad array of social, cultural, educational, spiritual, and recreational events each month. Delight in five-star dining, beautiful amenities, outstanding services and attentive staff.

Have peace of mind knowing a full range of health care options are available, when and if you need them. Come see for yourself why Maplewood has been the right choice for so many.

Falcons Landing, a Life Plan Community, welcomes all officers whether retired or honorably discharged, from all branches of service, as well as federal employees of GS-14 and higher, to include spouses and surviving spouses.

INDEPENDENT LIVING COMMUNITY

INDEPENDENT LIVING COMMUNITY

Brooke Grove Retirement Village 301-260-2320 18100 Slade School Road Sandy Spring, MD 20860 www.bfg.org You’ll feel it as soon as you drive onto our 220-acre campus of lush pastures and hardwood forest—all that makes independent living at Brooke Grove different. Beautiful cottages in a truly picturesque setting. Maintenance-free living, with more time for what you really want to do. Personalized fitness programs, meals prepared by talented chefs, clubs and social events. Neighbors who share your interests and passions. Come for a visit and see why Brooke Grove Retirement Village is one of the most soughtafter retirement communities in the state. Living here is simply different … because what surrounds you really matters.

Opening in 2021, Falcons Landing presents The Terrace Home Apartments. 24 new units that fuse the best aspects of apartment and cottage living. Residents will enjoy generous square footage with social spaces to gather with neighbors. The Terrace Homes provide a fresh and exciting new take on senior living and are ideal for those that enjoy natural lighting, open floor plans, indoor/outdoor living, an active lifestyle and entertaining family and friends.

Riderwood Retirement Community 877-742-4390 3140 Gracefield Road Silver Spring, MD 20904 Riderwood.com Three reasons to choose senior living at Riderwood Life at Silver Spring’s premier senior living community offers extraordinary benefits in uncertain times.

1. The size and strength to keep you safe – Riderwood is managed

by Erickson Living®, a leader in senior living with 20 communities in eleven states.

2. The freedom to enjoy your retirement – At Riderwood, you’re free to live life on your terms while the dedicated staff takes care of the essentials.

3. The support of a caring community – Here, you gain a network of friends and neighbors, plus a caring staff including full-time doctors who specialize in senior health.

Learn more. Call 1-877-742-4390 for your free brochure or to schedule your in-person or virtual visit.

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

When the insurer denies your valid claim

By Kiplinger Consumer News Service You’d think if you had an all-risk insurance policy, your home or business would be covered for just about anything, right? Wrong.

There are always exclusions and gray areas, and in these cases, how you deal with a claims adjuster “can be the difference between receiving compensation or a denial letter,” said San Francisco-based attorney Daniel J. Veroff.

Veroff specializes in insurance bad faith law, holding insurance companies accountable for unreasonably delaying, denying and underpaying valid claims.

Sometimes this occurs where a loss is caused by a number of events coming together at the worst possible time. In these situations, a dishonest — or poorly trained — claims adjuster could view it as a way out.

Let’s say you lock up your office Friday evening and return Monday morning to a nightmare, as “Julie,” one of our readers, experienced.

“My graphic arts studio is in a centuryold home, on a block where the houses have been converted to offices,” she wrote.

“Over a weekend, my neighbor’s underground irrigation pipe burst, and since my office is slightly downhill from his, thousands of gallons of water flowed in my direction, weakening my foundation.

“So, when I opened up Monday morn-

ing, my floors and walls had huge cracks in them, and my carpet was like a squishy sponge. The water caused electrical issues with my printer and computers. I was out of business!”

Julie immediately filed a claim with her insurance company. “That’s where the story should have ended,” Veroff said. “Her carrier was clearly on the hook for the loss.”

But the company refused to pay the claim on the basis of policy exclusions for earth movement. As you will see, this was an act of “bad faith,” a breach of the insurance policy by the adjuster.

Earth-movement exclusions Many homeowners and business insurance policies have language that addresses earth movement, limiting or excluding it from coverage. Included in these exclusions would be things like sinkholes, landslides and, of course, earthquakes.

There are special policies you can buy for just such disasters. But even if your property is not in an area known for these issues, you could be affected by earth movement in other, less dramatic, ways.

Veroff cites a costly and common example of how this exclusion can result in great disappointment and loss. “Before the Great Recession, across the country many homes were purchased in tracts that were built on

compacted soil,” he said. “On occasion, due to poor compaction, after a year or two the earth below the foundations began to sink, causing significant damage to the homes.

“Claims were filed with homeowners’ insurance companies and were denied. To make matters worse, many homebuilders were out of business, leaving the owners with a huge financial loss.

“But on more than one occasion, the reason the compacted soil gave way was because, just like with Julie, water from a leaking water main weakened the soil, leading to its failure. Many of these insurance policies, like Julie’s, excluded earth movement — but not if caused or contributed to by a burst pipe.

“So, a homeowner or the lawyer eventually hired must ask, ‘Which was the most important cause of the property damage?’

That is the question you need to have in mind if a claim is ever denied because just one of the causes of the damage is excluded,” Veroff emphasized. “Don’t just accept a ‘no’ as the end of the story.”

What was the true cause?

Homeowners or business insurance pays covered claims — usually meaning anything that is not excluded. But first, owners must be aware of what caused the damage.

Causation — cause and effect — plays a central role in determining whether a claim is approved or denied. Lawyers use

the term proximate cause, which tries to resolve coverage issues involving causation scenarios, and ask, “What was the efficient proximate cause, that real thing that set in motion a chain of events leading to the damage or loss?”

“The efficient proximate cause must be the predominant cause of the resulting harm,” Veroff said, “and it might not be the last in the series of events that resulted in damage and loss.”

Here’s what Veroff said a property owner should do if a claims adjuster tells them a cause isn’t covered: 1. Ask for a letter explaining the company’s position denying the claim and identifying all significant facts and policy provisions.

That letter gives you the basis for a possible suit against the company for failure to pay the claim without a valid basis, but it also may help to avoid litigation.

2. Write the company and state your reasons why the most important cause of the damage (the efficient proximate cause) was X, which is covered, and not Y, which they are saying is excluded.

“I have seen such letters cause insurance companies to take a second look at the claim and actually pay it, aware that their insured is no dummy and has done their homework,” Veroff said. © 2020 The Kiplinger Washington Editors, Inc. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

BEACON BITS

Ongoing

Care, Connect, Comfort!

Connect with people who care, in a place that is comfortable and safe: Friendship Terrace. Our 180 affordable, independent living apartments in Tenleytown are just a short walk to shopping, groceries, pharmacies, a new Target, the library, Metro and more! Plus activities and meals, all are yours in an affordable apartment you can call “home.” Comes see us at Friendship Terrace, where caring comes first!

“Your meeting with us on Zoom is one more addition to the positives of living at Friendship Terrace that I will be telling my family and friends, or anyone who asks me, about. I'm proud to live at Friendship Terrace.”

— Mary Ann Norwood, resident

Applications now being accepted!

Call 202-244-7400 (TRS 711) to schedule a visit.

FriendshipTerrace.org 1-800-643-3769 DC RELAY SERVICE • 1-800-643-3768 TTY 4201 Butterworth Place, NW, Washington, DC 20016

PLANT FREE TREES

Need a new tree in your yard? Tree Montgomery is a free program to plant large shade trees in private property throughout Montgomery County, Maryland. Staff work closely with participants to help them determine location and species to plant on your property. Request a tree at treemontgomery.org.

Say you saw it in the Beacon | Housing Options

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

Housing Notes

By Catherine Brown

AlfredHouse opens location in Potomac Earlier this year, AlfredHouse Assisted Living acquired their 10th and newest property, Rebecca House, to provide highend services to residents of Potomac, Maryland.

Dr. Veena J. Alfred, PhD, founder of AlfredHouse, took over Rebecca House from another agency and made significant improvements.

“Right away, she replaced the flooring, repainted and updated the furnishings,” said Ken Silverstein, vice president of business development for AlfredHouse. “She cleaned it up and really made it part of AlfredHouse.”

Rebecca House has a lower floor for dining, laundry and activities; two floors with 14 private rooms; shared bathrooms and common areas, and an elevator for those unable to navigate stairs.

Like other properties operated by AlfredHouse, Rebecca House offers a 1:4 caregiver ratio, a comprehensive range of services, and a boutique assisted living experience.

“The residents of Rebecca House are a fun, sociable group who really enjoy spending time together,” Silverstein said.

“It’s not unusual for staff to be playing piano and for the residents to be bopping around.”

For more information, call (301) 7032308.

Landow House now offers memory care This month, Charles E. Smith Life Communities opened a new memory-care floor at its Landow House in Rockville, not far from its award-winning Cohen-Rosen House.

“Our Cohen-Rosen memory care facility is at 100% occupancy,” said Deanna Ziemba, vice president of business development and marketing. “Based on that community need, we evaluated and decided to expand our offerings.”

The staff at Charles E. Smith evaluated their other properties and decided to convert the third-floor of Landow House into eight one-bedroom units with communal living, kitchen and dining spaces.

While the Cohen-Rosen building is made up of studio apartments, Landow House has one-bedroom units, so couples can live there together.

The care and staffing of Landow House

will be very similar to that of CohenRosen. They will follow their care partner model, or universal worker model, where the same caregiver assists with multiple levels of care, including culinary, housekeeping, and caregiving.

“The care partner gets to know every aspect of the resident’s needs across the board,” Ziemba said.

Charles E. Smith is currently conducting tours and accepting deposits for their newly developed units at Landow House.

Call (301) 276-7102.

Discounted or free home care for vets Recently, a new patient reached out to Cherished Hands Home Health LLC, based in Germantown, Maryland, to inquire about care. She had been married to a veteran for many years, but she never realized that her husband’s service qualified her for free home care.

Veterans and veterans’ spouses often are entitled to home care benefits, but many don’t realize it. And those who are aware often find the process of working with the VA to access those benefits daunting and overwhelming.

That’s why Abby Sakariyah, a licensed nurse practitioner and founder of Cherished Hands, works with American Veterans Care Connection (AVCC).

“AVCC will connect with veterans, provide an initial screening to determine if they meet the minimum qualifications, and help them through the VA paperwork process,” Sakariyah said. “They can increase the chance that veterans will receive a benefit.”

AVCC was started by a registered nurse, Jeanne Asher, who worked in home care and was trying to find funding to assist her father. She discovered that the Veterans’ Aid and Attendance Pension benefits were the only option, but she struggled to find qualified caregivers.

