October 2022 | DC Beacon

More than half his life at the Post

By Margaret Foster

John Kelly, the intrepid writer of a daily column for the Washington Post for almost two decades, can’t quite believe he’s turning 60 this year. After all, he plays in a rock ‘n’ roll band and works as hard as ever.

“I remember when I first started at the Post when I was 26, seeing the grizzled old newsroom people and thinking, ‘Oh man they’re just so out of it.’

“And now, I am one of those people! I see both sides now,” Kelly said with a chuckle.

[Later this month, Kelly will be the keynote speaker at the 23rd annual Beacon 50+Expos, returning to in-person events after two years of virtual programs.]

His daily column, called “John Kelly’s Washington,” has been one of the Post’s most enduring features, having been around in some form since 1947, when Bill Gold started writing “The District Line.” Gold passed the baton to Bob Levey in 1981, and in 2004 Kelly took it over from Levey (who now writes a monthly column for the Beacon).

D.C. native; Air Force brat

Kelly was born in Washington, D.C., to parents who were both Washingtonians. (He’s a descendant of Col. Jehiel Brooks of the Brookland neighborhood in Northeast).

But because Kelly’s father was in the U.S. Air Force, the family moved often, living all over the world — from Japan to England and eventually to Maryland.

“It was nice to see a lot of the country and a lot of the world,” Kelly said, admitting that frequent moves aren’t always ideal for children. “It does make you resilient in a way. When it works out best, you are curious about the world because you’ve seen a little bit of it.”

Kelly attended the University of Maryland in College Park, receiving a B.A. in

English. His first job (other than restaurant gigs as a busboy and dishwasher) was a three-year stint as an editorial assistant at an association for association executives.

In his free time, the scrappy young writer published freelance articles in local publications, including the Post. When a temporary position as deputy editor of the Weekend section opened at the Post, his editor offered the job to Kelly.

“They knew me from my writing, and they said, ‘We need to fill a slot for nine months, and at the end of that you’ll be gone, but would you like it?’”

Kelly said yes, and the rest is “right place, right time” history.

After the nine-month stint was over, Kelly was invited to stay at the Post, where

ARTS &

A widow’s wanderlust in The Trip to Bountiful at Ford’s Theatre; plus, books about sports, and Bob Levey on whether to give it away or spend it

FITNESS & HEALTH 8

k What we know about Long Covid

k Foods to help you sleep better

LAW & MONEY 27

k Don’t panic in a down market

k Ways to feel richer

LIVING BOLDLY 34

k Newsletter for D.C. residents

LEISURE & TRAVEL 36

k Charleston, S.C.

k Jekyll Island, Georgia

CROSSWORD, BEACON

For the past 18 years, John Kelly has written a beloved Washington Post column Monday to Friday, following in the footsteps of Bob Levey and others before him. “I can’t imagine doing anything else,” Kelly said. He will be the keynote speaker at the Beacon’s two 50+Expos taking place this month.

PHOTO BY MARVIN JOSEPH/THE

POST

The Carnegie at Washingtonian Center in Gaithersburg: Confidence and Peace of Mind in Signature Senior Living

One of the biggest milestones seniors encounter after retirement is choosing where to retire. Although generational shifts show an escalating desire for settings that provide all-inclusive care, many seniors feel stress and uncertainty when making such an impactful decision. Therefore, when deciding where to retire, it is essential for seniors to have full confidence in the care and services they will receive. For over 30 years, Kisco Senior Living has specialized in developing and managing full-service senior living communities that offer five-star services and enriching lifestyles that give residents the assurance they need to be confident in their retirement decisions.

Kisco’s mission is centered on providing safety and security, health and wellbeing, and exemplary services that support a dynamic, purpose-filled environment for all residents. Beginning in 2024, Kisco will bring that approach and philosophy to Gaithersburg with The Carnegie at Washingtonian Center. As a Kisco Signature community, The Carnegie will offer exceptional standards of hospitality and personalized experiences, valet and concierge services, fivestar cuisine and inspiring intellectual programming. And perhaps most importantly, the residents of The Carnegie and their loved ones will also benefit from the power of Kisco Confidence®, a framework that imparts peace of mind through best-in-class protocols and transparent communications.

“Kisco Confidence was founded in the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic where we crystalized this thinking of creating the safest environment for both residents

and associates through data-driven protocols,” said Ed Ward, vice president of operations at Kisco Senior Living. “As important as it is to keep environments safe, it’s also important to preserve the residents’ quality of life given current conditions. With Kisco Confidence, we take a progressive and systemic approach that balances local conditions and concerns without compromising the safety of our residents and associates.”

Kisco Confidence extends far beyond a community’s response to a public health emergency. “Kisco Confidence has evolved since its founding,” Ward added. “We’ve built out Environmental Health and Safety teams at every Kisco community. This means our associates receive ongoing training so they are wellversed and prepared for potentially harmful situations, whether that’s an infectious disease outbreak, a hurricane or a wildfire, anything that may negatively impact the area.”

In recent years, Americans have faced a higher frequency and broad diversity of extreme events that affect their lives and livelihoods. According to 2021 government data, the U.S. experienced 20 separate billion-dollar weather and climate disasters, including severe winter weather, wildfire, drought, floods and hurricanes, and officials warn that extreme weather events are becoming the new normal.

Associates will continue to provide the same level of service, no matter the circumstances, to ensure that residents and their families remain comfortable and happy with their decision to choose The Carnegie. This means loved ones can rest assured their family members are surrounded by people who genuinely care and have the expertise and experience to ensure their safety and security.

“Communication and education are a central part of keeping residents safe. Peace of mind, that feeling of safety and security for seniors and their families, is established by honest, timely communications, and our associates will provide that at The Carnegie,” said Ward.

Across the board, residents of The Carnegie can expect five-star service and a unique approach to retirement living. The community will offer a Signature-level luxury experience inspired by today’s discerning seniors and flavored by the sights and sounds of the surrounding Gaithersburg community. Kisco Signature communities like The Carnegie reward residents with resort-style living, health and wellness programming that promotes meaningful connections, and much more. Backed by Kisco Confidence, The Carnegie will serve as both a peaceful and vibrant setting for seniors to call home.

For more information on The Carnegie at Washingtonian Center, call 240-213-7383 or visit the community’s Discovery Center at 129 Ellington Boulevard in Gaithersburg

The public is welcome to visit the Discovery Center to view its full-size two-bedroom model showcasing the décor and style to be featured in The Carnegie residences and community upon its opening.

Ou O td d T di i t Th h C iu oo oor r Teerrrracace e d ni n ng a T e Caarnrneg e iee.

Five-star dining in a choice of multiple venues.Pet-friendly environment with dog park on site.

Indoor heated salt-water pool and fitness center.

Our Expos return!

As long-time readers know, for more than two decades we have held annual 50+Expos in both Maryland and Virginia to provide a fun and informative event for our readers.

These events each attract more than 1,000 people to obtain important health screenings, flu shots and other vaccines, hear a top-notch keynote speaker, and obtain valuable information from dozens of exhibitors and sponsors — including government agencies, nonprofits and area businesses providing products and services geared to older adults and their families.

people meet face-to-face, ask questions and share information in a personal way. I know I have really missed the opportunity to chat with all the readers who typically come up to me at our events.

Medicare card or insurance; others may require a co-pay.

Both events will also offer free blood pressure, glaucoma and genetic screenings. The Virginia location will also offer blood glucose and cholesterol screenings, and in Maryland you can learn your body mass index.

the Montgomery County Recreation Department; and Bronze Sponsors: Habitat America, Seniors Helping Seniors, Maryland Relay, Verso Founders Row, Brookfield Residential, Xfinity, Housing Initiative Partnership, US Senate Federal Credit Union, Sunrise Senior Living, and the Fairfax Area Agency on Aging.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

By Stuart P. Rosenthal

For the past two years, due to Covid, we have not held any in-person events in order to protect our staff and our readers.

We did the best we could to make up for this with our “virtual Expo” website in 2020 and 2021. To our pleasant surprise, that custom-designed site was visited by more than 15,000 people in those years.

But as popular and informative as it was, a virtual Expo is a far cry from one where

So, I am thrilled to announce that we will be resuming our in-person 50+Expos this year! I hope you have been venturing out to public gatherings again, or at least will consider doing so in order to join us at one (or both) of these events:

Sunday, October 23, from noon to 4 p.m., at Springfield Town Center in Springfield, Virginia, and Sunday, October 30, from noon to 4 p.m., at Margaret Schweinhaut Senior Center in Silver Spring, Maryland.

Thanks to the assistance of Giant Pharmacy, both Expos will offer a variety of important vaccines, including regular flu, high-dose flu, Shingrix (shingles vaccine), pneumonia, tetanus and — depending on availability — the new bivalent Covid booster. Flu vaccines will be free with a

Our keynote speaker at both events will be John Kelly, well-known and beloved Metro section columnist for the Washington Post, featured on this month’s cover.

As always, our exhibitors will include hospitals and a variety of other healthcare providers, retirement communities, home improvement contractors and real estate agents, home care agencies, financial and legal advisors, insurance providers, travel, fitness and senior services and many more.

This year’s 50+Expos are made possible by Gold Sponsors : AARP Maryland, AARP Virginia and Adventist HealthCare White Oak Medical Center; Silver Sponsors: Pepco, Giant Pharmacy, Re:Cognition Health, Harmony Senior Living, and

While the Beacon staff will be out in force at both events to help everyone find what they are looking for, we really would love to have some volunteers as well. If you are planning to come to either event and can spare an hour or so helping out at our information booth, please contact us.

There is also still time for additional sponsors and exhibitors to sign up! Please call us at (301) 949-9766 and we will be happy to speak with you.

I look forward to seeing YOU later this month! Please be sure to look for me and say hello.

Letters to the editor

Readers are encouraged to share their opinion on any matter addressed in the Beacon as well as on political and social issues of the day.

Mail your Letter to the Editor to The Beacon, P.O. Box 2227, Silver Spring, MD 20915, or email to info@thebeaconnewspapers.com. Please include your name, address and telephone number for verification.

Dear Editor:

The 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.

Subscriptions are available via first-class mail ($36) or third-class mail ($12), prepaid with order. 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.

The

I read with much interest your column on music lessons [September 2022]. I am a senior amateur jazz musician who has been trying to master this music for more than 40 years. It is not easy, as you indicated in your article. As a saxophonist/flautist, I know the struggles of practicing scales, arpeggios, etudes and jazz standards, but it will pay off.

I have a group of young people who I play jazz with every Wednesday, and I learn more from them than you can imagine.

Hang in there! That is part of the journey, as many of my teachers have told me.

Ronald Zeigler, Ph.D. Director, Nyumburu Cultural Center University of Maryland College Park, MD

Dear Editor:

Hooray for George! [an older shopper quoted in our September story, “Move to digital coupons costs shoppers,” saying stores that require shoppers to download digital coupons to get advertised sale prices are engaged in “discrimination.”]

I stop at loyalty rewards. Organizations, companies, political parties, etc., snoop enough and I see no benefit in having them harass me with more solicitations of no interest to me. I am not going to pay the price.

Want to move the product? Lower the price for all.

digital coupons. My father is one of those losing money because he doesn’t have smart phone access or knowledge.

I was able to solve his problem by setting his store and loyalty card up on my computer. Every week I go through and select all the digital offers. This way he will get the best price for products. Sometimes he gets cash rewards.

I also feel it’s disappointing that manufacturers coupons can’t be combined with store offers.

Linda B. Reich Via email

Dear Editor:

I am a semi-regular reader of the Beacon. I take one home and read it if I happen to see it at the library or the supermarket.

In the current September edition, I noticed a small issue — most (particularly those who are editors, such as I am) would say error — in the yellow box on page 2 in which I found your email address, to wit: “Readers are encouraged to share their opinion…”

As it is highly unlikely that many readers would have the exact same opinion, the copy should say “Readers are encouraged to share their opinions…” or “Each reader is encouraged to share her/his opinion…”

My two cents.

The Beacon welcomes reader contributions.

for editorial is the 10th of the month preceding the month of publication.

for ads is the 15th of the month preceding the month of publication. See page 51 for classified advertising details. Please mail or email all submissions.

V. Anthony Cammarota Rockville, MD

Dear Editor:

I read your September article regarding

Tzipora Sofare Via email

Ed. Note: Thank you for the correction. We have made the suggested change.

Photo by Marvin Joseph/ The Washington Post

What you’ll find at this year’s 50+Expos:

Exhibitors (as of Sep. 29)

AAA Mid-Atlantic

AARP Maryland

AARP Virginia

Adventist HealthCare

Agewell Senior Fitness LLC

Arch Financial Advisors

Arden Courts Memory Care Community Asbury Methodist Village

B’nai B’rith Homecrest House

Bankers Life

Brooke Grove Retirement Village Brookfield Residential CareFirst Medicare Advantage CarePlus Inc.

City of Rockville - Rockville Senior Center, F. Scott Fitzgerald Theatre Clear Captions

Comptroller of Maryland, Unclaimed Property

Edward Jones

Eric Stewart Group of Long & Foster Real Estate

Fairfax Area Agency on Aging

Fairfax County Access ServicesLibrary

Giant Pharmacy

Grief Pictured, LLC

Habitat America

Harmony Senior Services

Housing Initiative Partnership (HIP) Incredicare Home Health Kitchen Saver

LeafFilter Gutter Protection

Long and Foster Realtors

Mac Nabb Funeral Home

Maryland Center for Brain Health Maryland Relay

McEnearney Associates Seniors Real Estate MedStar Radiology Network

Mobility City NoVA

Montgomery County Recreation Naborforce

No. Va. Resource Center for Deaf & Hard of Hearing Oakridge Auction Gallery

Oasis Senior Advisors

Pepco

Prevention of Blindness Society of Metropolitan Washington Re:Cognition Health

Sagel Bloomfield Danzansky Goldberg

Funeral Care

Senior Medicare Patrol

Senior Smile

Seniors Helping Seniors

Sibley Senior Association

SmithLife Homecare

Sunrise Senior Living

United States Senate Federal Credit Union

UnitedHealthcare

UnitedHealthcare Medicare Advantage

Verso Founders Row

Virginia Relay

Woodbine Rehabilitation & Healthcare Center

Xfinity

We Thank Our Community Partners

AARP- VA

Alexandria-YMCA

Arlington Agency on Aging

Arlington County Arlington Mill Senior Center

Arlington County Aurora Hills Senior Center

Arlington County Langston Brown Senior Center

Arlington County Lee Center

Arlington County Madison Senior Center

Arlington County Office of Senior Adult-PR

Arlington County Senior Community Outreach

B’nai B’rith Homecrest House

Bailey’s Senior Center

Benjamin Gaither Center

Brookdale at Arlington

Brooke Grove Retirement Village

Churchill Senior Living City of Alexandria DCHS

City of Fairfax Senior Center

City of Rockville Senior Center

Complete Care Solutions, LLC

Culpepper Garden Senior Center

Fairfax Div on Adults and Aging

Fairmon Independent Retirement Living

Franklin Apartments

Goodwin House Alexandria Goodwin House Bailey’s Crossroads Hampshire Village Hereford Senior Center

Herndon Senior Center

Hollin Hall Senior Center Home Energy Program

Hunters Woods Fellowship House Jewish Council for the Aging

Kensington Park Retirement Community Lewinsville Adult Day Health

Lewinsville Senior Center

Lincolnia Senior Center

Little River Glen Senior Center

Lorton Senior Center

Loudoun Senior Center at the Cascades Lubber Run Senior Center

Margaret Schweinhaut Senior Center

McLean Community Center

Metro Maryland Ostomy Association, Inc.

Montgomery County Damascus Senior Center

Montgomery County DHHS-Aging & Disability

Montgomery County Holiday Park Senior Center

Montgomery County Long Branch Senior Center

Montgomery County LTC Ombudsman Program

Montgomery County Police Montgomery County Volunteer Center

Montgomery Hospice NV Rides

Olney Home for Life

Pozez JCC

Revitz House

Seabury Resources for Aging Ward 5

Silver Spring Village

South County Senior Center

Springfield Town Center

St. Martin de Porres Senior Center

The Jefferson

Wakefield Senior Center

Fitness &

NIGHTY NIGHT

Move over, warm milk. Foods like hummus and yogurt can also aid sleep

TREATING EARLY DEMENTIA

Drugs disappoint, but music, pets and robots can reduce anxiety and depression

HELP WITH VACCINES

Volunteer to participate in two vaccine studies in the area: RSV and flu

HEARTBURN HELP

One treatment was recalled, but other pills (and diet change) can ease heartburn

Taming natural cell death for longer life

By Laura Ungar

In his basement, 95-year-old Richard Soller zips around a makeshift track encircling boxes full of medals he’s won for track and field and long-distance running.

Without a hint of breathlessness, he says, “I can put in miles down here.”

Steps away is an expensive leather recliner he bought when he retired from Procter & Gamble with visions of relaxing into old age. He proudly proclaims he’s never used it. He’s been too busy training for competitions, such as the National Senior Games.

Soller has achieved an enviable goal: staying healthy and active in late life. Growing old is often associated with getting frail and sick. But scientists are trying to change that — and tackle one of humanity’s biggest challenges — through a littleknown but flourishing field of aging research called cellular senescence.

When cells get old

It’s built upon the idea that cells eventually stop dividing and enter a “senescent” state in response to various forms of damage. The body removes most of them.

But others linger like zombies. They aren’t dead. But as the Mayo Clinic’s Nathan

LeBrasseur puts it, they can harm nearby cells like moldy fruit corrupting a fruit bowl.

They accumulate in older bodies, which mounting evidence links to an array of age-related conditions such as dementia, cardiovascular disease and osteoporosis.

But scientists wonder: Can the zombie cell buildup be stopped?

“The ability to understand aging — and the potential to intervene in the fundamental biology of aging — is truly the greatest opportunity we have had, maybe in history, to transform human health,” LeBrasseur said. Extending the span of healthy years impacts “quality of life, public health, socioeconomics, the whole shebang.”

With the number of people 65 or older expected to double globally by 2050, cellular senescence is “a very hot topic,” said Viviana Perez Montes of the National Institutes of Health.

According to an Associated Press analysis of an NIH research database, there have been around 11,500 total projects involving cellular senescence since 1985, and far more in recent years.

About 100 companies, plus academic teams, are exploring drugs to target senescent cells. And research offers clues that

people may be able to help tame senescence themselves using the strategy favored by Soller: exercise.

Although no one thinks senescence holds the key to super long life, Tufts University researcher Christopher Wiley hopes for a day when fewer people suffer fates like his late grandfather, who had Alzheimer’s and stared back at him as if he were a stranger.

“I’m not looking for the fountain of youth,” Wiley said. “I’m looking for the fountain of not being sick when I’m older.”

The good side of senescence

Scientists are careful to note that cell senescence can be useful. It likely evolved at least in part to suppress the development of cancer by limiting the capacity of cells to keep dividing.

It happens throughout our lives, triggered by things like DNA damage and the shortening of telomeres — structures that cap and protect the ends of chromosomes.

Senescent cells play a role in wound healing, embryonic development and childbirth. Sill, problems can arise when they build up.

“When we start getting old, the activity of our immune system also gets diminished, so we’re losing the capacity to eliminate

them,” Perez said.

Scientists link some disorders to buildups of senescent cells in certain spots. For example, research suggests senescent cells that accumulate in lungs exposed to cigarette smoke may contribute substantially to airway inflammation in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD).

The idea that one process could be at the root of numerous diseases is powerful to many scientists.

Drug that may help

Experimental drugs designed to selectively clear senescent cells have been dubbed “senolytics,” and Mayo holds patents on some. In mice, they’ve been shown to be effective at delaying, preventing or easing several age-related disorders.

Possible benefits for people are just emerging. Dr. James Kirkland, LeBrasseur and colleagues did a pilot study providing initial evidence that patients with a serious lung disease might be helped by pairing a chemotherapy drug with a plant pigment.

Another pilot study found the same combination reduced the burden of senes-

Older adults more likely to get Long Covid

By Erica Spatz

In June 2020, shortly after the start of the pandemic, people recovering from infection with COVID-19, especially young women, began to call attention to a range of debilitating symptoms that lingered well past the acute viral illness.

They described symptoms affecting nearly every organ and often lasting weeks to months — in some cases, years. The symptoms included cognitive slowness and inability to concentrate (often referred to as “brain fog”), fatigue, shortness of breath, lightheadedness and tachycardia (a heart rate of more than 100 beats per minute). Some people reported muscle pains and tremors.

The symptoms puzzled medical professionals, as diagnostic tests came back normal, which is often a perfect recipe for being dismissed by the health system.

Since then, however, many more people have reported prolonged symptoms, now called Long Covid, including Olympic ath-

letes and others at the height of their careers. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), nearly one in five people infected with Covid suffer from symptoms that persist beyond four weeks.

The mysterious nature of the symptoms may best be described as a post-infectious syndrome, often seen after other viral illnesses like Epstein-Barr virus or the bacterial infection of Lyme disease. It also has been likened to chronic fatigue syndrome. The symptoms may be a sign of an abnormal immune response or a new biological mechanism potentially “turned on” by Covid.

Certainly, there are different variants of Long Covid, which can make it difficult to differentiate from other types of illness.

Effect on older adults

Perhaps surprisingly, research shows that it is older adults who are most at-risk for developing Long Covid. The same symptoms first reported by younger adults are also common in older adults but are

sometimes not immediately identified.

Older adults may assume it takes longer to recover and not seek treatment, or the symptoms may be attributed to another medical condition. This is not necessarily a misdiagnosis.

In fact, several studies show that there is an increased risk for hospitalization following Covid due to conditions such as heart attacks, blood clots, strokes and lung infections.

The risk of developing an acute illness following Covid is associated with the severity of the acute illness from having Covid, according to two studies. That is, older people who were critically ill and hospitalized had higher rates of needing hospitalization in the following year.

Still, for many older adults, especially those with relatively mild Covid infections that did not require hospitalization, symptoms can linger, impacting quality of life and vitality.

Scientists are finding some explanations

for these symptoms, although they are not always detected with routine testing.

In some cases, there is dysregulation of the metabolic system that feeds oxygen to muscles in the body, resulting in extreme fatigue, poor exercise tolerance and exhaustion following any type of mental or physical exertion.

In other cases, the lining of the blood vessels known as the endothelial layer, which regulates the diameter of the blood vessels, responds abnormally to molecular signals, triggering spasm of the blood vessel that causes chest discomfort and shortness of breath.

There is another syndrome known as Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (or POTS), in which the body is in a dehydrated state and tries to compensate by increasing the heart rate, resulting in extreme lightheadedness and tachycardia when standing for prolonged periods.

From

cent cells in the fat tissue of people with diabetic kidney disease.

At least a dozen clinical trials with senolytics are now testing things like whether they can help control Alzheimer’s progression, improve joint health in osteoarthritis, and improve skeletal health.

Some teams are trying to develop “senomorphics” that can suppress detrimental effects of molecules emitted by senescent cells. And a Japanese team has tested a vaccine on mice specific to a protein found in senescent cells, allowing for their targeted elimination.

Scientists say serious work to improve human health could also bring fringe benefits, like reducing skin wrinkling.

“I tell my lab that if we find a drug that clears the bad senescent cells and not the good ones and we cure Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s and osteoporosis and macular degeneration, it would be wonderful,” said Judith Campisi, a biogerontology expert at the Buck Institute for Research on Aging. “But if we cure wrinkles, we’ll be rich, and I’ll never have to write another grant.”

Amid the buzz, some companies are already marketing dietary supplements as senolytics. But researchers warn they haven’t been shown to work or been proven safe.

Exercise is ‘most promising tool’

Today, LeBrasseur, who directs a center on aging at Mayo, said exercise is “the most promising tool that we have” for good functioning in late life, and its power extends to our cells.

Research suggests it counters the buildup of senescent ones, helping the immune system clear them, and counteracting the molecular damage that can spark the senescence process.

A study LeBrasseur led last year provided the first evidence in humans that exercise can significantly reduce indicators, found in the bloodstream, of the burden of senescent cells in the body.

After a 12-week aerobics, resistance and balance training program, researchers found that older adults had lowered indicators of senescence and better muscle strength, physical function and reported health.

A recently-published research review collects even more evidence — in animals and humans — for exercise as a senescence-targeting therapy.

While such studies aren’t well known outside scientific circles, many older adults intuitively equate exercise with youthfulness.

Soller said exercise keeps him fit enough to handle what comes his way. “Do as much as you can,” he said. “That should be the goal for anyone to stay healthy.”

