October 2018 | Fifty Plus Richmond

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OCTOBER 2018 • FREE

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OCTOBER 2018 — FIFTYPLUS

Lack of trust — Part II Last month, I wrote about the disturbing tensibly being “cashed in” to cover current excess costs. state of Social Security and Medicare.

But the money to redeem I noted that an additional, unthose bonds comes out of curbudgeted-for $416 billion rent taxpayer revenues (and govmust be paid out of this year’s ernment deficit borrowing), federal budget in order to meet putting a huge strain on future the needs of Social Security and budgets and generations for Medicare beneficiaries this years and years to come. (See my year.

September column at www.TheThose programs are supBeaconNewspapers.com/a-lack-ofposed to be funded each year out trust-fund if you want a fuller of the payroll taxes paid by every explanation.) working American. Indeed, for This month, I promised to some decades, such payroll taxes FROM THE address why we find ourselves far exceeded the annual costs of PUBLISHER the programs.

By Stuart P. Rosenthal in this situation, and what we can do about it.

Now, however, between the In a nutshell, we find ourselves in this sitrising costs of healthcare (thanks in part to the development of life-extending cures that cost a uation because most of our elected represenhuge sum) and the rapidly retiring baby boomer tatives in Congress like their jobs and want generation, this (and future) years’ costs far ex- to be reelected.

With House incumbents up for reelection ceed the revenues.

I explained last month that the excess rev- every two years and senators every six, the enues of past decades were spent on other incentives are incredibly strong to please needs of government at the time, and replaced their constituents in the short run by lowerwith federal government IOUs to itself: Special ing taxes and increasing spending whenever interest-earning Treasury bonds — mislead- possible, thereby boosting the federal deficit ingly labeled “Trust Funds” — that are now os- and kicking the can of its repayment down

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Editorial Mission: Fifty Plus is dedicated to providing readers with accurate information, professional guidance, and useful resources. Our publication is intended to both reflect and enhance fifty-plus lifestyles, and to encourage reader dialogue and input.

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the road to future Congresses and generations.

There does not seem to be any effective mechanism in our political system for holding those we elect currently accountable for the long-term damage their actions will inevitably bring about. Voters don’t think that way, and few campaign ads address the issue.

And even to the extent we occasionally “throw the bums out,” their replacements have exactly the same incentives to keep doing the same thing, and usually do.

There are many well-known ways to address the financial problems facing Social Security and Medicare. Here are a few of the ones that could — individually or together — solve the problems: — Raise payroll tax rates by 2 or 3 percent.

This would raise costs for all employers and reduce take-home pay for all workers, but would probably eliminate the estimated shortfall for both programs well into the future.

— Raise the level of income on which Social Security taxes are imposed (the “earnings cap”). The maximum income subject to the tax is currently $128,400, meaning high earners are not taxed on the balance of their incomes. This cap could be raised faster (it’s pegged to inflation) or eliminated. In the latter case, this alone would eliminate close to 90 percent of the Social Security shortfall.

— Raise the age at which people qualify for Social Security. On average, we are living longer, so perhaps it makes sense to retire later. Not only would people have more years of wages to live off of, they would pay additional payroll taxes and collect fewer benefits overall. This assumes, of course, that employers will be willing to keep or hire older adults, which is another issue...

— Change the Social Security cost-of-living-adjustment formula so beneficiaries receive lower increases with inflation.

To see a simulation of how these and other adjustments would affect the long-term financial health of Social Security, see bit.ly/SocialSecuritySimulator.

As you can see, each solution involves a certain amount of sacrifice from one group or another. My view is that it doesn’t seem fair to impose all the costs on any one constituency, and it isn’t fair to impose additional costs on current retirees, since they are no longer in a position to plan ahead to cope with the changes.

But I don’t see any reason why we can’t share the pain broadly among those of us still working and not on the verge of retirement.

Congress could, if its members chose, enact all of the above (and a number of other adjustments I haven’t described) in small amounts over time. It could gradually raise the payroll tax rate, earnings cap, and age of retirement, and reduce COLAs starting some years out in a way that protects current retirees.

Everyone would suffer a bit, but we would all be in this together, and the long-term health of our retirement programs would no longer be an issue.

If you agree this is a sensible solution, there’s only one way to bring it about. Talk to your elected representatives and let them know this is something you want, and that you won’t vote them out of office if they act accordingly.

The power is in your hands. Don’t forget to vote on November 6.

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

Mail your Letter to the Editor to Fifty Plus, P.O. Box 2227, Silver Spring, MD 20915, or e-mail to info@fiftyplusrichmond.com. Please include your name, address and telephone number for verification.

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M A R K YO U R C ALE NDAR

Oct. 25

HELPING VETS REMEMBER

The Chesterfield Council on Aging presents their Honor Flight Network, a nonprofit organization created to honor America’s veterans for all their sacrifices. The group transports veterans to Washington, D.C. to visit and reflect at memorials. Top priority is given to the senior veterans: World War II survivors, along with those other veterans who may be terminally ill. Dana Rivera, director of social services at Sitter & Barfoot Veterans Care Center, will present the details of this program on Thursday, Oct. 25 from 9 to 10:30 a.m. at Lucy Corr Village Assisted Mast Auditorium, 6800 Lucy Corr Blvd., Chesterfield. Admission is free and open to the public. For more information, call (804) 768-7878 or visit www.chesterfield.gov/seniorservices.

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FIFTYPLUS — OCTOBER 2018

Feature Story

He teaches life lessons so kids can thrive

A caring whirlwind Argabright got involved through his church, Trinity United Methodist, and the Micah Initiative, which pairs 130 faith communities with Richmond Public Schools.

He directs his energies primarily to two public housing communities: Hillside Court, with 402 units, and Afton Court, with 40 units, both near a commercial strip of U.S. 1.

“Mr. Bob” has in effect become a surrogate father for Oak Grove-Bellemeade students. He sees them as talented kids with appetites to learn and cultural assets. Given support like Argabright’s, these are kids that can thrive.

“They don’t see black and white skin. They see love,” he said. One child told him, “You’re not white. You are light skinned.” He prays that he’ll wake up one day speaking Spanish, but it hasn’t happened yet.

Argabright is involved in numerous organizations that do good works. He chairs the board of directors of Ground Work RVA, which supports inner city and out-of-school youth by teaching them job skills.

Then there’s Richmond Thrives, a group that focuses on community engagement in the U.S. 1 corridor — an economically-challenged strip of former tobacco barns associated with Phillip Morris, once a major Richmond industry.

With Richmond Tree Stewards, he helps plant and maintain trees.

He’s also cultivated a network of city council members, the school board, local leaders and corporate donors — plus over 100 partners, like Eagle Scouts, faith groups, nonprofits and schools — to help in his efforts.

Getting kids outdoors

See HELPING KIDS, page 5

This bike repair shop created by Bob Argabright is named after his late friend, Charlie Thomas. Argabright engages in numerous other volunteer projects for 30 to 40 hours a week, including a school tutoring and mentoring program he developed, and taking students on field trips.

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When city officials debated school boundary changes, three options involved bussing students out of their community. Argabright and parents argued that it is healthier for kids to walk to school.

The bussing plans failed, but community members had to ensure a safe path. Argabright led efforts to create a walking and bike path with landscaping and signage. They won a $350,000 grant from the Virginia Department of Transportation to replace a washed out pedestrian bridge.

In the 6.4-acre Bellemeade Park, he’s enlisted teams to plant trees, and convinced

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he’s determined to prove them wrong — and he has a 14-year record so far.

“I won’t let kids come to school and not grow,” he said. “If you’re going to create future stewards, you do it with kids. You can’t do it with 35-year-olds.

“We have to teach them life skills, give them opportunity. If kids cannot read by third grade, that’s a predictor of prison.”

He sees potential in every child, his “precious cargo.” Highlighting one commonality with his career, he said, “It’s all people business, how to communicate with everyone.”

PHOTO BY GLENDA C. BOOTH

By Glenda C. Booth During his working career, Bob Argabright, 76, was a “turnaround specialist” with the Chesapeake Packaging Corporation. When an operating unit had problems, the packaging company sent him to trouble spots to find solutions.

Today, Argabright is a turnaround specialist of a different kind. Almost every day since his 2004 retirement, he has gone from his condominium in The Bluffs to “a different world” — Richmond’s southside, a community of working class and public housing homes around Oak Grove Bellemeade Elementary School.

He is on what he calls his “ministry” for the children there, most of whom are minorities. “Mr. Bob! Mr. Bob!” they call out when he arrives. The kids light up, and he lights up too: “Hello Princess. There’s little Reuben.

There’s little Bradley,” first names flowing like melting chocolate.

Helping disadvantaged youngsters was never in his retirement plan, but it has become his life. “I don’t have to go to church on Sunday,” he explains. “I’ve been on my ministry all week.”

He’s clearly on a mission, multiple missions in fact, to give these youngsters a belief in their own potential, a feeling of belonging, and a sense of opportunity and hope. “We all need a sense of belonging,” he maintains.

His mantra: “Your life does not have to be determined by your ZIP code. These kids were born in 23224. My kids grew up in 23229, where they got exposure and resources.”

Drawing on a network of governmental, corporate and nonprofit groups, Argabright is bringing resources to these youngsters — from field trips, to bicycles, to butterfly kits; material resources, human resources and most of all, hope.

“We’ve got work to do,” he insists. “Sometimes it’s hard to sleep. It never stops.”

“Bob is one of those rare individuals who has a vision for how to improve the lives of our kids,” said Ann Jurczyk, Virginia Director of Outreach and Advocacy, Chesapeake Bay Foundation. He has “the tenacity and people skills to bring that vision to fruition. He inspires all who work with him.”

Some question why he devotes 30 to 40 hours a week to a community that his friends visit rarely, if at all, and too often stereotype as dangerous. But that doesn’t faze Argabright. “It’s much more rewarding than the corporate world I came from,” he insists.

He’s hit a few bumps. He’s heard an occasional kid remark, “Mr. Bob, you’ll come and go like all the others who’ve come here.” But

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OCTOBER 2018 — FIFTYPLUS

Fitness &

Health

FEWER MIGRAINES The FDA recently approved a monthly shot to prevent chronic migraines STAYING WELL IN THE HOSPITAL Hospital-acquired infections are common; precautions to prevent them NO MORE MONTHLY EXAMS Regular breast self-exams are being replaced with general self-awareness BEYOND NORMAL MEMORY LOSS Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) affects decision making and language

Multi-gene test may identify risks earlier

By Lauran Neergaard You know your cholesterol and your blood pressure levels. But your heart gene score?

Researchers say a new way of analyzing genetic test data may one day help identify people at high risk of a youthful heart attack in time to help.

Today, gene testing mostly focuses on rare mutations in one or a few genes, like those that cause cystic fibrosis or sickle cell disease, or the BRCA gene responsible for a small fraction of breast cancer. It is less useful for some of the most common diseases, such as heart disease or diabetes, because they are influenced by vast numbers of genes-gonewrong working together in complicated ways.

But recently, researchers have reported a new way to measure millions of small genetic variations that can add up to cause harm, letting them calculate someone’s inherited risk for the most common form of heart disease and four other serious disorders.

The potential cardiac impact: They estimated that up to 25 million Americans may have triple the average person’s risk for coronary artery disease even if they haven’t yet developed warning signs like high cholesterol.

“What I foresee is, in five years, each person will know this risk number, this ‘polygenic risk score,’ similar to the way each person knows his or her cholesterol,” said Dr. Sekar Kathiresan, who led the research team from the Broad Institute, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School.

The scoring system also can predict an increased risk of Type 2 diabetes, inflammatory bowel disease, breast cancer, and an irregular heartbeat called atrial fibrillation, the team reported in the journal Nature Genetics — noting that next steps include learning what might likewise lower those risks.

Interpreting risk scores

Not a complex technique

If the approach pans out and doctors adopt it, a bad score wouldn’t mean you’d get a disease, just that your genetic makeup increases the chance. It would be one more piece of information in deciding care.

