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Providing kids good counsel

APRIL 2012

I N S I D E …

PHOTO BY FRANK KLEIN

By Barbara Ruben When Joseph Monte began his counseling career at Albert Einstein High School in Kensington, Md., John F. Kennedy was president, Latin was a requirement for graduation, and nearly every student lived in a household seemingly straight out of “Leave it to Beaver.” Flash forward 50 years, and Einstein’s students now hail from 45 countries, computerized records have long since replaced the carbon copy files on each pupil in Monte’s office, and even the title of “guidance counselor” has shifted to “school counselor” to be more inclusive of the array of issues they encounter — from suicide to cyber bullying. But some things never change. “Kids are kids are kids,” said Monte. “They are always searching for what gets them going, what they are going to do next with their lives. Counselors are the ones who have the privilege of working with them at this time of their lives.”

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LEISURE & TRAVEL

Eclectic Montreal possesses international flair; plus, Virginia’s hills are alive with the sound of country music page 45

Accolades from a noted author Monte, 80, is one of several school counselors who spoke to the Beacon about their long careers. The father of five and grandfather of nine began at Einstein as a teacher when the school opened in 1962 and was appointed its first counselor soon after. Monte’s influence as a teacher still resonates. Novelist Pat Conroy, author of such books as The Water is Wide and The Great Santini, took an English class from Monte when he taught at Gonzaga College High School in Washington, D.C. before moving on to Einstein. Conroy devotes several pages of his memoir, My Losing Season, to Monte, crediting his teacher with inspiring his literary career. “When the scholarly, charismatic Joseph Monte walked into 2A that first day, he radiated an owl-like authority and passion for literature I’d never come across in a classroom….He thunderstruck me with the mesmerizing power of his teaching,” Conroy wrote. Numerous former students come back to Einstein to visit Monte. A surgeon walked into his office and thanked him for steering her onto her career path. “All I probably did was tap the thing that

ARTS & STYLE

Joseph Monte (left), shown with student Noah Tondani, has served as a guidance counselor for 50 years at Einstein High School in Kensington, Md. Older counselors have remained popular at a number of area schools, showing that even a large age gap doesn’t keep kids and their elders from relating well and understanding each other.

was already there, say the right thing, and convince her that this was her vocation. I listened and spotted something,” he said. “I was just thrilled she wasn’t too busy to come back and say thanks.” With hundreds of students to advise each year, some counselors use a fill-inthe-blank form letter method of writing college recommendations. But not Monte. He sits down with each student as they’re working on their college applications. He talks to them about their accomplishments and aspirations, shaping these into an individualized recommendation. “One thing I’m proud of, I look on each kid as a unique human being. You might

get all the technology in the world, but there’s no shortcuts to do the job right. You can’t reduce a person strictly to a GPA and a test score.” He recalled one student who wanted to be a vet and loved horses. “Boy, did she have her head screwed on straight. I remember writing her letter so clearly,” he said as he rummaged through a manila file to find it. “She has the temperament, tenacity, kindness and willingness to become a healing horse whisperer,” Monte wrote. He also keeps a folder full of letters from See COUNSELORS, page 43

World premier of an offbeat new comedy at Venus Theatre; plus, Doris Day issues a new album for the first time in 17 years, and Bob Levey on curbing cravings page 51

LAW & MONEY 4 k How to get high return at low risk k Cheap stocks with potential SPOTLIGHT ON AGING k Newsletter for D.C. seniors

FITNESS & HEALTH 19 k Does your doctor tell the truth? k Flu vaccine may last a lifetime VOLUNTEERS & CAREERS 42 k Volunteer jobs can launch careers PLUS CROSSWORD, BEACON BITS, CLASSIFIEDS & MORE

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The Beacon is a monthly newspaper dedicated to inform, serve, and entertain residents of the Greater Washington D.C., Howard County and Greater Baltimore areas, and is privately owned. Readership exceeds 350,000. Subscriptions are available via first-class mail ($36) or third-class mail ($12), prepaid with order. D.C. and Maryland residents: add 6 percent for sales tax. Send subscription order to the office listed below. Publication of advertising contained herein does not necessarily constitute endorsement. Signed columns represent the opinions of the writers, and not necessarily the opinion of the publisher. • Publisher/Editor ....................Stuart P. Rosenthal • Associate Publisher..............Judith K. Rosenthal • Vice President of Operations ....Gordon Hasenei • Director of Sales ................................Alan Spiegel • Managing Editor............................Barbara Ruben • Graphic Designer ..............................Kyle Gregory • Assistant Operations Manager ..........Roger King • Advertising Representatives ........Doug Hallock, ................................................Dan Kelly, Cheryl Watts

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Letters to the editor Readers are encouraged to share their opinion on any matter addressed in the Beacon as well as on political and social issues of the day. Mail your Letter to the Editor to The Beacon, P.O. Box 2227, Silver Spring, MD 20915, or e-mail to barbara@thebeaconnewspapers.com. Please include your name, address and telephone number for verification. Dear Editor: Today, Sunday, Betty, Felicia and I visited Alan, who resides in an assisted living facility. We played the game of visualizing ourselves in that place. It is not a good test, since each of us is still able to function on our own. Alan has a constant lament. He wants to go home. I tell him that, as author Thomas Wolfe wrote, “You can’t go home again.” Alan has multiple sclerosis and has lost the use of his legs. He can be in either in his wheelchair or in bed, and he needs help to navigate passage from one to the other. His wife cannot help him. No matter how many times I explain the situation to him and plead with him to adjust to the assisted living home, he starts in again. asking for help to “go home.” The building itself is beautiful, but to live there would be difficult unless one can not do the things necessary to live in the outside world. Many of the residents sit in chairs all day long and walk or are wheeled in for meals. The place is deadly even on a Sunday when visitors come and there is an hour of entertainment by a piano player. No one seems to be talking to others, possibly because many are napping. I think that many of the residents have lost interest in outside affairs. There may be a few people who might play cards or chess or be companionable, but for the most part, it seems these people are drifting along toward an inevitable demise. My sister, Miriam, and her boyfriend, Morris, are considering moving to such a place. Their children are pushing for this.

They have little idea how rapidly the parents may decline both mentally and physically in such a place. Miriam and Morris are still capable of living on their own to a very great extent. Morris still drives and they can go out to dinner and other places. Each also has a long-term care assistant seven days a week to help them in any way. In effect, it is like assisted living in their home, which is in a fabulous gated community in Florida. Actually, it seems to be an ideal place for them. This is what they tell me, but they do not want to offend their children, so “they are looking.” Morris told me that they have seen several places and he knows that he will be bored and, in his words, “play with his Yo-Yo.” They will know when they need assisted living help. They can always go there, but it seems to me that going too soon is not to a person’s advantage. I believe that it would be advisable for anyone thinking of entering such a home to spend a day sitting in the lobby as if they were residents. That would be a real test. Murray Katz Silver Spring, Md. [Editor’s Note: Thank you for sharing your moving impressions of your friend’s situation. In our upcoming May, June and July issues, the Beacon will contain special pullout sections focusing on the wide variety of housing and homecare options for older adults in the area. Whether your family members and friends want to remain in See LETTERS TO EDITOR, page 60

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Money Law &

HOMING IN ON HOUSING STOCKS With the housing market poised for a rebound, should you invest now? DEALING WITH CAR DEALERS Follow these tips for getting the best deal on a new car and trade-ins BIG WINS FOR SMALL CLAIMS Consumers can win against big companies in small claims courts SELL YOUR OLD ELECTRONICS How to trade in your old cell phone, laptop or iPod for cash or credit

Pre-owned annuities: low risk, high return Most readers are looking for safe invest- interest rate, the scheduled payment date ments with a high rate of return. One in- and the payment amount — remains fixed vestment that can meet these for the duration of the annuity. objectives is a pre-owned anSo, in order to structure a nuity. reasonable offer, one needs to Many people own the rights consider the balance of the futo annuities that guarantee ture payments, the estabmonthly income, sometimes lished interest rate associated for terms of up to 50 years. with the annuity, and the numSome of these owners are willber of payments remaining. ing to sell the legal right to These help determine the their structured monthly paypresent value of the annuity, ments, at a discount, for a which can then be priced for THE SAVINGS lump-sum payment. purchase. GAME There are companies that By Elliot Raphaelson In the end, the original specialize in this field and act owner receives his lump-sum as intermediaries, for a fee, arranging to payment, the intermediary receives a fee, sell these annuities to individuals who are and the new owner receives an attractive willing to buy them for a fixed price in rate of return (in comparison to other oporder to obtain a guaranteed monthly in- tions available today) for the remaining come for the remaining term of the annuity. term of the annuity. A typical seller is somebody who was injured in an accident and received an annu- Rate of return can be high One of the major advantages of purchasity settlement from an insurance company. That person may prefer to have a large ing a pre-owned annuity is that the dislump sum instead of a stream of annuity in- count can be significant. These annuities are paid by major insurcome for, say, 30 years. To get that lump sum, they must be willing to give a dis- ance companies and other organizations with excellent credit ratings. For longcount to the buyer. Each of the original annuity terms — the term annuities, such as 30 years or longer,

the current rate of return is more than 6 percent. You can see a sample of these offerings at TotalReturnAnnuities.com (1-866-8661999). Some of these offerings are for as long as 50 years, and some are as short as two or three years. Generally speaking, the longer the duration, the higher the rate of return. For example, checking one day in December, I found these offerings (listed are the duration of the annuity, the rate of return, and the paying company): • 50 years, 6.75 percent, MetLife • 40 years, 6.5 percent, Continental Life • 30 years, 6.5 percent, Prudential Only a limited number of offers are made each week, and attractive offerings do not stay on the market very long. If you are interested in a specific offering, you will be asked to make a down payment, which generally is 5 or 10 percent of the total amount due. Once your offer has been approved (it may take a week or so for approval), you will be asked for the remainder of the total payment.

Some shortcomings What are the disadvantages associated with this product? In my opinion, the major

one is that this kind of annuity is not a liquid investment. You cannot assume that you will be able to sell it. There may be exceptions, but you should assume that you will have to keep it for the rest of the life of the annuity. A second disadvantage is that interest rates may increase in the future. You will not be able to renegotiate the interest rate of your annuity. Assume that whatever payment you receive is the payment you will receive for the length of the annuity. If you decide to purchase this type of annuity, you should discuss with your attorney the desired form of ownership. It is advisable to establish ownership in a way so that it will not be probate property. In that way, income from the annuity will be continuous for your beneficiaries after your death. Overall, pre-owned annuities are an attractive alternative for investors willing to make a long-term or intermediate-term investment. They are low-risk investments with a high rate of return. Settlement Asset Management, which is an intermediary offering these annuities, has an excellent webpage (www.samSee ANNUITIES, page 5

Up-and-coming stocks costing $12 or less By Jennifer Schonberger Look at a list of any day’s top performers and you’ll see that low-priced stocks almost always dominate. Of course, the lists of the biggest losers are also often filled with low-priced stocks. These stocks are risky because the underlying companies are either small or troubled. Still, the hunt for the next big thing tantalizes. In that spirit, we’ve identified three stocks that have the potential to shine over the next few years. (Note: share prices shown are as of March 20, 2012.) Kodiak Oil & Gas Symbol KOG; recent price, $10.25 Investors are going gaga over shale. Huge new discoveries and improvements in technology for extracting oil and natural gas from rock formations are putting the U.S. back on the road to energy independence.

Denver-based Kodiak has a strong foothold in the Bakken oil-shale formation, a 200,000-square-mile swath of land that contains the largest known reserve of light sweet crude oil in North America. Kodiak produced the equivalent of 17,000 barrels of oil per day last year, analysts estimate, and they project that production will hit 30,000 barrels per day by the end of 2012. Analysts forecast that sales will leap 360 percent this year, to $637 million, with earnings nearly quadrupling. Points International PCOM; $10.02 Just about every major consumer business tries to lure customers with some sort of rewards program. Points International helps companies administer their loyalty programs. It counts among its clients various airlines, Amtrak, Best Buy and Starbucks.

The Toronto company also operates Points.com, the only website at which consumers can register their rewards programs, redeem and buy points, and trade points with other people. Points’ profits are growing briskly. Analysts estimate that earnings will more than double in 2012. Velti VELT; $12.79 When Bose, the consumer-electronics company, wanted to promote a new headphone model, it turned to Velti, which placed ads on a smartphone song-recognition app. Users who clicked on the ad were taken to a mobile website. On the ad’s first day, 70 percent of users who visited the site clicked the “buy now” button. Such is the appeal of Velti, an Irish company that also manages mobile ad cam-

paigns for such companies as Intel and Johnson & Johnson. Velti, which went public in January 2011 at $15 per share, coasted to nearly $20 before crashing to its current price over concerns about the company’s exposure to weak European economies and a disappointing earnings report. But the mobile-ad market is exploding: Sales were estimated at $13 billion in 2011 and are expected to hit $29 billion by 2014. Velti is well positioned to benefit from that growth. Analysts see earnings soaring 89 percent in 2012. Jennifer Schonberger is a staff writer at Kiplinger’s Personal Finance magazine. Send your questions and comments to moneypower@kiplinger.com. And for more on this and similar money topics, visit www.Kiplinger.com. © 2012 Kiplinger’s Personal Finance

BEACON BITS

Apr. 12

ARE YOU A LEADER? If you are 55 or over with leadership experience from the busi-

ness, nonprofit or government sectors, and you live in Montgomery County, consider joining the Senior Leadership Montgomery class of 2013. If you have retired, or are thinking of retirement, and would like to share your talents working with other seniors in this next phase of life, Senior Leadership Montgomery offers the opportunity to make the connections you need. To learn more, attend an event on Thursday, April 12 from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. for the chance to talk directly with program staff and graduates. The event will be held at the Shady Grove campus of Johns Hopkins University, Gilchrist Hall, Room 134, 9601 Medical Center Drive, Rockville, Md. Applications for the program are due Friday, April 27. For additional information, visit www.leadershipmontgomerymd.org, or contact Esther Newman, founder and executive director, at esther.newman@leadermont.org.

FINANCIAL ISSUES FOR CAREGIVERS

May 1

Fairfax County presents Financial Issues for Caregivers on Tuesday, May 1 from 3 to 4:30 p.m. at the George Mason Regional Li-

brary, 7001 Little River Turnpike, Annandale, Va.. Register online (go to www.fairfaxcounty.gov/dfs/olderadultservices and link to caregiver series), email caregiver@fairfaxcounty.gov or call (703) 324-5205.

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Learn more about the area’s housing options Check the boxes of communities from whom you would like to receive information with no obligation and mail or fax this form to the Beacon. Washington D.C. ❏Friendship Terrace (See ad on page 59) ❏The Georgetown (See ad on page 20)

Maryland ❏Asbury Methodist Village (See ad on page 24) ❏Brightview (See ad on page 39) ❏Brooke Grove (See ad on page 27) ❏Charter House (See ad on page 30) ❏Churchill Senior Living (See ad on page 24) ❏Covenant Village (See ad on page 59) ❏Emerson House (See ad on page 59) ❏Gardens of Traville (See ad on page 41) ❏Homecrest House (See ad on page 59) ❏Kensington Park (See ad on page 21) ❏Mrs. Philippines Home (See ad on page 8) ❏Park View at Bladensburg (See ad on page 11) ❏Park View at Columbia (See ad on page 11) ❏Park View at Ellicott City (See ad on page 11) ❏Park View at Laurel (See ad on page 11) ❏Renaissance Gardens Riderwood (See ad on page 31) ❏Revitz House (See ad on page 26) ❏Riderwood (See ad on page 35) ❏Springvale Terrace (See ad on page 57) ❏Village at Rockville (See ad on page 28)

Virginia ❏Ashby Ponds (See ad on page 35) ❏Chesterbrook Residences (See ad on page 30) ❏Culpeper Baptist (See ad on page 10) ❏Culpepper Garden (See ad on page 7) ❏Fountains at Washington House (See ad on page 25) ❏The Glebe (See ad on page 40) ❏Greenspring (See ad on page 35) ❏Park Place Apts. (See ad on page 13) ❏Quantum Affordable Apts. (See ad on page 8) ❏Sommerset (See ad on page 33) ❏The Sylvestery (See ad on page 57) Name________________________________________________________________ Address_______________________________________________________________ City______________________________________State______Zip________________ Phone (day)__________________________(evening)_________________________ E-mail_________________________________________________________________

Check the boxes you’re interested in and return this form (together with the reader survey on p.3 if you like) to: The Beacon, P.O. Box 2227, Silver Spring, MD 20915-2227 Or fax to (301) 949-8966.

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Should you invest in housing stocks now? By Dave Carpenter The housing market recovery hasn’t taken off yet, but a rally in its stocks sure has. The Standard & Poor’s homebuilders index is up 60 percent in the past six months. Given that stock prices tend to anticipate business trends, does that mean a housing market rebound is imminent during the spring home-selling season? Not necessarily. But the biggest sustained rally in homebuilding stocks in years, coupled with recent upbeat home sales data, have injected some long-absent optimism into the outlook for housing. Sales of previously occupied homes rose for three straight months at the end of last year. The glut of houses on the market is diminishing, down to 2.4 million previously owned homes on the market in December from 3.8 million in June. And buyers are slowly regaining a little bit of confidence.

Best market in years “The housing market enters the spring selling season in absolutely the best shape it’s been since 2005,” said analyst Eric Landry, who follows homebuilding stocks for Morningstar. “Sales will still likely be below normal, but inventories are in the best shape they’ve been in years.” The government’s landmark $25 billion settlement of foreclosure abuses last month was the latest dose of good news. Financial analysts see it as helping to clear the way for builders to gear up construction activity. The CEOs of some of the biggest homebuilders said during earnings conference calls in March that the housing market has stabilized. But they were cautious about making any bullish forecasts. Major improvement in the industry won’t take place until next year, according to a forecast by the chief economist of the National Association of Home Builders, David Crowe. More important for investors, the big

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run-up in stock prices in the last four months makes a correction likely soon. Homebuilding stocks have a history of declining after rising in the months ahead of spring selling season. The current rally is seen by some as the opening act in a multi-year recovery for the stocks. Low interest rates, more affordable home prices and pent-up demand should help them rise further. But the stocks are no longer cheap. Most are currently trading at roughly 1.5 times book value — considered the best way to value this group. Book value is the value of a company’s assets if it were to be liquidated. Their current value strongly suggests they are overpriced. Investors would be wise to keep an eye on housing-related stocks. With prices having shot up, though, they should exercise caution. Waiting for a pullback and buying after spring home-selling season, if the industry still has momentum, makes

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Consider these investments Here are four stocks to watch, along with an exchange-traded fund that invests in homebuilders: D.R. Horton Inc. (DHI) Shares of D.R. Horton are up 74 percent since an industry low-water mark on October 3. That’s well above the 23 percent climb of the Standard & Poor’s 500, but shares are still about where they were two years ago. The company caters mostly to low-end buyers and builds homes in 26 states. Financial analysts believe that its broad customer base can help the company grow annual revenue by double digits for years. Lennar Corp. (LEN) With lean construction practices, a See HOUSING STOCKS, page 8

BEACON BITS

Apr. 17

GARDENS AND HISTORY IN RICHMOND

Tour the Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden, one of the oldest garden properties in Virginia. View a profusion of spring flowers as well as the “Orchids Galore” exhibit in the conservatory. After lunch, visit Agecroft Hall, originally built in Lancashire, England in the late 15th century and moved to Richmond in the 1920s. This McLean Community Center trip will take place on Tuesday, April 17. The bus will depart from the center, 1234 Ingleside Ave. McLean, Va., at 8 a.m. and return at 6:30 p.m. The trip costs $130 for McLean district residents and $135 for non-residents. For more information, call (703) 790-0123 and refer to activity number 7022.312.

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more sense. That should put investors in much better position to profit from the coming rebound.

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Encore Creativity for Older Adults offers choral, band, dance and theater institutes for those 55 and older at St. Mary’s College of Maryland from June 19 through 23. New programs this year collaborate with New Horizons Band, the nation’s largest band program for older adults, Dance Exchange, and a top notch theatre program under the direction of Michelle Freire. Students will stay in dorm suites and dine in the college dining hall. Participants will attend concerts presented by professional artists. The cost is $655. Contact Encore at (301) 261-5747, email jeanne.kelly@encorecreativity.org for more information.

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WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N — A P R I L 2 0 1 2

Tips for getting the best deal on a new car buying service, such as CarBargains or TrueCar. The best time to shop is at the end of the month, when dealers try to meet sales goals and qualify for month-end bonuses.

Trade-in tips Got a trade-in? Used cars are in short supply, so you’re in a great position. You’ll get the highest price if you sell your old car yourself. Check prices on AutoTrader.com to gauge the market, and stop by CarMax to get a quote. When you hit the lot, wear your poker face so you don’t tip your hand that you really, really want a particular car. A dealership will often gang up on a customer by sending two salespeople or a salesperson and a manager to make the deal, so it can help to have someone with you who’s got your back. If a salesperson asks you what your tar-

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A P R I L 2 0 1 2 — WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N

Housing stocks From page 6 healthy balance sheet and other strengths, Morningstar says Lennar sits poised to reap major economic gains from an eventual rebound in housing. Its revenue was up 12.5 percent and orders were up 21 percent in the fourth quarter, its highest growth in several years. The company recently created a distressed real estate unit, Rialto that allows it to obtain land more cheaply than competitors. It also provides financial services including mortgage financing, title and closing services. Its backlog of orders is 36 percent higher than a year ago, leaving it in good shape to wait for a future surge in sales. The stock is up 88 percent since early October. Toll Brothers Inc. (TOL) Toll Brothers builds higher-priced homes in urban markets with job growth, particularly in the Northeast. That focus on the highend consumer should enable the company to profit from a recovery in housing.

Car buying tips From page 7 brand, ask for the “conquest” discount. Both of these come from the manufacturer and range from $500 to $2,000. And don’t be fooled when the salesperson steps into another room to “get approval from the manager” for the price you’ve offered. Stay firm on a fair price and be ready to walk.

Like Lennar, it has a distressed investment arm, Gibraltar that helps it lock in land at bargain prices in marquee locations — an advantage that will show on the bottom line when home-selling picks up. It also has modest net debt of just $400 million. Along with Lennar, it may be the bestpositioned of the homebuilders to profit from the recovery, according to analyst Jack Micenko of Susquehanna Financial Group. Toll Brothers shares are up 74 percent since early October. SPDR S&P Homebuilders (XHB) This exchange-traded fund includes seven of the largest homebuilders. It also owns shares of companies that sell building materials or furniture and other items for the home. Many of the homebuilders are sitting on large piles of cash. That will allow them to expand in the coming years. The fund is cheaper than the other homebuilder ETF, with an expense ratio of 0.35 percent versus 0.47 percent for iShares Dow Jones U.S. Home Construction. — AP

A good chunk of dealer profit comes from the finance-and-insurance office, so bring financing from your bank or credit union to compare with whatever you’re offered. And don’t forget to mention the customer satisfaction survey — every buyer gets one, and high scores mean bonuses for dealers. Jessica Anderson is an associate editor at Kiplinger’s Personal Finance magazine. © 2012 Kiplinger’s Personal Finance4

BEACON BITS

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WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N — A P R I L 2 0 1 2

Small claims court case can bring big win By Peter Svensson If you feel cheated by a big company and complaining gets you nowhere, what can you do? A handful of recent cases suggest that consumers can, if they’re motivated enough, win against big companies in small claims courts. These “David versus Goliath” battles were won against the likes of AT&T, Honda and others, without resorting to lawyers. The plaintiffs paid minor filing fees, gathered their own research, and presented arguments in quick hearings that resemble the average “Judge Judy” episode. And now, thanks to the Internet, these victors are connecting with other consumers in hopes of helping them replicate their successes. If the practice catches on, it could amount to a big bucks difference in payouts by these giant corporations. “It is a significant undertaking,” said Heather Peters of Los Angeles, who sued Honda because her Civic Hybrid didn’t meet its claims for gas mileage. She won $9,867 in February. “But with the Internet, it’s a whole different world,” said Peters, a former lawyer who just reactivated her license. “It just takes one or two people like us who are the anal-retentive, compulsive people to do all the work, and are magnanimous enough to say, ‘Here you are! Go get ‘em. You do it, too!’”

Winning against AT&T Other success stories include Matt Spaccarelli of Simi Valley, Calif., and Henry Brown of New York, who both sued AT&T Inc. Brown won $1,587.50 in October after suing the telecommunications giant for frequently dropping his wireless calls and

charging him an early termination fee when he wanted to get out of his contract. Spaccarelli was awarded $850 in February after successfully suing AT&T for slowing down the data service on his iPhone when he hit a limit for downloads, even though he had an “unlimited data” plan. Peters and Spaccarelli have both put up websites that feature copies of the documents they used in court. Peters said hundreds of people have expressed interest, and she knows of at least six consumers who have filed cases. Dozens of people have contacted Spaccarelli, and he recently filed suit on behalf of his brother, who has the same problem with his iPhone. Their victories aren’t necessarily final. Honda said it will appeal Peters’ award, and AT&T is appealing Spaccarelli’s. But the new hearings will basically be reruns of the first ones. They will feature similar and relatively informal rules. There’s no way the companies can use their resources to take a small claims case to a jury trial and force the consumer to rack up enormous legal fees.

lawyers don’t have to act nice: “This isn’t a tea party,” he was told. Peters started her case because she was dissatisfied with a class-action settlement in the works over the same issue — the Honda Civic Hybrid’s gas mileage. That settlement would give Civic owners $100 to $200 each, plus a rebate on a new

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Process takes work The small claims process is by no means easy. For Brown and Spaccarelli, the hearings were harrowing. They felt intimidated by AT&T’s representatives. AT&T’s lawyer postponed Brown’s hearing three times before agreeing to a hearing date, months after the suit was filed. “He was just so vicious, and it actually scared me,” Brown said. “I actually said to the judge, ‘I don’t feel safe sitting next to him. He’s just on the full attack.’” The judge was sympathetic but told Brown that

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A P R I L 2 0 1 2 — WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N

What you need to know about target funds By Kathy M. Kristof Apathy and neglect can be benign forces in the investing world. Need proof? Look no further than target-date funds. These set-it-and-forget-it investments — which annually adjust their holdings among a variety of investments in order to prepare shareholders for a particular year of retirement — have become ubiquitous in 401(k) plans since 2007. That’s when employers were granted the right to use them as a default choice for workers who neglected to pick an investment option for their accounts. But if you’re one of those passive targetfund investors, you’d be wise to get up to speed as you slide toward retirement. After all, once you clock out, you’re not bound to remain in the fund your employ-

er picked for you. And even though the funds all have the same purpose, different funds with the same target retirement year can have widely varying notions of what constitutes a bull’s-eye. The closer you are to needing your savings, the more important those differences become. Nothing illustrates the point like the actual performance of target funds when the market tanked in 2008. The 31 funds with a 2010 target date lost about 25 percent, on average; but some had losses as great as 41 percent (worse than the overall stock market’s 37-percent plunge), and some lost as little as 4 percent. That real-life experience was a wake-up call for both investors and regulators. Con-

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gress subsequently held hearings, and the Securities and Exchange Commission tinkered with the rules to rein in some outliers and require better disclosure. But there are still important differences among the funds.