MAIL OR EMAIL FOR FREE INFORMATION

Housing Communities

District of Columbia

Chevy Chase House (See ads on pages B6 & B13)

Knollwood (See ad on page 11)

Vida Senior Residences (See ad on page B16)

Maryland

AlfredHouse (See ad on page B3)

Brooke Grove (See ads on pages B8, B18, B19 & B20)

Brookfield Residential (See ad on page B4)

Cadence Living Olney (See ad on page 13)

Carnegie at Washingtonian Center (See ads on pages 2, 3 & B6)

Charles E. Smith Life Communities (See ads on pages B8 & B17)

Churchill Senior Living (See ad on page 12)

Covenant Village (See ads on pages B6 & B16)

Emerson House (See ads on pages B16 & B19)

Grandview, The (See ads on pages B7 & B19)

Habitat America (See ad on page 14)

Homecrest House (See ads on pages B9 & B19)

Homewood at Frederick (See ad on page 16)

Landing at Silver Spring, The (See ad on page B16)

Park View Bladensburg (See ad on page 39)

Park View Columbia (See ad on page 39)

Park View Emerson (See ad on page 39)

Park View Laurel (See ad on page 39)

Riderwood (See ads on pages 1, B8 & B14)

Ring House (See ad on page B17)

Seneca, The (See ads on pages B6 & B12)

Sky Bridge at Town Center, The (See ads on pages B5 & B19)

Virginia

Ashby Ponds (See ads on pages 1, B14 & B19)

Brightview Senior Living (See ads on pages B8 & B15)

Chesterbrook Residences (See ad on page B9)

Culpepper Garden (See ad on page 16)

Falcons Landing (See ads on pages 15 & B6)

Greenspring (See ads on pages 1, B6 & B14)

Harmony Senior Living (See ad on page 19)

Lockwood House (See ad on page B16)

Providence, The (See ads on pages B3 & B8)

Sommerset (See ad on page 12)

Sunrise Senior Living (See ad on page 23)

Sylvestery, The (See ad on page B10)

Tribute at the Glen (See ad on page 13)

Verso Founders Row (See ad on page B2)

Vinson Hall (See ad on page B8)

Woodleigh Chase (See ads on pages B7, B19)

Health Studies

APOLLOE4 Study (See ad on page 21)

Hearing Study (UMD) (See ad on page 20)

Vaccine Studies (See article on page 20)

Check the boxes you’re interested in and return this form to: The Beacon, P.O. Box 2227, Silver Spring, MD 20915 or take a picture and email to housing@thebeaconnewspapers.com. Feel free to return this coupon together with the coupon found on page B-11 of this issue.

We’re in Your Corner

People today can spend nearly half their lives over the age of 50. That’s a lot of living. So, it helps to have a wise friend and fierce defender like AARP in your corner and in your community so your money, health and happiness live as long as you do.

AARP offers tools, resources and opportunities to help you achieve your goals and stay connected. Find us at aarp.org/md.

Underlying this dysregulation may be altered immune responses following infection with Covid, but research is ongoing.

Baseline health matters; vaccine helps

What does this mean for older people? One of the lessons from the pandemic is that baseline health matters. People with obesity, hypertension and diabetes were most at risk for severe illness and death.

With vaccines, severe illness is less common, but still possible. Eating healthily, getting daily physical activity, keeping a healthy weight, and taking medication to control conditions like hypertension and diabetes, are essential.

Vaccination has unequivocally been demonstrated to lessen the risk of severe illness from Covid and is a mainstay of keeping healthy. Also new data shows that vaccinated people may be less likely to develop Long Covid.

Communicate with your doctor

A second lesson is the importance of communication and connection. Although this mostly refers to social engagement among family and friends, it is also true for clinicians and patients.

The doctor-patient relationship is ever more important with unexplained symp-

toms or medical illnesses. Although the world is more alert to Long Covid, many patients continue to be dismissed by the medical system when tests turn up normal. This needs to change, and older adults have an important role to play.

Older adults are more likely to have a trusted healthcare provider and may be more comfortable and experienced with ensuring their needs are met.

The patient narrative is of greatest importance and raising attention to persisting symptoms is necessary to drive the science forward, even if doctors don’t have all the answers.

A mainstay of treatment is physical therapy, which can have enormous impact for older adults — increasing strength, balance and exercise tolerance, and potentially improving mental health.

The pandemic has already halted the lives of so many older adults, disrupting retirement plans, travel and connection with family and friends. The symptoms of Long Covid can further exacerbate this disconnection.

It is time to bring attention to Long Covid in older adults and develop tailored recovery programs that are aimed to improve total well-being.

Erica Spatz, MD, MHS, is an associate professor of Cardiovascular Medicine and Epidemiology, a clinical investigator at the Center for Outcomes Research and Evaluation, and directs the Preventive

Cardiovascular Health Program at the Yale School of Medicine. She is a Principal Investigator of a CDC-funded study on Long Covid

BEACON BITS

Ongoing

This article first appeared in the Sept.Oct. issue of Generations Today, the bimonthly publication of the American Society on Aging, at asaging.org.

COMPUTER AND TECH HELP

D.C.’s Benning Neighborhood Library offers free one-on-one technology assistance Tuesday through Saturday. Get help with computer basics, email and internet, using your personal device, filling out complicated forms, PDFs and printing, and any other technological questions. No appointment necessary. Contact the library, located at 3935 Benning Rd. NE, Washington, DC, at (202) 281-2583.

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Oct. 11

Learn about popular money-related applications and how to use them with help from a Master Financial Education volunteer from the Virginia Cooperative Extension. The class will be held on Tue., Oct. 11 from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Walter Reed Center, 2909 16th St. S., Arlington, VA (55+ membership required). Choose your 55+ pass and sign up at bit.ly/55PASS then register for the program at bit.ly/FINANCEapps.

Study finds benefits from drinking black tea

Tea can be part of a healthy diet, and people who drink it regularly may even be a little more likely to live longer than those who don’t, according to a large study.

Tea contains helpful substances known to reduce inflammation. Past studies in China and Japan, where green tea is popular, suggested health benefits. The new study extends the good news to the U.K.’s favorite drink: black tea.

Scientists from the U.S. National Cancer

Institute used a large database project that asked about the tea habits of nearly a half million adults in the United Kingdom, then followed them for up to 14 years. They adjusted for risk factors such as health, socioeconomics, smoking, alcohol intake, diet, age, race and gender.

Higher tea intake — two or more cups daily — was linked to a modest benefit: a 9% to 13% lower risk of death from any cause vs. non-tea drinkers. Differences in tea temperature, or adding milk or sugar, didn’t change the results.

The study, published in Annals of Internal Medicine, found the association held up for heart disease deaths, but there was no clear trend for cancer deaths. Researchers weren’t sure why, but it’s possible there weren’t enough cancer deaths for any effect to show up, said Maki Inoue-

Choi, who led the study.

A study like this, based on observing people’s habits and health, can’t prove cause and effect.

“Observational studies like this always raise the question: Is there something else about tea drinkers that makes them healthier?” said Marion Nestle, a professor of food studies at New York University. “I like tea. It’s great to drink. But a cautious interpretation seems like a good idea.”

There’s not enough evidence to advise changing tea habits, said Inoue-Choi. “If you drink one cup a day already, I think that is good,” she said. —AP

New snack line designed to reduce cholesterol

A Johns Hopkins-trained cardiologist who recognized that diet was responsible for much of the high cholesterol, high blood pressure and high blood sugar she saw in her patients has designed a line of snack foods intended to help.

Called Step One Foods, the products contain omega-3 oils, plant sterols, fiber and antioxidants that come from dried fruit, nuts and seeds as well as oat fiber to help bring down cholesterol naturally.

Dr. Elizabeth Klodas, the cardiologist, together with researchers from the Mayo Clinic and the University of Manitoba, designed a double-blind randomized crossover

clinical trial to test the products in adults with high cholesterol.

Participants spent four weeks consuming the test products, four weeks eating normally, and four weeks testing caloriematched similar items from grocery stores.

The results, published in the Journal of Nutrition in February, found 80% of participants lowered their LDL (bad) cholesterol an average of 8.8% and overall cholesterol by 5% by replacing two servings of other foods already in their daily diet with their choice of two Step One products.

The authors concluded that the snacks, “containing a compendium of cholesterollowering bioactive compounds can rapidly and meaningfully reduce LDL cholesterol in adult patients unable or unwilling to take statin drugs.”

The products include a variety of snack bars (such as cranberry pecan, dark chocolate walnut and apple cinnamon), as well as a line of breakfast foods including instant oatmeal, a smoothie mix, pancakes and sprinkles (for yogurt, etc.). They are gluten, sodium and dairy free and certified kosher.

Because the foods lower cholesterol via a different mechanism than statins do, Step One Foods claims the products can also be used by those who take the drugs, but may enable a reduced dose.

They urge users to work with their healthcare provider and to have a baseline cholesterol test before starting the products and again after 30 days to check for results. —Stuart Rosenthal

Five foods to eat to improve your sleep

By Betty Gold, Ananda Eidelstein and Samantha Cassetty

Shortchanging your sleep makes you feel pretty crummy (as you likely know!), but the impact is even worse than you may think.

Poor sleep can weaken your immune system, leaving you more susceptible to viruses. It also ups your risk of injury during intense workouts, and it can alter your appetite-regulating hormones, making you feel hungrier while simultaneously intensifying cravings.

Sleep deprivation is no joke, yet according to the CDC, up to one-third of Americans fail to get the recommended seven to nine hours of sleep each night.

Did you know you can set yourself up for a better night’s rest by adopting healthy pre-bedtime eating habits and consuming foods (and drinks) that promote and improve sleep?

You may have already heard that drinking milk or chamomile tea can help you sleep, and both hold true: Milk contains melatonin, the natural sleep-regulating hormone, while chamomile tea is packed with antioxidants that boost relaxation and improve sleep quality.

But other foods have a similar positive effect on shut-eye. Here are five more foods that can help you sleep better, ac-

cording to science and nutritionists:

Leafy greens

“Adding magnesium-rich foods to your plate can clearly help to improve sleep, especially in individuals who suffer from middle-of-the-night insomnia, where they wake up and are unable to fall back asleep,” said Erin Palinski-Wade, RD.

“Research has found that a diet lacking in magnesium may make it more difficult to fall back asleep.”

To make sure you’re meeting your magnesium needs each day, add leafy greens — in addition to legumes, nuts and seeds — to your plate, along with a variety of whole grains.

Chickpeas

Digging into that hummus never sounded so good. This legume is a plantbased source of tryptophan, the amino acid also found in turkey, which can increase the production of melatonin.

Oats

In a study that looked at the sleep differences among followers of several diets participants experienced fewer sleep disturbances on the high-carbohydrate diet compared to any of the others. (That’s right, carb lovers!)

Oats are a healthy whole-grain source of carbohydrates, as well as a good source of magnesium.

Yogurt

If you’re not already paying attention to your gut health, here’s another reason to start: Your microbiome, which is the collection of trillions of bugs in your gut, is connected to your sleep patterns.

An increasing amount of research points to the fact that your microbiome is involved

in regulating your sleep rhythms and quality, in addition to affecting things like mood and stress levels. In fact, the species of bacteria in your gut likely adhere to a circadian rhythm much like we do!

Citrus fruits

High stress levels can make it difficult to fall asleep and stay asleep.

“In addition to adding regular exercise

What flu vaccine should older adults get?

By Jim Miller

Dear Savvy Senior,

I just turned 65 and would like to learn more about the stronger flu shots I see advertised for older adults. What can you tell me about them and how are they covered by Medicare?

Dear Novice,

—Senior Novice

There are actually three different types of senior-specific flu shots (you only need one) that the CDC is now recommending to people age 65 and older.

These FDA-approved annual vaccines are designed to offer extra protection beyond what a standard flu shot provides, which is important for older adults who

have weaker immune defenses and have a greater risk of developing dangerous flu complications.

High-Dose Quadrivalent: Approved for U.S. use in 2009, the Fluzone HighDose is a high-potency vaccine that contains four times the amount of antigen as a regular flu shot does, which creates a stronger immune response for better protection. According to a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, this vaccine was proven 24% more effective than the regular dose shot at preventing flu in seniors.

Fluad Quadrivalent: First available in the U.S. in 2016, this adjuvanted vaccine contains an added ingredient called adjuvant MF59 that also helps create a

stronger immune response. In a 2013 observational study, Fluad was found to be 51% more effective in preventing flu-related hospitalizations for older patients than a standard flu shot.

Be aware that both the Fluzone HighDose and Fluad vaccines can cause more of the mild side effects that can occur with a standard-dose flu shot, like pain or tenderness where you got the shot, muscle aches, headache or fatigue.

And neither vaccine is recommended for seniors who are allergic to chicken eggs, or those who have had a severe reaction to a flu vaccine in the past.

Also note that the CDC does not recommend one vaccine over the other.

FluBlok Quadrivalent : For older adults that are allergic to eggs, FluBlok — which is a recombinant vaccine that does not use chicken eggs in their manufacturing process — is your best option. This vaccine is proven to be 30% more effective than a standard-dose influenza vaccine in preventing flu in people age 50 and older.

All of these vaccines are fully covered by Medicare Part B as long as your doctor, health clinic or pharmacy agrees not to charge you more than Medicare pays them.

Pneumonia vaccines

Another important vaccination the CDC recommends to seniors, especially this time of year, are the pneumococcal vac-

cines for pneumonia.

Around 1.5 million Americans visit medical emergency departments each year because of pneumonia, and about 50,000 people die from it.

The CDC recently updated their recommendations for the pneumococcal vaccine and now recommend that everyone 65 and older who has not previously received any pneumococcal vaccine should get either PCV20 (Prevnar 20) or PCV15 (Vaxneuvance). If PCV15 is used, this should be followed by a dose of PPSV23 (Pneumovax23) at least one year later.

Or, if you’ve previously received a PPSV23 shot, you should get one dose of PCV15 or PCV20 at least one year later.

Medicare Part B also covers two different pneumococcal shots — the first shot at any time and a different, second shot if it’s given at least one year after the first shot.

Covid Booster

If you haven’t already done so, you should also get a COVID-19 booster shot this fall. Both Moderna and Pfizer have developed new bivalent booster vaccines that add an Omicron BA.4/5 component to the old formula, which provides better protection.

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

mones in the body,” said Palinski-Wade.

to your day and practicing deep breathing to offset stress, eating foods rich in vitamin C and omega-3 fatty acids can help to reduce circulating stress hor-

Good sources of vitamin C include oranges, grapefruits, lemons and limes. Strawberries, kiwis and legumes are also packed with vitamin C.

© 2022 Meredith Corporation. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

When should you get new Covid booster?

By Lauran Neergaard

John Wherry will wait until later in the fall to consider getting an updated COVID19 booster. The University of Pennsylvania immunologist knows it’s too soon after his shot late this summer, especially since he’s not at high risk from the virus.

It’s the kind of calculation many Americans will face as booster shots that target currently circulating omicron strains become available to a population with widely varying risks and levels of immunity.

Here are some things to know:

How are the new boosters different?

They’re combination or “bivalent” shots that contain half the original vaccine that’s been used since December 2020 and half protection against today’s dominant omi-

cron versions, BA.4 and BA.5. It’s the first update to Covid vaccines ever cleared by the Food and Drug Administration.

Who’s eligible?

Updated shots made by Pfizer and its partner BioNTech are authorized for anyone 12 and older, and rival Moderna’s version is for adults.

They’re to be used as a booster for anyone who’s already had their primary vaccination series — using shots from any U.S.cleared company — and regardless of how many boosters they’ve already gotten.

If I just got one of the original boosters, should I get the new kind right away?

No. The FDA set the minimum wait time at two months. But advisers to the

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said it’s better to wait longer. Some advise waiting at least three months; another said someone who’s not at high risk might wait as long as six months.

“If you wait a little more time, you get a better immunologic response,” said CDC adviser Dr. Sarah Long of Drexel University.

That’s because someone who recently got a booster already has more virus-fighting antibodies in their bloodstream. Antibodies gradually wane over time, and another shot too soon won’t offer much extra benefit, explained Wherry, who wasn’t involved with the government’s decision-making.

What if I recently recovered from Covid?

It’s still important to get vaccinated even if you’ve already been infected — but timing matters here, too.

The CDC has long told people to defer vaccination until they’ve recovered, but also that people may consider waiting for three months after recovering to get a vaccination.

And several CDC advisers say waiting the three months is important, both for potentially more benefit from the shot and to reduce chances of a rare side effect, heart inflammation, that sometimes affects teen boys and young men.

How much benefit will the new boosters offer?

That’s not clear, because tests of this exact recipe have only just begun in people.

replaced by BA.4 and BA.5, the FDA ordered an additional tweak to the shots — and tests in mice showed they spark an equally good immune response.

There’s no way to know if antibodies produced by an omicron-matched booster might last longer than a few months. But a booster also is supposed to strengthen immune system memory, adding to protection against serious illness from the evermutating virus.

How do we know they’re safe?

The basic ingredients used in both omicron-targeting updated vaccines are the same. Testing by Pfizer and Moderna of their BA.1-targeted versions proved safe in human studies, and CDC’s advisers concluded the additional small recipe change should be no different.

Flu vaccines are updated every year without human trials.

Can I get a new Covid booster and a flu shot at the same time?

Yes, one in each arm.

What if I want to wait?

People at high risk from Covid are encouraged to get the new booster when they’re due. After all, BA.5 is still spreading widely and hospitalization rates in older adults have increased since spring.

Most Americans eligible for an updated booster have gone at least six months since their last shot, according to the CDC — plenty of time that another shot should trigger a good immune response.

But the original protects against severe illness and death, especially after that allimportant first booster.

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The FDA cleared the new boosters based in large part on human studies of a similarly tweaked vaccine that’s just been recommended by regulators in Europe. Those tweaked shots target an earlier omicron strain, BA.1, that circulated last winter, and studies found they revved up people’s virus-fighting antibodies.

With that earlier omicron version now

So, it’s not uncommon for younger and healthier people to time boosters to take advantage of a shot’s temporary jump in protection against even a mild infection.

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Non-drug therapies needed for dementia

By Andrew E. Budson, M.D.

The human and financial cost of Alzheimer’s disease is devastating. More than 55 million people are living with Alzheimer’s disease and other causes of dementia, rising to 78 million by 2030 and 139 million by 2050.

In the United States alone, the Alzheimer’s Association estimated that in 2020, more than 11 million unpaid caregivers provided 15.3 billion hours of assistance (valued at $256.7 billion) to 6.2 million people with dementia. That estimate does not include the $51.2 billion in Medicaid payments for Americans ages 65 and older living with dementia.

Drugs to slow Alzheimer’s

For years, most Alzheimer’s clinicians,

researchers and advocacy groups have pinned their hopes on a pharmaceutical solution to this crisis, yet there has been failure after failure.

Last year, amid considerable professional debate, the FDA approved the first medication thought to be able to slow the accumulation of Alzheimer’s disease pathology in the brain.

The theory, as yet unproven, is that if such a drug is given early enough — before there are any symptoms — the disease progression will be so gradual that people will be able to live out their lives without developing disabling dementia.

A looming crisis

Although this hoped-for trajectory is

logical and laudable, the immediate effect may be costly. The vast majority of new medications being developed for Alzheimer’s disease — including the one the FDA approved — are being evaluated in people who already have symptoms, such as memory loss.

These new disease-modifying drugs will therefore first be used in millions of individuals with mild Alzheimer’s symptoms. Because these drugs slow down (but not stop) the accumulation of pathology, individuals with symptomatic Alzheimer’s disease will continue to progress, and — if the therapies are successful — they will progress more slowly.

Instead of the mild stage of dementia lasting about three years, it might last four to six years. Instead of the moderate stage lasting about four years, it might last five to seven years. This means that, for the foreseeable future, disease-modifying drugs will not decrease the numbers of individuals living with dementia — it will actually hugely increase them.

For this reason, it is critical that the U.S. and other countries invest in not only pharmacological but also nonpharmacological treatments for Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias.

Although many strategies have been developed to improve memory in those patients with mild memory symptoms, few, if any, of these interventions have undergone large clinical trials to prove (or disprove) their efficacy.

Memory-boosting strategies

One study from a group of Boston researchers examined 32 individuals with mild memory problems, half with mild cognitive impairment and half with mild Alzheimer’s disease dementia.

They found that both groups improved their memory by simply thinking about the following question when learning new information: “What is one unique characteristic of this item or personal experience that differentiates it from others?”

Another study by Boston researchers found that 19 individuals with mild cognitive impairment could improve their ability to remember items at a virtual supermarket by simply thinking systematically about whether items were already in their cupboard before putting them in their shopping cart.

Larger studies are needed, however, to determine if such memory strategies are generalizable.

Role for music, pets, robots

Similarly, there are many nonpharmacological treatments that appear to provide comfort and reduce agitation in individuals with moderate to severe dementia. But larger and more rigorous studies are needed to prove or disprove their efficacy and thereby promote more widespread utilization.

• A group of Portuguese clinicians and researchers reviewed more than 100 studies evaluating music-based interventions

for people with dementia who had agitation or other behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia, finding that the vast majority were efficacious with few or no side effects.

• A team of neurologists from Florida reviewed the effects of dog therapy and ownership, finding that both were safe and effective approaches to treat chronic and progressive neurological disorders.

• Other researchers found reductions in anxiety and psychoactive medication use when robot pets were given to individuals with dementia.

• A review of the built environment (the architecture of the home or facility) concluded that “specific design interventions are beneficial to the outcomes of people with dementia.”

Education for families

Educating families and other caregivers about how to manage the different stages and facets of dementia is also critical.

One pilot study by Brazilian clinicians invited caregivers to participate in educational sessions and found a high rate of program satisfaction. Unfortunately, these types of caregiver education interventions are rarely studied in large clinical trials.

Enormous potential savings

If strategies in the mild stages prove effective enough to save just one hour each week of a caregiver’s time for the roughly two million people in the U.S. with mild dementia, it could save 104 million hours valued at $1.7 billion each year.

That extra hour might, for example, allow a “sandwiched caregiver” to help their child with homework while their parent with mild dementia takes medications or pays bills independently.

If nonpharmacologic interventions in the moderate to severe stages saved just one month of nursing home care for the roughly four million people with moderate to severe dementia in the U.S., it would save more than $31 billion dollars (based on a semi-private nursing home room costing $93,075 per year).

And that financial savings is in addition to the social and emotional benefit to individuals with Alzheimer’s disease and their families.

New models of reimbursement

Finally, once nonpharmacological treatments have been proven efficacious, new models of reimbursement will be needed to pay for their implementation, as traditional insurance payments are geared toward medications.

The only way the U.S. — and the world — will be able to cope with the rising numbers of people with dementia will be for nonpharmacological approaches to be used along with pharmacological therapies.

Andrew E. Budson, M.D., is a contributor to Harvard Health Publications.

© 2022 Harvard University. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Recipes for raw vegan meals and snacks

By Erica and Maleah Stephens

The raw food diet traces back to the late 1800s, when Maximilian Bircher-Benner, a doctor, discovered he could cure his own jaundice by eating raw apples. Thus began a series of experiments testing the effects of raw food on human health, and the diet has continued to evolve.

We here at Bereisheet have also discovered many of its qualities, from less prepping and cooking time, to more adventure in the kitchen.

Preparing food in a raw form also benefits your body with all the nutrients that it needs to sustain a very healthy body. The beauty of your skin as it assimilates raw ingredients is breathtaking, and mental clarity follows.

Raw meals have many exciting new flavors, and we hope that you enjoy them.

Pad Thai Zoodle Salad

Ingredients:

2 zucchinis

2 cups thinly sliced Bok choy

½ yellow and red bell peppers (sliced into strips)

4 scallions (diced)

½ cup fresh cilantro (chopped)

1 lime (juiced)

1 tablespoon raw olive oil

¼ teaspoon sea salt

¾ cup raw crushed almonds or cashews

Directions:

First, prepare your zucchinis. Using a vegetable peeler, peel each entire zucchini into thin strips. If you have a spiralizer or a large grater, you can also use those for a similar effect.

Combine the zucchini strips, Bok choy, bell pepper strips, scallions and cilantro in a large bowl. Combine the lime juice and oil. Sprinkle vegetables with sea salt, and gently toss everything together to combine well. Top with chopped or crushed nuts.

Vegan Chorizo

Ingredients:

1 cup pecans

1 cup pumpkin seeds

2 tablespoons chili paste

¼ cup olive oil

¼ teaspoon cumin

2 teaspoons oregano

2 teaspoons chili powder

½ teaspoon sea salt

¼ teaspoon cloves, ground

½ teaspoon black pepper

Directions:

Place the pecans and pumpkin seeds in a food processor, and pulse until the nuts and seeds become crumbly.

Transfer them to a bowl and then add the chili paste, olive oil, cumin, oregano, chili powder, sea salt cloves and black pepper. Mix well until everything is well incorporated.

Serve with rice and beans or use in tacos.

Protein Bites

Ingredients:

¾ cup dry rolled oats

¼ cup shredded coconut

¼ cup creamy tahini butter

¼ cup dairy-free chocolate chips

2 tbsp. agave

1 tbsp. chia seeds

1 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions:

Soak chia seeds in 2 tbsp of water for 1 minute until they have become a jelly-like substance.

Stir all ingredients together in a mixing bowl. Cover and store in refrigerator for 10 minutes. Remove from fridge and roll into 1- to 2-inch balls with your hands. Eat as a snack or healthy dessert.

These recipes were excerpted from the book Bereisheet 129 Vegan Plant Based Cuisines, Volume 2. Reprinted with permission of Bereisheet 129 Vegan PlantBased Cuisine and Catering, based in Phoenix, Arizona.

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Health Studies INFORMATION ON AREA CLINICAL TRIALS

Two vaccine studies seeking volunteers

By Margaret Foster

Sometimes a cold can progress to something more dangerous. In people over 60, the common respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, starts out as a mild cold but can cause bronchitis, pneumonia and even chronic pulmonary obstruction disease (COPD). In fact, RSV is one of the leading causes of hospitalizations for older adults.

Now, a drug company is launching a worldwide study of 10,000 people over age 65 to see how well its RSV vaccine prevents infection. The phase-three “Vanir”

study is under way at 60 locations throughout the United States.