To help other aging veterans, Asher developed AVCC, making the process of accessing benefits smoother and connecting veterans with a network of qualified healthcare professionals.

“AVCC helps veterans get a benefit for a certain number of hours of home health care,” Sakariyah said, “and they pay us to provide that amount of care.” Sakariyah emphasized that after receiving their benefit, veterans don’t pay anything out of pocket. During the time that a patient is waiting to receive their benefit, Sakariyah provides services at a reduced rate.

“I started my company so that I could help people,” Sakariyah said. “I like working with veterans and AVCC because I can provide care for veterans and give my employees work.” For more information, call (240) 550-6035.

Please patronize our advertisers.

They keep the Beacon free!

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Affordable Senior Communities Discover how great senior living is at one of our affordable apartment communities. Many of our communities feature 24-hour emergency maintenance, full activities programs, spacious floor plans, affordable rents, caring and dedicated staff, and much more. We are conveniently located near shopping, including grocery stores and pharmacies. Let us help you live life to the fullest.

Call or visit our web site to view these communities: 600 North Madison Street, Arlington, VA 22203

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301-779-6196

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301-540-1162

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From $1,271 for 2 bedroom

5101 River Road, Suite 101 • Bethesda, MD 20816

301-941-8040 www.qpmgmt.com Professionally managed by Quantum Real Estate Management LLC T/A Quantum Property Management

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

Adjust your home to prevent falls Courtesy of the Centers for Disease Control Falls are not a normal part of aging — they can be prevented.

Common fall risks include: having fallen before, balance problems or problems walking, muscle weakness, arthritis, depression, memory problems, hazards in the home, taking many medications and vision problems.

Older adults, caregivers and healthcare

providers can work together to reduce the risk of falling and prevent devastating injuries.

Here are simple things you can do to keep yourself from falling and to stay independent longer:

Talk to your healthcare providers • Tell your doctor if you have fallen, if

DID YOU KNOW? Every day in the United States 5,000 adults age 65 and above are hospitalized due to fall-related injuries.

CDC National Center for Injury Prevention and Control

you feel unsteady when standing or walking, or if you’re afraid you might fall.

• Ask your doctor or pharmacist to review your medicines to see if any might increase your risk of falling.

• Ask your doctor about health conditions (like depression or osteoporosis) that can increase your risk for falling.

• Ask your doctor to check your eyes at least once a year and update lenses as needed.

DID YOU KNOW? Renters are allowed to modify their home under the Fair Housing Amendments Act. handrails and lights installed on all staircases.

Stay active Make your home safer • Get rid of trip hazards.

• Keep floors clutter-free.

• Add grab bars in the bathroom. Have

• Do exercises that make your legs stronger and improve your balance (like Tai Chi).

For more information and tips, visit cdc.gov/steadi.

Home care services: Questions to ask

By Mayo Clinic Staff Home care services range from medical care to help with daily household chores.

Whether you’re considering a home care services agency or a home health aide, you might ask these questions about services: —How does the agency train and monitor caregivers? Does the agency provide continuing education?

—Are the caregivers licensed, insured and accredited?

—Do the agency’s employees seem friendly and helpful?

—Will you receive a written care plan before service begins? The care plan should include details about medical equipment, specific care needs, and responsibilities of the aide or agency. It should also contain input from the doctor, and be updated frequently.

—Will you receive a list of the rights and responsibilities of all parties involved?

This is sometimes known as a patient’s bill

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Arleigh Burke Pavilion Assisted Living z Nursing Care Short-term Rehabilitation

“Live Life Your Way”

With compassionate staff and a calendar of events, our residents “live life their way.”

ARLEIGH BURKE PAVILION AT

VINSON HALL RETIREMENT COMMUNITY

1739 Kirby Road, McLean, VA www.vinsonhall.org | 703-506-6900

of rights.

—Will the agency work directly with you or your loved one, family members, and health care providers?

—Do you need to identify a primary family caregiver? If so, what’s required of that person?

—When will service be provided? Is care available round-the-clock, if necessary?

—What procedures are in place for emergencies? Ask how the agency or

home health aide will deliver services in the event of a power failure or natural disaster.

—How are problems addressed and resolved? Whom can you or another family member contact with requests, questions or complaints?

—Does the home health aide have a positive attitude?

—Are you and your loved one comfortable with the home health aide? © Mayo Clinic, mayoclinic.org

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

REHABILITATION

Say you saw it in the Beacon | Housing Options

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PERSONAL CARE/ASSISTED LIVING

Brooke Grove Retirement Village 301-260-2320

Seabury at Springvale Terrace (301) 587-8717

18100 Slade School Road Sandy Spring, MD 20860 www.bfg.org

8505 Springvale Road Silver Spring, MD 20910 www.seaburyresources.org/springvaleterrace

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

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

INDEPENDENT LIVING COMMUNITY

INDEPENDENT LIVING COMMUNITY

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

Please call today for an appointment to tour our community or request an application; 301-779-6196 Monday-Friday from 8:30 to 5:00.

INDEPENDENT & PERSONAL CARE COMMUNITIES

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

Ashby Ponds 877-664-5445 21170 Ashby Ponds Boulevard Ashburn, VA 20147 AshbyPonds.com You can feel confident about senior living at Ashby Ponds. Life at Loudoun County’s premier senior living community offers extraordinary benefits in uncertain times.

The size and strength to keep you safe – Ashby Ponds is managed

by Erickson Living®, a leader in senior living with 20 communities in eleven states.

The support of a caring community – Here, you gain a network of friends and neighbors, plus a caring staff including full-time doctors who specialize in senior health.

The freedom to enjoy your retirement – At Ashby Ponds, you’re free to live life on your terms while the dedicated staff takes care of the essentials.

Learn more. Call 1-877-664-5445 for your free brochure or to schedule your in-person or virtual visit.

ASSISTED LIVING COMMUNITY

Chesterbrook Residences 703 531-0781 2030 Westmoreland Street Falls Church, VA www.chesterbrookres.org Make the move to Chesterbrook Residences, where your comfort and well-being are our top priority. One- and two-bedroom apartments offer idyllic views of our quiet, wooded neighborhood. On-site rehab services include physical, occupational, and speech therapy, and a robust life enrichment program keeps residents active and engaged. Our mission has always been to provide quality assisted living care in an environment that puts residents first. Times change, but not our commitment to your loved one. Call today or visit our website to take a virtual tour!

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PULL OUT & KEEP THIS SECTION

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

Safe and Comfortable ASSISTED LIVING AT

BROOKE GROVE Limited-Time Discount For many, this time of uncertainty adds to existing challenges.

Brooke Grove is here to help by offering up to $9,600 for qualifying applicants.

Established in 1950, Brooke Grove is an industry leader in assisted living and memory support in Montgomery County. Our innovative approaches, LIFE enrichment programming and beautiful 220-acre campus enhance the well-being of all our residents.

CLEANING AND PREVENTION PROTOCOLS • Ultraviolet disinfection of HVAC systems – Coming soon!

• Reduced air pollution through light waves and catalytic processes • Professional electrostatic disinfecting and sanitizing sprayer • Biofilm penetrating cleaner and disinfectant • 24-hour residual action bacteria and virus disinfectant • Point-of-care COVID-19 testing with rapid results

Call today for a live virtual tour!

301-260-2320 www.bgf.org 18100 Slade School Road Sandy Spring, MD 20860

Say you saw it in the Beacon

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

Money Law &

21

TRUSTWORTHY TRUSTEES Setting up a trust for your estate?

Whether you choose a family member, professional or corporate trustee, here are some questions to ask SPOT THE SIGNS Elder abuse is an under-reported crime.

How to recognize and report financial, physical or emotional abuse of elders

Pros, cons of Medicare Advantage plans

By Liz Weston About 1 in 3 people 65 and older in the U.S. enroll in Medicare Advantage, the private insurance alternative to traditional Medicare.

It’s not hard to see why: Medicare Advantage plans often cover health needs that Medicare doesn’t, and most people don’t pay extra for it.

But Medicare Advantage can be more expensive if you get sick, because copays and other costs can be higher, said Katy Votava, president of Goodcare.com, a healthcare consultant for financial advisors and consumers.

Unhappy Advantage customers who want to switch back to traditional Medicare may find they no longer qualify for the supplemental Medigap policies to help pay their medical bills, or that they would face prohibitively high premiums.

“These are complicated products,” said Votava, author of Making the Most of Medicare. “They’re like nothing else — no other insurance that people encounter anywhere — until they get to Medicare.”

Medicare’s alphabet soup The first hurdle many people face when

deciding about Medicare coverage is simply understanding how the various parts fit together. Traditional Medicare, also known as original Medicare, has two parts: • Part A covers hospitalization, and is typically premium-free.

• Part B covers outpatient care, including doctor visits, and has a standard monthly premium of $144.60 for 2020, although higher-income people pay more (up to $347).

With Part B, you can choose any doctor who accepts Medicare. The government pays healthcare providers directly.

Part D is prescription drug coverage, which is provided by private insurers. The drugs that are covered and the amounts you pay out of pocket vary widely. Monthly premiums vary as well, but average $32.74 in 2020.

Traditional Medicare has deductibles, copays and coinsurance that can quickly add up. To cover these gaps, private insurers also offer supplemental plans known as Medigap.

The average monthly Medigap premium in 2019 was $152, according to health insurance marketplace eHealth.com. But it can be

lower or much higher depending on the plan, the insurer and the area where you live.

The plans are known by letters A through N. As with traditional Medicare, you can choose any doctor who accepts Medicare.

If you apply for a Medigap policy when you’re first eligible for Medicare, the insurer has to accept you and can’t charge more for preexisting conditions.

How Medicare Advantage differs Medicare Part C is Medicare Advantage. Rather than add to the other parts of Medicare, however, Medicare Advantage plans replace them.

Insurers that offer Medicare Advantage are required to provide all the benefits of Part A and Part B, and most plans include Part D drug coverage as well. In addition, the plans typically cover certain expenses that Medicare doesn’t — such as hearing, vision and dental care.

Most Medicare Advantage enrollees in 2020 paid no additional premiums for their coverage, other than their regular Part B premiums, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation, a health research group.