How target funds work What’s true for all target funds is that they invest in a mixture of stocks, bonds and cash (and sometimes in commodities and other asset classes as well). The mix of investments varies over time, starting out with aggressive, stockheavy allocations when investors are young and far from their target — usually an anticipated retirement date — and becoming increasingly conservative as investors get older and closer to their goal. But how funds define conservative is inconsistent. Exposure to stocks — the main cause of volatility — ranges from 55 percent to 10 percent among funds that have reached their target date and are thus catering to those who are already retired or nearing retirement, said Sasha Franger, an analyst at Lipper, a fund research firm. The explanation: About 35 percent of target funds expect to get you to retirement; the remaining 65 percent expect to help you through retirement. Those just getting you to retirement as-

sume that you’ll need the bulk of your assets right away, so they become conservative about five years before the target date. Those with a get-you-through approach become conservative far more slowly — often over the course of another decade or two. Some funds follow both approaches. For instance, Deutsche Bank’s series of exchange-traded db-X target-date funds are by far the most conservative for near-retirees. By the time these ETFs reach their dates, the allocation to stocks drops to 10 percent. However, the db-X funds that have hit their maturity date don’t remain conservatively invested for long. A year after a fund reaches its target date, the portfolio starts shifting back into stocks. Why the reversal? DB figures that people who leave their money in the target fund for more than a year after retirement probably don’t need the cash immediately. So even though the original intent was to get you to retirement, the money that stays will be invested through retirement.

Some are more aggressive By contrast, T. Rowe Price has a large stock position at the target date — some 55 percent of the portfolio. Over the next See TARGET FUNDS, page 11

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WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N — A P R I L 2 0 1 2

Small claims From page 9 ment might cost the carmaker $40 million, if every one of the 200,000 Civic Hybrid owners claimed the maximum amount. But if all of the owners went to small claims court and fared as well as Peters, the company would be out nearly $2 billion. “If corporations see a large number of people going to small claims, it might cut off their ability to have these relatively cheap dispositions of class actions,” said Richard Cupp, a law professor at Pepperdine University in Malibu, Calif. But while corporations have been fighting class actions, they don’t seem very concerned about self-help justice through small claims. Paying off a few brave souls who head to small claims or arbitration is, after all, cheaper than settling class action suits. “How many people would really do

Target funds From page 10 20 years, the fund company will ratchet stock-market risk down to 20 percent before the fund’s so-called glide path levels out. This aggressive approach is based on two assumptions. The first is that investors are likely to withdraw assets slowly over a course of 20 to 40 years in retirement. The second is that a short-term loss isn’t the worst risk that investors face in retirement. The bigger risks are longevity and inflation, which could cause investors to run short of money before they run out of breath. By keeping the portfolios more heavily invested in stocks during the early retirement years, the funds’ returns are more likely to beat inflation and provide more buying power for retirees later on. Both Vanguard and Fidelity — the industry’s two top players — fall somewhere in the middle. Both have glide paths that would have investors at about 50 percent in stocks at retirement. Both gradually move assets into a more conservative mix over the next several years. At the point that the fund managers stop making age-related adjustments — at about seven years after the target date for Vanguard and 15 for Fidelity — they automatically shift investors who remain with their target-date funds into retirement-income funds. Such funds invest the bulk of their assets in fixed-income products and commodities to protect against inflation. For investors, the best advice is to consider what you need from a target fund. If you’re more worried about market volatility than long-term returns, look for a fund with a conservative mixture of assets from start to finish. If you can handle some volatility, look for a more-aggressive fund. Kathy M. Kristof is a contributing editor to Kiplinger’s Personal Finance magazine. © 2012 Kiplinger’s Personal Finance

this?” Spaccarelli asks. “I’m just kind of pig-headed.” There is scant data on the number of small claims cases filed in the U.S. each year, or on the number of cases that feature consumers suing big companies. A study by the National Center for State Courts, published in 1992, found 40 percent of cases in the 12 courts studied were consumer complaints. The same study found that 67 percent of individuals suing businesses or government agencies won their cases. The Davids who take down Goliaths in small claims courts say it isn’t about the money but the justice — the satisfaction of getting even. “What was worth the time was sticking it to AT&T. That was the end-all,” Brown said. “Especially when, at the end, the lawyer came up to me and said, ‘Congratulations, you made a great case.’ I looked at him in disgust and walked away.” — AP

BEACON BITS

Apr. 25

MARKETING TO OLDER ADULTS

Beacon Publisher Stuart Rosenthal will speak to professionals providing services to seniors on the topic of “Marketing Effectively to Older Adults.” The program will be held from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Wednesday, April 25 at the Hermitage of Northern Virginia, 5000 Fairbanks Ave., Alexandria, Va. A complimentary lunch will be served. For reservations, contact Debbie at (703)-746-5694 or debbie.ludington@alexandriava.gov.

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Designed and managed for today· s seniors at these locations: AN ARUNDEL COUNTY ANNE ‡ Furnace Branch 410-761-4150 ‡ Severna Park 410-544-3411 BALTIMORE CITY BA ‡ Ashland Terrace 410-276-6440 ‡ Coldspring 410-542-4400 BALTIMORE COUNTY ‡ Catonsville 410-719-9464 ‡ Dundalk 410-288-5483 ‡ Fullerton 410-663-0665 ‡ Miramar Landing 410-391-8375 ‡ Randallstown 410-655-5673 ‡ Rosedale 410-866-1886 ‡ Timothy House (Towson) 410-828-7185 ‡ Taylor 410-663-0363 ‡ Woodlawn 410-281-1120

EASTERN SHORE ‡ Easton 410-770-3070 HARFORD COUNTY ‡ Box Hill 410-515-6115 ‡ Bel Air 410-893-0064 HOWARD COUNTY ‡ Colonial Landing 410-796-4399 ‡ Columbia 410-381-1118 ‡ Snowden River 410-290-0384 ‡ Ellicott City 410-203-9501 ‡ Ellicott City II 410-203-2096 ‡ Emerson 301-483-3322 PRINCE GEORGE· S COUNTY NOW! * Bladensburg 301-699-9785 *55 or Better ‡ Laurel 301-490-1526 ‡ Laurel II 301-490-9730

www.ParkViewSeniorLiving.com Call the community nearest you to inquire about eligibility requirements and to arrange a personal tour or email seniorliving@sheltergrp.com. Professionally managed by The Shelter Group. www.thesheltergroup.com

Law & Money | More at TheBeaconNewspapers.com

A P R I L 2 0 1 2 â&#x20AC;&#x201D; WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N

Need to Downsize? WE CAN HELP!

As a Senior Real Estate Specialist I can help you transition smoothly to your new life!

Call for a FREE copy of the Market Ready Guide Or Tune in to the show!

Sundays at 7am on WMAL 105.9FM, and WMAL.com

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WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N — A P R I L 2 0 1 2

You can trade in old electronics for cash By Jeff Bertolucci How many dusty gizmos and gadgets do you have languishing at home? It’s easy to convert those old cellphones, computers, iPods, video games and movie DVDs into quick cash. A number of big-name shopping sites — including Amazon, Best Buy, eBay and Gazelle — will offer cash or store credit for your gear. The process is quick and painless, and you won’t have to pay shipping costs, even if the buyer rejects your hardware and returns it. Each marketplace is different, but you’ll usually get top dollar for trading in highdemand items, such as Apple desktop and laptop computers.

Amazon Trade-In Store As you might expect from the world’s top e-tailer, Amazon has an extremely user-friendly interface. The site accepts trade-ins — for store credit — in four categories: books, video games, movies & TV DVDs, and electronics. To submit an item, you enter the product’s name in a search window, and then answer a few quick questions about its condition. If Amazon is interested, you’ll receive an offer on the spot. But what if Amazon, upon receiving your device, decides the product is worth less than its original offer? You have the option of automatically accepting a reduced price or having the product returned to you at no charge. Amazon offered $63.25 for my Apple iPod nano, which was a few years old but still in excellent condition. I accepted the offer and printed Amazon’s free UPS mailing label, which popped up in a browser window. Next, I boxed up the iPod, drove to my nearest

Moderately priced apartments for 55+* 1- and 2-bedroom units available NOW

UPS Store, and dropped it off. Painless. Within a couple of weeks, Amazon notified me via email that it had examined and accepted my iPod. It immediately credited my gift-card balance.

eBay Instant Sale EBay’s service works pretty much the same way that Amazon’s Trade-In Store does, albeit with two notable differences. Before returning a product to you, eBay first asks if you’ll accept a reduced price. And unlike Amazon, eBay pays cash, not store credit. The fastest way to get paid is to open an account with eBay’s PayPal service (if you haven’t already) and transfer the funds to your checking account. Other sites besides eBay offer cash, including Gazelle (www.gazelle.com), which also operates trade-in services for big-

name retailers such as Costco and Walmart. If you’d rather not pack up your gear, go to a participating Best Buy or Radio Shack store, where someone will appraise and buy your products on the spot.

Many trade-in services will offer to recycle your device free if they don’t want to buy it. Jeff Bertolucci is a freelance writer for Kiplinger’s Personal Finance magazine. © 2012 Kiplinger’s Personal Finance

BEACON BITS

Ongoing

ADVOCATE FOR D.C. LONG-TERM CARE RESIDENTS The District of Columbia Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program is

seeking people to serve as ombudsman volunteers in long-term care facilities. Ombudsman volunteers serve as advocates for residents of nursing homes, assisted living facilities and community living facilities, protecting residents’ rights and promoting the highest possible quality of care. For more information, contact Genesis Cachedon at (202) 434-2037 or gcachedon@aarp.org.

Seabury Leadership in Aging Celebration

Join us on Thursday, June 7, 2012 when Seabury Resources for Aging will recognize this year’s Leadership in Aging Honorees: Mr. Stuart Rosenthal Publisher and Editor of the Beacon Newspapers

Live and silent auction, food, drinks and fun! Thursday, June 7, 2012 6:30 - 9:00 pm Fannie Mae, 3900 Wisconsin Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20016 (free parking)

The Medical House Call Program at

To make a contribution in honor of Mr. Rosenthal or the Medical House Call Program, please mail a check payable to Seabury Resources for Aging, 4201 Butterworth Pl., NW, Washington, DC 20016.

Tickets: $125/person & $225/two guests • Located in Manassas Park, Va. • Convenient to banks, shops, restaurants • Health screenings, activities and more!

9659 Manassas Drive Call now for more info or stop by for a tour (703) 257-3455 *Income restrictions apply.

Sponsorship and advertising opportunities available.

For more information, contact Monise Quidley at 202-414-6313 or email MQuidley@seaburyresources.org and visit www.seaburyresources.org to learn more and purchase tickets.

PROCEEDS BENEFIT THE MORE THAN 1,000 OLDER ADULTS AND CAREGIVERS THAT SEABURY SERVES EACH DAY.

A P R I L 2 0 1 2 â&#x20AC;&#x201D; WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N

Expo & Conference May 3-5, 2012 Gaylord National Hotel and Conference Center National Harbor, Maryland

Expo - A Showcase of 100+ Exhibitors Conference - Professional & Consumer Training Opportunities Job Fair Ronald D. Paul Kidney Walk Entertainment Live Cooking & Fitness Demonstrations Raffles Educational Sessions on Medicare Issues How to Avoid Being a Victim How to Access Program Information, and much more! n n

n n

www.InnovationsInAging2012.com For more information: 410.767.1100

Expo and Job Fair FREE FOR ALL AGES!

Maryland Department of Aging

ICT OF CO TR

MBIA LU

THE D IS

PRESENTED BY

O N AG

CO-HOSTS

WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N — A P R I L 2 0 1 2

You’re invited to the

Capital Region’s premier showcase on aging A

first-of-its-kind regional conference on aging issues — aimed at older adults, baby boomers, caregivers of all ages, and professionals in the field of aging — will take place from May 3 to 5 at the Gaylord National Convention Center in National Harbor, Md. This event, called Innovations in Aging 2012, will be for professional and consumer audiences, and represents a collaborative effort by the departments on aging of Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia. Training sessions offering CEUs (continuing education units) for professionals will be offered on Thursday and Friday, May 3 and 4. There is a fee for the professional training program. A free Job Fair open to the public will also be held on Thursday, May 3 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Bring your resume and be prepared to speak with potential employers. The main events for the general public will be on Saturday, May 5. A 2K walk to raise funds for the National Kidney Foundation will take place from 8 to 9 a.m. Then an Expo featuring exhibits, the latest technology designed to make life easier, interactive health and wellness activities, cooking demonstrations, exercise classes and more will take place from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The goal of Innovations in Aging 2012 is to showcase programs and services that promote healthy community living for a lifetime as well as new directions for aging policy. Highlights will include new technologies and innovative approaches to planning for the future and preparing to age well in the community.

"There is no such thing as a spare American, no matter our age," said Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley. "Maryland's senior community is vital to the progress of our state. This expo will help us educate and bring to light the issues and needs of our seniors so they can lead healthy lives and enjoy a better quality of life." “Longevity is the greatest phenomenon of our time,” according to Gloria Lawlah, Secretary of the Maryland Department of Aging. “Every day, 10,000 baby boomers turn 65. This will continue for 20 years.” Innovations in Aging 2012 is being co-convened by the Virginia Department for the Aging, the District of Columbia Office on Aging, and the Maryland Department of Aging (MDoA), which is acting as this year’s host agency. This is the first large-scale regional collaboration centered on aging issues. Media partners for the Expo include W*USA 9 television and the Beacon. Planning partners include AARP and the National Association of States United for Aging and Disabilities (NASUAD). The charitable partner is the Community Foundation of the National Capital Region. A website — www.InnovationsinAging2012.com — and Facebook page (Innovations in Aging 2012) have been created to provide information for anyone interested in participating. The Expo is free. While advance registration is not required, it is highly suggested. To register, call Janice Brown at (301) 686-1136 or email her at jbrown3397@students.pgcc.edu. For additional information, call the Maryland Department of Aging at (410) 767-1100. The Gaylord National Convention Center is located

At the Expo Saturday, May 5 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. On the MAIN STAGE, enjoy entertainment and cooking demonstrations from around the world, including: Latin Dancers, African Drummers and Dancers, the Encore Chorale, “Feast Your Eyes On This” cooking demonstration, open mike poetry hosted by Ladi Di and Brenardo, live bands, Chinese dancers, Prince George’s County’s 2011 Senior Idol Winner, surprise entertainment and more! On the FLOOR STAGE, “Bustin’

Loose!” will feature interactive movement and exercise classes, including Line Dancing, T’ai Chi / Qigong, Latin / Salsa, Body Resistance Training, Zumba Gold Fitness®, a Line Dance demonstration by the Harmony Hall Line Dancers and more! Card tables will be arranged in the exhibition hall where visitors can take in a hand or two of Bridge, Bid Whist, Mah Jong, Pinochle and more while enjoying the music and entertainment on the Main Stage.

JC Hayward Innovations in Aging 2012 Honorary Spokesperson at 201 Waterfront St., National Harbor, MD 20745. It’s in Prince George’s County, just across the Potomac from Alexandria, Va., not far from where 495 and 295 intersect. Free bus service will be provided to residents of Howard and Montgomery Counties (space is limited). From Howard County, buses will leave on May 5 from the Bain Center, 5470 Ruth Keeton Way, Columbia, Md., at 9 a.m. and return by 3 p.m. Call (410) 313-7213 to request a seat. From Montgomery County, buses will leave on May 5 from 401 Hungerford Drive, Rockville, Md., at 10 a.m. and return by 4 p.m. For more information or to request a seat, call (240) 777-1131 or email event@montgomerycountymd.gov.

Free Consumer Education Workshops Saturday, May 5 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. (topics subject to change; seating first-come, first-served) • Advice for Older Job Seekers • Why Wait? The Baby Boomer’s Guide to Assisting Parents with End of Life Decisions • Get the Right Information, Right Now! • Reserve Maryland: A Winning Match for Civic Engagement • You’ve Earned a Say (YEAS) • Communications Solutions through Maryland Relay • Be Part of the Solution: Starting a Mental Health Discussion Group • Medicare Fraud: What Everyone

Should Know • Decide, Create, Share: Planning for Long Term Care • When Alzheimer’s Touches Your Life: Where to Turn • Helping Seniors Take Control of Energy Costs • Using Assistive Technology to Support Aging in Place • Medicare Preventive Services under the Affordable Care Act • Ten Common Nutrition Mistakes that Sabotage Healthy Aging • Aging and Disability Resource Centers

A P R I L 2 0 1 2 — WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA OFFICE ON AGING

Spotlight On Aging VOLUME XXVIII, ISSUE 4

A newsletter for D.C. Seniors

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR'S MESSAGE By Dr. John M. Thompson As April 15-21, 2012 is National Volunteer Week, “Celebrating People in Action,” it is fitting that I take this opportunity to highlight the remarkable work that our volunteers provide to the District of Columbia Office on Aging and its Senior Service Network. To help put the conversation into perspective, the D.C. Office on Aging (DCOA) is staffed with approximately 35 government employees and, through our Senior Service Network, 400 nonprofit and community-based employees. This accounts for approximately 905,000 hours of labor. Additionally, DCOA works with a number of individuals and community-based organizations that coordinate volunteer programs for the District’s seniors, persons with disabilities, and family caregivers. I would like to salute our Commission on Aging, which is comprised of a group of District residents who are appointed by the Mayor to advise him, the Executive Director of the Office on Aging, the Council of the District of Columbia, and the public concerning the views and needs of the seniors in the District. The commissioners are volunteers who serve an integral role in ensuring that seniors access the much-needed programs and services offered through the DCOA. Our volunteer base does not stop with the commissioners. In 2010, the Retired and Senior Volunteer Program, which is administered by Family Matters of Greater Washington, contributed 98,249 hours of volunteer services, which is approximately 10 percent of the total number of paid and volunteer hours produced through the DCOA’s Senior Service Network. Moreover, based on the hourly rate of an independent source, the total value of these volunteer hours totaled over $3.2 million. Volunteers in RSVP are involved in tutoring and mentoring at-risk youth, assisting veterans 55 years of age and older in finding meaningful volunteer opportunities, caring for seniors, operating after-school programs, and developing and sustaining volunteer programs through partnerships with governmental and non-governmental organizations.

Without this major volunteer infrastructure for the Senior Service Network, the District’s landscape would experience a huge void in bridging the gaps between the generations and meeting numerous unmet needs of our vulnerable seniors who often experience social isolation. I salute Ms. Gwendolyn Coleman, the program coordinator, and each RSVP volunteer for being a servant leader in your golden years of life. I would also like to highlight the work of our newest cadre of volunteers, the DCOA Ambassadors. These individuals are tasked with referring seniors, persons with disabilities, and family caregivers to our office for services. They play an instrumental role in ensuring that no one goes without the much-needed services that they could receive from our agency. I salute our ambassadors for their advocacy and sprit of servantship. These are just a few examples of the wonderful work that our seniors are doing in the community. We have a host of other volunteers, such as the Armed Forces, PEPCO, and the Department of Insurance, Securities and Banking that volunteer their time at our annual events. Despite the tremendous number of hours that our volunteers contribute to make community living more comfortable for our vulnerable seniors and persons with disabilities, it appears that we need more volunteers. Therefore, I encourage you to partner with us in serving our consumers. The opportunities are bountiful, and the possibilities are countless! You can be a part of a volunteer program that you will find most rewarding as you help those who need us the most. If you are a working professional, a retiree or a student who is interested in volunteering for personal satisfaction or to meet school graduation requirements, I urge you to contact the D.C. Office on Aging at 202-724-5622 and express your interest in volunteering and the types of activities that interest you. This should be a win-win situation; therefore, I would like for you to contribute your talents in an area of passion.

April 2012

Busy Volunteer Wins Awards At 85 years old, Gertrude Lomax believes, “If you don’t use them, you lose the use of your limbs. Since 1999, I walk 11 blocks each day to get to the bus. I enjoy walking.”

Presidential Volunteer Service Awardee Gertrude Lomax is congratulated by Mayor Vincent C. Gray and Tonya Jackson Smallwood, CEO of Family Matters of Greater Washington.

A Retired and Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP) participant through Family Matters of Greater Washington, Lomax works in the RSVP office, where she makes phone calls and helps coordinate people for meetings and events. She also helps with set-up for meetings, including the Ms. Senior D.C.

Pageant and RSVP Advisory Council. Her extended hours at Family Matters earned her the Presidential Volunteer Service Award for more than 1,600 hours of volunteer service and the William “Mack” Campbell Award. She contributed the most hours of any volunteer honored during the recognition event. “Yes indeed, I was happy and excited to receive the awards,” Lomax said. “I like the people here, and I like working with seniors. I love working with Ms. Coleman, and I have learned a lot from Ms. Coleman.” Lomax retired from the Government Printing Office in 1989 after 26 years of service. She worked as an attendance clerk and assisted with all three shifts. In addition to her volunteer work, the widowed mother of three works in her church, First Rising Mt. Zion, as a missionary, an usher and sings in three choirs. Lomax also has three grandchildren and one great grandchild. Lomax gives the following advice to retirees: “Volunteer. Do something. Don’t just sit down watching soap operas and eating doughnuts and stuff, because then you get fat. Walk around the block or something.”

WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N — A P R I L 2 0 1 2

D.C. OFFICE

AGING NEWSLETTER

Community Calendar April events 5th • 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. 11 a.m. to noon Learn about aging in place and safety in your home at a program at the Washington Seniors Wellness Center, 3001 Alabama Ave., SE. For more information, call 202-581-9355.

5th • 12:30 to 4 p.m. Health insurance counseling sessions are offered by appointment at Iona Senior Services, 4125 Albemarle St, NW., on the first Thursday of the month. Michael Knipmeyer, of the George Washington University Health Insurance Counseling Project, is available to answer questionsabout Medicare prescription benefits, long-term care insurance and paying medical bills for seniors. Counseling is free to D.C. residents who are 60 or older. To make an appointment, call 202-895-9448.

10th • 8:30 a.m. Make your voice heard in the debate about Medicare and Social Security. Speak out at the event

“You’ve Earned a Say,” sponsored by AARP at the Congress Heights Senior Wellness Center, 3500 Martin Luther King, Jr. Ave. SE. Register for the event by calling AARP’s DC State Office at 202-434-7700.

Recreation Center, 501 Riggs Rd. NE. Call Ebonne Price at 202-724-8052 for more information

May events

10th • 11 a.m. Learn about elder abuse at a seminar at Fort Lincoln 1 Senior Nutrition Center, 2855 Bladensburg Rd. NE. For more information, call Vivian Grayton at 202-529-8701.

11th • 11:30 a.m. to noon Attend a talk about personal and sexual assault at the Washington Seniors Wellness Center, 3001 Alabama Ave., SE. For more information, call 202-581-9355.

19th • 10 a.m. to noon Learn how to assist seniors and persons with disabilities age 18 and older access services. The next training to become a DCOA Ambassador will be held on April 19 by the District of Columbia Office on Aging. For more information, call 202-724-5622.

24th • 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Hear D.C. Councilwoman Muriel Bowser's State of the Ward address for seniors at the Riggs-LaSalle

17th • 4 to 8 p.m. Keen Seniors Program presents East River Swing, a Ward 7 prom for seniors. Enjoy dinner, dancing and more with music by DJ Ron V. Tickets are $15 if purchased by May 8 and $20 after that. The event will be held at St. Luke’s Center, 4923 E. Capitol St., SE. For more information, call Robin Gantt at 202534-4880, ext. 110.

18th • 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. In honor of Older Americans Month, Barney Neighborhood House, in partnership with the Brookland Senior Center, is sponsoring a fashion/talent show and luncheon. Enter the essay contest by bringing along a typed essay (500-word maximum) that answers the question, “What does your senior center mean to you?” Three winners will be chosen and crowned during the event. To sign up, call James Thompson, activity coordinator, at 202-939-9031.

D.C. Grandparent Caregivers Program Are you raising your Grandchild, Great-Grandchild, Great-Niece or Great-Nephew? The Grandparent Caregivers Program is designed to help older District residents with low incomes who are raising children under age 18. District residents who qualify may get money every month to help care for children living with them. Is this program for you? You must meet ALL these conditions.  Your grandchild, great-grandchild, great-niece, and/or great-nephew under age 18 lives with you.  The child has lived with you for the past six months or more.  You have been the child’s primary caretaker for the past six months.  The child’s parent has not lived with you in the past six months. (This doesn’t count if a court has given you standby guardianship of the child, or if the parent is a minor enrolled in school or a minor with a medically verifiable disability which prevents them from caring for the child)  You live in the District.  The total of all money coming into your household is below 200 percent of the Federal poverty level (see box at right).  You have applied for Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) for the child.  All adults living in your home must submit the results for national and local criminal background checks and a Child Protection Registry check (to rule out child abuse). Please call our offices at (202) 442-6009 for more information!

Headquarters: 400 6th Street, SW Washington, D.C. 20024-2753 202-442-6009 www.cfsa.dc.gov http://dc.mandatedreporter.org www.adoptdckids.org

A P R I L 2 0 1 2 — WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N

D.C. OFFICE

AGING NEWSLETTER

Wellness Center Employee Wins Volunteer Award A senior who is a participant with the Department of Labor-funded National Association for Hispanic Elderly program was awarded the Volunteer of the Year award at the Retired and Senior Volunteer Recognition Program.

Volunteer of the Year Award recipient David Washington is pictured with Office on Aging Executive Director John M. Thompson at the Retired and Senior Volunteer Luncheon.

“I was really surprised,” said David Washington. “I was so pleased and I was honored to receive the award.” Washington, 75, is an employee at Model Cities Senior Wellness Center. His position is maintenance aide, and he assists with keeping the building clean, as well as setting up for events and activities at the center. In addition to his regular duties, he helps wherever he is needed. “I enjoy doing what I do, I worked for SOME [So Others May Eat] for two years with no pay, for free,” he added. “Some people sit at home with nothing to do, and they die in a few

years. I am not going to do that, I come every day, and I know that certain things need to be done after I leave, so I stay,” Washington said. Born in Charlotte, N.C., Washington moved around a lot because his father was in the military. He went to school in New York, North Carolina and in D.C. Washington began his career in the military and after his discharge, worked as a painter for 50 years. He is the father of two children, a son and a daughter, and has two grandchildren and two great grandchildren. “Mr. Washington is your ideal volunteer,” said Stacie Thweatt, director, Model Cities Senior Wellness Center. Once you tell him what is expected, he simply follows through with the task. You never have to remind him of what needs to be done.” His service to Model Cities outside of his regular hours is why Thweatt nominated him as an outstanding volunteer. Like most senior volunteers, he is dedicated and reliable. “He is a gentleman. He will carry your bag and assist you through the front door to your seat. He answers the telephone with professionalism, greets new members with attention, and steps in wherever he is needed. Model Cities is a senior wellness center in Ward 5 with more than 650 active seniors. Model Cities promotes wellness as an optimum state of health and wellbeing achieved through disease prevention and health promotion. Education, fitness and nutrition programs are designed to assist members to improve and maintain their health. Model Cities is one of several wellness centers in the Office on Aging Senior Service Network.