In the Washington area, the Clinical Alliance for Research and Education — Infectious Diseases (Care-ID), located in Annandale, Virginia, is enrolling participants this fall.

“We’re excited to be involved in this study,” said Dr. Donald Poretz, principal investigator and an infectious disease physician. Poretz is one of nine board-certified physicians at Care-ID.

The trial’s recombinant MVA-BN® RSV

vaccine is similar to the one that children receive. Its safety has been established in previous clinical trials.

One in-person visit

Once enrolled, you will be randomly selected to receive the vaccine or a placebo; neither you nor the researcher will know which one until after the study ends.

The study requires just one in-person visit to Care ID’s offices in Annandale. After a 90-minute visit, participants will get help downloading an app to track their symptoms on a smartphone or tablet (one will be provided if necessary).

Common side effects may include a sore arm or mild fatigue. After that, researchers will follow up by phone monthly for about a year to see if participants avoided catching RSV.

New flu vaccine study

Care ID is also conducting a study of a new flu vaccine developed by Pfizer. The new vaccine is similar to the mRNA vaccines Pfizer and Moderna developed for COVID-19.

“The same technique has been developed in the prevention of influenza. It may

have a lot of merit to it because certain people could not tolerate the flu shot….People who are allergic to eggs can’t take it.

“This new Pfizer flu vaccine, delivered via messenger RNA, could be very effective,” Poretz said. “The flu vaccines the past couple of years have not been very great,” Poretz said. “People continued to get flu in spite of the vaccine.”

The study, open to volunteers over 18, requires three visits to Care ID. At the first appointment, participants will get blood drawn and receive a flu shot (the Pfizer or the standard Fluzone shot). Then they’ll follow up in person in four weeks and again in six months.

As with the RSV study, participants will need to keep track of any side effects or symptoms via an app, which researchers can help install.

For both studies, parking is free and participants will be compensated for their time. Care ID is located at 3289 Woodburn Rd., Suite 250, in Annandale, VA.

To enroll in the RSV vaccine trial or the Pfizer flu vaccine trial, or to learn more about either one, email info@careidresearch.com or call (703) 560-4821.

How to get fast, safe relief for heartburn

By Howard LeWine, M.D.

Q: I get heartburn about once or twice a week. What’s the best approach to get fast relief?

A: Heartburn is caused by stomach acid moving up out of the stomach into the lower part of the esophagus. Reducing the overall acidity protects the esophagus from burning or irritation when the stomach contents back up or “reflux.”

The fastest treatment is to neutralize the acid already in the stomach and lower esophagus by taking an antacid. You can usually feel relief within minutes.

There are many varieties of antacids with different active ingredients, such as calcium carbonate, magnesium hydroxide and aluminum carbonate.

Magnesium containing products may cause loose stools, while aluminum may

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ALZHEIMER’S CONFERENCE

Get a free memory screening from the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America’s “Educating America” conference on Oct. 19. This free conference offers information, resources and strategies for caregivers — important legal documents to have, how to slow the progression of the disease, healthy lifestyle choices and more. The event takes place on Wed., Oct. 19 from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at The Whittemore House, 1526 New Hampshire Ave. NW, Washington, DC. For more information and to register, visit bit.ly/AFAeducate.

be constipating. That’s why many antacids contain a combination of magnesium and aluminum.

Antacids work quickly, but symptom relief often doesn’t last. If that happens, you could repeat the antacid.

But I would suggest following the antacid with an H2 blocker. H2 blockers work by inhibiting stomach cells from making acid.

There are several different H2 blockers, such as cimetidine (Tagamet), famotidine (Pepcid) and nizatidine (Axid AR). There are generic versions available at quite reasonable prices.

Some H2 blockers are marketed as faster acting. Rather than a swallowed pill, the product containing the H2 blocker might be in liquid form. Or it could be a chewable or effervescent tablet.

For most people, the onset of symptom relief is similar for all of them. But you may find a particular preparation that works best for you.

Ideally you should not take an H2 blocker at the same time you take an antacid. Wait for 30 to 60 minutes. The H2 blocker starts to act within an hour.

Generally, the medicine keeps working for another 10 to 12 hours. So, you might need to take another dose later on.

The strongest stomach acid inhibitors

are called proton pump inhibitors (PPIs). They start acting the day you take the first pill. But it may be many hours before you get relief. And the maximal benefit might take two to three days.

So PPIs are better suited for people with more frequent heartburn than you have.

Help without drugs

To help prevent acid reflux, five pill-free approaches may significantly reduce both the number and severity of heartburn episodes.

According to research results published last year in JAMA Internal Medicine, they include maintaining a healthy body weight; not smoking; getting 30 minutes daily of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity; limiting coffee, tea and soda to no more than two cups per day; and eating a healthy diet.

Each one of these factors may prevent the inappropriate relaxation of the sphincter muscle between the stomach and the esophagus, helping to keep acid from refluxing up and causing heartburn.

Howard LeWine, M.D. is an internist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston and assistant professor at Harvard Medical School. For additional consumer health information, visit health.harvard.edu.

© 2022 Harvard University. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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DC PLUG is a multi-year project that is designed to protect the District’s most vulnerable power lines by placing them underground and improving grid resiliency where you work, live and play.

Visit dcpluginfo.com for more information.

Makers of recalled antacid facing lawsuits

The makers of the mega-popular antacid drug called Zantac (ranitidine) are now facing potential lawsuits that could cost them billions. If that doesn’t cause stress-induced heartburn, I don’t know what does!

This isn’t about whether or not the drug works. It definitely works in terms of reducing stomach acid. The drug was removed from the market in 2020, but now it’s coming back into focus.

Part of the production process

You may be wondering how NDMA toxin gets into medications. It is spawned during the manufacturing process.

No one is contaminating the pills. It’s just happening by virtue of regular, clean production of the pill.

The types of cancer associated with NDMA may include those of the breast, bladder, colon, lung, liver, blood, thyroid, pancreas and others.

What to do if exposed

Here’s a five-step plan for what to do if you’ve been exposed to the medication:

1. Get a physical.

symptoms get swept under the rug due to your heavy workload or family needs.

Also, don’t take the “wait and see” approach. Be more proactive than that. Visit your practitioner if you have any new or odd symptoms.

If this topic interests you, read a more detailed version of this article at suzycohen.com.

PHARMACIST

Zantac was recalled due to potential contamination with NDMA (N-Nitrosodimethylamine), which the EPA considers a probable carcinogen. The lawsuits allege that negligence among pharmaceutical companies producing the drug led to serious harm in patients, specifically cancer

By Suzy Cohen

The NDMA may have been introduced during the tableting process from contaminated ingredients that were sourced elsewhere. Alternatively, the contaminant may result from the use of solvents and agents used during the manufacturing process.

2. Do bloodwork, including a Chem Panel and complete blood count (CBC).

3. Discontinue your H2 blocker (antacid) and ask your doctor for a therapeutic equivalent. Consider natural remedies.

[Ed. Note: The antacid now called Zantac360 is another product, famotidine, different from the original Zantac.]

If you took the product and have been diagnosed with cancer, visit drugwatch.com/zantac/lawsuits to see if you can file a claim.

The prosecutors say that NDMA-contaminated pills have led to cancer. The FDA must agree on some level that there’s a problem because they issued a swift and complete drug recall in 2020.

You can learn more about the actual drug recall at the FDA’s website, fda.gov.

It happens all the time, and not just with Zantac. Other medications in this drug class could be involved, as can some popular anti-hypertensives. [Ed. Note: NDMA is also a byproduct of water chlorination, according to the EPA.]

And this may come as a shock, but a little ‘poison’ is allowed in many drugs, food products and drinking water. For NDMA, there is a “permissible” amount of 96 nanograms per day. So, you may be consuming it (from multiple sources even) and not realize it.

Here you’re trying to solve one issue and wind up with a bigger one!

4. Change your diet, or go on one. Altering your diet will be the most important thing you do to improve the reflux situation.

5. Do not ignore. Please do not let any

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 author of The 24-Hour Pharmacist and Real Solutions from Head to Toe

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The Silver Spring Recreation and Aquatic Center (SSRAC) is scheduled to open summer 2023! Located in downtown Silver Spring, this exciting project will bring recreation, aquatics and senior programming all underoneroof.Thisprojectincludespublicrecreation

under one roof. This project includes public recreation sfacefspace, including sp foor program foor older adults, within a larger housing project.

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Programs tailored to older adults will be provided by a ’coordinaatted program with Holy Cross Hospital’ss“Senior Source.”

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Don’t miss the North Potomac Fall Festival taking place from 11:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. on Oct. 22. The celebration will be a fun-filled day for all ages. Head to the Nancy

H. Dacek North Potomac Community Recreation Center, located at 13850 Travilah Rd. in Rockville, for music, games, fitness demonstrations, fall crafts and more

Plan ahead recreation

Mark your calendar for Montgomery County Recreation’s Winter Registration! Registration for winter programs and activities will begin at 6:30 a.m. on Nov. 14, though programs will be viewable online starting Nov. 4. Enjoy a line-up of great recreation programs offered at any of the seven County senior centers. Go to mocorec.com for more information.

Need help registering? Call your local senior center to see if registration support services are available for you.

9701 Main St., Damascus 240-777-6995

Holiday Park Senior Center

3950 Ferrara Drive, Silver Spring 240-777-4999

Long Branch Senior Center

8700 Piney Branch, Silver Spring 240-777-6975

Margaret Schweinhaut Senior Center

1000 Forest Glen Road, Silver Spring 240-777-8085

North Potomac Senior Center

13850 Travilah Road, Rockville 240-773-4805

11701 Georgia Ave., Wheaton 240-773-4830

1700 April Lane, Silver Spring 240-777-6944

Residents 50+ are invited to attend FREE in-person and virtual activities that help you Go, Grow and Get Active!

Montgomery County Recreation and other partners will host several events at senior centers and other sites across the County including yoga, fall prevention exercises, sip and paint, Zumba and more. Some programs require advance registration. For a calendar of events, visit https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/senior/calendar. html

Senior Center

Margaret Schweinhaut Senior Center will celebrate its 50th Anniversary with a free community event from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The event will include an outdoor farmers market, Angklung performances, demonstrations in tai chi, knitting and so much more!

Montgomery County

Vehicle Technology

Technology is changing the driving experience. The Smart DriverTEK TM workshop, developed jointly by AARP Driver Safety and The Hartford, will explain the latest high-tech safety features in your current or future car. Learn all about blindspot warning systems, forward collision warnings, smart headlights and more.

Montgomery County Recreation will offer two, free, 90-minute workshops that will take place at the centers listed below. Space is limited, so pre-registration is highly recommended. Register at activemontgomery.org using the activity codes listed:

Clara Barton Neighborhood

Recreation Center

Code - R07105-103

Wednesday, October 12

10:30 a.m.- noon

Damascus Senior Center Code - R07105-102 Tuesday, October 18

11 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.

Adult day centers assist aging in place

By Alina Tugend

When Eileen Roehr’s husband, Casey, was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in 2018, she went looking for helpful resources. High on her to-do list was finding an adult day center for him.

“The two most valuable things to keep people with dementia functioning as long as possible [are] physical activity and social interaction,” said Roehr, 80, a former psychiatric nurse.

Roehr, of Reston, Virginia, found a center, Insight Memory Care Center, that served only those with Alzheimer’s and other memory impairments.

For Roehr, the center was the best option; her husband enjoyed going there five days a week where he was kept active and taken care of during the day, all while still living at home.

Adult day centers (those in the field eschew the term “adult day care” because it’s infantilizing) are becoming increasingly popular. In 2018, about 6,200 licensed or accredited adult day centers served roughly 300,000 people nationwide, according to William Zagorski, board chair of the National Adult Day Services Association (NADSA).

The number of centers has grown 35% since 2002, according to AgingInPlace.com. Though many adult day centers temporari-

ly suspended services during the COVID pandemic, most have now reopened.

Since the 1960s, adult day care services have been giving families a cost-effective way to care for older adults and people with developmental disabilities who can’t be left alone for long stretches of time. But many Americans still aren’t aware the centers exist.

“One of the most common refrains I hear is, ‘I wish I had known about this earlier,’” said Joseph Gaugler, a professor of long-term care and aging at the University of Minnesota School of Public Health.

Levels of assistance

Adult day centers are not senior centers, where you might go for a meal and to work out or play some cards. Generally, participants at adult day centers have some physical, mental or intellectual impairment.

The centers fall into one of roughly three categories. Adult social day centers primarily offer meals, activities and discussion groups but provide only minimal medical help, such as health screenings or medication management.

Adult medical or health day centers combine activities and a community with greater medical care, including speech, physical and occupational therapy, and help with toileting, showering or bathing.

Often, there’s a nurse available; nearly 80% of centers have one on staff, and almost half have a social worker, according to NADSA.

A third category — specialized centers — are meant for adults who require additional care because they have special needs, such as dementia or developmental disabilities. Some adult medical or health day centers also accept people diagnosed with dementia.

Research has shown that good adult day centers can reduce stress for caregivers — giving them a chance for some much-needed respite or allowing them to go to work if they are employed — while simultaneously improving the quality of life for the participants, who otherwise might be more

isolated at home or have to live in a nursing facility rather than at home.

“It can make such a huge difference for the participants and their families,” said Amy Goyer, who worked at adult day centers in Ohio and is now AARP’s caregiving expert.

Rick Lauber, of Alberta, Canada, saw the difference they made firsthand. He said the center was invaluable because it gave his mother a break from caring for his father, who suffered from mild Alzheimer’s. His father went a few days a week, and “all Mom did was sleep when Dad was away,” Lauber said. “Having Dad in a safe, supportive and secure environment was a

modern community for seniors in Fairfax, The Providence offers elegant residences, exceptional amenities,

care.

Contact

at 571-487-9285 to

Adult day centers

From page B-3

great comfort to us all.”

Adult day centers cost about $80 a day or about $1,690 a month, according to insurer Genworth. That compares to a monthly median of $5,148 for an in-home health aide and $7,908 for a semiprivate room in a nursing facility. Genworth’s calculator estimates the costs of different types of care by ZIP code.

Although the centers are generally open from early morning to early evening during the week, some offer extended hours or weekend care. When looking for a center, “you have to know your options and your needs,” said Zagorski, who also owns three facilities in and around Nashville, Tenn.

Finding a center

It doesn’t take much digging to find local day centers, which you can do at two websites: The National Adult Day Services As-

sociation at nadsa.org, and communityresourcesfinder.org. (The latter is run by AARP and the Alzheimer’s Association.) Your doctor or a physical or occupational therapist also may be a good resource.

Once you’ve identified your options, check out each one, initially by calling the center or viewing its website. Then visit the center unannounced, Zagorski suggested. “You will be able to see, hear and smell everything and not get a sterilized version,” he said.

When meeting with center staff, specify how much assistance your spouse or parent needs so they can tell you if they are an appropriate place. Does the person need a great deal of help getting up or using the toilet? Incontinence may be a deal-breaker. For example, Goyer said her centers accept those with bladder but not bowel incontinence.

The center’s staff should be able to steer you toward financial assistance if you qualify for it. Historically, Medicaid was the prime payer for adult day services, and

even about 20 years ago, it paid for about 80% of participants. Now that’s down to about half, Zagorski said. Long-term care insurance and veterans benefits may cover adult centers partially or fully.

Although traditional Medicare doesn’t cover adult day centers, a Medicare Advantage plan might, so it’s worth asking, said Zagorski, who adds that “currently, fewer than 100 Advantage plans cover adult care services as a supplemental benefit.”

A center should offer ongoing education and support for the caregiver as well as the participant. Insight Memory Care Center, where Roehr took her husband, not only tailored education to each client’s needs, but also told her about available resources in the community as well as the state of research and clinical trials, and provided support groups.

Although Casey is now in a memory care unit, Roehr still brings him back to Insight a few times a week. “He needs the activities,” she said.

What to explore further

Experts suggest focusing on these areas to learn as much as you can about an adult day center:

Basics: Are there a minimum number of days per week that participants must attend, and is transportation to and from home provided? Most centers offer it. What about locked sections so that someone can’t wander off? Check out the security.

Staff : Compare the center’s staff-toclient ratio with the industry standard of six participants to one staff member, not including administrators. Ask about staff training and turnover.

Activities: Check out the calendar of activities and look for both physical and cognitive stimulation — for example, crafts, chair exercises, music and dance therapy, even aromatherapy.

© 2022 The Kiplinger Washington Editors, Inc. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Veena Alfred

From page B-2

night, but they have to go to work.”

She envisions a small garden and a kitchen. “I have a lot of dreams about that.”

In the meantime, Alfred is busy writing a regular column for the company’s newsletter, which is distributed to residents, social workers and other community partners.

She has also served as a governor’s appointee to an advisory board. And of course, she visits her residents, pushing their wheelchairs or just sharing a laugh, as she did when she was a child.

“It gives me a lot of joy,” she said. “I don’t have a boss, but my boss is my God. And I hold myself responsible to Him.”

For more information or to see all 10 AlfredHouse assisted living boutique homes, visit AlfredHouse.com/our-homes or call (301) 260-2080.

3,500+ sq.

Court and Multi-Sport Court,

Trails,

Amphitheater

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Odenton,

from

Park, Patio, Firepit

| 410.431.1511

The

the backyard

Live close to your children & grandchildren Keep your independence

Smart retirement & estate planning

Call 202-866-HOME (4663) or visit www.Backyard.Homes

A sense of community. A sense of adventure. A sense of pure joy.

Irresistible belly laughs over shared meals with friends. The thrill of visiting faraway lands with virtual reality. Sharing your passions and discovering new interests. What will you experience in a setting designed to captivate your senses?

phone camera over

Code

THE SKY BRIDGE LEASING GALLERY: 400 Sky Bridge Drive, Suite 107 • Upper Marlboro, MD 20774

THE ARCH COMMUNITY: 400-450 Sky Bridge Drive • Upper Marlboro, MD 20774

THE PARC COMMUNITY (UNDER CONSTRUCTION): 360 Sky Bridge Drive • Upper Marlboro, MD 20774

INDEPENDENT LIVING • ASSISTED LIVING

The Carnegie at Washingtonian Center (240) 213-7383

Discovery Center: 129 Ellington Boulevard • Gaithersburg, MD 20878 www.LifeAtTheCarnegie.com

MEMORY CARE

INDEPENDENT LIVING COMMUNITY

Falcons Landing

703-293-5054

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

The Carnegie at Washingtonian Center is a unique concept for senior living in the heart of Gaithersburg. Welcoming residents in the spring of 2024, the seven-story complex offers spacious one- and two-bedroom floorplans for independent living, assisted living, and memory care. Situated on 8.5 acres beside RIO Lakefront at Washingtonian Center, The Carnegie is a Kisco Signature Community offering best-in-class standards and a fivestar experience. Anchored by integrity, dignity, and compassion, The Carnegie cultivates a life of intellectual enrichment, peaceful independence, and meaningful connections. For more information call 240-213-7383 or visit the full-size two-bedroom model at 129 Ellington Boulevard in Gaithersburg.

ASSISTED LIVING & MEMORY CARE COMMUNITY

The Seneca

240-614-2800

55 W Gude Drive

Rockville, MD 20850

www.senecarockville.com

The Seneca, part of Silverstone & Watermark’s Élite Collection, is a brand-new assisted living and memory care community now open next to King Farm in Rockville, Maryland. This naturefocused community is redefining assisted living with high-end dining showcasing sustainable seafood and other Marylandinspired cuisine, a wellness-focused lifestyle, forward-thinking technology and attentive personal care. Surrounded by tall, lush trees, The Seneca is a peaceful oasis in an ideal suburban location. Among other world-class amenities, the tranquil Serenity Garden and meditative Labyrinth Walk offer the chance to connect with nature. Each memory care associate is a Certified Dementia Practitioner, trained extensively on caring for and engaging with residents suffering from memory loss.

INDEPENDENT LIVING COMMUNITY

Covenant Village

Senior Apartments

301-540-1162

18889 Waring Station Road

Germantown, MD 20874

www.qpmgmt.com

• Spacious 1 and 2 bedroom plans with washer/dryer in each apt.

• Shuttle bus for shopping and local trips

• On-site fitness, game, and craft rooms, movie theatre, library, beauty salon, and courtyard garden plots.

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

Common Bonds and Extraordinary Living are what you find when you move to Falcons Landing! Nestled near the Potomac River in scenic Loudoun County, Falcons Landing is a vibrant hub for residents who have retired from work, but not from life! Designed for seniors with military and government backgrounds, their spouses, and surviving spouses, this nonprofit Life Plan Community offers the chance to be among peers with a common bond of service. Falcons Landing was recently voted the ‘2022 Best Retirement Community in the Northern Region,’ as well as ‘2022 Best of’ in Loudoun County by two local reader surveys. Contact 703-293-5054 or visit www.falconslanding.org to schedule your tour today!

INDEPENDENT LIVING COMMUNITY

Greenspring Retirement

Community

877-589-9570

7410 Spring Village Drive • Springfield, VA 22150 GreenspringCommunity.com

Greenspring. Vibrant Senior Living. Unmatched Peace of Mind. An active lifestyle, with peace of mind awaits you at Springfield’s premier continuing care retirement community.

Stylish Homes. A Wealth of Amenities. Choose from a variety of stylish apartment homes to suit your needs and budget. You’re just steps from the fitness center, pool, clubhouses, and five restaurants.

Exceptional Financial Value

We make life predictable and simple. Your Monthly Service Package covers all utilities, home maintenance, and amenities in a single bill. Health and Well-Being Services

Receive convenient care when you need it at the on-site medical center. The community also includes higher levels of care If your needs ever change.

Get your FREE brochure today! Call 877-589-9570 or visit GreenspringCommunity.com

ASSISTED LIVING COMMUNITY

Chevy Chase House

202-905-0708

5420 Connecticut Avenue NW Washington, DC 20015

www.chevychasehouse.com

Fall is a great time to take stock and start anew! Chevy Chase House provides assisted living for seniors looking for care without compromising lifestyle and active living. Enjoy fitness classes and individualized exercise programs in our new state-of-the-art gym led by our on-site exercise physiologist. Our program incorporates balance training; fall prevention; PT, OT, speech therapy; and specialized Parkinson's programs from Fox Rehabilitation. Our dining program features Chef-prepared meals and culinary events throughout the month. Spacious apartments start at $4599 and monthly rent includes meals, housekeeping, transportation, most utilities, activities and more. Conveniently located on Connecticut Avenue in DC. Call 202-905-0708 to schedule a tour or stop by our community to learn more.

Balfour Palisades taking reservations

A new community offering older adults a continuum of care will soon open in the District of Columbia’s Palisades neighborhood. With a small-town feel, Balfour Palisades will enable residents to stay engaged in the world around them while retreating to a relaxed, cozy setting.

The community offers month-to-month lease options without a large entrance fee. Residents will have access to valet parking, restaurants, a pet center that provides grooming and exercise for dogs, 24/7 personal concierge services, fitness classes, personal training, dietitians, physicians and physical therapy on site, as well as room service and housekeeping.

Balfour will be applying for an assisted living license in the District. Also, pursuant to the District of Columbia Inclusionary Zoning program, some income-restricted units will be available at this development. Please contact the D.C. Department of Housing and Community Development at www.dhcd.dc.gov regarding the availability of such units and requirements for eligibility.

The community is expected to open in 2024; the sales office is currently taking reservations.

For more information about Balfour Palisades, visit balfourpalisades.com, call 1844-354-8877, or visit the leasing center at 4418 MacArthur Blvd NW, Washington, D.C.

Stafford welcomes new active adult community

Stafford, Virginia, will soon have a new active adult community for people 55 and over. Cascades at Embrey Mill is an 819acre master planned community situated near I-95, shopping centers, and an indoor recreation facility accessible to all Stafford residents.

“Embrey Mill is a huge draw for older adults based on its location,” said Jackie DeGennaro, community sales manager for Cascades. “These are the only active adult homes in Stafford.”

Cascades consists of 78 two-level townhomes with 2,028 to 2,758 square feet of living space. Prices start at $469,990.

In addition, Cascades includes six different options of two- and three-bedroom “elevator flats” with 1,428 to 1,613 square feet of living space. These flats are only available for people 55 and up.

Within the larger Embrey Mill development, residents have access to 10 miles of walking and running trails, pools, dog parks, a community garden, a live music venue, a bistro and a café.

Cascades will provide amenities for the older adult community, including an event kitchen, bocce courts, pickleball courts, a yoga and weight room, and a fire pit.

DeGennaro said Cascades at Embrey Mill grants “a townhome lifestyle with a family-size house that provides residents with the opportunity to be social and involved in a larger community without the maintenance of a single-family home.”

For more information about Cascades at Embrey Mill, including virtual tours, visit embreymill.com/homes/active-adult.

The Mather begins construction in Tysons

The Mather recently started vertical construction on two residential buildings in Tysons Corner, Virginia. One 27-story high-rise will have 179 apartments; the

other 18-story building will have 114 apartments.

The buildings’ units will range in size from 850 to 3,300 square feet. Entrance fees begin at $646,700.

The Mather, a life plan community, will allow residents 62 and over to age in place with a continuum of options: assisted living, memory care and healthcare services.

“This is one of the first projects dominated by boomers,” said Gale Morgan, senior vice president of sales for The Mather. “They want to be able to be connected to the community.”

