January 2018 | DC Beacon by The Beacon Newspapers

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Artist retires, rekindles dream

MS not a barrier For Manzari, a big part of her work’s appeal is the “peace” that comes with it. Many years ago, she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, a disabling disease that attacks the body’s central nervous system. On a regular basis, she struggles with low energy levels and has difficulty doing regular tasks. “I wake up exhausted,” she said. But despite all that, “When I’m painting, I don’t think about MS. I think about those characters I’m working with. I love them. In fact, they’re helping me through life,” she said. True, having MS can make the logistics of completing her work very challenging.

JANUARY 2018

I N S I D E …

PHOTO COURTESY OF LEENAN HAYDEN MANZARI

By Rebekah Alcalde This past August, LeeNan Hayden Manzari was watching “Project Runway” — the long-running fashion design reality television show — when to her amazement, her painting of a flamenco dancer flashed on the screen. She’d submitted it online to the show’s Remake It Work contest, where fans of the show submit artwork inspired by the program. But she never thought it would win. “I’m still on cloud 9,” she exclaimed. During each episode of “Project Runway,” the judges choose three online submissions as winners and show them on television. Judge (and famous designer) Zac Posen said of Manzari’s work, “these are the moments I wait for.” Like many older adults, Manzari, who recently turned 69, rediscovered her love of art later in life. She’s only just started painting again this past year, when she retired. “Now I can’t stop,” she said. Her winning painting, which she named “Flamenco,” is a vivid acrylic work featuring a powerful, dark-haired female dancer in a red Flamenco dress with a ruffled skirt. The dancer’s arms reach upward on the canvas, appearing to twirl a bright blue scarf. The creases in her gown and the folds of the scarf are highly detailed. The kinetic but graceful energy of the figure is likely what drew the judges to her submission. “If you concentrate really hard on her right arm, it almost moves,” Manzari said proudly. “You can really see it on the actual painting.”

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LEISURE & TRAVEL

LeeNan Hayden Manzari stands tall while painting one of her newest creations, despite suffering from multiple sclerosis, which makes it difficult to even grasp her brush. A newly avid painter, she was thrilled when one of her works was selected for national publicity on the hit TV show “Project Runway.”

“It is not easy to work with my hands,” she said. Sometimes she also gets tired of standing, or “I’ll drop the brush because my grasp loses control.” She feels the trick is to stay organized. So she doesn’t have to “waste energy,” she keeps all her materials, inspiration and ideas in movable cabinets that let her convert her apartment into a mini-studio. She also stays physically active, which she credits for keeping her out of a wheelchair. Manzari also insists that anyone can take up art, even with no previous experience or training. “People always tell me, ‘I can’t paint,’ but I say ‘you’ve got to try it.’ Anybody can do anything.” It’s an attitude she highly recommends to other older adults, saying, “I’m always discovering new things about myself.”

Early career in media A long-time Washington-area resident, Manzari has always loved art. “When I was a child, I would copy romance and Archie comic books,” she recalled. She loved it so much that art quickly became her favorite subject. Manzari went on to major in art education at the University of Maryland. But she diverted from that course for some years before completing it. Never one to miss out on adventure, she dropped out mid-degree to participate in an exchange program with a British temp agency called Miss Liberty. They sent her to live in London with other classmates. “We — [me and] three other girlfriends See ARTIST, page 36

Some lesser known New Orleans gems; plus, Palermo, Italy, the jewel of the Mediterranean, and no-fee airline rewards cards page 29 TECHNOLOGY k Hackers can target kids’ toys

FITNESS & HEALTH 7 k New genetic test for cancer k Medical marijuana in Maryland SPOTLIGHT ON AGING k Newsletter for D.C. seniors

LAW & MONEY 23 k Banks are paying (a little) more k What are Medicaid annuities? ARTS & STYLE k Crazy for Gershwin

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Reasonable risks When I was growing up, I remember warned it could make you high; just dead.) looking in my parents’ medicine cabinet, In short, probably like all of you, I grew or on high garage shelves, up being aware that there and seeing cans and bottles were plenty of things in the with various warnings printed world (and around the all over them. house) that one had to use Indoors there was rubbing very carefully, and that readalcohol, something called ing labels was the most im“witch hazel” (which always portant thing to do first. piqued my interest), peroxide I think that lesson was a and other intriguing subgood one to learn as a kid. It stances. set me in good stead to be a Some said DANGER/POImodern consumer — attentive SON (usually with a skull and FROM THE to the warning inserts that crossbones), or Toxic: Do PUBLISHER come with drugs and other By Stuart P. Rosenthal Not Ingest. And almost all products and the “fine print” added in large letters: Keep on contracts. Away from Children. So I was surprised to hear a report on Outdoors there were cans of paint, tur- the radio the other day about efforts to pentine, gasoline cans, and other items take off the market a product used to strip marked: WARNING: HIGHLY FLAMMA- wallpaper that had caused the death of sevBLE, Do Not Use Near Flames. Or, USE eral poorly trained workers due to inhalaONLY WITH ADEQUATE VENTILATION. tion in a closed room. I liked to build models and do various A reporter was asking a representative arts and crafts projects as a kid. So I fre- from the manufacturer why they continue quently made use of glues, liquid plastics to sell such a dangerous product. Their and other products, all with similar “dan- conversation went something like this: ger” and “flammable” labels: Don’t use inThe rep replied, “Our labeling is clear. doors; Don’t breathe fumes. (They never The product should only be used with ade-

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The Beacon is a monthly newspaper dedicated to inform, serve, and entertain the citizens of the Greater Washington DC area, and is privately owned. Other editions serve Greater Baltimore, Howard County, Md. and Greater Palm Springs, Calif. Readership exceeds 400,000. Subscriptions are available via first-class mail ($36) or third-class mail ($12), prepaid with order. D.C. and Maryland residents: add 6 percent for sales tax. Send subscription order to the office listed below. Publication of advertising contained herein does not necessarily constitute endorsement. Signed columns represent the opinions of the writers, and not necessarily the opinion of the publisher. • Publisher/Editor ....................Stuart P. Rosenthal • Associate Publisher ..............Judith K. Rosenthal • Vice President of Operations ....Gordon Hasenei • Vice President, Sales & Marketing ....Alan Spiegel • Managing Editor............................Barbara Ruben • Art Director ........................................Kyle Gregory • Director of Operations ........................Roger King • Advertising Representatives ........Doug Hallock, ......Rodney Harris, Dan Kelly, Barbara Koscielski, ........................................................Hubie Stockhausen • Assistant Editor ..........................Rebekah Alcalde

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quate ventilation; it’s important to open a window if using it indoors.” The reporter pushed back: “A person can die in 30 minutes from inhaling this product in a closed room. How many people have to die from this product before you take it off the market?” The rep replied: “It’s the only product on the market that works as quickly and as well, so it should continue to be sold. All a person has to do is read the label and follow the instructions.” The reporter retorted: “But people don’t read labels! How are you going to make people read the label?” The rep weakly answered: “I guess we can’t make people read the label. That’s just something people are supposed to do.” Now I usually find myself on the side of reporters, even (or especially) when they are being aggressive. I don’t mind seeing interviewees squirm when they are trying to wiggle out of a situation for which they deserve to be nailed. But I felt very differently about this interview. Shouldn’t the reporter be blaming either the remodeling company that apparently failed to train its staff, or the employees who ignored what they were told? Removing the product from the market would seem in this case to penalize the wrong party and disappoint many users who rely on it. The reporter’s logic — that “people don’t read labels,” hence dangerous products should not be sold — could be applied to many, maybe even most, of the products we all use daily. What would our lives be like if every product that required a warning of some type were simply to become unavailable? In our country’s past, there were many

years when manufacturers put assembly line employees, and many consumers, at great risk without a thought to the consequences. But over the last 50 years or so, America’s regulators on the federal and state levels have made our lives progressively safer by ending manufacturing practices harmful to workers, forbidding the importation of dangerous toys, changing the way playground equipment is made and installed, adding safety features to all cars — and requiring safety warnings on products that can be misused. These efforts will continue to be important, as no doubt new risks will come to light that may need to be addressed through regulation. But that doesn’t mean consumers and workers bear no responsibility for the proper use of a product. People should be expected to read and follow instructions, and not blithely ignore clearly stated warnings. On the other hand, in a society where many different languages are spoken and where workers are often immigrants with a poor knowledge of English, we do need to be sure warning signs use universal symbols or are written in multiple languages. And companies need to be sure the people they hire understand these warnings. The truth is, we will never be able to regulate all risk out of our lives. (And if we were to try, I think most of us would rebel at the resulting infantilization.) There is a lot of room, however, between no risk and reasonable risk.

Correction: On page 15 of our December issue, the photographer credit was inadvertently omitted from the photo of columnist Alexis Bentz receiving an award. The photo was taken by Christian Spence.

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. BEACON BITS

Jan. 13+

CHILDREN’S ARTS SERIES Take your grandkids to The Robert E. Parilla Performing Arts

Center’s Saturday Morning Children series on Jan. 13 for Nugget & Fang, an Artspower presentation at 11 a.m., and Jan. 27 for Clementine, a Theatreworks USA presentation at 11 a.m. Plan on arriving 15 to 20 minutes prior to show time. Both presentations take place at Montgomery College Rockville’s campus, 51 Mannakee St. Tickets cost $7 for adults, $6 for patrons 65 and over, and $4 for students and children. For more information, call (240) 567-5301.

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The most meaningful words to describe Holy Cross Germantown Hospital are:

Your Very Own.

Wendy Is Enjoying Life Again After Robotic Surgery In 2016, Wendy Gao and her family traveled 9,000 miles from New Zealand to resettle in the United States. Her husband Patrick was busy traveling for his new job and her daughter was adjusting well to high school and thinking ahead to college. But Wendy faced a troubling medical crisis that tested her natural resilience and optimism.

“I was impressed with my care at Holy Cross Germantown Hospital. Everything was so organized, and the whole process went like clockwork,” says Wendy.

The 49-year-old Shanghai native—herself a trained physician—had been experiencing pain in her abdomen for months. The pain raised concerns in her primary care physician who ordered a sonogram, which revealed ovarian growths. That’s when Wendy’s doctor referred her to James Barter, MD, medical director, Gynecologic Oncology Research, Holy Cross Health—a research clinician with specialized training in the diagnosis and treatment of gynecologic cancers. “Dr. B,” as Wendy affectionately calls him, ran some additional tests and recommended surgery to remove the growths, which is the only definitive way to determine if the growths are cancerous, precancerous or benign. While no one likes the prospect of an operation, Dr. Barter had some good news for Wendy. Her procedure would be performed using a minimally invasive technique that features sophisticated robotic technology. And she could have her surgery close to home at Holy Cross Germantown Hospital. “The robotic surgery program at Holy Cross Health continues to pioneer minimally invasive surgery advancements as part of its ongoing commitment

to innovation and high-quality care,” explains Dr. Barter. “Holy Cross Hospital was the first hospital in Montgomery County to offer robotic surgery in 2008, and now Holy Cross Germantown Hospital has acquired the da Vinci Xi® Surgical System, the latest in robotic technology.” Robotic surgery allows surgeons to perform more complex and intricate procedures with faster recovery times for patients. Holy Cross Health is a regional leader in the treatment of medical problems requiring gynecologic surgery. Our gynecology experts, including gynecologic oncologists, urogynecologists and gynecologic surgeons, are innovators in gynecologic surgical procedures. In fact, our specialists perform more gynecologic and gynecologic oncology inpatient surgeries each year in Maryland than any other health system or hospital. Holy Cross Hospital’s gynecologic surgery

program is designated as a Center of Excellence in Minimally Invasive GynecologyTM by the American Association of Gynecologic Laparoscopists and the Surgical Review Corporation. Additionally, the Holy Cross Cancer Research Program provides access to clinical trials, offering state-of-the art, innovative medical treatments. For Wendy, robotic surgery was ideal. She was admitted to the hospital early one morning in June—and released that same afternoon. “Her procedure took just one hour,” Dr. Barter explains. “I removed cysts from each ovary, as well as both fallopian tubes. Through the greater precision achieved through robotic surgery, I was able to preserve a good deal of her ovaries.” The best news? The growths were benign. “Apart from a little pain the first couple of days, I resumed life as usual within a week,” says Wendy, who now is happily building her new life in her adopted country—including weekly yoga classes with her daughter. In addition to comprehensive gynecologic care, Holy Cross Health provides advanced medical expertise and research to meet a wide spectrum of women’s life-long health care needs including pelvic, breast, obstetrics and more.

Learn more about Holy Cross Health’s care for women at HolyCrossHealth.org/ Womens-Health, and check out our gynecologic health event with physicians on January 18 (see details below).

U P C O M I N G E V E N T S AT H O LY C R O S S G E R M A N T O W N H O S P I TA L These events are FREE and held from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. at 19801 Observation Dr., Germantown, MD 20876. To register, call 301-754-8800 or visit HolyCrossHealth.org/AskTheDoctors. January 18

February 22

March 22

NAVIGATING UROLOGIC AND GYNECOLOGIC HEALTH ISSUES

JOINTS: REPAIRS AND REPLACEMENTS

IMPROVING YOUR DIGESTIVE HEALTH

Learn about issues that may be impacting your life, such as incontinence, prolapse, abnormal bleeding, fibroids and other gynecologic concerns. Panelists include James Barter, MD, Gynecologic Oncology; Adam Footer, MD, and Aliya Poshni, MD, Obstetrics and Gynecology; Rami Makhoul, MD, Colorectal Surgery; and Kathleen Sterling, MD, Urology.

Learn about various treatment options for joint pain, including joint replacement. Panelists include orthopedic surgeons Ricardo Cook, MD; Korboi Evans, MD; Christopher Farrell, MD; and Gabriel Petruccelli, MD.

Learn about issues that may be impacting your life, such as heartburn, indigestion, bloating and constipation, as well as advancements in the diagnosis and treatment for conditions affecting the gastrointestinal tract and abdominal organs. Panelists include Halim Charbel, MD, Gastroenterology; and Rami Makhoul, MD, Colorectal Surgery.

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Technology &

Innovations Toys today can spy on kids. What to do By Joseph Pisani The toys your grandkids received over the holidays could invite hackers into your home. That Grinch-like warning comes from the FBI, which said earlier this year that toys connected to the Internet could be a target for crooks who may listen in on conversations or use them to steal a child’s personal information. The bureau did not name any specific toys or brands, but it said any Internet-connected toys with microphones, cameras or location tracking may put a child’s privacy or safety at risk. That could be a talking doll or a tablet designed for kids. And because some of these toys were being rushed to be made and sold late last year, the FBI said security safeguards might have been overlooked. Security experts said the only way to prevent a hack is to not keep the toy. But if you decide to let a kid play with it, there are ways to reduce the risks. Here are some tips:

Research and read reviews Before opening a toy, search for it online

and read reviews to see if there are any complaints or if past security problems are reported. If there have been previous issues, you may want to rethink keeping it. Reputable companies will also explain how information is collected from the toy or device, how that data is stored, and who has access to it. Usually that type of information is found on the company’s website, typically under its privacy policy. If you can’t find it, call the company. If there isn’t a policy, that’s a bad sign. “You shouldn’t use it,” said Behnam Dayanim, a partner at Paul Hastings in Washington, and co-chair of the law firm’s privacy and cybersecurity practice. Companies can change their privacy policies, so read them again if you’re notified of a change.

Use secure wi-fi Make sure the Wi-Fi the toy will be connected to is secure and has a hard-to-guess password. Weak passwords make it easier for hackers to access devices that use a wifi network. Never connect the toy to free

wi-fi that’s open to the public. And if the toy itself allows you to create a password, do it.

“You can lie.”

Be vigilent Not using it? Turn it off When the toy is not being used, shut it off or unplug it so it stops collecting data. When off, toys “become less of an attractive target,” said Alan Brill, who is a cybersecurity and investigations consultant. And if the item has a camera, face it toward a wall or cover it with a piece of tape when it’s not being used. Toys with microphones can be thrown in a chest or drawer, where it’s harder to hear conversations, Brill said.

Register, but limit your info It’s important to register a new item, because a manufacturer software update may fix security holes, and you don’t want to miss that fix, Brill said. But when registering, be stingy with the information you hand over. All they need is contact information to let you know about the update. If they require other information, such as a child’s birthday, make one up. “You’re not under oath,” said Brill.

If the toy or device allows kids to chat with other people playing with the same toy or game, explain to children that they can’t give out personal information, said Liz Brown, a business law professor at Bentley University in Waltham, Massachusetts, who focuses on technology and privacy law. But such explanations may not be enough: Check the chat section to make sure children aren’t sending things they shouldn’t be, Brown said. Unsavory adults could be pretending to be kids to get personal information. “It can get creepy pretty fast,” said Brown. Reputable companies that make toys with microphones will offer ways for parents to review and delete stored information. Take advantage of that.

Report breaches If a toy was compromised by a hacker, the FBI recommends reporting it online through its Internet crime complaint center at IC3.gov. — AP

Restaurants use tech to increase spending By Candice Choi Restaurant chains are making it easier to order food with a few taps of the screen — so much so that you may lose sight of how much you’re spending. The convenience that technology offers may make us less vigilant about how much we’re buying. Digital ordering also lets companies better track our spending habits, and may lead to increasingly personalized offers that are more likely to catch our attention. Digital ordering helps you find more of the things you want, but it’s worth understanding the other side of the equation: Sometimes, technology is an opportunity to get you to spend more.

Domino’s About 60 percent of Domino’s orders now come through the chain’s website, app and other digital channels. And people tend to order more online than over the phone, according to Domino’s spokesman Tim McIntyre — likely because they can

browse the menu and take their time deciding. That can result in people getting another pizza topping, or adding sides. “They tend to upsell themselves,” McIntyre said of online customers. Domino’s also has prompts during the ordering process. Once a pizza is ordered, for instance, people might be asked before checkout if they want to “cheese it up” or add drinks. Employees taking orders by phone are also encouraged to suggest extras — a tactic known as “upselling” or “suggestive selling.” But McIntyre said the human attempts aren’t as consistent. “The computer never feels rushed, the computer never feels rejection personally,” he said, noting that some employees might be shyer than others.

Chili’s, Olive Garden Tabletop tablets being used at some sitdown restaurants, which let people order food and pay for their meals, can have a similar effect.