For example, when the researchers tested the system using a DNA database from Britain, fewer than 1 percent of people with the lowest risk scores were diagnosed with coronary artery disease, compared to 11 percent of people with the highest risk score.

“There are things you can do to lower the risk,” Kathiresan said — the usual advice about diet, exercise, cholesterol medication and not smoking helps.

On the flip side, a low-risk score “doesn’t give you a free pass,” he added. An unhealthy lifestyle could overwhelm the protection of good genes.

Finding your score doesn’t require the most sophisticated type of genetic testing. Instead, Kathiresan can calculate risk scores for those five diseases — eventually maybe more — simply by reanalyzing the kind of raw data people receive after sending a cheek swab to companies like 23andMe. A geneticist who specializes in cardiovascular disease, he hopes to open a website where people can send in such data to learn their heart risk as part of continuing research. Kathiresan and co-author Dr. Amit Khera, a Mass General cardiologist, are coinventors on a patent application for the system.

Other scientists and companies have long sought ways to measure risk from multiple, additive gene effects — the “poly” in polygenic — and Myriad Genetics has begun sell-

ing a type of polygenic test for breast cancer risk.

But specialists in heart disease and genetics who weren’t involved with the research called the new findings exciting because of their scope.

“The results should be eye-opening for cardiologists,” said Dr. Charles C. Hong, director of cardiovascular research at the University of Maryland School of Medicine.

“The only disappointment is that this score applies only to those with European ancestry, so I wonder if similar scores are in the works for the large majority of the world population that is not white.”

Hong pointed to a friend who recently died of a massive heart attack despite being a super-fit marathon runner who’d never smoked. It was the kind of puzzling death that doctors have long hoped that a better understanding of genetics could help to prevent.

“Most of the variation in disease risk comes from an enormous number of very tiny effects” in genes, agreed Stanford University genetics professor Jonathan Pritchard. “This is the first time polygenic See GENE TEST, page 5

Coffee and the ‘cancer-causing’ chemical Q: As I coffee lover, I have been happy to read about its health benefits. However, I am a bit disturbed by the suggestion that one of its ingredients causes cancer. What’s your opinion?

A: Indeed, the news on coffee is mostly good. This includes the results of a recent study that found coffee drinkers live longer, a conclusion that held up even for heavy coffee consumption (eight or more cups of coffee each day), and regardless of whether the coffee was caffeinated or not.

And longevity was linked to coffee consumption regardless of what type of caffeine metabolism genes you carry. The authors concluded that the health benefits of coffee go beyond caffeine.

I suspect your question is related to an effort in California to require a notification to coffee consumers of a possible link to cancer.

Here’s the reason: in 1986, California passed Proposition 65, which requires businesses to provide a warning label when exposing any consumer to any item on a long list of potentially harmful chemicals. Acrylamide is on that list, and coffee contains acrylamide — a chemical produced during the roasting process.

Nothing has changed in our understanding regarding the potential side effects of coffee, or its benefits.

Many studies have explored whether there is a potential link between drinking coffee and cancer. None has convincingly linked acrylamide in coffee (or coffee in general) to one’s

risk of cancer, and there is plenty of research.

The amount of acrylamide in coffee varies, and is quite small compared to amounts found to cause cancer in animals. In addition, there are other sources of acrylamide exposure no one is making a fuss over, including bread, potato chips and breakfast cereals. It’s also found in cigarettes.

While future research could find a link between coffee and cancer, there’s no particular reason to expect that to happen. In the meantime, if you are worried about acrylamide, you can limit your exposure to it by not smoking and by eating less fried, burnt or charred foods.

Also avoid coffee substitutes and instant coffee, which contain higher amounts of acrylamide than regular coffee.

Perhaps we will discover ways of reducing or even eliminating acrylamide in the coffee roasting process. But it’s not clear that changing how coffee is roasted will actually improve your health.

As is so often the case with potentially carcinogenic toxins, we’ll need additional research to determine whether the amount of acrylamide in coffee and other foods and drinks matters a little, a lot, or not at all.

Robert H. Shmerling, M.D., is Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. For additional consumer health information, visit www.health.harvard.edu. © 2018 President and Fellows of Harvard College. All rights reserved. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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FIFTYPLUS — OCTOBER 2018

Helping kids From page 3 Davey Trees and True Timber to help prune trees and donate wood chips. He organized youngsters to get ivy off trees, spread wood chips and maintain trails.

Agrabright helped create a school butterfly garden. He also gives children “butterfly kits” of larvae and caterpillars, so they can watch butterflies develop and then monitor them in the school garden.

He’s especially proud of his bicycle project.

He’s distributed over 800 bicycles to southside youngsters that he got from the Police Department’s lost and found, and from more affluent parents who upgraded their children’s bikes. He also obtained a $1,000 donation from the Richmond Area Bicycle Association to buy 18 bikes.

But Argabright doesn’t just hand the bikes over to youngsters. They have to take some responsibility.

He and a friend, the late Charlie Thomas, built a bike repair shop from metal shipping containers obtained from the Port Authority.

Gene test From page 4 scores have really been shown to reach the level of precision where they can have an im-

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He persuaded teenage welding students at the Richmond Technical Center to custom design the shop’s gates, incorporating used bike sprockets, pedals and handlebars.

Teaching youngsters how to repair and maintain their bikes involves collateral lessons. If youngsters want to use the shop’s tools, they have to bring a bag of recyclables.

“Giving them something without having them give something back is not the answer,” he said.

He established a school tutoring and mentoring program for 40 Hispanic kids to improve their language skills in English and Spanish.

He founded the School on Wheels with two buses lent by Immanuel Pentecostal Church to take kids on field trips to places like the James River Park system and an organic farm. Argabright pays for the gas.

He’s not stopping there. He’s now developing RVA Basics for 300 preschoolers in Hillside Court to teach them school readiness skills, such as how to sit still or hold a crayon.

The program will also encourage parents to read to their children.

Success stories Argabright brags about Bobbie Taft, a young woman reared by her dad after her mom died when Bobbie was 9. She’s now going to Maggie Walker Governor’s School for gifted students.

Why did he support her and her dad?

“Kids can be brilliant, but they need support and exposure. Their world is small. I can expose her to a bigger world.”

Another success story: Argabright worked with Groundwork RVA, partnering with the National Park Service, and arranged for Devon, then a ninth grader, to spend a summer volunteering in Grand Canyon National Park.

The next year, Devon worked for the Youth Conservation Corps at Grand Teton National Park. Now a high school graduate, he works at the Marriott Hotel and Einstein Bagel.

Argabright is married to Vickie, also age 76, but one week older, he chuckles. They lost two sons to cancer, both at age 38.

He earned a number of accolades in his professional career, including Richmond History Maker, the North American Manufacturer of the Year, Industry Innovator of the Year, Maryland Award for Human Resource Excellence,

and the Positive Employee Practices Institute Showcase Award of Excellence.

But Argabright scoffs at those, commenting, “No one will remember that. Once you retire and someone calls you at your former job, the switchboard operator will say, ‘Bob who?’”

His volunteerism has won kudos from the Virginia Mentoring Partnership, Richmond City School Board, Richmond City Council, Family Lifeline, and the Daughters of the American Revolution. The Virginia legislature commended him.

But for Argabright, it’s not about the spotlight or the awards. “My legacy is with the kids, what lives on through these kids,” he said.

How does he do it? “One thing led to another. I didn’t have a grand plan.” But bottom line, “I can’t walk away,” he said.

When one of his sons died, “Mr. Bob’s kids” made cards and delivered them in a teddy bear’s pouch. One card said, “I know you are angry at God. You and God are gonna work things out. I love you more than cornbread.”

From all those “Mr. Bob, Mr. Bob!” greetings, that’s clear.

pact” on patient health.

First, the Boston-based team combed previous studies that mapped the DNA of large numbers of people, looking for links to the five diseases — not outright mutations but

minor misspellings in the genetic code.

Each variation alone would have only a tiny effect on health. They developed a computerized system that analyzed how those effects add up, and tested it using DNA and medical

records from 400,000 people stored in Britain’s UK Biobank. Scores more than three times the average person’s risk were deemed high.

— AP

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Fitness & Health | www.FiftyPlusRichmond.com

Health Shorts Monthly shot can prevent chronic migraines U.S. regulators recently approved the first drug designed to prevent chronic migraines.

The Food and Drug Administration’s action clears the monthly shot Aimovig (AIM’oh-vig) for sale. It’s the first in a new class of long-acting drugs for preventing migraines.

Three other shots are expected to win approval by next year, and several pills for preventing migraines are being tested.

Current prevention treatments include pills originally developed for epilepsy and other conditions, as well as the wrinkle reducer Botox.

But many patients abandon them because they don’t help much or cause serious side effects.

Amgen Inc. of Thousand Oaks, Calif., and Swiss drug giant Novartis AG developed Aimovig. Injected monthly just under the skin using a pen like device, the drug will cost $6,900 per year without insurance.

Migraines can cause disabling symptoms: throbbing headaches, nausea and vomiting, and sensitivity to light and sound. About 10 million Americans get them frequently. They’re most

common in people in their 30s, mostly women, and can last for several hours or even days.

In one study, patients given Aimovig saw their migraine days cut from eight to four a month, on average. Those who got dummy shots had a reduction of two. Each patient group had similar minor side effects, mostly colds and respiratory infections.

Some patients saw their migraines completely eliminated, said Sean Harper, Amgen’s research director.

Aimovig and the migraine drugs in development target a substance called CGRP whose levels spike in the blood during a migraine, triggering symptoms.

The long-term safety of Aimovig, also known as erenumab, hasn’t been tested, and Amgen plans to track outcomes in women who become pregnant while taking it.

Looser rules for gene therapy studies U.S. health officials are eliminating special regulations for gene therapy experiments, saying that what was once exotic science is quickly becoming an established form of medical care with no extraordinary risks.

A special National Institutes of Health oversight panel will no longer review all gene ther-

OCTOBER 2018 — FIFTYPLUS

apy applications, and will instead take on a broader advisory role, according to changes proposed recently. The Food and Drug Administration will vet gene therapy experiments and products as it does with other treatments and drugs.

It’s an extraordinary milestone for a field that has produced only a few approved treatments so far. And not all experts agree that it doesn’t still need special precautions.

With gene editing and other frontiers looming, “this is not the right time to be making any moves based on the idea that we know what the risks are,� said Stanford bioethicist Mildred Cho. Gene therapy aims to attack the root cause of a problem by deleting, adding or altering DNA, the chemical code of life, rather than just treating symptoms that result from a genetic flaw.

When it was first proposed, there were so many safety worries and scientific unknowns that the NIH created a panel of independent scientists, called the Recombinant DNA Advisory Committee, or RAC, to assess each experiment and potential risks to patients. The risks were underscored in 1999, when a teen’s death in a gene experiment put a chill on the field.

Since then, much has been learned about safety, and last year the FDA approved the nation’s first gene therapies, for cancer and an inherited form of blindness.

It’s time to let the FDA review gene therapy

proposals on its own without duplicating regulatory efforts, the NIH’s director, Dr. Francis Collins, and FDA chief Dr. Scott Gottlieb wrote in the New England Journal of Medicine.

The proposed changes will go into effect after a public comment period, which ends Oct. 16.

To learn more about the regulations or submit comments, go to http://bit.ly/gene-regulations.

Weight-loss drug safe for heart For the first time, a drug has been shown to help people lose weight and keep it off for several years without raising their risk for heart problems — a safety milestone that may encourage wider use to help curb the obesity epidemic.

The drug, Belviq, has been sold in the United States since 2013, and is the first of several new weight-loss medicines to complete a long-term heart safety study now required by federal regulators to stay on the market. “Patients and their doctors have been nervous about using drugs to treat obesity and for good reason. There’s a history of these drugs having serious complications,� said study leader Dr. Erin Bohula of Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston.