Located near a metro station and the many stores and restaurants of Tyson’s Corner, the community will have its own restaurants and a bar.

In addition, The Mather offers smart home technology, a full-resource concierge program and a multi-disciplinary wellness program that includes Pilates, meditation, Tibetan sand bowls and drum circles, Morgan said.

The public will also be welcome to take wellness classes at the Mather Institute, founded in 1999 to improve aging services.

For more information about the Mather, visit themathertysons.com.

Coming Soon: The Grandview and Woodleigh Chase

SENIOR LIVING IN THE PERFECT LOCATION

Erickson Senior Living®, a national leader in senior living, is proud to announce two brand-new communities coming soon!

The Grandview in Bethesda offers sophisticated living just minutes from shopping and dining.

Woodleigh Chase in Fairfax features resort-style amenities and services on a beautiful campus.

NewInSeniorLiving.com

The Grandview

Woodleigh Chase

Conceptual

FULL CONTINUUM OF CARE

Charles E. Smith Life Communities

301-276-7102

6121 Montrose Road, Rockville, MD 20852 www.smithlifecommunities.org

On a beautiful 38-acre campus in Rockville, Maryland, Charles E. Smith Life Communities offers distinct options for older adults. In addition to independent living, the community offers assisted living, memory care, skilled nursing and post-acute rehab. Award-winning lifestyle programming makes every day at the community fulfilling for residents and also for their families. From art and music sessions to intellectual pursuits and excursions, an array of experiences spark social, emotional and spiritual growth. Add kosher dining and a culture steeped in the Jewish values of inclusion and respect, and Charles E. Smith Life Communities will exceed every expectation and foster the experiences that make up the life you love.

REHABILITATION

Brooke Grove Retirement Village

301-260-2320

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

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

LIFE PLAN COMMUNITY

Vinson Hall Retirement Community

571-556-4136

6251 Old Dominion Drive, McLean, VA 22101

www.vinsonhall.org

Older adults wishing to continue their active lifestyle, meet new friends and enjoy their favorite pursuits will discover that Vinson Hall Retirement Community is the perfect place to call home. This vibrant Life Plan Community in McLean, Virginia, just across the river from Washington, D.C., offers inviting dining venues, social, cultural and educational opportunities, life-enriching amenities and first-class hospitality services. As a Life Plan Community, VHRC offers living options beyond independent living. Residents have access to a continuum of care in our highly-rated Arleigh Burke Pavilion, as well as memory care in The Sylvestery. To reserve your place on our waitlist, visit VinsonHall.org or call us at 571-556-4136.

ASSISTED LIVING & MEMORY CARE

The Providence

571-396-0500

9490 Sprague Avenue Fairfax, VA 22031 www.providencefairfax.com

The Providence, part of Silverstone & Watermark’s Élite Collection, is an elegant, artful assisted living and memory care community in Fairfax, Virginia that opened in March 2021. The Providence is in the heart of Fairfax County’s MetroWest neighborhood, with easy access to I-66, the Vienna/GMU Metro station and Dulles Airport. Worldclass amenities at The Providence include professional concierge and valet services, art studio, day spa, a salon and wellness center, chef-driven restaurants and more, all in an awe-inspiring setting with thoughtful and imaginative interior design, light-filled common areas and a rooftop terrace. Watermark’s highly trained associates provide custom support, personal assistance and award-winning programs such as EngageVR, Watermark University and Thriving Through Music.

INDEPENDENT LIVING COMMUNITY

Riderwood Retirement Community

877-742-4390

3140 Gracefield Road Silver Spring, MD 20904 Riderwood.com

Discover Riderwood, Silver Spring’s Favorite Senior Living Community

Active seniors agree: Riderwood is Silver Spring’s premier continuing care retirement community, for so many reasons.

1. Maintenance-free Living

Apartment homes are big on style, budget-friendly, and maintenance-free.

2. Resort-Style Amenities and Activities

Dine with friends, work out or swim, take a class, or watch a performance. It’s all just steps from your door.

3. Health and Well-Being Services

The on-site medical center is staffed by full-time providers. Should your needs ever change, multiple levels of care are available on-site. Get your FREE brochure today! Call 1-877-742-4390 or visit Riderwood.com.

INDEPENDENT LIVING • ASSISTED LIVING • MEMORY CARE

Brightview Innovation Center in Herndon (571) 786-5800

Welcome Center:

2341 Innovation Center Dr. Herndon, VA 20171

www.BrightviewInnovationCenter.com

Brightview Senior Living has been making life brighter for Northern Virginia seniors and their families for nearly a decade. Now we're coming to the Reston-Herndon Corridor Brightview Innovation Center in Herndon will have everything seniors need to live their brightest lives — resort-like services, amenities, and personal support — all in a monthly rental fee with no large entrance fee. Explore our four distinct neighborhoods — Independent Living, Assisted Living, Gallery Assisted Living, and Dementia Care. Visit our Welcome Center and learn how you can save $10,000 on any apartment home and save $20,000 on select apartment homes when you become a Charter Club member.

A fall home prep and maintenance plan

By Adriana Lopez, Porch.com

This time of the year represents the harvest — a time to acknowledge growth and expansion as a natural part of our wellbeing. Read on for a list of fall home maintenance tips that will help you get excited about the season.

Start indoors

The basics. Now is a good time to inspect things like your home’s plumbing, electrical wiring and panels. Ensure that all plumbing is properly insulated and that all outdoor faucets are covered and prepped for cooler weather. Look in the attic to confirm that the roof underlayment is intact and that you have adequate insulation to keep your home warm.

Heat. If you have a fireplace, fall is a perfect time to clean or sweep the chimney and have the fireplace inspected. Check your gas stove to ensure it’s working correctly, and ask for an HVAC system inspection to confirm that your heat is working correctly. It’s also an excellent time to change your air filter. If you have oil heating for your home, fill the tank.

Home appliances. Do a quick inspection of all major appliances. If anything is broken, get it repaired or replaced, particularly your refrigerator, oven, washing machine or dryer.

Declutter. Refresh your entire home by doing some thorough decluttering and organizing. Get rid of old electronics like unused cell phones, computers and small appliances. It’s also a good time to dispose of expired medications.

Go through your home office to get rid of outdated paperwork and shred old bills and documents. Fall is also a perfect time to declutter unworn clothing, shoes, bedding, towels and summer items.

Décor. Now is the time to bring out the autumn and winter décor to celebrate this exciting time of year. Anything that doesn’t work or no longer brings you joy can be donated, sold or recycled if possible.

Reorganize. This is a perfect time of year to reorganize and streamline the kitchen and pantry, your bathroom cabinets, and the shed or garage.

Separate items into things you want to sell, give away or throw in the trash. Clean out your pantry and throw out expired food. Organize dry goods and place them in clear canisters so you can find them easily.

Recycle. Look for any items in your home that can be recycled. You can also do some “upcycling” and repurpose items creatively. A simple coat of paint on an old chest or table can give it a brand-new look, for example. Old clothing can be sewn into quilts or pillows for a fun piece of fall décor.

Outdoor yard and patio

Fall is also a great time to do a bit of outdoor maintenance. Here are a few things you can add to your list to prepare for the season ahead:

Outdoor maintenance. Clean your gutters and remove dead leaves, twigs and debris. Check all the pipes going into and out of your home, such as the waterline, gas line and anything connected to your HVAC system. Look for signs of leaks, rust or damage so you can get these items repaired now before winter arrives. Test your outdoor equipment, like leaf blowers and lawnmowers, to ensure that everything is working properly.

Insulate pipes. While you should insulate your plumbing indoors, it’s also time to insulate and protect those outdoor exposed pipes too.

Check for leaks in windows and doors. Do a “draft test” to confirm that

there are no leaks in your doors and windows. Add new weatherstripping to keep all windows and doors properly sealed.

Inspect your roof. Look for possible signs of leaks in your roof and keep an eye out for missing shingles. Get all roof repairs done now before winter snow arrives.

Take care of your garden. Rake fallen leaves, cover any garden plants that need to be kept warm, and fertilize your plants so they will thrive through the season. Trim dead tree limbs. Make sure that all of your plants are properly trimmed, and cover them with burlap (if required).

Do a yard and garden sweep. Do a quick cleanup of the yard or garden and determine what you need to put away now and what you can put away later. Check on items

that still work, like your outdoor lighting, and confirm if anything needs repair.

Create a schedule for outdoor tasks. Work on creating a schedule for a few outdoor activities you’ll need to tackle this winter. Some items include checking gutters to prevent ice dams, and buying everything you may need, like snow boots, snow shovels and deicers.

Make another maintenance list. Your home isn’t the only thing that needs a little bit of fall maintenance. Make a quick list of other items to check on, like your car, shed or garage, and driveway and walkway. Repair any cracks you see now before winter arrives to prevent them from growing and getting worse.

Reprinted with permission of Porch.com.

Keys to finding the perfect place to retire

By Patricia Mertz Esswein

Three days after Cheryl Gremban retired in 2018, she and her husband Charlie, 67, who had retired 10 years before, sold their home near San Francisco and moved to Carlsbad, California, near San Diego.

The move wasn’t impulsive. Carlsbad had been on their radar screen for a few years. Like many retirees, the Grembans wanted to live closer to family. Of their three sons, the nearest one lived in San Jose, an hour away on a good-traffic day.

“We couldn’t really expect a lot of support if we needed it regularly,” said Cheryl, 65. Plus, San Jose’s higher home prices meant a higher property tax bill. Another son lived in New York, also an expensive place. The third lived near Carlsbad.

Online research revealed that Carlsbad was a sizable seaside city where homes were more affordable than in the Bay Area. When visiting family, the couple stayed an extra day to tour neighborhoods and houses.

A few months before Cheryl retired, the Grembans found a house. They sold their former home, which they bought for $468,000 in 1997, for $1.13 million. They paid $912,000 in cash for their new home and never looked back. “The way it all fell into place, it couldn’t be a mistake,” Cheryl said.

Who doesn’t dream of retiring to an idyllic place? That’s the ultimate prize, but it

A

only comes after a great deal of work and soul-searching.

You need to prioritize your needs and wants, identify and research prospective places, and spend time in them. Otherwise, you risk making a mistake that can be difficult and expensive to fix with another move.

Most retirees never move

In 2020, just 4.7% of 34.2 million households age 65 and older moved, according to U.S. Census data analyzed by the National Association of Realtors. Florida gained the most older newcomers, followed by Arizona and Texas.

The pace of retirement for Boomers accelerated beginning in 2020, according to the Pew Research Center. Many “pre” retirees are trying out new locations or have moved sooner than expected to the place where they will retire, partly because they can continue working remotely.

The majority of retirees, though, never move. Just over half of retirees stay in the same home they lived in during their early 50s, while nearly one-fifth move around the time of retirement, according to the Center for Retirement Research.

Aging in place becomes a default choice — but not necessarily the best one for many retirees who haven’t asked themselves what they want the next chapters of

their life to look like.

“The right place can elevate our wellbeing. It can help promote purpose, facilitate human connection, catalyze physical activity, support financial health, and inspire community engagement,” said Ryan Frederick, author of Right Place, Right Time: The Ultimate Guide to Choosing a Home for the Second Half of Life.

Frederick’s book explores how to identify the right region, neighborhood and type of housing. Try his Right Place, Right Time Assessment (free at smartliving360.com) to help you understand why you should consider moving — or not — based on five key requirements for successful aging: place, purpose, social connection, and physical and financial well-being.

Couples should take the assessment, compare the results with their partners, and use that as a starting point for discussion.

List your must-haves

Holly Mabery, a real estate agent in Sedona, Ariz., said each spouse or partner should ask themselves how they want to live and spend their time. Be realistic about recreational pursuits, given your age and health. Identify your top 10 priorities. Then choose the top five that you both agree on, and look for places that hit the mark.

“When you know what’s important, a place

either fits or not. If not, keep going, because there’s something else for you,” Mabery said.

Proximity matters. You should be close to everything you want to enjoy, such as outdoor activities, chain restaurants or fine dining, discount or high-end shopping, colleges and universities, museums or an airport if you intend to travel. Medical services should also be nearby with a way to access them if you cannot drive.

As you advance in age or decline in health, you may need to hire help in your home or move to a specialized community that offers assisted living or continuing care. Even if you don’t need assisted living or home help now, plan ahead by checking out what your options might be in the community where you plan to retire. You can search by location and type of care at medicare.gov/care-compare.

The 2020 edition of the Long-Term Services and Supports State Scorecard, by the AARP Public Policy Institute, ranks all 50 states based on affordability and access to long-term care services, among other measures. Despite Florida’s popularity with retirees, it ranks lowest among all states and the District of Columbia.

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Address

City

State

Zip

is the best place to begin your online research. The site lets you easily compare cities using different criteria, such as housing cost, climate, crime, religious practice, voting patterns and education level.

Try their quiz, “Where Is the Best Place for Me to Live?,” which will suggest five locales you may never have thought of. Bestplaces.net also has a cost-of-living calculator.

After identifying top prospects, check for-sale listings at realtor.com, zillow.com or local real estate agencies to get an idea of the age and style of housing available.

Start by visiting your short list of places, staying with family or friends, or renting an Airbnb or a vacation home. Make each visit count by creating a “love/hate” list about every aspect of the location.

When you think you’ve identified “the one,” try vacationing there a few times throughout the year. Or even better, rent a home and live in the community for six to 12 months.

If you plan to live there year-round, stay in the community during the off-season. Living there temporarily will give you a better handle on the price of food, gas and utilities, not to mention the cost of your fun.

You’ll get a better feel for a place by mingling with the locals. Realtor Mabery offers these tips: Go to grocery stores and hang out in the produce section, where you’re most likely to interact with people. Eat breakfast at restaurants where the locals hang out.

Look for restaurants with a large bar, where you can be seated for dinner and have the best conversations, or visit a brewery. Ask questions. Make a point of talking to other retirees who have already

moved there, and don’t forget the staff and volunteers at the local public library.

“They’re the second-best chamber of commerce you could imagine, with no sales pitch,” Mabery said.

When you’re ready, search realtor.com for a local real estate agent, preferably one who is a certified senior real estate specialist.

You want a neighborhood where you could make new friends and create a support network by joining a church, country club, recreational group or YMCA. A good agent will know what’s available to help you plug in to that community immediately.

Some financial reality checks

Consulting with your financial adviser before making any final decisions is a smart move, but no matter how you do it, get an accurate financial picture of where you want to live.

A high-tax state, for example, might be a deal breaker. Kiplinger's “State-by-State Guide to Taxes on Retirees” can give you an idea of what to expect. But everyone’s circumstances differ, so you’ll need to determine the financial impact of moving to a new location.

For example, pensions, Social Security and IRAs aren’t taxable in some states, like Illinois. (Maryland and Virginia fully tax IRAs and private pensions.) However, if you have a large estate or an expensive home, the calculus changes because some states have estate tax and high property taxes.

Retirees who move typically sell and buy a home, with the capital gains taxes often taking a bite out of that transaction.

[See “Understand taxes on selling your home,” on page B-15.]

Even if you own your current home outright, its entire sale price isn’t what you can spend for your next one. And your profit (after the home sale exclusion) in the year of the sale could increase your income, potentially pushing you into a higher tax bracket and raising your cost for Medicare.

Pay attention to potential costs from risks that aren’t readily obvious. A lower cost of living, and especially housing cost, may be a sign of a moribund economy. You could be challenged to sell the house or extract the equity you need from it to provide for care or to fund another move later.

Frederick suggests following the migrations of younger people to find places with dynamic economies.

Healthcare expenses in the new location also may surprise you. If you’re enrolled in Medicare, check the coverage and availability of providers in the new place, as that can affect your out-of-pocket costs. Search by ZIP code for healthcare providers and facilities at medicare.gov/care-compare, and check star ratings for quality of care.

The risk of higher costs is especially true of Medicare Advantage plans, which have regional provider networks.

A Medicare Advantage HMO plan or an HMO retiree health plan that is unavailable in the new location will still cover you, but because the providers are out of network, your out-of-pocket costs will be much higher. You may need to find a new Advantage plan or switch to traditional Medicare and get a medigap plan with Part D coverage in the new location.

Drive off into the sunset

The Grembans love their new home. The winters are warmer, and the summers cooler than in the East Bay. “The sun is beautiful,” Cheryl said.

Charlie rides his e-bike and enjoys local breweries, and Cheryl walks six miles a day. Their son has moved his family closer to them, and the couple babysits their grandkids after school twice a week. If their son and his family were to move away, Cheryl said they would still love where they live.

© 2022 The Kiplinger Washington Editors, Inc. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

New law saves more on green updates

By Rocky Mengle

If you’re planning a few home improvements that will boost the energy efficiency of your house, you may save some money on your projects now that the Inflation Reduction Act has been signed into law. One of the act’s main goals is to address climate change and slow down global warming.

The legislation extends and enhances two tax credits that reward “green” upgrades to your home. First, homeowners can cut their tax bill if they install new energy-efficient windows, doors, water heaters, furnaces, air conditioners and the like.

There are also new tax breaks for the purchase of electric vehicles and a revived tax break for installing EV recharging equipment at home.

Low- and moderate-income families may also qualify for rebates if they purchase energy-efficient appliances. With these changes, it’s a little easier going green for American homeowners.

For home energy improvements

One of the tax credits that homeowners may be familiar with — the Nonbusiness Energy Property Credit — actually expired at the end of 2021. However, the Inflation Reduction Act brings it back to life, improves it substantially, and even gives it a new name: the Energy Efficient Home

Improvement Credit.

Starting in 2023, the credit will be equal to 30% of the costs for all eligible home improvements made during the year. It will also be expanded to cover the cost of certain biomass stoves and boilers, electric panels and related equipment, and home energy audits.

In addition, the $500 lifetime limit will be replaced by a $1,200 annual limit on the credit amount (the lifetime limit on windows will go away, too). So, if you spread out your qualifying home projects, you can claim the maximum credit each year.

The annual limits for specific types of qualifying improvements will also be modified — and for the better. Beginning in 2023, they will be:

• $150 for home energy audits;

• $250 for an exterior door ($500 total for all exterior doors);

• $600 for exterior windows and skylights; central air conditioners; electric panels and certain related equipment; natural gas, propane or oil water heaters; natural gas, propane or oil furnaces or hot water boilers; and

• $2,000 for electric or natural gas heat pump water heaters, electric or natural gas heat pumps, and biomass stoves and boilers (for this one category, the $1,200 annual limit may be exceeded).

For eligible home improvements after 2024, no credit will be allowed unless the manufacturer of any purchased item creates a product identification number for the item, and the person claiming the credit includes the number on his or her tax return.

Finally, the revised credit will be extended through 2032.

For electricity and heat

The second credit homeowners are eying is the current Residential Energy Efficient Property Credit, which also gets a new name under the Inflation Reduction Act. It’s now called the Residential Clean Energy Credit. The credit, which was previously scheduled to expire in 2024, is extended through 2034 as well.

In addition to a name change and extension, the Inflation Reduction Act also boosts the credit amount. Previously, the credit was worth 26% of the cost to install qualifying systems that use solar, wind, geothermal, biomass or fuel cell power to produce electricity, heat water or regulate the temperature in your home. (The credit for fuel cell equipment is limited to $500 for each one-half kilowatt of capacity.)

Under the Inflation Reduction Act, the credit amount jumps to 30% from 2022 to 2032. It then falls to 26% for 2033 and 22% for 2034. The credit will then expire after 2034.

The scope of the credit is adjusted under the Inflation Reduction Act, too. Starting in 2023, it no longer applies to biomass furnaces and water heaters, but it will apply to battery storage technology with a capacity of at least three kilowatt hours.

Electric vehicle credits

The tax credit for purchasing an electric vehicle was also revamped by the Inflation Reduction Act. However, a related tax credit that may interest certain homeowners was also impacted by the legislation.

The Alternative Fuel Refueling Property Credit expired at the end of 2021, but the Inflation Reduction Act gave it life again by extending its application through 2032. For homeowners, the credit is worth 30% of the costs of “qualified alternative fuel vehicle refueling property” installed in the home, up to $1,000.

For most homeowners, the “qualified alternative fuel vehicle refueling property” they might purchase is equipment used to recharge an electric vehicle.

The Inflation Reduction Act also clarifies that the credit applies to the purchase of “bidirectional” charging equipment, which can charge the battery of an electric vehicle and allow you to discharge electricity

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Understand taxes on selling your home

By Liz Weston

If your home’s value has soared, congratulations. If you decide to sell, beware.

Financial advisor James Guarino said some clients don’t realize that home sale profits are potentially taxable until their returns are prepared — and by that time, they may have spent the windfall or invested the money in another house.

“They’re not happy campers when they find out that Uncle Sam not only is going to tax this as a capital gain, but they’re also going to have some exposure at the state level,” said Guarino, a certified public accountant and certified financial planner.

Longtime homeowners who took advantage of previous tax rules, which allowed people to roll the gains from one home into the next, could be in for a particularly nasty surprise. Those old rules could trigger taxes even if you’re under the current $250,000-per-person exemption limits.

Understanding how home sale profits are calculated — and how you can legally reduce your tax bill — could save you money and stress if you’re planning to sell your home.

How tax rules have changed

Until 1997, home sellers didn’t have to pay taxes on their profits if they bought another home of equal or greater value with-

in two years. In addition, people 55 and older could use a one-time exclusion to avoid paying taxes on up to $125,000 of home sale profits.

The Taxpayer Relief Act of 1997 changed the rules so that instead of rolling profits into another home, homeowners could exclude up to $250,000 of home sale profits from their income. To qualify for the full exclusion, home sellers must have owned and lived in the home at least two of the five years prior to the sale. Married couples could shelter up to $500,000.

Those exclusion limits haven’t changed in 25 years, while home values have nearly tripled. The median home sale price when the law passed was $145,800, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. The median was $428,700 in the first three months of this year. Median means half of homes sold for less and half for more.

Having a taxable gain on a home sale used to be relatively rare outside of highend properties and high-cost cities, but that’s no longer true, financial advisors say.

Why your tax basis matters

Your first step in determining your gain is to identify the amount you realized from the sale. That’s the sales price minus any selling costs, such as real estate commissions.

Then figure your tax basis. That’s gen-

erally the price you paid for the home, plus certain closing costs and improvements. The higher the basis, the lower your potentially taxable profit.

Let’s say you realized $600,000 from your home sale. You originally bought it for $200,000 and remodeled the kitchen for $50,000. You’d subtract that $250,000 from the $600,000 to get $350,000 in capital gains.

If you’re single, you could exclude $250,000 of the gain and pay tax on the remaining $100,000. (Long-term capital gains are normally taxed at 15% on the federal level, although a big enough profit could push you into the higher 20% capital gains bracket. State tax rates vary.) If you’re married and can exclude up to

$500,000 of gain, you wouldn’t owe any tax.

However, your tax basis might be lower than the purchase price if you previously deferred gain on a home sale, said CPA Mary Kay Foss. Say you sold a house before 1997 and rolled a $175,000 profit into the new house — the one that cost you $200,000. The initial tax basis of your home would be just $25,000. Now if you realize $600,000 from the sale, your capital gain would be $525,000, even with the $50,000 kitchen remodel.

On the other hand, some factors could increase your tax basis and lower your potentially taxable gains. If you owned a home with a spouse who died, for exam-

Green updates

From page B-14

from

Rebates for

program, which was added by the Inflation Reduction Act, will provide rebates to lowand middle-income families who purchase energy-efficient electric appliances.

• $840 for a stove, cooktop, range, oven, or heat pump clothes dryer;

• $1,750 for a heat pump water heater; and

• $8,000 for a heat pump for space heating or cooling.

Although

High-Efficiency

To qualify for a rebate, your family’s total annual income must be less than 150% of the median income where you live.

Qualifying homeowners can get rebates as high as:

SAVING AND INVESTING BASICS

Join the Montgomery County Public Library for a free virtual presentation about the important elements of saving and investing for your financial future. Suzanne McGovern, Senior Advisor with the Office of Investor Education and Advocacy of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, will discuss investment products, diversification, asset allocation and ways to protect your investments. The free class takes place on Thu., Oct 20 from 1 to 2 p.m. on

Rebates for non-appliance upgrades will also be available up to the following amounts:

• $1,600 for insulation, air sealing, and ventilation;

• $2,500 for electric wiring; and

• $4,000 for an electric load service center upgrade.

There are limits on the amount certain families can get, though. For instance, a

Reduce tax

From page B-15

ple, at least half of the house’s basis would be “stepped up,” or increased to its market value at the time your partner died. If you live in a community property state such as California, both halves of the home get this step up in tax basis.

How to reduce your gains

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Another way to beef up your basis: home improvements. To qualify, the improvements must “add to the value of your home, prolong its useful life, or adapt it to new uses,” according to IRS Publication 523, “Selling Your Home.”

rebate can’t exceed 50% of the cost of a qualified electrification project if the family’s annual income is between 80% and 150% of the area median income. Each qualifying family will also be limited to no more than $14,000 in total rebates under the program.

The $4.5 billion to be allocated for rebates will be distributed to families through state and tribal governments that establish their own qualifying programs. The funds will be available through September 30, 2031.

© 2022 The Kiplinger Washington Editors, Inc. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Room additions, updated kitchens and new plumbing count; repairs or maintenance, such as painting, typically don’t. You also can’t count improvements that were later replaced.