Managed care Medicare Advantage plans are similar to employer-provided group health insurance: To be covered, you typically must choose healthcare providers in the insurance company’s network. The network may be relatively narrow if the plan is a health maintenance organization (HMO), or somewhat broader if it’s a preferred provider organization (PPO).

You may need preapproval for certain types of care, or referrals to see specialists. If you go out of network, your costs may not be covered or may not apply to your out-of-pocket limits. Even if your doctor is “in network” now, that could change, and you might not get much notice.

Also, Medicare Advantage plans are typically regional. If you move out of the area or travel to other states, you may not be covered.

Many choices, maybe too many The devil’s in the details, and Medicare Advantage plans have many, many details.

See MEDICARE PLANS, page 23

Are your dividends qualified or ordinary?

By Kiplinger Consumer News Service At some point in almost every investor’s life, they’ll be alerted to the fact that they’re collecting “qualified dividends.”

That inevitably prompts the natural question: What are qualified dividends?

Ultimately, the importance of this distinction has to do with how you’re taxed on your dividends. The tax rate on qualified dividends is 15% for most taxpayers. (It’s zero for single taxpayers with incomes under $40,000, and 20% for single taxpayers with incomes over $441,451.)

However, “ordinary dividends” (or “nonqualified dividends”) are taxed at your normal marginal tax rate.

But on a more fundamental level: What exactly is a qualified dividend, and how do we know if the dividends paid by the stocks in our portfolios are qualified? And what investments pay out nonqualified dividends?

Let’s start by examining how qualified dividends were created in the first place.

Then we’ll explain how that affects the rules governing them and ordinary dividends today.

The origin of qualified dividends The concept of qualified dividends began with the 2003 tax cuts signed into law by President George W. Bush. Previously, all dividends were taxed at the taxpayer’s normal marginal rate.

The lower qualified rate was designed to fix one of the great unintended consequences of the U.S. tax code. By taxing dividends at a higher rate, the IRS was incentivizing companies not to pay them. Instead, it incentivized them to do stock buybacks (which were untaxed) or simply hoard the cash.

By creating the lower qualified dividend tax rate that was equal to the long-term capital gains tax rate, the tax code instead incentivized companies to reward their long-term shareholders with higher dividends. It also incentivized investors to hold their stocks for longer so as to be able to collect them.

The idea was to create a better kind of company and a better kind of investor.

It’s debatable as to whether the lower rate had the desired effect; in the 17 years that have passed, companies (particularly in the tech sector) continue to hoard a lot of cash,

and buybacks were credited with being one of the biggest drivers of the 2009-20 bull market.

But it’s certainly true that dividends became more of a focus for both investors and the companies paying them following the 2003 tax reforms. Even tech darlings like Apple regularly pay dividends.

What makes them qualified?

To be qualified, a dividend must be paid by a U.S. company or a foreign company that trades in the U.S. or has a tax treaty with the U.S. That part is simple enough to understand.

The next requirement gets tricky.

The tax cut was designed to reward patient, long-term shareholders. So, to qualify, you must hold the shares for more than 60 days during the 121-day period that starts 60 days before the ex-dividend date.

If that makes your head spin, just think of it like this: If you’ve held the stock for a few months, you’re likely getting the qualified rate. If not, you’re probably not, or at least not yet.

Certain types of stocks don’t make the cut.

For example, real estate investment trusts (REITs) and master limited partnerships (MLPs) typically do not pay qualified dividends. REIT dividends and MLP distributions have more complicated tax rules; however, in some cases, they might actually have lower effective tax rates.

Money market funds and other “bond like” instruments generally pay ordinary dividends. So do dividends paid out via an employee stock-option plan.

The good news: It’s actually not your problem to figure this out if you really don’t want to. Your broker will specify whether the dividends you received are qualified or not in the 1099-DIV they send you at tax season.

Knowledge can help you plan But knowing whether you’re being paid qualified dividends can help you plan properly. Perhaps you can arrange your dividend stock portfolio such that your lowertaxed qualified dividends are paid into your taxable brokerage account and your higherSee DIVIDENDS, page 23

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A simple guide to help your money last Steve Vernon has a great deal of expertise ensure that their assets/income will last in retirement planning, having written six their lifetime. books on the subject. His latest, The book is organized in Don’t Go Broke in Retirement: A several concise chapters that Simple Plan to Build Lifetime cover all the basics of securityRetirement Income (Rest-of-Life minded financial planning. In Communications), is an excelchapter one, Vernon establishlent source for middle-income es a baseline Spend Safely people who want a straightforStrategy consisting of three ward plan to build a lifetime of key steps. retirement income.

In step one, you establish reI believe the book will be liable monthly paychecks that very helpful to those close to will last the rest of your life, reTHE SAVINGS retirement who want to make GAME gardless of stock market fluctusure they make the right deci- By Elliot Raphaelson ations. Elements of this “paysions about Social Security, incheck” would be Social Securivestments and establishing withdrawal ty and recurring income from employer replans from savings/retirement accounts to tirement plans.

In step two, you establish a retirement savings source that will deliver a stream of lifetime income to supplement your reliable monthly paychecks if you need additional funds. This stream would be used for discretionary purchases such as traveling, hobbies and gifts.

This income could be from retirement accounts such as IRAs and/or 401(k)s. Vernon recommends a systematic withdrawal from these accounts so that you will have money coming on a regular basis.

The third step is to establish an emergency fund at your bank or credit union to be used for predictable future expenses, such as home and car maintenance, updated appliances and furniture, as well as unforeseen emergencies.

Postpone Social Security In an early chapter, Vernon discusses the importance of maximizing Social Security benefits. As I have indicated in many of my columns, there are significant advantages to postponing applying for benefits as long as possible.

Vernon believes that starting Social Security benefits as soon as possible “is a big mistake for most people.” He believes it is smart to maximize your lifetime Social Security benefits because they are the best source of risk-protected retirement income for most workers.

He provides examples of strategies to maximize these benefits by delaying the start of benefits. One approach is to continue working; a second is to establish a bridge payment fund with a portion of your

existing retirement savings.

Many resources for further reading on Social Security are identified, including the excellent book by Andy Landis, Social Security: The Inside Story (www.andylandis.biz).

In another chapter of Don’t Go Broke, Vernon discusses using your savings to generate lifetime retirement income. He recommends using the IRS required minimum distribution (RMD) tables to calculate the amount to withdraw each year as a simple, effective way to make your savings last for the rest of your life.

He includes a chapter on investing for growth, in which he recommends that, after you have covered most of your basic living expenses, you can take calculated risks by investing some of your savings in low-cost, conservative equity alternatives.

He recommends target-date funds, balanced funds and stock index funds. I agree, as I have indicated in my columns.

He also addresses issues such as minimizing taxes, health considerations and part-time work. Also useful are his checklist that summarizes the action steps you should be taking to meet your objectives and his bibliography of useful books and websites.

Don’t Go Broke in Retirement is easy to read, and it covers all the important decisions to develop a plan that will allow you to retire safely and never run out of income and assets in retirement.

Elliot Raphaelson welcomes your questions and comments at raphelliot@gmail.com. © 2020 Elliot Raphaelson. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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

Medicare plans From page 21 The average Medicare beneficiary has access to 28 Medicare Advantage options, with varying networks, coverage, deductibles, copays and co-insurance, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation.

Dividends From page 21 taxed ordinary dividends are paid into your IRA. If this is confusing, we can summarize like this: Most “normal” company stocks you’ve held for at least two months will have their dividends qualified. Many unorthodox stocks

Status Single Married Filing Jointly Head of Household Married Filing Separately

In general, though, Medicare Advantage costs less upfront and potentially more overall if you need lots of medical care. Many Medigap plans have higher upfront costs, but cover most if not all of your expenses when you need care.

If you want to switch from one Medicare Advantage plan to another, you can do so (such as REITs and MLPs) and stocks held for less than two months generally will not.

Also, while we summarized the tax basics above, here’s a look at how qualified dividends are taxed for every situation for the 2020 tax year: All contents © The Kiplinger Washington Editors, Inc. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Taxable Income $0-$40,000 $40,001-$441,550 > $441,551 $0-$80,000 $80,001-$496,600 > $496,601 $0-$53,600 $53,601-$469,050 > $469,051 $0-$40,000 $40,001-$248,300 > $248,301

Tax Rate 0% 15% 20% 0% 15% 20% 0% 15% 20% 0% 15% 20%

All contents © The Kiplinger Washington Editors, Inc. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

during annual enrollment periods. But if you want to switch from Medicare Advantage to traditional Medicare, you often won’t have guaranteed access to a Medigap policy. That means the insurer may charge you more, exclude preexisting conditions for a time or not issue you a policy at all.

That doesn’t mean Medicare Advantage plans are a poor choice — just a complicated one, said Tatiana Fassieux, a training specialist with California Health Advocates, a Medicare advocacy nonprofit.

She recommends people contact their state health insurance assistance program (SHIP), which can provide free, unbiased

23

one-on-one counseling. Links to these programs can be found by visiting the SHIP National Technical Assistance Center.

“People should not rely exclusively on television commercials,” Fassieux warned.

“That’s when people get stuck and sometimes make the wrong decision.”

To contact local SHIP programs: Montgomery County, MD: (301) 255-4250 Prince George’s County, MD: (301) 2658471 Washington, DC: (202) 727-8370 Northern Virginia (Arlington, Alexandria and Fairfax): 1-800-552-3402 —AP/NerdWallet

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How to choose a trustee for your estate

By Kiplinger Consumer News Service You know how hard you have worked and the sacrifices you have made to achieve your goals. To protect what you have worked for and provide for the most important people in your life, you may be counseled to put some or all of your assets into a trust.

Once you have decided to fund a trust as part of your succession planning, you must determine who can best carry out your plans.

“Whom do I choose as my trustee or trustees?” becomes a critical planning question.

Considering a spouse or child Only you know the strengths and weaknesses of your family members, so you’re in the best position to decide if your spouse or your child can appreciate a trustee’s responsibilities.

Being a trustee creates many duties under state law. These include, but are not limited to, impartiality between the interests of the current and future beneficiaries, properly accounting to all beneficiaries, and prudently investing trust funds. Trustees also face a prohibition against self-dealing.

Questions to consider: —Can your trustee separate his or her personal feelings and interests from those of the beneficiaries and exercise good judgment at all times?

—Will all parties be treated impartially if your children are not your spouse’s children?

—Does your trustee have an ability to analyze investments?