SPOTLIGHT ON AGING Spotlight On Aging is published by the Information Office of the D.C. Office on Aging for D.C. senior residents. Advertising contained in the Beacon is not endorsed by the D.C. Office on Aging or by the publisher. 500 K St., N.E., Washington, D.C. 20002 202-724-5622 • www.dcoa.dc.gov Dr. John M. Thompson, Executive Director Darlene Nowlin, Editor Adrian R. Reed, Photographer The D.C. Office on Aging does not discriminate against anyone based on actual or perceived: race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, marital status, per-

sonal appearance, sexual orientation, familial status, family responsibilities, matriculation, political affiliation, disability, source of income, and place of residence or business. Sexual harassment is a form of sex discrimination which is prohibited by the Act. In addition, harassment based on any of the above protected categories is prohibited by the Act. Discrimination in violation of the Act will not be tolerated. Violators will be subjected to disciplinary action.

The Office on Aging is in partnership with the District of Columbia Recycling Program.

Register for the D.C. Senior Games Registration for the D.C. Department of Parks and Recreation’s “Fit 4 Life,” the 29th Annual D.C. Senior Games, is open through April 27. The D.C. Senior Games is scheduled for May 7 to 11 at various locations throughout the District of Columbia. The annual competition, hosted by the Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) in partnership with the District of Columbia Office on Aging, brings together seniors from across the District to participate in athletic activities that promote healthy living for a longer, more robust life. Each year, the D.C. Senior Games features activities like swimming, basketball, bowling, tennis, track and field, horseshoe toss, archery and softball. More than 160 athletes competed in the 2011 D.C. Senior Games. Athletes who participate in the D.C. Senior Games can qualify to compete in the National Senior Games, which are held every odd numbered year. In 2011, over 50 seniors represented the District of Columbia at the National Senior Games in Houston, Texas. Next year’s D.C. Senior Games will be a

qualifying year for the 2013 National Senior Games, which are scheduled for July 21 – August 5, 2013 in Cleveland, Ohio. The D.C. Senior Games opening ceremony will take place on Monday, May 7, 2012 at 10 a.m. at the Deanwood Recreation Center, located at 1350 49th St., NE. There is a $25 registration fee per athlete. The registration fee includes entrance fees and a T-shirt. Registration closes at 5 p.m. on Friday, April 27, 2012, though early registration is highly recommended. You can register for the D.C. Senior Games at the DPR website, http://dpr.dc.gov/DC/DPR, submit an entry application in person at one of DPR’s 21 senior centers, or call 202664-7153 for a form you can mail in. DPR also offers training programs for seniors to prepare for the D.C. Senior Olympics. Seniors can visit one of the 21 DPR senior centers to find out how to register for training programs. For additional information about the D.C. Senior Games, including how to volunteer, call 202-664-7153.

Ambassador Program Will Reach More in Need The D.C. Office on Aging recently launched an Ambassador Program to make residents more aware of the services available to senior citizens and persons age 18 and older with disabilities. More than 50 persons enrolled in the program and were trained as D.C. Office on Aging Ambassadors. Ambassadors received a comprehensive training on the services available to residents that will assist them in referring persons to the agency for service. “We are pleased that so many persons were interested in partnering with us to help the residents of the District with resources for the disabled aged 18 and older and senior citizens, their families and caregivers with services to assist them,” said John M. Thompson, Ph.D., executive director, D.C. Office on Aging.

This is the first of many training sessions that will be held to train persons interested in becoming Ambassadors. This partnership will help the Office on Aging ensure that more residents in need of assistance know how the Office on Aging can help them. “There are nearly 100,000 seniors who reside in the District of Columbia, and right now we are only reaching less than half of those persons. We would like to make sure that we provide services for more seniors annually,” Thompson added. The next training for the Ambassador Program will be held on April 19, from 10 a.m. to noon. If you are interested in becoming a member of the next Ambassador Program training, please contact the Office on Aging at 202-724-5622.

We are looking for Ms. Senior D.C. 2012. If you know a District woman who is age 60 or older, active in her community, elegant, poised and talented, please make sure she is entered as a contestant in the next Ms. Senior D.C. Pageant. Call 202-724-5626 for an application or go to our website at www.dcoa.dc.gov.

WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N — A P R I L 2 0 1 2

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Health Fitness &

FOODS THAT FOSTER SLEEP Try fish, jasmine rice, yogurt and whole grains to help you sleep better EAT WHEY TO WEIGH LESS Consuming whey protein can help curb appetites and shrink waistlines PROTONS TARGET TUMORS Proton beams send radiation directly to tumors, causing fewer side effects COCONUT OIL AND DEMENTIA The jury is still out on whether consuming coconut oil prevents Alzheimer’s

Implanted device dispenses daily drugs By Lauran Neergaard Medication via remote-control instead of a shot? Scientists implanted microchips in seven women that did just that, oozing out the right dose of a bone-strengthening drug once a day without them even noticing. Implanted medicine is a hot field, aiming to help patients better stick to their medications and to deliver those drugs straight to the body part that needs them. But the recent study is believed to be the first attempt at using a wirelessly controlled drug chip in people. If this earlystage testing eventually pans out, the idea is that doctors one day might program dose changes from afar with the push of a button, or time them for when the patient is sleeping to minimize side effects.

Could help many conditions The implant initially is being studied to treat severe bone-thinning osteoporosis. But it could be filled with other types of medication, said co-inventor Robert Langer of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. “It’s like `Star Trek,’” said Langer, refer-

ring to the science fiction television series. He co-authored the study appearing in the journal Science Translational Medicine. “Just send a signal over a special radio wave, and out comes the drug.” Today’s medication implants continuously emit their drugs until they run dry. One example is a dime-sized wafer that oozes chemotherapy directly onto the site of a surgically removed brain tumor, targeting any remaining cancer cells. Another is a contraceptive rod that is implanted in the arm and releases hormones to prevent pregnancy. A next step would be more sophisticated implants that release one dose at a time, programmable to skip or add a dose as needed, said biomedical engineer Ellis Meng of the University of Southern California. Meng was not involved with the MIT study but also is developing this kind of technology, and called the report “an important milestone.” Women with severe osteoporosis sometimes are prescribed daily injections of the bone-building drug teriparatide, known by

the brand Forteo. But many quit taking it because of the hassle of the shots.

How it works In the study, the microchip held doses of Forteo inside tiny wells that are sealed shut with a nano-thin layer of gold. Sending a wireless signal causes the gold on an individual well to dissolve, allowing that dose to diffuse into the bloodstream, Langer explained. In a doctor’s-office procedure in Denmark, the microchip was implanted just below the waistline into eight women with osteoporosis. Testing found one microchip wasn’t responding to the signals. The other seven women had their implants programmed to automatically emit a once-aday dose beginning eight weeks later. The chips could have begun working right away, said Robert Farra, chief executive of MicroCHIPS Inc., a Massachusetts company that has licensed the device and funded the study. But animal research showed a scar tissue-like membrane forms around the pacemaker-sized implant. So he waited until

that blockage formed to signal the first of 20 once-a-day doses to begin, to see if the drug could get through. Blood testing showed the implant delivered the drug as effectively as the women’s usual daily injections, and the device appeared to be safe, the researchers reported. It will take large-scale studies to prove the implant works as well as the long-used shots, cautioned osteoporosis specialist Dr. Ethel Siris of New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University. “They’re a long way from proving that this mode of administration is going to work,” she said. But it’s an intriguing idea because “it’s daunting to have to take a daily shot.” Farra said his company hopes to begin a larger-scale test, using a chip that can hold 365 doses, in 2014. While doses of this osteoporosis medicine typically are not adjusted, he said, the eventual goal is for patients to carry a cell phone-sized device that would provide wireless feedback to the doctor who programs their implants. — AP

Doctors aren’t always truthful. Is that OK? By Lauran Neergaard Trust your doctor? A survey finds that some doctors aren’t always completely honest with their patients. More than half admitted describing someone’s prognosis in a way they knew was too rosy. Nearly 20 percent said they hadn’t fully disclosed a medical mistake for fear of being sued. And 1 in 10 of those surveyed said they’d told a patient something that wasn’t true in the past year. The survey, by Massachusetts researchers and published in Health Affairs, doesn’t explain why, or what wasn’t true. “I don’t think that physicians set out to be dishonest,” said lead researcher Dr. Lisa Iezzoni, a Harvard Medical School professor and director of Massachusetts General Hospital’s Mongan Institute for Health Policy. She said the untruths could have been to give people hope.

Communicate with your doctor But it takes open communication for patients to make fully informed decisions

about their healthcare, as opposed to the “doctor-knows-best” paternalism of medicine’s past, Iezzoni added. The survey offers “a reason for patients to be vigilant and to be very clear with their physician about how much they do want to know,” she said. The findings come from a 2009 survey of more than 1,800 physicians nationwide to see if they agree with and follow certain standards medical professionalism issued in 2002. Among the voluntary standards are that doctors should be open and honest about all aspects of patient care, and promptly disclose any mistakes. A third of those surveyed didn’t completely agree that doctors should ‘fess up about mistakes. That’s even though a growing number of medical centers are adopting policies that tell doctors to say “I’m sorry” up front, in part because studies have found patients less likely to sue when that happens. Not revealing a mistake is “just inexcusable,” said Dr. Arthur Caplan, a prominent

medical ethicist at the University of Pennsylvania. Beyond decency, “your care now has to be different because of what happened.” The vast majority of those surveyed agreed that physicians should fully inform patients of the risks, not just the benefits, of treatment options and never tell a patient something that isn’t true — even though some admitted they hadn’t followed that advice, at least on rare occasions, in the past year.

What about hearing bad news? Perhaps least surprising is that doctors give overly positive prognoses. It’s hard to deliver bad news, especially when a patient has run out of options, and until recently doctors have had little training in how to do so. But Iezzoni said patients with the worst outlook especially deserve to know, so they can get their affairs in order. Patient studies have found most patients want to know. What else might doctors not tell? There are shades of gray, said Caplan, the ethicist. For example, he’s heard doctors ago-

nize over what to tell parents about a very premature baby’s chances, knowing the odds are really bad but also knowing they’ve seen miracles. Doctors prescribe placebos sometimes, and telling the patient that fact could negate chances of the fake treatment helping, he noted. Sometimes they exaggerate a health finding to shock the patient into shaping up. And sometimes it’s a matter of dribbling out a hard truth to give patients a chance to adjust, Caplan said. For example, one might say, “OK, this looks serious but we’re going to order some more tests,” when the doctor already knows just how grim things are. Withholding the full story is getting harder, though, Iezzoni said. Not only do more patients Google their conditions so they know what to ask, but some doctors who have embraced electronic medical records allow patients to log in and check their own test results. — AP

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A P R I L 2 0 1 2 â&#x20AC;&#x201D; WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N

Five foods that may help you sleep better By Brierley Wright Some people have trouble falling asleep. Others canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t stay asleep. And then there are the people who have trouble turning life â&#x20AC;&#x153;offâ&#x20AC;? and tucking into bed at a reasonable hour.

Whatever the reason, more than 50 million Americans donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t get enough shut-eye. Yet the health benefits of a good nightâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s rest are legion. Sleep helps keep you happy, your brain

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Apr. 14+

BEREAVEMENT GROUPS Haven of Northern Virginia is offering two free six-week

widow/widower bereavement groups. Both groups begin on Saturday, April 14.The first group is from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The second group is from 2 to 3:30 p.m. Groups meet at 4606 Ravensworth Rd., Annandale, Va. Register for the groups by calling (703) 941-7000, visit Havenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Web site at www.havenofnova.org, or e-mail havenofnova@verizon.net.

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Have a friend with Alzheimerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s? â&#x20AC;&#x153;Being a Friend to a Person with Alzheimerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;sâ&#x20AC;? Steven R. Sabat, Ph.D., will provide an understanding on what life is like for a person with Alzheimerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s and what their strengths and weaknesses are. Sponsored by the Sibley Senior Association and Grand Oaks Assisted Living

Steven R. Sabat, Ph.D.

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Apr. 17

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amounts of insulin triggered by the highGI meals increased the ratio of sleep-inducing tryptophan relative to other amino acids in the blood, allowing proportionately more to get into the brain. 3. Tart cherry juice. In a small study, melatonin-rich tart cherry juice was shown to aid sleep. When adults with chronic insomnia drank a cup of tart cherry juice twice a day, they experienced some relief in the severity of their insomnia. 4. Yogurt. Dairy products like yogurt and milk boast healthy doses of calcium, and thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s research that suggests being calcium-deficient may make it difficult to fall asleep. Other calcium-rich foods to try: leafy green vegetables like kale and collards. 5. Whole grains. Bulgur, barley and other whole grains are rich in magnesium, and consuming too little magnesium may make it harder to stay asleep, reported the Journal of Orthomolecular Medicine. From EatingWell, a magazine and website devoted to healthy eating as a way of life. See www.eatingwell.com. ÂŠ 2012 EatingWell, Inc. Distributed by Tribune Media Services, Inc.

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sharp, your immune system strong, your waistline trim, your skin looking youthful, and lowers your risk of high blood pressure and heart disease. Hereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the good news: Adding certain foods to your diet may help increase your odds of successful slumber, as reported in EatingWell Magazine. Here are some things you can eat for a better nightâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s sleep: 1. Fish. Most fish, especially salmon, halibut and tuna, boast vitamin B6, which is needed to make melatonin (a sleep-inducing hormone triggered by darkness), according to an article published in the Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences. Other B6-rich foods include chickpeas, bananas and fortified cereals. 2. Jasmine rice. When healthy sleepers ate carbohydrate-rich suppers of veggies and tomato sauce over rice, they fell asleep significantly faster at bedtime if the meal included high-glycemic-index (GI) jasmine rice rather than lower-GI longgrain rice, in a study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. While the authors arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t sure how it happened, they speculated that the greater

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Doctors Community Hospital and Prince Georgeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Community College will hold a daylong stroke symposium for healthcare providers, stroke survivors and caregivers on Tuesday, April 17 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the Largo Student Center at Prince Georgeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Community College in Largo, Md. The symposium, which includes breakfast and lunch, will cover a wide range of stroke-related topics, from medication management to healthy nutrition. The symposium costs $25 for the general public. Parking is free. Register online at www.dchweb.org. For more information, contact Anna Godfrey at (301) 552-8072 or stroke.symposium@dchweb.org.

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Sleeping pills not advised for older adults By Dr. Suzanne Salamon Q. I am 70, have had sleep problems, and have started to take Ambien every night. It seems to be working very well. Is it OK if I keep on taking it? A. When Ambien (the generic name is zolpidem) was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in the early 1990s, it was supposed to be an improvement over the benzodiazepines like lorazepam (Ativan) and triazolam (Halcion) because it acted in a more targeted way and didn’t stay in the body as long. Other nonbenzodiazepines were subsequently approved, including Sonata (zaleplon) and Lunesta (eszopiclone). But when I see patients who are taking Ambien, they’ve usually gotten the prescription elsewhere, because I’m reluctant to prescribe it. As a geriatrician, I treat

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Apr. 22

CATARACT SURGERY

The Macular Degeneration Network will sponsor a talk titled “Cataracts: What You Should Know Before

older patients and sleeping pills, in general, are problematic for older people. They lead to grogginess the next day and may contribute to cognitive problems, poor balance and falls. This is also true of over-the-counter sleeping pills like Sominex and nighttime pain medications like Tylenol PM. These contain diphenhydramine (the active ingredient in Benadryl) — an antihistamine with a sedating effect that may be mild and safe enough in a younger person but can be overpowering in an older one. Diphenhydramine also has a long list of side effects, including urinary retention, confusion and constipation.

Not for long-term use Ambien is effective, particularly if the difficulty is getting to sleep. But many peo-

E E FR

ple are like you: Once they start taking Ambien, they don’t like to give it up, and it is not approved for long-term use, nor do I think it should be. Smaller doses eventually become less effective, so people have to go to a higher dose. That’s when we really start to see side effects like daytime sleepiness, especially in older people. Lunesta is even more ill-advised for older people, because it stays in the body longer. Patients sometimes ask about melatonin, the hormone released by the pineal gland in the brain that is thought to promote sleep. Taken in pill form, melatonin does help some people, and I’m not aware of any serious downside. But because it’s classified as a supplement, there’s little FDA oversight of melatonin, and the available products are of uncertain quality.

Sometimes insomnia may be a symptom of depression or anxiety. Trazodone (Desyrel), an antidepressant with a sedating effect, can be effective in such cases. It’s a safe drug, which can be started at very low doses that can be increased slowly until an effective amount is reached. Mirtazapine (Remeron) is another sedating antidepressant that can be prescribed for sleep problems. It can stimulate appetite, a benefit for many older people who don’t eat well. When all else fails and people are really desperate for sleep, I will sometimes prescribe a short course (just a few weeks) of low-dose Ambien. Even half of a five-milligram tablet may be enough. I also advise people to take it just on some nights.

See SLEEPING PILLS, page 22

Understanding Dementia

An Educational Series for Family Caregivers

Surgery” on Sunday, April 22 from 2 to 3:30 p.m. Guest speaker will be Dr. Howard Weiss with Washington Eye Physicians & Surgeons. The free program will take place at Sibley Memorial New Medical Building, 5215 Loughboro Rd. NW, Washington, D.C. For more information, call (202) 234-1010.

Jason Brandt, PhD Director, Copper Ridge Institute

Dr. Jason Brandt holds a Ph.D in experimental and physiological psychology from Boston University. Dr. Brandt also a professor at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine where his research focuses on memory loss from degenerative brain diseases, such as Alzheimer’s. He additionally serves as the Director at the Copper Ridge Institute, a not-for-profit dementia research and education organization.

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Wednesday, May 16 • 6:30 – 7:30 p.m. Caring for a Loved One With Alzheimer’s This presentation, by Wanda Goldschmidt, RN, of the Copper Ridge faculty, will explore the types of behaviors exhibited by those with Alzheimer’s and the best ways caregivers can address them.

Wednesday, June 20 • 6:30 – 7:30 p.m. Caregivers Need Care Too! This presentation, also by Wanda Goldschmidt, RN, will address the importance of caregivers caring for themselves. The well-being and preservation of the family caregiver is essential to the well-being of their loved one.

All presentations are free of charge. Refreshments will be served. Limited Seating Available.

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Wanda Goldschmidt has been a licensed nurse for over 30 years, devoting much of that time to long-term care nursing. Wanda holds a BS in Nursing from Towson University, and a Masters in Aging from the College of Notre Dame of Maryland. In addition to educating healthcare professionals, Wanda is on the Faculty of Towson University School of Nursing and the Copper Ridge Institute.

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A P R I L 2 0 1 2 — WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N

BEACON BITS

Sleeping pills

Apr. 5+

CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW?

From page 21

The Fountains at Washington House is hosting a three-part

Non-medicinal solutions

series on hearing loss entitled “I Can’t Hear You!” The seminar, which meets Wednesdays from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m., will focus on hearing loss and hearing evaluations on April 5, on assistive devices on April 12, and on communication strategies and local resources on April 19. The program will be held at 5100 Fillmore Ave. in Alexandria. RSVP at least two days in advance by calling (703) 845-5075.

Apr. 12

BACK PAIN MANAGEMENT Dr. Lori Nelson, of the Capitol Spine and Pain Center, will meet with seniors to discuss chronic back pain and injury prevention

on Thursday, April 12 at 1 p.m. at the Walter Reed Senior Center, 2909 S. 16th St., Arlington. Free. To register, call (703) 228-0955.

Peace of Mind When You Need It Most Hospice Care for Families in Need

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Sleeping pills are not the only way to deal with a sleeping problem. There are several well-described behavioral strategies that can help, such as not staying in bed unless you’re sleeping, or removing the television or the computer from the bedroom to cut down on late-night stimulation. These may seem like relatively straightforward steps to take, but people often need counseling and encouragement to change an ingrained behavior, no matter what it is. A study published in 2011 found that even a very brief behavioral program (two counseling sessions plus two follow-up calls from nurses) was an effective way to treat people with chronic insomnia. As a practical matter, very few primary care physicians are trained to provide even that kind of help or have the staff to do so. The same is true for geriatricians, including me. A referral to a specialized sleep center may be necessary but, understandably, some patients balk at seeing yet another doctor unless their sleeping problems are very serious. In my experience, talking to the patient and getting a good history can often reveal the source of his or her sleeping problem and lead to some solutions.

Caffeine interferes with sleep, and you should consume little, if any, after noon. You’d be surprised at how many people can’t sleep because they are drinking caffeinated coffee, soda or tea — and that includes green tea — throughout the afternoon and early evening. Alcohol does have an immediate sedating effect, so many people use it to get sleepy. But during the night, alcohol interferes with restful sleep. Sometimes a medication is to blame, and switching to an alternative is the answer. Drinking too much fluid after supper can cause people to wake up because they need to go to the bathroom. The overall point here is that sleep problems are often the consequence of a behavior or circumstance that can be changed or treated without resorting to a sleeping pill. I’ve also found that some of my patients believe they aren’t getting enough sleep when they actually are. If you go to bed at eight or nine, you can wake up at three or four and still have gotten seven to eight hours of sleep. And while afternoon naps may not provide the same quality of sleep as longer sleep at night, they still count as sleep. Suzanne Salamon, M.D., is a member of the Harvard Health Letter Editorial Board and practices at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, Mass. © 2012 President and fellows of Harvard College. All rights reserved. Distributed by Tribune Media Services, Inc.

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Apr. 25

OVERVIEW OF ALZHEIMER’S & DEMENTIA

Learn more about Alzheimer’s and dementia at a talk and question and answer session with Dr. Jason Brandt, director of the Copper Ridge Institute, a not-for-profit dementia research and education organization. The presentation will take place on Wednesday, April 25 from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Kensington Park Retirement Community, 3620 Littledale Rd., Kensington, Md. To register, call (301) 946-7700.

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WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N — A P R I L 2 0 1 2

Digestive Health Corner Sponsored by Capital Digestive Care

Chronic Digestive Distress? A New Test May Have Answers For You Gastrointestinal symptoms such as tract and the contents within it. A numnausea, bloating, heartburn and con- ber of symptoms may develop if food stipation are among the moves either too quickly most common complaints or too slowly through the I hear during consultaGI tract, including, nausea, tions with patients. Typibloating, heartburn, concally, traditional methods stipation and an early feelsuch as lifestyle and diing of fullness when eatetary modification and ing. medication if necessary, Until recently, motility relieve these symptoms. disorders have been diffiOccasionally, problems cult to evaluate. Because persist for some patients. motility can be affected at By William Stern MD, FACG If you fall in to this categoseveral points throughout ry, you may benefit from the GI tract (often the stomfurther evaluation to determine if a ach, small intestine and/or colon) motility disorder is present. more than one test was required to Motility disorders are conditions evaluate the function, or “transit time,” that affect the movement of the GI of these systems. Transit time is the

cian’s office. The data is then downloaded to a computer, providing your physician with GI transit information to evaluate your stomach, small intestine and colon. This information is especially valuable in helping your doctor understand the cause of your symptoms. Once identified, treatment can be targeted to your specific needs. For more information about digestive health conditions and procedures, including SmartPill, visit our website at www.capitaldigestivecare.com or request a free information kit at info@capitaldigestivecare.com. Capital Digestive Care has 16 offices conveniently located throughout the Washington Metropolitan Area, including Montgomery, Howard, Prince George’s and Frederick counties. William R. Stern, MD, FACG, is a board certified gastroenterologist and Fellow of the American College of Gastroenterology. An active member of the medical community, he serves as Governor for Maryland for the American College of Gastroenterology. Dr. Stern has consistently been recognized by his peers as a "Top Doctor" in Washingtonian magazine. He is also a recipient of the 2010 Patients' Choice Award.

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amount of time it takes to move contents through a specific portion of the digestive tract. Fortunately, new technology is available, allowing us to capture specific information throughout the entire GI tract in one examination. Known as the SmartPill, it is a single-use, ingestible capsule that utilizes sensor technology to measure pressure, pH and temperature throughout the entire GI tract. As the SmartPill capsule travels through your GI tract, it collects data and sends it to a wireless data receiver, worn on a belt or lanyard. The test is relatively simple, painless and non-invasive. When you arrive at your physician’s office you will be required to eat a small meal bar, called the SmartBar. After the meal you will ingest the capsule with a small amount of water. The procedure will take approximately 15-20 minutes. After ingestion you can return to your normal routine, wearing the data receiver for three to five days. You will be required during that time to document when you eat and when you have bowel movements. When the test is complete you will return the data receiver to your physi-

IMPORTANT CONSUMER INFORMATION: Jitterbug is owned by GreatCall, Inc. Your invoices will come from GreatCall. All rate plans and services require the purchase of a Jitterbug phone and a one-time set up fee of $35. Coverage and service is not available everywhere. Other charges and restrictions may apply. Screen images simulated. There are no additional fees to call Jitterbug’s 24-hour U.S. Based Customer Service. However, for calls to an Operator in which a service is completed, minutes will be deducted from your monthly balance equal to the length of the call and any call connected by the Operator, plus an additional 5 minutes. Monthly rate plans do not include government taxes or assessment surcharges. Prices and fees subject to change. 1We will refund the full price of the Jitterbug phone if it is returned within 30 days of purchase in like-new condition. We will also refund your first monthly service charge if you have less than 30 minutes of usage. If you have more than 30 minutes of usage, a per minute charge of 35 cents will apply for each minute over 30 minutes. The activation fee and shipping charges are not refundable. Jitterbug is a registered trademark of GreatCall, Inc. Samsung is a registered trademark of Samsung Electronics America, Inc. and/or its related entities. Copyright © 2012 GreatCall, Inc. Copyright © 2012 by firstSTREET for Boomers and Beyond, Inc. All rights reserved.

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A P R I L 2 0 1 2 — WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N

Eating more whey helps you weigh less By Rose Pastore Little Miss Muffet sat on her tuffet eating her curds and ... losing weight while feeling perfectly full. Who needs rhyme when the latest research suggests that Miss Muffet had it very right in getting her whey? The watery byproduct of cheesemaking, whey is what’s left after milk has been curdled — a protein-rich liquid increasingly eyed for its ability to curb appetite. Whey is available in dried form as a nutritional supplement, but it exists naturally in foods, too. It is, for example, the source of ricotta cheese. Although whey has a long history as a drink in its own right, and was champi-

oned by Hippocrates, exploration of its potential as a natural appetite suppressant, body reshaper and metabolic protector is just getting under way.

Protein cuts appetites Bottled water enriched with whey protein may be the drink of the future — a painless means of weight control. New Zealand researchers found that even small amounts of whey dissolved in water and consumed two hours before lunch reduced hunger in overweight women. All 46 participants reported feeling more full and satisfied than after consuming a whey-free control drink. The greater the concentration of whey, the stronger and longer

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the effect. Although none of the women ate less lunch two hours later, higher whey doses may thwart dessert consumption. Whey has staying power in maintaining healthy body weight. The high-protein substance not only minimizes weight gain and body fat accumulation over the long haul, but it also decreases food intake and ups the oxidation of fats. Rich in the amino acid leucine, whey may alter brain synthesis of neuropeptides that regulate food intake. Rats fed a diet high in whey protein consumed significantly less chow than rats gobbling soy protein. But it took five weeks for the effect to show up, and the rats’ diet was one-third whey. Even dedicated dieters might not be able to manage that.