Home sellers should carefully review Publication 523 to understand what costs can reduce their gains, and should keep documentation — such as receipts — in case they’re audited, said Susan Allen, senior manager for tax practice and ethics for the American Institute of CPAs.

“Be proactive with your record maintenance because we all know if you go back 10 years later and look for something, it’s a lot harder to find,” Allen said.

AP/NerdWallet

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I’m retired. Should I pay off my mortgage?

By Evan T. Beach

If you’ve ever tuned in to The Ramsey Show on the radio, you know Dave Ramsey likes to talk about the best ways to pay down debt and why it’s imperative to be debt-free.

Then you may come across Ric Edelman, the founder of one of the largest personal finance companies in the country. His advice is just the opposite of Ramsey’s: You should stretch out a big mortgage for as long as possible, he maintains.

I’m guessing this leaves you a bit confused. The truth is that personal finance is just that: personal. The right answer for you won’t come from someone speaking to a million people and giving one answer.

If you have the money necessary to pay off your mortgage and you are retired, or nearly retired, this article will allow you to place yourself in one of three groups, to get closer to the right answer for you. Here are three scenarios that may apply to you:

1. You have the money in cash because you are scared of the market.

Should you pay your mortgage off? Yes. In this case you should pay it off.

Why? There is a term we use in this profession: arbitrage. Applied in this context,

you have negative arbitrage. The bank is paying you 0.25% on your savings account (if you’re lucky) and charging you 3.75% on your mortgage. So, you are losing 3.5% every year you hang on to that loan. This is oversimplifying, of course, but you get the idea.

What’s the downside? First and foremost, you are losing liquidity. When you pay off a mortgage, you are essentially putting money into a piggy bank that you can’t get back out unless you sell the home or tap the equity.

Second is the tax consideration. Paying off your mortgage may mean that you fall below the standard deduction threshold because you don’t have the mortgage interest to write off. This could raise your effective tax rate, but likely not significantly.

Last, but especially relevant today, holding a loan is an inflation hedge. Because your principal and interest payment stay flat in a fixed-rate loan, your housing expense is likely to inflate much more slowly than CPI-W.

2. You have the money in a brokerage/taxable account.

Should you pay your mortgage off? Probably not. Why? Same idea as above, but reversed. You now (historically) have positive arbitrage.

From 1991 to 2020, the S&P 500 returned 10.72% on average, annually. Every investment exam, class and disclosure will tell you that past performance is not indicative of future results. However, in that example, you would have lost (10.72%3.5%) 7.22% per year [if you paid off your mortgage with formerly invested funds].

There is also a tax consideration if the investment you hold has an unrealized gain. Depending on your taxable income and the size of the gain, you are likely to pay 15% or more of that gain to the Treasury before you pay off that loan.

What’s the downside? Stocks can always swing the other way. Historically, stocks go up about three-quarters of the time. In order for you to make money by earning more than the interest rate on the loan, you have to be in that 75%.

Picture a scenario, like now, when you were planning on making 10% in the brokerage account and paying 3.5% interest. Instead, you lost 20% in your brokerage account and paid 3.5% interest. You would have been better off paying off the loan before the drop.

Unfortunately, no one has a crystal ball. My feeling is that you have to bet the odds that the market usually goes up, and it usually goes up by more than the cur-

rent mortgage rates.

3. You have the money in a retirement account.

Should you pay your mortgage off? No. You shouldn’t pay it off in this case.

Why? I get this question all the time, but no one has ever asked me that after they actually cashed out a retirement account to pay off their mortgage. My guess is that the accompanying tax bill confirmed it was a bad decision.

In Scenario 2 above, it’s mostly an investment decision with a tax consideration. This answer is mostly tax-based.

When you pull funds from a pre-tax retirement account, those amounts are included in your taxable income and taxed at ordinary income rates. Therefore, if you take a large withdrawal, your tax bracket will jump, and you will see a significantly smaller amount come into your bank account before you pay off your loan.

What’s the downside? Cost. There is comfort in living debt-free in retirement. Having a lower housing expense provides you more flexibility in your discretionary spending. But, in this case, is it worth the cost?

Neither Dave Ramsey nor Ric Edelman is wrong. They just give different reasons for

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Budgeting for your next home renovation

By Family Features

When you decide to renovate your home — whether to sell or make improvements for you and your family to enjoy — setting a budget can be a challenge. Knowing what you want to accomplish may be the easy part, but avoiding the bad advice out there and determining what you can actually afford takes research and detailed planning.

Consider these tips from contractors who are members of the National Association of the Remodeling Industry (NARI) to help build an appropriate remodeling budget.

Identify your project and budget

Start by creating a list of everything you would like to include in your renovation, then separate your list into wants and needs. From there, determine a proposed budget for the project based on how much you’re comfortable spending and your home’s value.

BEACON BITS

Ongoing

“Get your bids after you know what the project is,” said Michael Anschel, principal of OA Design+Build+Architecture in Minneapolis.

Meet with remodelers

Set up a meeting with a local remodeling company and share your proposed scope of work and budget to see if it’s feasible. An experienced, professional remodeler who is a member of an organization like NARI can share feedback on the costs in your area and any challenges involved with your project based on experiences with homes like yours.

Once you have a better understanding of the true scope of the project, meet with other contractors to gather a few estimates to compare.

“Are you hiring an installer or are you hiring an expert guide?” asked Barak

Steenlage, co-owner of Anchor Builders. “The difference is worth the investment.”

Beware of low estimates

When evaluating companies for your project, remember estimates you may find online don’t typically account for regional variations, the cost of various types of labor and necessary permits.

“Cost estimates you find may be national averages that are lower than the costs in your city,” said Bjorn Freudenthal, homeowner advisor at New Spaces.

“Also, they may only account for the cost of the replacement materials, not other costs like changing the floor plan or updating electrical, plumbing and HVAC systems. They might also be missing the costs of removal of hazardous materials like asbestos and lead paint.”

The COVID-19 pandemic has also caused some materials to rise in cost, so it’s important to account for these increases.

“Bad contractor stories come from people cutting corners and hiring unqualified people,” Anschel said. “When you’re paying bottom of the barrel, there’s no bandwidth for the contractor to solve problems.”

Mortgage

From page B-17

their advice.

Ramsey uses mostly behavioral reasoning. Essentially, he believes that people are not going to use discretionary income beyond their 30-year mortgage payment to invest, but rather to buy things they don’t need.

Edelman’s reasoning is purely mathematical. He does not hypothesize about what people will do with excess income, but points out that if you can earn more in an investment account than what you pay

Ensure you get proper permits

Not all projects require permits, but it is important to determine if your project requires one from your city or county. Make sure you (or your contractor) obtain one, if necessary, to ensure the safety of the work and its compliance with building, construction and zoning codes.

“If a homeowner or contractor doesn’t pull permits and something goes wrong, the homeowner is liable to fix the problem,” Anschel said. “This additional cost could be a large percentage of the original job, and maybe more.”

Understand your timeline

The purpose of your renovation can impact the long-term value of the project. Making updates to prepare your home to sell, for example, is a more immediate cost than updating a space you will spend time in for years to come.

“When the homeowner is looking to stay seven to 10 years or more, it impacts lifetime value because you can spread the cost out over a longer period of time,” Steenlage said.

Find more tips for your next remodeling project, and member contractors in your area, at RemodelingDoneRight.com.

in mortgage interest, you come out on top.

The challenge for all of these talking heads is that they don’t know to whom they’re speaking. Everyone has a money script. If your parents lived through the Depression and drilled lessons into you about the evils of borrowing money, you probably don’t care about the math behind my reasoning.

Here’s the good news: I’ve yet to find someone who regrets not having a mortgage in retirement.

© 2022 The Kiplinger Washington Editors, Inc. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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How to take advantage of a down market

By T. Eric Reich

Nobody likes a down stock market — or do they?

Almost every conversation I have had with clients this year included some amount of fear over where the markets are and where they are headed. The concerns range from losing a few more percentage points (possible) to losing 100% of their money (absurd).

If an investor in a moderate portfolio lost all their money because the stock market went to zero, you would have much bigger things to worry about than your money. There wouldn’t be anything to buy with it anyway.

You’d need to learn farming skills ASAP, because there would be no more stores to buy anything from. The world would have, for all intents and purposes, ended. So clearly this is not a rational fear.

On the other hand, could the market drop to a level we saw before the July/August rally? Sure it could. It could even go a bit lower.

The issue isn’t that the market could go lower at any given point; the issue is, what will it ultimately do? The answer to that question in the past has always been that it moved higher — eventually.

Markets go both up and down, but they have always trended higher. This time and the next 10 after it will ultimately be no different, regardless of the reason they go down.

Statistics offer reassurance

Since 1950, we have seen 11 bear markets (defined as a drop of at least 20% from its most recent high). The average duration of those bear markets was 13 months, and the average drop in the markets was 33%.

By comparison, during that same time period, bull markets have lasted 67 months on average and experienced a total return of +265% (source: Capital Group).

If we know that the bull markets have lasted on average five times longer than

bear markets, and the returns have been eight times greater, then why are we afraid of down markets?

For starters, I think we fear them more because we see them less often. Secondly, bad news gets a lot more coverage than good news.

Investors’ best options

So, what is an investor to do? Here are your choices:

1. Sell. History tells us this is a bad idea when markets are down. Unless you need the money to live on, selling investments when the markets as a whole are down is simply not a good idea, regardless of your level of fear.

2. Ride it out. After the five biggest market declines since 1929, the average annual return for the five years following those major events was +23.1% per year (according to Capital Group). And only two years out of those 25 saw another negative year during those time periods.

3. Buy. You’ve all heard the phrase buy low/sell high, right? Then why are investors so reluctant to do it? If markets are on sale, then go buy them just like you would any other item you need to purchase. Better to buy something on sale than to pay full price for it.

When markets go down — which we know they will because it is a normal function — then look to history to help calm those fears.

A great place to start is to re-evaluate your risk relative to your goals. Most times, if the goal hasn’t changed, then the investments shouldn’t either.

This is for general information only and is not intended to provide specific investment advice or recommendations for any individual. Consult your financial professional, attorney or tax advisor with regard to your individual situation.

© 2022 The Kiplinger Washington Editors, Inc. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Five ways to feel rich (even if you aren’t)

By Kimberly Palmer

In some ways, feeling “rich” is less about how many zeroes you have in your bank account and more about knowing how to use them to get what you want out of life.

For author and certified financial planner Tom Corley, feeling rich comes from having an Irish pub-style structure in his back yard in New Jersey that allows him to invite friends over for outdoor drinks.

For Liz Gendreau, founder of the website Chief Mom Officer, that feeling comes from taking advantage of free, fun activities, like visiting local state parks in her home state of Connecticut.

And financial counselor Andi Wrenn in Raleigh, North Carolina, finds that feeling when she climbs into her RV and goes for a road trip.

“Richness comes from having small, tangible financial goals that you’re working toward,” said Megan McCoy, assistant professor of personal financial planning at Kansas State University. Those goals could be paying off student loan debt, buying a house, or something unique, like Corley’s pub.

We asked financial experts to share their tips for how to feel richer today, given

the current levels of financial uncertainty and stress. Here are their top suggestions:

Reflect on what you value

Gendreau knows that cars aren’t important to her, but family time is. So instead of spending money on a new car, she puts her money into family activities. She stretches her budget on those by taking advantage of free museum passes, local libraries and free state parks.

“It’s all about finding fun things to do that don’t really cost much money but bring a lot of joy and happiness,” she said. Indulging in those kinds of adventures gives her that feeling of being rich, even though they aren’t costly.

Corley, author of the book Rich Habits, calls that strategy “value-based spending.” He encourages people to think about what’s really important to them, such as travel or spending time with friends and family, and to focus on directing money toward those areas, instead of material goods that might not provide as much joy.

Pick healthy role models

That joy-focused approach can also help

with feelings of financial envy. “If you don’t have value-based spending, then you can fall victim to comparing yourself to others and lifestyle creep,” which is when spending grows along with income, Corley warned.

McCoy said that when we constantly compare ourselves with richer neighbors, it’s easy to be dissatisfied.

“We need healthy comparisons. Is there someone else you could compare yourself to, such as your past self, or your aunt who worked so hard and got the retirement of her dreams?”

Gendreau suggests hiding posts on social media from people who inspire feelings of jealousy — or putting your own spin on them.

“If I see something that looks like a lot of fun at a fancy place that’s outside my budget, I might think, ‘Can I do something similar at a lower price point? Do I need to go to a fancy beach place or can I go to a closer place?’ I don’t need to go to the Caribbean to have fun on the beach.”

Cultivate resilience with savings

“You are going to make mistakes,” said Heath Carelock, a financial counselor and

coach in Prince George’s County, Maryland. To move past them, he said, it’s important to forgive yourself and to build up a financial cushion.

When he was starting out in the working world, he gave himself what he called the “1-2-3-4-5” challenge: He saved $123.45 out of every paycheck.

“Watching your money accumulate is a major way to double down on resilience,” Carelock said.

Then, if you face a sudden unexpected expense, you have a financial cushion to protect yourself, which evokes a feeling of “richness” or comfort.

“People are a lot more relaxed if they have emergency savings so they know they can pay off whatever bills they need to every month,” Wrenn said. She said that even having one or two months’ worth of expenses can provide that elusive feeling of financial well-being.

Create a budget and pay off debt

Use a budget to track your spending, especially given current inflation levels.

Steps to take after a loved one passes

By T. Eric Reich

The death of a loved one is obviously a difficult event to endure. It can become allconsuming, often at the expense of other day-to-day matters that need to be addressed.

With the death of a loved one, there are so many phone calls that need to be made and letters that need to be sent. Unfortunately, sometimes we simply get overwhelmed with everything that needs to get handled, and we just stop altogether.

However, it is vital to handle these matters today and not put them off until some date in the future, which usually never comes until it becomes an even bigger problem.

What spouses often forget

When a spouse passes and leaves their assets to the surviving spouse, an all too frequent scenario I see can cause big problems. The mistake many people make is that the surviving spouse often leaves the assets they inherited in their joint names or in their deceased spouse’s name.

As time passes, the surviving spouse’s health may begin to decline as well — I’m not sure if it’s the grief, the new “routine” in their life, or simply a broken heart.

Regardless, many times that spouse only survives a few years after their deceased spouse. When that happens, and

the original spouse’s assets were not retitled, it can become an even more difficult process for the heirs.

A checklist of things to do

Here is a list, in no particular order, of what needs to be done after someone passes to help you during this difficult time:

Contact the funeral home and make arrangements. Don’t forget to consider veterans arrangements, if applicable. Ask them to help you get additional copies of the death certificate. You almost always need more copies than you think. On average, six to 10 copies are needed.

Call your attorney. There are many legal matters that may need to be addressed, and your attorney can tell you which ones apply to you.

Contact Social Security. Your Social Security benefits may change after a spouse’s passing, so you’ll need to notify them as soon as possible.

Review/cancel their health insurance. If your insurance is provided by a former employer, you will need to contact them.

Contact your spouse’s pension company. Depending on the pension plan option originally selected by your spouse, you may be eligible to receive benefit payments.

Notify the life insurance company and file a claim. This is typically a very

easy process, so don’t put this one off for later. The sooner you get the funds the better to help you with all of the expenses.

If your spouse was a veteran, contact the Department of Veterans Affairs. Checking with the VA will help you see if there are any benefits payable to you.

Notify all your financial institutions. This includes banks (change account names), credit cards (remove spouse or close accounts), mortgage companies, insurance companies and all other important bills (change into your name only).

Contact your CPA. You will want to discuss all of the issues unique to the particular tax year. This is a great time to retain a CPA if you’ve been doing it yourself. Now is not the time to go it alone.

Contact your financial adviser. You will need to change account titles, file beneficiary paperwork for IRAs, 401k(s), etc.

Retitle any assets. Any assets (real estate, cars, etc.) in your spouse’s name should be retitled to your own name. For cars, you will need to go to your local Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) with a copy of the death certificate and the title. To transfer real estate, it depends on how the title was held.

Prepare and probate the estate. In New Jersey, for example, if the estate doesn’t qualify for simplified procedures, then the assets have to go through probate, which is handled by a court. The named executor will need to go to the surrogate’s court to request to be formally appointed.

If no one was named in the will or the person named isn’t able/willing to serve, the court will appoint an “administrator.” The executor/administrator then has to handle the estate assets, any debts/taxes and distributing property. Your CPA or attorney can often help with this whole process.

Update your own estate plan. If your

spouse was your beneficiary, then you’ll need to update all of your accounts, insurance policies, estate documents, etc., in order to reflect your new beneficiaries.

A few things NOT to do

Just as important as all of these items are, it’s equally important to understand the things that you shouldn’t do.

Don’t make big decisions that you are not required to make. You don’t need to decide to keep or sell the house and move away right now. You need time to adjust to your new situation, and snap decisions could be regrettable if they’re made without a “clear head.”

Don’t make major purchases. This is a time when I often see people spend more money than normal. Sometimes it’s due to a lack of focus on finances, and sometimes it is due to wanting to “live for today.” Either way, now is the time to focus on your finances and not let them get away from you.

Don’t be quick to give away money or “stuff.” Often, I see clients giving away larger gifts to children after a spouse passes, including their own or the deceased spouse’s possessions.

First, you need to fully understand your new financial situation before you can adequately assess whether these gifts make sense. Giving away a spouse’s possessions needs to be well thought out.

If not, family rifts can occur, because your spouse may have had conversations with children regarding certain possessions that you might not be aware of.

It’s important to have a checklist to follow during this difficult time in order to keep a bad situation from becoming worse.

© 2022 The Kiplinger Washington Editors, Inc. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

New rules improve college-savings plans

By Shane W. Cummings

Did you know that Americans owe nearly $1.75 trillion in student loan debt? This staggering number is spread out among 48 million borrowers.

But as a grandparent, you can help your children and grandchildren mitigate this by contributing to a 529 plan. A 529 plan is a tax-advantaged savings plan designed to encourage saving for future education costs.

According to a recent survey by the College Savings Plans Network, the average 529 plan balance as of the end of last year was $30,652. But is that an adequate amount?

Feel rich

From

“If you don’t track where your money is going, you will feel financially insecure because you’re worried all the time about, ‘Where is my money going?’” Gendreau said.

Debt can prevent people from pursuing their dreams, Carelock said, because instead of putting money toward starting a new business or taking a vacation, you have to make debt payments. “If it’s not a dream killer, it’s a dream delayer,” he said.

Using an online calculator to make a

Most student tuition and housing costs are going to run much higher than that for four years of college ($43,755+/year for a private school and $11,631+/year for state colleges), so many students will need to rely on a combination of savings and financial aid to pay for some or all of those costs.

If you are looking to save money for your grandchildren’s education without hurting their aid eligibility, some recent changes in 529 plans are going to make that easier.

Simplified application process

Good news: The government is working

to streamline the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) application process, as part of a bill that was signed into law in December 2021. We can expect to see a new streamlined FAFSA form sometime this month. Some changes went into effect for the 2021-22 award year, while other changes won’t be completely implemented until the 2024-25 award year.

529 will not affect financial aid

In the near term, there’s a welcome change that grandparents can begin taking advantage of for financial planning purposes.

Under the old FAFSA rules, students were required to report distributions from grandparent-owned 529 savings plans as

untaxed student income, which had the potential of reducing a student’s aid eligibility by up to half of the distributed amount from the college savings plan.

Fortunately, with the FAFSA simplification come new rules regarding how grandparent 529 assets are treated. The new rules, effective for the 2023-2024 school year, will no longer count distributions from grandparent-owned 529 college savings plans as untaxed student income, and they will not have a detrimental impact on aid eligibility.

But grandparents can take advantage of the new 529 rules now. Why? The FAFSA looks back at the prior two years of a

plan to pay off your debt can help.

Celebrate your progress

When McCoy finally paid off six figures of student loan debt, she celebrated the first withdrawal-free paycheck. But she said she would have felt even better if she had celebrated her progress along the way instead.

“I had just one moment of happiness that quickly dwindled. If I could do it over, I would celebrate every $10,000 I paid off —then I could have celebrated 10 times.”

AP/NerdWallet

How to pick good trustees and executors

By Richard M. Ricciardi Jr. In preparing estate-planning documents,

their trustees, powers of attorney, healthcare surrogates and executors.

Here are some practical tips to help guide you:

1. Give preference to those who have the most time to devote and live nearby.

Lots of my clients have very accomplished children who are successful business owners, professionals or leaders in their trade or occupation.

However, the most successful people might not always be the best choice to carry out your wishes since these individuals sometimes run tighter schedules and have less time to devote to helping you with your affairs than others.

In addition, maybe certain children have more kids and other obligations than others. This is important to take into account.

Additionally, give preference to people who are closer in proximity to you. It is certainly easier for those close by in terms of

serving as your power of attorney and healthcare surrogate. However, being nearby can matter less for trustees and executors.

2. Do not make arbitrary designations.

Another mistake I see a lot is selecting an individual based on arbitrary characteristics, for example, when someone appoints a particular child just because they are the oldest. Perhaps there is one son or daughter, and they appoint that person based on gender.

Selecting an agent is very important. There are a lot of factors to consider, but you should not select individuals based on such arbitrary factors.

3. Avoid naming multiple agents, when possible.

A lot of my clients want to make sure none of their children feels left out, so they want to appoint all their children to every position possible. This, more often than not, leads to deadlock or discord once decisive action is necessary.

For example, I had a client who recently came back to me to change his documents after he had appointed his three children as co-agents and trustees. He realized that such action would lead to great disagreement among them, and as a result, timely action would be difficult. Selecting three “Type A” personalities made it hard for them to agree, as each of them wanted to lead.

Therefore, avoid multiple agents when you can, unless you are sure everything will run smoothly.

4. Pick the best agent for today.

I counsel a fair number of younger clients and clients without children. They always have the most difficulty because the answer as to who will be their agent is certainly not as obvious and can be more complex.

If you are appointing an agent who is older, maybe that person dies or becomes incapable of acting when you need them. If you appoint a friend, maybe that person isn’t a friend in the future.

I always tell my clients to appoint the best person for today. You can always make changes to agents, trustees and executors in easy fashion.

5. Consider a professional trustee or fiduciary under certain circumstances.

In some situations, appointing a professional or institution as a trustee is the best route to take. If you have one beneficiary whose share of your estate has to be held in trust so they are not getting their inheritance all at once, you should consider the above. Otherwise, discretionary distributions may be left up to family members, and that could create an adversarial relationship between them that might have not previously existed.

Also, if you have substantial wealth or generational trusts, professionals and institutions are better suited to deal with those issues and manage those types of complex trusts for the beneficiaries. I un-

one of the biggest challenges that people encounter is deciding who to appoint as

Savings for college

From page 29

student’s income tax returns.

If you want to retain control over your college savings for one or more grandchildren, you can now do so without having to worry about it hurting their financial aid eligibility. And you can say goodbye to the complexities of planning distributions in future calendar years to avoid potential problems.

Make five years of gifts at once

Another advantage of 529 plans that many people aren’t aware of is that they allow a contributor to “superfund” five years’ worth of tax-free gifts into a single calendar year for a beneficiary.

Normally, you can gift $16,000 per year using the annual gift tax exclusion amount. With a 529 you can gift $80,000 in one year (or $160,000 if married filing jointly) and still avoid gift taxes. You can

Five tips

From page 30

derstand fees for these services can be substantial, but they are worth it under certain circumstances.

The estate planning vehicles themselves are important to have. However, the documents and plan are only as good as the agents you appoint. The agents are the

only do this every five years, but this strategy does offer some great planning opportunities.

An added benefit for wealthy families is that 529s can remove assets from your estate while allowing you to retain control over them. A 529 savings plan is a great vehicle for accelerating savings and maintaining tax efficiency.

529 college savings plans continue to be popular vehicles for college savings. Growth and earnings of assets in these plans are tax-free as long as future cash distributions are used for qualified educational purposes, including such things as tuition, textbooks and computers.

With the new FAFSA changes, it’s a great opportunity for grandparents to revisit their savings plan.

This information does not constitute any legal, tax or accounting advice.

© 2022 The Kiplinger Washington Editors, Inc. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

real drivers of whether or not a plan is successful. Therefore, making the right choice is essential.

Use the tips above to help guide you, and certainly speak to a professional estate planning attorney and get their opinion on your specific situation as well.

© 2022 The Kiplinger Washington Editors, Inc. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

AND ADVANCING YOUR FUTURE.

With sophisticated regulatory controls and targeted financial education programs, the Department of Insurance, Securities and Banking (DISB) has DC covered. From students to business owners to our most vulnerable residents, DISB is committed to providing you with the tools you need for every stage of your financial journey. Learn more at DISB.dc.gov.

EMPOWERING

PROTECTING

Looking to return to work?

Take heart! Although the pandemic — and ageism — forced many people to leave the workforce, workers 55 and older are now returning. The Bureau of Labor Statistics data shows the number of older employees who are working at least 35 hours a week is near the highest since 1986. Talent shortages in industries like healthcare and information technology offer opportunities.

These programs supported by AgeFriendly Montgomery can help prepare older workers to meet those needs:

For 49 years, JCA® — the Jewish Council for the Aging® — has been enabling older jobseekers to find the jobs they need and want. With support from Montgomery County Aging & Disability Services, JCA offers 50+ Virtual Employment Expos to connect workers with age-friendly employers, as well as offering The Career Gateway! -- a five-day job search skills training program to assist 50+ job seekers update their resumes, improve interviewing and networking skills, and develop job search plans.