Ziosk, the company that makes the devices available at chains including Chili’s and Olive Garden, said restaurants see more orders of dessert and appetizers with Ziosk devices. Dessert orders also tend to have more coffees attached to them, said Ziosk CEO Austen Mulinder. “The Ziosk will always remember to ask, ‘Do you want to add coffee to that?’” he said. Most restaurants that use Ziosk devices use them to let people order appetizers, desserts and drinks. With entrees, Mulinder said it makes more sense for a server to take the order, rather than having people passing around a device. Chili’s has cited other benefits of Ziosk, including the collection of customer spending data. The devices also generate money from games that people can play while waiting. That revenue more than offsets the cost of the devices in most cases, Mulinder said.

alized offers for loyalty members and mobile app users, which include the recent rollout of “real-time” suggestive selling based on past purchases for people ordering ahead on their smartphones. The company says the efforts are yielding positive results, with spending by loyalty members up by 8 percent in the latest quarter. “We think that the steps we’ve taken regarding personalization are a driver of that,” said spokeswoman Maggie Jantzen. The company has also been turning the acquisition of reward points into games. That includes ones like “Starbucks Bingo” that reward members for making particular purchases. Panera’s loyalty program also incorporates members’ past purchases. Unlike in most programs, Panera loyalty members do not know when they’ll get their next reward, or what it will be. Blaine Hurst, Panera’s president, said

Starbucks, Panera Starbucks is pushing into more person-

See RESTAURANTS, page 5

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LEARN MAC, IPAD AND IPHONE Aurora Hills Community and Senior Center offers one-on-one

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Aspenwood Senior Living (See ads on pages B-5 & B-6) Atrium Assisted Living (See ad on page 13) Brooke Grove (See ads on pages B-5, B-9, B-20 & 19) Charles E. Smith Life Communities (See ads on pages 6 & 15) Churchill Senior Living (See ad on page 13) Covenant Village (See ads on pages B-12 & B-15) Crossings at Spring Hill, The (See ad on page 8) Emerson House (See ads on page B-12 & B-19) Gardens of Traville (See ad on page 15) Homecrest House (See ads on pages B-10 & B-18) Kensington Park (See ads on pages B-10 & B-17) Maplewood Park Place (See ad on page 9) Olney Assisted Living (See ads on pages B-2 & B-15) Park View Bladensburg (See ad on page 30) Park View Columbia (See ad on page 30) Park View Emerson (See ad on page 30) Park View Laurel (See ad on page 30) Riderwood (See ads on pages B-3, B-15 & 40) Springvale Terrace (See ads on pages B-14 & B-15) The Village at Rockville (See ads on pages B-8 & B-10) Victory Crossing (See ad on page 17)

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And the methodology is expected to get more sophisticated. Hurst says companies have been collecting massive amounts of data on customer spending habits, and thinks they will find new ways to use that information. — AP

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Restaurants

Say you saw it in the Beacon | Technology & Innovations

WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N — J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 8

Technology & Innovations | More at TheBeaconNewspapers.com

Beacon Links & Apps By Barbara Ruben

Go take a hike You don’t need to scale Mount Everest to net the many benefits of hiking. Even a moderate one-hour hike can burn around 400 calories. Find a trail near you at www.hikingproject.com, which features GPS and elevation data, as well as user-generated tips for almost 14,000 trails, from beginner to advanced hikes. The website also offers a forum where hikers can compare routes and hiking tips. Then download the app, which shows

where you are on a map of a trail at all times. It even works offline, so you can use it without a cell phone signal. While the Hiking Project is part of outdoors store REI, both the website and app are free of advertising. www.hikingproject.com Hiking Project is free at the Apple App Store and on Google Play

Music lessons If you’ve never learned to read music or don’t understand how scales or chords are formed, MusicTheory.net can help. The site offers interactive lessons on everything from how to understand clef marks and ledger lines, to constructing minor scales. Interactive exercises quiz you on what you’ve learned. While the information on the site is ex-

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D.C. Public Library offers a typing class called “Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing,” where students practice tutorials and custom lessons for improving typing and keyboarding skills. Students will learn to practice at home, test skills, customize practice lessons, and construct a resume. Each class lasts about two hours. Bring your own earbuds or headphones for individual listening. There will be classes on Monday, Jan. 8 at 4:30 p.m.; Wednesday, Jan. 24 at 11:30 a.m. and Monday, Jan. 29 at 11:30 a.m. All sessions will take place in room 102 at M. Rivera Library Express, 1990 K St. NW, Washington, D.C. For more information, visit www.dclibrary.org/node/59038.

J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 8 — WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N

tensive and free of charge, users can purchase additional lessons on an app linked at the site. www.musictheory.net Website instruction is free; Theory Lessons, $2.99 from the Apple App store

Free NFL games Watching NFL football games on your phone used to be mainly limited to Verizon customers. Now anyone will be able to watch football games on the go for free on Yahoo’s app, now that Verizon owns Yahoo. Verizon’s five-year deal with the NFL takes effect in January, in time for playoffs. Verizon bought Yahoo in June, and AOL in 2015, and wants to combine the two to build a digital ad business to rival Facebook and Google. It hopes adding more sports streaming will help grow the audience for its media business. Games will stream on various apps and mobile sites. Yahoo Sports and NFL mobile apps are free from both the Apple App Store and Google Pay Yahoo.com on mobile (but not Yahoo.com on computers)

Senior savings You know you qualify for discounts at

myriad establishments, but it’s hard to remember exactly when the deal is (Tuesdays? Wednesdays?) and exactly how much you can save. The Senior Savings app lists more than 200 places — including restaurants, groceries, travel, entertainment and more — that offer discounts for customers starting at age 50. They can be organized alphabetically by store or business, or by age. Senior Savings, 99 cents at the Apple App store.

Getting on the move Seeing your everyday exercise stats helps you think about how to get more. The Moves app activity diary automatically records any walking, cycling and running you do. You can view the distance, duration, steps and calories burned for each activity. Moves also calculates how many calories you burn while idle. You can also add calculations for gym training and more than 60 other activities. The app is always on, so there’s no need to start and stop it. Just keep your phone in your pocket or your bag. But be aware that the app can cause your phone battery to drain more quickly. Moves, free in the Apple App store and from Google Play

Fulfilling Jewish values by providing innovative and compassionate services to older adults and their families. Conveniently located on a 38-acre campus in Rockville, services include: • Skilled nursing care and Post-Acute care at the Hebrew Home of Greater Washington • Independent living at Revitz House and Ring House • Assisted living at Landow House and memory care assisted living at Cohen-Rosen House • Geriatric medical care at Hirsh Health Center • Temporary shelter and advocacy for victims of elder abuse at the ElderSAFE™ Center

Call us at 301.770.8448 to visit our campus. www.smithlifecommunities.org

WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N — J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 8

Say you saw it in the Beacon

Health Fitness &

ENDING MIGRAINE MISERY New injectable drugs can cut the number of headaches in half ARE YOUR EARS RINGING? Tinnitus causes an incessant ringing or buzzing, but there are treatment options NEW SHINGLES VACCINE A new vaccine provides over 90% protection, much more than the older shot LATEST SCOOP ON COFFEE There’s increasing evidence that coffee is good for you overall

New test profiles patients’ cancer genes By Marilynn Marchione U.S. regulators have approved a first-ofa-kind test that looks for mutations in hundreds of cancer genes at once, giving a more complete picture of what’s driving a patient’s tumor and aiding efforts to match treatments to those flaws. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Foundation Medicine’s test for patients with advanced or widely spread cancers, and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services proposed covering it. The dual decisions will make tumorgene profiling available to far more cancer patients than the few who get it now, and lead more insurers to cover it. “It’s essentially individualized, precision medicine,” said Dr. Kate Goodrich, chief medical officer for the Medicare oversight agency.

One sample, many tests Currently, patients may get tested for individual genes if a drug is available to target those mutations. It’s a hit-and-miss approach that sometimes means multiple biopsies and wasted time. In lung cancer alone, for example, about half a dozen genes can be checked with individual tests to see if a particular drug is a

good match. The new FoundationOne CDx test can be used for any solid tumor — such as

prostate, breast or colon cancer — and surveys 324 genes plus other features that can help predict success with treatments

that enlist the immune system. See GENE PROFILES, page 8

A new twist on DNA By Lauran Neergaard It’s one of the first lessons in high school biology: All life is made up of four DNA building blocks known by the letters A, T, C and G. Paired together, they form DNA’s ladder-like rungs. Now there’s a new rung on that ladder. Scientists are expanding the genetic code of life, using man-made DNA to create a semi-synthetic strain of bacteria. And new research shows those altered microbes actually worked to produce proteins unlike those found in nature. It’s a step toward designer drug development.

The experiment A team at The Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, Calif., expanded the genetic alphabet, creating two artificial DNA “letters” called X and Y. A few years ago, the researchers

brewed up a type of E. coli bacteria commonly used for lab research that contained both natural DNA and this new artificial base pair — which can store extra genetic information inside cells. Normal DNA contains the coding for cells to form proteins that do the work of life. Could cells carrying this weird genomic hybrid work the same way, the researchers wondered? The researchers traced the biological steps as the altered E. coli read the artificial genetic code and assembled the pieces for a new protein, with the same efficiency as if using normal DNA. The altered cells glowed green as they produced a fluorescent protein containing unnatural amino acids, the researchers recently reported in the journal Nature. The result is a platform that offers a way to increase the diversity of proteins made inside living cells, said Jef Boeke, a syn-

thetic biology researcher at New York University who wasn’t involved in Scripps’ work. “We can make proteins that are built of more things than they normally are,” explained Scripps chemist Floyd Romesberg, who leads the project. While programming the green germs offered evidence that the approach can work, eventually “we would like to get proteins that do new things,” he said. That’s an ultimate goal in the field of synthetic biology — designing organisms that work differently from the way nature intended, so scientists can harness them to create designer drugs, biofuels or a range of other products. Scripps’ technology has been licensed by a biotech company Romesberg cofounded, Synthorx Inc., that aims to make novel protein-based drugs. — AP

Maryland starts selling medical marijuana By Brian Witte Maryland began the sale of medical marijuana to residents in pain in late November, ending years of delays by embarking on a program that features some of the most liberal policies in the nation on who can qualify for the prescribed cannabis. Dozens of people stood outside a licensed dispensary, Potomac Holistics in Rockville, where owners began making sales soon after receiving their first shipment a few weeks ago. William Askinazi, one of the owners, said people who work at the store were euphoric that the day had finally arrived. More than half of all U.S. states, plus the District of Columbia, have legalized a comprehensive medical marijuana program, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures “You can tell there’s a buzz, and we’re excited for so many reasons,” Askinazi said.

“We’re giving care to people who need it.” A long line of people cheered as sales began. Denise Broyhill was among the first in the door to buy marijuana tablets. She said she was upbeat and relieved after years of delays by authorities in making medical marijuana available in the state. “After waiting so long, I’m looking to have some good pain management.” Broyhill said. Patrick Allison, of Annapolis, was also among the first in line. He said he suffers from ankylosing spondylitis — a form of arthritis that causes inflammation of the spinal joints that can lead to severe, chronic pain and discomfort. “It’s about time,” Allison said. “I live in chronic pain. You wouldn’t know it to look at me, but I’m about an eight right now on a scale of one to 10, head to toe. The only thing that works for me is marijuana.” Maryland approved its first medical

marijuana law in 2013. But the effort stalled because it required academic medical centers to run the programs, and none stepped forward. The law was changed in 2014 to allow doctors certified by a state medical cannabis commission to recommend marijuana for patients with debilitating, chronic and severe illnesses.

For many conditions Medical marijuana will be available to Marylanders for any condition that is severe in which other medical treatments have been ineffective, as long as the symptoms “reasonably can be expected to be relieved” by marijuana. Patients with a chronic or debilitating medical condition that causes severe appetite loss, severe or chronic pain, severe nausea, seizures, or severe muscle spasms also can have access, as well as people

with glaucoma or post-traumatic stress disorder. “In Maryland, there are very liberal qualifying conditions,” Askinazi said. Even further, in addition to physicians, Maryland will allow nurse practitioners, dentists, podiatrists and nurse midwives to certify patients as eligible to receive marijuana. People authorized to recommend the use of medical marijuana will also be able to do so for patients from other states who travel to Maryland. David Johnson, of Frederick, said he was relieved that he could now have access to medical marijuana to ease pain from nerve damage. He said he’s tired of driving in pain to pharmacies in search of opioids. “It’s been a nightmare,” he said. “This is a godsend.” — AP

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Gene profiles From page 7 “Instead of one or two, you have many” tests at once from a single tissue sample, said the FDA’s Dr. Jeffrey Shuren. The tests give better and more information to guide treatment, and can help more patients find and enroll in studies of novel therapies, he said. “This will be a sea change” for patients, said Dr. Richard Schilsky, chief medical officer of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, the association of doctors who treat the disease. “On balance, I think this is good,” he said, but added that there is a risk that spotting a mutation will lead doctors and patients to try treatments that haven’t been proven to work in that situation, and to pro-

mote more off-label use of expensive drugs. A better outcome in those situations is to guide people into studies testing drugs that target those genes, Schilsky said. Foundation Medicine, based in Cambridge, Mass., and others have sold tumor profiling tests for several years under more lax rules governing lab-developed tests. But insurers have balked at paying for the tests, which cost around $6,000. Now, the FDA’s approval gives assurance of quality, Shuren said, and the government’s proposed coverage for Medicare and other public insurance programs means private insurers will more likely follow. A final decision is expected early this year, followed by setting a price for reimbursement.

For advanced cancers Coverage is proposed for patients with

J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 8 — WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N

recurrent, widely spread or advanced cancers, who have decided with their doctors to seek further treatment and have not previously had a gene sequencing test. “A lot of these folks have run out of treatment options,” but the tests may point to something new that might help, Goodrich said. The impact is expected to be greatest on lung cancer, since so many of those tumors are found at an advanced stage, and multiple gene-targeting drugs are available to treat it. Evidence isn’t strong enough to warrant using these gene profiling tests for earlier stages of cancer. Patients get standard, guideline-based care in those cases. In mid-November, the FDA also approved a gene-profiling test developed by Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.

BEACON BITS

Jan. 13+

Jan. 21

DIABETES SELF-MANAGEMENT

Adventist HealthCare presents a free Diabetes Self-Management Program for people living with diabetes or caring for someone with it. This evidence-based program was developed by Stanford University and will run for six consecutive Saturdays, from Jan. 13 to Feb. 17. The class meets from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in Suite 600 at 820 West Diamond Ave., Gaithersburg, Md. All class materials are provided, including the book Living a Healthy Life with Chronic Conditions. For more information, visit http://bit.ly/DiabetesSelfCareProgram. For more information, call Sathya Rajan at (301) 315-3459.

But it’s used almost exclusively on patients at that cancer center, and is not envisioned to be a widely available commercial test. The federal decisions will make gene sequencing a more routine component of cancer care, “just like we normally look with a microscope” to classify the stage of a patient’s disease, said Dr. David Klimstra, pathology chief at the cancer center. Another leader in this field, Caris Life Sciences, said it also intends to pursue FDA approval for its widely used tumor profiling test, sold now through lab certifications. It’s also working on a newer tool to profile tumor genes from a blood sample. Many companies already sell these socalled liquid biopsy tests, though none are FDA-approved yet. — AP

END-OF-LIFE OPTIONS The Memorial Society of Northern Virginia offers a discussion on

end-of-life options with licensed funeral director Maureen Albrethsen on Sunday, Jan. 21 at 3 p.m. at Mount Vernon Unitarian Church, 1909 Windmill Ln., Alexandria, Va. Learn about life celebrations, home funerals, variations of “green” burial, the importance of filing an Advance Directive, and how to designate someone to make medical decisions for you if necessary. For more information, contact Ron Brandt at (703) 765-4779 or gronbrandt@gmail.com, or visit mvuc.org.

Say you saw it in the Beacon | Fitness & Health

WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N — J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 8

New injectable drugs reduce migraines By Marilynn Marchione New, long-acting drugs may hold hope for millions of people who often suffer migraines. Studies of two of these medicines, given as shots every month or so, found they cut the frequency of the notoriously painful and disabling headaches. The drugs are the first preventive medicines developed specifically for migraines. They work by interfering with a substance involved in modifying nerve signaling and progression of pain and symptoms. Migraines plague more than a billion people worldwide, more than 38 million in the U.S. alone. They’re more severe than an ordinary headache — throbbing, squeezing pain and pressure, often accompanied by vision problems, sensitivity to light, noise or smells, and nausea. They can leave people unable to work or do simple things like cooking or even hold a conversation. “It’s a whole new direction” for treatment, and an important advance for people who don’t want to take, or aren’t helped by, the daily pills sometimes used now to prevent recurrences, said Dr. Andrew Hershey, neurology chief at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center. He had no role in the research, but has tested other migraine drugs and wrote a commentary published with the studies in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Headache days cut in half One study tested erenumab (er-EN-yoomab), from Amgen and Novartis, in about

900 people who averaged eight migraines a month. Nearly half had already tried other preventive medicines. For six months, they were given monthly shots into the abdomen of a high dose of the drug, a low dose, or a dummy medicine. The number of days they suffered migraines each month dropped by three to four in the drug groups and nearly two in the placebo group. Half of the patients on the higher dose saw their migraine days cut at least in half. “I very definitely benefited,” said Anne Vickers, who got the lower dose through one of the study leaders at Mercy Hospital St. Louis in Missouri. “I can have anywhere from 15 to 18 headaches per month, and probably five of those days are migraines,” she said. But that dropped 40 percent on the drug. “I have three kids, so for me it meant having more days when I was able to live my everyday life, cook a meal at home, go to events at school.” The second study tested fremanezumab (frem-uh-NEZZ-yoo-mab), from Teva Pharmaceutical, for chronic migraine — defined as headaches on 15 or more days per month, at least eight of them migraines. About 1,000 patients were given monthly shots for three months: One third got the drug each time, another third got the drug the first time and then dummy shots the next two times, and the rest got dummy shots each time. Monthly headache days dropped by

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four to five in the groups given the drug, and by two to three for those given dummy treatments.

Some caveats — Average reductions of one or two days a month are modest, but “there are some patients who have had a complete response. They become headache-free,” Hershey said. — No worrisome side effects emerged, but the studies were very short, so longterm safety and effectiveness are unknown. — The new drugs were not tested against existing ones, only against placebo treatments. — Many study leaders work for, or have

other financial ties to, the drugmakers, and the companies helped analyze the results. — Biotech drugs like these tend to be very expensive, and if they’re approved, insurers may set big copays or require patients to try older medicines first, Hershey said. On the other hand, when the drugs did work, the benefit was seen right away, so there’s less financial risk in trying one or two doses. “The patient will know quickly if this is a drug for them, and if not, move on to something else,” Hershey said. Both drugs have been submitted to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for approval. Eli Lilly and Co. and Alder Biopharmaceuticals also are testing similar drugs. — AP

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J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 8 — WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N

Age-Friendly Montgomery “I’m inviting you to enjoy our County’s resources and programs.” County Executive Ike Leggett

50+ And Looking To Put Your Skills To Work? Connect with the 50+ Volunteer Network The Montgomery County Volunteer Center’s new 50+ Volunteer Network connects skilled volunteers with nonprofit and government agencies that can benefit from a lifetime of experience. This program is perfect for anyone who is over 50 and wants to make a significant contribution of time and talent to the community, while still retaining the flexibility of retirement. Through personal consultations, trained advisors can help identify a volunteer opportunity that matches your particular interests, skills, and availability. This may include: • Ongoing organizational support • Short-term consulting projects • Direct services to clients in need For more information, call 240-777-2600 or email 50plus@montgomerycountymd.gov. You can also visit the 50+ Volunteer Network table at the Volunteer Fair during the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service on January 15, 1- 3 p.m. at the Bethesda North Marriott Conference Center.

Join a Job Search Training Program for Job Seekers 50+ If you are 50+ and frustrated by your job search, JCA’s Career Gateway Program can help you hone your resume, polish your networking and interviewing skills, use Internet job search resources more effectively, and turn your age and experience to your advantage. Each session of the Career Gateway features 30 hours of small-group classroom instruction over five days, comprehensive take-home materials, practical exercises, and a long-term mentor - all for only $75! The next session - Session III - will begin on January 22, 2018 and continue on Jan. 24, 26, 29 and 31. Additional sessions will be held beginning March 5 and continue on March 7, 9, 12 and 14 (Session IV) and beginning April 23 and continue on April 25, 27, 30 and May 2 (Session V). Space is limited and registration is on a first-come, first-serve basis. For additional information, please call Jodie Rasch at 301-255-4215 or email her at jodie.rasch@accessjca.org.

• Aging & Disability Resource Line 240-777-3000

• 3-1-1 or 240-777-0311 for County programs and services; 9-1-1 for emergency • www.montgomerycountymd.gov/senior

• “Seniors Today” airs on Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays at 6:00 p.m. on Comcast/RCN 6, Verizon 30

Say you saw it in the Beacon | Fitness & Health

WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N — J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 8

Palliative care is for anyone seriously ill Dear Mayo Clinic: What’s the difference between palliative care and hospice care? Answer: People often confuse palliative care and hospice care, thinking they are the same thing. But they’re not. Palliative care focuses on improving quality of life for anyone who has a serious illness. Hospice care is a form of palliative care for people whose illness has advanced to the point that they likely have less than six months to live.