Lose weight; shrink your waist Adding whey protein to your diet can shrink your waist and may even help regulate body weight without the need for dieting. Twice a day for six months, 90 overweight men and women drank beverages mixed with either whey protein, soy protein or carbohydrates while eating as usual. After 23 weeks, scientists reported in the Journal of Nutrition, both whey and soy drinkers weighed less than the carb drinkers, but the whey group also had smaller waists. The findings suggest that in curbing accumulation of belly fat, whey may subdue the metabolic complications of obesity.

Whey protein supplements appear to spare those who are overweight from the negative metabolic consequence of a highfat diet. University of Cincinnati researchers fed female mice a high-fat diet and either plain water or whey-enriched water. Both groups downed the same amount of food, but after 11 weeks the whey takers weighed less and had more lean body mass. Moreover, they handled a glucose load better and showed better insulin sensitivity, and their livers accumulated less fat. For those who can’t resist the French fries, whey protein may help stave off Type 2 diabetes and fatty liver disease. There’s increasing evidence that the microorganisms known as probiotics do good things for the gut (and the brain and the rest of the body), but they have to get there alive first. That means surviving the harsh, acidic killing field otherwise known as the stomach. Whey protein may turn out to be the perfect armored vehicle for the job. Irish researchers find that microbeads of whey filled with the probiotic Lactobacillus rhamnosus can withstand the hostile environment of the stomach and arrive intact at the intestines, where they dutifully break down and release their payload. — Psychology Today © 2012 Sussex Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved. Distributed by Tribune Media Services, Inc

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Universal, lifetime flu vaccine on the way By Jason Koebler Annual flu shots might soon become a thing of the past — and threats such as avian and swine flu might disappear with them — as a vaccine touted as the “holy grail” of flu treatment could be ready for human trials next year. That’s earlier than the National Institutes of Health estimated in 2010, when they said a universal vaccine could be five years off. By targeting the parts of the virus that rarely mutate, researchers believe they can develop a vaccine similar to the mumps or measles shot. People would be vaccinated as children and then receive boosters later.

A new approach to immunity That differs from the current ‘60s-era technology, according to Joseph Kim, head of Inovio Pharmaceuticals, which is working on the universal vaccine. Each year, the seasonal flu vaccine targets three or four strains that researchers believe will be the most common that year. Previous seasons’ vaccines have no effect on future strains of the virus, because it mutates quickly. The seasonal vaccine also offers no protection against outbreaks such as 2009’s H1N1 swine flu. In contrast, a universal vaccine would offer protection against all forms of the virus. “It’s like putting up a tent over your immune system that protects against rapidly mutating viruses,” Kim said. At least two other companies are working on a similar vaccine. In late 2010, Inovio earned a $3.1 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to work on the vaccine. “It’s a completely different paradigm than how [vaccines] are made seasonably every year,” Kim said.

Bird and swine flu protection Kim said early research has been promising. Flu strains fall into different “buckets,” he said. All H1N1 strains share similar characteristics, as do all H5N1 strains — including the Asian bird flu strain that has killed more than 60 percent of the 500 or so people it has infected over the past decade. Kim said Inovio has already made and completed successful human tests for vaccines that protect against all H1N1 and

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H5N1 flu strains. In late 2011, two research groups created a strain of H5N1 bird flu that could be passed from human to human, leading the World Health Organization to issue a statement that said they were “deeply concerned about the potential negative consequences” that publishing their research could cause. Some news outlets have called the new strain “engineered doomsday” and wondered whether terrorist organizations could create and distribute a similar virus. Kim said not to worry. “I am very certain our vaccine can already neutralize that newly made virus,” he said. “We’re trying to get our hands on it.” Inovio is working on vaccines that will protect against other strains, such as H3N2, which is seen in a newly-emerged swine flu virus. Those vaccines will be combined with the already-developed

H1N1 and H5N1 vaccines to be delivered in one shot by the 2013 flu season. Researchers are taking a similar approach to HIV vaccine development, but working on the flu might be easier. “Unlike other diseases, we have 50 plus

years of diagnostics on the flu,” Kim said. “There are lots of toolkits that let us know if our approach will work or not. ... Our goal is to have a vaccine strategy that can protect us from all mutations.” © 2012 U.S. News and World Report

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A P R I L 2 0 1 2 — WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N

How do generic and branded drugs differ? By Lisa Buss Preszler, Pharm.D., R.Ph. Dear Mayo Clinic: If a generic drug really is the same thing as the brand-name version, why are generic drugs so much cheaper? How do I find out if a generic form is available for some of my medications? Answer: The active ingredients in generic drugs are the same as in brandname drugs. However, they may look different or have different inactive ingredients, such as fillers or coloring agents. Generic drugs approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration must meet the same rigid standards of strength, quality and purity that are applied to brand-name drugs. For example, they must be manufac-

tured in a way that’s approved by the FDA. In addition, it must be shown that a generic drug provides an identical, or nearly identical, blood level of the drug compared to the brand version. In short, every type of regulation that’s applied to brand-name drugs by the FDA is also applied to FDA-approved generic drugs. Still, myths persist that generic drugs are significantly different from brandname drugs. If you stick to buying a brandname drug because you feel that a generic isn’t the same, you’re likely spending more money than is necessary.

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the companies that make them don’t need to spend money on drug research and development, clinical trials, marketing, and advertising — as do brand-name drug manufacturers. These costs can run into the hundreds of millions of dollars for a single drug. Once patents and exclusive sales rights of a brand-name drug have expired, generic drugs can begin to enter the market. A generic drug manufacturer needs only to understand the known chemistry of a brand-name drug, and then develop a method for manufacturing a product that meets FDA standards. That said, it can take decades for a brandname drug to become available as a generic. The initial patent life of a new drug is 20 years, but a patent can be obtained at any point in the drug-development stage. If a patent is obtained early, research and development time may eat up a decade or more of patent life before the FDA approves the drug for use. A patent obtained later in the development process may buy more time for the drug to be sold under patent protection. Beyond the initial patent time, patent extensions of up to five years may be granted if FDA regulatory delays slow the process of bringing the drug to market. In addition, studying a drug for pediatric use may add six months to the patent extension,

even if the drug is never used for children. After FDA approval of a drug, the FDA may allow a drug company to remain the exclusive seller. Exclusive seller extensions lasting months to years may be added for a number of reasons. The goal of these extensions is to find a balance between consumer-friendly pricing and offering drug companies enough profit incentive to continue to invest in research. The FDA frequently grants a six-month period of exclusive marketing rights to the first generic manufacturer of a brand-name drug. Typically, the price of that first generic is about 6 percent lower than the brand-name. If the initial generic is widely used, chances are good that several other generic manufacturers will enter the arena and the price usually drops substantially. When two or more generic manufacturers make a drug, the price of the generic drug is often about 50 to 95 percent less than the cost of the brand-name drug. The extent of the price drop usually depends on how many manufacturers make the drug and how difficult the drug is to make.

How to track down a generic Often state laws and insurance copay rules — not to mention the vigilance of See GENERIC DRUGS, page 28

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A P R I L 2 0 1 2 â&#x20AC;&#x201D; WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N

Pros and cons of proton beam radiation By Dr. Steven Schild Dear Mayo Clinic: Whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the difference between standard radiation therapy and proton beam therapy? How do doctors decide which one to use? Answer: Both standard radiation therapy and proton beam therapy can be used to treat tumors. A key difference is that standard radiation passes through a personâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s body. In contrast, proton beam therapy delivers radiation to the tumor, where it stops. Because the proton beams stop, less healthy tissue is exposed to radiation, and the risk of side effects is lower. Protons are a component of all matter. Atoms have protons and neutrons together in

the central nucleus, with electrons surrounding them. Radiation is the energy released from atoms as either a wave, such as an X-ray, or a tiny particle of matter, such as a proton. Standard radiation therapy uses X-rays to kill cancerous and noncancerous tumors. Because X-rays have no mass, they cannot be stopped from traveling all the way through the body. Proton beam therapy directs protons into a tumor. Because protons have mass, how far they travel and where they are placed can be controlled. For example, a person who has a tumor near the back of one lung and is treated with standard radiation therapy may receive a dose through the back. As the Xray leaves the body, the rest of the lung,

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the heart and other tissues in front of the tumor also receive radiation. With proton beam therapy, protons are directed inward from the back and stop in the tumor, delivering radiation to the tumor but none to organs or tissue in front of it.

Fewer side effects with protons Because much of the healthy tissue around the tumor does not receive radiation with proton beam therapy, side effects are less likely than with standard radiation therapy. In addition, because radiation can be more precisely controlled using proton beam therapy, the amount of radiation delivered to the tumor can often be safely raised, potentially increasing the treat-

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doctors and pharmacists â&#x20AC;&#x201D; can alert you or even prevent you from buying a brandname drug when a less expensive generic alternative is available. Medicare Part D insurance plans report that when a generic drug is available, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s dispensed 89 percent of the time on average over the brand-name equivalent. However, your doctor can still prescribe a brand-name drug over a generic, if necessary.

mentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s effectiveness and possibly decreasing the number of treatments needed. Proton beam therapy can be used for many kinds of tumors. It is particularly useful in sites near critical organs or for tumors located deep within the body, when concern about damage to healthy organs and tissue may require that the standard radiation treatment dose be decreased. In particular, proton beam therapy is often a reasonable option for brain, esophageal and lung cancers. Proton beam therapy can also be a good choice for children. With radiation therapy, there is an increased risk that children See RADIATION THERAPY, page 29

Tell your doctor that youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re willing to work together on an ongoing basis to identify medications that meet your health needs but arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t necessarily the latest, heavily marketed brand-name drugs on the market. Courtesy of Medical Edge from Mayo Clinic, an educational resource that doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t replace regular medical care. ÂŠ 2012 Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research. All rights reserved. Distributed by Tribune Media Services, Inc.

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WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N — A P R I L 2 0 1 2

Proton therapy for prostate cancer? A warning to men considering a pricey new treatment for prostate cancer called proton therapy: Research suggests it might have more side effects than traditional radiation does. A study of Medicare records found that men treated with proton beams had one-third more bowel problems later, such as bleeding and blockages, than similar men given conventional radiation. This is an observational study so it is not definitive, but it is one of the largest to compare these treatments. Proton therapy is rapidly growing in use — Medicare covers it — even though no rigorous studies have tested whether it is as safe or effective as usual care. It costs around $48,000 — at least twice as much as other prostate radiation treatments. Hospitals are rushing to build proton centers, and nine are operating now — sites include Boston, Chicago, Houston, Philadelphia, Jacksonville, Fla., and Loma Linda, Calif.. Promoters often claim it is less likely to cause complications. “There’s no clear evidence that proton therapy is better” for prostate cancer, and the new results suggest it may cause more complications, said Dr. Ronald Chen, a radiation specialist at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, who led the study. Researchers checked Medicare records on more than 12,000 men treated for early-stage prostate cancers from 2002 through 2007. Follow-up information was available for four years on average.

First they compared an older version of external beam (traditional) radiation to a newer form that now dominates the field — intensity-modulated radiation therapy, or IMRT. It, too, targets radiation more precisely to the prostate, and this is the first large study to show it was better than the older method — even though it came into use a decade ago. “We found that patients who were treated with IMRT required fewer additional treatments after radiation, which indicates better cancer control,” Chen said. There also were slightly fewer bowel problems, although there also were slightly more sexual problems among men treated with IMRT. A second part of the study compared 684 men with proton therapy to a similar group treated with IMRT. There were 18 cases of bowel problems for every 100 proton therapy patients per each year of follow-up versus 12 such problems for those treated with IMRT. “That’s a red flag,” said Dr. Bruce Roth, a cancer specialist at Washington University in St. Louis who is involved with the cancer conference but had no role in the study. The federal Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality paid for the study, which included researchers from the National Cancer Institute. The government also is paying for a definitive study to compare proton therapy to other types. — AP

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From page 28 will develop another tumor sometime during their lifetime due to the radiation. Proton beam therapy lowers that risk because the child’s body is exposed to less radiation than that from standard radiation therapy. Proton beam therapy also lowers the risk of damage to children’s brain cells, decreasing the potential for longterm memory and thinking problems.

When standard radiation is better Proton beam therapy, although applicable in a variety of situations, is unlikely to completely replace standard radiation therapy. Standard radiation is typically a better choice for skin cancers or other surface-level tumors. In addition, proton beam therapy is not

a treatment option for cancer that has spread, or metastasized, to other parts of the body through the bloodstream. Standard radiation is useful and effective at decreasing symptoms related to metastatic cancer. The expense of the large equipment required for proton beam therapy also makes it unlikely that this therapy will be widely available in the near future. Finally, although this therapy appears to hold promise for treating a wide array of tumors, additional research is ongoing to determine the most effective way to use proton beam therapy. Steven Schild, MD, is a radiation oncologist with Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, Ariz. © 2012 Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research. All rights reserved. Distributed by Tribune Media Services, Inc.

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Health Shorts Yoga reduces fibromyalgia pain Fibromyalgia is as elusive as diseases come. Characterized by constant bodywide pain with no identifiable cause, its existence is still held in contention by doctors. But for the 12 million mostly female Americans to whom the pain is very real, yoga therapy may bring relief. Two months of twice-weekly yoga sessions reduced pain in women with fibromyalgia, according to new research from York University in Toronto, Canada. Participants reported less pain and help-

lessness at the end of the study, as well as a boost in cortisol levels. In healthy individuals, cortisol levels fluctuate regularly, but in fibromyalgia patients, symptoms are associated with consistently low levels, reflecting dysregulation of the body’s stress-management center. Without a regulated amount of cortisol, the body cannot adequately respond to or recover from stress. “For fibromyalgia sufferers, it’s actually positive when the body begins producing more cortisol,” said researcher Kathryn Curtis. Patients also came away from the intervention with greater mindfulness, which research shows is helpful in regulating the body’s natural stress response. The benefit is likely a result of Hatha yoga’s emphasis on breathing, meditation

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and inner reflection. Mindfulness, Curtis notes, may also prevent patients from focusing on their own pain, and in doing so, keep them from amplifying it. Here are a few ways to increase your mindfulness: Meditation: For five minutes, concentrate on the sensation of your breath traveling in and out of your lungs. Gently refocus when your mind wanders. “Meditation allows you to calmly experience your pain and your reactions to it — something we normally try to avoid,” Curtis said. Physical activity: Exercise takes your mind off anxieties and improves mood. Fibromyalgia patients should start slowly to avoid pain flare-ups. Conscious eating: For one meal, focus entirely on the experience of eating. Notice the appearance, texture, smell and taste of the food. It’s easiest to eat mindfully, Curtis said, if you block out time and pick a quiet environment. — Psychology Today

New spin on spuds Start thinking of the potato as a health food. If “chips” or “French fries” is the first thing you think of when it comes to potatoes, it’s time to break the association. Slowly, the reputation of the potato is undergoing rehabilitation from dietary villain to nutritional hero. Not only do potatoes supply some classy protein, but they’re also loaded with vitamin C and one of the B vitamins, B6, especially good for the brain and nervous system. Of additional note: New potatoes have a thoroughly respectable standing on the glycemic index. Potatoes are also rich in potassium, a mineral often lacking in the American diet

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but which helps regulate blood pressure, bone strength, and muscle and nervous system function. A recent report in the Archives of Internal Medicine links high intake of potassium with reduced mortality from all causes. Now comes news that potatoes do even more to protect the brain. They minimize blood pressure, even in overweight people, reducing the risk of stroke through additional channels — namely chemical components that act much like the anti-hypertension drugs called ACE inhibitors. — Psychology Today

Over 65? Get a whooping cough shot A federal advisory panel wants all U.S. adults to get vaccinated against whooping cough. The panel voted to expand its recommendation to include all those 65 and older who haven’t gotten a whooping cough shot as an adult. Children have been vaccinated against whooping cough since the 1940s, but a vaccine for adolescents and adults was not licensed until 2005. Since then, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices has gradually added groups of adults to its recommendations, including 2010 advice that it be given to older adults who spend a lot of time around infants. The recommendation means now all adults should get at least one dose. “They’ve been moving up to this in baby steps,” said Dr. William Schaffner, a Vanderbilt University vaccines expert. Whooping cough, or pertussis, is a highly contagious bacterial disease that in See HEALTH SHORTS, page 31

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WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N — A P R I L 2 0 1 2

Health shorts From page 30 rare cases can be fatal. It leads to severe coughing that causes children to make a distinctive whooping sound as they gasp for breath. Recommendations from the panel are usually adopted by the government, which sends the guidance out to doctors. Contributing to the push to vaccinate more adults was a California whooping cough epidemic in 2010 that infected 9,000. Ten babies died after exposure to infected adults or older children. There’s little data on how many people 65 and over have gotten the vaccine. Only about 8 percent of adults under 65 have been vaccinated, but about 70 percent of adolescents have. Health officials believe whooping cough is underreported in older adults, perhaps because in older people the illness can be hard to distinguish from other coughing ailments. A goal of the recommendation is to prevent teens and adults from spreading the disease to infants, although there’s not good evidence this “herd immunity” approach has worked so far. Vaccination for children is included in a series of shots, beginning at 2 months. The adult vaccine combines protection against tetanus, diphtheria and whooping cough. One version of the vaccine, made

by GlaxoSmithKline, was licensed for use in older adults last year. The committee said another version, made by Sanofi Pasteur, can also be given. Both cost about $35 a dose. The shot is as safe as a regular tetanus booster. Estimates range widely for how effective the vaccine is at preventing whooping cough in older adults, or how much its protection wanes years afterward. — AP

some patients taking statins. Statins are mainly prescribed to prevent heart attacks in people with clogged arteries and work by dramatically lowering

LDL or “bad cholesterol.” They were the third best-selling drug class in the U.S. for 2010. — AP

BEACON BITS

May 5

ARTHRITIS WALK The Prince George’s County Arthritis Walk event features a three-

mile and one-mile course, with arthritis information and activities. Money raised by walkers goes to the Arthritis Foundation. The walk begins at 10 a.m. at Eleanor Roosevelt High School, 7601 Hanover Pkwy., Greenbelt. To register and

Statin drugs can cause memory loss

for more information, go to http://pgcountyarthritiswalk.kintera.org. Additional local arthritis walks, including one on the National Mall, will be held in May. To learn more, go to www.arthritis.org/arthritis-walk.php.

Federal health officials are adding new safety warnings about risks of memory loss and elevated blood sugar to statins, a widely prescribed group of cholesterollowering medications. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced several labeling changes to medicines like Lipitor, Crestor and Zocor. Labeling on all such drugs will warn of memory loss and confusion reported among certain patients taking statins. The problems were generally not serious and went away after patients stopped taking the drugs, according to the FDA. The updated labels will also mention elevated levels of blood sugar reported in

Our Mission: To secure the well-being of Montgomery County Seniors through the shared strength of diverse organizations and individuals.

Professionals working with seniors are invited to our Monthly GROWS meetings on the first Thursday of the month at 8:15 a.m. usually at Holiday Park Senior Center, 3950 Ferrara Dr., Wheaton, Md.

Mark your calendar: June 7, Annual Benefit Auction, Brooke Grove To register or donate an item for auction, call (301) 765-3325

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A P R I L 2 0 1 2 — WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N

No matter how you fall, a better place to land. you...you havehave a better place to land.

The Nation’s First Seniors Emergency Center is Here for You At Holy Cross Hospital, we’ve created the first emergency center dedicated to patients age 65+. Designed by experts in seniors medicine, our innovative approach has become a national model. Here, physicians, nurses, pharmacists and social workers are specially trained in geriatric medicine. Our environment is quiet, private and calming. And after you go home, we follow up with a call to answer questions.

To order FREE Just In Case medical information cards and a magnet, or to find a physician, call 301-754-8800 or visit holycrosshealth.org.

The Seniors Emergency Center is located inside the main Holy Cross Hospital Emergency Center at 1500 Forest Glen Road in Silver Spring.

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WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N — A P R I L 2 0 1 2

Insurance covers more preventive care By Kimberly Lankford Q: I’m about to make an appointment with my doctor for an annual checkup. I’ve heard that I no longer have to pay out-of-pocket expenses for preventive care under the new healthcare law. Can you give details? A: Most health plans must now provide a variety of preventive-care benefits without charging a deductible, fees or co-payments, even if you have not yet met your plan’s deductible for the year. Among the benefits that are fully covered: screenings for high blood pressure (all adults), high cholesterol (adults with a history of high cholesterol), colorectal cancer (adults over age 50) and Type 2 diabetes (adults with high blood pressure). Women over 40 can get fully covered mammograms every one or two years, depending on their risk factors. You’re also entitled to several immunizations, depending on age, as well as a long list of other tests and services, depending on your age and health. For children, the fully covered benefits include routine vaccinations, well-baby and well-child visits, and other preventive services. See the preventive-care page at www.healthcare.gov for a full list of all these preventive services and eligibility requirements.

What you still must pay for Expanded coverage doesn’t get you off the hook for some expenses. For instance, you may still have to pay for the office visit if the preventive service is not the primary purpose of your visit, or if you use an outof-network provider. And the law includes one big loophole: It does not require insurers to provide these no-charge benefits if the plan has not made major changes to its costs and benefits since healthcare reform was enacted (called a grandfathered plan). Ask your insurer or employer’s benefits office if your plan falls under the new law.

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women; and certain kinds of prostate screenings for men. Although the screenings themselves are fully covered, you may still have to pay for the doctor’s visit. [Also see “Preventive care might or might not be free,” in the February Beacon, where we note colonoscopy screenings that result in polyp removals may also incur additional fees.] The new coverage rules apply to people who are covered by original Medicare. The coverage rules for preventive services may be different if you have a Medicare Advantage plan. “We’ve known for a number of years that these tests were important, but many people didn’t get them because of time or

costs, or because they were afraid,” said Jan Berger, chief medical officer for Silverlink Communications, which provides consumer information on Medicare health plans. “These benefits provide short-term value and long-term value.” See the Preventive Services page at www.Medicare.gov and “Your Guide to Medicare’s Preventive Services” for a full list of covered services. Medicare.gov also has a helpful Preventive Services Checklist that you can take to your doctor so he or she can record the date you received each screening and the date when the next one is due. © 2012, Kiplinger. All rights reserved. Distributed by Tribune Media Services, Inc.

Medicare beneficiaries also receive expanded coverage for preventive benefits. You can get a fully covered physical under the “Welcome to Medicare” program if you have the exam within the first year after you sign up for Medicare Part B. You’re also entitled to a personalized prevention plan and an annual wellness visit without any cost sharing. Depending on your age, you get 100 percent coverage for screenings for cervical cancer, colorectal cancer and high cholesterol; flu shots, pneumonia shots and the hepatitis B shot; mammograms for

BEACON BITS

Apr. 19

WHEN A FRIEND HAS ALZHEIMER’S

Once someone gets a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease or mild cognitive impairment, friends are often no longer sure of how to communicate and may simply stop socializing with that person. Join Steven R. Sabat, professor of psychology at Georgetown University, for a discussion on how you can continue to be a good friend to someone who has the disease. The event will be held on Thursday, April 19 at 7 p.m. at Sibley Memorial Hospital, Medical Office Building, Conference Rooms 1 & 2, 5255 Loughboro Rd. NW, Washington, D.C. For more information, call (202) 364-7602.

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A P R I L 2 0 1 2 — WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N

A guide to getting through grief and loss Losing a close friend or family member can be devastating. All the small details of daily life — getting out of bed, making meals, going to appointments, taking care of children, handling responsibilities at work — may seem monumentally hard or inconsequential. It is important for people to let the nonessentials slide and focus on ways to get through this difficult time. Dr. Michael Hirsch, a psychiatrist at Massachusetts General Hospital and medical editor of Harvard Medical School’s Special Health Report, “Coping with Grief and Loss: A Guide to Healing,” offers the following advice. Although some tips may seem basic, they’re vital for enabling people who are grieving to work through the process.

Tend to the essentials People who are grieving a loved one’s loss may neglect their own health and well-

being. In spite of the emotional pain, it’s important that you attend to the basics — making the literal, eat-your-vegetables choices — to maintain your physical health. These include: 1. Eat well. A well-balanced diet is essential as you withstand the stress of grieving. That means eating plenty of vegetables, fruits and lean proteins, and drinking plenty of water and other healthy liquids. If your appetite is diminished, try eating small portions more frequently. A daily multivitamin can cover any missing nutrients. 2. Take necessar y medications. Grief makes people more vulnerable to illness, so it’s important that you keep taking your regular medications. 3. Get enough sleep. Grief is exhausting. If you feel tired, nap to make up for a sleep deficit. Paradoxically, doing more exercise is likely to improve your energy.

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Watch your caffeine and alcohol intake, as these substances can interfere with sleep. 4. Exercise every day. A simple walk, a bike ride, yoga or a harder workout can ease agitation, anger and depression. Depending on your needs, exercise can provide you with a distraction when you need a break from grieving, or offer you some quiet time to focus on your loss. 5. Avoid risky behavior. In the wake of a profound loss, people often justify using dangerous coping strategies — such as drinking too much alcohol (more than one drink a day for women or two for men), using drugs, or engaging in impulsive or self-destructive behavior. The short-term relief of pain is likely not to be worth it if the pattern of dangerous behavior persists or intensifies, leading to further losses. 6. Delay big decisions. Grief can cloud thought processes, and people who make abrupt decisions may regret them later. Many experts suggest that you wait a year, if possible, before moving, changing jobs, clearing out keepsakes and making other momentous decisions. 7. Practice self-care. People who are grieving should regularly ask, “What would help me most today?” The answer may vary from day to day and even from hour to hour. Sometimes you need to cry,

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Turn to family and friends Dr. Alan D. Wolfelt, a grief counselor and author of Healing Your Grieving Heart, suggests that people who are grieving identify three friends or family members who can provide support on a regular basis in the first weeks and months after a loss. Perhaps they have practical help to offer (such as cooking meals), or are not judgmental and willing to listen. The following tips may also be helpful: 1. Tell people what helps. People who are grieving may need to say, “I just need to cry right now,” or “There’s nothing you can do to fix this. It would help if you just stay with me for an hour.” If you want to talk about the person you’ve lost, you may need to let others know. For example, it might help if you say, “I miss her so much. I just want to talk about her, but I feel like everyone is afraid to say her name.” 2. Embrace mixed feelings. It’s entirely normal to have mixed emotions about the loss and about your loved one. It helps to express these so that other people understand what you are going through. See GRIEF AND LOSS, page 35

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Ongoing

FREE CONSULTATIONS FOR CAREGIVERS Need an in-depth conversation with a social worker about the

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WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N — A P R I L 2 0 1 2

Grief and loss From page 34 Some of the things you can say: “I feel so angry about his death. It seems so useless.” “I’m relieved that Mom isn’t suffering anymore, but I miss her terribly.” “My relationship with my dad was really difficult. I’m feeling a lot of things right now — not just sadness.” “I know you think I should be over this, but I’m not.” 3. Take away uncertainty. Often, people aren’t sure how to act around you when you’re grieving. Although it may be difficult for you to express what you need while you are grieving a loss, the following directions might help others understand how they can support you: “If you really want to help, clearing up the kitchen or vacuuming would be great.” “Hugs just make me feel worse right now. What I need is a little time alone.” “I can’t bear to be alone tonight, but I don’t want to talk. Could you stay and just watch TV with me?” “I feel so mad about everything. I’m irritated with people all the time.” 4. Find others who understand. Peo-

ple who’ve also lost a loved one may be more understanding. Ask them outright: “What helped you? How did you get through this awful time?” When friends and family can’t help in these ways, support groups often can. 5. Leave the door open. People who are grieving sometimes may wish that everyone else would just go away and leave them alone to sort through their feelings. If you express this need too forcefully, though, you may drive people so far away that they’re not going to be there when you do need them. Here are some ways of expressing the need for solitude while leaving the door open to future support: “I just want to go home and go to bed right now. Would you call me tomorrow, though?” “I feel so upset these days, I can’t settle on anything. Please don’t take it personally.” “I’m just not up to that right now. Maybe in a few weeks. Will you try me again?” 6. Realize that everyone grieves differently. People who experience the same loss often grieve in different ways. For example, one parent who loses a child may need to cry and talk frequently, while the

Ongoing

BEACON BITS

May 5+

VOLUNTEER WITH A HOSPICE Hospice of the Chesapeake is seeking volunteers to provide sup-

port and companionship to patients, families and caregivers in Prince George’s County. As a patient care volunteer, participants provide companionship to patients and respite for caregivers by making weekly visits to assist with meals, read to patients, run errands and to provide other practical services. A free training series will be held on Saturdays, May 5, 12 and 19 from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 8724 Jericho City Dr., Landover. For more information or to register, contact Julie Medlin at (301) 499-4500 or jmedlin@hospicechesapeake.org.