—Will there be temptation for your trustee to take risks, hoping for a hefty return at the expense of the other beneficiaries?

—What if your spouse re-marries?

—Will a child who is trustee be able to exercise good judgment when a sibling is a beneficiary, or will tension develop between them?

—Can your sons-in-law and daughters-inlaw and their children work peacefully together?

—Will a child who is balancing his or her family and career have adequate time to devote to serving as trustee?

Considering a professional Attorneys, accountants and financial advisers often have a special and trusted relationship with their clients. When looking for a person who understands a client’s financial and personal goals and the person most capable of carrying out estate or other financial plans, many look no further than these trusted professionals.

However, just because an attorney, accountant or other adviser may understand the nature of your business or your financial goals, he or she may not fully appreciate the scope of fiduciary duty or inherent risks and responsibilities of being a trustee.

Questions to consider: —Does your professional adviser understand the dynamics of your family?

—What experience does he or she have

as a trustee?

—Can he or she separate his or her personal financial interests from those of other clients?

—If there is a breach of duty that results in a significant financial loss to the trust, will your beneficiaries be willing to rely upon the trustee’s ability to personally satisfy a judgment if professional malpractice coverage will not make the trust whole?

Considering a corporate trustee Banks and trust companies provide professional fiduciary services and can act independently. Corporate trustees have procedures and systems in place to manage property and invest funds in a fair and consistent manner.

Choosing a professional fiduciary may reduce conflicts among family members while providing experienced and professional investment and administrative management. All fiduciaries are held to a very high standard, and this is truer for corporate fiduciaries because they are in the business of providing fiduciary services.

Questions to consider: —How much of the trust assets will be spent on fees and be unavailable to my beneficiaries?

—Should increased investment returns provide value for the fees charged?

—Will the bank or trust company understand my family or their needs?

—What can I expect from the administrator making decisions that directly affect my family or realizing the goals of my trust?

Choosing more than one trustee You may find it best to answer some of these questions by choosing one or multiple individuals to serve as trustee alongside a corporate trustee. It can be helpful to have more than one trustee to balance recordkeeping, investments and other trustee duties.

A properly drafted trust agreement can expressly outline the duties of the various trustees, such as the retention of specific investments, delegation of particular duties or removal of a trustee.

An individual co-trustee may have a particular understanding of a beneficiary’s needs and assist the other trustees and/or corporate trustee in making decisions.

Choosing a trustee is a decision that should be well reasoned, but it doesn’t have to be difficult. You are in the best position to understand the responsibilities of managing the wealth that you have worked hard to attain and preserve over your lifetime.

You are also best able to understand the needs and abilities of those closest to you.

It is worthwhile to consider the person or people who, when working together, have the knowledge, experience and compassion to best shape your legacy. © 2020 The Kiplinger Washington Editors, Inc. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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How to recognize and stop elder abuse

By Jim Miller Dear Savvy Senior, Can you write a column on how to recognize elder abuse and what to do if you suspect it?

—Concerned Relative Dear Concerned, Elder abuse is a big problem in the United States that has escalated during the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the National Council on Aging, as many as 5 million seniors are victims of abuse each year, but studies suggest this crime is significantly under-reported.

Only 1 in 14 cases of elder abuse ever get reported to the authorities because victims are usually too afraid, too embarrassed, too helpless or too trusting to call for help.

The term “elder abuse” is defined as intentional or negligent acts by a caregiver or trusted individual that causes or can cause harm to a vulnerable senior.

Elder abuse comes in many different forms: emotional, psychological, physical or sexual abuse, abandonment, neglect and self-neglect, and financial exploitation.

Those most vulnerable to such abuse are seniors who are ill, frail, disabled, socially isolated or mentally impaired due to dementia or Alzheimer’s disease.

It’s also important to note that while elder abuse does happen in nursing homes and other long-term care facilities, the vast majority of incidents take place among seniors who live at home. And tragically, the abusers are most often their own family members (usually the victim’s adult child or spouse) or caregiver.

How to recognize abuse So, how can you tell if an elderly relative or friend is being abused, and what can you do to help?

A change in general behavior is a universal warning sign that a problem exists.

If you notice your relative or friend has become very depressed, withdrawn or gets upset or agitated easily, you need to start asking questions.

Here are some additional warning signs of the different types of elder abuse: Physical or sexual abuse: Suspicious

bruises or other injuries that can’t be explained. Sudden changes in behavior (upset, withdrawn, fearful). Broken eyeglasses. Caregiver’s refusal to allow visitors to see an elder alone.

Neglect or self-neglect: Weight loss, poor hygiene, unattended medical needs, and unsanitary, unsafe living conditions.

Emotional or psychological abuse: The senior is extremely upset, agitated, withdrawn, unresponsive, fearful or depressed, or demonstrates some other unusual behavior.

Financial exploitation: Missing money or valuables. Unexplained withdrawals from bank accounts, or transfers between accounts. Unauthorized use of credit, debit or ATM card. Unpaid bills despite available funds. Checks written as a loan or gift.

Abrupt changes in a will or other documents.

For more tips on how to recognize the warning signs of abuse during the pandemic, see the National Center on Elder Abuse website at NCEA.acl.gov/Resources/COVID19.aspx.

Send your senior questions to: Savvy Senior, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070, or visit SavvySenior.org. Jim Miller is a contributor to the NBC Today show and author of The Savvy Senior book.

call (202) 541-3950. In Arlington, Virginia, call (703) 228-1700; in Alexandra, call (703) 746-5778.

To make a report after-hours, call the Virginia state hotline at 1-888-832-3858.

What to do The best ways to help stop elder abuse are to stay in touch and keep lines of communication open. If you suspect any type of abuse or neglect in your relative’s or friend’s home, report it to your local protective services agency.

Adult Protective Services is the government agency responsible for investigating elder abuse cases and providing help and guidance. The agency will ask what you observed, who was involved, and who they can contact to learn more. You don’t need to prove that abuse is occurring; that is up to the professional.

To report suspected abuse in a nursing home or assisted living facility, call the local Long-Term Care Ombudsman — see LTCombudsman.org for contact information.

If, however, you feel the person is in immediate danger, call 911 or the local police for immediate help. To report the abuse, neglect, self-neglect or financial exploitation of a vulnerable adult in Montgomery County, Maryland, call (240) 777-3000, 24 hours a day. In the District of Columbia,

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

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PHOTO BY NICK GARBUTT

Travel Leisure &

Most villagers in Papua New Guinea grow their own food. See story on page 28.

Texas Hill Country offers a unique blend

German roots In the mid-1800s, the Society for the

Protection of German Immigrants sent 5,000 German settlers to Texas. They formed a peace treaty with the Comanches and laid out a town similar to a traditional Rhine River village, naming it after Prince Frederick of Prussia, a society member.

German settlers had farmsteads in the country as well as town cottages, called their “Sunday houses.” They would come to town on Saturday to sell their wares, go to church on Sunday, and then return to the farm. Many Sunday houses are still intact and available for tourist rentals.

Other town buildings retain the original fachwerk — a timber-framing construction method using clay, grass, woven willow and limestone between the timbers.

Today, Texans tout the town’s German “flavor,” its 150 Hauptstrasse (Main Street) shops, biergartens, bakeries, galleries and, during normal times, frequent events celebrating German traditions.

Many restaurants specialize in German cuisine — sauerkraut, sweet rice, purple cabbage and German potato salad, served warm with bacon.

The historic district’s shops and galleries sell art, jewelry, home décor, antiques, quilts, knickknacks and lace toppers, a Texas way to “fancy up” your table.

Phil Jackson’s Granite and Iron Store of-

PHOTO BY PIERCE INGRAM, TRAVEL TEXAS

By Glenda C. Booth In south-central Texas’ Hill Country, junipers and live oak trees punctuate the lush landscape. Streams run clear, and ranches sprawl across the horizon.

In the spring, a multi-hued mosaic of wildflowers brightens fields and highways.

“One could travel hundreds of miles on a bed of flowers,” Texas ranger James Gillett wrote in the late 1800s.

Famous for its German heritage and dubbed the Polka Capital of Texas, Fredericksburg, in the heart of the 10,000-squaremile Hill Country, attracts around 1.2 million tourists a year. The press corps covering President Lyndon B. Johnson stayed in Fredericksburg, 20 miles from his ranch, and put it on the map.

Today, locals and visitors commemorate Johnson and other hometown heroes and celebrate all things German: polka music and dance, weiner schnitzel, wursts, kolaches and, of course, beer.

Town leaders had to make this year’s famous Oktoberfest, their 40th, virtual on October 3 but are already planning a big one for October 1-3, 2021: three festive days of German food, beer, music and dancing.

PHOTO BY STEVE RAWLS

Visitors to the Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park can get a ranger-guided tour of the Texas White House, LBJ’s ranch in the Hill Country.

German influences such as biergartens and (pre-pandemic) Oktoberfests are ubiquitous in Fredericksburg, the heart of Texas Hill Country, settled in the mid-1800s by German immigrants.

fers custom-made beds and tables.

You can nab a Stetson at Headquarters Hats along with Texas-size belt buckles and bolo ties. Dogologie is crammed with treats for canines, including Bowser Beer, dog “wine” and dog-themed socks.

For Texas-style treats, Rustlin Rob’s offers grits, jalapeno hushpuppy mix, sweet cornbread mix, chipotle beef jerky and, at the tasting bar, dips, butters, relishes, preserves and salsas. Its motto: “We don’t skinny dip. We chunk dunk.”

World War II history The hometown boy who “made good,” World War II Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, is honored at the National Museum of the Pacific War. On display are a captured Nazi flag, a two-man midget submarine, and two torpedoes from Pearl Harbor.

Museum guides boast about the door from the USS Arizona, the Navy battleship that sank during the Japanese Pearl Harbor attack on December 7, 1941. “The New Orleans World War II museum only has a hinge,” one said.

Visitors also can examine a boat similar to the PT-109 that Lt. John F. Kennedy commanded. Kennedy is credited with saving 11 crew members when it sank in battle.

Videos relate the rescue of Lt. George H.W. Bush, who was forced to bail out of his bomber airplane and was the sole survivor from his squadron, a feat poignantly represented by a fragment of his yellow rescue raft on display.

Nature preserves Spring brings an explosion of bright blue, purple, yellow and orange wildflowers across the Hill Country, a region defined by rare plants found nowhere else on Earth.