With this study, Belviq has been convincSee HEALTH SHORTS, page 8

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FIFTYPLUS — OCTOBER 2018

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Ways to avoid hospital-related infections Q: I’m getting a procedure done at cautions and should follow doctor’s orders. the hospital soon, and I’m afraid of get- But below are some general recommendating an infection while I’m tions to protect yourself and there. Is there anything I others from HAIs while you can do? are in the hospital: A: Infections you can develop • Sanitize your own hands while inside hospitals or other often with soap and water, espemedical settings — including cially after using the bathroom. doctors’ offices, rehab facilities • When coughing or sneezor nursing homes — are called ing, cover your mouth and nose healthcare-associated infections, with a tissue and throw away the or HAIs. They could come from tissue as soon as possible. Then germs that enter your body at a wash or sanitize your hands. surgical site, or germs that • Ensure that your doctors DR. RX travel on medical equipment, and nurses sanitize their hands

By Christian Ruiz such as a catheter or an IV line. before they enter and after they Common HAIs include: leave your room. Also be sure • Infections caused by the bacteria C. diff they are wearing any necessary personal pro(Clostridium difficile or C. difficile) or tective equipment, such as gloves, gowns MRSA (methicillin-resistant staphylococcus and/or masks while in your room. This is to aureus) protect you and them from HAIs. Don’t be • Infections at the site where you’ve had afraid to speak up! surgery or where a catheter or an IV line • Ensure that visitors sanitize their hands has been placed into your body before they enter and after they leave your • Pneumonia or other respiratory infecroom. Also, ensure they follow any special tions from using a ventilator instructions from doctors and nurses while they visit you, which may include wearing gloves, gowns or masks.

Preventing infection If you do need a catheter, ask your docThere are many ways you can prevent tors and nurses why it is needed and when HAIs. People using ventilators or recoverit will be removed. Your risk of getting an ing from surgeries have to take special pre-

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HAI increases with the number and duration of catheters placed into your body.

You might have an HAI if you have recently been in the hospital and experience: • Fever • Nausea • Unexpected pain, tenderness, redness or swelling at the site where you’ve had surgery or where a catheter or an IV line has been placed into your body If you think you have any of these symptoms, tell your doctors or nurses immediately.

Having any of these symptoms does not necessarily mean you have an HAI, but if you do,

you want to be treated for it as soon as possible in order to prevent further complications.

If your doctor does determine that you have an HAI, he/she will likely prescribe you an antibiotic. Be sure to take the antibiotic exactly as prescribed in order to prevent another HAI or an even worse one.

Christian Ruiz is a third-year Pharm.D. student at VCU School of Pharmacy. He majored in chemistry and minored in music and biology at Virginia Commonwealth University. Upon graduation, he currently hopes to pursue a career in emergency medicine, critical care or internal medicine.

8

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OCTOBER 2018 — FIFTYPLUS

Do you still need to do breast self-exams?

Dear Mayo Clinic: I’m confused about breast self-exams.

I’m 45 years old, and I remember being told to do self-exams monthly. At one point, my healthcare provider even gave me a laminated card to put in the shower that showed the correct technique.

Now it seems self-exams aren’t talked about much anymore. Are we still supposed to do them?

Answer: You are correct that the role of breast self-exams has changed. While detailed breast self-exams no longer are recommended as part of formal screening for breast cancer, it is still important for you to know how your breasts usually look and feel.

That way, if anything changes, you will be more likely to notice the difference. Breast self-awareness can help you become more familiar with your own breasts, so you understand what’s normal for you.

In the past, healthcare providers often recommended that women do breast self-exams regularly using a step-by-step approach to detect signs of breast cancer.

Although breast self-exams seemed like a good way for women to find breast cancer in its early stages, research showed that those self-exams triggered more breast tests and biopsies being done that came back with normal findings (sometimes called false positives) in women who did breast self-exams, compared to women who did not do the exams.

Now, instead of using detailed self-exams as part of a formal breast cancer screening process, healthcare providers recommend breast self-awareness, so that women become familiar with the normal look and feel of their breasts.

That way, if you notice a change in your breast, such as a lump or bump that seems out of the ordinary to you, you can tell your

Health shorts

users had shed 9 pounds, twice as much as those on dummy pills.

It may be that weight loss alone is not enough to lower heart risks, or that there needs to be more to do that, some doctors said.

Belviq is an appetite suppressant that works by stimulating brain chemicals to give a feeling of fullness. It costs roughly $220 to

From page 6 ingly shown safe for the heart, she said.

Although Belviq did not raise heart risks, it didn’t lower them either, as many had hoped it would. The weight loss it produced was fairly modest — after 40 months, Belviq

healthcare provider about it. From there, the two of you can decide if any further investigation is needed.

Although it is a good idea for you to be aware of the typical look and feel of your breasts, keep in mind that breast self-awareness can’t replace a clinical breast exam conducted by your healthcare provider.

And breast self-awareness should not replace screening mammograms or other breast cancer screening tests that your healthcare provider recommends.

Mammograms continue to play a key role in early breast cancer detection and have been shown to help decrease breast cancer deaths.

Screening mammograms often can detect breast changes in women who have no new noticeable breast abnormalities or any other signs or symptoms of cancer. The goal of

these screening mammograms is to detect cancer in its earliest stage, before you’d be able to notice any changes.

Take time to talk to your healthcare provider about the approach to breast cancer screening that’s right for you. Factors that can make a difference in that approach include your age, medical background and family history, among others.

Discuss the benefits, risks and limitations of screening tools, such as mammograms, and decide together what is best for your situation.

— Karthik Ghosh, M.D., Breast Diagnostic Clinic, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn.

Mayo Clinic Q & A is an educational resource and doesn’t replace regular medical care.

E-mail a question to MayoClinicQ&A@mayo.edu.

For more information, visit www.mayoclinic.org) © 2018 Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research. All rights reserved. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

$290 a month in the United States.

Researchers tested it in a study of 12,000 people who were either obese or overweight with heart disease risk factors. They were given Belviq or dummy pills to take twice a day, and offered lifestyle and diet advice.

At one year, 39 percent on Belviq and 17 percent on dummy pills had lost at least 5 per-

cent of their starting weight. After about three years, 6 percent of each group had suffered a heart-related problem or death.

Fewer people on Belviq developed diabetes — 8.5 percent versus 10.3 percent on dummy pills.

Several previous studies also found the drug effective for weight loss.

— AP

Get clinical exams, mammograms

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FIFTYPLUS — OCTOBER 2018

9

When memory loss should be a concern

By Howard LeWine Q: I have become a bit more forgetful.

I read about something called mild cognitive impairment. How do you know if you have it?

A: Everyone has the occasional bout of forgetfulness, whether it’s misplacing your keys or blanking out on a name. But if these episodes become frequent or interfere with daily life, you may have mild cognitive impairment, or MCI. But MCI can be tough to identify.

MCI falls somewhere between the natural cognitive decline that happens with aging and the more serious signs of Alzheimer’s disease or other types of dementia.

Despite some cognitive deficits, people with MCI can still engage in their usual daily routine and perform the functions needed to live independently.

MCI is categorized into two major types.

The first is known as amnestic MCI and refers to problems with memory — such as forgetting recent information and details of conversations, or misplacing personal items like your glasses.

The second category, nonamnestic MCI, involves changes in areas other than memory — such as attention and concentration, executive function (the group of abilities that includes planning, multitasking, and decision making), language skills (like finding words or choosing the right ones), and visual skills (like finding your way around locations or understanding where things are in space).

MCI is tough to pinpoint because people often shrug off the mental lapses as annoying signs of aging. Also, not everyone experiences the same number of symptoms or the same severity.

People may have a deficit in only one area —

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for instance, only memory or executive function — called single-domain MCI, or mild deficits in several areas, called multi-domain MCI. Being honest about your memory lapses is always the first step to identifying MCI. If you’re not sure if your memory is a problem, ask friends or family for an honest assessment, or ask them to look out for memory changes you might not notice.

If you or someone else suspects a problem, your doctor can perform in-office cognitive tests to check for MCI. If you are diagnosed with MCI, that doesn’t mean you’re automatically on the fast track to dementia. In fact, many people

will not progress to more severe problems.

While there is no single proven method for preventing or slowing MCI, people can reduce their risk of cognitive decline by getting regular exercise, eating a Mediterranean style diet, and remaining socially engaged.

Howard LeWine, M.D., is an internist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston and assistant professor at Harvard Medical School.

For additional consumer health information, visit www.health.harvard.edu. © 2018 President and Fellows of Harvard College. All rights reserved. Distributed By Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

M A R K YO U R CAL EN DA R

Nov. 6

SPIRITUAL DEMENTIA CAREGIVING

The Rev. Kathy Berry, chaplain at Westminster Canterbury of Richmond will discuss ways in which caregivers can communicate with and provide spiritual care for people in different stages of dementia in “When Words Fail: Practical Ministry to People with Dementia and Their Caregivers” on Tuesday, Nov. 6 from 4 to 5:15 p.m. at Lucy Corr Village Assisted Living Friendship Room, 6800 Lucy Corr Blvd., Chesterfield. This talk is part of Caregiver Connection, which meets on the first Tuesday of every month and helps to address the needs of those who are caring for an adult with physical or cognitive deterioration, usually a parent or spouse. This group is free and open to the public. For more information, call (804) 768-7878 or visit www.chesterfield.gov/seniorservices.

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OCTOBER 2018 — FIFTYPLUS

Did you know these benefits of prunes?

Almost everyone knows what prunes are scientifically proven to help soften stools and for: They help you get going! Your parents induce a laxative type effect due to their sorbitol content. probably kept them in the Filtered prune juice will not kitchen and offered them to you work as well because the actual when you were a constipated kid. fruit provides the fiber, and filPrunes are, of course, just tered juice does not. dried plums. They’re fruits of Do prunes have other medicithe tree species Prunus domesnal benefits? Yes, and surpristica, hence the name. ingly important ones too!

More recently, for purely marketing reasons, they have begun Stronger bones to be called “dried plums,” which Prunes have been shown in offers greater mass appeal. Honmultiple studies to prevent, and estly, which name sounds more DEAR PHARMACIST even reverse, bone loss in postpalatable? menopausal women. They’re good What they couldn’t change By Suzy Cohen for those with osteoporosis! was how shriveled up and sticky Prunes work by suppressing the rate of these guys are when you eat them! But don’t let that hinder you, because prunes have been bone turnover. In fact, prominent re-

M ARK YO UR CAL EN DAR

Nov. 9

HOLIDAY ON PARADE

Fill your heart with the holiday spirit this season at the Holiday on Parade on Friday, Nov. 9 from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Belmont Recreation Center, 1600 Hilliard Rd., Henrico. Enjoy performances and audience participation fun with the Henrico Radio Players, the Henrico Pops Chorus and the Colonial Dance Club, and holiday crafts for young and the more-holiday-seasoned, as well as some yummy refreshments. For more information, call (804) 652-1439.

searchers wrote an article in the British Journal of Nutrition saying they have come to the conclusion that prunes are “the most effective fruit in both preventing and reversing bone loss.”

Lower blood pressure A placebo-controlled trial out of Pakistan showed that eating just one serving of prunes each day could significantly lower blood pressure in hypertensive patients. Those who ate the prunes had a reduction in both their systolic and diastolic blood pressure (top and bottom numbers).

Better memory?

Eating prunes might also help preserve your brain. In an animal model study, feeding rodents an extract of plums helped to maintain their cognitive function. Not only was their memory recall improved, there was less formation of beta amyloid plaques, which are found in patients with Alzheimer’s and may turn out to cause the disease.

Even if everything is “moving right along” in your life, consider adding prunes to your diet if only to help you with blood pressure regulation, bone health and memory.

It’s mind-blowing to think such a simple thing could help so much. As a pharmacist, I

see no risk to this, and only benefit. But of course, don’t eat too many prunes or you’ll get diarrhea!

One warning: If your constipation is due to opiate usage (such as oxycodone or hydrocodone), then you’ll need an OTC medication such as MiraLAX. Prunes are fine, but will not be enough!

If your constipation is secondar y to hypothyroidism, pr unes will also not be enough. You will need thyroid medication.

I have written about this extensively at my website.

Enjoy prunes on a salad, with yogurt or cottage cheese, or just eat them whole.

Recipes can be found everywhere, including on my website where I also have a longer version of this article posted.

If you simply can’t stand prunes, fresh plums are a great alternative, when available.