Relieving symptoms and pain Palliative care can be useful to people of any age who have a serious illness, no matter the stage of the disease or long-term outlook. The goal of palliative care is to help people living with illness feel better overall. If you opt to have palliative care, it doesn’t limit other care, or take the place of therapies used to treat or cure disease. Palliative care can be provided together with curative treatment. People who receive palliative care can have a wide range of illnesses — such as cancer, Parkinson’s disease, heart disease, dementia, kidney failure and stroke. Doctors who specialize in palliative care have expertise in relieving symptoms that often accompany serious illness — such as pain, fatigue, nausea, vomiting, constipation, sleep problems and depression. Palliative care also takes into account a person’s emotional and spiritual wellbeing. In many cases, palliative care provides services to the entire family, helping everyone involved better cope with the disease. Teamwork is a key part of both palliative care and hospice care. Palliative care professionals can come from a wide range of medical specialties. In addition to physicians, the team includes nurses, pharmacists, social workers and chaplains. It is important to note that palliative care professionals become part of a patient’s healthcare team. They replace no one. This means that the palliative care professionals will not take the place of your doctors or any other established care team members. Instead, palliative care experts work with those providers to offer a coor-

dinated approach.

Hospice is for terminally ill As a subset of palliative care, hospice care is intended for people who have no further options to treat a life-threatening illness effectively, or for whom those treatments don’t provide them with improved quality of life. Hospice focuses on providing the highest quality of life possible, while supporting the whole family. Hospice recognizes dying as part of the normal process of living, affirms life, and neither hastens nor postpones death. Hospice care is for terminally ill people expected to have six months or less to live. This doesn’t mean that hospice care will be provided only for six months, though. Hospice care can be continued for as long as the individual’s doctor and hospice care team confirm that the illness remains lifelimiting. Hospice care can be provided at home. But it is also offered in hospitals, nursing homes, assisted living facilities and dedicated hospice centers. With hospice, treatments are offered for many symptoms, such as constipation, pain and nausea, among others. If symptoms cannot be controlled at home, then admission to a hospital may be necessary, even if an individual is enrolled in hospice. If you or someone close to you is dealing with a serious illness, talk to your healthcare provider about the benefits of palliative care, and the palliative care services offered through your healthcare organization. Palliative care can be useful when navigating any serious illness, helping patients and families feel better — physically and emotionally. — Jacob Strand, M.D., Palliative Care Clinic, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. Mayo Clinic Q & A is an educational resource and doesn’t replace regular medical care. E-mail a question to MayoClinicQ&A @mayo.edu. For more information, visit www.mayoclinic.org. © 2017 Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research. All rights reserved. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

The care you need to get you back to your life.

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Ongoing

FREE MEMORY SCREENING

Center offers free, confidential memory screenings to promote proper detection of memory problems and provide education about successful aging. The one-on-one, noninvasive screening takes only five to ten minutes and is administered by a qualified healthcare professional. The hospital is located at 1701 N. George Mason Dr., Arlington, Va. For the next available screening date, contact the hospi-

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J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 8 — WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N

New shingles vaccine boosts protection By Dr. Howard LeWine Q: I recently read that the new shingles vaccine might be better than the older vaccine. I did have one shot of the older vaccine about seven years ago. Should I get this new one? A: Shingles is caused by the same virus — the varicella zoster virus — that causes chickenpox. Once you have had chickenpox, the virus that caused it remains alive inside your nerves. It is inactive, but it can be reactivated later in life. This causes shingles. When the virus reactivates, the infected nerves, and the skin the nerves go to, become inflamed, causing a burning or stabbing pain. A few days later, when the virus

reaches the skin, a rash of blisters appear along the affected nerve. The skin may be very sensitive, unable to tolerate even the lightest touch. Up to 10 percent of adults who get shingles experience long-term pain, even after the rash has healed completely. This condition is called post-herpetic neuralgia. It may last for months or even years. Until recently, only one shingles vaccine — called Zostavax — was available. In the large clinical trial that led to its approval by the FDA, the vaccine cut the risk of getting shingles by 51 percent, and the risk of postherpetic neuralgia by 67 percent. While a 50 percent decreased risk is okay, that’s not great. Also, Zostavax starts

losing its protective effect against shingles within a few years.

Effective, but insurance issues The newer vaccine appears to be both much more effective and provide longer protection. It’s called Shingrix. In a large four-year study, it continued to provide over 90 percent protection against shingles across all age groups. As opposed to one shot only for Zostavax, Shingrix requires two shots (two to six months apart) in order to be maximally protective. Side effects of both vaccines are minimal. But Shingrix does not have the longterm safety record that Zostavax has. The FDA approved Shingrix in October 2017 for people ages 50 and older. A CDC advisory panel supported the recommen-

dation and the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices agreed, including people who have already received Zostavax. The CDC has not yet released formal recommendations for Shingrix. So, medical insurance probably would not cover the $280 cost of the two shots today. But I expect that to change in the near future. Like you, I have already had Zostavax. I do plan on getting Shingrix once it is covered by my medical insurance. Howard LeWine, M.D., is an internist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston and assistant professor at Harvard Medical School. For additional consumer health information, visit www.health.harvard.edu. © 2017. President and fellows of Harvard College. All rights reserved. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

BEACON BITS

Jan. 9+

DEMENTIA ART TOUR The National Portrait Gallery presents “See Me,” a discussion and

engagement session for art lovers with dementia and their caregivers, on Friday, Jan. 9 and Tuesday, Jan. 23. Experience an interactive and multi-sensory tour of the museum. The gallery is located at 8th and F Sts. NW, Washington, D.C. Registration is required. For more information, email access@si.edu or call (202) 633-2921.

Jan. 11+

MORNING GRIEF SUPPORT Chesapeake Life Center offers a Coffee and Conversations Monthly Morning Grief Support Group, an informal gathering that

provides a safe place for sharing and learning about grief while exploring coping strategies. The group will meet from 10 to 11:30 a.m. on the second Thursday of each month, on Jan. 11, Feb. 8, March 8, April 12, May 10 and June 14. The center is located at 9500 Medical Center Drive, Suite 250, Largo, Md. Pre-registration is required. For more information or to register, call (888) 501-7077.

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LISTING JUST SOLD! – The Greens “M” w/ Garage, Best value in The Greens, 3BR, 2.5BA, large enclosed. balcony, fresh paint, carpet & lighting, 1530 sf, $269,900

WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N — J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 8

Say you saw it in the Beacon | Fitness & Health

Latest scoop on coffee’s health benefits By Dr. Robert H. Shmerling What a difference a few years can make. Not long ago, I was learning about the dangers of coffee — how it could raise your blood pressure, make your heart race, impair sleep, and maybe even cause cancer. Now, the World Health Organization (WHO) has taken coffee off the possible carcinogen list. And there’s increasing evidence that coffee might actually be good for you. So good that doctors might begin recommending it. What’s changed? It’s all about the evidence.

Possible benefits Over the last several decades, coffee has been among the most heavily studied dietary components. And the news is mostly good. Moderate coffee consumption (three to four cups per day) has been linked with longer lifespan. In fact, a November 2015 study in Circulation found that coffee consumption was associated with an 8 to 15 percent reduction in the risk of death (with larger reductions among those with higher coffee consumption). Other studies have found that coffee drinkers may have a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease (including heart attack, heart failure, and stroke), type 2 diabetes, Parkinson’s disease, uterine and liver cancer, cirrhosis and gout. The reason that coffee drinking might be beneficial is unknown. One factor, of course, could be the caffeine. But that can be hard to sort out from the research because many studies do not distinguish whether the coffee is caffeinated or decaffeinated.

Possible health risks A number of studies have linked coffee

consumption to health problems, including: Bladder and pancreatic cancer. Studies performed more than 30 years ago suggested a potential link between coffee consumption and cancers of the bladder, pancreas, and possibly others. Since then, better research has largely refuted these concerns. In fact, some of the older studies raising red flags about a cancer link have since been used as examples of “fishing expeditions” and weak research methodology. Esophageal cancer. In its recently released report, the WHO has raised concerns that drinking coffee (or other beverages) at temperatures higher than 149 degrees F may increase the risk of esophageal cancer. However, this is not unique to coffee. And drinking coffee at such high temperatures is unusual among most coffee drinkers in the US. Cardiovascular disease. Studies linking coffee consumption to cardiovascular disease have mostly observed it with higher consumption (well above four cups per day). And some of these studies did not account for smoking, which often accompanies coffee consumption and is, of course, an important cardiovascular disease risk factor on its own. Other concerns include modest and temporary elevations in blood pressure, and fast or abnormal heart rhythms. Bothersome, but mostly minor, side effects. The caffeine in coffee can impair sleep, cause a “speedy” or jittery feeling, and even cause anxiety. Heartburn, frequent urination (because caffeine is a diuretic), and palpitations are problematic for some coffee drinkers.

An about-face from WHO In a June 2016 report, the WHO officially lifted coffee from the list of potentially carcinogenic foods. It went on to designate

coffee as potentially protective against cancer of the uterus and liver. And the WHO is not the only organization to include coffee in its list of foods that are probably harmless and possibly healthy. The 2015 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee (commissioned by the secretaries of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the U.S. Department of Agriculture) thoroughly reviewed the evidence and declared that “moderate coffee consumption (three to five cups per

day) can be incorporated into a healthy dietary pattern...” And the World Cancer Research Fund International concluded that coffee consumption was linked with a lower risk of several types of cancer.

So, should you drink coffee? Considering all of this good news about coffee consumption, you might feel temptSee COFFEE, page 14

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J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 8 — WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N

Risks abound in secondhand smoke, too Dear Mayo Clinic: Is secondhand cigarette smoke dangerous to my health? Answer: The short answer to your question is yes, secondhand smoke is dangerous. Secondhand smoke — also known as environmental tobacco smoke — is a combination of the smoke coming from a burning cigarette and the smoke exhaled by the smoker, which spreads out to the surrounding space. Secondhand smoke contains the same toxic chemicals that are inhaled by smokers — including nicotine, carbon monoxide, benzene, formaldehyde, cyanide and a variety of cancer-causing substances. The effects of these chemicals are greater when inhaled directly from a ciga-

Coffee From page 13 ed to increase your intake or to start drinking it if you don’t already.

rette; nonetheless, the effects are still toxic secondhand. Particles in secondhand smoke can remain in the air for hours, and the residue that clings to a smoker’s hair, clothing and other items also may pose health risks, especially for children. This residue is sometimes referred to as thirdhand smoke. Because secondhand smoke is a dynamic mixture that changes as it travels and mixes with the environment, it’s hard to quantify its risk. In general, no amount of secondhand smoke is safe, because of its inherent toxicity.

Lung cancer and heart risks Evidence indicates that the secondhand smoke exposure that comes from living Here’s my take: If you don’t like coffee, there is no current recommendation to drink it anyway. However, if we can figure out why coffee might have health benefits, it’s possible

with a smoker can increase your risk of lung cancer by 20 to 30 percent. Secondhand smoke also increases your risk of coronary heart disease by 25 to 30 percent, and can lead to a variety of health risks for children, as well as for pregnant women and their unborn babies. As with active smoking, the greater the exposure — and the longer the duration of exposure — the greater the risk of harm, especially for diseases such as lung cancer. However, even short-term exposure can worsen symptoms of asthma and coronary heart disease. Unfortunately, air cleaning devices or filters don’t effectively clear the air of secondhand smoke. The only way to eliminate

the risks of exposure is to eliminate smoking. In recent years, smoke-free legislation has greatly increased the number of public places that are now smoke-free. For a smoker, smoking cessation can be a difficult journey, but an important one. If you smoke, know that quitting will improve not only your own health, but also the health of your loved ones. If you live with a smoker, your full support is essential to his or her quitting process. (Adapted from Mayo Clinic Health Letter) — Steven Ames, Ph.D., Psychology, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, Fla. © 2017 Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research. All rights reserved. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

that a medication can be developed that provides those benefits without the side effects (or taste) of coffee or caffeine. Or, faced with a choice of a new medication or coffee, one might choose the latter. If you are already a coffee drinker, it should be reassuring that, after decades of research, no strong link can be found between coffee intake and cancer and, to the contrary, a number of health benefits seem to accompany coffee consumption. But, I’m not sure the evidence is powerful enough to recommend an increase in your daily habit. One reason is that we don’t know for sure that coffee consumption actually caused the health benefits observed in these studies. Some other, unmeasured factor could be responsible. Another reason is that the overall effect was small. And it’s worth noting that some people are quite sensitive to the side ef-

fects of coffee. Moderate your coffee intake. Although we don’t have proof that drinking six or more cups of coffee is dangerous, the risk of side effects is lower with moderation. Don’t drink beverages at very high temperatures (i.e., over 149 F). In addition to the potential risk of esophageal cancer, there is a risk of burning yourself. It’s unusual that a food on the “cancer risk list” comes off of it — and it’s even more unusual that such foods then become considered a healthy choice. But as the millions of people drinking coffee every day will tell you, when it comes to coffee, there’s nothing like it. Robert H. Shmerling, M.D., is faculty editor of Harvard Health Publications. © 2017. President and fellows of Harvard College. All rights reserved. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N — J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 8

Health Shorts OTC pain pills often can replace opioids Emergency rooms are where many patients are first introduced to powerful opioid painkillers. But what if doctors offered over-the-counter pills instead? A new study tested that approach on patients with broken bones and sprains, and found pain relievers sold as Tylenol and Motrin worked as well as opioids at reducing severe pain. The results challenge common ER practice for treating short-term, severe pain. They could prompt changes that would help prevent new patients from becoming addicted. The study has limitations: It only looked at short-term pain relief in the emergency room, and researchers didn’t evaluate how patients managed their pain after leaving the hospital. But given the scope of the U.S. opioid epidemic — more than 2 million Americans are addicted to opioid painkillers or heroin — experts say any dent in the problem could be meaningful. Results were published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Long-term opioid use often begins with a prescription painkiller for short-term pain, and use of these drugs in the ER has risen in recent years. Previous studies have shown opioids were prescribed in nearly one-third of ER visits. About one out of five ER patients are sent home with opioid prescriptions. The study involved 411 adults treated in two emergency rooms at Montefiore Medical Center in New York City. Their injuries included leg and arm fractures or sprains.

All were given acetaminophen, the main ingredient in Tylenol, plus either ibuprofen, the main ingredient in Motrin, or one of three opioids: oxycodone, hydrocodone or codeine. They were given standard doses and were not told which drug combo they received. Patients rated their pain levels before taking the medicine and two hours later. On average, pain scores dropped from almost 9 on a 10-point scale to about 5, with negligible differences between the groups. Ibuprofen and acetaminophen affect different pain receptors in the body, so using the two drugs together may be especially potent, said Dr. Andrew Chang, an emergency medicine professor at Albany Medical College in upstate New York, who led the study. He noted that a pill combining ibuprofen and acetaminophen is available in other countries. His findings echo research from Canada and Australia testing that pill against opioids for pain relief.

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changed — such as exposure to sun, not eating enough fruits and vegetables, drinking alcohol and, most importantly, smoking. The study used 2014 data and was conducted by the American Cancer Society. It was published online in CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians. Smoking was the leading risk by far, accounting for 29 percent of deaths. Excess body weight was next at 6.5 percent, and alcohol consumption was third at 4 percent. Excess body weight was associated with

60 percent of uterine cancers and about one-third of liver cancers. Alcohol intake was associated with 25 percent of liver cancers in men and 12 percent in women; 17 percent of colorectal cancers in men and 8 percent in women; and 16 percent of breast cancers in women. Exposure to ultraviolet radiation from sunlight or tanning beds was associated with 96 percent of skin cancers in men and 94 percent in women. See HEALTH SHORTS, page 16

Nearly half of cancer deaths are due to lifestyle A new look at cancer in the U.S. finds that nearly half of cancer deaths are caused by smoking, poor diet, and other unhealthy behaviors. That’s less than commonly-cited estimates from more than 35 years ago, a result of new research methods and changes in American society. Smoking rates have plummeted, for example, while obesity rates have risen dramatically. The study found that 45 percent of cancer deaths and 42 percent of diagnosed cancer cases could be attributed to what the authors call “modifiable” risk factors. These are risks that are not inherited, and mostly the result of behavior that can be

Jews and Chocolate: A Love Story Join us for a sweet event with special guest

Sheilah Kaufman

Thursday, February 8 | 2 - 3:30 p.m. Ring House,1801 E. Jefferson St., Rockville, MD 20852 Sheilah Kaufman never met a chocolate she didn’t like, and she is certainly not alone! Chocolate is the most craved food in the United States! Come and meet Sheilah, award-winning author of 26 cookbooks, cooking teacher, food editor, and culinary lecturer, as she tells the story of the History of the Jews and Chocolate. Who knew there was a Jewish history here! Learn valuable information about using and cooking with chocolate, and enjoy a chocolate tasting. Stay for a chocolate buffet! The author will have several cookbooks available for sale and will be happy to sign them for you.

RSVP by February 5th to Jill Berkman at berkman@ceslc.org or 301-816-5052

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J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 8 — WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N

How to cope with ringing in your ears Dear Savvy Senior: Are there any new treatments you know of that can help with constant ear ringing syndrome known as tinnitus? I’ve had it for years, but it’s gotten worse the older I get. — Ringing Louder at 62 Dear Ringing: Tinnitus is a common condition that affects around 45 million Americans, but is usually more prevalent in the 60-and-older age group. Here’s what you should know, along with some tips and treatments that may help.

What is tinnitus? Tinnitus (pronounced tin-NIGHT-us or

TIN-a-tus) is the sensation of hearing a ringing, buzzing, roaring, hissing or whistling sound in one or both ears when no external sound is present. The sounds, which can vary in pitch and loudness, are usually worse when background noise is low, so you may be more aware of it at night when you’re trying to fall asleep in a quiet room. For most people, tinnitus is merely annoying. But for many others, it can be extremely disturbing. Tinnitus itself is not a disease, but rather a symptom of some other underlying health condition. The best way to find out what’s causing your tinnitus is to see an audiologist, or an otolaryngologist — a doctor who specializes in ear, nose and throat

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diseases (commonly called an ENT). The various things that can cause tinnitus are: • Age-related and noise-induced hearing loss — this is the most common cause. • Middle ear obstructions, which are usually caused by a build-up of earwax deep in the ear canal. • The side effects of many different prescription and nonprescription medicines, including aspirin, ibuprofen, certain blood pressure medicines and diuretics, some antidepressants, cancer medicines and antibiotics. • Various medical conditions — such as high blood pressure, vascular disease, diabetes, allergies, thyroid problems, ear or sinus infections, Meniere’s disease, Lyme disease, fibromyalgia, otosclerosis, temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorder, a tumor, an injury to the head or neck, traumatic brain injury, depression, stress and more.

Treating the causes While there’s currently no cure for tinnitus, there are some ways to treat it, depending on the cause.