The Hill Country has at least 400 species of wildflowers, almost half of the state’s wildflowers. Pre-ranching settlers reported a sea of Texas bluebonnets, orange Indian paintbrush and yellow Texas stars.

Lady Bird Johnson, wanting to create a nature preserve in Hill Country to “look like God put it here,” founded the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center on 35 acres of former, grazed-over Austin ranchland in 1982.

Expanded to 284 acres, the site, now part of the University of Texas at Austin, is also an education and resource center. It’s home to 1,800 insect species, 148 bird species, 15 mammal species and almost 900 species of native Texas plants.

See TEXAS, page 29

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

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Rebuilding Notre Dame medieval-style

By Elaine Ganley With precision and boundless energy, a team of carpenters used medieval techniques to raise up — by hand — a three-ton oak truss last month in front of Notre Dame Cathedral, a replica of the wooden structures that were consumed in the landmark’s devastating April 2019 fire that also toppled its spire.

The demonstration to mark European Heritage Days gave hundreds of people a first-hand look at the rustic methods used 800 years ago to build the triangular frames in the nave of Notre Dame de Paris.

It also proved that the decision to replicate the cathedral in its original form was the right one, said Gen. Jean-Louis Georgelin, who heads the cathedral’s reconstruction.

“It shows firstly that we made the right choice in choosing to rebuild the carpentry identically, in oak from France,”

Georgelin said in an interview. “Secondly, it shows us the...method by which we will rebuild the framework, truss after truss.”

Respecting tradition

PHOTO BY WANDRILLE DE PRÉVILLE

A debate over whether the new spire should have a futuristic design or whether the trusses should be made of fireproof cement like in the Cathedral of Nantes, which was destroyed in a 1972 fire, ended with the decision in July to respect Notre Dame’s original design and materials.

A total of 25 trusses are to be installed at an unknown date in the cathedral nave.

Philippe Gourmain, a forestry expert working on the cathedral project, said the carpentry phase will not come before 2022.

“The problem of Notre Dame is not a carpentry problem. We have the wood. We know how to do it,” Gourmain said. “The big issue is regarding the stone.”

Some stones — which support the carpentry — were damaged by the fire, and “it’s not so easy now” to find similar stone, he said.

French President Emmanuel Macron wants the cathedral reopened in 2024 in time for the Paris Olympic Games, a deadline that many experts have called unrealistic.

folding, which was originally erected to refurbish the now-toppled spire, continues.

That job, started in early June, will be completed in October.

The soaring cathedral vaults are also being cleared of debris by 35 specialists on ropes. The organ with its 8,000 pipes was removed for repair in early August.

It is not yet known what technique will be used to create and install the wooden trusses.

The truss mounted for the weekend display is a replica of truss No. 7, more advanced that the first six trusses, which were “more primitive,” said Florian Carpentier, site manager for the team from Carpenters Without Borders that felled the trees and used axes to cut the logs for the wooden frame.

With rope cables and a rustic pulley system, the carpenters slowly pulled the truss they built in July from the ground where it was laid out.

“It’s a moment to see, ancestral techniques that last. There is the present and the past and it links us to our roots,” said Romain Greif, an architect who came with his family to watch the display. “It’s an event.”

In a final touch, once the No. 7 truss replica was raised on high, a carpenter was cheered as he shinnied up the wooden beams to tie an oak branch to the top of the triangular structure — a symbol of prosperity and a salute to the workers, a tradition still honored in numerous European countries.

—AP

Do you have what it takes to inspire young minds?

Still clearing away debris For the moment, the delicate task of dismantling melted scaf-

Parisians were shocked by the fire on April 15, 2019 that destroyed the wooden roof and collapsed the spire of Notre Dame Cathedral.

Today, workers are rebuilding the structure using age-old techniques.

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Bird lovers will love Papua New Guinea

By Don Mankin As the early morning clouds lifted, I aimed my binoculars at a branch about 30 yards away. Through the binoculars I spotted the iridescent aqua head and black tailfeathers of a bird-of-paradise — the Stephanie’s astrapia, according to Joseph, my birding guide.

I’m not a birder, but for a few moments at least, I understood why serious birders wake up early to hike miles for the thrill of seeing a small, beautiful creature in the wild.

It was my last day at Rondon Ridge Lodge, a luxury lodge in the Western Highlands of Papua New Guinea. The lodge, which opened in 2006, is about a 45minute drive from the airport in Mount Hagen, the third-largest city in Papua New Guinea and the capital of the Western Highlands Province, located in the Wahgi

Valley in the center of the country.

The lodge is perched on a mountain ridge overlooking the city at an elevation of about 7,100 feet, so it is cool, not hot and steamy like the rest of the country. Every low-slung building with spacious suites and apartments offers panoramic views of the lush valley, steep hillsides, mountain peaks in the distance, and Mount Hagen below.

During the day, layers of clouds undulated over the scene, changing the view from moment to moment. At times it was almost clear, save for a cotton puff here and there.

At other times the view was obscured by fog and mist. At night, the lights from the town twinkled below.

It poured every day of my four-day visit, mostly in the late afternoon and evening — sudden, intense cloudbursts with the sun shining just a few feet away. The

pounding rain, plus the occasional thunder and lightning, added even more drama to the scene.

The main lodge opens up on patios, a koi pond, lush gardens and is surrounded by acres of forest for hiking, birding and contemplation.

History, tradition and local life I spent the first two days of my visit exploring the surrounding countryside and villages in the capable hands of my guides, James and John.

I did some of the usual tourist shtick, such as visiting a wigman village where two men dressed up in the elaborate wigs, decorations and face paintings of their tribe. The show was put on for my benefit, but they don’t just do this for tourists. The locals mainly do it for themselves to keep venerable practices alive.

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We also visited a village where I viewed a collection of artifacts, including weapons, wigs and a grim collection of skulls. James assured me that these were not heads gathered by head hunters, but heads of people who died from other causes and were displayed to honor them and remind the other villagers of who they were. As for their origin, I’ll just have to take James’ word for it.

I also met the village chief, who was dressed in a traditional outfit including his pig tally, a necklace with sticks representing all of the pigs he has owned. From the length of his necklace, it was clear that the chief was a veritable Farmer John.

What I found most interesting, however, was learning about the everyday lives of the people. James took me to his village.

As we walked along the path winding among the modest houses, huts and gardens of the village, he explained that every family owns a plot of land where they grow potatoes, sweet potatoes, cabbage, broccoli, taro, corn, bananas, strawberries, oranges, onions, coffee and other crops in the fertile soil.

“We plant it, it grows,” James said. They eat what they need and sell the rest at the bustling outdoor market in Mount Hagen.

Many people also have pigs and chickens.

This is not a rich country, but it seems that anyone who is willing to work hard won’t starve.

Birds and forest bathing The morning of my final day at the lodge was dedicated to birding. Since the Western Highlands are primo birding territory, I figured I should at least give it a try.

The assistant manager of the lodge asked me if I wanted to do some serious birding or something more casual. Since “serious birding” required a 5 a.m. start and the more casual option began at 9, this was not a difficult choice.

After breakfast, I started hiking with my birding guide, Joseph, on one of the several trails that wind through the property.

We headed up the ridge to a clearing with a platform to sit and look for birds. The ridges pierced through the clouds when they drifted lower.

Joseph set up a scope and aimed it at a distant tree. Soon he spotted a Superb Bird of Paradise. I looked at it in the scope, then found it in my binoculars. Following that were two Brown Cuckoo Doves. When the mist cleared, we spotted the Stephanie’s astrapia.

We hiked along the trail through the woods looking for more and caught a fleeting glance of a Bluebird of Paradise and a Common Smoky Honeyeater in flight.

We wandered a bit more through the forest in silence, following the sounds of birds chirping and calling. We didn’t see anything else, but it didn’t matter. It was so quiet and serene, like a slowly unfolding meditation.

See NEW GUINEA, page 29

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Texas From page 26 “You can almost always find something in bloom,” said spokeswoman Amy McCullough.

nicknamed Air Force One-Half, and take a guided tour of the grounds.

He and Lady Bird are buried under the live oaks they loved in the ranch’s family cemetery.

The great outdoors LBJ Historical Park “No president calls the White House home,” LBJ said in a 1966 NBC film tour in the visitor center of his “western White House” — an 1886 ranch house on the Pedernales River.

This ranch — located about 50 miles west of Austin, and where he recharged as president — is today the Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park. Here “the sun is a little brighter” and “people a little kinder…It gives me a serenity,” he said.

The eight-bedroom, nine-bathroom house is restored to how it was in Johnson’s presidential years. The always “wired” president had three televisions in the bedroom, three in the living room and telephones everywhere — so many that staffers quipped that the telephone was “an appendage.”

Here, without the cacophony and distractions of Washington, many decisionmakers got the famous “Johnson treatment” — a mix of charm, persuasion and intimidation.

He also took gullible guests like Walter Cronkite and Gregory Peck for thrill rides “into” the Pedernales River, driving at high speeds across a submerged concrete bridge in his 1962 amphibious car, the Amphicar.

In the barn, tourists learn about his prize bulls, and visit descendants of LBJ’s beloved longhorns and Hereford cattle.

Visitor center exhibits detail Johnson’s childhood. He had an “angelic” disposition as a baby, walked four miles to school with his lunch bucket, and graduated from high school at age 15.

While the house is temporarily closed, today’s visitors can explore the visitor center, the 13-passenger JetStar airplane that flew the Johnsons to and from the ranch,

New Guinea From page 28 I was, as the Japanese call it, shinrinyoku, “bathing in the forest.” If that’s what birding is about, I finally get it. That was the best three hours of my visit.

Unless you’re a birder, Papua New Guinea might not be one of those places you feel compelled to visit before you die.

But travelers willing to look beyond their bucket list will discover the beauty of the land and its creatures, and the warmth and determination of its hardworking people.

If you go It’s best to travel after the pandemic ends. Round-trip airfare from D.C. to and from Mount Hagen is about $2,700.

The writer was hosted by Trans Nuiguini Tours (pngtours.com/lodge6), the company that owns the lodge. Contact them at service@pngtours.com.

Near downtown Fredericksburg are craft breweries, distilleries and more than 40 wineries. The area is an excellent grapegrowing region for certain varieties that tolerate heat.

The nights cool down, and the winds reduce humidity, mildew and fungi. The Hill Country’s soil and climate are also ideal for produce like sweet, freestone and clingstone peaches.