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Health Studies Page

A P R I L 2 0 1 2 — WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N

THE PLACE TO LOOK FOR INFORMATION ON AREA CLINICAL TRIALS

Drug study seeks volunteers with COPD By Barbara Ruben Longtime smokers may eventually find themselves gasping for breath as the airways in their lungs lose elasticity and slowly collapse. Some are diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), an umbrella term used for several diseases that make it difficult for patients to breathe. Breathing other kinds of lung irritants — like pollution, dust or chemicals over a long period of time — may also cause or contribute to COPD. COPD is mainly associated with emphysema and chronic bronchitis. Chronic bronchitis involves a long-term cough with mucus, while emphysema destroys lungs over time. The disease is usually diagnosed in people in their late 50s and 60s, once the disease has

weakened airways enough to cause difficulty breathing. COPD is the third leading cause of death in the United States. While there is no cure for COPD, and damage to airways and lungs cannot be reversed, researchers are working to find medications to help those suffering from the disease breathe easier. “Since you can’t heal lungs, treatment is aimed at improving quality of life and reducing symptoms,” said Dr. Martha White, the director of research for the Institute for Allergy and Asthma in Wheaton, Md.

New treatments Over the last few years, several new drugs have been approved for those with COPD. In 2011, the FDA approved Daliresp, a pill for those with severe COPD. The Insti-

tute for Allergy and Asthma took part in a study to determine its safety and efficacy. In addition, the inhaled medications Advair and Symbicort, initially used to treat asthma, have been approved in higher doses for COPD patients. Now the Institute for Asthma and Allergy is studying a new combination of drugs to see how effectively and safely they may control COPD symptoms. The study, for those already diagnosed with COPD, is examining an inhaled drug not yet approved by the FDA called aclidinum bromide in combination with formoterol fumarate, one of the ingredients in Symbicort. Patients enrolled in the six-month study will be equally divided into five groups. One group will get a high dose of the combination medications and another will get a low dose. Those in two other groups will get only one or the other medication. Patients in the fifth group will receive a placebo, which contains no active ingredients. Each group will take their assigned medication twice a day. This is a double blind study, meaning that neither the study doctors nor the patients will know which group they have been assigned during the study period.

Participants will visit the Institute of Allergy and Asthma eight times over the six months they are in the study in order to have lung function and blood tests and to discuss their symptoms. They will also keep a log of their symptoms on a daily basis.

Who may take part in the study? To take part in the study, participants must be 40 years or older and be a current or former smoker with a history of at least 10 pack-years. A pack-year means smoking a pack a day for a year. Thus, if a participant smoked two packs a day for five years, he would qualify. You must have a diagnosis of stable moderate to severe COPD. Those who have been hospitalized for an acute COPD exacerbation in the last three months or have any current respiratory tract infection are not eligible to participate, nor can those who use oxygen therapy for more than 15 hours a day. Compensation is available for participating in the study. The Institute for Asthma and Allergy has free parking and is near the Wheaton station on the Red Line. To learn more, or to volunteer, call Kim at (301) 962-1610 or email iaaresearchkimberlly@yahoo.com.

BEACON BITS

Ongoing

LAUREL MILL WORKERS EXHIBIT

A free exhibit at the Laurel Museum, “True Life: I’m a Laurel Mill Worker,” explores Laurel’s history as a mill town using a real 1870s family to tell the story of the hundreds of men, women and children who worked in the town’s cotton mills between 1830 and 1929. The museum is open on Wednesdays and Fridays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Sundays from 1 to 4 p.m. at 817 Main St., Laurel. For further information, visit www.laurelhistoricalsociety.org or call (310) 725-7975.

I N F O ST U DY H E A LT H

Healthy Volunteers 80+/IDEAL Study (See ad, p. 36)

Name_________________________________________________________________ Address________________________________________________________________ City______________________________________State______Zip________________ Phone (day)________________________ (eve)___________________________

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Apr. 30

SENIOR CITIZENS HALL OF FAME

Nominate residents of Maryland, age 60 or older, who are active volunteers and have made outstanding contributions to improve the lives of others for the Maryland Senior Citizens Hall of Fame, which inducts 50 nominees each year. Nomination forms and additional details are available by calling Parker Koons at (410) 828-5852. Nomination forms must be postmarked by April 30.

COPD OR EMPHYSEMA? If you are at least 40 years of age, current or ex-smoker, with COPD, you may be eligible to participate in a 26 week research study of an investigational medication for COPD. s #OMPENSATION FOR TIME AND TRAVEL MAY BE PROVIDED s -ETRO !CCESSIBLE s 0ARKING AT NO CHARGE Please contact Kim at (301) 962-1610 or iaaresearchkimberlly@yahoo.com if interested.

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WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N — A P R I L 2 0 1 2

Lowly mushrooms are nutritional stars By Rebecca Searles Meet the newest superfood. It’s not a meat, nor a vegetable, although it can successfully pass as either. Technically, it’s a fruit, although you’d probably never guess it. It is, after all, the fruit of a fungus and looks nothing like any fruit seen on American shores. Still, its earthy, musky flavors delight palates the world over. Remarkably versatile, the mushroom ranges from humble to haute, can hold its own at the table or donate all its taste and texture to plate mates such as pasta and risotto.

All mushrooms offer benefits To its list of virtues, now add another: The mushroom — even that pale white cellophane-clad staple of the supermarket — is a powerhouse of nutrition and extranutritional goodies. Over 2,500 species of mushroom grow naturally around the world, but the popularity prize belongs to Agaricus bisporus, the species that yields the most widely consumed varieties: button mushrooms; their more darkly shaded sibling, the cremini; and their fully developed version, the expansive portobello. While A. bisporus lends itself to commercial cultivation, many mushroom types, including morels, porcini and chanterelles, do not. They must be harvested in the wild, and connoisseurs around the world make a point of knowing — but rarely telling — just where and

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when to search for them. Although the exotic species of mushroom attract top culinary billing (and dollars), the common button mushroom turns out to be severely underrated. Ongoing research shows that it is rich in antioxidants and loaded with agents, including beta-glucans, that keep arteries clear and cholesterol-free, help repair damage to body cells, and inhibit tumors.

Mushrooms’ unique flavor Most mushroom eaters are not in pursuit of medicinal benefits — at least not yet. What they do savor is a saucepan of sauteed morsels releasing their juices and earthy aroma. Mushrooms make mouths water, literally. They’re exemplars of umami, the socalled fifth taste. And umami is what confers on mushrooms their great versatility

in the kitchen — it softens sour, masks bitter, extends finish, triggers salivation, improves palatability all around, and may even be an aphrodisiac. Umami owes its unique taste to a cocktail of chemical compounds — including glutamate and free amino acids — found naturally in some foods. The more a mushroom ages, the higher its free amino acid content, and the greater its umami flavor. Perhaps the most valued quality of the mushroom for the home cook is its ability to function as the “meat of the vegetable world.” Savory, delicate, and hearty all at once, mushrooms can replace meat in nearly any dish while providing even more vitamins and nutrients, including some protein. Mushrooms are an excellent source of the minerals selenium, potassium, manganese and copper. They host a slew of

brain-healthy B vitamins. They’re mostly made of fiber. And they’re also notable for what they don’t have — cholesterol, fat, calories and sodium. The near-indistinguishable taste and texture of meat and mushrooms can be credited to a strange fact. In some ways, mushrooms are more like animals than plants. They do not employ photosynthesis. They “breathe” oxygen and “exhale” carbon dioxide. As a result, fungal proteins resemble nothing so much as animal proteins. In some Amazon tribes, there’s only one word for both meat and mushrooms. And in the rest of the world there’s a single word for both, too: delicious. — Psychology Today © 2012 Sussex Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved. Distributed by Tribune Media Services, Inc.

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A P R I L 2 0 1 2 — WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N

Does coconut oil really prevent dementia? Q: Is it true that coconut oil can help prevent dementia such as Alzheimer’s disease? A: It’s too early to know whether coconut oil plays a role in preventing dementia. You can easily find articles promoting coconut oil to prevent or battle dementia, as well as diabetes, heart disease and other chronic diseases. Although individual stories can generate a lot of hope, according to the Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database — one of the “gold standard” references for foods and supplements like this — we simply do not have enough evidence to evaluate the potential effectiveness of this oil for dementia. Coconut oil is high in saturated fat. Research is far less clear about the cholesterol-

raising effects of saturated fat than it once seemed, but the particular saturated fatty acids in coconut oil seem to pose heart health risk. Studies are conflicting on whether coconut oil raises HDL (good) cholesterol. Some coconut oil fans favor it as an antiinflammatory food. Preliminary research suggests that virgin coconut oil, which is oil not treated with chemicals or heat processing, could have anti-inflammatory properties, but results are mixed and more studies are needed. Meanwhile, a wide range of foods and eating patterns are linked more consistently in studies with reduced risk for dementia and other health benefits than is coconut oil. A study that followed mid-life adults for 14 years found that those with

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highest scores for an overall healthy diet creasing risk of type 2 diabetes. were 86 to 90 percent less likely to develop Inflammation may also promote cancer dementia in later adult life. development by damaging our That came down to the genes, increasing cell turnover, same choices that reduce risk and increasing development of of cancer and heart disease blood vessels that allow cancer and promote a healthy weight: cells to grow and spread. eating plenty of vegetables, The good news is that many fruit and fish; cooking with unof the same basic lifestyle saturated oils; avoiding candy choices that we already know and sugar-sweetened drinks promote overall health seem and limiting added sugar; to decrease development of keeping alcohol to moderate chronic inflammation. use (one or two drinks per NUTRITION Excess body fat releases WISE week in women and one to five proteins that travel throughout By Karen Collins, in men in this study); and limitthe body promoting inflammaMS, RD, CDM ing sausage and saturated fat. tion, so reaching and maintainKeep mindful of emerging ing a healthy weight shows research, but for now, the safer bets for re- major effects on reducing inflammation. ducing dementia are a Mediterranean or Avoid tobacco; be physically active in other eating pattern that focuses on whole some way every day; and eat plenty of vegplant foods, along with regular exercise. etables, fruits, whole grains and beans. InQ: Foods that fight inflammation are cluding fish (especially fatty fish like salmon) supposed to be so healthy. But what and walnuts for omega-3 fat is helpful. exactly is inflammation? In the past, there was some thought that A: The redness you see when you hit polyunsaturated rich vegetable oils (corn, your thumb with a hammer or get a splin- safflower, soybean and sunflower) worked ter is a sign of inflammation, the body’s against the inflammation-fighting effects of normal response to injury or infection. In- omega-3 fats, but that has been disproven. creased blood flow to the area brings white Monounsaturated rich vegetable oils such blood cells and proteins to attack or dam- as olive oil and canola oil are both excelage intruding bacteria. lent choices. The inflammation that signals a health The American Institute for Cancer Reissue, however, is chronic, low-grade in- search offers a Nutrition Hotline, 1-800flammation, which seems to damage body 843-8114, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday tissues in ways that promote development through Friday. This free service allows you of chronic disease. For example, inflamma- to ask questions about diet, nutrition and tory cells have been found in the fatty cancer. A registered dietitian will return plaque that builds up in blood vessels and your call, usually within three business days. leads to heart disease. Courtesy of the American Institute for And inflammation seems to cause cell Cancer Research. Questions for this column changes that result in our body’s inability may be sent to “Nutrition Wise,” 1759 R St., to respond to insulin appropriately, in- NW, Washington, DC 20009.

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Simple, cornbread-crusted turkey pot pie By Dana Jacobi Pot pies rank high as comfort food. But they get served far less often than other favorites, such as meat loaf and macaroni and cheese, because making them requires more effort from the cook. For sure, the top crust adds anxiety-producing uncertainty — will it come out too hard? Worse yet, will it remain doughy and raw where it meets the filling? With spring provoking thoughts of young tender carrots and bright baby green peas, this is the perfect time to work out an easy potpie topped with a fearless crust. Browsing through my voluminous cookbook collection for inspiration, I found that cobblers, with their biscuit-like droppedon topping, offer the perfect carefree crust. For an even simpler crust, I used cornbread mix. I chose one that is glutenfree, but any kind can do. Making the sauce is the most cooking this recipe requires. For a convenient filling with homemade flavor, I simmered fresh sliced carrots and celery with green peas and frozen pearl onions in storebought chicken broth. Setting the vegetables aside, I reduced the liquid to concentrate its flavor, and then used it as the base for a boldly seasoned sauce. Using rice flour instead of wheat makes the sauce lighter and more translucent, letting the other ingredients shine through more. Plus for those who need to avoid gluten, you can keep the dish gluten-free. Pot pie fillings require cooked ingredients in bite-size pieces. Fresh roasted turkey breast cut from the frame at the deli counter

is ideal, unless you are lucky enough to have homemade leftovers.

Turkey Pot Pie with Cornbread Crust • 1/2 cup sliced carrots, in 1/2-inch slices • 1/2 cup sliced celery, in 1/2-inch slices • 1 cup frozen pearl onions • 2 cups fat-free, reduced-sodium chicken broth • 1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil • 1 1/2 Tbsp. rice flour • 1 cup low-fat (1 percent) milk, at room temperature • 1 tsp. dried thyme • 2 cups cooked diced turkey breast, in 3/4-inch pieces (see note) • 1 cup green peas, fresh or frozen • Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste Topping • 5 tsp. unsalted butter • 3/4 cup low-fat (1 percent) milk • 1 large egg • 1/2 package (10 oz.) cornbread mix such as Bob’s Red Mill Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In medium saucepan, simmer carrots, celery and onions in chicken broth until they are tender-crisp, about 5 minutes. With slotted spoon, remove vegetables and set aside. Boil broth until it is reduced to 1 1/4 cups, about 5 minutes. Set broth aside. In heavy saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Mix in rice flour and whisk constantly for 1 minute as it bubbles. Do not let it color. Slowly add 1/2 cup of reduced broth and

whisk until combined with flour mixture. Gradually add remaining broth while whisking vigorously. Add milk and cook sauce for 5 minutes, whisking often, until it has consistency of light creamed soup. Mix in thyme, turkey, green peas and reserved vegetables. Season filling to taste with salt and pepper. Spread filling in 8inch square baking dish and set aside. For topping, in microwavable bowl, melt butter. Add milk and egg and mix with fork to beat egg. Stir in cornbread mix. Spoon topping over pot pie filling in baking dish, dropping it in dollops to leave room around edges of pan and between dollops. Bake pot pie for 30-35 minutes, or until topping feels firm to touch, is lightly

browned, and filling is bubbling. Let sit for 15 minutes before serving. Note: Use only turkey carved from breast, not the kind sliced to use in sandwiches. Or, arrange 3 slices raw turkey scallopini on a large sheet of aluminum foil and fold top and sides to make packet. Bake turkey at 400 degrees F. for 20 minutes or until white in center, cool, then cut into pieces. Per 1 ½ cup serving: 270 calories, 7 g. fat (2.5 g. sat. fat), 34 g. carbohydrates, 19 g. protein, 3 g. fiber, 460 mg. sodium. The American Institute for Cancer Research’s Dana Jacobi is the author of 12 Best Foods Cookbook and contributor to AICR’s New American Plate Cookbook: Recipes for a Healthy Weight and a Healthy Life.

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A P R I L 2 0 1 2 — WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N

A good-for-you, spicy substitute for soda Ginger: Good for digestion, and especially helpful with nausea and morning sickness. Ginger, being a strong anti-inflammatory, may help with arthritis, reduce cholesterol, protect against colds and lower blood pressure. Is chai sounding good to you yet? Cloves: A great digestive aid, this spice also has anti-fungal and anti-bacterial action. In mice, it proved to be an aphrodisiac, woo hoo! And when clove oil is applied topically, it almost instantly relieves toothache pain. Cardamom: This antioxidant spice contains anti-cancer compounds, and it has well-known aphrodisiac power. It’s good for improving urinary infections, clarity of mind, heartburn, bloating and bad breath. There are thousands of chai recipes. Some include fennel, which is good for menopausal problems and breaking fevers. Saffron, one of my favorite spices, is a powerful immune and mood booster. Anise

Dear Pharmacist: way less sugar (a couple of teaspoons) than I can’t give up sodas. I’ve been down- what you’d get in a soda (nine or ten is typiing them daily since childcal for non-diet soda pop). hood, but I know they’re bad If you learn to make your for me. Can you suggest a own chai at home, you can healthier drink that’s still substitute stevia, agave or sweet but has fewer calories? honey as your sweetener, and — R.L. it’s still going to offer grand Dear R.L.: health benefits. I’ve posted recipes for natuI’m a huge tea fanatic myself, ral healthy soda at my website, and chai is one of my favorites, www.dearpharmacist.com. So along with matcha, tulsi and in my column today I’m going rooibos. Chai starts with black DEAR to tell you to try chai! tea, a powerful antioxidant that In China, Russia and India, PHARMACIST has anti-cancer compounds. the word “chai” simply means By Suzy Cohen The individual spices that “tea.” In America, not too long ago, some clever marketing folks decided to use the word for a special blend containing aromatic spices native to India, and now you can find chai drinks everywhere. Yay. Even when you order “Masala” chai in cafes or Indian restaurants, you’re getting

make up chai are also medicinally active. They include: Cinnamon: Several recent studies confirm cinnamon’s ability to control blood sugar. It’s sold in oral supplement form just for that purpose. Cinnamon is warming and eases digestive upset as well as flatulence.

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helps with coughs and is a digestive aid. See the pattern? Chai contains healthy spices that help you digest meals. That’s why you should replace your after-dinner Frangelico with chai. Sam buys Bhakti Chai, and mixes this with frothed vanilla almond milk for a delicious chai latte that I crave when it’s snowing or right after a big dinner. And don’t think chai is just for the winter months. If you’ve never tried iced chai or chai smoothies, you’re in for a treat. No matter how you drink it, chai is far better for you than soda because it offers impressive health benefits, and being low in sugar, it’s easy on your waistline. This information is opinion only. It is not intended to treat, cure or diagnose your condition. Consult with your doctor before using any new drug or supplement. Suzy Cohen is a registered pharmacist and the author of The 24-Hour Pharmacist and Real Solutions from Head to Toe. To contact her, visit www.dearpharmacist.com.

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When family members could use therapy Dear Solutions: is struggling along. As my sister says, My very close cousin had some bad “Nothing ever works out right for her.” losses recently. First, his wife And that’s all my sister died last year. Then he lost concentrates on now. She most of his money with a bad keeps talking about it, and (or foolish) investment in is depressed and gloomy someone’s business that all the time. She doesn’t failed. know what to do about it, Now I’m very upset beand I don’t know what to cause he’s not paying any atdo about her. tention to taking care of I keep telling her to feel what’s left. He just goes over good about how well her and over what he had in the other children are doing, past and good things that SOLUTIONS but she doesn’t seem to By Helen Oxenberg, happened then. get any joy out of that. I’m When I say he has to MSW, ACSW afraid she’ll make herself plan for the future, he just sick. What do you think? turns away and says, “Give me one — Ellie good reason to pay attention to the fu- Dear Ellie: ture.” I’m worried. I think that a mother is only as happy as — Hilda her unhappiest child. The first thing you Dear Hilda: can do is express your understanding of Tell him the one good reason he should that, because that’s where she’s at. pay attention to the future is because that’s She doesn’t worry about her other chilwhere he’s going to live for the rest of his dren because she doesn’t think she has to life! do anything for them. But she does feel the Obviously, the losses he’s had are very need to fix things for this one, and that’s the painful, and any thought of the future is problem. She’s feeling powerless. fearful. So he retreats into the past, a time Unless there’s some practical way she when things were joyful. can change things for this daughter, she If you and other family members could needs help to accept that she can’t fix rally round him and show your under- things. She can only be supportive. standing and support, that might help him Perhaps she can help her daughter get move forward and be less fearful. professional help. She should also get Meanwhile, he sounds depressed and in some counseling for herself. That would need of therapy. If he’s a senior, Medicare let both her and you off the hook. will help pay for this. Explain to him that if Dear Solutions: he sees a therapist, he/she will let him talk My brother, a fairly young widower, about his past life and then hopefully help finally remarried. The woman he marhim to move on. ried is very open and talkative about Dear Solutions: everything — her family, her children, My sister has five children. Four of old problems and new ones. them are doing very well — doctors, We’re not used to this in my family. successful business people, good mar- Now my brother is becoming more riages, etc. One, the middle daughter, and more like this new wife. When she

starts talking about problems in her family, he starts to reveal things in our family that have not been talked about for years, and it makes me very uncomfortable. It’s true that we have a few skeletons in the closet, but I want to hold on to my privacy. How can I stop him? — Thelma Dear Thelma: Lately skeletons are getting very restless cooped up in a closet, so you’d better face the fact that they may come out at any moment. You could tell your brother how you feel and ask him to please be a little more tactful.

Also, if you stop calling his wife “this new wife” and start thinking of her as your sister-in-law, you might become friendly enough to laugh with her and your brother at her old skeletons and yours. After all, if they’re skeletons, there’s no meat on them any more anyway, which means the problems they represent are long gone. Anyway, once they’re “outed,” they may surprise you and disappear. © Helen Oxenberg, 2012. 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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Careers Volunteers &

Anne Thompson parlayed volunteer work with a nonprofit into a paying job with the organization.

Volunteer jobs can launch paying careers By Brian Greenberg “Try volunteering in your community...” If you’ve looked for a job anytime since the onset of the Great Recession, then you’ve probably heard this advice in an employment article or workshop. Indeed, volunteering does allow you to keep your skills sharp and close resume gaps. But does it ever lead to a real paid job? The answer, which may be a surprise to some, is a resounding “yes.” Nancy Cooper started volunteering part time at the Jewish Council for the Aging (JCA) when her daughter went to college in 2004. “I wanted to volunteer and thought I wanted to go back to work someday,” said Cooper, who after 20 months at JCA was offered a paid job-share position there. She

is now a certified information and mobility specialist for JCA’s Connect-A-Ride Program three days a week. “If you’ve been out of work for a while, your computer skills might not be as strong as they should be, so volunteering is a good way to bring them up to date in a work environment,” said Cooper, 56. “It’s a great way to meet people with common interests, and provides a ‘safe environment’ to try things out.” Cooper’s job-share colleague, Abby Levin, 50, also began at JCA as a volunteer. “Working for the [JCA’s] Senior HelpLine meant that I was being exposed to all the resources for seniors in the area,” said Levin. “I have a Master’s [degree] in aging, and it was a way to keep connected to my field.” “There are so many benefits [to volunteering], starting with the confidence fac-

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tor, getting out of the house, and getting in an office environment with others,” said Gordon Silcox, who leads a job-search seminar for JCA called “The Career Gateway.” “The confidence factor is so important and can make the difference in a person’s success,” said Silcox. “Volunteering is a great way to test out an organization,” said Reed Dewey, founder of the Volunteer Frontier, which helps nonprofits and governments optimize their use of volunteers. “If they treat their volunteers well, they probably also treat their staff well.”

Network your way up Sometimes volunteering can end up landing you a job in management. In 2004, Anne Thompson was enjoying a successful private practice as a licensed clinical psychologist when she decided to begin volunteering part-time at A Wider Circle, which provides basic items such as furni-

ture to families transitioning out of shelters. “I always wanted to do something that was going to make a difference,” remembered Thompson, 58, who has a Ph.D. After a few years, she was asked to be on the volunteer board of directors. Then, two years ago, she was offered the position of deputy director. “When I decided to leave my private practice and told my mother, she said, ‘I didn’t raise you to lift furniture!’“ “I never thought that I would be the deputy director or stop what I was doing, because I didn’t really have any past experience in management,” said Thompson. “Sometimes, employers can look at the person and the heart and the capacity…they might not have the experience, but if they are the quality of person you are looking for and are smart enough, it could work.” About 15 years ago, Joy Belew joined a See VOLUNTEERS, page 44

Getting started Here’s a list of websites and other resources that can help you land a meaningful volunteer position. • For volunteer positions in DC: www.greaterdccares.org • For volunteer opportunities, news and events in Montgomery County: www.montgomeryserves.org • For volunteer opportunities in Fairfax County: www.volunteerfairfax.org • VolunteerMatch, www.volunteermatch.org, includes a search tool for vol-

unteer listings in your local community. • AARP Create the Good, www.createthegood.org, includes a search tool for local volunteer opportunities in all states. • Bridgestar, www.bridgestar.org, provides a nonprofit management job board that includes paid as well as unpaid positions. • AARP Experience Corps, www. aarp.org/ experiencecorps, engages older adult tutors to improve K-3 student literacy in disadvantaged schools.

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Counselors From page 1 college admissions departments that tell him it was his personal recommendation that helped the student gain admittance to the school. “I almost fall in love with these boys and girls because they just seem so wonderful,” he said. Monte is now busy with helping Einstein High School celebrate its 50th anniversary. He is leading an effort to raise $1 million from alumni to augment its education programs. He also recently worked to pull together a room to honor the school’s sports stars from over the years. Its name? The Joseph A. Monte Athletic Hall of Fame Lounge. All this means Monte has put thoughts of retirement on the back burner. “I’m the oldest teacher [at Einstein], but I think I have the most vitality by a gift of God or genes or something. I’m often the first one here and the last one to leave. “I haven’t set a date [for retirement]. The day I wake up and my health is gone, I’m turning in my resignation.”