Health shorts From page 15

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FDA to crack down on stem cell treatments U.S. health authorities recently announced plans to crack down on doctors pushing stem cell procedures that pose the gravest risks to patients. This is part of an effort to police a burgeoning medical field that previously has received little oversight. The Food and Drug Administration laid out a strategy for regulating cell-based medicine, including hundreds of private clinics that have opened across the nation in the last decade. Many of the businesses promote stem cell injections for dozens of diseases, including arthritis, multiple sclerosis and even Alzheimer’s. They can cost $5,000 to $50,000, but there’s little research that such procedures are safe or effective. Most of the new clinics offer adults stem cells isolated from fat. Practitioners collect the fluid from patients via liposuction, treat

For example, if your tinnitus is caused by a wax build-up in your ears or a medical condition (high blood pressure, thyroid problem, etc.), treating the problem may reduce or eliminate the noise. Or, if you think a medication you’re taking may be causing the problem, switching to a different drug, or lowering the dosage, may provide some relief. Another treatment option for tinnitus, that can help suppress or mask the sound so it’s less bothersome, is “sound therapy.” This can be as simple as a fan or a white noise machine, or something more sophisticated, like a modified-sound or notched-music device like Neuromonics (neuromonics.com) or the Levo System (otoharmonics.com) that actually trains your brain not to hear the tinnitus. Or if you have hearing loss, hearing aids can help mask your tinnitus by improving your ability to hear actual sounds. There are even hearing aids today that come with integrated sound generation technology that delivers white noise or customized sounds to the wearer on an ongoing basis. Your audiologist or ENT can See TINNITUS, page 17

it with chemicals, and then inject it back into the body to treat various conditions. Researchers for years have called for a crackdown. FDA officials said they will focus their enforcement efforts on “bad actors” who inject stem cell mixtures into the bloodstream, nervous system or eyes. Regulators say those procedures pose the biggest risk to patients. “We’re going to be prioritizing places where we see products — not just being promoted inappropriately — but putting patients at potential risk,” FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb told reporters on a conference call. Gottlieb said the agency plans to use discretion in overseeing lower-risk procedures such as injections for achy joints. Stem cell researcher Paul Knoepfler called the FDA announcement a “positive sign,” suggesting many clinics will now need to seek FDA permission before promoting experimental stem cell procedures. Stem cells have long been recognized for their ability to reproduce and regenerate tissue. And while emerging research suggests that they will eventually be used to treat a range of debilitating diseases, they are currently only approved for a handful of medical procedures. — AP

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WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N — J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 8

Hearty winter salad with apples, pumpkin By Melissa D’Arabian Summer may officially be the season of green salads, but wintertime versions have advantages that make them worth exploring. Greens seasonable in cooler weather are hearty and darker green, which makes them nutrient-rich. And these thickerleaved greens — such as kale or spinach — can hold up to the addition of warm ingredients, opening up the possibilities for topping your salad with roasted goodies in a way that delicate butter lettuce never could. Have some hearty root veggies in the fridge? Toss them (and some whole garlic cloves — yum!) in some olive oil and roast them, then add while warm to raw kale leaves together with lemon juice, Parmesan and black pepper and you’ve got a winter salad rivaling anything you’d make in July. In this recipe, however, apples are the salad’s star, while pumpkin vinaigrette plays an important supporting role. I cut the apples into small cubes and quickly roast them in a little salt and rosemary at high heat, and the little cubes turn into sweet, herbaceous nuggets of flavor — like raisins, but better — and make other ingredients almost unnecessary. I add leftover turkey for protein, almonds for

Tinnitus From page 16 help you with these options. There are also certain medications that may help. While currently there’s no FDA approved drugs specifically designed to treat tinnitus, some antianxiety drugs and antidepressants have been effective in reliving symptoms. Behavioral therapies, counseling and support groups can also be helpful. Other things you can do to help quiet the

crunch, and tomatoes for a tiny bit of acid. You could even add blue cheese or feta if you happen to have some floating around the house, leftover from a cheese party platter. Feel free to swap out ingredients to match your pantry: As long as you are topping winter greens with something warm, whether roasted Brussels sprouts or panseared salmon, you’ll be on your way to a tasty winter green salad.

Green Salad with Pumpkin Vinaigrette and Roasted Apples Servings: 4 Start to finish: 30 minutes Salad: 2 large tart apples (such as Granny Smith), cut into 1-inch cubes (unpeeled), about 3 cups 2 teaspoons fresh minced rosemary 5 cups baby spinach or kale, or other hearty greens 1/2 cup baby tomatoes, halved or quartered 1 1/2 cups shredded cooked white meat chicken or turkey 1/4 cup marcona almonds 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt Olive oil in a mister noise is to avoid consuming things that can aggravate the problem, including salt, artificial sweeteners, sugar, alcohol, tonic water, tobacco and caffeine. And protect yourself from loud noises by wearing earplugs. For more information on tinnitus treatment options, visit the American Tinnitus Association at www.ata.org. Send your questions to: Savvy Senior, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070, or visit SavvySenior.org. Jim Miller is a contributor to the NBC Today show and author of “The Savvy Senior” book.

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Pumpkin Vinaigrette: 1/4 cup pumpkin puree 1 tablespoon water 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar 1 tablespoon maple syrup 1 tablespoon olive oil 1/2 teaspoon minced rosemary 1 teaspoon minced shallot a few turns of freshly ground black pepper Preheat the oven to 425 F. Place the cubed apple on a parchment-line baking tray and spray with an olive oil mister to coat the cubes. Sprinkle on the minced rosemary and salt, and gently toss the cubes to coat. Bake just until tender and edges are starting to turn golden, about 12 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside to cool

just a few minutes. While the apples are roasting, make the vinaigrette. Place the pumpkin puree, water, vinegar and maple syrup in a small bowl. Whisk the olive oil into the mixture until well-blended. Add the rosemary, shallot and black pepper and stir. To assemble the salad: place the spinach in a bowl or platter and top with the tomatoes, chicken, almonds and warm, roasted apples. Drizzle with pumpkin vinaigrette, toss and serve. Nutrition information per serving: 239 calories; 75 calories from fat; 8 g. fat (1 g. saturated; 0 g. trans fats); 45 mg. cholesterol; 336 mg. sodium; 21 g. carbohydrate; 6 g. fiber; 12 g. sugar; 20 g. protein. — AP

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J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 8 — WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N

Foods and games to improve your brain If you want to know how to grow a potato), think about that! On the topic of food, we also have wellbunch of new brain cells, termed “neudesigned trials to show that rons,” and keep them as intermittent fasting, caloric healthy as possible, let me tell restriction and exercise proyou one quick thing about mote the growth of new brain neurogenesis. cells. So keep that up, too. Neurogenesis is the science Everyone talks about enof spurring the growth of neuhancing BDNF (brain-derons in your brain. Without rived neurotrophic factor) as neurogenesis, you’d be dead. a method of growing new In fact, we can grow as many brain cells. While that is imas 700 new neurons a day. portant, there is some new reScientists have found that DEAR search that suggests that the several things actually help PHARMACIST hormone that makes you feel spur on neurogenesis. The By Suzy Cohen hungry, called ghrelin, may bigger challenge, however, is be the thing that triggers the whole birth keeping your new neurons. Neurogenesis is a dynamic process that of new neurons in the first place. On the topic of exercise: I definitely reduces risk of Alzheimer’s, insomnia, anxiety, dementia and other cognitive prob- want you to go to Body Pump and Zumba, lems. Avoiding foods high in glutamate but you should also be exercising your and MSG will help you, and so will eating a brain. By that, I mean engage in puzzles, clean, fresh diet of foods filled with a lot of math problems and spatial video games. This brings me to my next idea for you. what I call “light foods” — meaning plantbased salads and veggies that utilize light How about playing Super Mario 3D? This particular video game (and also for the photosynthesis process. Additionally, there are foods that are Super Mario 64) have been used in two imparticularly adept at growing brand new portant research studies on the brain, where neurons in our brains, while also activat- it was proven that spatial video games ining protective pathways to nurture them crease brain activity in the hippocampal region and help you create new neurons. and keep them thriving. This gives us a whole new perspective It’s hard to believe, but it’s true, that what we choose to eat impacts our mind to when it comes to healing the brain and some degree. The most potent neuron-lov- growing new healthy brain cells. So, enjoy a big bowl of blueberries, have ing foods include: • Green tea, berries, citrus, apples, and a long work out, and then crash on the couch for some fun video gaming, and just dark chocolate (due to the flavonoids) • Blueberries (due to the flavonoids feel your mind ignite with newfound brainiac-ness. and anthocyanin) This information is opinion only. It is not • Red grapes (because the skin has intended to treat, cure or diagnose your conresveratrol) • Wild-caught salmon and other fatty dition. Consult with your doctor before using any new drug or supplement. fish (due to the DHA fish oils) Suzy Cohen is a registered pharmacist Oddly, researchers have found that eating chewier foods — as opposed to soft, mushy and the author of The 24-Hour Pharmacist foods — are helpful to neuronal growth. As and Real Solutions from Head to Toe. To you eat a baked potato (instead of mashed contact her, visit www.SuzyCohen.com.

BEACON BITS

Jan. 9

DEMO FOR CANCER PATIENTS Hope Connections for Cancer Support invites patients undergoing

chemotherapy or radiation treatment to a hands-on, cosmetologist-led workshop, which includes skin care, makeup application, and a “how-to” wig, scarf and hat demonstration to help females cope with the side effects of cancer treatment on Tuesday, Jan. 9 from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at 1800 Corporate Dr., Landover, Md. For more information or to RSVP, call (301) 634-7500.

Jan. 9

CAREGIVER SUPPORT CALL Fairfax County’s free Family Caregiver Telephone Support Group meets by phone on Tuesday, Jan. 9 from 7 to 8 p.m. This month’s

topic is “When Your Loved One is Hospitalized.” Share your experiences, gain support and get important information without having to travel. For more information or to register, call (703) 324-5484, TTY 711.

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WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N — J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 8

Lazy, weak men and clueless strangers Dear Solutions: Make a list of things that need to get My husband, who retired done in the house. Tell him recently, is making me more services will resume when he and more angry. Every time agrees to which chores he’ll I ask him to help with take part in. household chores, he refusAnd change your vocabues and thinks he’s funny lary. “Helping” is not the when he says he can’t exert word. “Sharing” is the accepthimself because he’s proable word and attitude. tecting me. He says he’s savDear Solutions: ing me from becoming a I’m a fair-skinned, bluewidow. eyed Caucasian. My husI work part time, but be- SOLUTIONS band is Caucasian also, cause I’m home a lot, he By Helen Oxenberg, but Middle Eastern with thinks I can do everything MSW, ACSW dark skin and hair. myself. I’ve already talked We’re taking care of our seriously with him, but he won’t take it 6-year-old grandson for a while. He is seriously. dark like his grandfather. When he’s How can I get him to stop constantly with me alone some people have assaying he’s protecting me and saving sumed he’s adopted. Now that he’s me from becoming a widow? older, some people are saying it to — Disgusted Wife him. Dear Disgusted: I got very angry at a woman who igTell him to stop worrying because nored me and bent down to my grandyou’ve decided it’s okay to be a widow! Tell son and said, “Oh, aren’t you a lucky him the reason you ask for his help is be- little boy that you got chosen to be cause you’re protecting him from becom- adopted.” My grandson started to cry ing a divorcé. and keeps asking me now if he’s Then stop arguing and stop taking care adopted. of his things. Do just what’s needed for What do I do with people like that? you. In other words, no clean socks, no I’d really like to zing it to them. clean shirts, no suits to or back from the — Carol cleaners, no dinner, no ____ (you can fill in Dear Carol: the blank). Adopt an attitude of disbelief. First: “No

he’s not adopted.” Second: “It’s unbelievable that a mature person would say something to a child without knowing anything about him.” And third, if you have to zing: “How unlucky you are to be chosen as head of the clueless list.” Show your grandson his birth certificate and pictures of him as an infant with his parents. Be matter-of-fact about it. After that, tell him that although he doesn’t happen to be adopted, some children are, and there’s nothing wrong with that. Tell him also that parents tell their children if they’re adopted. What’s lucky is having loving parents and grandparents, adopted or not. Dear Solutions: These days, most of the men I meet

are weak. They’re more sensitive than some I used to meet before I was married, but that means they want to lean on me as well. Now that I’m divorced, I’d like to be with a man I can lean on to fix things, and someone I can trust to take over if something’s wrong. I guess I want a strong man, but where do you find a strong man these days? — Searching Dear Searching: Join the circus. © Helen Oxenberg, 2018. Questions to be considered for this column may be sent to: The Beacon, P.O. Box 2227, Silver Spring, MD 20915. You may also email the author at helox72@comcast.net. To inquire about reprint rights, call (609) 655-3684.

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Apr. 16

50+ EMPLOYMENT EXPO

Mark your calendar for the Jewish Council for the Aging’s (JCA) annual 50+ Employment Expo on Monday, April 16 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Marriott North Bethesda. Over 50 recruiters from nonprofit, government, healthcare, retail and technological industries will be onsite looking for employees, as well as providing community resources, training and education. There will also be seminars on interviewing, changing careers, and resume writing; Internet coaches to help online applicants; a resume reviewing room; and a keynote address by News4 at 4 anchor Leon Harris. Both admission and parking are free for both participants and employers. For more information, contact Micki Gordon at (301) 255-4231 or mgordon@AccessJCA.org. Jobseekers can pre-register at www.AccessJCA.org/2018MDExpo.

PARKINSON’S POINTERS “recent and future Changes in Treatments for Parkinson’s” A free, livestream event followed by a question-and-answer session

Speaker: Dr. Drew Falconer, movement disorder specialist, INOVA Alexandria Movement Disorders Program

wednesday, january 10, 2018 • 6:30-8 p.m. Registration & Hor d’oeuvres • 6 p.m. Brooke Grove Rehabilitation and Nursing Center 18131 Slade School Road • Sandy Spring, MD 20860

For more information or to register, contact Toni Davis at 301-388-7209 or tdavis@bgf.org by January 8.

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J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 8 — WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N

More at TheBeaconNewspapers.com

VOLUME XXVIIII, ISSUE 1

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE By Laura Newland Executive Director, D.C. Office on Aging Happy New Year! I hope everyone enjoyed the holidays. It was great to see so many of you at the Mayor’s Annual Senior Holiday Celebration last month. And we had so much to celebrate as we closed out 2017. This past year, we made significant strides towards becoming a more age-friendly, livable city for all residents, in all wards. I was honored to join Mayor Muriel Bowser and the Age-Friendly Task Force in November, as the World Health Organization and AARP recognized Washington, D.C. as a top city for Age-Friendly policies. Age-Friendly DC is a collaborative community effort towards making our city a place where all DC residents are active, connected, healthy, engaged and happy in their environment. Being age-friendly includes all aspects of community life, including outdoor spaces and buildings, safe and affordable transportation, housing options for all ages, social participation, social inclusion, civic participation, employment, communication, health services, emergency preparedness, and elder abuse prevention.

January 2018

A newsletter for D.C. Seniors

Since launching this effort five years ago, we’ve talked a lot about what it would take to truly become an age-friendly city. But what does all of this really mean, for you, your friends, families and neighbors? It means that when you get up in the morning, you have choices about where to go, what to do, and how to get there. And that you’re likely one of the 97 percent of District residents who can walk to a park in 10 minutes or less. You can drop in on an exercise class, join a book club, or play a game of pool with the thousands of older District residents regularly attending wellness centers or recreation centers. Or you can break bread with friends and neighbors at one of nearly 50 community dining sites across the city. And you can get to these places safely, whether you walk, bike, use public transportation or drive. And when you get home, you can breathe easier knowing that Safe at Home made you feel safer in your own home by

Children of Promise Holiday Event

Ms. Senior D.C. Frances Curtis Johnson and some of the ladies of the D.C. Senior Cameo Club who helped to brighten the lives of children in the community at the Children of Promise event.

Nearly 200 children from the community and their families were treated to the Frosty Fun Holiday Celebration hosted by the D.C. Seniors Cameo Club and Ms. Senior D.C. Frances Curtis Johnson. The children and their families made snowmen, had brunch, and participated in other activities, including a visit with Santa and Mrs. Claus. The children received gifts

Sandra Bears, Ms. Senior D.C. 2005, and Daisy Savage, Ms. Senior D.C. 2002 (not pictured), led the efforts of the Cameo Club with the Frosty Fun Holiday Celebration this year.

that included toys, coats, hats and gloves, as well as stockings and gift cards. Participating children are currently being impacted by the prison system or are otherwise in need. Special thanks to the Trinity AME Church for hosting the event, the D.C. Office on Aging, Marshalls, and Family Matters for their support of this annual event.

2 Winter Weather Warnings for Seniors 7

Temperatures below 32 degrees Fahrenheit can be very dangerous to seniors and the frail elderly. Older residents are urged to follow certain protective measures, including staying in warm places; wearing several layers of dry clothing; wearing a wind-proof outer layer, hat and mittens when outdoors; taking a warm bath or shower; and drinking plenty of non-alcoholic liquids. In addition, it is important to keep the heat on, even if it is at a low level, to prevent pipes from freezing. If health problems occur, seniors should call their physician, clinic, the nearest hospital or 911 immediately. Seniors should also try to have their prescriptions filled, and request samples from their physician, to have on hand in case bad weather makes it difficult to get out. The following are other helpful community resources to be utilized during the cold weather alert:

Immediate Emergency Response Emergency Assistance 911 In a life-threatening situation, use to

See DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE, page 21

contact police, fire and ambulance services. Please note that there is a charge for DC ambulance transportation to heathcare facilities. Medicare Part A recipients may be reimbursed. Hypothermia/Shelter Hotline, 202399-7093 or 1-800-535-7252 The hotline offers assistance to persons in need of overnight shelter, and support for those living on the streets. Open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Government Assistance D.C. Consumer and Regulatory Affairs, 202-442-9557 If the heating system is not working in your rental apartment building, notify the property management office. If you do not receive a response, you may call the Housing Inspections Office for assistance during regular business hours. Call the Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency at 202727-6161 after hours and on weekends. DC Call Center, 202-311 Use this number to report public streets

that need snow removal and ice clearing. It is also the main number for the District of Columbia. Residents may call 311 to report a problem or violation, offer feedback to the Mayor, or obtain government information. Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency, 202-727-6161 This office can provide you information about shelters, where to get blankets, heaters and oil, and who to contact for other assistance. Also call for non-medical emergency assistance and service information after hours, holidays and weekends. Open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. D.C. Office on Aging, 202-724-5626 The Information and Assistance Office can link seniors with needed services and provide you with general information on keeping warm. The Office is open Monday through Friday, 8:15 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. D.C. Energy Office Hotline, 202-673-6750

Utility Repair PEPCO, 202-833-7500 To report electrical power outage in your

residence. Also, let them know if there are persons in your household with health problems. Washington Gas, 1-800-752-7520 To report gas leakage or outage in your residence. Also, let them know if there are persons in your household with health problems. D.C. Water and Sewer Authority, 202612-3400 Call to report any water problems, including bursting of pipes (24 hours a day). Cable Services To report cable outages contact your cable provider: COMCAST 202-635-5100 RCN 1-800-746-4726 VERIZON 1-800-483-7988 Emergency Resources and Information Yellow Pages 411 If the heat stops working inside your private residence, check the yellow pages or call directory assistance for listings of heating contractors.

Spotlight on Aging

WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N — J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 8

Say you saw it in the Beacon

Seniors Celebrate the Holiday Season

Mayor Muriel Bowser and the D.C. Office on Aging hosted more than 3,500 seniors from all eight wards for the Mayor’s Annual Senior Holiday Celebration at the D.C. Armory. The theme this year, “Together We Thrive!” honored community and the incredible strides made towards making D.C. an age-friendly city for all. Volunteers from the Coast Guard, Navy, PEPCO and DC Public Schools’ Jr. ROTC program joined nearly 150 members of the Mayor’s

administration to help serve lunch. More than 80 exhibitors provided free health screenings, information on senior resources, free manicures and facials, and a free photo booths provided by the Elder Abuse and Prevention Committee (EAPC). The EAPC also shared important tips and information on preventing fraud and elder abuse during the holidays. Guests danced to the music of Sharon Thomas and Da Juke Joint and DJ Nate D.

Mayor Muriel Bower poses with Ms. Senior D.C. Frances Curtis Johnson.

Director’s message From page 20 fixing your stair railing and installing grab bars — just like we’ve done for about 800 older District residents so far since 2016. It means that if you need assistance in your daily life with getting dressed or getting around your house, we work to connect you with the appropriate care you need — in some cases even going to your house to explain program options and to help you apply for services.

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 202-724-5626 www.dcoa.dc.gov

Executive Director Laura Newland

Editor Darlene Nowlin

Photographer Selma Dillard

Skate, and enjoyed performances by talented seniors from across the city, including the MC Steppers, the API Senior Center Dancers, Vida Senior Center, and Ms. Senior D.C. Frances Curtis Johnson with the D.C. Seniors Cameo Club. Handmade quilts and crocheted blankets created by seniors at various sites were on display throughout the Armory. The blankets will be donated to children and infants transitioning out of shelters

ed in the quilting Seniors from across the city participat ded matching inclu s project. Many of the handmade quilt carrying bags.

It means that you can go to any of our 43 age-friendly businesses, knowing that they have pledged to serve you in a safe and inclusive environment. It means businesses and local leaders are looking out to make sure that no one’s trying to take advantage of your finances. And if you need help finding work, DC provides training and job assistance. It means that we’re including everyone in emergency planning. Age-friendly is about saying, “Everyone matters here in DC.” And for all of us, Age-

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, personal 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.

and into permanent homes as part of Home for the Holidays — the Bowser Administration’s campaign to secure permanent housing for 400 of the District’s most vulnerable families and individuals during the holiday season. A special thanks to the volunteers from PEPCO, the armed services and the D.C. Public Schools’ Jr. ROTC Programs who volunteered during the event with food service, and served on our welcoming committee.