Plums contain the same anthocyanins that prunes do, and they are even juicier.

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

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

FIFTYPLUS — OCTOBER 2018

www.FiftyPlusRichmond.com | Fitness & Health

11

Even better than keeping your mouth shut Dear Solutions: Dear All of the Above: I see my daughter (a corporate someYou certainly are caught up — in the genthing or other) and my son-ineration gap and in your own law (a lawyer) spending more fears of abandonment. and more money on their As life goes on, the roles spin children instead of spending round and round. When our more and more time with own children were small, they them as they’re growing, and tried to please us because they I’m worried. were afraid of abandonment (by The children think ever yus). Now we try to please them thing is coming to them, because we’re afraid of abanand that money is the only donment (by them). impor tant thing to strive You don’t really have to confor. Of course, they’re not SOLUTIONS front them. They are so caught striving since they are get- By Helen Oxenberg, up in their lifestyle that they ting ever ything handed to MSW, ACSW would probably find it impossithem. ble to change things.

I’m retired, and I volunteer some time What you can do, however, is become a difat a nursing home because we were al- ferent kind of role model for your grandchilways taught to pay attention to people dren. Take them with you sometime when less fortunate. But I think the parents you volunteer at the nursing home. Show today don’t teach this anymore — they’re them that good feelings can come from helptoo busy. ing others even if you don’t get paid for it.

Part of me wants to say something to If they don’t have to strive for money, permy daughter and son-in-law, but I don’t haps you can help them see value in striving want to cause conflict or disturb the to earn a position where they can effect peace. I keep being caught up saying to change and plan for better ways to help less myself, “don’t, won’t, can’t, shouldn’t,” fortunate people. You raised your daughter, and more of the same. so she probably has some of these values — All of the Above stored inside her.

My guess is that she and your son-in-law will appreciate two things: One is you’re not criticizing them or telling them how to live.

Two is you’re enriching their children’s lives and giving them another, valuable and exciting perspective on life.

Dear Solutions: I have two good friends who are also friends of each other. Lately though, they’ve had a disagreement, and they’re constantly arguing about it.

The trouble is that after they finish arguing, each one turns to me individually.

They call me, tell me what the other one said, and say, “Don’t say anything to her, but what do you think?”

I’m caught in the middle, and I’m trying to give each one advice to help them patch it up, but it’s becoming really muddled. As soon as I point out what’s wrong in the way it’s handled, I feel a chill coming at me. How to handle this?

— Anne Dear Anne: Keep it up, and that chill may become a deep freeze! In ancient times, if a king didn’t like the

message, he would kill the messenger.

In your situation, that would translate today into losing both your friends. They’ll probably patch things up, trot off together and leave you behind.

Why? Because what each one really wants is not your opinion but your support. They want you to become their ally. You can’t be an ally to one without alienating the other, so try not to hear a secret no matter how tempting.

The best thing you can do is remove yourself from the middle. Tell them, “I’m leaving for China until you settle this.” Actually, you can tell each one that you are a friend to each, but this is their quarrel, and you can’t get involved.

You’ll see them separately or together, but they own the quarrel, and in order to remain their friend you can’t accept any shares in it.

Good luck. © Helen Oxenberg, 2018. Questions to be considered for this column may be sent to: The Beacon, P.O. Box 2227, Silver Spring, MD 20915. You may also email the author at helox72@comcast.net. To inquire about reprint rights, call (609) 655-3684.

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Money Law &

GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR Consider a fee-only financial adviser, whose recommendations won’t be swayed by commissions HIGHER CASH RETURNS As interest rates rise, how to maximize your returns on large cash holdings — while still keeping your money safe

How to weather a downturn in retirement

By Liz Weston The older the current bull market gets, the more stories you’re likely to read about how this is an awful time to retire.

Yes, we’re due for a correction that trims 20 percent or more from stock values. That could be a big problem for people taking withdrawals from investment portfolios, since market losses early in retirement increase the chances of running short of money.

The answer isn’t to cower in fear, but to plan for the inevitable downturns. Financial planners say the following actions can help make your money last.

Make sure you’re diversified Stocks have quadrupled since March 9,

2009, the beginning of the current bull market. Meanwhile, returns on bonds and cash remain low.

Investors who haven’t regularly rebalanced back to a target mix of stocks, bonds and cash probably have way too much of their portfolios in stocks. The time to rebalance is now, before markets start bucking and making it harder to think rationally.

The right asset allocation depends on your income needs and risk tolerance, among other factors. But many financial planners recommend having a few years’ worth of withdrawals in safer investments to mitigate the urge to sell when stocks fall.

Certified financial planner Lawrence Heller of Melville, New York, uses the

How long will bull market continue?

By Alex Veiga The current bull market for U.S. stocks is now the longest of all time. How much longer might it last?

Strong corporate earnings growth and a resilient U.S. economy bolstered by a solid job market and consumer confidence set the stage for the market to continue the upward trajectory it’s been on for more than nine years, experts say.

Even rising interest rates are not likely to derail the bull. Data show the S&P 500 typically notches gains during periods when rates are rising.

Missing for now are signs that the U.S. economy is speeding toward a recession.

“Bull markets don’t die of old age, they die of fright,’’ said Sam Stovall, chief investment strategist for CFRA. “What bull markets are most afraid of is recession.’’

The S&P 500, the market’s benchmark index, has gained 323 percent since bottoming out in March 2009 during the Great

Recession, according to FactSet. The bull market stumbled at times during its run, most recently in February, when the S&P 500 fell 10 percent from its January all-time high. It would take a 20 percent tumble to usher in a bear market.

At this point, the usual indicators of a possible recession — big declines in U.S. housing starts, consumer confidence and company earnings — are not flashing warning signs.

For now, the trends that have helped steer the market higher remain. Most of the companies in the S&P 500 reported earnings and revenue this year that exceeded Wall Street’s expectations.

And despite the uncertainty over global trade tensions, the U.S. economy is on solid ground. Helped by tax cuts, it clocked in at an annual pace of 4.1 percent growth from April through June, the fastest quarterly expansion since 2014.

“bucket’’ strategy to avoid selling in down markets. Heller typically has clients keep one to three years’ worth of expenses in cash, plus seven to nine years’ worth in bonds, giving them 10 years before they would have to sell any stocks.

“That should be enough time to ride out a correction,’’ Heller said.

Near-retirees who use target date funds or computerized robo-advisors to invest for retirement don’t have to worry about regular rebalancing — that’s done automatically. But they may want to consider switching to a more conservative mix if stocks make up over half of their portfolios.

How much to withdraw?

Historically, retirees could minimize the risk of running out of money by withdrawing 4 percent of their portfolios in the first year of retirement and increasing the withdrawal amount by the inflation rate each year after that. This approach, pioneered by financial planner and researcher Bill Bengen, became known as the “4 percent rule.’’

Some researchers worry that the rule might not work in extended periods of low returns. One alternative is to start withdrawals at about 3 percent.

Another approach is to forgo inflation adjustments in bad years. Derek Tharp, a researcher with financial planning site Kitces.com, found that retirees could start at an initial 4.5 percent withdrawal rate if they were willing to trim their spending by 3 percent — which is equivalent to the average inflation adjustment — after years when their portfolios lose money.

“You don’t actually cut your spending. You just don’t increase it for inflation,’’ said certified financial planner Michael Kitces.

Reducing expenses trims the amount that retirees must take from their portfolios during

bad markets. That’s why Melissa Sotudeh, a certified financial planner in Rockville, Md., recommends paying off debt before retirement.

She also suggests clients maximize Social Security checks. Benefits increase by about 7 to 8 percent for each year people put off starting Social Security after age 62. The more guaranteed income people have, the less they may have to lean on their portfolios.

Finding additional income Ideally, retirees would have enough guaranteed income from Social Security and pensions to cover all of their basic expenses, such as housing, food, utilities, transportation, taxes and insurance, said Wade Pfau, professor of retirement income at the American College of Financial Services.

If they don’t, they may be able to create more guaranteed income using fixed annuities or reverse mortgages, said Pfau, author of How Much Can I Spend in Retirement?

Fixed annuities allow buyers to pay a lump sum to an insurance company, typically in exchange for monthly payments that can last a lifetime.

Reverse mortgages give people age 62 and older access to their equity through lump sums, lines of credit, or monthly payments. And the borrowed money doesn’t have to be paid back until the owner sells, dies or moves out.

Covering expenses with guaranteed income actually can free retirees to take more risk with their investment portfolios, which over time can give them better returns and more money to spend or leave to their kids, Pfau said.

“They’ll be able to invest more aggressively and still sleep at night because they don’t need that money to fund their day-today retirement expenses,’’ he said.

— NerdWallet via AP

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13

Nine things to never keep in your wallet You and your hard-earned savings have finally made it to retirement. Why risk losing anything if your wallet goes missing or is stolen?

With every new bank slip that bulges from the seams, your personal information is getting less and less safe. With just your name and Social Security number, identity thieves can open new credit accounts and make costly purchases in your name.

If they can get their hands on (and doctor) a government-issued photo ID of yours, they can do even more damage, including opening new bank accounts. These days, con artists are even profiting from tax return fraud and healthcare fraud, all with stolen IDs. We talked with consumer protection advocates to identify the nine things retirees should purge from their wallets immediately.

And when you’re finished, take a moment to photocopy everything you’ve left inside your wallet, front and back. Stash the copies in a secure location. The last thing you want to be wondering as you’re reporting a stolen wallet is, “What exactly did I have in there?”

Social Security card. Whether you’ve already started collecting Social Security or soon will, it’s good to know where your Social Security card is located. Just don’t locate it in your wallet.

Your nine-digit Social Security number is all a savvy ID thief needs to open new credit card accounts or take out loans in your name.

ID-theft experts say your Social Security card is the absolute worst item to carry around.

Once you’ve removed your card, look for anything else that may contain your SSN — or your spouse’s or children’s Social Security numbers (some of us stow those away, too).

Since December 2005, states can no longer display your Social Security number on newly issued driver’s licenses, state ID cards and motor-vehicle registrations.

Some of us old-timers may still have an older photo ID, plus some states issue motor-vehicle licenses for 10-year periods. What to do? Request a new card prior to the expiration date.

There might be an additional fee, but it’s worth it to protect your identity.

Password cheat sheet. The average American uses at least seven different passwords. Ideally, each of those passwords should be a unique combination of letters, numbers and symbols, and you should change them regularly. Is it any wonder we need help keeping track of them all?

However, carrying your ATM card’s PIN number and a collection of passwords (especially those for online access to banking and investment accounts) on a scrap of paper in your

wallet is a prescription for financial disaster.

If you have to keep passwords jotted down somewhere, keep them in a locked box in your house. Or consider a password management service, such as LastPass that will store all of your passwords behind one master login — the only password you’ll need to remember. Family plans start at $4 per month. [For more about passwords, see “Secure passwords with less headache,” March Beacon.]

Spare keys. It’s old-school, we know: keeping a spare key in your wallet (or under a doormat). But a lost wallet containing your home address and a spare key is an invitation for burglars to do far more harm than just opening a credit card in your name. Don’t put your property and family at risk.

And even if your home isn’t robbed after losing a spare key, you’ll likely spend $100 or more in locksmith fees to change the locks for peace of mind.

And speaking of keys, be careful what you hand to the valet while out and about enjoying your retirement, warned Adam Levin, chairman and cofounder of Identity Theft 911. “Remember that every time you stop and hand your key to a valet, depending on what’s in the glove box [or trunk], you are making yourself vulnerable.” For example, your vehicle registration and insurance cards contain

your address, and potential thieves know you’re not home.

Paper checks. If you’re still occasionally writing paper checks, like some of us, that’s not going to end in retirement. However, know this: Blank checks in your wallet are an obvious risk — an easy way for thieves to quickly withdraw money from your checking account.

But even a lost check you’ve already filled out can lead to financial loss, perhaps long after you’ve canceled and forgotten about it. With the routing number and account number on your check, anybody could attempt to transfer funds from your account electronically.

Only carry paper checks when you will absolutely need them. And leave the checkbook at home, bringing only the exact number of checks you anticipate needing that day.