Many outdoor types today are enthralled with Enchanted Rock, a gleaming, pink granite dome or batholith that looms large amid the scrubby oak, cedar, mesquite and Texas buckeye trees. It is a half-mile trek to the summit, where, at 1,825 feet, adventurers get a 360-degree vista of classic Texas

grasslands and hills.

At Westcave Preserve in Dripping Springs, visitors can walk through an arid savanna and down into a 70-foot-tall canyon lush with plants to a 40-foot waterfall, grotto and cave.

Guides like Paul Vickery, education director, point out that the stalactites and stalagmites take 35 years to grow one inch. There are fossilized oysters in the walls, and, outside, lucky visitors might see bobcats, coyotes, ringtails, raccoons, gray foxes and cougars.

In springtime, colorful wildflowers spread across the preserve. The perfume of bluebonnets, as Vickery put it, is “the sweet smell of Texas.”

If you go Fredericksburg is 70 miles west of Austin and 65 miles northwest of San Antonio. A nonstop round-trip flight from D.C. to Austin is currently $147 on United Airlines.

29

Average high winter temperatures are in the low 60s; in spring, weather is in the 70s and 80s. March and April are prime wildflower watching months, but wildflowers bloom all year. Visit wildflower.org/plantsmain/whats-in-season and VisitFredericksburgTX.com or call (830) 997-6523.

Start your visit at Fredericksburg’s Visitor Center, 302 E. Austin Street, watch a 10minute video about the town, and pick up a walking tour map and other brochures.

One of the more intriguing lodging options is the Hangar Hotel at the Gillespie County Airport, designed like a World War II hangar and decorated in a 1940s aviation theme. Next door is a vintage diner.

Fredericksburg is planning old-world holiday events in December with a 26-foot German pyramid and 30-foot Christmas tree. Most shops, restaurants and attractions are currently open, based on the Texas governor’s guidelines. The “Protect FBG” campaign encourages masks and social distancing.

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31

Arts &

TV stars Trevor Noah, Alex Trebek and Alan Alda can write, too. See story on page 34.

Teacher writes about city kids’ resilience For the last 16 years, Schwartz has taught at Career Academy, an alternative high school at 24th Street and Maryland Avenue, in a building once part of the original Goucher College campus in central Baltimore.

Its “alternative� curriculum is both academic and job-related, designed for students aged 16 to 21 who may have dropped out of school and now want to return. “A lot of kids in Baltimore grow up with an array of obstacles in their lives,�

Schwartz said. “A lot of the city’s neighborhoods have been sabotaged by systematic inequities.�

The mostly teenage characters in his stories, he said, “betray one another, seek

redemption, rescue loved ones, plot hustles, reckon with moral ambiguities, and struggle to find meaning in a city that owes them better.�

Lesson: don’t give in And yet what readers will find in his stories, along with the rough times and tough characters, is what the author-teacher said

PHOTO BY MAKS SCHWARTZ

By Robert Friedman Adam Schwartz, 55, grew up in Washington, D.C.’s Friendship Heights, but he has taught in Baltimore’s city schools for the past 22 years.

The “resilient kids� he taught became the basis for his new book, The Rest of the World — his debut collection of short stories, several of which have already won prizes after their publication in literary journals.

All eight stories are set in Baltimore, and were “inspired by getting to know the teens in my classroom,� Schwartz said, including “teenage mothers, kids coming out of the court system, homeless youngsters.�

See TEACHER, page 33 High school teacher and writer Adam Schwartz has taught for 16 years at Career Academy in Baltimore City. This month, he begins a book tour for his short story collection The Rest of the World, inspired by the experiences of his teenage students.

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Dychtwald From page 1 that the biggest health fear of retirees is not cancer or even COVID, but rather dementia, over which we may have less control.

Family relationships can play a major role in well-being, but forging positive social connections doesn’t require blood relatives. And as much as we want to be able to rely on family should it come to that, at the same time most of us don’t want to be a burden on them.

The newfound “time affluence” that comes with retirement leaves many floundering to find a meaningful way to spend it.

Despite what TV tries to teach us, older adults want to feel useful more than youthful.

The study, which Dychtwald considers a “capstone project,” was based on 9,000 interviews and nine months of research on retirement done last year.

But once the pandemic hit, they returned to the interviewees to update their findings.

What they found was that “Older people are more resilient…This is horrific, what’s going on [with COVID-19], but there’s some perspective” among older adults from their decades of life experience.

“What our study revealed is that we want to think of older people as more vulnerable, more fragile…but older people were more fortified, more resilient than we ever imagined” and coping better with the pandemic than many younger generations.

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Besides the benefit of life perspective, another reason for this resilience may be due to the study’s finding that, on average, people over age 65 have more of an economic safety net than do younger adults.

They receive monthly checks from Social Security (average $18,000/year), the value of Medicare coverage is estimated at $12,000 a year, and many have paid off their houses.

Though younger people are less likely to suffer serious ill health or death from the coronavirus than older adults, many are experiencing more serious financial effects through job loss and interruptions to their education.

Thanks to these iconic mentors, Dychtwald said, “I have grown up believing that in the later years of life…there’s a purpose; there’s a challenge.” Erikson, for instance, had a “theory of generativity,” the seventh of eight stages of psychological development.

“By that he means giving back — it’s not necessarily a nifty thing to do, but it’s what you’re supposed to do. It’s what a grownup does,” Dychtwald said. “[Erikson] said that’s what you’re supposed to do when you’re an elder — make sense of the life that you’ve lived. You stitch the pieces of yourself together, you become a full, whole person, and part of that is so you can leave a legacy.”

Early studies with the masters

We’re meant to find purpose

Dychtwald graduated from Lehigh University in Pennsylvania, then earned his PhD in psychology at Union College.

He then headed the Sage Project at the University of California at Berkeley, which studied how the aging process could be improved by alternative therapies such as yoga and meditation.

There he studied with Elizabeth KüblerRoss, who is famous for developing her theory of five stages of grief. That influence inspired Dychtwald’s “Five Stages of Retirement” theory, which emphasizes that retirement is a journey, not a destination. Other professors and mentors of his included the famed psychologists Joseph Campbell and Erik Erikson.

This legacy can take several forms, Dychtwald believes. Older adults — men, in particular — should consider volunteering in their communities. At the moment, only 24% of America’s 68 million retirees do volunteer work, and those do so only an average of 2.5 hours a week.

Dychtwald said that’s not enough. “The average retiree watches over 2,800 minutes of television a week and spends less than 30 minutes contributing to their community,” Dychtwald said. “Shame on us.”

Sure, many people have family obligations, he said, and he respects that commitment. “If you babysit the grandkids or you’re subsidizing your adult children, that’s wonderful. But are you volunteering

for somebody else’s community; are you helping people in need?

“A lot of our retired population don’t know what their purpose is,” he said. “The world is waiting for more of an activation of our elders, and I think we’d all be better off if we had old and young doing more things together.”

Dychtwald also hopes retirees will muster the courage to try new activities — volunteer as a tutor, learn a new language, take up guitar, study the stars. Retirement is freedom from obligations like child rearing and work, he said, but it’s also freedom to pursue your heart’s desire.

At the same time, Dychtwald encourages older adults to stay current. “A lot of people push themselves to the sidelines when they get older. They don’t keep track of modern ideas; they don’t stay current with technology; they don’t pay attention to new culture, new music, new fashion.”

Next act: memoir this spring Dychtwald’s 18th book, a memoir titled Radical Curiosity, will be published in March. He wrote it to honor Erikson’s generativity stage of life, to pass on his knowledge and leave a legacy to his two children, now in their 30s.

“I turned 70 this year, and I decided I was going to collect my stories so that they can be passed from generation to generaSee DYCHTWALD, page 33

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Teacher From page 31 was the main lesson he has learned from his students: “I notice that a lot of the kids at my school don’t give in to despair. They continue to strive. That should inspire anybody — a writer or not. It’s a testament to the strength of these kids.”

The book, which Schwartz worked on for 10 years, will be published in October by the Washington Writers Publishing House.

In a pre-publication review, award-winning Trinidadian-American novelist Elizabeth Nunez, who co-founded the National Black Writers Conference, said this about Schwartz’s stories: “Avoiding even the whiff of sentimentality, Adam Schwartz takes the reader into the lives of the characters from disparate racial and socioeconomic backgrounds as they struggle for

Dychtwald From page 32 tion,” he said. His friends told him, “You have to publish this; you’ve had one bizarre life!’”

One of his life’s more placid moments was when Dychtwald, 27, recorded a video of his grandmother Clara, one he likes to share with his audiences today. Clara, an orphan, recounts her memories of growing up without shoes or indoor plumbing.

“What do you want us to learn from

some sort of normalcy….With its unforgettable characters, The Rest of the World gives us reasons to have faith in the resiliency of young people.”

A controversial story Although several of Schwartz’s stories have won awards, some readers have objected to his characterization of Black teenagers.

A column Schwartz wrote recently for the New York Daily News recounted his experience with one of his stories, which was based on a shooting that took place outside his school. The student who was shot survived, and the shooter was sentenced to 20 years in prison.

“I struggled to make sense of what had happened,” Schwartz recalled. The story, “Carmen and Ant,” he said, “tries to humanize teens drawn into conflicts that sometimes go awry.” you?” he asks his grandmother, who in the video is wearing a modest housedress. She replies, “To be good, honest, respectable, and live happy with your family, like I lived happy with my husband.”

Moments later, she tells her grandson, “From the minute you were born, I loved you. Find a nice girl and get married, and I’ll love you double.”

Clara may have been reassured to know that her grandson has been happily married since 1983.

Ken Dychtwald is the keynote speaker at

The story had been accepted by the Tahoma Literary Review, but a few weeks before publication, a “sensitivity reader” reviewed his story. “If the sensitivity reader was hired to spot problems…he did.

‘Stereotypes. Insensitive characterizations.

Tinned-eared diction.’ These criticisms stung, but not as much as watching my editor’s once-solid support begin to crack,” Schwartz wrote.

He withdrew the story from the journal, but “Carmen and Ant” was later selected for publication by Raritan, a quarterly journal supported by Rutgers University. It also appears in the short story collection.

33

During the pandemic, Schwartz teaches his students several hours a day from his computer.

“It’s a drag compared to the classroom,” he said, noting how much he misses the

daily give-and-take that happens when he’s face-to-face with his students.