Executive Director Laura Newland introduces the staff to perform a special line dance choreographed for the DCOA dance team for the event .

Friendly means that we are a city of neighbors looking after neighbors. To read the complete five year report, visit www.agefriendly.dc.gov. To learn more about programs and services available for you, reach out to DCOA at 202724-5626 or online at www.dcoa.dc.gov.

I’m proud of all we have been able to accomplish, and I’m excited for what we can do together in 2018 and beyond to make DC the best city in the world to age. Our commitment to you does not end at celebrating this accomplishment. In fact, this is where the work begins. Here’s to a great New Year!

Get Involved Monday, Jan. 8 Noon to 2:30 p.m.

Monday, Jan. 22 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

D.C. Resource Group Washington Hebrew Congregation 3935 Macomb St. NW – Ward 3

D.C. Department of Corrections D.C. Office on Aging and collaborating partners will provide presentations and workshops to soon-to-be-released inmates. If you are a provider and you have a resource or service to offer, please contact alice.thompson@dc.gov

Tuesday, Jan. 9 9:30 a.m. to noon Bernice Elizabeth Fonteneau Senior Wellness Center – Resource & Health Fair 3531 Georgia Ave. – Ward 1 Contact: Michelle Singleton, 202-727-0338

Tuesday, Jan. 16 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. D.C. Office on Aging: Informational table on our resources and services Physician’s Office Building 106 Irving St. NW – Ward 5

Thursday, Jan. 18 10 a.m. to noon Train to become a DCOA Ambassador 500 K Street, NE – Ward 6 Contact 202-727-8364 or darlene.nowlin@dc.gov to register.

Monday, Jan. 29 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. D.C. Office on Aging: Informational table on our resources and services Physician’s Office Building 106 Irving St. NW – Ward 5

Wednesday, Jan. 31 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Hayes Senior Wellness Center – Health & Resource Fair 500 K St. NW – Ward 6 Contact: Sherrell Briscoe, 202-727-0357

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J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 8 — WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N

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J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 8 — WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N

Assisted living for comfort, conversation By Carol Sorgen Lisa Cini is one of the nation’s foremost experts on making living spaces comfortable and functional for seniors. Through Mosaic Design Studio, her firm based in Columbus, Ohio, she has been designing assisted living facilities for 25 years. Cini is also a speaker on the subjects of design, aging and technology, and has written two books — The Future is Here: Senior Living Reimagined and Hive: The Simple Guide to Multigenerational Living. “But more importantly,” said Cini, “I’m a wife, mother, daughter and granddaughter to a huge and loving extended family. It’s because of my desire to honor all of my family — both the ones still here and those who’ve left us — that I do this work I love so much.” Cini said she has a simple mission: to improve the quality of life through design. “The places we live aren’t about the beautiful furnishings we put into them or the high-end design aesthetic my professional eye loves to create,” she said. “It’s about creating a home where great memories are formed through comfort, company and conversation.” Cini said that in her business, she works hard to create beautiful, warm and inviting assisted living homes for seniors. “I got into designing for senior living when I decided to switch from healthcare design, where I only got to impact patients

for two to three days [as compared] to impacting seniors for...years,” she said.

to live as we age, or care for our loved ones who can no longer live on their own.

Thoughtful features

A four-generation household

One of the features included in the assisted living facilities she has designed is induction looping technology — a wire that is placed under the floor that allows sound from a TV or other device with sound to be picked up directly by a hearing aid. Another innovation: Toilet seats are designed to incorporate a bidet to aid self-care. In the common areas of assisted living communities, Cini places an emphasis on good food — from demonstration kitchens where cooking classes are taught, to pubs and pizza ovens. She adds vegetable gardens, where residents can participate in raising the organic produce that will be used in the kitchen. To make therapy pools safer, she adds a feature where bathers can walk in and have a mechanism gently lower them into the water, which is “safer and more dignified,” she said. At the same time as she helps make assisted living more comfortable, Cini acknowledges that the majority of older adults either don’t wish to live in such communities, or don’t have the financial means to do so. As a result, there is a need to create other solutions for how and where we are going

Cini came to this realization through first-hand experience. When her now 95year-old grandmother was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, Cini and her parents knew they had to find some solutions to the coming problems her grandmother’s diagnosis might create. “We could have moved her into an excellent care setting, but it would make seeing her much more difficult,” said Cini. “My grandmother didn’t want to be a burden, but I knew as a family we could find a way to keep her safe, loved, and with us at the same time.” That’s when Cini and her husband, two children, parents, and grandmother all decided to move in together several years ago. Cini and her husband sold their four-story home, bought a home that was more conducive to multi-generational living, and embarked on what Cini called a “big social experiment.” There have been challenges, Cini admitted. “You would think as a designer I should have realized what a big issue storage would be,” she said ruefully. “Where is it? How much does each person get? How can they access it? Why didn’t I think to get everyone color-coded bins?” Then there was the issue of privacy.

Building true friendships. For those living with dementia, it’s not the disease that defines the person — it’s the relationships they establish along the way. As a resident at Olney Assisted Living, we encourage your loved one to maintain those relationships and develop new ones, too.

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While Cini’s sister had felt free to visit her parents in their own home without knocking before she entered, Cini didn’t think her sister should just be able to walk into Cini’s home without letting anyone know she was coming. “We worked through all the issues that arose,” said Cini, “but it was challenging at times.”

Learning from each other Those challenges, though, have been offset by the many rewards, Cini said. For example, her children — who were teenagers when their grandparents and great-grandmother moved in — are “so well-adjusted,” said Cini, adding, “They can talk to anyone of any age, and they enjoy listening to my parents and grandmother share their wisdom.” From the other side, the older generations appreciate how the kids and their friends “energize” the house. “My 78-yearold mother does Snapchat,” Cini laughed, referring to a popular app that the younger set uses to communicate with their friends. “Our house is full of life,” said Cini. “My parents and grandmother are living life, as opposed to watching life.” If you’re aging yourself or want to help See ASSISTED LIVING, page B-4

Say you saw it in the Beacon | Housing Options

WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N — J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 8

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Home improvements for aging in place By Mary Kane In response to demands from baby boomers, improvements that help people stay safely in their homes as they age are more stylish and functional than before. Think of a curved and tiled shower soap dish that also serves as a grab bar. Or a decorative kitchen cabinet pull with a wider loop for arthritic hands. More forward-looking homeowners are including aging-in-place features in home renovations such as a kitchen makeover, so they won’t face last-minute decisions during a health crisis. And improvements such as curbless showers and LED nightlights in soothing colors in a bathroom can benefit everyone from grandchildren to their grandparents. Such changes can also add to a home’s resale value, said Mary Jo Peterson, a Brookfield, Conn., kitchen and bath designer and aging-in-place specialist. We’ve pinpointed five areas where improvements could help you stay in your home longer. For each area, we include a big project solution followed by a less expensive suggestion. Estimated costs include labor and installation, and they are based on average prices [prior to Hurricane Harvey] in Houston, Tex., said agingin-place specialist Dan Bawden, who is also president of Legal Eagle Contractors

in Houston.

usually takes less than a day.

To reach upper floors

Boost bathroom safety

Install a pneumatic vacuum elevator Cost: $60,000 to $80,000 (big project) If you live in a multilevel house and you plan to stay there as long as you can, you’re going to eventually face the problem of how to get up and down the stairs. Some homeowners turn to a traditional elevator, but installing one is a major project that can be both expensive and time consuming. A newer alternative: the pneumatic vacuum elevator. It looks like something from “The Jetsons,” and it operates on the same general idea behind the tubes at your bank drive-through but with a fold-down seat for you. The tube whisks you up to the next level, powered by a vacuum pump. It’s cheaper and takes less time to install than a traditional elevator. Another bonus: It takes up less space in your house. Add a stair lift Cost: $4,000 to $6,000 (small project) For a less-expensive option, give oldfashioned stair lifts a look. The seats and footrests on newer models fold up when not in use, and the rails have a sleeker and more modern appearance. They’re particularly easy to use on a flight of stairs with no curves. Installation

Curbless shower Cost: $8,000 to $11,000 (big project) A curbless shower allows you to walk in and out without stepping over a big threshold. It opens the floor space for easy maneuvering, which can be an advantage when you might need help from someone else while you’re in the bathroom. You can also use a rolling shower chair,

so you can get in and out without needing to stand, walk or transfer in a wet area that can be slippery, said aging-in-place consultant Louis Tenenbaum, of Maryland. The floor is sloped so the water flows down the drain. You can add a chair or bench, with shower accessories reachable from a sitting position. Add grab bars Cost: $1,000 (small project) See AGE IN PLACE, page B-4

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Age in place From page B-3 Your bathroom needs to be safe, but it doesn’t need to look like a hospital room. Some of the newer grab bars blend better into the bathroom’s design and avoid that institutional look. The bars hold your weight, but have the same decorative details as towel racks or shower shelves. If you need support to pull yourself up from the toilet, for example, you can grab on to a reinforced toilet roll holder. It also helps to place them strategically where you will actually use them, so think about how you move around the bathroom before installation.

Revamp kitchen cabinets Pull-down and pull-out shelves Cost: $1,600 for three pull-down shelves in upper cabinets; pull-out pantry shelving system, $1,100 to $2,500 (big project) For aging homeowners, reaching wall cabinets can be a stretch. But there’s a solution: pull-down and pull-out shelves, said Curt Kiriu, president of CK Independent

Living Builders, in Mililani, Hawaii. You can put the pull-down shelves in upper cabinets, the pull-out shelves in lower cabinets, and install a pull-out pantry system for good measure. There’s a handle on the bottom of the shelves in the upper cabinets, so you can pull down the shelves toward you and bring them to countertop level. The pull-out shelves in the lower cabinets eliminate the problem of bending and reaching into the back of a shelf to get things. And the pantry system eliminates the need to reach up for spices or other items. The best part: You can install the shelves in your existing cabinets. Kitchen drawer and cabinetry pulls Cost: $300 (small project) This area to improve seems like such a small thing that you might not even notice it: the pulls you use to open your cabinet drawers and doors. But when you get older, you can catch your fingers in small loops on the pulls, or find it painful to tightly grasp them. You can change them out to longer and wider drawer pulls, which are easier to

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J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 8 — WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N

use. Even small changes like replacing cabinetry pulls can make your kitchen more functional for you as you age.

Brighten things up LED canister lights Cost: $200 per fixture (big project) Our vision declines as we age, so don’t forget about improving the lighting in your home. Your old ceiling fixtures may not be bright enough, and putting lamps around the room likely won’t be adequate to compensate. For a total of $1,600, installing two rows of four LED canister lights running lengthwise on each side of a living room ceiling can transform a once-dismal room into a comfortable place to curl up on the furniture with your tablet or book. Bonus: The LED bulbs use much less energy and will last for years, seldom needing replacement. Add nightlights Cost: $60 to $100 for a light-rimmed toilet seat (small project) Other areas of your home also can benefit from lighting changes. You can rim a toilet seat with a soft blue light, for instance, so you can easily and safely find the toilet without turning on the bathroom light. The light will even highlight the inside of the bowl when you lift the seat, for extra help. In your kitchen, you can add toe-kick nightlights under your base cabinets, for when you sneak in for a midnight snack.

Assisted living From page B-2 your older loved ones age in place, Cini offers several tips (more are available in her book, Hive, and at blog.bestlivingtech.com, where you can also subscribe to her newsletter). First, she’s a big proponent of increasing lighting to reduce risk of falls. She also recommends installing pocket doors to

Easier front-door access Build a ramp Cost: $8,000 (big project) Homeowners sometimes worry that ramps from a sidewalk to the front door may be unsightly and detract from value when selling their homes. But like grab bars, ramp designs are improving. Instead of a typical wooden ramp with railings attached to the side of the house, you can build a path that looks like a sidewalk, often using slate, and nicely bordered by landscaping. It’s a “lipstick on a pig” approach that hides the appearance of a ramp. Eliminate the door threshold Cost: $400 (small project) As you get older, just getting to the door might not be enough. A typical entry door often has a threshold that sticks up about an inch or so, making it difficult for wheelchairs to enter and presenting a tripping hazard. You can remove the threshold bump and give the door a retractable bottom that seals when the door is closed and lifts when the door is swung open. A homeowner can activate the device and open the door using just a pinky finger. With no threshold bump, he or she can roll or easily walk in. When the door closes, the rubber door seal drops to ensure the entry is tight and secure. © 2017 The Kiplinger Washington Editors, Inc. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC allow for wider access, in case a walker or wheelchair is required. Her biggest recommendation is to embrace technology. (Cini has a website, BestLivingTech.com, that sells products to make life easier and more pleasurable — from wireless glucose monitoring devices, to health and fitness reminder devices, to robotic pets that offer companionship — they even purr and bark — without having to be walked or have their kitty litter changed.)

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Say you saw it in the Beacon | Housing Options

WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N — J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 8

Housing Notes By Barbara Ruben

Village at Rockville to expand The Village at Rockville — A National Lutheran Community is planning a new independent living building called Glenmere. The new building will feature 130 one- and two-bedroom apartments, three dining venues, and a comprehensive wellness program that will include therapy and lap pools. There will be an enclosed pedestrian link to the Village at Rockville’s Health Center. Glenmere will feature guest suites, a theater, game room, hair salon, computer lab, library, classrooms, and yoga and art studios. There will be parking under the building. Restaurants will have an outdoor dining terrace, and there will be a bar and lounge. Glenmere will be part of the Village at Rockville’s continuing care retirement community (CCRC), which also includes assisted living, memory care, long-term care and rehabilitation. To learn more, see www.glenmereapartments.org or call (301) 424-9560.

Silver Spring home care company one of the best Family & Nursing Care was one of two national finalists for DecisionHealth’s Private Duty Platinum Awards, recognizing organizations that demonstrate success in non-medical, private home care. Finalists were chosen from approximately 25,000 private duty home care companies in the United States, based on client

and employee satisfaction, revenue and referral growth, and innovative programs and processes. “The fact that we were one of the very first home care companies, and are now being identified and recognized out of thousands across the country as one of the best, is a tremendous honor. It speaks to the quality and dedication of our devoted team,” said Neal Kursban, Family & Nursing Care’s president. DecisionHealth publishes medical newsletters, including Part B News, Home Health Line, Medical Practice Compliance Alert and Inside the Joint Commission. Learn more about Family & Nursing Care at www.familynursingcare.com or by calling (301) 588-8200.

Many early retirees still have mortgages American Financing, a national mortgage banker, recently released the results of its 2017 Retirement and Mortgages Survey, a study examining mortgage, retirement and homeownership trends and preferences among 60- to 70-year-olds. According to the findings, 44 percent of 60- to 70-year-olds bring their mortgage into retirement, with 32 percent predicting that it will take them more than eight years to pay off, and an additional 17 percent saying that they will possibly never pay it off. “Part of the American dream, and of homeownership, is the expectation that after years of hard work, you can retire with financial security. But the unfortunate reality for many of today’s baby boomers is that their debt burden remains high,” said Carrie Niess, business analyst at American Financing. “As concerning as this is, there are still many untapped options, such as refinancing and reverse mortgages, which a lot of

B-5

ASSISTED LIVING & MEMORY CARE

Brooke Grove Retirement Village 301-260-2320 18100 Slade School Road Sandy Spring, MD 20860 www.bfg.org This community hums with warm-hearted camaraderie and a zest for life shared by residents and staff alike. Experience all that makes assisted living at Brooke Grove extraordinary. Cozy, homelike dwellings with easy access to beautiful courtyards and walking paths. Caring staff trained in using memory support techniques, building independence and lifting self-esteem. Innovative LIFE® Enrichment Programming with meaningful activities and off-site adventures. Visit us to see why Brooke Grove Retirement Village is one of the most sought-after continuing care retirement communities in the state. Living here is simply different … because what surrounds you really matters.

INDEPENDENT/ASSISTED LIVING

Aspenwood Senior Living (301) 598-6424 14400 Homecrest Road Silver Spring, MD 20906 www.aspenwoodseniorliving.com Welcome to Aspenwood Senior Living, where you will find comfort, flexibility, security and choice in a delightful setting with every convenience at your fingertips. Imagine the luxury of a spacious apartment, coupled with fine dining, a full range of favorite programs, friendly neighbors and a caring staff. In addition, as your needs change, Aspenwood offers a variety of services to meet your healthcare and social desires. Since 1989 Aspenwood Senior Living has been the premier choice for Independent and Assisted Living to many seniors and their families. The wonderful rhythm of life here sets us apart from other communities, but the wealth of service options makes us a leader in the senior housing industry.

See HOUSING NOTES, page B-7

INDEPENDENT/ASSISTED/MEMORY CARE

Waltonwood Ashburn 571-982-6318 44144 Russell Branch Parkway Ashburn, VA 20147 www.Waltonwood.com Social opportunities and luxury amenities await you at Waltonwood Ashburn, a brand new community from Singh Development with independent living, assisted living and memory care communities. Our broad range of amenities includes a spa, saltwater therapy pool, fitness and wellness center, movie theatre, cafe, convenience store and more. Enjoy chef prepared meals in our elegant dining room, plus personal help services and courtesy transportation. You will love our beautifully appointed and spacious studio, 1- and 2-bedroom apartment homes. Independent living is now open, with assisted living and memory care opening soon. Visit us for tours 7 days a week and take advantage of brand new, luxury senior living.

INDEPENDENT/ASSISTED LIVING COMMUNITY

Paul Spring Retirement Community 703 768-0234 7116 Fort Hunt Road, Alexandria, VA 22307 www.rui.net/paul-spring Since 1988, Paul Spring has been one of the premier retirement communities in the Mt. Vernon area located south of Old Town Alexandria. Rent includes all utilities, including basic cable & phone, resident-controlled heat and AC, weekly housekeeping, transportation to shopping & doctors, recreation and wellness program, and an optional 3 meals a day. Amenities include library, computer/internet, wifi, beauty/barber salon, medical & podiatry service, elegant dining room, movie theatre, walking trails, putting green & 24-hour nursing on site. Studio, 1- and 2-BR apartments with 5 levels of upgraded care available. Come by for your tour today!

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J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 8 — WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N

Plan ahead if caring for a parent from afar By Mary Kane Dave Nickerson’s mother, Catherine, is almost 95, but he said she’s as independent and self-sufficient as ever. A former schoolteacher, Catherine has lived for 65 years in the same house where Dave grew up, near Boston. And she’s made it very clear she intends to stay there. “She’s embedded in the community,” Dave said. Dave helped remodel the house a few years ago, so his mom’s living space is all on one floor. Supportive neighbors check in on her regularly. Dave oversees her medical care and manages the bills. He said he feels he’s on top of her situation, even with the one major complication that he deals with on a daily basis: He lives 1,800 miles away. “I moved out of that house back in

1972,” said Dave, who is 65. “Now, I’m up there regularly. Her emotional well-being and health are tied into remaining in that home. I intend to support her in that manner for as long as I can.” Caregiving for an elderly parent or relative is hard on anyone. But for the nation’s seven million long-distance caregivers, “there’s an extra layer of stress,” said John Schall, who heads the Caregiver Action Network, a nonprofit in Washington, D.C. He’s a long-distance caregiver himself. He calls it “the worry factor” — you’re not there to see for yourself if the parent ate a good lunch, got out for a walk, or took medicine correctly. You wake up in the middle of the night, anxious about missing something. “The not knowing is

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even a greater stress,” Schall said. Around the holiday season, adult children sometimes realize a parent may need more help. When you’re home, you might notice things are amiss. The refrigerator is nearly empty, or there’s expired food. The house is dirtier than usual. Unopened mail is piling up. If it’s time to step in, you should prepare for your new caregiving role. You’ll face financial challenges, from handling a parent’s bills, to paying out of pocket for travel and costs for caregiving, which can average $12,000 a year, according to a recent AARP report. You’ll need to spiff up your organizational skills to get a parent’s medical and legal paperwork in order, and be ready to jump in as the advocate for his or her medical care. If you’re still working, you’ll pile these duties on top of your full-time job.