Passport. If you’re planning a lot of international travel in retirement, note this: A government-issued passport, including a wallet-size passport card, opens up a world of possibilities for a con artist.

Instead, keep only your driver’s license or other personal ID in your wallet while traveling inside the United States. When you’re overseas, carry a photocopy of your passport and leave See YOUR WALLET, page 15

We’ll help you game-plan for the long term.

Contact me to make a plan that lets you focus on being good at life.

Linda B. Poole Financial Services Professional New York Life Insurance Company 4435 Waterfront Drive, Suite 400 Glen Allen, VA 23060

804-935-5393

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OCTOBER 2018 — FIFTYPLUS

Meet the future of personal transportation.

It’s not a Wheelchair...

It’s not a Power Chair...

It’s a Zinger!

10”

The Zinger folds to a mere 10 Inches.

More and more Americans are reaching the age where mobility is an everyday issue. Whether from an injury or from the everyday aches and pains that come from getting older– getting around isn’t as easy as it used to be. You may have tried a power chair or a scooter. The Zinger is NOT a power chair or a scooter! The Zinger is quick and nimble, yet it is not prone to tipping like many scooters. Best of all, it weighs only 47.2 pounds and folds and unfolds with ease so you can take it almost anywhere, providing you with independence and freedom.

Years of work by innovative engineers have resulted in a mobility device that’s truly unique. They created a battery that provides powerful energy at a fraction of the weight of most batteries. The Zinger features two steering levers, one on either side of the seat.

The user pushes both levers down to go forward, pulls them both up to brake, and pushes one while pulling the other to turn to either side.

This enables great mobility, the ability to turn on a dime and to pull right up to tables or desks. The controls are right on the steering arm

so it’s simple to operate, and its exclusive footrest swings out of the way when you stand up or sit down. With its rugged yet lightweight aluminum frame, the Zinger is sturdy and durable yet lightweight and comfortable! What’s more, it easily folds up for storage in a car seat or trunk– you can even gate-check it at the airport like a stroller. Think about it, you can take your Zinger almost anywhere, so you don’t have to let mobility issues rule your life. It folds in seconds without tools and is safe and reliable. It holds up to 265 pounds, and it can go up to 6 mph and operates for up to 8 hours on a single charge.

Why spend another day letting mobility issues hamper your independence or quality of life?

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Just think of the places you can go: • Shopping • Air Travel • Bus Tours • Restaurants– ride right up to the table! • Around town or just around your house

Your wallet From page 13 the original in a hotel lockbox.

Multiple credit cards. Although you shouldn’t ditch credit cards altogether (those who regularly carry a card tend to have higher credit scores than those who don’t), consider a lighter load. After all, the more cards you carry, the more you’ll have to cancel if your wallet is lost or stolen.

We recommend carrying a single card for unplanned purchases or emergencies, plus perhaps an additional rewards card on days when you expect to buy eligible gas or groceries.

Maintain a list, someplace other than your wallet, with all the contact numbers for your credit cards. The phone numbers are typically listed on the backs of cards, but that

Clear receipts out of your wallet nightly, shredding the ones you don’t need. But for receipts you save, keep them safe by going digital.

An app such as Shoeboxed lets you create and categorize digital copies of your receipts and business cards. Plans start at $15 per month.

Medicare card. Retirees, double check your Medicare card, too. If it was issued before April 2015, it has your Social Security number on it. A law signed in April 2015 requires the Centers for Medicare and Medi-

won’t do you much good when your wallet is nowhere to be found. Call immediately if your cards go missing.

Birth certificate. A birth certificate itself won’t get ID thieves very far. However, “birth certificates could be used in correlation with other types of fraudulent IDs,” said Junker of the Identity Theft Resource Center. “Once you have those components, you can do the same things you could with a passport or a Social Security card.”

Multiple receipts. Since 2003, businesses have not been allowed to print anything containing your credit or debit card’s expiration date or more than the last five digits of your credit card number.

Still, a crafty ID thief can use the limited credit card info and merchant information on receipts to phish for your remaining numbers.

Ongoing

DONATIONS REQUESTED

One Richmond, One Book is a city-wide reading event for thousands of students, their families and the entire Richmond community. The first event features the book Friendship According to Humphrey, by Betty G. Birney, will take place on Monday, Oct. 22. One Richmond, One Book is looking for donors to sponsor the program or even one student. All the students will take home a copy of the book and will read a chapter with their families. The reading will be supplemented with activities, trivia contest and more. Sponsors and volunteers are needed to support the schools with assemblies, family literacy nights, after school program and more. For more information on volunteering, email carter.brown@readtothem.org. For sponsorship, email cathy.plageman@readtothem.org.

SENIOR LAW DAY

Bring your legal documents, including wills, powers of attorney and advanced directives to a fall senior law day on Thursday, Nov. 8 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. These documents are prepared for free for Chesterfield’s eligible seniors and individuals with disabilities. This program is for individuals who have never had their legal documents prepared. Eligibility requirement is less than $37,425 for a household of one. Pre-registration is required, and documents are prepared by appointment only. The location will be provided when appointments are scheduled. For more information or to register, call (804) 768-7878 or visit www.chesterfield.gov/seniorservices.

NOW YOU CAN

caid Services to remove SSNs from Medicare cards, and most residents in Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia should have received new cards early this summer.

Photocopy your Medicare card (front and back) and carry the copy with you instead of your real card. Keep your real Medicare card in a safe place at home. © 2018 The Kiplinger Washington Editors, Inc. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

M A R K YO U R CAL EN DA R

M ARK YO UR CALE NDAR

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www.FiftyPlusRichmond.com | Law & Money

FIFTYPLUS — OCTOBER 2018

Nov. 17

SHREDDING AND E-CYCLING

Mark your calendars for the next shred and electronic recycling (ecycling) event on Saturday, Nov. 17 from 9 a.m. to noon at Westchester Commons, 15786 WC Main St., Midlothian. Bring up to two boxes or three grocery bags of personal papers for free shredding. TVs are charged based on size — 27” or less for $23; over 27” is $30. Other electronics range from $2.50 to $17 and hard drive shredding is $5. For more information, call (804) 748-1297.

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How to find ‘advice-only’ financial advisers

By Liz Weston If you want money advice you can trust, your best bet is to hire a fee-only financial planner. The trick is finding a planner who’s willing to be hired for a reasonable fee.

Fee-only planners don’t accept commissions or kickbacks from companies whose investments their clients buy. Instead, they are paid solely by client fees.

Most use an “assets under management” model, where they manage their clients’ investments and charge an annual fee of about 1 percent.

To make the math work, these financial planners usually require people to have hundreds of thousands of dollars to invest. Otherwise the advisers would reap too little from their fees to justify the hours spent creating financial plans.

This is obviously a problem for people who don’t have enough assets. It also can be a problem for those who do, since the advisers collect their fees year in and year out, regardless of how much advice they’re actually dispensing. Plus, not everyone wants or needs an adviser to invest their money.

It’s even becoming a problem for the planners themselves. A client with a small portfolio may have more complex needs, and require more time, than one with a larger

portfolio, but the fees won’t reflect that.

Plus, what these planners are technically charging for — investment management — can be had for much less from robo-advisers.

These digital investment services use computer algorithms to invest, and typically charge one-quarter of one percent.

Planners are essentially giving away the valuable part of what they do, the financial advice, while charging premium prices for the commodity that a machine can essentially do for much less.

Advisers increasingly are recognizing the flaws in this approach and some are exploring alternatives, such as charging flat monthly or quarterly fees, said financial journalist Bob Veres, owner of Inside Information, a site for advisers.

Where to go for advice If you’re looking for financial advice that’s not based on the size of your portfolio, here are a few places to check, and what you can expect to pay.

XY Planning Network. This is a network of financial planners who typically focus on clients in Generations X and Y, or millennials, who don’t have a lot of assets to invest. There’s no age limit, though, and some of the planners specialize in helping baby boomers as well.

10_18FP

Advisers must be certified financial planners, or CFPs; swear to uphold a fiduciary client-first standard, which means they put their clients’ interests first; and offer flat monthly fees (although they may offer other options, including hourly or assets-under-management fees).

Monthly fees are typically $100 to $200, with some planners requiring an initial or setup fee of $1,000 to $2,000.

Garrett Planning Network. Planner Sheryl Garrett’s network represents planners willing to charge by the hour, although many also manage assets for a fee.

Members are either certified financial planners or on track to get the designation.

Or they’re certified public accountants who have the personal financial specialist credential, which is similar to the CFP. Garrett also requires its planners to be fiduciaries.

Hourly fees usually range from $150 to $300. A consultation focused on one subject, such as a portfolio review, may take two or three hours. A comprehensive financial plan that covers taxes, insurance, estate planning, college planning and other relevant topics could require 20 hours or more.

Advice-Only Financial. Financial blogger Harry Sit started his service to connect people with fee-only advisers who just charge for advice and don’t accept asset management

fees. Sit’s concern is that advisers who do both will be tempted to push people toward asset management, since it’s more lucrative.

Sit charges $200 to help people find fiduciary CFPs who are either local or, if none are available, willing to work remotely. The planners typically charge $100 to $400 an hour.

Association for Financial Counseling & Education. Not every tax return requires a CPA and not every financial situation requires a CFP. An accredited financial counselor or financial fitness coach can be a more affordable alternative.

Coaches and counselors in private practice typically charge $100 to $150 an hour, although many work on a sliding scale, said Rebecca Wiggins, executive director of the association, which grants both credentials.

Others are employed by the military, credit unions or other organizations, and offer their services for free or at reduced charge, she said.

These counselors or coaches focus on issues relevant to middle- and lower-income Americans, including budgeting, debt management and retirement planning.

“The main thing is that these professionals are affordable, unbiased, and highly trained,” Wiggins said. “Their focus is on the needs of the clients, and establishing healthy financial management.”

— Nerdwallet via AP

www.FiftyPlusRichmond.com | Law & Money

FIFTYPLUS — OCTOBER 2018

17

Ways to maximize returns on your cash

By Eleanor Laise Savers with high cash balances face a conundrum: How can they earn competitive yields without sacrificing federal deposit insurance coverage?

As the Federal Reserve raises interest rates, the question takes on greater urgency. Some banks are now offering yields north of 2 percent, which is the Fed’s inflation target, “so for the first time in more than a decade, savers are in a position where they can have a positive after-inflation return without giving up federal deposit insurance protection,” said Greg McBride, chief financial analyst for Bankrate.com.

The issue for savers with sizable cash balances — including many retirees — is that federal deposit insurance typically covers only $250,000 for each account type that you hold at a single bank. So keeping all of your cash in the highest-yielding account you can find may not be a safe option.

Spread the wealth around Consider an online service that will spread your cash among high-yield accounts at multiple banks.

MaxMyInterest, launched in 2014, allocates customers’ money among online savings accounts offered by Barclays, Ally Bank, American Express, Goldman Sachs and UFB Direct.

The service, which has no minimum balance requirement, keeps the amount in each account under the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. limit, and it allows an individual saver using all five banks to easily insure up to $1.25 million.

At least once a month, or as often as the customer requests, MaxMyInterest reallocates the cash to take advantage of the highest rates.

To get started, customers link a checking account to MaxMyInterest and indicate how much they’d like to keep in the checking account. The service optimizes the yield on the excess amount by spreading it among the online savings accounts.

The average customer is earning a yield of more than 1.6 percent, said chief executive officer Gary Zimmerman. But the service is not free: Annual fees total 0.08 percent of the amount optimized.

High-balance savers willing to do their own homework can avoid the fees — but getting a decent yield requires some effort. Websites such as Bankrate.com and DepositAccounts.com can help you find banks offering the best rates.

For example, a married couple could have a joint account insured up to $500,000, two individual accounts each insured up to $250,000, and two retirement accounts each covered up to $250,000, bringing their total FDIC coverage to $1.5 million at a single bank.

Another approach: Set up a “payable on death” account — one that will transfer funds to your named beneficiaries upon your death — and designate multiple beneficiaries. Generally, deposits in such accounts are insured up to $250,000 for each beneficiary. You can name up to five beneficiaries and get up to $1.25 million in coverage on the one account.