Edstrom said that nearly every student can find a college that fits his or her needs. “Now we have parents who decide in second grade that their kids need to go to UVA [the highly selective University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Va.]. It’s caused a lot of anxiety in kids, stress-related mental and physical illnesses,” she said. Nonetheless, Edstrom greatly enjoys working with the students. “I learn from all of them. They’re fascinating,” she said. “It’s a wonderful profession, and I feel blessed to be around these kids every day.”

Bowing out at 90 While Monte may be the oldest counselor at Einstein, he’s not the oldest in the Washington area. That distinction likely goes to Annabelle Jaffe at Wheaton (Md.) High School. Jaffe turns 90 in May and plans to retire the following month. She’s been a counselor for Montgomery County Public Schools for 50 years, and taught school in Washington, D.C. and

northern Virginia for a decade before that. “I love working with children and love seeing them grow up. I love helping plan their goals and prepare them for life beyond high school, and plan the course that’s most meaningful,” she said. Jaffe said she became a counselor “quite by accident.” She was teaching at Wakefield High School in Arlington, Va., when the principal observed a few of her classes and felt that her affinity working with teens might make her a good counselor. Jaffe said a counseling career hadn’t occurred to her, but she got a master’s degree in counseling psychology from George Washington University and hasn’t looked back. “If you can get a job that you enjoy and spend most of your life in it, I don’t think there could be a greater blessing. I’ve been very fortunate,” she said. Her devotion to her career helped Jaffe cope when her son Barry died of cancer last summer. “I was so blessed to be able

to go back to the work I love,” she said. Like Einstein’s student population, Wheaton’s has also changed greatly over the last 50 years. Many students are immigrants and will be the first in their families to go to college. Their parents work two or more jobs and haven’t had time to learn English, but still want the best for their children. “They have the same aspirations, the same needs, the same requirements, the same goals as I think we did and our parents before us. They need to feel a sense of security and acceptance. They need to feel needed,” Jaffe said. Guiding students through the maze of college testing and applications can be more challenging when the families don’t have money for application fees, let alone tuition, or the students work until midnight to help pay the rent, she said. Yet the rewards of seeing acceptance letters and scholarships come in for these students is all the more satisfying. See COUNSELORS, page 44

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Counseling kids with issues Julie Edstrom was born the same year Monte began his counseling career, but at age 50, she still has more than 25 years of teaching and counseling under her belt. She began her career working as a health teacher in schools in Fairfax County, Va. “I started to realize that I was so tuned into the kids who were suffering emotionally and socially and with family issues. I so wanted to be able to help them,” she said. Edstrom went on to get a Ph.D. in counseling, and now works at Chantilly (Va.) High School. She also has a private counseling practice in which she specializes in grief and trauma. At the school, she started several groups to help struggling students. One is a mentoring group for African American girls who weren’t achieving to their potential. She matches younger girls with seniors who can share insights and tips to help them succeed in school. Another group works with students who have lost a loved one. “These kids are struggling daily to see the sun and heal and be able to continue their education. To help them do that is very rewarding,” she said. While Edstrom feels students have remained the same over the years, she says she can’t say the same thing about their parents. “What I have seen is a huge change in parents, where their anxiety level and their fears are such that they’re very involved in every detail of their children’s lives. Where ‘helicopter parents’ wanted to hover, now they call them ‘snow plow parents.’ “Snow plow parents want to smooth out everything and manipulate everything so their kids don’t have to feel any heartache or disappointment.” This mode of parenting is particularly obstructive as students apply to colleges, Edstrom feels. While there is more competition for top schools than 15 or 20 years ago,

50+ EMPLOYMENT EXPO RETOOL, RECHARGE, REINVENT

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A P R I L 2 0 1 2 — WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N

Meet the Authors

Volunteers From page 42

Explore how our highway system is declining due to inadequate funding and poor management. Potential solutions to solve the problem to America’s funding crisis for our highway system. April 19, 2012 at 3:30 pm Come hear about this riveting mystery, located in DC, with a quirky cast and private detective, Gidney. April 27, 2012 at 2:30 pm. Come hear the longest-serving White House correspondent discuss the role African Americans played and how these relationships served the country. May 10, 2010 at 2:30pm

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volunteer task force at her church focusing on serving parishioners’ children with special needs. In 2002, when the task force obtained a grant for their growing special needs programs, Belew was hired to manage the activities of the grant. A few years ago she saw an ad on Craigslist for Options for Senior America, a homecare agency. Belew was hired as community relations manager for the D.C. branch of the organization. “One thing leads to another,” said Belew, 55. “I’m using all the skills I used as a volunteer.” A volunteer position can even lead to a job at the very top of an organization. Lester Strong, currently CEO of AARP Experience Corps, made the leap from volunteer to CEO — twice! Strong, now 63, was a seasoned TV reporter and news anchor in Boston when he began volunteering on the board of a foundation for yoga and meditation. “The board was working on a new organizational design and ended up asking me to be their new CEO.” The second leap occurred while he volunteered on the board of Civic Ventures, which eventually led to his becoming CEO of Experience Corps. “I’m sitting here at AARP now because of my volunteer work at Civic Ventures,” said Strong. Referring to both of his moves from volunteer to CEO, Strong said that “they were asking me to become more involved with organizations that I already knew and loved.”

Leverage your experience

• Contribute your skills and wisdom to help students from Pre-K to High School improve academically, socially & emotionally. • Choose from literacy programs, intercultural groups, math clubs, discussion circles and more. • Surround yourself with other like-minded senior volunteers who believe well-educated students enhance the entire community. FOR MORE INFORMATION

Contact the Heyman Interages® Center

301-949-3551

Counselors From page 43 She recalled a girl whose family had been among the “boat people” fleeing Vietnam after Saigon fell to the Communists. The father repaired bicycles at a shop in Wheaton. His daughter managed to do well in enough AP courses to not only go to Harvard, but to enter as a sophomore. “I feel so good when they’re so successful, because their success is my success. I don’t know if there is anything more gratifying in a career,” she said.

That has made it all the more difficult for her to retire, Jaffe said. She has students who beg her to stay a few more years until they graduate. So Jaffe does plan to continue in the schools as a substitute counselor or teacher after she formally retires in June. “I now have some children whose parents also graduated from this school,” Jaffe noted. “If I stayed any longer, I’d be getting some of their grandchildren,” she laughed. “I’ll give a younger person a chance for this wonderful career for which I’ve been blessed for so many years.”

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twilson@AccessJCA.org

May 21

Jewish Council for the Aging (JCA)® www.AccessJCA.org

Here are a few tips if you are just starting your venture into volunteering or would like to capitalize on your volunteer experiences for potential employers. • Find an organization that matches your values. “I think you have to find a

place that is doing something that you find compelling,” said Abby Levin. “Once the subject matter is correct, you are more likely to invest in it and derive all the benefits from it.” • Look for assignments that match either existing skills or skills you want to further develop. “You might have to be creative. Don’t limit yourself to just concentrating on one skill or content area,” Belew said. Strong advised, “Don’t be tied to what you’ve done in the past. Ask yourself, ‘What are the fundamental skills that I have?’” • Network within the organization. “Senior staff and board members may be more approachable because they’re interested in the mission or subject matter of the nonprofit,” Silcox said. • Don’t hesitate to ask for recommendations from the people who supervise your volunteer work. “When people are volunteering when they are unemployed speaks volumes in terms of their character and work ethic,” according to Thompson. • Include your volunteer work on your resume, focusing on the projects you completed, the skills that were required, and any quantifiable results. Thompson advised, “Translate, but don’t exaggerate, what you did and put it in the language of a job.” • During an interview, be sure to talk about projects you did as a volunteer as well as your paid projects. According to JCA’s CEO David Gamse, “You don’t need to specify which of your projects were paid or not paid unless there is a compelling reason to do so.” • Be adventurous! “Follow your passion — what you never thought was possible — and see where it takes you. Take the leap!” said Thompson. Brian Greenberg is a freelance writer in Silver Spring, Md. He can be reached for questions or comments at brian@wordswith-impact.com.

8127

Interages® is a program of JCA® -- the Jewish Council for the Aging®. JCA serves people of all faiths, ethnicities and income levels.

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50+ EMPLOYMENT EXPO

Mark your calendar for the 50+ Employment Expo on Monday, May 21 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The free expo will include more than 50 recruiters; seminars on interviewing, changing careers and writing resumes; and an Internet café staffed with volunteer job coaches. The expo is a service of the Jewish Council for the Aging, and the Beacon is one of the sponsors. It will be held at the Marriott North Bethesda Hotel & Conference Center, 5701 Marinelli Rd., N. Bethesda, Md., across from the White Flint Red Line Metro station. There is free parking on site. For additional information, contact Micki Gordon at (301) 255-4231 or mgordon@AccessJCA.org.

WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N — A P R I L 2 0 1 2

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Travel

Leisure &

Southwest Virginia’s hills are alive with the sound of country music. See story on page 47.

Eclectic Montreal offers international flair Limited In size by the island it occupies, located at the confluence of the Saint Lawrence and Ottawa Rivers, Montreal is easy to explore by foot. Most of it is flat, and it has an excellent bus and subway system. Before embarking on our excursions, Fyllis and I pored over a city map to plan the most efficient use of our time, and save on shoe leather and energy. Because Montreal’s neighborhoods merge gently into each other, often with several blocks of overlap, it was not difficult to follow routes that introduced us to the areas we wished to cover.

By Victor Block Following a bountiful breakfast of dim sum, my wife Fyllis and I strolled along lanes lined by shops selling merchandise both familiar and unknown to us. Some store windows displayed unrecognizable animal body parts, others a variety of herbal remedies said to heal a hospital full of ills. Lunch meant a steaming bowl of pasta accompanied by a glass of Chianti wine, and a pause to watch a group of men good-naturedly competing in a lively game of bocce. The day ended by sampling the European charm of art galleries, chic boutiques and cafes overlooking cobblestone streets that were packed with passers-by walking and riding in horse-drawn carriages. This whirlwind ‘round-the-world tour didn’t require traveling by plane, train or automobile. A comfy pair of walking shoes was all that we needed to explore the intriguing neighborhoods that combine to make Montreal a kaleidoscope of cultures and customs. The city has a well-deserved reputation for its French flair and joie-de-vivre. That influence came alive for us as we sampled outstanding Continental cuisine, sipped French wines and admired architectural gems that would be at home in Paris. What’s surprising is how many other nationalities share the scene. Several neighborhoods are enclaves of specific ethnic groups that have imported their traditions from the old country. Others are identified by lifestyles or the activities that are centered there.

Old Montreal During our first day, we concentrated on Old Montreal (Vieux-Montreal) and the Old Port (Vieux-Port), and neighborhoods within a short stroll. The cafes and shops of the city’s original section lend it a distinct Parisian air. The first European settlers arrived in 1642, and some buildings that still stand trace their history back to the 17th century. Today the sidewalks attract crowds of visitors and street performers playing music, juggling and doing whatever it takes to separate members of their audience from a few coins. Vieux-Montreal spills into the Vieux-Port, once working docks where shipping operations have been replaced by a menu of both outdoor and indoor activities. River cruises and al fresco exhibitions vie for the attention of visitors with the opportunity to challenge © TOURISME MONTRÉAL

Montreal’s vast multilevel network of underground shops, theaters and walkways — the largest such mall in the world — protects visitors and tourists from the elements during the Quebec city’s long winters.

Place Jacques-Cartier, one of the most popular spots in Old Montreal, makes one think of Paris. In the summer, the square is filled with street artists and kiosks.

their minds at the Montreal Science Center. In keeping with the center’s location in a former maritime shed, one exhibit recalls the surprisingly interesting story of operation of a major harbor. Others amaze and amuse with displays ranging from a multimedia representation of the human brain to props from Indiana Jones movies. Very different settings lie but a short walk away. Large arches spanning a narrow street and rooftop pagodas announce that you’ve entered Chinatown, whose history may be traced back to the 1860s when Chinese workers came to Canada to toil in mines and on the railroads. Today some of their descendants run restaurants and shops, patronize fortune tellers seated at small outside tables, and take part in traditional exercises in any open space large enough to accommodate them. Trendy rather than traditional is the order of the day in the Village (Le Village) neighborhood, which epitomizes Canada’s reputation as an open, accepting society. It is one of the largest gay enclaves in the world, seemingly alive at all hours of day and night. While some restaurants, bars and shops cater to members of the local community, many serve a general clientele that makes the Village more an entertainment and tourism center than just a gay quarter.

Food and fun Food, arts and entertainment characterize three neighborhoods that Fyllis and I combined into a disparate day of sightseeing. Not surprisingly, dining is a focus of much that occurs in Little Italy, where one of Montreal’s largest cultural groups arrived and set up shop in the late 19th century. It’s not easy to ignore mouth-watering aromas of pasta, pizza and tiramisu wafting out of trattorias and cafés. Italian is just one of countless languages heard at the Jean-Talon Market, where shoppers have gathered for more than 70 years to browse and buy meat, cheese, produce and pastries. Since the 1960s and 70s, the arts in a variety of forms have been a trademark of the neighborhood called the Plateau. That’s when it became a magnet for writers, artists, musicians and singers — a role it continues to fulfill. With a packed calendar of events and activities, it’s where young professionals and other members of the “In” crowd gather to socialize.

Highs and lows During our last day of sightseeing, Fyllis and I combined a dramatic overlook of See MONTREAL, page 46

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Montreal From page 45 the city with a journey beneath it. First we walked to the top of Mont Royal, which holds a place dear in the hearts of many residents. That’s true in part because the city’s name was derived from the original spelling, Mont Real. The 764-foot-tall mountain, in reality more a high hill, is blanketed by deep woods. A network of hiking trails provides opportunities to spot some of the 140 or so species of birds that dwell there, and lead to dramatic viewing points over the city below. A spacious chalet displays paintings that trace the history of French Canada and Montreal. Very different from the heights of Mont Royal — in both altitude and attitude — is another favorite haunt of both locals and tourists. Imagine an 18-mile network of walkways connecting some 2,000 shops, restaurants, entertainment venues and other attractions, where it never rains or snows, the temperature is always perfect, and pedestrians don’t have to deal with traffic or crossing streets. Furthermore, this vast subterranean space, the largest underground complex in the world, provides indoor access to department stores, hotels, museums, theatres and cinemas along the streets overhead. Montreal’s Underground City is a virtual neighborhood where, as I quipped to Fyllis, but

only half in jest, one could almost live. Unfortunately, Fyllis and I didn’t have time to explore in depth other neighborhoods that comprise Montreal. Little India, Little Greece and Little Portugal, while modest in size, feature some shops that sell traditional items and restaurants serving traditional food from those countries. As its name implies, the Quartier des Spectacles is the cultural heart of the city. Within less than a square mile, visitors may take in movies and plays, enjoy concerts and dance performances, view art exhibitions and enjoy a good laugh at a comedy show. A tiny area of the Plateau borough called Mile End is perhaps the most diverse neighborhood of all. Artists and filmmakers, hipsters and Hassidic Jews, along with a virtual United Nations of immigrants call it home. Among people I passed on the street there were a red-wigged Lady Gaga wannabe wearing what appeared to be pajamas, and both men and women displaying elaborate tattoos on most of their exposed skin. It is scenes like these that lend Montreal a distinctive air. The visitor’s first impression may be of a large, modern, bustling city, albeit with an overlay of French language and culture. Beneath that surface lies a potpourri of neighborhoods that combine to provide a rich and varied lifestyle for residents and

A P R I L 2 0 1 2 — WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N

an inviting experience for visitors.

If you go In addition to its diverse neighborhoods, Montreal is a city of outstanding museums. Consider purchasing the threeday Montreal Museums Pass, which covers one-time admission to 38 museums as well as unlimited bus and subway rides ($65). If you’re in a mood to splurge on accommodations, check out the luxurious Hotel Nelligan. Nestled in the heart of Old Montreal, it provides a good location for daily treks around town. The 105 rooms and suites combine European elegance and charm. Rates during spring begin at about $200 a night. For more information call 1877-788-2040 or log onto www.hotelnelligan.com. A slightly less costly but no less appealing alternative is Le Petit Hotel, a new 24room boutique property that is chic and contemporary. It’s housed in a 19th-century building also in the historic district. Rates start at $179 a night. For more information, call 1-877-530-0360 or log onto www.petithotelmontreal.com. It’s not surprising that a city with a strong overlay of French culture is a true culinary Mecca. What’s less well-known is that many of the more than 5,000 restaurants in Montreal serve over 80 kinds of international cuisine. Within one short block, I passed eateries serving Japanese,

Indian, Mexican, Greek and Italian food. Among local specialties that I sampled were poutine, a fast food snack that combines French fries and chunks of cheese curd covered with gravy or a sauce; Montreal bagels, a thinner, sweeter version of the U.S. favorite that is boiled in honeywater then baked in a wood-burning stove, and pastrami-like smoked meat. The best place to enjoy the latter, I was assured, is Schwartz’s, which since 1928 has been attracting crowds that stretch out the front door and down the block. A giant-size sandwich ($5.90) was adequate for Fyllis and me to share, washed down by the traditional dark cherry soda ($1.80). It’s located at 3895 Blvd. St. Laurent, phone (514) 842-4813, website www.schwartzsdeli.com. Among restaurants where we enjoyed more familiar fare was Modavie at #I Rue St. Paul West. It’s a casual, lively bistro that serves a variety of pastas ($19-$24), tasty chicken with tarragon sauce ($22), and excellent grilled salmon ($24), both accompanied by rice pilaf and vegetables. For more information, call (514) 287-9582 or log onto www.modavie.com. The least expensive roundtrip ticket to Montreal from the Washington area in early May is $552 on American Airlines from either Reagan National or Dulles. For information about visiting Montreal, call 1-877-266-5687 or log onto www.tourisme-montreal.org.

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WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N — A P R I L 2 0 1 2

Virginia’s hills are alive with country music But it’s not all listening; there’s much to do and see here, too. You can roam the mountains, valleys, forests, limestone ledges, rippling streams and small towns through a landscape of split rail fences, graying tobacco barns, churches of every ilk and rural vistas backdropped by the Blue Ridge Mountains. You’ll also find delicious downhome cooking and many friendly, “Hi y’alls!” Going west from Roanoke, try as an introduction to mountain folklife the Blue Ridge Institute and Farm Museum on the Ferrum College campus. Exhibits describe the folkways of farmers and mountain clans, like the exploits of the region’s infamous moonshiners. Within an hour’s drive west in Floyd is the Floyd Country Store, circa 1913. Every Friday night there’s a rollicking jamboree of bluegrass, old-time and gospel music. Pick up some preserves, rolling pins, bib overalls, sweet potato biscuit mix and Darn Tough socks.

A mountainous, musical trail

An homage to the Carters

The Crooked Road Music Heritage Trail is a 253-mile, mostly two-lane road along U.S. 58 that winds around southwest Virginia west of Roanoke. It crosses the Piedmont plateau, the eastern slopes of the Blue Ridge Mountains, and twists through the coal fields. “Everything takes an hour to get to because you have to go around the mountain,” explained Diana Etherton, proprietor of the Nickelsville Hotel. Virginia designated it a driving trail “where America’s music began and continues.” The National Trust for Historic Preservation named it a “2010 Distinctive Destination.” Hotspots of traditional music abound — bluegrass, country, gospel, old-time fiddle, clawhammer banjo, dobros, autoharps and more. Much of it is rousing, foot-stomping music. Some is a whining longing for days gone by or tales of coal field miseries. It is music born of the mountains. “It sounds different when you sing up here on the ridge,” country singer Gillian Welch has observed. The region has spawned some of the greatest names in country and traditional music, including June Carter Cash.

Be sure to plan a Saturday stop at the Carter Family Fold in Maces Spring — a living memorial to this legendary “first family of country music.” Virginia folklorist Joe Wilson wrote that A.P. Carter, the father of the clan, “stands with Irving Berlin as a major force in American composition” and his wife, Sara, was the “greatest female country lead singer of all time.” The 900-seat, barn-like structure tucked into the hillside has a cement clogging floor. The Fold is a name derived from the Bible meaning a gathering place for the faithful, and Wilson says it is “as unpretentious as a bowl of pinto beans.” Johnny Cash, husband of June Carter Cash, performed his last two shows here. The scene explodes every Saturday night when all ages, from kids to octogenarians, singles and couples, sweep onto the floor to waltz and flatfoot, their jingle-tap shoes sounding like thousands of synchronized crickets pulsating to ditties like “I Got a Mule to Ride” and “Wildwood Flower.” Next to the Fold is the 19th century cabin where A.P. and 10 others were born

PHOTO BY GLENDA C. BOOTH

By Glenda C. Booth Way down in the southwest corner of Virginia, I returned for the night to the whiteframe, century-old Nickelsville Hotel at 11 p.m. to find three musicians strumming and singing around the kitchen table. Trapped, I fell into bed three hours later with mountain tunes ringing in my head. When I stumbled out bleary-eyed the next morning, I was treated to a soothing bluegrass breakfast. Infectious music seems to spring up out of the hills and hollers of southwest Virginia. Squeal around a hairpin curve on Bear Wallow Road in Nickelsville (population 420), and you may happen upon a pack of pickers plinging out lightning-speed bluegrass, the sounds zinging off the front porch or popping out of the VFW hall. As a lady from Gate City told me, “You never know when you’ll have to dance,” explaining why she always carries her clogging shoes in the car, ever ready to click and clack.

Cloggers show off their skills at the Old Fiddlers Convention held every August in Galax, Va. Galax is part of the 250-mile Crooked Road Music Heritage Trail that winds through southwestern Virginia.

as well as the Carter Family Museum, showcasing handmade performance costumes, including the dress and suit June and Johnny wore when performing for President Nixon. The Carters’ theme song, “Keep on the Sunny Side,” echoes throughout, acoustically and otherwise. Continue on to Wise County, where

Country Cabin II has music and clogging lessons every Saturday night.

Coal’s legacy While exploring coal country, its blotches and beauties, watch out for loaded coal See VIRGINIA’S HILLS, page 48

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Virginia’s hills From page 47 trucks barreling down narrow, serpentine roads. You’ll wind along sharply rising, kudzu-carpeted walls and creep around switchbacks, as coal trains chug their black bounty down the mountain. The countryside is dotted with plain country churches of every stripe. Examples: Missionary Baptist, Liberty Church of Christ, Holy Penecostal, Primitive Baptists, Church of God, Freewill Baptist, Church of the Gospel of Jesus. In Big Stone Gap, start at the visitor center — an 1870 Pullman railroad car that didn’t last long “because it was mahogany and it waddled down the tracks,” the volunteer on duty told me. The free Harry Meador Coal Museum tells the coal story. Coal is to Appalachia

what cars are to Detroit, the economic lifeblood for “the men of the deep.” Volunteers eagerly explain the purpose of tools and mining machinery, like the big yellow continuous miner outside. Big Stone Gap is famous for an outdoor play, The Trail of the Lonesome Pine, running since 1964, which explores how coal affected the people of Appalachia. The Southwest Virginia Museum, housed in a 19th century sandstone-limestone mansion, offers a tutorial on the pioneers who penetrated the wilderness — white men with guns, wooden churns and washboards. An intriguing sidelight is the mysterious Melungeons, people who did not fit any racial category. The museum makes a token nod to Native Americans. Check out Appalachia, a town true to its motto, “Born from Coal, Survives through Spirit.” Crouched by the railroad tracks, Ap-

A P R I L 2 0 1 2 — WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N

palachia has a Coal Railroad Days festival the first Saturday in August with crafts (need a turkey caller?), food and a talent show. Don’t miss the deep-fried Oreos, not to mention the deep-fried dill pickles. You might see a T-shirt sporting “I Love My Miner” or a sign saying “Coal Keeps the Lights On,” juxtaposed with the Southern Appalachian Mountain Stewards’ campaign fighting mountain-top removal, an industry practice that strips off mountain summits to access coal seams. A drive through the grungy one-street town of Dante (pronounced “Daint”) offers a taste of the day-to-day struggles in Appalachia. Clintwood’s claim to fame is the Ralph Stanley Museum, honoring one of the most beloved country musicians, whose high-lonesome, mournful, tenor voice has enchanted people all over the world. The museum has recordings and artifacts from his tours. Stanley himself, now 85, is sometimes there. Growing up in the mountains, “music was everywhere,” Stanley has said. He sings what’s in his heart and soul, as you can tell from the museum’s recordings.

an 80-year-old grandfather,” said Marc Kinley, a regular from Fort Mill, South Carolina. “Galax is the ultimate,” said North Carolinian J.K. Godbold. “No one is a stranger here.” Stroll Galax’s Main Street and visit Barr’s Fiddle Shop, popular for its “picking bench” and hand-made instruments, and the Galax Smokehouse, barbeque heaven. Heading east, visit the more genteel town of Abingdon, where some buildings date to the 1700s. The visitor center staff will point you to highlights like the six-room Holston Mountain Artisans, a former jail brimming with quilts, woodwork and other crafts; the famous Depression-era Barter Theater; the Fields-Penn House, illustrating life here in the 1860s; and Heartwood. Also known as Southwest Virginia’s Artisan Gateway, Heartwood is 30,000-square feet of interactive exhibits, artisans, musicians and many live events in an expansive building of local woods and natural lighting. In its café, you won’t regret trying the buttermilk biscuits, bourbon baked beans, southern green beans, cantaloupe soup, banana pudding and skillet cornbread. As you depart the great southwest, you’ll no doubt hear, “Y’all come on back.” And you’ll want to.

Grand Canyon of the South For some fresh mountain air, try Breaks Interstate Park, atop the Virginia-Kentucky line. Known as the Grand Canyon of the South, its natural centerpiece is the largest canyon east of the Mississippi River, five miles long and 1,600 feet deep. The visitor center has displays on the flora and fauna of the area and an authentic moonshine still with a “double worm.” The park has a lodge, cabins, campground and the Rhododendron Restaurant. Request a room overlooking the gorge. Every Memorial Day the park resounds with the music of 20,000 gospel singers. Any day is a good day to walk the trails or swim in the pool, but the pièce de résistance is stretching out and contemplating the gauzy mist slowly rising and unveiling the rock formations as turkey vultures circle. To fans, the city of Galax means six days of down-home music the second week of August at the Old Fiddlers Convention, the oldest and biggest in the U.S. Staged by Moose Lodge 733, it features virtually non-stop music, on and off stage, for the 40,000 who flock there for competitions, impromptu gigs, reunions and schmoozing. Devotees attend the worldrenowned event year after year. “Here, the 13-year old boy can play with

If you go Visit http://thecrookedroad.org/contact.asp and select “Request Brochure” to have a guide mailed or to print out an electronic version. Other helpful sites are http://heartofappalachia.com and www.virginiablueridge.org. Ferrum is a six-hour drive from the Washington area. You can fly to Roanoke or Bristol-Kingsport, but you will need a car once there. Rooms at the Ole Nickelsville Hotel, in Nickelsville, start at $80 a night. There are five guest rooms in this historic white clapboard house with huge verandas. For more information, see www.nickelsvillehotel.com or call (276) 479-1599. Here are some helpful websites for lodging, food and logistics: Blue Ridge Institute, www.blueridgeinstitute.org; Floyd Country Store, www.floydcountr ystore.com; Big Stone Gap, www.visitbigstonegap.com; Wise County, www.tourism.wisecounty.org; Carter Family Fold, www.car ter familyfold.org; Abingdon, www.abingdon.com; Galax Old Fiddlers Convention, www.oldfiddlersconvention.com; Breaks Interstate Park, www.breakspark.com. Glenda C. Booth is a freelance writer.