Steps to success The good news is you can break down your caregiver role into stages, and use strategies that have been proven successful for each stage. Early on, for example, set up a network of friends and neighbors to help you keep tabs on your parent or loved one. Worried about not being there with Mom at the doctor’s office? Think about hiring a geriatric care manager to accompany her and to oversee her prescriptions. Take advantage of technology to organize caregiving and keep in touch. As your responsibilities increase, seek support from local resources or online caregiver groups. And take a deep breath — start out by accepting that you can’t do everything at once — and that you shouldn’t even try. Give yourself credit for starting to plan, instead of waiting for an emergency, such as a fall.

Start small, and build up some trust, before taking your first steps, said Leah Eskenazi, director of operations at the Family Caregiver Alliance. Work with your parent to find out where all the important documents and assets are, from bank accounts to safety deposit boxes. But don’t come barreling in and demanding information. You may be the most accomplished financial whiz in town, “but your mom may still see you as the 16-yearold kid who crashed the car,” Eskenazi said. Visit on a regular basis, if you haven’t been doing so already, and launch a conversation in a nonthreatening way. Mention you’ve been thinking about what to do in an emergency. “You can normalize it by saying, ‘This is something I was going to do for myself, too, which is updating my own information and making sure the right people have access to it, in case, God forbid, I got hit by a bus,’” said Ruth Drew, director of family and information services for the Alzheimer’s Association. Or mention recent financial data breaches as a door opener to discussing the need to protect one’s accounts. Ask about two types of powers of attorney, one for decisions on healthcare and one for finances, said Katherine Pearson, an elder law expert and a Penn State Dickinson Law professor. If your parent doesn’t already have those documents, help get them prepared. And brace yourself for a blizzard of other paperwork: life insurance, retirement accounts, bank statements, deeds, wills and trusts, a list of passwords, and more. Print out the “Where to Find My Important Papers” checklist from the Family Caregiver Alliance’s website and take it with you See CARING FROM AFAR, page B-7

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WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N — J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 8

Caring from afar From page B-6 on a family visit. If you need more advice, find an elder law attorney at www.naela.org. Once you have access, you often can handle a parent’s accounts and pay bills online. But if you need more help, consider hiring a daily money manager.

Dealing with siblings Next, settle sibling issues. Decide who will be responsible for routine day-to-day matters and when to consult with others. Be realistic about the family dynamic. “You may have to promise — and live up to that promise — not to second guess your brothers and sisters, especially if they are the ones living closer to Mom or Dad,” Pearson said. “Learn and practice the art of biting your tongue, before you make a suggestion about how to do it ‘better.’” On the health front, arrange for a full medical assessment during one of your visits home, to rule out any medical causes for some of the changes you’re noticing,

Housing notes From page B-5 folks could benefit from,” she said. Additional survey highlights include: • A majority (64 percent) of 60- to 70year-old homeowners plan to remain in their current home — with 62 percent of

Eskenazi said. To avoid roadblocks later, ask the doctor if your parent needs to sign a consent form giving the doctor permission to speak with you about your parent’s medical issues, even when your parent isn’t present. Finally, enlist friends and neighbors. Deborah Fins, a geriatric care manager in Worcester, Mass., suggests giving out your business cards or sharing your e-mail at a parent or loved one’s place of worship or a favorite coffee shop. Encourage acquaintances there to call you if they notice changes in a parent’s behavior, or haven’t seen him or her in a while. Ask neighbors to check in regularly.

Stay connected Technology can be helpful. But don’t rush into buying the latest expensive monitoring gadget, said Grace Whiting, chief operating officer of the National Alliance for Caregiving, a research and policy nonprofit, in Bethesda, Md. Use an app such as Care.ly — a free care coordination tool that lets family members these individuals planning to leave the home to their children/estate. • A majority (58 percent) have refinanced their loan at some point, and 72 percent of these individuals did so in order to lower their mortgage rate. • 19 percent of 60- to 70-year-olds do not know what a reverse mortgage is, while 15

and caregivers track visits and share updates. For safety, a parent might be willing to wear a personal emergency response device if it’s shaped like a bracelet, or carry a mobile device with a GPS in her jacket or purse. Or try Care Angel, an app that uses technology to make check-in calls to a parent and collect information to report back to you. Check with a parent’s healthcare system and pharmacy for apps they offer, so you can keep tabs on healthcare visits and prescriptions, Whiting said. And if your parent is in a nursing home or assisted living, seek permission to use teleconferencing to get progress reports from the staff and ask questions, said Lynn Feinberg, a senior strategic policy adviser for AARP’s Public Policy Institute.

Getting more help If you decide monitoring from a distance isn’t enough, consider hiring a geriatric care manager, also known as an aging life care manager. They provide on-theground care — from home visits, to assisted-living oversight, to hiring and overseepercent would be open to considering one. In addition, the survey revealed that a majority (71 percent) of 60- to 70-year-olds would be likely to make home renovations rather than move in the event that a health issue affected their mobility and/or comfort at home. Eight hundred participants between the

ing caregivers, to accompanying parents or loved ones on doctor visits. Phil Pfeiffer, 62, who lives in Johnson City, Tenn., uses a care manager because his mother, age 89, wants to stay in Pittsburgh. It’s been a big help in making sure she’s doing well in her nursing home, he said. “There have been any number of situations that have come up where the care manager has stepped in,” he said. “The care manager will note that there’s a sore here, or she’s not being propped up right.” He also used the agency to vet and hire local caregivers when his mom lived independently. “It’s not something we could have done on our own without considerable difficulty,” he said. You can find a local care manager through the Aging Life Care Association. But note that many charge between $100 and $300 an hour, and insurance doesn’t cover the cost. Care managers may be nurses, geriatric care specialists or social workers. Decide if you want to use a team See CARING FROM AFAR, page B-8

ages of 60 and 70 were polled across the United States. The demographic of those polled represented a broad range in household income, geographic location and gender. More details from the study can be found at www.americanfinancing.net/reverse-mortgage/mortgage-options-afterretirement.

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J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 7 — WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N

Four steps to disaster-proof your finances By Liz Weston Mother Nature could be excused if she wondered, “How much more prompting do you people need?” Last year delivered epic wildfires, devastating hurricanes, massive floods and some pretty horrific earthquakes. Yet many people still haven’t taken a few critical steps to protect their financial lives from such disasters. Consider setting aside a few hours to take care of these four essential tasks:

Review (and boost) insurance Most renters don’t have renters insurance, but they need it since their landlord’s policy won’t cover their stuff. The vast majority of homeowners do have homeowners insurance, but often not

Caring from afar From page B-7 of managers or a solo practitioner, based on your parent’s medical and other needs.

Expect change Even if caregiving from a distance is going well, you can’t expect the status quo to last forever. At some point, you may need to move your dad to a geriatric care facility, or move him in with you. Instead of ignoring the possibility, find

enough — especially if their policies haven’t been updated regularly to reflect rising construction costs or improvements. Ask your insurer to rerun the numbers to ensure you have enough coverage to rebuild your home completely. United Policyholders, an advocacy group for insurance customers, recommends adding as much “extended replacement cost” coverage as you can afford. This add-on boosts the policy’s coverage limits from 20 to 100 percent if costs run unexpectedly high, as often happens in disaster zones when rebuilding costs soar. Another smart addition: “building code upgrade” or “ordinance coverage” to pay the higher costs of rebuilding to current standards.

Other key points: • Homeowners insurance typically doesn’t cover floods or earthquakes, so consider buying those policies if your home may be at risk. • You want “replacement cost” coverage for your home’s contents, not “actual cash value,” which will pay only pennies on the dollar to replace your stuff. • You may need extra coverage if you have certain valuables, such as jewelry, collectibles, guns, or computers and other home office equipment. Policies typically limit coverage to $1,500 to $2,500 for each of these categories. • Opt for generous “loss of use” or “additional living expenses” coverage, since that will pay your rent and other costs

while your home is uninhabitable. United Policyholders recommends having at least two years’ worth of additional living expense coverage. If you’re concerned your coverage limits are too low and your insurer won’t let you upgrade, shop around for a better provider.

out your parent’s or loved one’s preferences. Consider visiting a few facilities together. Emphasize that you’re not pushing for an immediate decision, but instead creating a list of options for when they are needed. For help in relocating a parent or a loved one, see the online community resource finder at the Alzheimer’s Association website, www.alz.org. Review its page for longdistance caregivers, or call its 24/7 helpline at 1-800-272-3900. The Caregiver Action Network, caregiveraction.org, offers similar re-

sources for other disease-specific caregivers. Check with your employer. Some offer geriatric care manager services in their employee assistance plans, which could help you with the time-consuming task of handling insurance and paperwork. But be aware that only three states so far have implemented paid family and medical leave — California, New Jersey and Rhode Island — and the availability of caregiver support policies varies widely among employers. Still, don’t quit your job, if at all possible.

Most likely, you won’t find financial support to replace your lost wages, said Eskenazi. You may feel guilty about your time crunch. But realize that your caregiver role has limits, and you can’t control the progression of a parent’s or loved one’s aging or disease. You can try to make your parent’s life as safe and as comfortable as possible, and feel a sense of satisfaction in your effort. © 2017 The Kiplinger Washington Editors, Inc. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC

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Scan important documents You may be away from home should disaster strike, or not have time to grab your bug-out bag in your scramble out the door. Keeping documents or copies off site is one solution, but anything in your safe deposit box or lawyer’s office could be comSee DISASTER-PROOF, page B-9

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WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N — J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 8

Disaster-proof From page B-8 promised by the same disaster that wrecks your home, said financial planner Leonard Wright, who evacuated his family from their San Diego-area home during the 2007 wildfires. “You want it out of the area,” said Wright, a certified public accountant and personal financial specialist who contributed to a detailed disaster guide that the American Institute of CPAs created with the American Red Cross and National Endowment for Financial Education. One solution is to put copies in “the cloud.” Wright uses DropBox, a file sharing and storage site, for family pictures, and Box, a similar site known for its security features, for financial documents. Other cloud services include Microsoft’s OneDrive, Apple’s iCloud and Google Drive. Documents can be scanned with mobile apps or desktop scanners, which typically cost $200 to $400. Disaster survivors say the following documents can be particularly important, according to United Policyholders: • Insurance policies • Passports and birth certificates • Family photos • Tax and loan documents • Stocks and bonds • Wills and trusts • Home blueprints or surveys, if you have them

Do a quick home inventory This can be as simple as walking around your home, inside and out, recording your stuff with your smartphone’s video camera, and storing that video in the cloud. Or you can use an app, such as Sortly, MyStuff2 or United Policyholders’ UPHelp Home Inventory to photograph and itemize your possessions.

Make passwords accessible Security experts recommend using a password manager to securely store unique, hard-to-remember logins for each account while only having to remember one master password. Password managers also can help a trusted person take over for you if you die or become incapacitated — but that person will need access to the account. Some password managers let you offer emergency access to others. Another option is to keep copies of your passwords, or your master password, with your estate planning documents. Services such as Everplans and Fidelity Investments’ FidSafe offer online storage with secure sharing options. Finally, make a note on your calendar to do all this again next year so all your important documents are kept up to date. Investing a few hours each year can pay off in an easier recover y if disaster ever strikes, and peace of mind even if it doesn’t. — Nerdwallet via AP

BEACON BITS

Ongoing

EXPLORE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS The Library of Congress is holding a wide variety of winter pro-

grams that highlight musical genius, showcase film, and open the doors of the Main Reading Room with book talks, lectures and symposiums. There are also fascinating exhibits, including “Drawn to Purpose: American Women Illustrators and Cartoonists,” open through Oct. 20. The library is located at 101 Independence Ave. SE, Washington, D.C. For more information and a complete of all the programs, visit www.loc.gov or call (202) 707-5000.

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INDEPENDENT LIVING COMMUNITY

Sommerset Retirement 703-450-6411 22355 Providence Village Dr. Sterling, VA 20164 www.Sommersetretirement.com At Sommerset Retirement Community, located in the heart of Sterling, Virginia, you’ll experience exceptional independent living at its best, with a comfortable, fulfilling, secure and active lifestyle. Sommerset’s unique amenities include restaurant style dining, housekeeping, 24-hour front desk personnel and private transportation. Enjoy the convenience of being just minutes from medical services, shopping, banking and entertainment. For two years in a row now, Sommerset has been voted by the readers of Virginia Living Magazine as one of the best retirement communities in Northern Virginia! Call us or visit our website to request more information or to schedule your tour and complimentary lunch.

INDEPENDENT LIVING COMMUNITY

Greenspring 1-877-589-9570 7410 Spring Village Drive Springfield, VA 22150 EricksonLiving.com For almost 20 years, active seniors have chosen Greenspring in Springfield as their new address for vibrant, maintenance-free living. The 58-acre campus boasts a wide variety of stylish apartment homes; three amenity-packed clubhouses; and an unparalleled health and wellness program exclusively for older adults. Residents can age in place with confidence, knowing that assisted living, memory care, and nursing care are available right on campus if they need extra support in the years to come. Most importantly, Greenspring’s inclusive Monthly Service Package and 90% Refundable Entrance Deposit* make this lifestyle affordable for most retired homeowners. Call 1-877-589-9570 for a free brochure! *As per the Residence and Care Agreement.

INDEPENDENT LIVING COMMUNITY

Brooke Grove Retirement Village 301-260-2320

Seabury at FRIENDSHIP TERRACE 202-244-7400

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

4201 Butterworth Place NW Washington, DC 20016 www.Friendshipterrace.org

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

Active, affordable senior living close to stores, restaurants, transportation and entertainment can be found at Seabury at Friendship Terrace! Located in a quiet, tree-lined northwest Washington neighborhood, Friendship Terrace is just two blocks from the Tenleytown Metro station. The community offers affordable senior living with subsidy assistance to those who are eligible, as well as exciting on-site events including performances, lectures, holiday observances, socials, and more. A rooftop deck, greenhouse, library, lounges, and a dining room overlooking an outdoor courtyard are highlights of the community. Your new home awaits. Remarkable value! Unbeatable location! Call for your tour today!

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CONTINUING CARE RETIREMENT COMMUNITY

The Village at Rockville 301-424-9560 9701 Veirs Drive Rockville, MD 20850-3462 www.thevillageatrockville.org Welcome home to The Village at Rockville. Here the people within make a difference. As a staff we're always engaging, collaborating and making sure that our Life Enrichment programming is perfectly tailored to the wants and needs of those we serve, with activities such as wellness and art classes, social events, educational lectures and shopping excursions. And here, with our full continuum of care, we can meet any changes in health care needs with our short-term myPotential rehabilitation services, brand-new assisted living suites, memory support accommodations and skilled nursing care. Call today to learn more about plans for new independent living!

REHABILITATION

Brooke Grove Retirement Village 301-260-2320 18100 Slade School Road Sandy Spring, MD 20860 www.bfg.org Imagine an extraordinary staff and the best therapies and equipment — in a beautiful environment that rejuvenates and restores. Physical therapy spaces bathed in sunlight. The quiet comfort of a garden walk or relaxing massage. Imagine getting back to the activities that matter to you. Our new, state-of-the-art rehab addition at Brooke Grove Rehabilitation and Nursing Center offers innovative therapy services for seniors, including NeuroGym® Technologies mobility training, the Korebalance system and much more. Visit us to see why Brooke Grove Retirement Village is one of the most sought-after continuing-care retirement communities in the state. Rehab here is simply different… because what surrounds you really matters.

INDEPENDENT & PERSONAL CARE COMMUNITIES

B’nai B’rith Homecrest House 301-244-3579 14508 Homecrest Road Silver Spring, MD 20906 www.homecresthouse.org Homecrest House is a non-profit, affordable, subsidized community offering two options: Independent & Personal Care Services. PERSONAL CARE offers: assistance with bathing, daily meals, weekly housekeeping & laundry services with optional medication administration. Homecrest is nestled on 10 beautiful acres & neighbors with Leisure World. Residents may qualify approximately 30% of their adjusted income for rent & may qualify for personal care subsidies. Homecrest offers a full array of amenities, activities & scheduled weekday van service. Call Maria at 301-244-3579 for a personalized tour or visit us at www.homecresthouse.org.

J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 8 — WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N

Divvying up family belongings peacefully Dear Savvy Senior: What’s the best way to distribute my personal possessions to my kids after I’m gone without causing hard feelings or conflict? I have a lot of jewelry, art, family heirlooms and antique furniture, and three grown kids that don’t always see eye-to-eye on things. — Planning Ahead Dear Planning: Divvying up personal possessions among adult children or other loved ones can often be a difficult task. Deciding who should get what without showing favoritism, hurting someone’s feeling, or causing a feud can be difficult, even for close-knit families who enter the process with the best of intentions. Here are a few tips to consider that can help you divide your stuff with minimal conflict.

Problem areas For starters, you need to be aware that it’s usually the small, simple items of little monetary value that cause the most conflicts. This is because the value we attach to the small personal possessions is usually sentimental or emotional, and because the simple items are the things that most families fail to talk about. Family battles can also escalate over whether things are being divided fairly by monetary value. So, for items of higher value like your jewelry, antiques and art, consider getting an appraisal to assure fair distribution. To locate an appraiser, see Appraisers.org or AppraisersAssociation.org.

Ways to divvy The best solution for passing along your personal possessions is for you to go through your house with your kids or

other heirs, either separately or all at once. Open up cabinets, drawers and closets, and go through boxes in the attic and/or basement to find out what items they would like to inherit and why. They may have some emotional attachment to something you’re not aware of. If more than one child wants the same thing, you will have the ultimate say. Then you need to sit down and make a list on paper of who gets what. Sign, date and reference the list in your will. You can revise it anytime you want. You may also want to consider writing an additional letter, or create an audio or video recording, that further explains your intentions. You can also specify a strategy for divvying up the rest of your property. Here are some methods that are fair and reasonable: • Take turns choosing: Use a roundrobin process where your kids take turns choosing the items they would like to have. If who goes first becomes an issue, they can always flip a coin, draw straws or roll dice. Also, to help simplify things, break down the dividing process room-by-room, versus tackling the entire house. To keep track of who gets what, either make a list, or use adhesive dots with a color assigned to each person to tag the item. • Have a family auction: Give each person involved the same amount of play money, or use virtual points or poker chips, with which to bid on the items they want. For more ideas, see Who Gets Grandma’s Yellow Pie Plate? at YellowPiePlate. umn.edu. This is a resource created by the University of Minnesota Extension ServSee FAMILY BELONGINGS, page B-13

INDEPENDENT/ASSISTED LIVING/MEMORY CARE

Kensington Park 301-946-7700 3620 Littledale Road Kensington, MD 20895 www.kensingtonretirement.com Friendship and fun. Activities and companionship. Family and support. You'll find it all at Kensington Park, a senior living community that features Independent Living, Assisted Living and Memory Care on one beautiful campus. The variety of lifestyle options makes it easy for residents to live the way they want and need in an environment that reflects deep understanding of seniors. Independent Living offers a lively calendar of events, a sophisticated dining experience and cocktail hours. Assisted Living provides enhanced care programs that include a full spectrum of clinical support and end-of-life care. Three levels of Memory Care address challenges unique to each phase of progressive change. Please call us at 301-946-7700.

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WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N — J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 8

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FREE HOUSING AND OTHER INFORMATION For free information from advertisers in this special section, check off those that interest you and mail this entire page to the Beacon. Please do not request info if you are not interested. All replies have an equal chance to win. To be eligible for F. Scott Fitzgerald Theatre tickets, your reply must arrive by February 1, 2017.