Note that “each of the five beneficiaries doesn’t have to receive an equal amount of the deposit,” said Ken Tumin, editor of DepositAccounts.com. “You could have the vast majority going to one beneficiary,” and the FDIC still provides up to $1.25 million in coverage, he said. (If you have more than five beneficiaries, the rules get more complicated.)

To calculate how much FDIC coverage you might get with different account types, use the FDIC’s electronic deposit insurance estimator.

Boost FDIC coverage at one bank If you want to keep all your cash under one roof, you can boost your FDIC coverage at a single bank by maintaining multiple accounts that are titled differently.

Consider brokered CDs Some savers aim to boost their yield — and their FDIC coverage — by buying brokered certificates of deposit issued by various banks.

These CDs, available through brokerage firms such as Vanguard and Fidelity, are traded on a secondary market and may respond more quickly than direct CDs to interest-rate changes, giving savers higher yields as rates rise.

But they come with several caveats. FDIC coverage on secondary-market brokered CDs applies only to the par value. If you purchase these CDs at a premium, the amount above par won’t be covered.

Avoid callable CDs, which allow the bank to terminate the CD early. And only buy brokered CDs when you’re certain you’re going to hold them to maturity. If you try to sell early in a rising-rate environment, “you could take a bath,” McBride said.

As rates rise, savers should also look at options beyond the bank. Yields on Treasury bills and notes have climbed substantially and “are very competitive with CD rates and Internet banks,” Tumin said — and they’re backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government.

The six-month Treasury bill, for example, yielded 2.19 percent in late July, compared with 2.05 percent for the top-yielding sixmonth CD listed on Bankrate.com. You can buy Treasury bills directly from the federal government. © 2018 The Kiplinger Washington Editors, Inc. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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Travel Leisure &

Jaffa, an ancient town just south of Tel Aviv, features varied cuisine as well as the port that Jonah used. See story on page 20.

Delaware’s’ mansions, gardens and more place for a mini-vacation or weekend visit.

The du Pont legacy The main story and primary reason the area is such a tourist magnet has to do with the saga of the du Pont family. The tale began in 1800, when Pierre Samuel du Pont, the son of a Parisian watchmaker, immigrated to the United States. One of his sons established a gunpowder mill near Wilmington.

Over time, the company grew into the world’s largest manufacturer of black powder, which was used in munitions and construction projects. From that beginning, the du Ponts evolved into one of the wealthiest family empires in the country.

Fortunately, for those of us not lucky enough to be descendants, a family trait was a willingness to share their good fortune with others.

As a result, the destination is rich in world-class museums and renowned gardens, touches of both history and present-day hip, pastoral countryside and vestiges of colonial towns.

A good place to begin is where the story of the du Ponts in America did. The Hagley Museum and Library features the restored original gunpowder mills, the Eleutherian Mills ancestral estate, where five generations of du Ponts resided, gardens, and the village where workers lived. The charming residence itself

PHOTO BY DANIEL TRAUBCREDIT

By Victor Block Some members of the large, wealthy family lived in a 175-room mansion set amid 1,000 acres of magnificent gardens, sprawling woodlands and splashing fountains. Others made their home in a chateau modeled after the palace where Marie Antoinette once hung out.

Not far away, workers who toiled in the business that affluent dynasty was creating resided in more modest quarters. They included multi-unit houses that today provide accommodations for visitors to the area.

This contrast between members of the du Pont family who settled in and around Wilmington, Del., at the turn of the 19th century, and those who worked in the gunpowder mills they founded, is one of many diversities that characterize the area today. They offer visitors an inviting potpourri that appeals to a wide array of interests and preferences.

Are flowers your forte? Does a penchant for the past turn you on? Are you an art and antique adherent?

These are among a long list of attractions that greet visitors to Wilmington and the Brandywine Valley, which is named for the river that runs from southeastern Pennsylvania to northern Delaware. Because the destination is about a four-hour drive from Richmond, it’s a welcome and wonderful

The fountains at Longwood Gardens feature 1,700 fountain jets and streams that are lit at night. The gardens include more than 1,000 acres of outdoor flora as well as a four-acre greenhouse.

PHOTO BY LES KIPP

would be well worth a visit for the antique furnishings, artwork and memorabilia collected by family members.

Buildings on Workers’ Hill provide a glimpse of life for the mill employees. They include homes once occupied by the factory foreman and bookkeeper, and a Sunday School for children.

A modest garden filled with the kinds of vegetables factory families grew for food contrasts starkly with the elaborate ornamental plantings at du Pont family homes. The two-acre spread in front of the Eleutherian Mills mansion included more than 100 varieties of fruit trees along with alternating beds of flowers and vegetables.

Nemours, Winterthur and Longwood

The 77-room Nemours Estate is surrounded by statuary in its elaborate gardens.

This statue, “Achievement,” was designed by French sculptor Henri Crenier, and is gilded with 23-karat gold leaf.

The 77-room Nemours Estate was modeled after Le Petit Trianon — a chateau built on the grounds of Versailles during the reign of King Louis XV for his mistress and later occupied

by Queen Marie Antoinette. The Delaware version was constructed by Alfred I. du Pont, the great-great-grandson of Pierre, for his second

wife Alicia.

The mansion cum museum is crammed with precious antiques, artwork and hints of the lavish lifestyle that was lived there.

The sumptuous setting is enhanced by acres of formal gardens, colonnades, sunken pools and statuary that surround the house. They include greenhouses, a maze garden, and imported gates covered with 23 karat gold leaf.

The 175-room mansion known as Winterthur, another du Pont family estate, displays a collection of more than 90,000 antiques in stunning interiors. The house sits in a setting of forests and fields, rolling hills and babbling brooks, all of which provide a naturalistic backdrop for the gardens that present a year-round explosion of color.

More than 1,000 acres of outdoor plantings and a four-acre indoor conservatory make Longwood Gardens one of the premier botanical destinations in the world, Adding coloration to the scene are spectacular displays of illuminated fountains. Technicolor streams of water rise and See DELAWARE, page 19

www.FiftyPlusRichmond.com | Leisure & Travel

FIFTYPLUS — OCTOBER 2018

Delaware From page 18 fall, spin and twirl, and at times even burst into flames in a precisely choreographed show.

Art, history and ghosts As unique and inviting as everything related to the du Pont story is, that represents just a small slice of what awaits visitors to the area.

For example, along with grand mansions that double as museums, other collections focus on topics as diverse as art, history and civil rights.

The Brandywine Valley inspired generations of Wyeth family artists, whose creations are displayed at various locations. The Brandywine River Museum is renowned for its collection of works by N.C., Andrew and Jamie Wyeth. The houses and studios where N.C. and Andrew lived and painted are open to the public.

So many artists still work in the area that both Wilmington and Kennett Square, a tiny nearby community, host monthly gallery events.

The region also boasts intriguing chapters of history. A replica of the Kalmar Nyckel, the tall ship that brought Swedish settlers to the New World in 1638, is available for tours and hands-on sailing excursions.

The John Dickerson Plantation was the boyhood home of one of the country’s founding fathers. He penned the phrase “United we stand, divided we fall,” and was a delegate to the Continental Congress and a drafter of the

U.S. Constitution.

The plantation is one of seven sites located in the First State National Historical Park, which extends the length of the state. Others include the forest where Native Americans and early European settlers lived; the site of Fort Christina, where colonists aboard the Kalmar Nyckel and another ship first landed and built a fortress and community, and Old Swedes Church, which was constructed in 1698 and is the oldest in America still used for worship.

Fort Delaware, which occupies colorfully named Pea Patch Island, was built in 1815 to protect the Wilmington and Philadelphia harbors. It was destroyed by fire and rebuilt prior to the Civil War, at which time it was converted to a prisoner of war camp. At one time, it held some 12,500 Confederate soldiers who had been captured at Gettysburg.

While guided tours, Civil War enactors and other scheduled programs provide interesting information, I came across half-hidden gems that added a very personal touch to life at the fort when it was in active use.

Among them: Seasonal ghost tours introduce spirits that some believe haunt the site. A children’s alphabet learning book includes the letters H for “Hard-tack you scarcely can gnaw” and R for “Retreat, may you never be there.” A cook book from the time, which made me glad my Army service was more recent, included recipes for eel soup and calves feet (“Boil three hours”).

Another story traces parts of the role and

journey of African-Americans. Cultural achievements of Delaware-born African-Americans are recalled and celebrated at the Delaware History Museum.

The Delaware segment of the Underground Railroad, which escaped slaves followed on their journey to freedom, includes pathways and sites associated with Harriet Tubman, Quaker abolitionists, and others who risked much to provide assistance. An impressive and moving statue of Tubman looks out over the park.

The Wilmington Riverfront attracts people who stop to read the historical plaques, strollers and joggers, and others drawn by the selection of places to eat.

Nearby is a sign at the dock from which the small ferry boat departs for Pea Patch Island and Fort Delaware. It reads, “Prepare to enter the past.” That comment applies equally to much that awaits visitors to Wilmington and the Brandywine Valley.

If you go Given the rich history of the area, it’s not surprising that visitors have a choice of accommodations that relate chapters of that interesting story.

The Inn at Montchanin Village traces its lineage back to the 18th century, when a tiny settlement grew on a small plot of land at the intersection of three roads that are believed to have followed Native American trails. The hamlet that evolved from that modest begin-

19

ning now includes 21 lovingly restored structures sprawled across a tranquil setting of landscaped walkways, gentle terraces and attractive gardens.

The Inn’s 28 rooms and suites are located in separate buildings that originally served as apartments for workers. They’re lush with 19th century antiques and reproductions that set a scene of casual elegance and add to the sense of traveling back in time. Room rates begin at $192, and discounts and packages are available.

For more information, call (800) 269-2473 or visit montchanin.com.

An equally inviting alternative are the nine distinct properties — ranging from mansion and manor house to farmhouse and historic inn — that comprise Brandywine Valley Bed & Breakfasts. One is a dwelling house dating to 1714, one served as a safe haven of the Underground Railroad, and another offers outdoor amenities including a fully-stocked pond, tennis court and putting green. For more information, see www.bvbb.com.

As for dining, Krazy Kat’s restaurant at the Inn at Montchanin Village, which occupies a converted blacksmith’s shop, specializes in fresh seasonal ingredients. A favorite with locals is Buckley’s Tavern, a 19th-century house, former stagecoach stop and toll gate.

For information about Wilmington and the Brandywine Valley, call (800) 489-6664 or see www.visitwilmingtonde.com.

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OCTOBER 2018 — FIFTYPLUS

Visiting Israel’s ancient port city of Jaffa

Street markets and cafes In and around Jaffa’s famous flea market, Shuk Hapishpeshim, are streets dotted with cafes. On one of my visits, I sat in an alley and munched on Shaffa Bar’s shakshuka, poached eggs baked in tomato sauce, while chickens clucked on the roof of a building down the street.

Cafe Puaa has comfy, chic but mismatched furniture, and will sell you the plates you eat off (nearly everything is for sale). Its menu is packed with the vegetable dishes that Israeli cuisine is known for.

After settling into a couch in the alley in front of the restaurant, I had a deconstructed sabich — a breakfast sandwich of Iraqi origin made of fried eggplant and hard-boiled egg that’s a popular Israeli street food. (Try a regular sabich too, at Sabich Hasharon, a small storefront in Tel Aviv that specializes in them.)

The market itself, surrounded by Yefet, Beit Eshel and Yehuda Margoza streets, is a paradise for those itching to debate trash versus treasure. Across several alleys, vendors spread wares on the ground and stack them in stalls.

There are antiques, furniture, clothing, trinkets, coins. On Friday mornings and summer Tuesdays, a pop-up market of crafts and jewelry gets added to the mix. In the afternoon, a party erupts in the outdoor bars.

But don’t forget hummus. In Jaffa, you can’t eat enough hummus, the chickpea puree that’s a bedrock meal in Israel.