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More at TheBeaconNewspapers.com | Leisure & Travel

For most travelers, blood clot risk is low By Lindsey Tanner Good news for budget-minded travelers: There’s no proof that flying economy-class increases your chances of dangerous blood clots, according to new guidelines from medical specialists. Travelers’ blood clots have been nicknamed “economy class syndrome,” but the new advice suggests this is a misnomer. The real risk is not getting up and moving during long flights — whether flying coach or first-class. Sitting by the window seems to play a role, because it makes people less likely to leave their seats, the guidelines say. Still, even on flights lasting up to four hours, the risk of clots for most people is extremely low and not something to be alarmed about, said Dr. Gordon Guyatt, chairman of an American College of Chest Physicians’ committee that wrote the new guidelines.

The group, based in Northbrook, Ill., represents more than 18,000 physicians whose specialties include lung disease and critical care. The guidelines were released online last month in the group’s journal, Chest. They’re based on a review of recent research and other medical evidence on deep vein thrombosis, blood clots that form deep in leg veins.

Longest flights riskiest Flights lasting eight hours or more are riskiest, the guidelines say. Muscles in the lower legs help push blood in the legs and feet back to the heart. Sitting still for extended periods of time without using these muscles puts pressure on leg veins. As a result, blood “tends to sit there,” which can increase chances for clots to form, said Guyatt, a researcher at McMaster University in Hamil-

BEACON BITS

Apr. 11

HEALTHY TRAVELS

Tanya Chadwell, a family nurse practitioner and travel medicine specialist, will give a free lecture on preparing for international travel. Topics will include food and water safety, packing a travel health kit, infectious disease risk and CDC vaccine recommendations. The event will take place at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, April 11 at the Arlington Central Library, 1015 N. Quincy St., Arlington, Va. For more information, call (703) 351-5100.

ton, Ontario. These clots can cause leg pain, swelling and redness, and can be life-threatening if they travel to the lungs. They can be treated with blood-thinning drugs, but may cause permanent damage to leg veins. Most people who develop such clots have risk factors including obesity, older age, recent surgery, a history of previous blood clots, or use of birth control pills. The average risk for a deep vein blood clot in the general population is about 1 per 1,000 each year. Long-haul travel doubles the chance, but still, the small risk should reassure healthy travelers that they’re unlikely to develop clots, said Dr. Susan Kahn, a co-author of the new guidelines and a professor of medicine at McGill

University in Montreal. Traveling by bus, train and car may also increase the risks, the guidelines say.

Preventing clots Besides taking a stroll down the aisle during flights, doing calf exercises — including flexing and extending the ankles while seated — can help prevent clots, Kahn said. The guidelines recommend these precautions and use of special compression stockings only for people at increased risk for clots. They advise long-distance travelers against using aspirin or other blood thinners to prevent blood clots. — AP

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Upcoming Trips

Gardens of the Brandywine Valley (Delaware and Pennsylvania) Sunday-Tuesday, May 20-22, 2012 (3 days/2 nights) Lush floral and topiary gardens, beautiful landscapes, and magnificent homes are the hallmarks of this perfectly timed spring trip. You’ll tour the former Du Pont estates of Longwood Gardens, Winterthur, and Nemours Mansion during the peak spring bloom; and more. $499 pp, dbl. occ. Northern Michigan (Mackinac Island, Sault Ste. Marie, Frankenmuth) Saturday-Friday, June 23-29, 2012 (7 days/6 nights) The Great Lakes State is a natural wonderland. You’ll tour Frankenmuth and Mackinac Island, cross the iconic Mackinac Bridge to explore the picturesque Tahquamenon Falls, cruise through the Soo Locks, try your luck at Kewadin Shores Casino, and much more. $1099 pp, dbl. occ. Montreal and Quebec, Canada Sunday- Saturday, July 22-28, 2012 (7 days/6 nights) Experience the old-world charm of the French-Canadian Quebec province. This tour of Quebec City and Montreal includes Montmorency Falls, Ste. Anne de Beaupré Shrine, Quebec’s Notre Dame Basilica, and a harbor cruise. You’ll stay in central city locations, where you can walk to the best each city has to offer. $1495 pp, dbl. occ. “The Book of Mormon” on Broadway Tuesday-Wednesday, August 28-29, 2012 (2 days/1 night) Winner of nine 2011 Tony Awards including Best Musical, The Book of Mormon satirically tells the story of two young Mormon missionaries sent to a remote village in northern Uganda. There their missionary work clashes with the harsh realities of life in sub-Saharan Africa and becomes a learning experience for everyone. This trip includes orchestra seating, overnight accommodations, and an excursion to Atlantic City. $399 pp, dbl. occ. Free parking convenient to Beltway (I-495) and ICC (MD 200) Call us for details about these and our other fun-filled trips.

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

A P R I L 2 0 1 2 — WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N

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WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N — A P R I L 2 0 1 2

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Arts &

Doris Day has her first new CD in 17 years. See story on page 54.

World premier of an offbeat new comedy New plays, little-known venue The delightfully-named Venus Theatre Play Shack is located on the fringes of Laurel’s trendy, restaurant-filled and historic downtown in a newly zoned arts district. It’s near Laurel’s pleasant Riverfront Park on the Patuxent River. It may be a bit off the beaten track for some. And the thought of seeing a new, untested work from an obscure playwright from Spearfish, S.D., may seem a waste of time. But perhaps you should think of this production as part of a boxed set, and dive right in. That’s because it is the first of four brand-new plays in a row that Venus Theatre has planned for what they’re calling their “Bold Hope Season.” So I decided to be bold and hope for the best.

Great actors, sputtering story

See DESTINY, page 52

D. Grant Cloyd and Ann Fraistat vividly portray multiple characters, including an avenger who calls herself Vigil Ant, in the Venus Theater’s world premiere of A Girl

Named Destiny.

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What I found are two first-rate actors, Ann Fraistat and D. Grant Cloyd, each playfully portraying a variety of roles in addition to the destiny-afflicted central characters, named Destiny and Joe. Both play male and female roles, a charming and effective the-

atrical maneuver in their capable hands. There are plenty of appreciative chuckles and a few good laughs to be found here. Director Deborah Randall, the theater company’s founder, has set an active and dynamic pace for the duo. But they have a challenge as they work their way through an uneven series of vignettes. Their vigor and their whimsy nicely accent the tightlywritten, thematically cogent episodes. And they help gloss over flaws in some of the others. But talent alone cannot save moments that feel like remnants of an earlier attempt to write an entirely different play. That play might have been about a girl named

PHOTO COURTESY OF VENUS THEATER

By Michael Toscano Are we all really romantics at heart? Playwright Rand Higbee tries to pose that question in his eccentric new comedy A Girl Named Destiny, now in its world premiere at Venus Theatre in Laurel, Md. Higbee’s play delves into this theme by introducing us to two seemingly unremarkable people. They’re unremarkable even if the female — er, girl — of the title sees herself as a justice-seeking, masked vigilante. But once she and Joe, the main male character, share a passing glimpse, they spend the rest of the story trying to find each other. Or themselves. Higbee is a little vague on his central premise and his theme, but we’ll get to that in a moment. Regardless, it’s bracing for theater lovers to be able to indulge their sense of adventure with something offbeat and new. That’s especially meaningful after several seasons where many of the recession-wracked mainstream theater companies have resorted to tried and true oldies to fill seats. (Arena Stage has The Sound of Music coming up, for Pete’s sake.)

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For Tickets & Performance Times: 301.924.3400 • olneytheatre.org

Jim Petosa, Artistic Director

Arts & Style | More at TheBeaconNewspapers.com

Destiny From page 51 Destiny, but it’s not this girl named Destiny. That play was probably about a young woman seeking some sense of herself and her place in the world. That would explain

A P R I L 2 0 1 2 — WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N

why she fancies herself a night-stalking crime fighter called “Vigil Ant,” who operates just outside lawful boundaries to achieve her ends while cultivating an ant motif. (I guess Batman and Spiderman were taken.) So we meet Vigil Ant in confusing

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Apr. 4+

FREE MOVIES AND INFORMATION

Join Montgomery County Police Department for a morning of safety information, door prizes and a free movie at the Movies at Westfield Montgomery Mall, 7101 Democracy

scenes that break the previously established and carefully cultivated aura of magical realism, tossing the effort deeply into wooly farce. Furthermore, while the Vigil Ant idea pops up throughout the two acts, it adds nothing to the main story line about two people who are consumed by the romantic thought that there is someone special intended just for each of them. The quest to find that person and make two quotidian, humdrum existences meld into one fulfilling life is diluted. Venus Theatre was founded to stage “new works with empowering roles for women,” but I cannot ascertain how that may have influenced the choice of this somewhat inchoate work.

Blvd., Bethesda, Md. The Help will

A premier with potential

be shown on Wednesday, April 4,

Higbee needs to pare down the play and sharpen his focus. Most of his vignettes here have an element of dualism, in that it’s possible to see events in more than one light. But Higbee can overwork that device, as he does in a scene where Joe is eagerly receptive to a come-on from a police sketch artist who flaunts her sexuality. How does that fit into his mission to locate his lost true love? And how true is that quest if he is so easily sidetracked? Other scenes repeat ideas and can be condensed or sacrificed, while Vigil Ant needs a hefty dose of Raid.

The Sunshine Boys on Wednesday, May 2 and Moneyball on Wednesday, June 6. The program starts at 10 a.m. Questions about the program can be directed to Officer Stroman at (240) 876-1277. To verify the film being shown, call the Movies at Montgomery Theaters at (301) 469-5180. ýööýŘ +' Ř 1 )0 āŘ &*( Ř -& 222Ā ) 3 # )" Ā*-"

Still, with some work, this might make a pretty good one-act play. As it is, it’s the performances that hold our attention over two full acts, and not the story. Because of the excellent acting we root for these two likable schlubs to find each other. And we don’t get bored. And that’s worth something, isn’t it? A Girl Named Destiny continues through April 14 at Venus Theatre, located at the Venus Theatre Play Shack, 21 C St., Laurel, Md. Showtime on Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings is 8 p.m. There are also Saturday matinees at 3 p.m. Ticket prices are $15 and $20, and are available by calling 1-866-811-4111 or visiting www.VenusTheatre.org. Tickets may also be purchased at the door prior to each performance. The Venus Theatre Play Shack does not have special physical accommodations for those with disabilities or who are hearing impaired, but the performance area and its seating are easily wheelchair accessible. Free parking is plentiful on the street just outside the venue. The theatre’s website, www.VenusTheatre.org, has information on numerous nearby restaurants and the waterfront park. And you can find information there on the other new plays that are part of the theatre’s Bold Hope Season. Michael Toscano is the Beacon’s theatre critic.

BEACON BITS

WANTED All Marylanders 100 years of age and older, or who will be age 100 by December 31, 2012, to attend the 20th anniversary of the

Ongoing

SENIOR DANCE CLASSES AND CONCERT Joy of Motion Dance Center has added classes in jazz, yoga and

Zumba for those age 55+ to its drop-in schedule. Classes take place at its studios at 5207 Wisconsin Ave. NW, Washington, D.C. and 7315 Wisconsin Ave., Suite 180E, Bethesda, Md. The fee is $17 per class; $12 for those age 65 and over. Older students will perform in a free Seniors in Motion concert on Tuesday, April 10 at 10 a.m. at Atlas Performing Arts Center, 1333 H St., NE, Washington, D.C. For more information and tickets to the concert, see http://joyofmotion.org/concerts.php or call 202-399-7993 ext 2. For information on classes, call (301) 986-0016.

Recognition Luncheon

Thursday, May 10, 2012 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Martin’s West 6821 Dogwood Rd. • Baltimore, MD All family and friends of centenarians are also welcome. Donation: $27. Centenarians admitted free with registration. For more information or to register,

call (410) 664-0911 SPONSORS: AARP, The Beacon Newspaper, CARE Services, Community College of Baltimore at Catonsville, Elizabeth Cooney Agency, Maryland Department of Aging, Social Security Administration

WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N — A P R I L 2 0 1 2

More at TheBeaconNewspapers.com | Arts & Style

★★★★ “BREATHTAKING AND ASTONISHINGLY SEXY! The perfect glamorous urban date.” —The Chicago Tribune

“SPECTACULAR and DAZZLING! TWYLA THARP’s ELECTRIFYING celebration of the music of FRANK SINATRA will sweep you up in a complete spell.” —The New York Times

APRIL 18–29, 2012 EISENHOWER THEATER Tickets at the Box Office or charge by phone (202) 467-4600 Order online at kennedy-center.org TTY (202) 416-8524 Groups (202) 416-8400 Musical Theater at the Kennedy Center is made possible through the generosity of the Adrienne Arsht Musical Theater Fund.

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The Kennedy Center welcomes patrons with disabilities.

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A P R I L 2 0 1 2 — WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N

Doris Day cuts first new album in 17 years By Lynn Elber Doris Day, America’s pert, honey-voiced sweetheart of the 1950s and 1960s, beguiled audiences with her on-screen romances opposite top Hollywood leading men Cary Grant, Rock Hudson and Jack Lemmon. She adored and misses them all, said Day, who turns 88 on April 3. But her deepest yearning is reserved for her late son Terry Melcher, a record producer whose touch and voice are part of Day’s first album in nearly two decades. “Oh, I wish he could be here and be a part of it. I would just love that. But it didn’t work out that way,” Day said, her voice subdued.

It’s a voice rarely heard since she withdrew from Hollywood in the early 1980s to the haven she made for herself in the Northern California town of Carmel, where Clint Eastwood was once mayor. “My Heart,” released in the U.S. in December, has induced Day to edge back to public attention. The CD includes 13 previously unreleased tracks recorded over a 40-year span, including covers of Joe Cocker’s “You Are So Beautiful,” the Lovin’ Spoonful’s “Daydream,” and a handful of standards. All proceeds go to Day’s longtime cause, animal welfare. A condensed version of the album was released in Britain in the fall and landed on the top 10 chart.

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Melcher, who worked with bands including the Byrds and the Beach Boys, produced most of the songs and sang on two. He died of melanoma in 2004 at age 62, leaving a void that draws tears from Day when she speaks of him. “I loved doing it and having Terry with me. That was important, just for me,” she said in an interview from Carmel. “I wouldn’t think it would be what it is. ... I just love that he is on it. And I miss him terribly, but I have that.”

New accolades The album’s release coincides with new recognition for the actress and singer. It was announced in November that her recording of “Que Sera, Sera” (“Whatever Will Be, Will Be”) — featured in Alfred Hitchcock’s 1956 thriller The Man Who Knew Too Much, starring Day and Jimmy Stewart — will be included in the Grammy Hall of Fame. And in January, Day was honored with the Los Angeles Film Critics Association’s career achievement award. Her career was storied. She once ruled the box office in a string of fluffy comedies including “Pillow Talk” with Hudson (which earned her a best actress nomination) and “That Touch of Mink” opposite Grant, movies that showcased her verve and fresh-faced sexiness. Her sweet vocals helped make hits of pop tunes including “Sentimental Journey” and Oscar-winners “Que Sera, Sera” and “Secret Love.” On screen, Day often played the determined single career girl who could be swept off her feet (but never into premarital sex) by such irresistible suitors as Grant or three-time co-star Hudson. She was also the loving wife and mother in

such movies as Please Don’t Eat the Daisies (1960), with David Niven. Day came off as a straight-shooter who didn’t let her beauty go to her head; she was no “Mad Men” toy. Granted, she was too ladylike to fit the definition of a dame, in the parlance of her early career. But she could hold her ground without fraying the hem of her tone-perfect cinematic femininity, or her co-star’s masculinity. She also ventured into exceptions to her signature romantic-comedies, most notably the Hitchcock thriller and Love Me or Leave Me from 1955, in which Day played jazz singer Ruth Etting in the story of Etting’s career and tempestuous marriage. Day said she had no quarrel with the studio system under which she worked, one in which her films were largely dictated. She had stumbled into the craft, after all, pushed from band and club singer to actress by her agent. Day got the first role she tested for, in 1948’s Romance on the High Seas, and sailed on from there. “I was just put there, put there, put there,” she said. “And I’ve never gotten over that. How could life be so good for me and I was never looking? I was never looking for it.” As for her personal life, she said, “There are always things that you go through that aren’t perfect.” For Day, that included three divorces and widowhood. When her third husband died, she learned that he and a business partner had lost her multimillion-dollar fortune. (She righted herself to some extent with the 1968-73 sitcom “The Doris Day Show,” and a lawsuit.) Her decision to leave Los Angeles and See DORIS DAY, page 57

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WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N — A P R I L 2 0 1 2

Giuseppe Verdi

Jules Massenet

NABUCCO

WERTHER

Company Premiere and New Production In Italian with English supertitles

Original Production from Opera Australia owned by Opéra de Montréal In French with English supertitles

The epic struggle of a royal family at odds with their nation and each other. Apr. 28–May 21, 2012

A young poet experiences a forbidden love that can only end tragically. May 12–27, 2012

Kennedy Center Opera House

EE! N I AT .

p.m YM 2 A t D 3a

EE! N I AT .

p.m YM 2 A t D 7a

SUNMay 2

Set design by Thaddeus Strassberger

Werther, photo by Yves Renaud for Opéra de Montréal

SUNMay 1

David and Alice Rubenstein are the Presenting Underwriters of WNO. Generous support for WNO Italian opera is provided by Daniel and Gayle D’Aniello. Additional support for Nabucco is provided by The Dallas Morse Coors Foundation for the Performing Arts and by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts.

Tickets at the Kennedy Center Box Office or charge by phone (202) 467-4600 Order online at kennedy-center.org/wno

TTY (202) 416-8524

Groups (202) 416-8400 The Kennedy Center welcomes patrons with disabilities.

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More at TheBeaconNewspapers.com | Arts & Style

WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N — A P R I L 2 0 1 2

From page 54 the industry behind was an impromptu one, Day said. She had regularly visited Carmel-by-the-Sea, decided it suited her, and made the move up the California coast and away. “I just loved what I was doing. But then, when I came up here, I thought well, I had my turn, and that’s just fine. And the other people are coming up and starring and it was their turn. I didn’t think a thing about not working,” she said.

An animal activist Instead, she devoted herself to promoting the well-being of animals with the Doris Day Animal Foundation, which she created in 1978 and which is the new album’s beneficiary. Her own pets, including some half-

dozen cats, have it good: She built a glassceiling extension off her house so the felines can enjoy the view without the risks of going outside. Why the attention to animals? “They’re the most perfect things on Earth,” Day replied. “They’re loyal. They love you. And they’ll never forget you….I think they’re put here for us to learn what love is all about.” They’re also steadfast companions as her circle of family and friends has been narrowed by death. She’s still in regular touch with two-time co-star James Garner — who shares anecdotes about their working relationship in his newly published autobiography, The Garner Files. But she notes sadly how many other colleagues have passed away. Although dampened by loss, the buoyancy that infused her work in movies and music remains part of Day. In her ninth

BEACON BITS

Apr. 20+

FAIRFAX SPOTLIGHT ON THE ARTS

decade of life, however, the pace has changed. “Life Is Just a Bowl of Cherries” (“Life is just a bowl of cherries. So live and laugh at it all”), a snappy tune and a favorite since she danced to it as a 5-year-old in Cincinnati, is on her new album. But the arrangement has turned it into “beautiful ballad,” Day said “When I sang it slowly, it became a super song,” she said. The same can be said of Day, in any tempo. Visit Day’s website at www.dorisday.com.

AP PHOTO

Doris Day

Doris Day’s new CD “My Heart” includes 13 previously unreleased songs recorded over 40 years. Proceeds from the album will go to the animal activist’s Doris Day Animal Foundation.

Dedicated to showcasing the best of the visual and performing arts in the City of Fairfax, Fairfax Spotlight on the Arts is an annual three-week festival of artists in and at local venues. Spotlight’s 27th season will kick off on Friday, April 20, with the Second Annual Mayor’s Ball and run until Sunday, May 6 in various locations. The Spotlight schedule includes more than 40 events with a theme of “Minds Wide Open: Virginia Celebrates Children and the Arts.” For more information, call (703) 352-ARTS.

Apr. 24

WIND ENSEMBLE CONCERT The Catholic University Wind Ensemble will perform selections by Gustav Holst, Robert Sheldon and other composers on Tuesday,

April 24 at 7:30 p.m. This event is free and open to the public. It will be held at the Edward J. Pryzbyla University Center, Great Room, 620 Michigan Ave. NE, Washington, D.C. For more information, call (202) 319-5414.

Apr. 6+

THE ART OF CHILDHOOD MEMORIES Del Ray Artisans exhibits art works that tap into memories of childhood experiences at an exhibit on display from April 6 to 29.

An opening reception will be held on Friday, April 6 from 7 to 10 p.m. The gallery is located at 2704 Mount Vernon Ave., Alexandria, Va. For more information, call (703) 838-4827 or go to www.TheDelRayArtisans.org.

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May 6+

ADOPTION SUPPORT GROUP

Birthparents, adult adoptees and adoptive parents are welcome at the monthly meeting of the Concerned United Birthparents support group the first Sunday of each month at 2 p.m. The meeting is held in the Chevy Chase home of one of the members. For more information, email dcmetrocub@aol.com or call (202) 298-1011.

Arts & Style | More at TheBeaconNewspapers.com

A P R I L 2 0 1 2 — WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N

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WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N — A P R I L 2 0 1 2

Learning not to cave when I feel a crave The doctor was reading me the riot act gym. Not by believing any of the ads on — again. TV. I’ve heard it for decades. I have done it by underI’ve deserved to hear it for standing my food rhythms — decades. and by developing a theory “Mr. Levey, you’ve just got that has worked for me like to control your weight,” she nothing else. I call it the said. “If you don’t, you’re Levey Lily Pad. heading for diabetes. And you The pad always lies ten don’t want to have diabetes.” minutes into the future. If I The doctor has heard my alcan swim to it, I am safe — ibis for as long as I’ve heard from calories, from temptaher riot acts. I’m too busy to HOW I SEE IT tion and from pounds. exercise. I’m too hungry to cut By Bob Levey So I have turned the down my food intake. Countweight-loss derby into a kind ing calories is only for fussies, not for me. of game. Whenever I feel a pang between Besides, I always say, here I am, having meals, I tell myself to wait 10 minutes berocked and rolled for almost two-thirds of fore responding. a century, and I can still work a 20-hour I immediately change whatever I’m day if I have to, or walk eight miles at a doing — boredom is the enemy of weightbrisk clip, or lift 100 pounds without break- losers. I pile with great concentration into ing a sweat. whatever the new activity is. What’s the problem? And after 10 minutes, amazing! I have The problem is that I am no longer 18. forgotten that I was hungry 10 minutes My body doesn’t have the reserves or earlier. the resilience it once had. If my weight There’s nothing particularly groundkeeps growing the way we wish the stock breaking about the Levey Lily Pad theory. market would — small but steady gains, Any diet is about discipline. every year — I’m heading for big trouble. But what so many of the books and docSo I took a deep breath and promised tors often forget is that we are all human the doc that, OK, OK, I will do something beings, with individual triggers. For me, about my weight at long last. the issue has always been not to cave I’m not about to award myself any gold whenever I feel a crave. medals — yet. As I type this, I’m into Week By pushing myself 10 minutes beyond Six of The New Me. I’ve lost 13 pounds. the initial spasm, I’ve found a way to unI haven’t had a fresh battery of medical trigger my trigger. tests, but it wouldn’t surprise me if I have My method also depends on careful fallen below all danger levels. preparation. That begins at the front door How have I done it? Not by following the of the grocery. dictates of the latest best-selling book. Not If I know that I’m about to spend a day by starving. Not by spending hours in the alone, working at a computer keyboard, I

BEACON BITS

Apr. 9

POETRY AND JAZZ

As part of its Jazz Appreciation Month events, Capitol View Neighborhood Library will present “An Evening of Spoken Word to Jazz” on Wednesday, April 18 at 6:30 p.m. Washington poet Darlene Brown appears live. She produced the open-mic poetry show, “What’s The Word,” in Harlem, and her poetry CD, “Lovesick Lessons,” features inspirational poems of love and other experiences over a smooth blend of jazz and R&B music. The library is located at 5001 Central Ave., SE, Washington, D.C. For more information on this and other jazz events at the library, call (202) 645-0755.

May 7

later lily pad, no extra badness in my tummy, and telling myself: “See, sport? You weren’t really hungry 10 minutes ago. You just thought you were.” My sardonic friends aren’t buying the Levey Lily Pad Theory quite yet. One pal declared that it’s just a new form of New Year’s resolution — and we know how those always end. Another helpfully pointed out that, even at minus 13 pounds, I am still quite hefty. If I were to land on a lily pad, like a frog or a cricket, the pad would not be happy. Let them laugh. The scale tells the tale. In love, war and weight loss, it’s about what works. Wish me well. Leave crullers and problems to others. Whoops! What was that? A hunger pang? In 10 minutes, I won’t ever remember having had it. Bob Levey is a national award-winning columnist.

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THE COLORFUL REALM OF JAPANESE ART

This spring some of Japan’s most treasured art collections are coming to Washington D.C. in honor of the 100th anniversary of Japan’s gift to the people of the U.S. Art educator Joan Hart will present an illustrated program on the displays at the National Gallery of Art and Sackler Gallery of Art on Monday, Apr. 9, 1 – 2:45 p.m., Aurora Hills Senior Center, 735 S. 18th St., Arlington. Cost: $6. To register, call (703) 228-5722.

Apr. 18

make sure that no cookies, pretzels or croissants are on the premises. Lots of veggies are. So even if I can’t get to the next lily pad without chomping on something, the chompables will be low- or zerocalorie. This makes for some saucy conversations at the grocery checkout. The other day, I placed three packages of celery, two of fresh radishes and two of organic carrots on the conveyor belt. “Got a new love interest?” asked the checkout clerk who’s been processing me for ages. “Same old love interest. New lily pad theory,” I replied. And when I explained it to her, she said that she, too, would give it a try. The key to its effectiveness is not medical. It’s me understanding me. Losing weight is all about motivation. To keep yours, you need to give yourself psychic rewards. Mine come from that clouds-parting moment when I’m sitting on a 10-minutes-

PRODUCTIVE AGING AWARD

Edgar M. Bronfman will receive the Jewish Council for the Aging’s Productive Aging Award at a dinner on Monday, May 7 from 6 to 10 p.m. at the North Bethesda Marriott Hotel & Conference Center, 5701 Marinelli Rd., Bethesda, Md. Bronfman is the winner of the Presidential Medal of Freedom and president of the Samuel Bronfman Foundation, which works to inspire a renaissance of Jewish life. Tickets to the dinner are $300 for individuals. For reservations and sponsorship or other information, contact Micki Gordon at (301) 255-4231 or mgordon@AccessJCA.org.