HOUSING COMMUNITIES:

❑ Springvale Terrace . . . . .B-14 & B-15 ❑ Village at Rockville . . . . . .B-8 & B-10

WASHINGTON, DC

VIRGINIA

❑ Friendship Terrace . . . . . .B-9 & B-14

❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑

MARYLAND ❑ Aspenwood . . . . . . . . . . . . . .B-5, B-6 ❑ Brooke Grove Retirement Village . . . . . . . . .B-5, B-9, & B-20 ❑ Covenant Village . . . . . . . .B-12, B-15 ❑ Emerson House . . . . . . . . .B-12, B-19 ❑ Homecrest House . . . . . .B-10 & B-18 ❑ Kensington Park . . . . . . .B-10 & B-17 ❑ Olney Assisted Living . . . . . . .B-2 & B-15 ❑ Riderwood . . . . . . . . . . . .B-3 & B-15

Ashby Ponds . . . . . . . . . .B-3 & B-19 Chesterbrook Residences . .B-8 & B-19 Greenspring . . . . . . . . . . . .B-3 & B-9 Gum Springs Glen . . . . . . . . . . .B-12 Herndon Harbor House . . . . . . . .B-12 Lockwood House . . . . . . . . . . . .B-12 Morris Glen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .B-12 Overture Fair Ridge . . . . .B-7 & B-15 Paul Spring Retirement Community . . . . . . . . . . .B-5 & B-13 ❑ Sommerset . . . . . . . . . . . .B-2 & B-9

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Tall Oaks Assisted Living . .B-6 & B-19 Vinson Hall . . . . . . . . . . .B-4 & B-15 Waltonwood . . . . . . . . . . .B-5 & B18 Wingler House . . . . . . . . . . . . . .B-12

HOME CARE SERVICES: ❑ Best Senior Care . . . . . . . . . . . . .B-4

REHABILITATION: ❑ Brooke Grove . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .B-10 ❑ myPotential/The Village at Rockville . . . . . . . . . . . . . .B-16

REAL ESTATE: ❑ Long & Foster/Walter Johnson . . . . . .B-3

Check the boxes you’re interested in and return this entire coupon to: The Beacon, P.O. Box 2227, Silver Spring, MD 20915-2227. You may also include the free info coupon on page 5. One entry per household please. Name __________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Address ____________________________________________________E-mail_______________________________________________ City _______________________________________________________ State ______________________ Zip ____________________ Phone (day) _______________________________________________ (eve) ________________________________________________ Please provide your telephone number and e-mail address so we may contact you promptly if you win the drawing.

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J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 8 — WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N

Affordable Senior Communities Discover how great senior living is at one of our affordable apartment communities. Many of our communities feature 24-hour emergency maintenance, full activities programs, spacious floor plans, affordable rents, caring and dedicated staff, and much more. We are conveniently located near shopping, including grocery stores and pharmacies. Let us help you live life to the fullest. Call or visit our web site to view these communities: 600 North Madison Street, Arlington, VA 22203

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From $896

703-719-7268

873 Grace Street Herndon, VA 20170

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703-904-9444

20900 Runny Meade Terrace Ashburn, VA 20147

703-858-9507

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7837 Richmond Highway Alexandria, VA 22306

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703-780-9072

5999 Emerson Street Bladensburg, MD 20710

301-779-6196

18889 Waring Station Road Germantown, MD 20874

301-540-1162

Rent based on income

From $1,247 for 2 bedroom

5101 River Road, Suite 101 • Bethesda, MD 20816

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

Your disaster kit needs a home inventory By Barbara Marquand Imagine losing everything in a disaster like Hurricane Harvey, then having to list all of your possessions to file an insurance claim — every plate, holiday decoration and piece of clothing for starters. Without a home inventory, this would be the toughest memory test you’d ever face, and forgotten items could cost you in the form of a lower insurance payout. “You can lose thousands of dollars because you didn’t include everything,” said public insurance adjuster David Moore, COO of Jansen/Adjusters International, who took calls at his Houston office during the recent crippling storm. Public insurance adjusters work on behalf of consumers and business owners to prepare complex claims and negotiate fair settlements. They collect a fee or a percentage of the settlement as payment. A home inventory is a list of all your belongings, and ideally includes photos or video of everything, as well as receipts of big-ticket items, such as furniture and TVs, to back it up. It’s a handy resource: After a disaster, an insurer doesn’t cut a check for the amount of coverage on a homeowners, renters or flood insurance policy. You have to describe on the claim the specific items damaged or destroyed. “Having that inventory will help alleviate a lot of stress,” said Carrie Bonney, a spokesperson for Farmers Insurance. And it will help the claim get processed faster, added Rob Galbraith, director of property underwriting at USAA. Here’s how to create an inventory, and what to do if you don’t have one after disaster strikes.

Tools to help Technology makes a home inventory easier than ever before. Some insurers offer free home inventory apps that let customers catalog belongings, upload receipts, add item details and create reports. Free and low-cost apps, such as Sortly for iOS and Encircle for Android and iOS, are also available. United Policyholders, a consumer advocacy group, also offers a free home inventory app by Encircle, and an inventory spreadsheet.

Making a list from scratch You can also create an inventory on your own. The easiest way is to take a video of everything in your house, room by room, Galbraith said. Here’s how: — Take footage of items on the floors, walls and hanging from the ceiling. — Include everything in drawers, cupboards and closets. “Don’t leave out little

things — photos, trophies, knickknacks and books,” Moore said. “Don’t think that something’s too small. If it’s in your home, it’s got some value.” — Narrate the video to record details, such as when and where you purchased the items, Moore recommended. That information can help with cost estimates for a claim. — Capture the make, model and serial numbers of electronic equipment and appliances, Bonney suggested. Overachievers can create spreadsheets listing items and brands, original prices, ages and condition. But taking photos or video is a good place to start, especially if the thought of filling out a spreadsheet tempts you to procrastinate. “Pick an approach that works for your personality type,” Galbraith said. A simple video inventory capturing images of all of your stuff is better than nothing. After cataloging everything, store the digital inventory in the cloud or on an external hard drive in a secure spot away from home, such as a safe deposit box, Bonney said. Some people store important papers and valuables in fireproof safes, but Moore said he’s seen too many safes get washed away in hurricanes. Update the inventory about once a year, and save digital receipts of major purchases, such as a leather sofa or home theater system, as you make them. You don’t have to have a receipt to make a claim, but any documentation you provide can speed up the claims process.

Making a claim without an inventory Here’s what to do if you have to make an insurance claim without a home inventory: — Mentally go through each room in the house and think of everything you can. — Use a list of common household items to spark your memory. The United Policyholders spreadsheet lists hundreds of items room by room. — Check any photos you still have of the inside of your house, perhaps on social media or on your phone, to jog your memory. — Ask friends and family to share photos taken in your house. If you’re lucky enough to be spared from disaster, the time to do an inventory is sooner rather than later. “It is a big job, but it’s nothing compared to trying to put it together after everything is all gone,” Bonney said. This article was provided to the Associated Press by the personal finance website NerdWallet. Barbara Marquand is a writer at NerdWallet. Email: bmarquand@nerdwallet.com.

Write a letter to the editor. See page 2.

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Get an Uber or Lyft ride without the app By Barbara Ruben With their on-demand, prompt transportation services, ride hailing apps like Uber and Lyft have transformed the ease of getting from Point A to Point B at a price generally cheaper than a taxi. But for those who don’t own a smartphone, or who can’t quite get the hang of downloading an app, or read the tiny print once it’s on their phone, these new transportation options have passed them by. Four-in-10 seniors now own smartphones, more than double the share that did so in 2013, according to a 2017 report by the Pew Research Center. Smartphone adoption drops off steeply among those over 75, however. About 31 percent of 75to 79-year-olds say they own smartphones, while only 17 percent of those ages 80 and older are smartphone owners. However, new services are springing up to help older adults —the ones most in need of door-to-door transportation — make use of Uber and Lyft.

A grandmother-inspired service One is Gogo Grandparent, started by two millennials who wanted to help older adults be more mobile. In fact, one of the founders, Justin Boogaard, was living with his grandmother when he started the company in 2016. She saw him frequently taking Uber and wanted to be able to call it on her home phone to catch a ride, too. But Uber doesn’t work by phone. “She kind of looked at me sternly and said, ‘You should make that,’” Boogaard recalled. And so he and a business partner did. They started out fielding all the phone calls themselves from referrals from his grandmother’s friends in Los Angeles and funneling the requests to Lyft and Uber. After six months or so, the company expanded nationally, hiring what they call “professional grandchildren” to answer the calls. Gogo Grandparent users call a toll-free number and have a choice of pushing a few buttons to get what they need — such as

pressing 1 for a pickup from home, or 2 to get a car where it dropped them off last. They can always press 0 to get an operator to help. Rides are primarily provided by Lyft because Boogaard believes they have provided better customer service than Uber. After each ride is complete, the rider’s credit card is charged. The service also can share ride information with family members with minute-byminute updates by text, and will also respond to questions by text. The service is available across the country, wherever Lyft or Uber are available. Gogo Grandparent plans to add new features, such as grocery and meal delivery, as well as home check-ins on older residents. Of course, the more personalized service one gets with Gogo Grandparent comes at a higher cost than simply summoning Uber or Lyft. The company charges a 19 cents per minute “concierge” fee. But other costs are the same, such as

the base charge and per-mile rate. Thus a ride from, say, Georgetown Hospital to Cleveland Park would be $2 to $3 more with GoGo Grandparent than Lyft alone. What Boogaard has noticed is that about 30 to 40 percent of callers to the service do have smartphones. But riders sometimes have a hard time using them. “With grandma as my guinea pig we learned a lot,” Boogaard said. “Looking back now, I was picking up the subtle things that people in their 80s have a tough time with sometimes. Age-related slow reaction times can dramatically affect someone’s app experience.” For example, even if an older adult has downloaded the Lyft or Uber app, they might not understand what to do if they need to update it, especially if they can’t remember their password. Even dry skin, which often affects older adults, can hamper phone use because the touch screen may not respond, Boogaard noted.

Family belongings

that gives pointers to help families discuss property distribution. It also lists important factors to keep in mind that can help avoid conflict. It’s also very important that you discuss

your plans in advance with your kids so they can know ahead what to expect. You may even want to start distributing some of your items now, while you can appreciate the reaction and be appreciated in turn.

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

From page B-10 ice that offers a detailed workbook or interactive CD for $12.50 (or DVD for $30)

See UBER & LYFT, page B-14

PURPOSEFUL LIVING Whether you’re looking for Independent Living or Assisted Living, Paul Spring is committed to taking senior living to the next level. You’ll enjoy 12 acres of beautifully landscaped grounds with gazebo, koi pond, putting green and walking path. From our diverse enrichment and social programs to our exceptional fine dining experience, we deliver valued living all in the comfort of your new picturesque home. Call (703) 768-0234 for more information, and to schedule a personal tour with lunch or dinner.

7116 FORT HUNT ROAD · ALEXANDRIA, VA 22307 · (703) 768-0234 · WWW.RUI.NET/PAUL-SPRING ·

@PAULSPRINGRETIREMENTCOMMUNITY

A RETIREMENT UNLIMITED, INC. COMMUNITY · FAMILY-OWNED & OPERATED IN VIRGINIA FOR MORE THAN 30 YEARS

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Uber & Lyft From page B-13 About 1 in 3 riders call the Gogo Grandparent phone number for help once the ride is on the way because they can’t find the driver, the driver cancels, or for some other reason, he said. Gogo Grandparent can be reached at 1855-464-6872 or at https://gogograndparent.com.

Flip phone access Another option for using Lyft without the app is through the large font, simple

J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 8 — WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N

screen of the Jitterbug phone that is marketed to seniors. Users just press “0” to talk to an operator, who will request rides. Rides can be called on demand or scheduled up to a week ahead of time. Customers get fare estimates in advance, but they must pay a few dollars in surcharge to GreatCall, the company that makes Jitterbug and provides the service, which rolled out in 2016. To learn more, call 1-800-733-6632 or see www.greatcall.com. After Uber noticed that many rides were being ordered for a different location than that of the person placing the order, they PHOTO COURTESY OF JUSTIN BOOGAARD

Justin Boogaard poses with his grandmother, who helped inspire him to found Go Go Grandparent, a company that arranges Uber and Lyft rides for older adults

discovered many were being ordered on behalf of older adults who didn’t have the app. So last summer, Uber introduced Bounce, a feature on the app that makes it easier to order rides for others.

Erickson Living pilot project Retirement communities are also trying to make it easier for their residents to use Lyft. Last September, Erickson Living began a pilot project with two of their 19 communities to help residents at Riderwood in Silver Spring, Md., and a community in Colorado get rides from Lyft. The project is two-pronged: The partnership includes training residents and staff on how to request rides through the Lyft app, as well as training on Lyft’s webbased Concierge tool, which allows Erickson staff to request rides on behalf of their residents. “Transportation limitations have a significant impact on the ability of older

adults to operate independently,” said Steve Taylor, general manager of Lyft DC. “At Lyft, we’re constantly thinking about how we remove barriers to using our platform and provide the best possible experience for everyone.” Getting to medical appointments is another issue for those who don’t drive or use a smartphone to hail a ride. In 2016, MedStar Health, the largest not-for-profit healthcare system in Maryland, Washington, D.C. and northern Virginia, partnered with Uber to make getting to the doctor a little easier. A “Ride with Uber” button is prominently displayed on MedStar’s website. MedStar patients can find out the wait time and approximate cost of a ride, and then request one on the website. They also will be able to set a ride reminder to automatically notify them an hour before their appointment, to help keep them on schedule. Rides can be set at www.medstarhealth. org/mhs/ride-with-uber.

BEACON BITS

Ongoing

1950s EXHIBIT

Montgomery History presents “Boom: The 1950s in Montgomery County,” an exhibit exploring the days of pink flamingos, “duck and cover” drills, and transistor radios, at the Beall-Dawson Museum, open now through Sunday, July 15. In addition to hundreds of display items, there will be tons of hands-on features. The exhibit will also inspire you to delve deeper into topics like racial segregation, the Nuclear Age, and the history of local businesses. Admission $7/$5 for seniors. The museum is located at 103 W Montgomery Ave., Rockville, Md. For more information, call (301) 762-1492.

Seabury Senior Living Communities

Make Your Winter Worry-Free No matter what the weather brings, we take care of the building, the sidewalks... and you!

Friendship Terrace makes affordable DC living possible for seniors. Independent living includes fun activities and opportunities to develop rewarding friendships. Residents love our park-like setting, on-site greenhouse, and convenient location—just two blocks from the Tenleytown Metro—close to shopping, restaurants, and more.

Springvale Terrace is a welcoming, caring community for seniors offering independent living as well as personal and assisted living care services. Many social events, seasonal activities, and exercise programs help keep residents active and engaged. Qualifying residents may receive vouchers/subsidies for personal care services.

Get on our wait list for spring today.

Select apartments are available now!

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

Call 301-587-0190 (TRS 711) to schedule a visit.

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

SpringvaleTerrace.org 1-800-552-7724 MD RELAY SERVICE 8505 Springvale Road, Silver Spring, MD 20910

Say you saw it in the Beacon | Housing Options

WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N — J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 8

INDEPENDENT/PERSONAL CARE/ASSISTED LIVING

Seabury at Springvale Terrace 301-587-0190 8505 Springvale Road Silver Spring, MD 20910 www.springvaleterrace.org Located in the heart of Silver Spring, Springvale Terrace blends affordability with convenience, style and quality care. Residential apartments are available, and enhanced senior living is complemented with personal care services, including three meals a day, housekeeping, laundry, and medication administration. If additional care is needed, Springvale Terrace also has beautiful assisted living apartments. This range of services — combined with low monthly rates — provides just the right amount of assistance to meet your needs while allowing you to live in an apartment you’ll love. Call today to learn more, schedule your personal tour and find your new home. “Remarkable Value... Unbeatable Location.”

CONTINUING CARE RETIREMENT COMMUNITY

Vinson Hall Retirement Community 703-536-4344 6251 Old Dominion Drive McLean, VA 22101 www.vinsonhall.org Celebrate the tradition at Vinson Hall Retirement Community! We're located in McLean, Virginia, near Washington, D.C. and its surrounding suburbs. We are an active, vibrant senior living community, offering independent living, assisted living, nursing care, and memory support residences — all located on 20 acres in a suburban setting. Residents are encouraged to live life “their way.” Visit our website to learn more: www.vinsonhall.org.

ASSISTED LIVING & MEMORY CARE

Olney Assisted Living Memory Care by Design 16940 Georgia Avenue Olney, MD 20832 www.olneymemorycare.com A memory care-specific community, Olney Assisted Living offers compassionate care in an environment designed specifically for those with Alzheimer’s and other types of dementia. Design includes interior “neighborhoods,” a central Town Center, and outdoor courtyards. Daily life enrichment programming is provided with the goal of enhancing cognition, feelings of accomplishment, and quality of life. Licensed, on-site nursing care is provided 24 hours a day by a team of experienced professionals. Families seeking memory care will feel right at home in our community. For more information, call 301-570-0525 today.

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INDEPENDENT LIVING COMMUNITY

Riderwood 1-877-742-4390 3140 Gracefield Road Silver Spring, MD 20904 EricksonLiving.com How to find the right retirement lifestyle for you With so many senior living options available, how do you determine the best fit for your lifestyle, finances, and future? Riderwood, the premier continuing care retirement community in Silver Spring, offers this advice: Find a community that helps you stay active. At Riderwood, you’ll enjoy a wealth of amenities and 100-plus clubs, classes, and activities. Get the most value for your money. Many people are surprised by all that’s included at Riderwood, such as maintenance, most utilities, and flexible meal plans. Plan ahead for future needs. With continuing care at Riderwood, you’ll have access to multiple levels of support should you ever need it. To learn more, call 1-877-742-4390 or visit RiderwoodCommunity.com.

INDEPENDENT LIVING COMMUNITY

Covenant Village 301-540-1162 18889 Waring Station Road Germantown, MD 20874 www.qpmgmt.com • Spacious 2-bedroom plans with washer/dryer in each apt. • Covenant Village shuttle bus for shopping and local trips • Fitness room, billiard room, game/crafts room, movie theatre • On-site beauty salon, garden plots It’s all about our residents, says Kathy the Property Manager. The staff ensures that the residents always have interesting and exciting activities going on. Some of the fun includes movie nights, new resident meet and greet, holiday parties, fashion shows, and community dinners. Attendance at the wine and cheese and ice cream socials is close to 100%. Covenant Village was recently awarded a trophy by the Property Management Association for being Maryland’s Best Affordable Community in their category! Please call today to make an appointment for a tour.

INDEPENDENT LIVING COMMUNITY

Overture Fair Ridge 703-584-5959 3955 Fair Ridge Drive Fairfax, VA 22033 www.liveoverture.com/communities/fairfax/ Overture Fair Ridge – independent apartment living in a 62+ active adult community. We offer one- and two- bedroom floor plans, classes, social events, activities — and more — in 16,000+ square feet of mindbody-social spaces. Amenities include a fitness studio, movie theatre, two libraries, game room, hair and nail salon, outdoor pool and spa, cooking demonstration kitchen and an executive boardroom. Continental breakfast is served every day. In the heart of Fairfax, close to shopping, dining, and entertainment — one mile from Fair Oaks Mall near Routes 66 and 50.

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J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 8 — WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N

How to make a move as smooth as can be By Daniel Carlson Editor’s note: The following article is excerpted from the new book, Home Sweet Apartment: Getting Rightsized in Our Seventies, about how Daniel Carlson and his wife moved from their long-time house to an apartment. When we were younger, moving from one home to another was a fairly simple process: Pack belongings in old cardboard boxes from the A&P, rent a truck, line up friends and family to help, provide some beer, and pray that nobody sustained an injury and none of your possessions got broken. Today, though, things are considerably more complicated as friends and family have gotten older and, thus, less willing/able to help, while those still in their prime “furniture moving” years have become (rightly) less eager to sacrifice their weekend in exchange for a sore back and a couple of warm brews. As for me, I knew my days as a mover were over years ago when a friend asked if I could help him move some furniture in his house. When I got to his place I learned that the “furniture” was an upright piano with a lead sounding board, and that he wanted it moved upstairs. Looking at the other three “volunteers” my friend had invited, I noticed we all had several things in common: we were young, we were big, and we were (presum-

ably) strong. The piano, though, was the ultimate “immovable object,” and we struggled mightily to get that really heavy thing up the curved staircase. We finally succeeded with only a few minor abrasions, some damaged wall board and a broken railing. But I learned a valuable lesson that day: when it comes to moving, it is worth paying a few bucks to professionals who know what they are doing.