JCA also offers on-the-job training with the Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP) — a minimum-wage-stipend training program for qualified, unemployed lowincome county residents. JCA programs are open to people of all faiths and from all walks of life.

The career advisors at WorkSource Montgomery work one-on-one with jobseekers.

Staff at its American Job Centers have a deep understanding of local industry demands. They can identify a wide range of resources for you, including workshops, job postings, computer access and job counseling.

Check out WSM’s monthly calendar of events here: https:// worksourcemontgomery.com/ calendar. See the 50+ Resource Link at bit.ly/MoCoWorksource to find a handy directory for 50+ workforce assistance in Montgomery County.

The Workforce Development and Continuing Education Programs of Montgomery College not only assist those reentering the workforce, but also those seeking to maintain or enhance their technical skills. Courses include information technology, small business management, real estate, certification and licensure preparation, and health sciences. For more information, call 240-567-5188.

All of these programs are important because finding a job can be a challenge. While the economy is recovering from the pandemic, complete recovery won’t be speedy. That makes this is an especially good time to hone your skills and prepare for the world ahead. Check out the listed resources — they can help!

Ready to Help

At JCA, www.AccessJCA.org

50+ Employment Expos: 301-255-4209, www.accessjca.org/employment-expos

Career Gateway and Career Tech courses: 301-255-4215, www.accessjca.org/ career-gateway

The Senior Community Service

Employment Program for low-income jobseekers: 301-255-4249 or email cnestoriak@accessjca.org

At WorkSource Montgomery, www.worksourcemontgomery.com

The American Job Center

11510 Georgia Avenue, Wheaton 301-929-6880

Facebook: www.facebook.com/ WorkSourceMontgomery

50+ Resource Link – for a directory of workforce assistance

– bit.ly/MoCoWorksource

General resources for 50+ jobseekers: Cynthia Grissom, 202-770-0686, cgrissom@worksourcemontgomery.com

At Montgomery College, visit bit.ly/MoCollegeWorkforce

How to avoid back and neck pain at work

By Jill Henderzahs-Mason

Dear Mayo Clinic: My work requires me to be on a computer much of the day, and over the past few months, I’ve noticed more frequent headaches, and pain in my lower back and neck.

Could my workspace be responsible? If so, how can I fix it?

A: Sitting and working at a desk — perhaps a makeshift one at home — is one of the most common causes of this type of pain.

First take notice of your computer or workstation. Often, I find that people try to accommodate to the technology rather than the other way around.

For instance, many people strain to see a computer monitor that is too far away, too low, too high, too small or too dim. This compromises good posture.

When your neck is bent to 45 degrees, your head exerts nearly 50 pounds of force on your neck. In addition to straining joints and muscles in your neck and shoulders, the pressure affects your breathing and mood.

To alleviate this stress, redesign your workspace to encourage well-aligned posture.

Start by answering these questions:

Is your monitor positioned so you can see it well without straining?

Consider these tips:

• Raise or lower the monitor or your chair so your eyes are level with the top of the screen. If you wear bifocals, you may need to lower the monitor another 1 to 2 inches.

• Move the monitor closer or farther away so you can easily read the screen.

• Increase the font size you use.

• If using a laptop, link to a larger monitor.

Are your mouse and keyboard positioned so you don’t have to reach up to use them?

Lower your desk height or raise your chair so your forearms are parallel to the floor or pointed slightly downward and your wrists are not pointing either upward or downward.

Do you keep frequently used tools within close range to minimize reaching?

Consider these tips:

• Keep your mouse nearby, and regularly change it from one side of your body to the other.

• Use a headset if you talk on the phone frequently.

• Find shortcut keys you can use while typing.

• Use a document holder so you don’t have to look down frequently.

Does your chair allow you to maintain the normal curves in your spine, such as the curve in your low back?

Raise your chair so you’re not sitting straight up at a 90-degree angle, but rather with an angle of 115 to 120 degrees between the torso and thighs.

When you’re seated, do your feet touch the ground?

Consider using a stool if you’ve elevated your chair and your feet no longer reach the ground. Also, maintain a couple of inches between the back of your knees and the chair.

If your chair has armrests, do they allow your shoulders to relax?

Consider lowering or getting rid of the armrests so your neck and shoulders can relax downward.

Check your posture

Have someone take a picture of you at your workstation and check to see if you are in a well-aligned posture, which means:

• Your eyes are looking straight.

• Your neck is not bent.

• Your forearms are parallel to the floor.

• Your low back is in its natural curve.

This can provide another perspective to help you make adjustments.

Talk to your employer, as well, to see if additional items can be provided to assist you, if necessary, such as a standing workstation or a sit-stand desk. The latter setup allows you to raise and lower the height of your computer and peripherals.

Best practices

Also consider these best practices to support good health and posture:

• Set a timer and get up every 30 minutes. Take a walking meeting, stand or exercise during a conference call, or hand-deliver a message when you would normally email it.

• Follow the 20-20-20 rule. Every 20 minutes, give your eyes a 20-second break by focusing on something at least 20 feet away.

Being mindful of healthy work habits can go a long way to reducing neck and back pain, as well as creating a more positive work experience.

— Jill Henderzahs-Mason, P.T, D.P.T, Mayo Clinic Healthy Living Program, Rochester, Minnesota.

Mayo Clinic Q & A is an educational resource and doesn’t replace regular medical care. Email a question to MayoClinicQ&A@mayo.edu. For more information, visit mayoclinic.org.

© 2022 Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research. All rights reserved. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

INTERIM DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE

By Jessica Smith, Interim Director DC Department of Aging and Community Living

Ward 3 Wizards Wins Brain Games!

Dear Seniors,

Just last month, we celebrated Healthy Aging and all the ways seniors like you show us just what healthy aging truly means. One of the things I’ve learned is that our city doesn’t need just one month of out the year to celebrate health and wellness. All year around, older residents across the District show us how to live healthy and active lives. We get to see this on display everywhere – at the grocery store, at our senior wellness centers, at the gym, in our schools, and in our parks. And the best part about it is that healthy aging looks different for everyone! That’s what makes the District so unique. All of us, no matter our age or ability, have the opportunity to choose how we want to age and take steps to live healthier lives.

I learned firsthand that some seniors like to keep active by dancing and I had the honor of watching them participate in TERRIFIC Inc.’s “Dancing with the Senior Stars” event. Others like to keep active by participating in trivia games like our 5th Annual Brain Games (shout out to Ward 3 Wizards for becoming the 1st place winners!). And there are some who attend outdoor workouts at wellness centers like our Hayes Senior Wellness Center in Ward 6. So, it doesn’t really matter how you stay active, just as long as you stay active!

At DACL, we want to make it easier for seniors to stay connected and engaged to the activities and services that promote longevity, independence, dignity, and choice. We know that one of the barriers to having all of these things is transportation. Without access to reliable transportation, we know that it can be harder to live an independent life based on choice. But we’re making is easier for seniors to have more choice in how they get around the city through one of our newest programs, Connector Card.

Connector Card is a cost-sharing transportation program that allows older adults to utilize a multitude of transportation at little to no cost. And what I personally love about Connector Card is that our seniors have been able to experience our city in ways they haven’t before. Like booking a rideshare or cab to head down to the National Mall to sightsee or heading from Ward 8 to Ward 3 to visit longtime friends. And, of course, having a ride to the grocery store without having to wait on someone else. With programs like Connector Card, we’re making good on our values – transforming lives at every age and ability, allowing all older adults across the District to live boldly in the way they choose. To

On September 13, DACL hosted it’s 5th Annual Brain Games. Seniors from across the District competed in a citywide Jeopardy-style trivia competition.

Though the competition was tough, the Ward 3 Wizards took home the trophy. Congratulations to all the seniors who participated!

learn more about our Connector Card program visit connectorcard.com or call 202-420-7534.

DACL’s nutrition services also ensure seniors have the support they need to live healthy lives. DACL sponsors over 40 dining sites across the city that offer daily lunches and wellness programming. To find a dining site near you, visit dacl@dc.gov or call 202-724-5626. And if you or someone you know is homebound and unable to get out to access nutrition services, you can call us at 202-724-5626 to get an assessment for our home delivered meals program.

As we embark on the new fiscal year, the team at DACL will continue to keep our core values at the forefront of our minds, ensuring that the programs and services we create are designed with you and for you. If you have ideas and suggestions, please be sure to share them with us. You can send us an email at dacl@dc.gov or call us at 202-724-5626. We’re looking forward to seeing you and learning more from you this fall season.

With Gratitude Jessica

Congratulations to

of the DPR National Senior Games

DACL Honors More than 53 DC Centenarians!

games in May.

Mayor Bowser joins

On National Centenarian Day, DACL joined Mayor Bowser to honor the District’s oldest centenarian, Ms. Willie Mae Avery. A District resident since 1937, Ms. Avery has witnessed so many positive changes in DC throughout her lifetime. She has shown us all what progress looks like and how progress is achieved.

In the last few weeks of September, DACL delivered honorary gift packages to the homes of 53 District centenarians, simply because they’ve earned it. Special thank you to Lee's Flower Shop and our volunteers for making this experience so special.

Interim Director Jessica Smith Editor

External Affairs

Richard Williams

The DC seniors

National

Games

held

medals

Leisure

Travel

The top U.S. city to visit: Charleston, S.C.

By Barbara Ruben

From sprawling live oak trees draped in Spanish moss, to horse-drawn carriages clip-clopping over cobblestoned streets, to historic houses in pastel hues, Charleston, South Carolina, transports visitors to another era.

A thriving culinary scene and proximity to pristine beaches helped inspire Travel & Leisure magazine readers to choose it as the top U.S. city to visit for the 10th year in a row in July.

Charleston has antebellum mansions and Civil War sites, as well as so many historic church steeples that the city has been dubbed the Holy City.

More than 1,400 historic buildings spanning the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries have been preserved in its downtown, situated at the edge of the Atlantic Ocean on a peninsula bordered by the Ashley and Cooper Rivers.

The city was named for Britain’s King Charles II, when the first English settlers, along with their slaves, landed on its shore in 1670.

Old homes worth a visit

What’s likely the city’s oldest house dates back to the end of the 17th or beginning of the 18th century. Known as the Pink House, it’s made of pink-hued Bermuda stone, soft

limestone formed primarily of broken shells and coral, and brick.

Pink is echoed in a series of 13 pastelcolored houses near the waterfront called Rainbow Row. The often-photographed rowhouses were constructed from around 1740 to 1784, many with businesses on the first floor and residences above.

While the Rainbow Row houses and the Pink House aren’t open to the public, numerous historic houses welcome visitors, such as the Heyward-Washington House.

Thomas Heyward, Jr. was one of the four South Carolina signers of the Declaration of Independence, and George Washington was a guest at the Georgian-style home, built in 1772. Brick walls in the back of the house enclose a manicured garden.

The Victorian-style Calhoun Mansion, built in 1873, includes more than 30 rooms and a large ballroom. If it looks familiar, you might have seen it in such films as North and South and The Notebook

More historic houses on plantations outside the city limits are also open for tours. Magnolia Plantation and Gardens is about a 20-minute drive from downtown Charleston. The 500-acre plantation has been in the same family since 1676. Visitors can wander the entire estate or take a nature tram or boat through a former rice paddy to see plentiful wildlife, from alligators to egrets.

Arched bridges lead the way into the gardens, some of which have existed for more than 325 years. A guided tour of the plantation house focuses on the years between 1870 (when the third incarnation of the house was built after being burnt down by Union soldiers in the Civil War) to 1975 (when it was opened to the public).

Confronting the past

But behind the columned facades of some of Charleston’s grander homes lies a darker past. The Port of Charleston was the largest slave port in the United States in the early 19th century, and before the Civil War nearly half of Charleston’s residents were enslaved.

Magnolia Plantation, for example, enslaved 235 people at one time, but they aren’t more than a footnote during a tour. However, other historic house museums have worked to paint a fuller picture of their pasts.

The Aiken Rhett House in Charleston has changed little in the last 200 years. Both the large yellow corner house flanked by palm trees and its outbuildings, including the original quarters of enslaved people, have been preserved rather than restored, with original floors, paint and fixtures.

An audio tour gives visitors a vivid sense of life 170 years ago, helping contrast the

lives of the residents living in the barebones outbuildings to those ensconced in the opulence of the main house.

Similarly, the McLeod Plantation Historic Site, a 37-acre site owned by Charleston County Parks, provides new insights into realities of life in pre-Emancipation Proclamation Charleston.

At McLeod, visitors can learn about the enslaved people on the plantation who picked sea island cotton, a strain with long fibers unique to the Lowcountry of southeast South Carolina.

Also unique to the area were the Gullah Geechee people. Descended from West and Central Africans who were forcibly relocated to the coastal South, they retained many of their indigenous traditions and also created the Gullah language, spoken nowhere else in the world. Many of their cabins on the McLeod plantation have been preserved.

McLeod also offers information about the plantation during the Civil War, when the free Black soldiers of the Massachusetts 55th Volunteer Infantry freed the enslaved people there.

The Civil War itself started in Charleston with the Battle of Fort Sumter in 1861. The fort, located on a small island in Charleston

The 13 historic houses of Rainbow Row brighten downtown Charleston, South Carolina, near the Battery district. The city is known for its well-preserved buildings, laid-back hospitality and sophisticated restaurants.

PHOTO

BENITA

MAHIEU

Travel writer Rick Steves tells us what to see, eat and drink in southern Spain. See page 38.

St. Michael’s Church, the oldest church in Charleston, welcomed George Washington in 1791. With more than 400 churches, synagogues and mosques, Charleston is known as the “Holy City.”

PHOTO

RICK STEVES' EUROPE

A blast from the past: Jekyll Island resort

By Alice Shapin

Watching HBO’s “The Gilded Age” during the pandemic, I wished I could be part of that era, if only for a short time — to wander through an opulent mansion, play croquet on a grand lawn, and have a drink beside a crackling fireplace.

Jekyll Island — one of the Golden Isles of coastal Georgia, midway between Savannah and Jacksonville — seemed like the perfect setting to experience that world.

As my husband and I drove into our resort, the Jekyll Island Club, a light-yellow hotel with wraparound verandas and a flagtopped turret came into view. Parked in front of the club was a classic antique car.

On our way to check in, we walked down a long, wide hallway lined with mirrors. We were ready to travel back in time.

In the footsteps of Vanderbilts

First, we signed up for a private tour of the resort with concierge and hotel historian Sherri Zacher, who said she fell in love with the island as a kid in the 70s, when she visited the island and sneaked into the clubhouse.

Zacher gave us the backstory on this once-exclusive club. In 1886, a group of New York businessmen purchased the entire island for $125,000. Shares were sold, and membership was limited to 100 families.

From the moment the Jekyll Island Club opened in 1888, architect Charles A. Alexander’s amazing Queen Anne-style Clubhouse became the winter getaway for the nation’s elite: Carnegies, Rockefellers, Vanderbilts, Morgans, Fields and Pulitzers.

“Wealthy” is an understatement. At one point, the club’s members held one-sixth of the world’s wealth.

Families arrived from New York and Chicago by train or boat, with their steamer trunks and an entourage of servants, tutors, nannies and seamstresses. Some families reportedly brought along employees whose sole occupation was described as “packer of jewels.”

On the tour, we learned more interesting tidbits: The hotel’s hallways were designed to be extra wide to accommodate the full gowns the women wore each night. It wasn’t unusual to see a white rug rolled out on the lawn to protect the ladies’ long dresses.

And each gown was only worn once during a months-long stay (I wouldn’t have even made it a day with my one-and-only gown!). The men wore black-tie attire nightly.

Every evening, chefs prepared 10course dinners, some of which featured wild game shot by the members. Served in the elegant Grand Dining Room, dinner lasted three hours.

Although the women attended formal teas, balls and galas, they were also very involved in leisure activities such as hunting, fishing, tennis, croquet, bike riding, lawn bowling, horseback riding and golf — unusual for the times.

Historic moments

While the Jekyll Island Club was considered a winter playground for the elite, history was also made there.

In the club’s Federal Reserve Room, six of the country’s most wealthy and highly respected financiers drafted the Aldrich Plan in 1910, which later became the basis for the Federal Reserve System in 1913. And in 1915, Theodore Vail, president of AT&T, placed the first transcontinental telephone call from the room.

After the membership-only club closed in

1942, the state took over and operated it as a public hotel. It’s hard to believe, but after that attempt failed, the property sat empty and neglected for well over a decade.

Fast forward to 1985, and during a massive renovation, the grand wooden staircase was rebuilt, original leaded glass was restored wherever possible, original wood was stripped of layers and layers of paint to retain as much of the original structure, and so on. The restored hotel opened on December 29, 1986.

Also part of the restoration: the club’s 16 cottages. When I think of a cottage, I think small and cozy. These cottages were opulent, with lush, magnificent gardens.

The Crane Cottage is the most spectacular, with 22 bedrooms and 17 bathrooms. Built in 1917, the Italian Renaissance home was renowned for its exquisite sunken garden, central courtyard and colonnade, and elegant fountains. Today, you can rent the entire cottage or a room.

Bike rides, golf, sunsets

While history abounds at the resort, it was fun to take part in the same activities the elite once did. Biking is an excellent way to explore the island’s 20 miles of flat paths and trails. Though I can bike, I was thrilled that we could rent sturdy threewheelers.

Golf arrived on the island in 1898. Today, there are four courses with 63 holes. For tennis players, I recommend Pine Lakes’ Tennis Club for its 13 Har-Tru clay courts.

On the 5,500-acre Jekyll Island, you can take dolphin-sighting tours, relax on 10 miles of beaches, including Driftwood Beach (lined with ancient driftwood, creating a fantastic backdrop), or visit the Georgia Sea Turtle Center, which is devoted to the study, care and rehabilitation of sea turtles.

Every evening, we watched a magical sunset. Sit on a bench or, as we did, head to The Wharf Restaurant, where we sipped a drink on the deck and watched as the sky turned shades of pink, orange and red.

If there’s one problem with Jekyll Island, it’s that there are just too many things to do. Guess we will have to return.

If you go

Jekyll Island is a 10-hour drive from Washington, D.C. Southwest Airlines flies to Savannah, Georgia, and Jacksonville, Florida. Once there, rent a car for the 90minute drive from Savannah or 75-minute drive from Jacksonville.

There are many places to stay on the island. Perhaps the most affordable option is to rent a condo or house on VRBO or

Cultural treats in small-town Andalucia

By Rick Steves

The American image of Spain is Andalucia: the home of bullfights, flamenco, gazpacho and pristine whitewashed hill towns.

This southern part of the country feels more quintessentially Spanish than perhaps anywhere else. When visiting this area, I always make a point to venture into what’s called the Route of the White Hill Towns (Ruta de los Pueblos Blancos), a charm bracelet of cute villages perched in the sierras.

Arcos de la Frontera makes a good starting point. Arcos is a classic hill town, blanketing its little summit with a mosaic of whitewashed buildings and a tangle of shady lanes.

The labyrinthine old center is a photographer’s bonanza. I can feel the breeze funnel through the narrow streets — so narrow that drivers can only enter the town on one side and leave on the other. If you miss your stop, you need to drive out of town and circle all the way back to your starting point. The best advice: Park outside the old center and walk.

The entertaining market is my first stop. The pickle woman encourages me to try a banderilla, named for the bangled spear that a matador sticks into the bull. As I gingerly slide an onion off the tiny skewer of

pickled olives, onions and carrots, she tells me to eat it all at once — the pickle equivalent of throwing down a shot of vodka. Explosivo! The lady in the adjacent meat stall bursts into laughter at my shock.

Like the pickle section, the meat stall (salchicheria) is an important part of any Spanish market. In Spain, ever since Roman times, December has been the month to slaughter pigs. After the slaughter, they salt and dry every possible bit of meat into various sausages, hams and pork products.

By late spring, that now-salty meat is cured, able to withstand the heat, and hanging in tempting market displays. Ham appreciation is big here. The word to know: jamon. When in Spain, I am a jamon aficionado.

Asking for top-quality ham, I get a plate of jamon iberico. While quite expensive, it’s a worthy investment. Made from acorn-fed pigs with black feet, it actually does taste better, with a bouquet of its own and a sweet aftertaste. I make a point in bars to order a small plate of it with my wine. It goes just right with full-bodied red wine from the Rioja region.

Spanish life in courtyards, bars

Around town, I like to peek discreetly into private patios. These wonderful, cool-

tiled courtyards — filled with plants, pools and happy family activities — are typical of the whole region.

I also keep my eyes peeled for ancient columns tucked into building corners. Many are actually Roman, appropriated from their original ancient settlement at the foot of the hill. They were put up to protect buildings from reckless donkey carts (and tourists in rental cars).

I eventually make my way into a cool dark bar filled with very short old guys. Any Spanish man over a certain age spent his growth-spurt years trying to survive the brutal Civil War (1936-39). Those who did, struggled. That generation is a head shorter than Spaniards of the next.

In the bar, the men — side-lit like a Rembrandt portrait — are fixated on the TV, watching the finale of a long series of bullfights. El Cordobes is fighting. His father, also El Cordobes, was the Babe Ruth of bullfighting. El Cordobes uses his dad’s name even though his father sued in an effort to stop him.

Marveling at the bar’s cheap list of wines and hard drinks, I order a Cuba Libre for about $2. The drink comes tall and stiff, with a dish of peanuts.

Suddenly the room gasps. I can’t believe the vivid scene on the screen. El Cordobes has been hooked and is flung, doing a cart-

wheel over the angry bull’s head. The gang roars as El Cordobes lands in a heap and buries his head in his arms as the bull tramples and tries to gore him. The TV replays the scene many times, each time drawing gasps in the bar.

El Cordobes survives and — no surprise — eventually kills the bull. As he makes a victory lap, picking up bouquets tossed by adoring fans, the camera zooms in on the rip exposing his hip and a long bloody wound. The men around me will remember and talk about this moment for years to come.

I end my walk at the best restaurant in town, where the proud owner, Maria, tells me about the day’s menu. As she pours my wine, I tell her that the man at the next table looks like El Cordobes. One glance and she says, “El Cordobes is much more handsome.” When I mention his recent drama, she nods and says, “It’s been a difficult year for matadors.”

Rick Steves (ricksteves.com) writes European guidebooks, hosts travel shows on public TV and radio, and organizes European tours. This article was adapted from his new book, For the Love of Europe. You can email Rick at rick@ricksteves.com and follow his blog on Facebook.

© 2022 Rick Steves. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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— J. Fitzgerald, VA

From page 36

Harbor, was seized by the Confederates who occupied it for most of the war. Fort Sumter is open to visitors but can only be accessed by tour boat. A visitors’ center is located on the shore in Charleston.

Food and fun in the sun

As much as Charleston is immersed in the past, a thriving food scene helps bring it back to the 21st century.

The popular restaurant High Cotton offers Lowcountry food with ingredients from nearby farms. High prices for its primarily seafood and meat menu, including scallops, shrimp and grits, filet mignon and duck, don’t deter the hordes of tourists who make reservations weeks ahead for this highly-rated restaurant.

Another standout is Lenoir, which was opened in 2021 by chef Vivian Howard, a North Carolina native and star of the PBS show “A Chef’s Life.”

Lenoir’s menu includes cornmeal-dusted catfish served with Carolina caviar, a salsa-like side made with black-eyed peas, black beans, white shoepeg corn and tomatoes. For dessert try the Atlantic

Jekyll Island

From page 37

Airbnb for less than $150 a night.

We stayed at Jekyll Island Club Resort & Cottages, where rooms start at $225 in September. The more modern Jekyll Ocean Club, its all-suite sister property, is located on the ocean ($389 per night). Its Eighty Ocean Kitchen and Bar serves Southern cuisine, from pimento cheese dip to shrimp cocktail.

To tour the island, sign up for a Landmark Historic Trolley Tour — a guided trolley tour of the 240-acre National Historic Landmark district, including admission to Indian Mound Cottage and Mosaic Gallery (adults $20; children 4-12 $10; free for 3 and under).

There are also free downtown bus trolleys, unguided, that make stops throughout the historic area.

At the resort, try the free Walk Through History Tour every Tuesday through Thursday at 2 p.m., which is complimentary for overnight resort guests and $15 for non-resort guests.

beach pie with a saltine crust, lemon custard and honey whipped cream.

While Charleston’s early profusion of azaleas, cherry blossoms and tulips lure tourists from the North still in the grip of freeze warnings in late February and early March, the city is quieter in the fall. The overwhelming heat and humidity of midsummer has melted away, leaving behind warm days and cool nights. October and November are the city’s driest months.

There’s still plenty of time to visit Charleston-area beaches before winter. Folly Beach, located on an island just south of Charleston, has a pier stretching more than 1,000 feet into the ocean, a lighthouse and a park complete with a pelican rookery.

Kiawah Island is 21 miles from downtown Charleston, with 10 miles of beaches facing both east and west so you can catch both the sunrise and sunset on the water. Conde Nast Traveler named it the best island in the U.S. in 2018.

If you go

Ninety-minute nonstop flights from all three D.C.-area airports make getting to Charleston relatively easy. Southwest Airlines’ one-way fares for direct flights from BWI start at $71 in late October; American Airlines flights from Reagan National start at $211 roundtrip; and the lowest United Airlines flight from Dulles is $193 roundtrip.