Schwartz, who was brought up in a “comfortable” D.C. neighborhood and now lives in Elkridge, Maryland, has a strong connection with his inner-city students.

“One of the miracles of the classroom is that it melts away these barriers of race, class and color,” he said. The real values of life emerge there: decency, understanding, equality.

“What we could also learn in the classroom is that we’re all essentially the same in what we want — to be loved, to be valued, to be heard,” Schwartz said.

Adam Schwartz will offer virtual readings from his book with the following sponsors: Politics and Prose, Oct. 25, 1 p.m.; Ivy Bookshop, Nov. 5, 6:30 p.m.; The Writer’s Center, Nov. 6, 5 p.m. For more information, visit AdamSchwartzwriter.org.

this year’s Beacon Expo, an all-virtual event accessible from Nov. 1, 2020 until Jan. 31, 2021. To watch his keynote address, followed by a brief interview by Beacon publisher Stuart Rosenthal, visit the Expo website — bea-

con50expo.com — any time after Nov. 1.

His new book, What Retirees Want, is available in print, digitally and as an audio book. All proceeds from the book are being donated to the American Society on Aging.

Virtual classroom

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Oct. 29

HOSPICE CARE

A former hospice nurse and care manager discusses hospice benefits, eligibility and local programs in this free virtual conversation sponsored by Around Town DC. The event takes place from 1 to 2 p.m. on Thurs., Oct. 29. Register at http://bit.ly/DCHospice.

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Stories well-told by television celebrities Enjoy the perspectives of each of these that his father’s unconditional love providarticulate entertainers as they master the ed. Trebek modestly credits luck and good written word as authors. timing for his success in addiThe Answer Is…: Reflection to effort, tenacity and tions on My Life, by Alex Trehard work. bek, 304 pages, Simon & The Answer Is… reprises a Schuster hardcover, 2020 remarkable life with humor, Alex Trebek, the host of humility and humanity as we TV game show “Jeopardy!” follow Trebek as he ascends beginning in 1984, faces his to stardom without succumbth own mortality in his 80 year: ing to arrogance or an inflated He is under treatment for sense of himself. late-stage pancreatic cancer.

Born a Crime: Stories THE He has written a joyful from a South African ChildBIBLIOPHILE memoir, rich in insights with hood, by Trevor Noah, 304

By Dinah Rokach myriad details about his perpages, Spiegel & Grau papersonal life and behind-theback, 2019 scenes stories about his long-running quiz The biracial son of a single, black mothshow. Trebek wishes to impart to his fans er growing up in apartheid South Africa is the philosophy that has guided his journey. the life story told with clarity and verve by Raised in Canada, Trebek is the son of a comedian Trevor Noah, who succeeded Ukrainian immigrant and a French-speak- Jon Stewart in 2015 as host of “The Daily ing Ontarian mother who separated when Show” on Comedy Central. he was in prep school. Trebek confronts Remarkably, Noah is able to transcend the world, grateful to those who mentored the bitterness and horror of his youth with him. He clings deeply to the special bond a mature reasoning beyond his years. The

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choices he makes and the violence and hate he encounters along the way make for fascinating reading.

Born a Crime is not a book about show business. It’s about coming of age in an unjust, cruel world. Noah examines the forces that shaped it and the possibilities to conquer them in order to open a window of opportunity to a better life.

He writes from the perspective of an observer, not a political philosopher. His words ring true. Funny and moving, terrifying and uplifting in turn, the book is a tour de force of emotions.

If I Understood You, Would I Have This Look on My Face?: My Adventures in the Art and Science of Relating and Communicating, by Alan Alda, 240 pages, Random House Trade Paperbacks, 2018 The accomplished octogenarian actor Alan Alda is actively involved in helping scientists communicate with the public. To that end, he has founded the Alan Alda Center for Communicating Science at the State University of New York at Stony Brook.

For 14 years, he served as host of “Scientific American Frontiers” on PBS. Alda’s prolific career has encompassed roles on the stage, in movies and on television. His great skill as an actor has been manifest in his portrayal of such wide-ranging charac-

ters as Hawkeye Pierce in the popular series “M*A*S*H” and the contrasting role of Republican Senator Arnold Vinick in “The West Wing.”

If I Understood You, Would I Have This Look on My Face? is Alda’s story of how he became involved in the scientific study of communication, its importance to him, and why readers might want to learn the tactics he describes in his book.

Mastering the art of emotional connection with fellow cast members is a handy tool in an actors’ bag of tricks. It can also be useful to anyone wanting to gain better understanding of, and greater empathy with, others.

Alda describes improvisation and mirroring techniques. He relates tales of his life on stage and personal stories with warmth and charm. Alda’s story about explaining science to his grandson is priceless.

Readers may very well find themselves learning how to listen better, keep an open mind and express themselves in a more cogent manner. Older adults especially have the time to practice the ideas and implement them as they deal with the younger generation.

Alda’s good humor is evident throughout the book. Turning the pages is like listening to a friend in erudite conversation.

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35

Say you saw it in the Beacon | Arts & Style

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

Poor guy can’t help answering the phone The phone rings. The digital screen says gainfully employed. It’s nice to know that UNKNOWN CALLER. Moldavian buzzards are willing to settle My wife and I exchange for such a reasonable price. glances. Thus, the ballet beIt’s even nice to know that my gins — again. wife is right once in a while “I’m going to answer it,” I say. (just kidding, dear).

“Don’t answer it,” she says.

But it’s far less nice to imag“You’ll just encourage them to ine what would happen if a sencall again.” ior citizen answered a call from “Might be Hollywood,” I say. a number that he or she did “You know it isn’t Hollynot recognize and bought what wood,” she says. the oily voice was selling.

“One way to find out,” I say. HOW I SEE IT We’ve all seen the news stoAnd I lift the receiver, as she By Bob Levey ries — 90-year-old grandma glowers at me — again. bilked of her life savings beIt’s not Hollywood. It never is. cause she thought she was helping some So, who is it? A fundraising pitchmeister. kind (but unknown) soul. We’ve also surely An attempt to get me to re-up insurance on a heard that we can place unwanted callers car I sold ten years ago. An absurd threat to on a federally administered do-not-call list. cancel my Social Security benefits. A warnBut for seniors and everyone younger, ing that my computer has been hacked by vi- the best defense is a good offense. Which cious three-toed Moldavian buzzards who means coming to grips with lifelong habits will gladly unlock it for a mere $3 million.

— and if you won’t change those, dear senOr perhaps it’s that friendly-voiced guy ior, having the nerve to be impolite. who identifies himself only by a first name In my case, I always answer the phone (a dead giveaway). He pretends to be so-o- because I was raised to do so. Can’t shake o-o-o relieved that I answered, because, it. Won’t shake it. Not answering would be oh, gosh, oh, gee, he was afraid he had the (choose at least one) rude, self-centered wrong number and he just really, really and possibly self-defeating. needed to speak to me.

What if someone is calling to tell me that It’s nice to know, pandemic or not, that a relative is sick or injured? What if some some actors (like Mr. Really Really) are long-lost amour wants to forgive me for sins

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of 50 years ago? And what if (yes, seriously) some movie producer can’t make his next surefire hit without casting little old me?

So, I’m not going to stop picking up the receiver, even if I know that 99 percent of the time I’ll just be wasting my time. But what then?

Here’s what then: As soon as I know that a call is bogus or

FROM PAGE 36 ANSWERS TO SCRABBLE

borderline fraudulent, I just hang up.

I don’t give the caller a lecture or a hard time. In fact, I don’t give him so much as the time of day. I just hang up, softly, wordlessly and quickly.

Yes, that’s just as rude as not answering.

A human being is on the other end of the See BOB LEVEY, page 37

ANSWERS TO CROSSWORD I B E G A R E A F A L L E S P A F A L L C H I C A T S T O F A L L A C E R U S E F A L L A T A L R E M E

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

A P P L C O H A R S W O R E S T E S T O D E W A G O T O R E K N O T S I R P I E C E S T D A G E D D T I M E O N I L T G R I

ANSWERS TO JUMBLE Jumbles: WEDGE BULKY EYELID CANYON Answer: The pianist played for just a few people.

His performance was - LOW-KEY

E N D R U N W A S

S E N

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Arts & Style | Subscribe for half-price. See p. 37

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

Crossword Puzzle

Daily crosswords can be found on our website: www.TheBeaconNewspapers.com Click on Puzzles Plus Season’s Greetings 1

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Across 1. “___ your pardon” 5. Cantankerous crustacean 9. Eve’s snack 14. Length X width 15. Part of both the NFL and NBA 16. Composer George, called “the father of American musical comedy” 17. Dramatically accept responsibility 20. Broadcaster of NHL 2Night 21. Diner dessert 22. End of mob- or lob23. It might give you 20 20’s 25. Mach 1 breaker 27. Letters in Old Dominion University students’ e-mail addresses 28. Resume drinking 34. Omicron’s partner in Greek Tic-Tac-Toe 35. Last part of UTEP 36. Made jeans trendy 37. They each get nine lives 39. Airline with HQ in Chicago 41. Johnny Carson response: “I did not ___ that” 44. Yo-Yo and Play-Doh 47. Encyclopedia salesman’s offerings 50. It may require a min. distribution at age 72 51. Break apart 55. Solitaire column starter 56. Me, in Marseille 57. The S in EST 58. Deceptive scheme 60. Get older 62. Got older 65. Suffer financial setbacks 70. Garfield movie: ___ of Two Kitties 71. Mike D, MCA, and Ad-Rock of The Beastie Boys 72. Africa’s longest river 73. Held another session 74. A COVID mask may block it 75. Toothy smile Down 1. Acronym used by the Air Forces of both India and Israel

64

2. Scottish hillside 3. Electric swimmers 4. Female friend 5. First TV channel with 24-hour news 6. Sunbeam 7. “Use ___ -down approach” 8. Periwinkle, perhaps 9. Condo coolers 10. Captured soldiers 11. Loved by the camera 12. Texas border city 13. Hand off to a receiver 18. Like one of the bunk beds 19. Fix a clock after a power outage 24. Master of Fine Arts, on a resume 26. Seats in a Lamborghini Roadster 28. Fed. agency, whose seal has two towers and an antenna 29. “Hey, I found a palindrome” 30. Collection of 12 out of 13 tricks in Bridge 31. Tallahassee inst.