There’s Ali Caravan’s famous spot on HaDolphin Street, worth waiting in line for. Another crowded hummus disher is Ha’Asli on Yefet Street, cacophonous with families, workers and tourists, all seeking the platters of hummus, labne, kebab and salads delivered to tables minutes after ordering.

You can watch the bakers at work at Abulafia, a popular bakery that stacks breads and other treasures in blue tile-lined glass cases

PHOTO BY SHE-HULK

By Tali Arbel Just south of Tel Aviv’s glass towers and concrete houses are the white stone buildings of Jaffa, the ancient port town.

Jaffa has existed for thousands of years, but today it is one unified city with Tel Aviv, which was founded in 1909. Both Jews and Arabs live in Jaffa, and that’s reflected in the flavors of the neighborhood.

Visitors will find a luxury hotel, the Setai, built out of a Crusader fortress that was later a prison and police station. Trendy cafes, galleries, bars and boutiques line narrow streets, intersecting with Jaffa’s well-known Arab hummus spots and bakeries, along with mosques, churches and synagogues.

Boats float in the port of Jaffa, an ancient city of white stone buildings that is part of Tel Aviv. Its narrow streets are lined with boutiques, cafes and a flea market.

by the sidewalk.

Jaffa’s food offerings also stretch beyond the Mediterranean. Inside Tash and Tasha’s romantic, stone-walled interior are delicious

dips, dumplings and breads from Georgia (the country, not the U.S. state). Milk, a cofSee JAFFA, page 21

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FIFTYPLUS — OCTOBER 2018

From page 20

Prices for her lessons vary per person according to group size. See www.facebook.com/ myassar.seri.

fee shop with limited seating, has expensive coffee and pretty pastries.

The port that Jonah used

Jaffa

Group cooking lessons Those interested in learning how to cook Arab food can take a class with a local.

Myasser Seri has for years been hosting tutorials in her small kitchen.

She can put together a multi-course meal for your group to cook, or you can suggest dishes you’d like to try. Among the dishes we made were maqluba, a mound of rice or bulgur and vegetables inverted onto a plate; meatballs cooked in a sauce of tahini and yogurt; the parsley-and-bulgur salad, tabbouleh; and the Arabic dessert knafe. Her version had thin shreds of pastry and nuts cooked in butter, sugar and lemon.

Seri also introduced us to what she called the “Arabic Parmesan’’ — yogurt that had been dried in the sun to a rock-hard lump. She grated the block into a powder whose sharp, savory tang did indeed recall Parmesan cheese, and added it to a salad of fried eggplant and thin-chopped celery.

One of Jaffa’s most popular spots for tourists is the old port. Vessels have set sail here since ancient times; it’s even mentioned in the Biblical story of Jonah, referred to as “Joppa,’’ where Jonah embarked on the journey that led to his fateful encounter with a big fish — or, in some versions of the story, a whale.

The port is still used by local fishermen, but it also offers seafood restaurants, shops and entertainment.

There’s plenty to eat and to buy in Jaffa. But one of the best things to do there is simply wander and take in the contrasts. Doors set in old stone walls are catnip for Instagrammers; turn the corner, and there’s a block of modern apartment buildings. Galleries abound, but the streets create their own art.

To l e a r n m o r e a b o u t J a f f a , g o t o https://new.goisrael.com/article/178.

The least expensive roundtrip airfare from the Washington area in early November is $808 on Turkish Airlines departing from Dulles.

M ARK YO UR CALE NDAR

Oct. 29

HALLOWEEN POTLUCK

Seniors, come dressed up ready to trick-or-treat, and enjoy some great food at the Halloween Potluck on Monday, Oct. 29 from noon to 2 p.m. at Bensley Recreation Center, 2900 Drewry’s Bluff Rd., N. Chesterfield.

Wear your best costume and bring a dish to share. Admission is free. For more information, contact Lauren Wood at (804) 275-5321, woodla@chesterfield.com, or visit www.chesterfield.gov/parks.

Nov. 3

FREE FAMILY TRAIN DAY

The 16th annual Ashland Train Day, a railroad-themed event for the whole family, is coming up on Saturday, Nov. 3 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Visit the Ashland Train Station along the tracks for a day of fun and excitement for railroad music, songs and storytelling, miniature children’s train rides, children’s games and activities, model train racing and memorabilia displays.

Free trolley shuttles are available from the Ashland-Junction Shopping Center at 167 Junction Dr. and Saint Ann’s Catholic Church at 105 S Snead St., all day. Parking is limited near the train station as N. and S. Railroad Ave. are closed for the day.

Admission is free. For more information, visit http://ashlandtrainday.com.

Ongoing

RICHMOND ONLINE CLASSES

Richmond Library offers free online classes, which are included with your Richmond Library card. Classes include Learning Express Library, online courses and practice tests for Civil Service, GED, SAT, GRE, TOEFL, MCAT and more; Pronunciator, a fun way to learn any of their 80 languages with self-directed lessons and activities; and Universal Class, which offers over 500 online continuing education classes. For more information, visit https://rvalibrary.org/online-classes-and-courses.

BOOK FAIR CABARET

Nov. 8

Weinstein JCC presents a cabaret-style performance by Broadway star Alexandra Silbert on Thursday, Nov. 8 at 7 p.m. “After Anatevka — a novel inspired by Fiddler on the Roof” is Silbert’s own interpretation of what happens after Hodel leaves the stage. Admission is $18 ($15 for JCC members). The Weinstein JCC is located at 5403 Monument Ave., Richmond. For more information, call (804) 285-6500.

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OCTOBER 2018 — FIFTYPLUS

Style Arts &

Fall is the time to plant bulbs, which will bloom into colorful gardens come spring.

See story on page 24.

Exhibit explores artist’s activism, creativity

PHOTO © KATHERINE MCMAHON

COURTESY OF THE ARTIST AND GARTH GREENAN GALLERY

By Martha Steger to back down in the face obstacles. labor, such as creating rich, The title, “What Remains to Be Seen,” layered surfaces by obsesaptly describes the new exhibition of Howar- Gender and racial inequality sively affixing dots of pigdena Pindell’s work at the Virginia Museum Having grown up in Philadelphia, Pindell ment and paper circles of Fine Arts. It suggests what the under-rec- felt she was an outsider or a second-class cit- made with an ordinary hole ognized artist has accomplished over the past izen in the New York art world in the 1970s. punch. Her use of rich colfive decades, as well as what’s to come.

This challenge plays out in her diverse work, ors and unconventional maI also sensed another which creatively explores terials gives her finished metaphor when I read a h o w s h e f o u g h t t h e works a lush textural and subtitle in the exhibition’s closed art cliques of that ethereal quality. first room, “Cut, Sewn, period.

“You can imagine what my Adorned.” The themes of “I got to see the art house is like,” she said. “I discrimination, injustice world from the inside and never throw anything away. I Pindell’s colorful mixed media collage “Untitled #5B and hope emerge from the outside in the ‘70s and literally have bags of dots at (Krakatoa)” is named after an Indonesian volcanic island.

Pindell’s exploration of ‘80s,” she said. “Gender home.” the intersection of art and inequity existed among Her multifaceted portfolio comprises photog- keep day-pages in which I consciously try to activism. blacks as well as whites. raphy, such as the compelling chromogenic remember how I felt when I did something “Pindell was among the Those in power would print, “Swimming: (1975), as well as video, film on particular days, and I fill out a whiteboard with my daily activities.” first wave of academically often say, ‘That’s politics, and performance art.

Based on her own experience, she recomtrained artists to dismiss and we don’t want to talk Visitors should make time to watch Pinmends that people visiting Alzheimer’s pathe separation between about politics,’ or ‘That’s dell’s 1980 12-minute video, “Free, White and tients take pictures of family members, pure abstraction and politifeminism, and we don’t 21” — a catch-phrase of white privilege in the cal art,” according to want to talk about femi- 1930s and ‘40s. But the artist uses it, too, as friends and specific places during visits to Michael Taylor, VMFA’s nism.’ People would ask, she appears in whiteface and wears a blond help restore memories of the past.

The VMFA had a record fiscal year in deputy director and chief ‘Won’t you please be co- wig to illustrate the stark divide between Howardena Pindell 2017-18, totaling 45,000 members and nearly curator for art and educaoperative?’ which meant, black and white Americans.

700,000 visitors — the seventh-highest tion.

‘Please shut up.’” among the nation’s art museums.

“She asserted that the pressures, prejudices Her ‘cut, sewn, adorned’ works include Managing memory loss Effusive in her praise of the VMFA for its and exclusions placed upon her as an African acrylic or mixed media and punched papers Pindell experienced a life-threatening car inclusiveness, Pindell said she’d also taken American artist and as a woman — both in the o n c a n v a s o r accident in 1979 art world and the world at large — were fair board, as well as that left her with out a membership — which museum director and necessary themes to explore in her art.” partial memory Alex Nyerges said, “makes 45,001.” collages of mixed Whether as a traveler, memoirist or acPindell was 21 when the Civil Rights Act media on paper. loss. “My work in passed in 1964. Some visitors of her generathe studio after tivist, Pindell expresses themes relevant to In 1977, she tion, who grew up during the angst of Brown b e g a n m a k i n g the accident,” she the arc of her career since the 1960s.

Pindell’s show, which runs until Nov. 25 v. Board of Education and experienced op- paintings through said, “helped me pression firsthand, might not be surprised by the new process of t o r e c o n s t r u c t and is organized by the Museum of Contemhow difficult life was for her as a black using pieces of unm i s s i n g f r a g - porary Art Chicago, is divided between woman in the 1970s. ments from the VMFA’s Evans Court (ground floor) and 21st stretched canvas Century (2nd level) galleries, which makes a What might surprise exhibition visitors sewn together and past.” who take the time to read the captions about decorated with maHer personal good organizational plan for visitors interher life is how difficult the situation was for a terials such as glitand diaristic art in- ested in the museum’s collection of other professional black woman even in New York ter, talcum powder, cludes postcards African and African-American art.

VMFA is open 365 days a year, Saturday — and even after having studied painting at swing thread and from her global Visitors look at the “What Remains to Be Boston University and Yale University. perfume — all to ex- Seen” exhibit at the Virginia Museum of Fine travels, which she through Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and In listening to Pindell speak at the exhibi- tend the boundaries Arts. said also helped Thursday and Friday until 9 p.m. Admission is free. It is located at 200 N. Blvd., Richmond. tion’s media preview, as well as chatting with of painting’s rigid with her amnesia.

For more information, see www.vmfa. her later in person, I could tell she is a woman tradition of rectangular canvases.

She finds that her present medications also of great moral courage and fortitude, not one Her work is infused with evidence of her cause her to have memory difficulties: “I museum or call (804) 340-1400.

COURTESY OF VMFA

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FIFTYPLUS — OCTOBER 2018

23

Hair and there with rocker Rod Stewart

At 73, Rod Stewart has a full concert tour schedule, and his young sons sometimes accompany him. His 30th album was released last month.

But having younger kids, I’ve got eight kids altogether, certainly does keep you on your toes. And they, especially the youngest one, he’s just so cute. He amuses me all day long. It makes me smile. And that’s longevity in itself, I think being able to smile all day.

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AP: That hair is just amazing. How do you keep it up?

Stewart: It’s pretty good, isn’t it? I don’t know. I think I’ve just been lucky, you know, with the hair. It gets a lot of manipulation, you know, because I always have to keep it (up).

When I’m doing a show, I have to go and dry it. ...I cut it every two weeks. No, but other than that, I just think I’m lucky.

AP: You move pretty well onstage for a guy in his 70s...

Stewart: Soccer has always been a passion of mine. You know, I played it, read about it, watched it all my life. And I still play a little bit.

And I do work out a lot, I must admit. And that keeps me fit for onstage.

How long can I go on? That’s the milliondollar question. You know, I enjoy it. I get excited about it, and as long as that exists, I think I can carry on for another three weeks (laughs).

AP: Your two sons were onstage with you at your Madison Square Garden show recently. Do you always take them on the road?

Stewart: They don’t come on the stage every night. Only when they’re on tour with me in the summer. And they pester me. The older one is getting a bit too old for it now.

But the young one loves it.