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A P R I L 2 0 1 2 — WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N

Letters to editor

ONE BIG HAPPY By Rick Detorie

From page 2 their present homes or consider the many types of independent and assisted living communities available, we hope you will find these sections informative and helpful.] Dear Editor: If registered Republicans in the state of Maryland wonder why there are so few Republicans in the Maryland General Assembly, they should observe the performance of the current Republican members. I testified before the General Assembly on four different tobacco related bills. It was interesting to see the blind allegiance the Republicans seem to have toward protecting the tobacco industry. Even such a common sense bill as the one prohibiting smoking in cars when children under the age of 8 are present met with Republican hostility. I am a lifetime Republican with libertarian leanings who would love to see a true two party system here in Maryland. However, I could never vote for the reelection of the Republicans I saw in action. In fact, I will oppose them and urge my friends and work colleagues to do the same. John O’ Hara Bowie, Md. Dear Editor: A brief note to say how much I enjoy reading the Beacon. I’m 89 years old and semi-handicapped, so I don’t go out and about much. I so enjoy reading whatever I can get my hands on and keep up with what is going on around us. Your paper is very informative on many subjects. One of my granddaughters brought home a copy of the Beacon a couple years ago. I’ve been a subscriber ever since. Eleanor Mote Camp Springs, Md.

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Apr. 23

LIFE LESSONS FROM JUDITH VIORST Washington author Judith Viorst helps celebrate At Home in Alexandria’s first anniversary on Sunday, April 23 at 4 p.m. in a

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NEWS & FEATURES • LAW & MONEY • FITNESS & HEALTH LEISURE & TRAVEL • ARTS & STYLE • VOLUNTEERS & CAREERS We are pleased to offer both First-Class and Third-Class subscriptions:

talk titled “Life Lessons From Under Eight to Unexpectedly Eighty.” At Home in Alexandria (AHA! for short) is a non-profit organization that helps older residents age in place in a “village” program with volunteer-provided services. The talk will take place at Beth El Hebrew Congregation. 3830 Seminary Rd., Alexandria, Va.

$36/year via First Class Mail* $12/year via Third Class Mail* Please send my subscription to:

Reservations are required for this free event and must be made by April 16. Visit www.athomeinalexandria.org or call (703) 231-0824 for reservations or more information.

Name:____________________________________________ Address:___________________________________________ City: _____________________State:_____Zip: ___________ WB 4/11

❐ ONE YEAR First-Class rate ($36 in VA and out of the area; $38.16 in D.C.; $38.16 in MD)

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Apr. 28

AGING WITH PANACHE Dr. Nancy Schlossberg will lead a seminar called “Aging with Panache: Our Love-Hate Relationship with Age” during the

University of Maryland’s annual Maryland Day on Saturday, April 28. The day also includes 400 more free events on the College Park campus, from a livestock show to Chinese folk dance. The aging seminar will be held in the Crist Boardroom of the Riggs Alumni Center from 10 to 11:30 a.m. To sign up for this seminar, RSVP to Heather Gleason at hgleason@umd.edu or (301) 405-1019 by April 20. Most other events do not require registration. For more information, see www.marylandday.umd.edu.

WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N — A P R I L 2 0 1 1

CLASSIFIEDS The Beacon prints classified advertising under the following headings: Business & Employment Opportunities; Caregivers; Computer Services; Entertainment; For Sale; For Sale/Rent: Real Estate; Free; Health; Home/ Handyman Services; Miscellaneous; Personals; Personal Services; Vacation Opportunities; and Wanted. For submission guidelines and deadlines, see the box on the bottom of this page. CAVEAT EMPTOR! The Beacon does not knowingly accept obscene, offensive, harmful, or fraudulent advertising. However, we do not investigate any advertisers or their products and cannot accept responsibility for the integrity of either. Respondents to classified advertising should always use caution and their best judgment. A national trade association we belong to has placed some of the classifieds below. Determining the value of an advertised service or product is advised by this publication. Some advertisers do not offer employment but rather supply manuals, directories and other materials designed to help their clients establish mail order selling and other businesses at home. Under NO circumstance should you send any money in advance or provide your checking, license ID, or credit card numbers. EMPLOYMENT & REAL ESTATE ADS: We will not knowingly or intentionally accept advertising in violation of federal, state, and local laws prohibiting discrimination based on race, color, national origin, sex, familial status or handicap in connection with employment or the sale or rental of real estate.

Business & Employment Opportunities SENIORS! SELL YOUR UNWANTED LIFE INSURANCE! State licensed. Call Toll Free: 877-282-4360 or visit www.AtAge60.com for a FREE evaluation.

Caregivers UCARE AGENCY - A LICENSED HOME HEALTH CARE AGENCY Providing certified and qualified caregivers: home health aides, homemakers, companions, escorts, personal care attendants (PCA). 4- to 24-hour shifts. For your loved ones. Please call today and get 10% discount. Tel: 240-632-9420 or 240-476-1180. CHEVY CHASE HOME CARE – reliable certified caregivers at time of illness, infirmity, loneliness. Personal assistance, ALL AGES, 4- to 24-hour shifts, homes, hospitals, nursing homes. MD, DC, No. VA. Tel.: 202-374-1240. www.ChChHomecare.com. CAREGIVER – Companion will grocery shop, run errands, light housekeeping, prepare meals, do laundry, etc. Experienced, with current references available. 301-412-6133.

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Computer Services

For Sale/Rent: Real Estate

Health

FREE COMPUTER CLASSES for older adults age 60+: Classes are offered continuously at the Hyattsville & New Carrollton Libraries in PG County. Call 301-405-0366 TODAY.

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BREAKING NEWS FOR DIABETICS, prediabetics and weight challenged people! Revolutionary plant-based product can change your life by reducing medication and insulin requirements. Recommended by physicians and pharmacists. Request a free sample! 240-461-0519. www.prevention.myunicity.net.

COMPUTER PROBLEMS? - We come directly to your home or business. Fast-teks offers affordable rates, certified and insured technicians, data recovery and so much more! New clients receive $15 off. Same day, appointments available. Call us today: 703-957-3674 and visit us online at www.fastteks.com. PROBLEM WITH YOUR PC/MAC OR NETWORK? Computer Systems Engineer will come to you with help. Call: D. Guisset at 301-6424526. COMPUTER LESSONS – Personal Computer training at your home. Email, Internet, general computer use, and more. Learn at your own pace with gentle and patient tutor. We also fix computers, set up your new computer and troubleshoot. Working with Seniors since 1996. Ask about your Senior discount. Call David, 301762-2570, COMPUTERTUTOR.

Entertainment PUT THE MUSIC YOU LOVE BACK IN YOUR LIFE! Enjoy live jazz and swing on the first Friday of the month at Hollywood East Café, Westfield Wheaton Shopping Mall, 7 to 10 p.m. Listen to the Night & Day Combo perform the classic standard songs of the 30’s, 40’s and 50’s, from Cole Porter, Gershwin, et al. Great music, great food, no cover charge! http://nightanddaymusic.com/clubpage.html. PIANO LESSONS: Now is the time to learn jazz or popular music from a professional pianist! Call Marty: 301-251-2075 or visit www.MartyOMusic.com.

For Sale/Rent: Real Estate LEISURE WORLD® - $119,000. 2BR 2FB “F” in “Fairways”. Great view from 10th Floor, enclosed balcony, new paint and carpet. 1115 sq ft. Stan Moffson, Weichert Realtors, 301-928-3463. LEISURE WORLD® - $139,000. 2BR 2FB “H” in “Greens” with 3 exposures. Table space kitchen with granite counters, large pantry closet, separate dining room, and view of trees. 1225 sq ft, Stan Moffson, Weichert, Realtors, 301-928-3463. LEISURE WORLD® - $119,000. 2BR 2FB 1HB Berkeley townhouse. Updated kitchen, main level laundry. 1600 sq ft. Stan Moffson, Weichert, Realtors 301-928-3463. LEISURE WORLD® - $299,000. 3BR 2-1/2 BA “M” in “Fairways”. Upgraded kitchen with Corian counters and extra pantry, separate dining room. Enclosed balcony, garage parking. 1530 sq ft. Stan Moffson, Weichert, Realtors 301-928-3463. LEISURE WORLD® - $245,000. Expanded, Unique, Patio Home 3 BR, 2FB, enclosed sunroom and garage parking. 1300 sq. ft, Stan Moffson, Weichert, Realtors 301-928-3463. LEISURE WORLD® - $61,900. 2BR 1FB “Hampton” model, Rarely available, new paint and carpet, ceramic tile baths, enclosed balcony. 1200 sq ft. Stan Moffson, Weichert, Realtors, 301-928-3463. LEISURE WORLD® - $159,000. 3BR 2FB “Capri” villa. Updated kitchen, open balcony, huge space, covered parking. 1415 sq. ft. Stan Moffson, Weichert, Realtors 301-928-3463.

ANSWERS TO SCRABBLE N A A C P M A C E

From page 62.

P O S E

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I N E R T E T I R O A R M O C A R O F L A I L N R I O N N S

G E T W I E S N C D S A R I T C E E D E U N P E

R E A D T O D O O R B I T

A D A R V I T A I V E R S E G A T S E M P E T E A S A S N E S S O A H F B A L A A L T I B R O R I T U N I T E Y E E R C R

LEISURE WORLD® - $249,900. 2BR+ Den 2FB “G” in Turnberry Courts. Table space kitchen and separate dining room, enclosed balcony and golf course view. 1446 Sq ft. Stan Moffson. Weichert, Realtors. 301-928-3463. LEISURE WORLD® - RENTAL - $1650. 2BR + Den, 2FB “K” in the “Greens” with GARAGE space and separate storage. Golf Course view. 1520 sq ft. Stan Moffson, Weichert, Realtors 301-928-3463.

RUB IT ON – Pain is gone – Fast! Arthritis, fibromyalgia, knee, back, hands – All pain. It works. Trying is believing. 1-888-414-4161 or www.painisgone.info. TRAVEL PLANS? FREE talk and Q&A. Preparing for international travel by Capitol Travel Medicine. Infectious disease risk/safe food/water etc... No registration. Wednesday, April 11th, 7:00pm, Arlington Central Library, 1015 N. Quincy St. 22201.

Home/Handyman Services

LEISURE WORLD® - $229,000. 2BR 2FB “F” in Turnberry Courts. Table space kitchen with window, huge enclosed balcony. Great views. 1301 sq ft. Stan Moffson, Weichert, Realtors 301-928-3463.

MICHAELS HAULING Clean-outs, scrap & debris removal yard waste, etc. Mulch, dirt & stone delivery, lite dump truck, 20’ trailer & bobcat. Fully insured. 240-388-1898.

I BUY HOUSES CASH, any area or condition. Walk away today even if you owe more than the house is worth. 703-688-2891 or www.reihouse.com.

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CAMERON GROVE, Upper Marlboro, MD – PRICE REDUCED! $249,900. Lovely 2BR 2FB, SFH in 55+ active senior community, den, sunroom, 1 car garage, W/D, AC, carpet. Extensive resort center amenities. Close to routes 50, 202, 450 and Beltway. Call 301-430-0661.

Miscellaneous

LOOKING TO TAKE THE LEAP? I’ll take you on a tour of the community, show you floor plans, discuss campus amenities, & offer how to best coordinate your move. I will preview units & contact you with a match. I also offer exceptional service selling your home. I’m a Seniors Specialist, Buyer Broker, Top 1% of Agents Nationwide, and a Leisure World resident! You can see my current listings on page 10. Contact me: 301-580-5556, SueHeyman@aol.com, www.SueHeyman.com, Weichert, Realtors. MOBILE HOME 24’ x 48’, plus 12’x 24’ carport and 10’ x 12’ sunroom in beautiful Hendersonville, North Carolina. 7,000 sq ft lot and out building. Brick foundation, shingle roof. Lennox electric furnace, central air. 2BR, 2BA, kitchen, dining/living area. Over 55 senior community, club house, pool. 5 minutes from shopping. 828702-3850. Excellent condition. $85,000. ROOMS FOR RENT in private home, shared facilities, only non-smoking female, fully furnished, no pets $495 per month plus utilities. 301-233-4722. LEISURE WORLD – RENTAL – Villa Cortese – Large bright 1BR, 1.5BA condo. Immaculate, newly painted, new floors, neutral decor. Enclosed balcony. Eat-in kitchen with window. Washer/dryer. Dining room with built-ins. Walk-in closet with organizers. Elevator. $1,300. 301-437-1455.

For Sale CEMETERY LOT (lining and internment included) in beautiful Judean Memorial Gardens in Olney. $6,250. Call 301-774-5445.

TIRED OF HIGH ELECTRIC BILLS? Stop giving away your money!! Haven’t you heard, the deregulation of Energy allows YOU to choose? Find out how you can save money now!! 1-888-229-1716. *Maryland residence only.

Personal Services FOR ALL OF YOUR MEDICAL APPOINTMENTS. Dialysis Center, Non-Emergency Hospital Trips, Hospital Discharge, Doctor Appointments, Rehabilitation & More. We have 4x4 SUVs for Winter Trips. Med Choice Transportation. 703839-9999. www.MedChoiceTransportation.com. WILL TYPE YOUR MEMOIRS, manuscripts, etc. For info and rates, call 703-671-1854. WOW! GREAT HAIRCUT at a great price! Professional family hair salon conveniently located in Bethesda, MD. State board certified. Call 240-432-7211. VAN MAN – For your driving needs. Shopping, appointments, pick-up and deliver – airport van. Call Mike 301-565-4051. MOTHER WILL DRIVE YOU to your appointments, do your shopping, clean your house, cooking, personal assistant. Do you need to plan an event? Also does Elder Care. Honest, reasonable rate, and references provided. 240-595-7467. NEED HELP TO DOWNSIZE or reorganize your home or apartment? We can help you!! We are professionals, experienced with excellent references. 301-706-2653.

Classifieds cont. on p. 63.

CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING RATES Deadlines and Payments: Ad text and payment is due by the 20th of each month. Note: Only ads received and prepaid by the deadline will be included in the next month’s issue. Please type or print your ad carefully. Include a number where you can be reached in the event of a question. Payment is due with ad. We do not accept ads by phone or fax, nor do we accept credit cards.

ANSWERS TO CROSSWORD S N A P

LEISURE WORLD® - $139,500. 3BR 2FB “Ellicott” with updated table space kitchen, separate dining room, ground level with enclosed patio backing to green space. 1340 sq ft. Stan Moffson, Weichert, Realtors 301-928-3463.

G A R G A N T U A N

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Private Party Text Ads: For individuals seeking to buy or sell particular items, or place a personal ad. Each ad is $15 for 25 words, 25 cents for each additional word. Business Text Ads: For parties engaged in an ongoing business enterprise. Each ad is $35 for 25 words, 50 cents for each additional word. Note: Each real estate listing counts as one business text ad. Send your classified ad with check or money order, payable to the Beacon, to:

The Beacon, D.C. Classified Dept. P.O. Box 2227, Silver Spring, MD 20915-2227 For information about display advertising, or to request a media kit, call (301) 949-9766.

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Puzzle Page

A P R I L 2 0 1 1 — WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N

Crossword Puzzle Daily crosswords can be found on our website: www.TheBeaconNewspapers.com Click on Puzzles Plus No Taste for Accounting by Stephen Sherr 1

21 24

43 48

41 46

42 47

56 63

2. Smile at the birdy 3. February gift 1. Vegetable bit 4. Lethargy 6. M*A*S*H character 5. Acquire 11. Poseidon, perhaps 6. Educate (a toddler) 14. Loser in an uncontested election 7. Airport shuttle bus sign 15. Best Musical, 1980 8. Meaning of “˜” in math 16. “I just solved the crime” 9. Attended a luncheon 17. One who rejects assistance 10. Hardest to find 19. Edge of a cup or canyon 11. Huge 20. Equal 12. State featured in 63 Down 21. Security guard’s shout 13. Curse 22. Incite 18. Cheese headquarters (abbrev.) 24. ___ pattern 23. Disco brothers, briefly 26. Between ports 25. Proverbial candle burning spots 28. Poor free-throw shooting skills 26. Altar location 34. One thing a line on a map could 27. Receptions represent 28. Civil rights org. HQ’ed in Baltimore 35. Big house insider 29. Dropped fly 36. Phaser setting 30. Gin-based drink 37. Provide with weapons 31. ___ the match (MVP) 38. The blahs 32. Linear ... square ... ___ 42. Added letters that could turn a 33. ___ nous (between us) DO into a don’t 39. Laugh-In first name 43. ___-Cola 40. Way out 45. Hundred Acre Wood denizen 46. “The replay showed he was safe by ___” 41. Toll House Cookie ingredient 44. “I’m not ___ of facts ... facts can 48. Extreme stability change, but my opinion will never 52. Sneaker, not slipper, generally change”: Stephen Colbert 53. High prefix 47. More like Esau than Jacob 54. Hundred Acre Wood designer 49. Acted like a car window 56. Best man candidate, briefly in February 57. Respond to leavening 50. Trade 61. The Diamondbacks, in boxscores 51. Baseball family name 62. Leftist organizations 54. Knight’s weapon 66. Jailbird 55. Composition of 54 Down, often 67. Join forces 56. Make use of a bullet 68. Abominable snowman (with wife and kids) 58. Smidgen 69. Nanna has a lot of them 59. Foul mood 70. Pumpkin or pepper enthusiast 60. To be, to Romans 71. Fruit container 63. Dir. from Dayton to Columbus 64. Drilling tool Down 65. Queens and four more (abbrev.) 1. Keep the beat, cheaply

Across

JUMBLE ANSWERS

35 39

Scrabble answers on p. 61.

Answer: What the reporter got from the editor -- MORE WORK Jumbles: COWER BUXOM ANYONE BICKER

Answers on page 61.

WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N — A P R I L 2 0 1 1

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Personals

Wanted

OLD FASHIONED WHITE MALE 64 years old, 5’10”, 250 lbs. Looking for old fashioned female 65 to 100 for fun times, movies, walks, TV, cuddling. 703-751-1037.

HIGHEST CASH PAID FOR ANTIQUES, ESTATES. FREE evaluations and house calls. We pay the most for your valuable treasures because we get the most money on eBay – the worldwide Internet. Serving entire metro area – Maryland, Washington, DC, Northern Virginia. Buying the following items – furniture, art, paintings, silver, gold, old coins, jewelry, vintage wristwatches, military items, including guns, rifles, swords, daggers, knives, musical instruments, guitars, violins, banjos, old toys, dolls, trains, old golf clubs, baseball, football, tennis equipment and memorabilia, old fishing, tools, books, photographs, comic books. I am a resident of Silver Spring. 20 years experience. Please call Tom 240-476-3441. Thank you.

WANTED: ELECTRONICS, radio tubes, ham radios, huge old loud speakers, tube HiFi, stereo amps, earliest computers ever made, vinyl records, professional musical instruments, scientific curiosities, early electronic books, magazines, engineers, physicists, scientist, accumulations. 202-527-9501, vcvdc@msn.com.

STAMP COLLECTIONS, AUTOGRAPHS purchased/appraised – U.S., worldwide, covers, paper memorabilia. Stamps are my specialty – highest price paid! Appraisals. Phone Alex, 301309-6637. Stampex1@gmail.com.

CASH FOR JEWELRY: Buying jewelry, diamonds, gold, platinum, silver, watches, coins, flatware, etc. We make house calls. Ask for Tom. Call anytime 301-654-8678 or 301-6540838.

STERLING SILVER, Will pay top dollar for your silver marked “Sterling”, “925”, “800”. Please no silver plate. Want flatware, bowls, plates, candlesticks, etc. Richard, 301-646-0101.

EUROPEAN-AMERICAN (Caucasian) gentleman, senior citizen, well-educated and easy going. Seeks senior citizen lady for friendship, etc. Please call Mr. Epam, 301-559-5961. LONELY FEMALE OVER 50? Check out the e-book, “A Guide To Attracting Men After Age 50”. Go to www.amazon.com and look at the Kindle Store. ADVENTUROUS SWF Seeks travel companion to avoid single supplement. Please send recent photo and travel wish-list to: LOL, P.O. Box 16, Vienna, VA 22183. DIGNIFIED, Fun-loving older woman in search of 60s – 70s man. Concerts, dining out, movies. 703-909-3106 after 7pm. Leave message if necessary.

Volunteer Opportunities COLUMBIA LIGHTHOUSE FOR THE BLIND, a nonprofit organization serving people of all ages in the Washington metropolitan area who are blind and visually impaired, is recruiting adult volunteers to serve as Readers and Friendly Visitors. Participants in the Readers & Friendly Visitors program are adult volunteers who are matched one-on-one with blind or visually impaired adults. Volunteers arrange weekly meetings with clients at their homes to assist with activities, such as reading mail, grocery shopping or running errands. If you are interested in learning more about this opportunity, please contact Jocelyn Hunter at 202-4546422 or jhunter@clb.org to att end an upcoming orientation.

HIGHEST CASH PAID FOR ANTIQUES AND COLLECTIBLES. Compare my price before you sell! Serving entire metro area. Call for a free consultation, and professional service. I will purchase one piece or your entire estate. Including Furniture, Artwork, Glassware, Jewelry, Rugs, Costume, Gold and Silver, Watches, Sterling Items, Flatware, Lladro & Hummel Figurines, All Military Items, Guns, Swords, Helmets, Bayonets, Medals, Scout Items, Clocks, Music Boxes, Toys, Baseball Memorabilia, Trains, All String Instruments, Including Guitars, Banjos, Mandolins, Fishing Rods and Reels, Lures, Historical Items, American tools, Posters, Outside Iron Furniture. I am a very reputable dealer with two locations in Silver Spring and Bowie, MD. Please call Christopher Keller 301-408-4751 or 301-262-1299. Thank you.

WE PAY CASH for antique furniture, quality used furniture, early American art, pottery, silver, glassware, paintings, etc. Single items to entire estates. Call Reggie or Phyllis at DC 202726-4427, MD 301-332-4697. CASH FOR ESTATES, Gold, Silver, Coins, Costume Jewelry, Antiques/Collectibles, Etc. Will travel 301-520-0755.

MILITARY ITEMS WANTED: Collector seeks to purchase military uniforms; flight jackets, patches, insignia, medals, etc. from the Civil War through Vietnam. Especially seeking U.S. Army Air Corps, USMC, Airborne, and German/Japanese/Italian items from WWII. ALSO BUYING old Boy Scout, Airline Items, Toys, Lighters. Call Dan (202) 841-3062. CASH FOR RECORDS & CDs. BEST PRICE GUARANTEED. Free appraisals. All types of music, 33, 45, 78 & CDs. Call Steve 301-6465403. Will make House Calls. COLLECTOR BUYING MODERN FURNITURE, lighting, art & accessories from the 1940’s - 1970’s. Danish/Scan, Knoll, Herman Miller, Dunbar, Paul Evans, Thayer Coggin, Harvey Probber, Vladimir Kagan, Nakashima, etc. Also buying abstract modern art, ceramics, glass and records. Please call 202-213-9768.

FINE ANTIQUES, PAINTINGS AND QUALITY VINTAGE FURNISHINGS wanted by a serious capable buyer. I am very well educated [law degree] knowledgeable [over 40 years in the antique business] and have the finances and wherewithal to handle virtually any situation. If you have a special item, collection or important estate I would like to hear from you. I pay great prices for great things in all categories from Oriental rugs to Tiffany objects, from rare clocks to firearms, from silver and gold to classic cars. If it is wonderful, I am interested. No phony promises or messy consignments. References gladly furnished. Please call Jake Lenihan 301-279-8834. Thank you. BUYING: OLD BASEBALL CARDS AND NON-SPORT CARDS. Anything and everything before 1973. Any quantity and quality. We don’t cherry pick the best and leave the rest. We buy it all!! BASEBALL CARDS: Topps, Bowman, Fleer, Goudeys, Tobacco Cards, Odd Ball items, ETC. NON-SPORTS CARDS: 3 Stooges, Casper, Zorro, Hogan’s Heroes, Gilligan’s Island, Batman, Superman, Green Hornet, Brady Bunch, Kung Fu, ETC. You get the idea. Check the Garage, Basement & Attic. Check the closet and under the bed for that old shoe box. Then please call me with confidence. Jim, 240-4001572. TOY SOLDIERS – I will buy one or an entire collection. Also buying old toys, WWI Military Items and Posters, Please Contact: Neil Rhodes 703-598-5583 or toysoldiermaker@msn.com. Thank you.

BEACON BITS

Apr. 24

THE GREATEST SHOW ON EARTH Have lunch with author Jamie MacVicar, who wrote The Advance

Man: A Journey into the World of the Circus on Tuesday, April 24 from noon to 2 p.m. MacVicar offers an inside look at the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus. The Fountains at Washington House, 5100 Fillmore Ave., Alexandria, Va., will host the free luncheon. Books will be available for purchase and signing. For reservations, call (703) 845-5000.

May 8

A HOLE IN ONE FOR VETERANS Reston National Golf Course is hosting the Navy Marine Coast Guard Residence Foundation’s 26th Annual Golf Classic on

Tuesday, May 8. All golfers are welcome. Proceeds will go toward Vinson Hall Retirement Community’s Wounded Warrior Transitional Housing Project. Registration costs $150 and includes 18 holes of golf, golf cart use, continental breakfast, a lunch buffet and beverages. Prizes will be awarded. To register, call (703) 538-2970 or visit the foundation’s website at www.nmcgrf.org/events.

Apr. 17

DNA AND GENEALOGY The Mount Vernon Genealogical Society’s next meeting will feature a presentation titled “DNA Testing for Genealogy: The

Basics” on Tuesday, April 17 at 1 p.m. The presentation will be given by Robert D. McLaren, a genealogist for several Scottish organizations. The meeting will be held in room 112 of the Hollin Hall Senior Center, 1500 Shenandoah Rd. Alexandria, Va. Contact Phyllis Kelley at (703) 660-6969 or publicity@mvgenealogy.org for more information.

Ongoing

IS YOUR PLANT PEAKED? Montgomery County Master Gardeners answer gardening questions at 11 locations during the gardening season. Bring your full

Words of the month The curious origins of our words and rituals

A collection of commonly misused words Below is a short list of words that are commonly used interchangeably, even though they have different or, in some cases, totally opposite meanings. See how often you find them used incorrectly in the broadcast and print media (other than the Beacon, of course!) Eager and anxious – “Eager” anticipates a positive experience, while “anxious” fears a negative result. Thus, you would be eager to receive a refund from the IRS and anxious about being audited by that agency. Famous and notorious – People become famous for positive accomplishments, but notorious for negative deeds. Thus, Sheriff Wyatt Earp was a famous marksman, but robber Jessie James was a notorious gunslinger. Currently and presently – Currently means now; presently means soon. Thus, I am currently out of the office, but will return presently. Number and amount – use number when you can count items; amount when you cannot. Thus, there were a number of clam shells in this large amount of sand. Fewer and less – same as above. Thus, there are fewer dollars in my savings account than last month, so now I have less money. Further and farther – Further relates to time or amount. Farther relates to distance. Thus, if you speak about your new friend any further, the farther from you you’ll find me. Need I say anything further?

and intact plant and insect samples, garden problems and questions and get free answers. For locations and more information call the Plant Helpline at (301) 5909650 weekday mornings or send email to mgmont@umd.edu.

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