Rather take the train? Two trains leave Washington’s Union Station daily for the 10½-hour trip. Amtrak tickets start at $94 each way. If you’d just as soon drive, Charleston is about an eight-hour drive from the DMV.

Hotels in the historic district can be pricey, especially during the busy tourist season in late winter and spring. Many are historic themselves, and are walkable to many of Charleston’s attractions — a perk given the small city’s heavy traffic and sparse parking options.

Built in 1843 as a private mansion, 20

South Battery has wraparound porches with views of the city’s White Point Gardens and the harbor beyond. Battered during the Civil War, the mansion remained standing and has been renovated with period art and furniture. Rooms start at a hefty $600 a night in October.

A less expensive but still historic hotel is the Francis Marion Hotel, named for a Revolutionary War hero, open since 1924. Rising 12 stories above the historic district, the hotel offers views of Charleston’s historic mansions and harbor. Rooms start at $254 a night, and AAA and AARP discounts are available.

The contemporary waterfront Hilton Garden Inn, about two miles from the historic district, has views of the Ashley Marina. It has free parking and a restaurant. Rates start at $252 a night. AAA and AARP discounts are available.

Get more information from the Charleston Convention and Visitors Bureau at charlestoncvb.com.

ENTERPRISE RESIDENTIAL

MOST COMMUNITIES ARE 62 AND BETTER

ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY

The Greens at Hammonds Lane: 410-636-1141

Park View at Furnace Branch: 410-761-4150

Park View at Severna Park: 410-544-3411

BALTIMORE CITY

Ednor Apartments I: 410-243-0180

Ednor Apartments II: 410-243-4301

The Greens at Irvington Mews: 410-644-4487

Park Heights Place: 410-578-3445

Park View at Ashland Terrace: 410-276-6440

Park View at Coldspring: 410-542-4400

BALTIMORE COUNTY

Cove Point Apartments I: 410-288-2344

Cove Point Apartments II: 410-288-1660

Evergreen Senior Apartments: 410-780-4888

The Greens at English Consul: 410-789-3000

The Greens at Liberty Road: 410-655-1100

The Greens at Logan Field: 410-288-2000

The Greens at Rolling Road: 410-744-9988

Park View at Catonsville: 410-719-9464

Park View at Dundalk: 410-288-5483 • 55 & Better

ENERGY SAVING TIPS FOR WINTER

Learn how to keep your space comfortable and warm in the winter while also managing your utility bills. An Energy Masters volunteer will explain available financial assistance programs on Tue., Oct. 18 from 11 a.m. to noon at Lubber Run Park, N. Columbus and 2nd Sts., Arlington, VA. Choose your 55+ pass and sign up at bit.ly/55PASS, then register for the program at bit.ly/ENERGYtips.

Park View at Fullerton: 410-663-0665

Park View at Miramar Landing: 410-391-8375

Park View at Randallstown: 410-655-5673

BALTIMORE COUNTY (CONT.)

Park View at Rosedale: 410-866-1886

Park View at Taylor: 410-663-0363

Park View at Towson: 410-828-7185

Park View at Woodlawn: 410-281-1120

EASTERN SHORE

Park View at Easton: 410-770-3070

HARFORD COUNTY

Park View at Bel Air: 410-893-0064

Park View at Box Hill: 410-515-6115

HOWARD COUNTY

Park View at Colonial Landing: 410-796-4399

Park View at Columbia: 410-381-1118

Park View at Ellicott City: 410-203-9501

Park View at Ellicott City II: 410-203-2096

Park View at Emerson: 301-483-3322

Park View at Snowden River: 410-290-0384

PRINCE GEORGE’S COUNTY

Park View at Bladensburg: 301-699-9785 • 55 & Better

Park View at Laurel: 301-490-1526

Park View at Laurel II: 301-490-9730

Call the community of interest to you to inquire about eligibility requirements and to arrange a personal tour.

Finding companions for older travelers

Dear Savvy Senior,

My son is getting married in the fall and would love for my parents to attend. But they’re both in their 80s with health issues, so they’ll need help getting there. Can you direct me to any travel escort services that can help us?

—Looking for Assistance Dear Looking,

Traveling today can be challenging under the best circumstances, but for seniors with medical problems, physical limitations or dementia, it can be unmanageable.

Helpers.com) or FirstLight Home Care (FirstLightHomeCare.com), which has a national network of franchises that provide in-home care for seniors and offer travel companion programs in about 80% of their 190 operating territories.

SAVVY SENIOR By Jim Miller

Fortunately, a bevy of companies provide traveling companion/escort services to help older adults with the rigors of travel.

A good travel escort can provide your parents with transportation to and from the airport, manage their luggage, navigate and assist them through the airport, sit next to them on the flight, help them to their hotel and much more.

Some companion services even provide personal care like medication management, dressing, bathing and feeding. And for those with specific medical needs, traveling nurse services are available too.

But be aware that these services aren’t cheap. You will pay for the travel companion’s tickets, hotel room, meals, incidentals and fees for the service.

The price to accompany a client on a plane trip within the United States — including the companion fees and travel costs for all parties — can range anywhere from $2,500 to $5,000 or more, depending on the flight transfers and length of the trip.

To locate a travel companion service in your area, search online for “senior travel companion” or “senior travel escort,” followed by your parent’s city or state.

Or use an experienced national service like Flying Companions (FlyingCompanions.com), Travel Helpers (GoTravel-

LEARN FROM THE

For medical travel companions, search for “traveling nurse escort” or “medical travel companion,” or checkout Travel Care and Logistics (YourFlightNurse.com), which provides registered nurses as escorts.

Of course, if your parents don’t require a lot of assistance, or if you can’t afford a travel escort, consider asking a trusted family member or friend that has some air travel experience to accompany them.

Vet the service first

If you’re interested in hiring a travel companion service, there are a number of things you need to check into to ensure you get the right escort.

First, if you parents require personal or medical care while traveling, find out if the escort is trained to manage their healthcare needs. What sort of medical certifications do they have (nursing credentials, C.P.R. training, etc.)?

Also, find out how many trips the companion has taken with clients. Have they completed trips with travelers like your parents? How long has the travel service company been in business? What is the company’s safety record? What sort of insurance does it carry, and what exactly is covered?

Also, get a quote breaking down exactly what you’ll be required to pay, in addition to the companion’s fees. And get a list of two or three clients/references who have used their service — and call them.

Send your senior questions to: Savvy Senior, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070, or visit SavvySenior.org.

HELP A POLLINATOR GARDEN

experts from Friends of Lake Accotink Park

weeding,

general cleanup of

ones provided. Meet

garden.

second

10:30 a.m. at the Margaret Kinder Pollinator Garden (adjacent

at 7500 Accotink Park Rd., Springfield, VA. For

visit bit.ly/POLLINATOR_GARDEN or email contact@flapaccotink.org.

Ford’s transformational Trip to Bountiful

By Lynda Lantz

A play written in and set in the 1950s, The Trip to Bountiful, now at Ford’s Theatre, gently explores how differently a family can experience dislocation, anxiety and nostalgia based, in part, on their openness to reflecting on their past.

Playwright Horton Foote, who some have called “the greatest playwright you’ve never heard of,” wrote plays about families in Texas. But his stories could take place anywhere.

Focus on an older protagonist

The Trip to Bountiful offers an unusual opportunity for an older heroine. Its main character was played in the original 1953 teleplay, and then on Broadway, by Lillian Gish. Geraldine Page won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance in the 1985 movie. And Cicely Tyson played the starring role in a television movie and on Broadway in 2013, winning a Tony for Best Actress.

The protagonist is Carrie Watts (played by Nancy Robinette), a widow nearing the end of her life. She is living uncomfortably in her son’s household.

Although she’s lived in Houston for 20 years, of late her desire to return to her hometown of Bountiful, Texas, has grown into a disruptive, worrying obsession.

Carrie has taken to hiding her monthly pension check and using the funds to run away — an odd habit that frightens and angers her son, Ludie, and his wife, who have thus far retrieved her at the train station.

Ludie Watts (Joe Mallon) is doing the best he can, happy to be working again after a two-year illness drained the family savings. Nonetheless, he feels he should be further along in life.

He often can’t sleep for worry, but cannot or will not name his worry. He claims not to remember certain episodes his mother describes. He’s lost but keeps pushing away the map.

Ludie’s wife Jessie Mae (Kimberly Gilbert) tiptoes up to her biggest regret, their lack of children, but retreats into insistent, superficial distractions (beauty shops, magazines, picture shows). Her claim that she doesn’t want to see old photos rings hollow.

Gilbert plays Jessie Mae as a brittle near-villain whose attempts to impose a raft of rules on her mother-in-law sound spiteful. For example, Carrie should not sing hymns or run in the small apartment. The set of the 1940s apartment gives a sense of a space that is loved but cramped, and lacking privacy.

A psychological drama

In truth, Pulitzer Prize-winning and Oscar-winning screenwriter Foote is quietly pointing out the psychological dangers of not remembering, not speaking about life’s regrets, losses and sorrows.

In an interview a decade ago, director Michael Wilson, one of the foremost interpreters of Foote, said, “We need to consider the themes that Horton is exploring: that if we don’t honor the past — the places, the people, the communities from where we’ve come — we are in danger of losing the very essence of ourselves.”

Only Carrie Watts honors her past. She escapes again, landing on a bus with sorrowful young Thelma, who has just seen her husband off to war and is moving back in with her parents.

As Thelma, actress Emily Kester has a role with a lot of sympathetic listening, but

she gives the character a more active sense of decisiveness, observation and caring than might be expected. She is ready to hear Carrie’s reflections on un-

happy or ambiguous memories, even if these are outside of what she has lived.

Three sports-related books by older authors are reviewed on page 42.

Nancy Robinette as Carrie Watts chats with her son, Ludie Watts, played by Joe Mallon, in the Ford’s Theatre production of The Trip to Bountiful. The award-winning play, written by the late Horton Foote in 1953, runs through Oct. 16.

PHOTO BY SCOTT SUCHMAN

Older authors publish books about sports

A book about your favorite sport can provide a broader perspective than reading the sports section or watching the highlights.

Gods at Play: An Eyewitness Account of Great Moments in American Sports, by Tom Callahan, 304 pages, W.W. Norton & Company paperback, 2022

Enjoy a yarn or two from this spellbinding raconteur’s stories about yesteryear’s sports icons and hangers-on. Baltimore native Tom Callahan compiles fascinating behindthe-scenes accounts of the athletes he covered during his years as sports reporter and columnist for the Washington Post,

Bountiful

From page 41

Time magazine and other periodicals.

Gods at Play is a wide-ranging anthology. A chapter is devoted to athletes in each of these sports: basketball, football, baseball, boxing, hockey, horse racing, golf, tennis, the Olympics and auto racing.

the Jurgensen era.

Septuagenarian Callahan moved back north to Reston, Virginia, from St. Augustine, Florida, to be near his grandchildren.

THE BIBLIOPHILE

By Dinah Rokach

Callahan covered luminaries whom older adults will fondly remember — Bill Russell, Joe Montana, Johnny Bench and Muhammad Ali, to name a few.

Many of his sketches reveal flawed personalities, surprising human frailties and deep-seeded vulnerabilities. Local sports fans will enjoy reading about Washington football during

not confined to that tense household.

Intimate performances

Breaking Through the Line: Bobby Marshall, the N.F.L.’s First AfricanAmerican Player, by Terry McConnell, 220 pages, Nodin Press paperback, 2021 The achievements of Bobby Marshall, who broke myriad racial barriers, have long been forgotten.

Marshall, an athlete who excelled in multiple sports, was a force for racial harmony as a civic-minded attorney and civil servant whose public involvement was exemplary. Breaking Through the Line describes Marshall’s life and times in the upper Midwest.

In the first decade of the 20th century,

remotely the same as where she grew up.

Marshall accomplished many historic firsts: first Black player in what would become the NFL, the first Black man in the Big Ten, the first Black Big Ten coach, probably the first Black professional ice hockey player, the first Black professional quarterback and head coach, the first Black high school, college and pro football coach in Minnesota, and the first Black person to graduate from the University of Minnesota Law School.

Marshall was the only Black player on several professional baseball teams. He served as coach, player-captain and general manager of a Minnesota all-Black professional baseball team, which preceded the Negro Leagues and competed against all-white teams.

Unlike Ludie and Jessie Mae, Thelma is ready to learn what Carrie can teach. The highlight of the play comes when Carrie sings hymns on the bus, centered on the dark stage, and Thelma joins in. Robinette ended the scene with Carrie’s heartfelt laugh, exuding a relaxed grace and emotional fulfillment. In that laugh, she showed the woman Carrie was or had been when

Throughout the play, Robinette turns written dialogue into intimate conversation. The role is physically demanding because the actress must be on stage nearly every minute of the play.

The closer Carrie gets to Bountiful, the more obstacles appear, but Carrie will not be put off. Not even when it becomes clear that the Bountiful that remains is not

mobility technology

In the final scene, amid a stage that conjures an open sky and tall grasses, Carrie is changed by her journey, reconnected with what grounds her.

She tries to pass that lesson on to her son, who admits that he does remember the past but is uncomfortable with his memories. Will he find a way to bring the lesson of Bountiful into his life?

The question is not answered, and as the play ends, it is sad to imagine Carrie —

who had become so real — back in the cramped Houston apartment.

The Trip to Bountiful runs through October 16, Tuesday through Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday at 2 p.m. The play is recommended for patrons 13 and older. Face masks are required during all performances. For tickets, which range from $18 to $48, call the box office at (888) 616-0270. Senior and group discounts are available. Ford’s Theatre is located at 511 10th Street NW, Washington, D.C.

Introducing the world’s lightest mobility scooter

anti-tip technology

The So LiteTM Scooter is easy to transport and almost impossible to tip over.

Like millions of older Americans, I struggle with mobility. For years, I watched my quality of life slip away, as I was forced to stay home while friends and family took part in activities I’d once enjoyed. I thought I’d made some progress when I got a mobility scooter, but then I realized how hard it was to transport. Taking it apart and putting it back together was like doing a jigsaw puzzle. Once I had it disassembled, I had to try to put all of the pieces in the trunk of a car, go to wherever I was going, and repeat the

process in reverse. Travel scooters were easier to transport, but they were uncomfortable and scary to drive, I always felt like I was ready to tip over. Then I found the So LiteTM Scooter. Now there’s nothing that can hold me back. Years of work by innovative engineers have resulted in a scooter that’s designed with seniors in mind. They created Electronic Stability Control (ESC) that makes it virtually impossible to tip over. If you try to turn too quickly, the scooter automatically slows down to prevent it from tipping over. The battery provides powerful energy at a fraction of the weight of most batteries. With its rugged yet lightweight aluminum frame, the So LiteTM Scooter is the most portable scooter ever—but it can hold up to 275 pounds—yet weighs only 40.8 pounds without the battery! What’s more, it easily folds up for storage in a car seat, trunk or even on an airplane. It folds in seconds without tools and is safe and reliable. Best of all, it’s designed with your safety in mind, from the newest technology and superior craftsmanship. Why spend another day letting your lack of mobility ruin your quality of life? Call now and find out how you can get a So LiteTM Scooter of your very own.

Oct/Nov Events

Noseda conducts Prokofiev’s Sixth Symphony

David Hardy plays Britten

Noseda leads Prokofiev’s rarely performed Symphony No. 6, a masterpiece hailed by many as his greatest symphony. Profoundly relevant for our times, the work depicts Prokofiev’s spiritual journey to understand the tragedies of war and the mystery of death. David Hardy takes the spotlight in Britten’s intense, gorgeous Cello Symphony.

October 22 & 23 | Concert Hall

Karina Canellakis conducts Bartók’s Concerto for Orchestra

Cédric Tiberghien plays Ravel

Acclaimed maestro Karina Canellakis makes her anticipated NSO debut conducting Bartók’s immensely popular Concerto for Orchestra—which artfully allows each section of instruments to shine. Cédric Tiberghien, a “brilliant” French virtuoso with a “rich, rounded tone” and “crisp articulation” (The New York Times), performs Ravel’s Piano Concerto for the Left Hand.

November 17–19 | Concert Hall

Noseda conducts a Symphonic Surprise!

The Washington Classical Review calls Gianandrea Noseda’s surprise concerts with the NSO “a musical trivia night with an exceptionally charming Italian host.” Join us for this special concert, curated and conducted by Noseda, with musical selections announced from the stage! The program is secret—only to be revealed during the event in engaging interaction with the audience. Can you name that tune?

November 3–5 | Concert Hall

Julian Rachlin plays Tchaikovsky

Noseda conducts Respighi & Casella

Experience the fire and passion of Tchaikovsky’s spectacular Violin Concerto performed by “charismatic and captivating” violin star Julian Rachlin (Bachtrack). The program also includes music by Italian composers Respighi and Casella, making an inspired showcase of Gianandrea Noseda’s vision and admiration for his native country.

October 27–29 | Concert Hall

Wind & Wave: Meyers plays Blue Electra

Noseda conducts La Mer

Superstar violinist Anne Akiko Meyers gives flight to the world premiere of Blue Electra, Grammy®-winning composer Michael Daugherty’s new work inspired by American icon Amelia Earhart. Noseda closes the program with Debussy’s La Mer—a depiction of dawn’s early light upon the sea… the frolicsome play of the waves… and the dynamic dialogue between wind and water.

November 10–12 | Concert Hall

The Kennedy Center Chamber Players: Fall Concert

Comprising titled musicians of the NSO, this acclaimed ensemble presents classics from four centuries of chamber music.

November 20 | Terrace Theater

THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS

Noseda Era Fund Supporters

The Amici di Gianandrea Dallas Morse Coors Foundation for the Performing Arts Kathryn and J. Stephen Jones, MD

KARINA CANELLAKIS

PHOTO BY MARCO BORGGREVE

ANNE AKIKO MEYERS

PHOTO BY DAVID KENTZ

DAVID HARDY

GIANANDREA NOSEDA

PHOTO BY SCOTT SUCHMAN

PHOTO BY SCOTT SUCHMAN

JULIAN RACHLIN

PHOTO BY ASHLEY KLASSEN

The NSO Music Director Chair is generously endowed by the Sant Family

RICARDO CYNCYNATES, DANIEL FOSTER, DAVID HARDY, LIN MA, AND LAMBERT ORKIS

PHOTOS BY SCOTT SUCHMAN

John Kelly

From page 1

he has worked for 33 years. He was top editor in the Weekend section for nearly 10 years before launching KidsPost in 1999 and then reporting for the Metro section.

During his career, he was awarded a fellowship at Harvard from the Neiman Foundation for Journalism in 1998 and another in 2007 from the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism at the University of Oxford.

Despite all his experience, Kelly takes a modest view of his contributions to the Post. “I really came from the outside; I didn’t study journalism in college,” Kelly said. “I felt, and still sometimes feel, like an outsider.”

Keeping it weird, but nice

Although the newspaper has changed owners (Katherine Graham to Jeff Bezos) and locations (15th Street to K Street) over the years, Kelly said that his position hasn’t changed much.

“My job is probably the least changed sort of job in the newsroom. Writing a local, daily human-interest column — it’s the same as it was in 1920, 1950 or 1990.”

Yet Kelly, who writes five columns a week, says he’s still learning new things every day.

“It doesn’t feel like 18 years [writing this column] because I think I really ought to

be better at this. It ought to be easier,” he joked.

To keep things fresh, Kelly casts a wide net, writing reflections, local history pieces and “weird observations,” as he calls them — about the deer population, for instance, or neckties. As a result, “John Kelly’s Washington” has a devoted following.

“It’s been reassuring that there are people who have been interested in all the weird things I’ve been interested in,” Kelly said.

“Being an editor has been helpful [in] thinking about a menu of offerings,” he added. “That’s how I approach it, as an editor who wants to have something a little different every day. That makes it doable.”

In his self-effacing manner, Kelly claims he has “a small role” at the Post, but acknowledges that his column is as important to some Washingtonians as a hardnews story about, say, the Middle East.

“A newspaper is not one thing. It shouldn’t be; it should be lots of things,” Kelly said. “If you like sports, there’s a sports section. If you like squirrels, wait around for squirrel week.”

Readers who like variety head to the Metro section for Kelly’s straightforward, approachable and sometimes charmingly quirky column.

In 2004, when Kelly took over “Bob Levey’s Washington,” his predecessor gave him some advice that proved true. “I

remember Bob Levey telling me, ‘Readers will help you out,’” because they know the column well, Kelly said. “And they do.”

For instance, readers routinely send in story ideas or ask questions via email and handwritten notes. He has “a ton of ideas” for future stories, he said, but not enough hours to pursue all of them.

He’s still curious about the world and enjoys chasing down leads. “I like learning things. If there’s an interesting thing or person or event, I get lost researching it, and that takes time.”

No matter what he writes, though, Kelly tries to avoid a mean-spirited tone, thanks in part to the editor who hired him. “She said, ‘I want readers to like you.’

“It’s a great help as an organizing principle because if I feel the urge to be mean in my column, I hear her words.”

His rocker side

When he’s not writing, Kelly plays drums in a local band called the Airport 77s. He pounds on his drum set the way he writes: rapidly, expertly, in a flurry of enthusiasm.

With a sound akin to Elvis Costello or the Police, the Airport 77s play as if they want people to dance.

After playing local gigs for several years, the band — a trio that includes Kelly; guitarist Andy Sullivan, a reporter for Reuters News; and bassist Chuck Dolan, a NASA software developer — released their first album in January 2021, produced during the pandemic lockdown.

Bibliophile

From page 42

Marshall continued to play pro baseball until he was 60 and pro softball for another five years. He died in 1958 at the age of 78.

Septuagenarian author McConnell was school librarian, track and cross-country coach at Mount Vernon High School in Alexandria, Virginia. He is the grandson of O. C. Olsen, general manager of the Minneapolis Deans, the football team where Marshall served as player-coach.

Half of the author’s royalties are donated to the Bobby Marshall Scholarship Fund, which benefits student-athletes at the University of Minnesota who embody excellence in academics, leadership and service.

How Baseball Happened: Outrageous Lies Exposed! The True Story Revealed, by Thomas W. Gilbert, 384 pages, David R. Godine Publisher paperback, 2022

Abner Doubleday did not invent baseball. Nor did the game originate on rural ballfields. You’ll be amazed by Thomas Gilbert’s groundbreaking research in How

They released a second album titled “We Realize You Have a Choice” in September.

Kelly and his wife, Ruth, a telecommunications attorney, have two grown daughters who live in London and Los Angeles, as well as a rescue dog adopted during the pandemic.

The dog’s separation anxiety keeps the Kellys close to their home in Silver Spring, Maryland. “I’m kind of a hostage to this house,” Kelly said with a chuckle. “I have come to love keeping the hummingbird feeder full, looking at the different types of birds.

“As much as I love this area and have connections to it, I like to travel, too,” he added, noting that he’s planning trips to visit his parents in North Carolina and his daughter in California.

In the meantime, if you write a letter to Kelly, you might just get a note or even a phone call back. He’s always on the lookout for ideas, and he loves to track down a story.

“I’m an introverted person in a job that requires me to be extroverted,” he said. “I’ll keep writing my column…I can’t imagine anything else I’d rather do.”

Hear John Kelly speak about his life at the Beacon 50+Expos taking place on Sunday, October 23 at Springfield Town Center in Springfield, Va., and on Sunday, October 30 at the Margaret Schweinhaut Senior Center in Silver Spring, Md. Both events run from noon to 4 p.m. For more information, see pages 5-7 of this issue.

Baseball Happened Gilbert, who is in his 60s, utilizes contemporaneous sources to buttress his account. He explains how the game and its rules evolved and introduces readers to its earliest stars.

Baseball was created as an amateur pastime in the 1840s by young men of the emerging urban middle class in Manhattan and Brooklyn.

Up-and-coming men in white-collar professions viewed outdoor exercise as a means of maintaining a healthy physique in an environment that was prone to disease. They wished to distinguish themselves from local Anglophile elites by playing a homegrown sport in their leisure time.

Baseball expanded geographically along transportation routes — canals, railroads and ferries. Civil War veterans, who had learned the sport during their deployments, played the game upon returning home. For a short interval well before Jackie Robinson, baseball had been racially integrated.

In 2020, How Baseball Happened was honored with the Casey Award for the best baseball book of the year.

Photo by Cory Weaver

Jacqueline Badger Mars

Eugene B. Casey

by Richard Strauss

by Hugo von Hofmannsthal

Photo by Lynn Lane

As we age, a good night’s sleep is more important than ever. Unfortunately, for millions of people with mobility issues, getting in and out of bed can be inconvenient, undignified and even dangerous. Now, thanks to the work

of countless design engineers and health professionals behind the UpBed™ Independence, getting in and out of bed can be the easiest part of your day.

Why spend another night wondering how you are going to get out of bed. Call now, and a helpful, knowledgeable product expert can answer your questions and tell you how you can get an UpBed™ Independence of your very own.

What to do with what you leave behind?

We walked them across the street by the hand. We fed them, clothed them, drove them, hovered over them. And now that our children are adults, do we owe them anything more?

Some seniors say yes.

They say we should arrange our assets (if any) so that the kids and grandkids inherit everything.

They say that you’re always Mom or Dad. They say that you don’t really need one more fancy trip. They say that leaving money after you’re gone is a final burst of love.

much money we’re talking about and who we’re talking about.