SHUTTERSTOCK PHOTO

By John Carucci More than 50 years into his career, Rod Stewart shows no sign of slowing down.

When he’s not on tour, he’s busy at home chasing his two young sons, Aiden and Alastair, around the yard. Last month he released his 30th studio album, “Blood Red Roses.”

While known for writing sultry songs — from “Tonight’s the Night (Gonna Be Alright)” to “You’re In My Heart (The Final Acclaim)” — Stewart’s also not afraid to tackle social issues.

In 1976, he broke new ground with “The Killing of Georgie (Part I and II),” about his friend who was killed because of his sexual identity.

Stewart dismisses the idea that he was courageous for writing the first mainstream pop song to deal with gay bashing. “It was a true story, and it’s much easier to write about the truth,” Stewart said about the iconic song.

The 73-year old crooner gets serious again with his new album’s first single, “Didn’t I,” which deals with teenage substance abuse from the parent’s perspective.

In an interview with the Associated Press, the Grammy-winning singer discussed his longevity in the music business, what he thinks of the #MeToo movement, and how he maintains his signature hairstyle.

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OCTOBER 2018 — FIFTYPLUS

Start planning your spring garden today

By Lela Martin Fall is the ideal time to plant brilliant bulbs that will brighten your garden from January through May. Note that “bulb” is used loosely here, to include corms, tubers, tuberous roots and rhizomes as well as true bulbs.

Plan: For most bulbs, find a location that gets at least 5 to 6 hours of direct sunlight each day. Bulbs left in the ground year after year should have 8 to10 hours of daily sunlight. Most bulbs require good drainage, as they will often rot if planted in wet areas.

You can plant bulbs in the ground, in raised berms, or in containers. If you plan to build a raised bed, you can follow the method developed by the Heaths of Brent and Becky’s Bulbs: https://pubs.ext.vt.edu/content/dam/pubs_ext_vt_edu/426/426220/426-220-pdf.pdf.

If you will be planting in a container, select one that is weatherproof, large enough to insulate bulbs through winter, tall enough to provide adequate depth for your bulbs, and wide enough at the base to prevent toppling.

Bulbs planted in containers should be consid-

M ARK YO UR CALE NDAR

Nov. 7+

RICHMOND POW WOW

The 27th annual Richmond Great American Indian Exposition Pow Wow takes place Wednesday through Sunday, Nov. 7 to 11 at Richmond International Raceway, 600 E Laburnum Ave., Richmond. The event features American Indian dancing, singing, drumming, arts, crafts, food and entertainment, including more than 100 dancers in full regalia. Buy from some of the best arts and crafts vendors in the U.S. There will also be family-friendly events like face painting and bow and arrow shooting. Wednesday and Thursday are school programs from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., which cost $12 for everyone. Friday through Sunday tickets cost $12 for adults and $8 for children 3 to 12. The event is open Friday from 5 to 9 p.m.; Saturday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.; and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. rain or shine. For more information, visit http://bit.ly/RichmondPowWow2018.

ered annuals and enjoyed for one season.

Pick: Select plump, firm high-quality bulbs. Size matters! Bulbs are harvested and shipped by suppliers from June to September and are intended to be planted that fall.

You will find varieties of bulbs in home improvement stores and garden centers. However, for an unlimited choice of bulbs, try mail order.

Ensure that you will receive your bulbs at the proper planting time. If you purchase them ahead, keep bulbs in a cool, dry place until planting.

Crocus, scilla, leucojum (snowbell), anemone, chionodoxa (glory-of-the-snow), and muscari (grape hyacinths) are less common spring-flowering bulbs to consider.

If you prefer daffodils or jonquils, plant several varieties (early, mid, and late bloomers) to lengthen the flowering season. If planted in the right place, daffodils will naturalize and spread over time. However, in Richmond, you should probably consider tulips as annuals.

Plant: Plant the bulbs in autumn, so they develop a root system and satisfy their cold requirements. The ideal time is once soil temperatures are below 60ºF (usually after the first heavy frost) and before mid-November (before the soil freezes).

You can prepare a bulb bed or dig individ-

Tulips are beautiful, but they are also favorite foods for deer and voles.

ual planting holes. Ideally, dig 12 inches deep when the soil is fairly dry. Enrich the soil. Use one pound of 5-10-10 fertilizer for a 5x10 foot area, or use a small (gloved) handful for a cluster of bulbs. Place 1 to 2 inches of organic matter over the bed. Thoroughly mix together.

For individual planting holes, loosen the soil below the depth the bulb is to be planted.

You can use an attachment on a cordless drill See GARDENING, page 25

www.FiftyPlusRichmond.com | Arts & Style

FIFTYPLUS — OCTOBER 2018

Rod Stewart From page 23 opposite sex. I mean, it just comes with the music, you know, the music is very sensuous and vibrant. So, if I do something suggestive onstage it’s merely by accident.

AP: “The Killing of Georgie” was bold for its time. Do you feel it helped change attitudes in some small way?

Stewart: Yeah, yeah, you’re right. It was actually banned by the BBC when it first came out. But the most interesting thing about “Georgie” is, I bump into a lot of people, gay men who say, “You know when ‘The Killing of Georgie’ came out, it really helped me through my breaking out and feeling proud about who I am.” And that means a lot to me.

AP: The industry has changed. Is it no longer sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll?

Stewart: Obviously, I’m not, you know, sweet 16 anymore, and there are things I have to preserve, namely my voice. I really have to look after that.

So, as I said, I was never really a druggy-

Gardening From page 24 to prepare holes. Add fertilizer and cover with a layer of soil to prevent bulbs from direct contact with the fertilizer.

The instructions accompanying your bulbs usually list a suggested planting depth. Generally, bulbs should be planted 2 ½ to 3 times as deep as the diameter of the bulb.

Large bulbs should be 3 to 6 inches apart, small bulbs 1 to 2 inches. To achieve a naturalized effect, toss bulbs and then plant them where they fall.

Bulbs should be massed, using 10 to 12 of each kind for increased flower power wattage. Typically, the pointed end of the bulb should be planted up.

Layering: Try “lasagna planting” by layering several varieties of bulbs in the ground or in containers based on their various planting depths.

The key to layering bulbs is to consider their bloom times. That means the bulbs in the top layer should bloom first and the bulbs with the latest flowering period should be placed at the bottom.

For example, you could place 15 tulips as the bottom layer, nine hyacinths in the middle, and 30 crocus or rock garden iris on top.

You may also wish to include grape hyacinths in the top layer, since they span blooming seasons. Use at least a one inch of soil between each layer.

Protect: Daffodil bulbs and leaves are poisonous to most creatures, and hyacinth bulbs repel pests.

However, chipmunks, voles, squirrels and other small mammals will eat newly planted tulips, grape hyacinths, glory-of-the-snow and

type person because I played football [soccer], and I was always getting up in the morning playing football. And so that side hasn’t changed a great deal for me.

AP: But things are changing, especially with the #MeToo movement.

Stewart: Well, that’s true. There were a lot of women throwing themselves at us in the ‘70s and ‘80s, and they were good old times, really great times. But you know, the #MeToo movement is long overdue.

But I must admit I’ve never had trouble, you know, entertaining women. I’ve always enjoyed the chase, actually. I’d never thrown myself on any woman. You know, I enjoyed romance and then the chase.

AP: Do you ever look back and go, “Wow, what a career?”

Stewart: Every day. Every day. I never take it for granted. I really don’t. You know, it’s just the best job in the world. I know that’s an old cliché, but it really is. (President Donald) Trump thinks he’s got a good job. I’ve really got a great job.

Online: www.rodstewart.com — AP crocus.

Tulips must be as delicious as they are beautiful. Deer often eat them from the top while voles gnaw them underneath the ground!

To protect susceptible bulbs, consider spraying them before planting with bad-tasting repellents. Another approach is to surround each bulb with a handful of gravel or a sharp aggregate product such as VoleBloc.

You could also place groups of bulbs into baskets made of wire screen to prevent rodent damage.

Protect bulbs with organic mulch, such as ground leaves, 2 to 4 inches deep. In early spring, remove the mulch after the last freeze to provide opportunities for new growth of dazzling daffodils.

Lela Martin is a Master Gardener with the Chesterfield County office of the Virginia Co-

F L O O R

R O A D C O M P A N Y

Y E T I L O K R D A E N I S Y C H R I D E O S T A I N O A D H O C L O R D Y L O S E

C O P Y C A T

E R E C T

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A L B A T Y D U E R K F U N B E E L R T

S A R I O R H A E L R R A U A R T O A R L A E S

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H A T A T E M M E P I E C E O F L A N D

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November 2 | 8AM to 5PM Revolutionizing Dementia Care: Innovative and Best Practices in Person-Centered Care Register at ideastations.org/alzcare

FROM PAGE 26 ANSWERS TO CROSSWORD A B B A

This documentary reveals how people living with dementia can live a full and meaningful life based on their abilities, not their disabilities. Innovative approaches in memory care communities across the country have shown improvements in the well-being of residents as they’re included, engaged and supported.

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MARK YOUR CALENDAR

Nov. 15

ADVENTURE FILM FESTIVAL

There will be an Adventure Film Festival on Thursday, Nov. 15 from 7 to 10 p.m. at Henrico Theatre, 305 E Nine Mile Rd., Henrico, Va. Every year the International Adventure Film Selection Committee chooses the very best and most inspirational films that cover risks both mighty and absurd, tap the fringes of the unknown, and portray those experiences that bring us to the edges of our seats. Admission costs $1. For more information, call (804) 652-1417.

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Across

Down

1. Prepare mozzarella sticks 4. Dirty pool 8. Communicate by texts 12. Ingredient in Edge Shave Gel for Sensitive Skin 13. Largest member of the dolphin family 14. Having a conniption 15. Target of Battleship 16. Homophone of pair and pare 17. Easy putt 18. Subject of “Curious Behavior: Yawning, Laughing, Hiccupping, and Beyond” 21. Rainbow shape 22. Cal. pages with pictures of ghosts 23. Fudge ___ (Turkey Hill flavor) 27. Gumbo near-necessity 29. Royal wedding-ware 30. iPhone’s operating system 31. Basic building block 36. Car trip game 37. Place for custom potatoes (or potato vodka) 38. Maker of slushy drinks, since 1958 39. Black tie galas, sometimes 44. Looooonnng time 45. Ready to give birth 46. “Our religion teaches ___ be intelligent (Malcolm X) 47. Carrier that may take off when pigs fly 49. Go-___ (mini-racer) 51. Pike’s Peak hazard 54. Trait of a dull puzzle (and this one) 57. Special committee 60. Pessimist of Wall Street 61. Frozen precipitation 62. “___, I hope there are tapes” (James Comey) 63. 1967 Grammy Lifetime Achievement honoree, Fitzgerald 64. Lodges 65. Spell H-O-R-S-E first 66. AAA map lines 67. Lyrical poem

1. Elevator stop 2. They’re coming to perform at a town near you!

3. Mythical snowman 4. Criminal with no originality 5. Not slouching 6. Scurries away 7. Hindu dress 8. Apple dessert 9. Omelet bar option 10. Cash dispenser 11. Last in “FIRST” 12. Dancing Queen quartet 14. Start up the grill 19. Forsaken 20. Thermometer category 24. Acquisition, in Risk or Monopoly 25. Recluse 26. ___ Park, Colo.

28. The 18th item on a guard’s chain 29. German mister 31. Chops into cubes 32. ___ in the Dark 33. Get ___ (advance to the next round) 34. Schoolboy 35. Output from a witch’s cauldron 40. Foolishness 41. Stadium greenspace 42. Polar lights 43. Suffix for true believers 48. Battery plus side 49. Prepared to meet the new king, on Game of Thrones 50. ___ of Two Cities 52. Sheepish 53. Colgate’s alternative to paste 55. Ridesharing innovator 56. Distributer of 18 electoral votes 57. Every last bit 58. Scooby-___ 59. Day breaks, briefly

Answers on page 25.

FIFTYPLUS — OCTOBER 2018

www.FiftyPlusRichmond.com

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OCTOBER 2018 — FIFTYPLUS