32. Prepare marshmallows for a s’more 33. Noah’s home construction project 38. Note between fa and la 40. Sign of Barack Obama or Bill Clinton 42. Economically viable rock 43. “Well, she ___ just 17” (Beatles line) 45. Thanksgiving side dish 46. Philanthropist Alfred, who died at the New York hospital that was named for him 48. Briefly vandalizes a tree 49. “I want to ___ the grown-ups’ table” 51. ... in a galaxy ___ away...

52. Put into motion 53. Activates a cigarette 54. Making crisp landscaped lines 59. Fashion magazine, since 1945 61. Make a salary 63. Qatari commander 64. Sandwich specialist 66. Occupational English Test, briefly 67. ___ de Janeiro 68. Every e-mail address has at least one 69. Every US state has exactly two

Answers on page 35.

Say you saw it in the Beacon | Arts & Style

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

Bob Levey From page 35 line, and he or she is only trying to make a living.

But I think of the caller as an intruder. If someone broke into your house, you wouldn’t worry about being rude, would you? Same with trolling phone calls.

I do have to recognize a couple of senior-citizen friends, who love shameless vengeance. When one friend gets a call from a phone prospector, he paints on layers of enthusiasm (phony, of course).

“Oh, hey, that sounds just great!,” he will say. “Please hang on for just a second while I go get my checkbook!”

Then he will leave the receiver sitting on the table for as long as it takes the caller to realize that he’s been had.

And what about the pal who takes more direct action?

He will ask the caller to hold on while he fetches his credit card. Then he will tune a radio to earth-shattering heavy metal rock and roll, crank the volume all the way up and place the radio right next to the mouthpiece. My pal says the line is clear within ten seconds, count on it.

I can’t recommend either approach, because cruelty isn’t an answer or an antidote to anything. But I can recommend this: If you have caller ID, use it. If you don’t have it, get it. It’s like the peephole on your door. It will tell you who’s there.

No, not always. Trolls have gotten so good that they can now pretend to be calling from an area code and an exchange that are the same as yours. The idea is to make you think a neighbor is calling. Not only is it never Hollywood; it’s never a neighbor, either.

But by screening calls, you accomplish two things. One, you may save time and aggravation. Two, you spare yourself that pitying head-shake from your spouse that means, “See, Mr. Wonderful, I was right — again.”

ONE BIG HAPPY By Rick Detorie

Bob Levey is a national award-winning columnist.

Writing a memoir can be a self-education

By Peter G. Pollak Like many older adults, my motivation for writing a memoir was to clear up questions my children have about my past.

In the 1960s I was a leftist radical. Today I’m a conservative. How did that happen, they want to know?

I was surprised what I learned about myself in writing the memoir, and you might be, also.

Don’t let anyone fool you: Writing a memoir is not easy. I’ve talked to people who start writing –– stream of consciousness — with no plan. They end up with hundreds of pages that are unreadable because there’s no order or logic to what they’ve dredged up.

As someone who considers himself a writer, with seven self-published novels to

his credit, I knew planning what I was going to write was essential. My key decision was to narrow the scope of the memoir.

In order to answer my children’s questions, I didn’t want to write whole chapters on family history, my public-school years, college years, etc.

Of course, I had to provide at least some background for readers who pick up the book and have no idea who I am. As a result, I decided to include one introductory chapter and then jump into the issue at hand: What was my role in the major political events that took place in the 1960s?

That took several chapters to explain, but knowing my focus was my transition away from my youthful worldview, I could See MEMOIR, page 39

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37

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

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Health

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.

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Ongoing

The D.C. Library offers virtual meetups on alternate Wednesdays with mending experts Allie and Molly. Participants chat with other menders, get advice on how to fix common issues, and show off quarantine sewing projects. Sign up at bit.ly/labsclasses to be invited to the chat.

Ongoing

Nov. 17

Oct. 9

BE A BETTER ZOOMER Montgomery County’s Senior Planet offers a free online event about how to use Zoom to chat with family and friends and take virtual classes. To learn more, visit http://bit.ly/AllThingsZoom.

WANTED: OLDER VIOLINS, GUITARS, BANJOS, MANDOLINS, UKULELES. Musician/collector will pay cash for older string instruments. Jack (301) 279-2158.

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Looking for a new job or want to hire someone? Mark your calendar for the Employment Expo on Tues., Nov. 17, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Targeted to the over-50 crowd, the Employment Expo will offer multiple recruiters, workshops and a list of community resources and training classes. The virtual event is free to all employers and jobseekers, who must register first at virtualexpos.accessjca.org.

Oct. 15

FINANCIAL EDUCATION FOR WOMEN

In this free Zoom event, Suzanne McGovern, senior advisor of the Office of Investor Education and Advocacy at the U.S. SEC, discusses the financial challenges women face. The event takes place Thurs., Oct. 15 from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Register at http://bit.ly/WomenFinHealth.

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BEACON BITS

BEACON BITS MENDING MEETUP

BOOK COLLECTIONS WANTED. Moving?

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Oct. 17

SHREDDING AND E-WASTE EVENT

Visit the Activity Center at Bohrer Park from 9 a.m. to noon on Oct. 17 to have documents shredded, deposit e-waste or donate unwanted items. This event is free, but food donations are appreciated. For more information, visit gaithersburgmd.gov.

DEMENTIA CONVERSATIONS Sheila Griffith of the Alzheimer’s Association offers tips for having conversations with loved ones about doctor visits, driving and making legal and financial plans. This free online event takes place from 2 to 3 p.m. on Wed., Oct. 28. To register, visit http://bit.ly/AATalks.

Oct. 28

Say you saw it in the Beacon

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

Memoir From page 37 stick to the highlights and describe what caused my thinking to change.

In the end, I had eight chapters, with the last one summarizing my political philosophy and how I look at our world today.

I added 10 book reviews and opinion pieces I’ve published in recent years on current topics, including racism, affirmative action, socialism and Israel.

It was when it came time to writing the last chapter that I learned the most about myself. Having to put down on paper my current beliefs made me aware of what has been consistent over my entire life and

which ideas changed.

Keep in mind that, in writing a memoir, you will have to deal with difficult topics, such as major turning points in your life.

That can be emotionally challenging.

One suggestion is not to let people who knew you back then read your drafts. You don’t want someone else’s view of events to influence your memories.

You might not think your life deserves a memoir, but your family and friends may think otherwise. They’ll thank you no matter what you come up with, and you might learn more about yourself in the process.

Pollak self-published his memoir Left to Right in August. Read more about the author and his books at petergpollak.com.

Write a letter to the editor.

See page 2.

HOW TO PLACE A CLASSIFIED AD All classified ads must be submitted and paid for online, via our website, www.thebeaconnewspapers.com/classifieds Deadlines and Payments: To appear in the next issue, your ad text and payment must be entered by the 5th of the preceding month (for Baltimore and Howard County editions); by the 20th (for Washington and Richmond editions).

Cost will be based on the number of characters and spaces in your ad: • $25 for 1-250 • $35 for 251-500. • $50 for 501-750 (maximum length).

The website will calculate this amount for you.

Note: Maryland contractors must provide a valid MHIC number.

• Each real estate listing qualifies as one ad. • All ads are subject to publisher’s discretion. Payment will be refunded if unacceptable for any reason.

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

ADVERTISERS IN THIS ISSUE Clinical Studies Covid Research Study ..............15 Stroke Rehabilitation Study .....15

Home Health Care/Companion Services

Computer/ Technology

Best Senior Care . . . . . . . . . .B-6

TechMedic4u.com......................5

Options for Senior America .....22

Washington Innovation Summit..................................23

Events Beacon 50+Virtual Expo......3, 35 GROWS ...................................16

Funeral Services Demaine Funeral Home ...........14 Going Home Cremation...........16 Murphy Funeral Home.............14 National Funeral Home............14

Government Services

Cherished Hands Home Health . . . . . . . . . . .B-2

Housing

Maplewood Park Place..B-3, B-11 Quantum Property Mgmt........B-13 Park View Apartments.................28 Riderwood ...................1, B-4, B-11 Ring House ................................B-7

Retail/Auction

Sommerset....................B-8, B-10 Springvale Vinson Hall ..................B-8, B-14

Brookdale Senior Living........B-2

Wilshire Estates......................B-6

Lifecare Community ...........B-7 Chesterbrook Residences.................B-3, B-15 Chevy Chase House .....B-5, B-11 Churchill Senior Living ...........10 Covenant Village ....................B-8

Long & Foster/

Shenandoah Senior Living .......13

Ashby Ponds.............1, B-4, B-15

Charles E. Smith

Real Estate Eric Stewart.....................24, 31

Terrace...B-8, B-10, B-14, B-15

Village20, B-8, B-11, B-15, B-16

AARP.......................................29

Sanctuary, The ...........................B-2

555 E Street Senior Apts. .......B-5

Brooke Grove Retirement

Miscellaneous

Legal Services Farr Law Firm ..........................22 Law Offices of Lee Holdmann ..................25 Law Offices of Nancy Feldman .....................23 Law Offices of

Cherry Blossom CBD ................7 NuImages Hair Salon.................7 Oakridge Auction Gallery........23 Perfect Sleep Chair...................32 Perfect Walker ..........................34 UpBed!.....................................30 Wonder Book ...........................10

Skilled Nursing & Rehabilitation Manor Care Health Services ....13

Subscriptions

Paul Riekhof..........................25

Beacon Newspaper...................37

DC Office on Aging ...........18-19

Culpepper Garden ......................8

Medical/Health

Montgomery County Aging and

Emerson House ....................B-15

Acumedicine Health...................9

Theatre/ Entertainment

Enterprise Residential ..............28

Adventist HealthCare.................9

Senior Zone..............................41

Falcons Landing ............B-11, 40

Judy Oh, DDS ..........................10

Xfinity......................................33

Five Star Premier Residences.....8

Kensington Club ......................25

Tour & Travel

Friendship Terrace......B-11, B-12

Medical Eye Center..................17

Greenspring................1, B-4, B-8

Steven Freidman, DDS.............16

Homecrest House .......B-12, B-15

Voice Your Choice ....................12

Volunteers & Careers

Homewood at Frederick ...........17

United Healthcare ....................11

Career Gateway ........................25

Disability Services ................17 Montgomery County Board of Elections...................8 Montgomery County Covid Testing ........................12

Knollwood............................1, 11

Martinsburg West Virginia .......27

Interages...................................27

39

40

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

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