To squabble over an estate of a few hundred dollars is self-evidently silly. And we’ve all known people from superprivileged backgrounds who toil endlessly and vigorously, even though they don’t have to. There’s no approach to this issue that will satisfy everyone.

A tablemate — perhaps 30 — overheard. She asked if the woman was really begrudging her sister an epic birthday party. “It’s not as if she’s spending every last cent she has today,” the young woman said.

The older sister said that didn’t matter. Nor did it matter that the birthday girl’s kids and grandkids were well launched.

“It’s a matter of belief,” she said. “You can’t take it with you. Why not leave it to the living?”

(and taking notes surreptitiously). I decided that this was the moment to be Participant Number Five.

I suggested that there was a third path: charity. Rather than risking or creating family ill will, I said, why not set aside a serious hunk of money for a good cause?

Could be paid out now. Could be paid out later. Regardless, I said, this would not only sidestep squabbles. It would put dollars to work in ways that the world sorely needs.

HOW I SEE IT

By Bob Levey

Of course, the other side of that coin attracts many believers, too.

They say that adults have to sink or swim on their own. They say that to expect money from a parent is to dampen one’s own ambition and drive. They say that a senior’s money is his or hers, and that’s that.

My pal, Rob, says it especially tartly. “The last check I write will bounce,” he tells me, often.

That’s his way of saying he plans to leave nothing to his descendants. If they don’t like that, well, he won’t be around to hear their complaints.

So much of this dispute depends on how

But that doesn’t mean that adherents on one side or the other will be quiet. They believe passionately in the correctness of their “take.”

If you want to divide a social event into two camps, raise this subject. It’s guaranteed to produce a 50-50 split.

I recently proved the case, at a friend’s 80th birthday party. She was radiant and delighted. So were the many guests. We should all have such a joyous celebration of a milestone.

I found myself seated beside a woman who was the birthday girl’s older sister. She confided to me that she didn’t admire her sister’s decision to spend hundreds on herself at a party.

“When I go, all of my money will go to my family,” she said, proudly.

A third person piled into the conversation. She said that money always corrupts. Better to earn your own keep at every stage of your life, this woman said. “It’s not just about dollars,” she said. “It’s about pride.”

Then a fourth person! She said she had just been discussing this subject with a neighbor. The neighbor’s mother had died recently and had left everything to her grandchildren — skipping a generation. Each bequest was substantial, up into the several thousands.

One grandchild immediately blew the entire bequest on drugs. Every cent was gone within four months. So, said Conversationalist Number Four, the neighbor’s story proves that giving to family can actually induce bad behavior.

Little Old Me had been listening intently

One of the women wondered if this, too, might produce family tensions. What if Uncle Joe wanted to support the Boy Scouts and his brother wanted to support the Red Cross?

I agreed that this was possible. But I trotted out an approach that had worked in my own family.

A rich uncle set aside a large pot of dough for good causes, while he was still very much alive. But he didn’t make the sole decision as to where the funds went. He convened a family council once a year.

Each member of the family had to identify a charity, research it, and make the case for why it deserved support. After each presentation, the entire family would vote.

Throughout the ages, there have been many important advances in mobility. Canes, walkers, rollators, and scooters were created to help people with mobility issues get around and retain their independence. Lately, however, there haven’t been any new improvements to these existing products or developments in this field. Until now. Recently, an innovative design engineer who’s developed one of the world’s most popular products created a completely new breakthrough . . . a personal electric vehicle. It’s called the Zinger, and there is nothing out there quite like it.

–Kent C., California

The first thing you’ll notice about the Zinger is its unique look. It doesn’t look like a scooter. Its sleek, lightweight yet durable frame is made with aircraft grade aluminum so it weighs only 47.2 lbs. It features one-touch folding and unfolding –

when folded it can be wheeled around like a suitcase and fits easily into a backseat or trunk. Then, there are the steering levers. They enable the Zinger to move forward, backward, turn on a dime and even pull right up to a table or desk. With its compact yet powerful motor it can go up to 6 miles an hour and its rechargeable battery can go up to 8 miles on a single charge. With its low center of gravity and inflatable tires it can handle rugged terrain and is virtually tip-proof. Think about it, you can take your Zinger almost anywhere, so you don’t have to let mobility issues rule your life.

Why take our word for it? Call now, and find out how you can get a Zinger of your very own.

“What my wife especially loves is it gives her back feelings of safety and independence which has given a real boost to her confidence and happiness! Thank You!”

Crossword

Scrabble answers on p. 51.

Personal Banking

Across

1. Pleasant view

Taboo nutrient to an Atkins dieter

Hamlet has five

One of the biggest keys on the keyboard

Gel in a Petri dish

Large size (for soup)

Barely sufficient

Garnish on a Cuba Libre cocktail

Cheese at a French bistro

Impact a person’s stability

___ a care in the world

Shortest of those who walked the Yellow Brick Road

Musophobiac’s scream

It will ask for your PIN

Thick line on a AAA map

A llot of llamas

Monitor a little person

Maker of a 4016 piece Death Star kit

Deer mate of a 64 Across

The most experienced teller

Be a defiant person

Cats and dogs

Tool for confident puzzle solvers

Specialty of BAL’s Justin Tucker

Camel droppings

Yard sale disclaimer

___-compliant (containing appropriate ramps, for example)

Cares about another person

Having all of one’s marbles

Deer mate of a 39 Across

edmunds.com top car brand (alphabetically)

Like half the numbers on bingo balls

HS math class

WALL-E, or C-3PO

“This is only a ___”

Charlie and Emilio, to Martin Sheen

Shorthand writer (shortly)

Down

Sleeveless jacket

About 2.5 centimeters

Unit of internet product reviews

___ eleven (soccer game after a red card)

Museum’s display

Part of a person, or all of a bovine

“You think you are ___ from the gods”

Action hero since the ‘80s

chancellor,

Stephen Sherr

Bob Levey

From page

A three-quarters tally was necessary. Almost always, each suggestion was approved unanimously. The council worked so well that it operates to this day, 25 years after rich uncle’s death.

Not only does money get sent where it’s needed, I said. Not only does the council method prevent family bitterness. It engages the younger members. They can honestly say that their desires are heard at age 22, just as loudly as the desires of Grandpa at 84.

After I finished laying out this idea, I looked around the table. One head was nodding. Then another. Then, soon, all four.

“Nice idea,” said the older sister. “I’ll remember that.”

So should we all.

Bob Levey is a national award-winning columnist.

BEACON BITS

DAY OF THE DEAD

Join the National Portrait Gallery for their annual celebration of el Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead). First, come to the Kogod Courtyard for the free indoor festival and enjoy music, dancing, art activities and a community altar on Wed., Nov. 2 from 5 to 8 p.m. Then, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., venture outside and experience artists MasPaz and Guache projecting their live video artwork on the museum’s G and 9th Streets facade. The gallery is located at 8th and G Sts. NW, Washington, DC. For more information, see npg.si.edu/event/día-de-los-muertos.

ONE BIG HAPPY By Rick Detorie

FREE EMPLOYMENT EXPOS

a.m.

p.m.

at virtualexpos.accessjca.org. For

email SeniorExpo@AccessJCA.org or call (301) 255-4209.

USED BOOK SALE

Join the Burke Branch Friends of Alexandria Library for a used book sale to benefit programs at the library. Books, CDs and other media will be on sale on Wed., Oct. 19 from 3:30 p.m. to 7 p.m., Thu., Oct. 20 through Sat., Oct. 22 from 10:30 a.m. to 7 p.m., and on Sun., Oct. 23 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. at 4701 Seminary Rd., Alexandria, VA. For more information, call Nora Raum at (703) 307-3536.

WIDOWED PERSONS MEET AT GLENSTONE

Join Widowed Persons Outreach on Sat., Oct. 22 at noon and spend an afternoon at the Glenstone Museum, 12100 Glen Rd., in Potomac, MD. The gallery offers modern and contemporary art and architecture, as well as nature walks. At 1 p.m., there is a guided nature walk for those interested. Admission is free, but there is a limit of 40 people. Register early by emailing wposocialactivities@gmail.com.

CLASSIFIEDS

The Beacon prints classified advertising under the following headings: Business & Employment Opportunities; Caregivers; Computer Services; Entertainment; For Sale; For Sale/Rent: Real Estate; Free; Health; Home/ Handyman Services; Miscellaneous; Obituaries; Personals; Person al Services; Vacation Opportunities; and Wanted. For submission guidelines and deadlines, see the box on page 51.

CAVEAT EMPTOR!

The Beacon does not knowingly accept obscene, offensive, harmful, or fraudulent advertising. However, we do not in vestigate any advertisers or their prod ucts and cannot accept responsibility for the integrity of either. Respondents to classified advertising should always use caution and their best judgment.

EMPLOYMENT & REAL ESTATE ADS:

We will not knowingly or intentionally accept advertising in violation of federal, state, and local laws prohibiting dis crimination based on race, color, national origin, sex, familial status or handicap in connection with employment or the sale or rental of real estate.

Caregivers

A HOME HEALTHCARE- Experienced nurses, CNA, GNA are available 24/7. Cooking, companionship, personal care, housekeeping, driving. Full/Part-time or live-in care. 15 years’ experience. 2405336599)

CAREGIVER TO CARE FOR YOUR LOVED ONES Part-time live in live out will do all Dr appointment daily hygiene meal preparation and all others I do have 30 years experience excellent references call Laverne 301996-1385.

A CARE AGENCY - Been in business for more than 10 years. Experienced nurses, CNAs, GNAs. Any hours you need. Flat rate for live-in. Duties include cooking, housekeeping, bathing, errands, etc. Tel: 667-231-8235

Computer Services

PROBLEM WITH YOUR PC/MAC OR NETWORK? Computer Systems Engineer will come to you with help. Call David G. at: 301-6424526. Or 301-328-2112

Financial

UP TO $15,000.00 OF GUARANTEED LIFE INSURANCE! No medical exam or health questions. Cash to help pay funeral and other final expenses. Call Physicians Life Insurance Company - 866-212-1092 or visit www.Life55plus.info/beacon

ATTENTION STATE OF MARYLAND AND D.C. RESIDENTS ages 45-85 yrs Burial and Final Expense Life Insurance. No Exam, Simplified process, Immediate determination. Learn More: Call Brenda: 301.284.8011 / 231.360.8120

TAX PREPARATION: Licensed CPA for 36 years, reasonable rates, all types of returns. Located in Gaithersburg, MD near Quince Orchard Rd and Great Seneca Hwy. DIANE CHRISTEN CPA; 240-355-1135 cell; dianechristen@aol.com.

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

For Sale

PREPARE FOR POWER OUTAGES

TODAY with a GENERAC home standby generator $0 Money Down + Low Monthly Payment Options. Request a FREE Quote. Call now before the next power outage: 1-866-9648106.

VIVINT. SMART SECURITY. Professionally installed. One connected system for total peace of mind. FREE professional installation! Four FREE months of monitoring! Call now to customize your system. 1-844-758-7925.

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

NATIONAL MEMORIAL PARK CEMETERY. 4 Choice Sites in Desirable Block DD, Regularly $7995/ea. SALE: $2995/each, or best offer Contact 917-754-3355.

NATIONAL MEMORIAL PARK four (4) choice sites in desirable “F “ block. Reg $10,995 each Sale $4,995 each. Falls Church Va. Call 814-592-1554 for more information.

Health

DENTAL INSURANCE from Physicians Mutual Insurance Company. Coverage for 350 plus procedures. Real dental insurance - NOT just a discount plan. Do not wait! Call now! Get your FREE Dental Information Kit with all the details! 1-844-366-1003 www.dental50plus.com/320 #6258.

STROKE AND CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE are leading causes of death, according to the American Heart Association. Screenings can provide peace of mind or early detection! Contact Life Line Screening to schedule your screening. Special offer - 5 screenings for just $149. Call 1-844-485-7035.

DIVINE HEALTH MEDICAL AND SPA. New business in Rockville MD. We do wound care treatment with Stem Cells for faster healing (not from aborted fetus!). Call (240) 6696598 for a free consult and discover what we can do for you. Mention this ad and also receive a free vitamin injection.

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

PORTABLE OXYGEN CONCENTRATOR May Be Covered by Medicare! Reclaim independence and mobility with the compact design and long-lasting battery of Inogen One. Free information kit! Call 855-851-0949.

Home/Handyman Services

THE BATHROOM OF YOUR DREAMS for as little as $149/month! BCI Bath & Shower. Many options available. Quality materials & professional installation. Senior & Military Discounts Available. Limited Time Offer - FREE virtual in-home consultation now and SAVE 15%! Call Today! 1-855-653-0087.

THE GENERAC PWRCELL, a solar plus battery storage system. SAVE money, reduce your reliance on the grid, prepare for power outages and power your home. Full installation services available. $0 Down Financing Option. Request a FREE, no obligation, quote today. Call 1-866-944-0699

SAFE STEP. North America’s #1 Walk-In Tub. Comprehensive lifetime warranty. Top-of-theline installation and service. Now featuring our FREE shower package and $1600 Off for a limited time! Call today! Financing available. Call Safe Step 1-866-478-2363.

DON’T LET THE STAIRS LIMIT YOUR MOBILITY! Discover the ideal solution for anyone who struggles on the stairs, is concerned about a fall or wants to regain access to their entire home. Call AmeriGlide today! 1-866-3655170.

HOME MOBILITY EQUIPMENT SALES, SERVICE & REPAIR! One Step Mobility Can Help You With Your Home Mobility Needs 24/7: Stair Lifts, Power Chairs, Scooters, Ramps & More. Please call 301-767-5070 or visit: onestepmobility.com

Services

NEW LOOK SYSTEMS — 301-750-4432 Complete Home Repair Service: Carpentry - PaintingDrywall - Tile - Bathroom & Kitchen RemodelingWindows & Door Repair & Installation - Electrical & Plumbing Repairs - Fixtures - Lighting - Handyman Service. Exterior Restoration & Solutions: Deck Repairs & Restoration - Exterior Painting with Lifetime Coatings - Roofing, Siding, Gutter RepairWater Damage - Wood Rot, Flashing & PVC TrimInsulation, Drainage & Sump Pumps - Sidewalk Repair - Ramps. Tim Bussey Owner Operator: MHIC:41207 - INSURED - REFERENCES. Serving Northern Montgomery County. NEWLOOKSYSTEMS@yahoo.com - 301-750-4432.

LOCAL HANDYMAN Years of experience doing small repairs inside and outside homes in Brookdale and the Friendship Heights area. References provided. Free estimates. Call or text 202-853-4519.

DOWNSIZING OR LIQUIDATING AN ESTATE? Doing it yourself? DON’T THROW YOUR MONEY AWAY! Our specialists know the current trends in today’s market! Our easy process determines what to keep, gift, sell, donate, or discard. Services include: estate liquidation, downsizing, junk removal, estate sales, and consignment of collectibles. We buy estates, vehicles, and real estate. Call/text Philip 301-219-3600 DownsizingSpecialists.com. One person’s trash is another’s treasure, and we know the difference!

LADY WHO LOVES PRETTY THINGS would like to buy yours. Dishes, figurines, pottery and similar. Favorites are bone china cups and saucers and old Christmas and Halloween decorations. Especially love Herend, Meissen and Shelley. Also, midcentury smalls of all kinds. Have to clear a house in a hurry? Would be happy to take a look at anything you have. Please call Susan, (301) 785-1129.

CASH FOR ESTATES; I buy a wide range of items; jewelry, silver, art, rugs, furniture, cultural items, collections, etc. Buy out/clean up. I have trucks, a crew & insurance. Website; theatticllc.com. Gary Roman; 301-520-0755

I BUY OLD GUNS (Military/Civilian) and MILITARY MEDALS, uniforms, insignia & books from all time periods. I have a Federal Firearms License to legally purchase firearms. I also buy old West Point & Naval Academy memorabilia. I have an MA in history and have been trusted for over 30 years in the Maryland, Virginia and Washington, DC area. Testimonials from veterans & their families on my website: www.midatlanticmilitaryantiques.com Cal or email Tim Frank 703-447-7243 historian1975@gmail.com

CASH FOR JEWELRY: Buying jewelry, diamonds, gold, platinum, silver, watches, coins, flatware, etc. Ask for Tom. Call anytime, 301654-8678 (Reg. 883).

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

Miscellaneous

ADULT BEGINNER PIANO LESSONS. Learn to play classical and popular pieces by ear and from music. Classically trained teacher with 40 years’ experience. Price: $40/60 min. Home studio, 2 blocks from Cleveland Park Metro Station, DC. Call or text Neil, 202-669-2962.

Personal Services

WE ARE A TO Z PERSONAL ORGANIZERS, bringing order to your life and to the life of your loved ones. We specialize in relocation services for seniors. Check us out on the web at A2Zorganizers.com, or give us a call at 240.432.4920.

CERTIFIED AGING IN PLACE SPECIALIST with over 10 years in interior design here to guide you in the best ways to modify your home to safely and comfortably age in place so you may thrive where you live. Allyson 301-996-6199

PACKING, MOVING & UPACKING SERVICES, HOME ORGANIZATION & DECLUTTERING. Professional Services Created Just For Seniors! Maryland Senior Concierge Services. 301.452.5730 or ccallahan@mdseniorhelp.com

HELLO EVERYONE, I’m looking for an English writing tutor in George Mason, Fairfax, Arlington area. If someone tutors or knows some who does, please message me. Thank you. Cell 571-508-8133.

CASH FOR RECORDS, CDS AND DVDS. Best price guaranteed. Free appraisals. All types of music {33, 45, 78 & CDs.} Also buying turntables and stereo equipment. Will make house calls with CURBSIDE PICKUPS. Call or text Steve at 301-646-5403.

STAMP COLLECTIONS PURCHASED AND APPRAISED. U.S., Foreign, and Worldwide, stamps, covers, - anything philatelic! Also autographs, paper memorabilia (except sports cards); Longtime APS member; E-Mail ARogolsky@gmail.com or phone Alex at 301-309-3622.

WANTED: OLDER VIOLINS, GUITARS, BANJOS, MANDOLINS, UKULELES. Musician/collector will pay cash for older string instruments. Jack (301) 279-2158, leave message & phone number (please speak slowly).

COINS, PRE-1970 BASEBALL CARDS & comic books, also buying jewelry men’s wristwatches, old toys, military items, antique Asian items, old books, serving MD, VA, DC, long time beacon advertiser, Tom 240-476-3441. Thank you.

WILL BUY MILITARY, WWII, WWI, Civil War memorabilia items. Uniforms, weapons, helmets, photos, war souvenirs, medals, photos or any other items associated with U.S., German, Japanese or other military history. Call Dave (240-464-0958) or email (david.obal63@gmail.com).

TOP PRICES PAID FOR FINE ANTIQUES, ARTWORK and unusual and rare things including decorated crocks and stoneware, antique clocks and music boxes, classic cars, coin operated devices, toys and dolls, furniture, lamps , art glass and pottery. I am 69 years old, well educated [ law degree ] financially capable and have over 40 years in the business. Why pay outlandish auction house, estate agent or consignment store commissions when you can get a fair upfront price for your valuables with no hassle? If you have something rare, unusual and valuable and are prepared to sell it I would like to speak with you. Please call Jake Lenihan 301 279 8834. Thank you.

TIRED OF BEING ALONE? Meet Your soulmate today. We gladly invite you to join SoulmateConnexions.Com

Legal Services Personals TV/Cable

DIRECTV for $79.99/mo for 12 months with CHOICE Package. Watch your favorite live sports, news & entertainment anywhere. First 3 months of HBO Max, Cinemax, Showtime, Starz and Epix included! Directv is #1 in Customer Satisfaction (JD Power & Assoc.) Some restrictions apply. Call 1-888-572-4953.

DISH NETWORK. $64.99 for 190 Channels! Blazing Fast Internet, $19.99/mo. (where available.) Switch & Get a FREE $100 Visa Gift Card. FREE Voice Remote. FREE HD DVR. FREE Streaming on ALL Devices. Call today! 1-844-5605837.

BEACON BITS

EARN MONEY AS A POLL WORKER

Poll workers are needed for the upcoming general election in Montgomery County, Md. Earn up to $1,820. Voters with bilingual capabilities are encouraged to serve. To apply (deadline Oct. 18), text SERVE to 77788 or visit 777vote.org, then select the Election Workers tab. For more information, call (240) 777-8533.

TO

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

We thank our advertisers who make our publication possible.

Please patronize them and let them know you saw their ad in the Beacon!

Clinical Studies

APOLLOE4 Study . . . . . . . . . . . .21

Hearing Study (UMD) . . . . . . . . .20

Elections

Montgomery County Board of Elections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18

Employment

JCA Career Gateway . . . . . . . . . .33

JCA Virtual 50+ Employment Expos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33

Seniors Helping Seniors . . . . . .9, 28

Events

Beacon 50+Expo . . . . . . . . . . . .5-7

Montgomery County Recreation Newsletter . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24-25

Financial Services

DC DISB Financial Education . . .31

U.S. Senate Federal Credit Union .

Funeral Services

Going Home Cremation . . . . . . .

Backyard Homes . . . . . . . . . . . .B-4

Brightview Senior LivingB-8, B-15

Brooke Grove Retirement Village . . .B-8, B-18, B-19, B-20

Brookfield Residential . . . . . . . .B-4

Cadence Living Olney . . . . . . . . .13

Carnegie at Washingtonian Center . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2, 3, B-6

Charles E. Smith Life Communities . . . . . . . .B-8, B-17

Chesterbrook Residences . . . . . .B-9

Chevy Chase House . . . . .B-6, B-13

Churchill Senior Living . . . . . . . .12

Covenant Village . . . . . . .B-6, B-16

Culpepper Garden . . . . . . . . . . . .16

Emerson House . . . . . . .B-16, B-19

Enterprise Residential . . . . . . . . .39

Falcons Landing . . . . . . . . . .15, B-6

Grandview, The . . . . . . . .B-7, B-19

Greenspring/Erickson .1, B-6, B-14

Habitat America . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14

Harmony Senior Living . . . . . . . .19

Homecrest House . . . . . . .B-9, B-19

Homewood at Frederick . . . . . . . .16

Knollwood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11

Landing of Silver Spring, The .B-16

Park View Apartments . . . . . . . . .39

Providence, The . . . . . . . . .B-3, B-8

Quantum Property Mgmt . . . . .B-16

Riderwood/Erickson . .1, B-8, B-14

Vinson Hall . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .B-8

Woodleigh Chase . . . . . . .B-7, B-19

Legal Services

Farr Law Firm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29

Law Offices of Nancy Feldman . . . . . . . . . . . . .30

Law Offices of Paul Riekhof . . . .31

Medical/Health

Adventist Healthcare . . . . . . . . . .17

Judy Oh, DDS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14

Medical Eye Center . . . . . . . . . . .19

Montgomery County Booster Vaccine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26

Silver Spring Medical Center . . .13

Steven Friedman, DDS . . . . . . . .16

Memory Care

Brightview Senior Living . . . . . . . . . . . . . .B-8, B-15

Brooke Grove . . . . . . . . . . . . . .B-19

Landing of Silver Spring, The .B-16

Providence, The . . . . . . . . .B-3, B-8 Seneca, The . . . . . . . . . . .B-6, B-12

Sky Bridge at Town Center . . . . . . . . . . . . . .B-5, B-19

Tribute at the Glen . . . . . . . . . . . .13

Real Estate

Senior Resources

AARP Maryland . . . . . . . . . . . . .10

DC Living Boldly Newsletter .34-35

JCA Kensington Club . . . . . . . . .33

Montgomery County Age-Friendly Newsletter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32

Montgomery County Aging & Disability Services . . . . . . . .14

Montgomery County SHIP . . . . .31

Skilled Nursing & Rehabilitation

Brooke Grove . . . . . . . . . .B-8, B-20

ProMedica Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation . . . . . . . . . .23

Sylvestery, The . . . . . . . . . . . . .B-10

Subscriptions

Beacon Newspapers . . . . . . . . . . .49

Theatre/ Entertainment

F. Scott Fitzgerald Theatre . . . . . .41

Kennedy Center, The . . . . . . .43, 45

Senior Zone Radio Show . . . . . . .44

Toby’s Dinner Theatre . . . . . . . . .41

Xfinity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20

Transportation

Best Senior Care . . . . . . . . . . .B-15

Radiocw Health Care . . . . . . . . . .12

Seniors Helping Seniors . . . . . .9, 28

Smith Life Home Care . . . . . . .B-10

Housing

AlfredHouse . . . . . . .

Ashby

Ring House . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .B-17

Seneca, The . . . . . . . . . . .B-6, B-12

Sky Bridge at Town Center . . . . . . . . . . . . . .B-5, B-19

Sommerset . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12

Sunrise Senior Living . . . . . . . . .23

Sylvestery, The . . . . . . . . . . . . .B-10

Tribute at the Glen . . . . . . . . . . . .13

Verso Founders Row . . . . . . . . .B-2

Long & Foster/ Eric Stewart . . . . . . . . . . . . .30, 40

Retail

Perfect Sleep Chair . . . . . . . . . . .38

Potomac Collector . . . . . . . . . . . .28

SoLite Scooter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42

UpBed Independence . . . . . . . . . .46

Zinger Chair . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .47

Ride On Bus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11

Travel

Travel WV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37

Vamoose Bus . . . . . . . . . . .B-11, 37

Utilities

Lead Free DC Water . . . . . . . . . .52

Xfinity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20