Choosing the right company And so, keeping in mind our goal of effecting this move with as little stress as possible, we set out to find a suitable moving company. Very quickly, though, this seemingly simple quest resulted in “information overload” as we found ourselves sorting through an extraordinary number of moving companies advertising on the Internet and elsewhere. Nationally known conglomerates…local crews who seemed to operate on a shoestring…fire fighters with trucks…mom and pop operations…the list went on. Finally, we decided to explore two options that appeared to offer services that came the closest to what we were looking for: the first were senior relocation specialists, and the second were concierge movers who would “do it all” for us.

Senior Relocation Specialists. A relatively new specialty, professionals in this field provide a broad range of services to the over-55 segment of society. As we met with and interviewed several companies, we were impressed by the obvious attention to detail they promised in handling the entire move process for us. They would, for example, take pictures of our current room arrangements and decorations, and then set up our new place so it would look virtually identical. As we talked further, it was clear that the services offered by these groups would be ideal and much-sought-after in circumstances where clients with physical or mental limitations (or their families) could be assured that every detail of a move would be handled with care and grace. Some of what these groups offer, in fact, would likely be especially reassuring to someone who, even in the face of necessity, might be reluctant to move after many years in one home. While impressive in scope, we did not feel that, at this point in our lives, we would require the range of services offered by organizations of this sort. Concierge or “do it all” services. In researching local moving companies we noticed one, in particular, with a Better Business Bureau rating of A+ and a number of

very positive customer reviews. We spoke with their representative who explained the very reasonable per-hour cost for packing, moving and unpacking us, along with a range of other “concierge” services that we could consider if necessary. Those extra services included such things as arranging for change of address notifications, handling the details for any donations to be picked up, and setting up junk removal if necessary. All in all, our reaction to the reputation of this company and what they offered was, Wow! As we dug deeper, we found there was a lot to like about this fully licensed, insured and bonded moving company, not the least of which was their screening and training of uniformed staff. We were attracted, as well, to their promise of care and concern for us and our personal needs, and we learned that we would have a “move coordinator” as our point of contact throughout the process. Though the range of available “add-on” services was impressive, we would require only 1) the packing of our goods beforehand, 2) the actual move itself, and 3) unpacking of our things in our new place. We decided to contract with this local concierge moving company, and we are very glad that we did. Their service was See MAKING THE MOVE, page B-17

“Shouldn’t my rehabilitation program help me reach my potential?”

FOR MORE INFORMATION CALL

301-354-4600

After an illness, injury or surgery, you need someone by your side more than ever—a team of professional caregivers whose sole mission is to help you return to the life you love most. You tell us your rehabilitation goals and we’ll partner with you to create a holistic wellness plan that is tailored to you. Whether you want to get back to golf, gardening or the grandkids, we can help you do that confidently, efficiently and comfortably.

• Speech Therapy • Occupational Therapy • Physical Therapy

9701 Veirs Drive | Rockville, MD 20850 | 301-354-4600 | www.mypotentialrehab.org The Village at Rockville is sponsored by National Lutheran Communities & Services, a faith-based, not-for-profit ministry of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, serving people of all beliefs.

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WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N — J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 8

Making the move From page B-16 excellent, and the resultant stress-free process of transporting everything from point A to point B was flawless.

Making the move On the day before our actual move, two men arrived at our home at 9 a.m., fully prepared to get all of our possessions boxed, cushioned, disassembled, and otherwise ready for loading and transporting the next day. The company provided all the cardboard cartons, paper and bubble wrap (for which we paid), and we provided direction on what needed to be boxed, and how things should be marked for proper placement in our apartment. We had already “pre-packed” certain collectibles and other delicate items, but the moving men wrapped, cushioned and boxed all dishes and glassware from the kitchen cabinets and our china closet. In short, everything at risk of breaking or being damaged was carefully wrapped, boxed and made ready for transport. We had made arrangements to spend the night in an area hotel, so we had a suitcase with our clothing and other overnight things already packed. The remainder of our clothes were placed in wardrobe boxes, with the exception of items in the drawers of three dressers. Those pieces of furniture were very sturdy, so the movers simply padded and wrapped them with the contents still inside. The beds were disassembled, padded and wrapped, and each piece of furniture we were taking with us was similarly prepared and protected. By the end of the day, everything was in place and ready to go. At 8 the next morning, the moving truck pulled up in front of our house and things got rolling right away. Whereas only two men had packed and prepared our belongings the day before, the move itself employed three men — and they moved quickly! Our mission during the loading process was simply to stay out of the way, and to pull together the things that we would be carrying in our car (more on that in a moment). When everything was aboard the truck, we walked through the now-empty house with the move coordinator to make sure everything had been accounted for, after which we set out for the new place. In that the movers were being paid by the hour (at a very reasonable rate), we were impressed by how quickly they transported everything the 40 miles from our house to our new apartment. Our apartment is on the second floor and, fortunately, the elevator is only about 20 feet from our front door. Management had reserved the elevator for our use on that day, thereby allowing the movers to have unrestricted access for the duration of the movein. The work began quickly and, like the loading process, the unloading and unpacking went better than we had any right to expect. The moving crew assembled the beds, unpacked all the dishes, put all of our

clothes on the racks in the closets, and carried certain items to the storage closet in a separate part of the building. And on an especially happy note, we were pleased that the time spent measuring floor space and furniture paid off, as everything fit perfectly in the areas we had planned. As they went about cleaning up, the movers asked if we wanted to keep any of the now-empty boxes and wrapping materials we had paid for. We had no interest in (or space for) retaining any, so we declined the offer with assurances from them that the collection would be properly recycled. With the move coordinator we did a walkthrough of our now-fully-furnished place, and verified that nothing was broken or missing. The movers, having spent only eight hours to load, move, unload and unpack us, departed with our thanks for a job very well done.

On our own While the moving company and its staff did a commendable job moving our pos-

sessions safely and securely, there were certain items that we chose to transport ourselves on moving day. For example, sensitive documents to include our wills and powers of attorney were hand-carried to our new address, along with our computer and similar electronic equipment. Naturally, we made sure to back up all files before disconnecting the computer and placing it in our car. We also transported food from our pantry, along with refrigerated and frozen goods. Finally, we carried with us an assortment of house plants. Part of the reason for us transporting these items ourselves was our concern for the absolute security of certain things. For other items, though, moving companies are prohibited by federal law from transporting them. A list of articles moving companies are barred from carrying includes hazardous materials like propane, ammunition and other flammable items, along with lawnmow-

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ers and gas grills. Similarly, moving companies will not move perishable things like food and plants. We had educated ourselves about these restrictions, so on moving day there were no last-minute glitches about what the movers would take and what we would have to transport on our own. When we laid out the time line for our pre-move preparation and the move itself, we factored in one additional day at the end that would allow us to return to our house and do a full cleaning of the premises. This was a bittersweet process, for this very comfortable house had meant a great deal to us for more than 16 years, and we wanted to be sure that we left it in pristine condition for the new owners. We were pleased that we were able to do so. And with that…we were done! Home Sweet Apartment, a 67-page paperback, is available from Amazon for $6.95. The Kindle edition is $2.99. Learn more about Carlson and his other books at www.danbonbooks.com.

Mealtime at Kensington Park: where palates are pleased and memories are made, every single day he dining experience at Kensington Park is not company as often as possible — their guests always only a taste sensation but also a special occasion, eat free. every time residents and their guests gather — whether Mealtime at Kensington Park is good for the heart, they’re celebrating or not. in more ways than one. Our top-notch chef creates We believe that tabletime togetherness is a meaningful beautifully prepared dishes, all made from scratch with opportunity for families and friends to slow down, fresh ingredients. Our servers indulge diners with share laughs, strengthen bonds and make memories. bend-over-backwards attention. We treat everyone As a result, we make it easy for residents to invite at our table as someone important, because they are.

Visit Kensington Park today, and have a meal on us!

301-946-7700 3620 Littledale Rd, Kensington, MD 20895 | www.KensingtonParkSeniorLiving.com INDEPENDENT LIVING | ASSISTED LIVING | MEMORY CARE

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J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 8 — WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N

Don’t let a moving company scam you By Justin Lavelle Moving can be stressful. Moving across the country can even be tedious and scary. Choosing the right moving company can make or break your moving experience, so be sure to do your homework to avoid being taken advantage of on moving day. Beware of these two scams that are common in the moving industry: 1. Grossly under bidding a job, then holding belongings hostage for an inflated cash price on moving day 2. Collecting a large deposit and never showing up There are several ways you can take control of the moving process. Being knowledgeable about the business practices in the moving industry can protect

you from making costly mistakes. Shop around. Begin your search by asking friends and family or your realtor for reliable referrals. Safeguard yourself by getting three estimates. If one bid is far below the other two bids, it could be a sign they are underbidding the job. This could either be because they are inexperienced, or there may be potential they will demand an inflated cash price before unloading the truck. The lowest price isn’t always the best value when it comes to hiring a mover or any other contractor. Face-to-face meeting. There is something to be said about meeting vendors faceto-face at their place of business. You can tell a lot about a company by their office set up. Call to schedule an appointment to see if

WA LT O N WO O D A S H B U R N

Brand New Luxury Senior Living Community Now Open!

are no surprises on moving day. Make sure all of your items are inventoried and all boxes are labeled. To avoid being blindsided, never sign a blank or incomplete document. If your belongings aren’t properly recorded before the driver pulls away from the curb, you can’t reasonably expect everything to be on the truck at the other end. This is especially crucial for cross country moves. Beware large deposits or insistence on cash. If a moving company requests a deposit, hang up the phone and keep dialing. Reputable movers collect on delivery and accept credit/debit cards. If you pay upfront, you have no control over if or when you will see your stuff again, especially if you are moving across country. Pay with a credit card so you can dispute any fraudulent actions. BBB ratings. Some companies with less-than-perfect reputations use “doing business as” names (DBAs) so they can keep doing business. Be sure the company you choose is in good standing with the Better Business Bureau. As an extra layer of protection, ask the moving company for three references from your area who used their services within the past 90 days. To summarize: Protect yourself by putting in the work before you hire a moving company. Be thorough when taking the estimator on a walk through. Open cabinets, drawers and closets to assess their contents. Discuss items that will be sold or donated, as well as purchases you plan to make prior to the move. Being precise will help the estimator give you an accurate bid. Justin Lavelle is communications director at BeenVerified (https://www.beenverified.com), a service that offers a way to access public records and search for people.

they have a brick and mortar office, meet the staff, and get a feel for how they do business before inviting an estimator to your home to provide a written quote. If they are hesitant, or refuse to allow you to come in for an initial meeting, look for another moving company. Take inventory. Before the estimator comes to your home, create a room-byroom inventory list of all furniture you’re moving. Add any items you intend to purchase before your move. Notate anything that is bulky or doesn’t disassemble. Most people don’t realize how much stuff they have accumulated since their last move. Keep in mind that quotes are based on mileage and weight, so it’s important to get an accurate weight estimate. A quote that doesn’t take into account heavy woodframed furniture or bulky sectional couches will be grossly under bid. You could be surprised with a huge moving bill and possibly a shortage of space in the moving vehicle to carry all of your belongings. On-site estimate. Walk through each room of your home with the estimator, and open all closets and drawers so they can get a feel for the number of boxes you may need. At this time, the representative may bring up packing services. Ask plenty of questions, because it is truly a tradeoff. If you pack your own boxes, the movers may not take responsibility for broken or damaged items. If you choose to use their packing service, you may end up paying inflated prices for labor and boxes. Keep in mind no one will treat your belongings with more care then you will. Keep looking if a potential moving company doesn’t offer an on-site, written estimate. Sign a contract. This is common sense. Get everything in writing to protect yourself from hidden costs. Extra fees should be outlined in the contract so there

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Say you saw it in the Beacon | Housing Options

WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N — J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 8

How to prevent water damage this winter By Kimberly Lankford Q: What can I do to avoid water damage this winter? I know my insurance policy doesn’t cover flooding, but does it pay for other types of water damage claims? A: Yes. Homeowners insurance covers water damage, such as from leaks and burst pipes, or water that comes into your home through your roof and windows. In fact, water damage accounts for almost half of all property damage claims, according to the Insurance Information Institute. Burst pipes or undetected leaks can cause damage to the floor, walls, ceilings, furniture, artwork and other valuables. It can also soak electrical systems, and can even cause dangerous mold if not cleaned up quickly. A Chubb study found that 57 percent of homeowners who have filed a water leak claim in the past two years spent more than $5,000 on clean-up costs; 15 percent spent $20,000 or more! Here are six things you can do to protect your home from water damage, especially if you’re leaving town during the winter. 1. Install a water leak detection device. A minor water leak can cause expensive damage if it remains undetected — if the leak is behind a wall, say, or if it happens while you’re away from home. The lowest-cost leak detectors include sensors you can set up under sinks or near a water heater, dishwasher or refrigerator; they sound an alarm if they detect any moisture. Leak detectors that cost a bit more (typically $50 to $80) will send an alert to your smartphone if they detect moisture or a big change in the amount of water used in your home (signaling a possible leak). Some sensors can shut down the water valve automatically if there’s a noticeable change in the amount of water used, which is particularly helpful if you travel frequent-

ly. Your home insurance company may offer a discount for installing some kinds of leak detection devices. 2. Turn off the main water supply before leaving town for an extended period of time, suggests Annmarie Camp, at Chubb Personal Risk Services. “That’s the easiest and most cost-effective way to prevent water loss,” she said. 3. Check your water supply lines at least once a year. Give your house an annual leak checkup to inspect water supply lines and washing machine hoses for signs of wear, Camp recommends. Check for leaks from your hot water heater, washing machine, refrigerator ice maker, and any other appliances that can leak. 4. Get sewage-backup coverage. Heavy rains and melting snow can overburden the storm water system, causing water or sewage to back up into your house. Sewage and drain backups usually aren’t covered automatically under your homeowners insurance, but it may cost only $50, say, to add $10,000 in coverage. Also consider having a battery-powered back-up for your sump pump if the electricity goes out. 5. Clean your gutters and inspect your roof. Remove leaves and other debris, which can clog gutters and send water pouring down the side of your house or under your roof. Also, inspect your roof, and repair or replace missing or damaged shingles, which can cause water to come in through the roof. 6. Protect your pipes from freezing. Insulate accessible pipes with pipe insulation materials, especially in attics and crawl spaces. When it gets very cold, keep cabinet or closet doors open to help prevent pipes there from freezing. © 2017 The Kiplinger Washington Editors, Inc. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC

ASSISTED LIVING COMMUNITY

Chesterbrook Residences 703-531-0781 2030 Westmoreland Street Falls Church, VA www.chesterbrookres.org At Chesterbrook Residences, you will be able to live with dignity, grace and security, close to the people and places you love in a comfortable, neighborhood setting. We offer an active assisted-living lifestyle for those 62 and over. A variety of one- and two-bedroom floor plans are available. Enjoy our community living room with fireplace, beautiful views, and chef-prepared meals in our gracious main dining room. Rehab services are available 5 days a week, offering physical, occupational and speech therapy, most of which are covered by Medicare Part B. We also have an on-site wellness center with visiting physician and podiatrist. We are a mixed-income nonprofit, so our rates are affordable and all inclusive.

B-19

ASSISTED LIVING & MEMORY CARE

Tall Oaks Assisted Living 703 834-9800 12052 N. Shore Drive Reston, VA 20190 TallOaksAL.com Warm your heart and your pocketbook this winter! To start the new year right, sign your new, long term lease at Tall Oaks Assisted Living (excluding respite) before January 15th, 2018, and you will receive $1000 off your rent for the first three months and a one year rate lock! All the benefits of Tall Oaks Assisted Living, Deluxe One Bedroom apartments, studios, two-bedroom apartments, top-notch programs and support groups, the new Wellness and Rehabilitation Center, are all yours, and come with this limited time special savings. Tall Oaks offers Assisted Living, Memory Care and Short Term Respite Care. Begin your lease by January 15th and receive special savings — many smiling faces will be happy to greet you.

INDEPENDENT LIVING COMMUNITY

Ashby Ponds 1-877-664-5445 21170 Ashby Ponds Boulevard Ashburn, VA 20147 EricksonLiving.com If you haven’t driven by Ashby Ponds in Loudoun County lately, you may be surprised at how much the community has grown. High demand for their all-inclusive senior lifestyle prompted Ashby Ponds to add exciting new amenities and hundreds of stylish new apartment homes to their 132-acre Ashburn campus. Few seniors-only communities offer so many benefits! Ashby Ponds boasts five restaurants, two fitness centers, a glorious all-season pool, a salon, day spa, and even a fully staffed on-site medical center. It’s no wonder they’re the area’s most sought-after address for active retirement living. Call 1-877-664-5445 for a free brochure!

INDEPENDENT LIVING COMMUNITY

Emerson House 301-779-6196 5999 Emerson Street Bladensburg, MD 20710 Our community features bright onebedroom apartments in a nine-story elevator building for today’s active and independent seniors who are 62 or older. Emerson House is subsidized for low- to moderate-income households. Activities are yours to choose from: gardening, Bingo, Wii bowling league, movie night, parties, bus trips, exercise classes, learning to line dance — it’s all waiting for you and more! Emerson House offers an in-house Resident Service Coordinator to assist with finding helpful resources. Please call today for an appointment to tour our community or request an application; 301-779-6196 Monday-Friday from 8:30 to 5:00.

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Housing Options

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JANUARY 2018 —

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WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N — J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 8

Say you saw it in the Beacon

Money Law &

KEEP MORE BEFORE MEDICAID With a Medicaid-compliant annuity, one can keep more income when one’s spouse qualifies for Medicaid REDUCE RMDS With some simple strategies, you can pay less tax when you take required minimum distributions from retirement accounts FOOTING THE BILL How to keep your credit score intact when you dispute a bill or can’t afford to pay it

Banks inch up depositor interest rates By Ken Sweet Slowly, but surely, being a saver is paying off again. For years after the recession, banks paid next to nothing on deposits — much to the detriment of savers everywhere. Now, banks have increased lending and need more deposits, so they’re willing to pay higher interest rates. The big publicly traded banks are paying roughly 0.40 percent on their deposits right now, which is up from 0.24 percent two years ago, according to a report from Autonomous Research after the major banks reported their 2017 third quarter results. A one-year CD is now paying an average of 0.63 percent, which is up from 0.45 percent two years ago. That’s according to depositaccounts.com, a website that tracks interest rates on savings accounts and CDs. An interest rate of 0.40 percent or 0.63 percent may not sound like much, but analysts expect that banks will continue to increase payouts on deposits as competition ramps up. “We have been waiting for this to hap-

pen for a while now,” said Mark Hamrick, senior economy analyst at BankRate.com. During the financial crisis, the Federal Reserve lowered its benchmark interest rate to near zero, and kept it that way until December 2015. While the Fed’s move made the cost of borrowing substantially cheaper nationwide, it had a secondary effect of cutting the interest rate banks were paying on deposits. In particular, seniors got hit hard since they tend to keep their money in low risk products like money markets, CDs and cash.

Fed raises rate again The Fed’s main interest rate rose a quarter point to 1.5 percent in mid-December. As the Fed raised rates, banks initially were happy to charge borrowers higher rates while keeping the amount of interest they were paying on savings accounts and CDs low. Banks take on deposits in order to turn around and lend that money out. The goal for a bank is to make more money on the interest on its loans than the interest rate they are paying to fund those loans. The

more demand there is for loans, which typically happens in a steadily growing economy, the more deposits a bank needs. For years after the financial crisis, loan growth was tepid as banks throttled back on lending, the U.S. consumer deleveraged, and businesses pulled back on borrowing as well. Bank executives said they had little need for deposits. In an interview with the Associated Press in early 2016, then-US Bank CEO Richard Davis said there was no reason to incentivize people to deposit money at the bank since there was nothing the bank could do with the money in the first place. But nearly a decade after the crisis, loans of all types — with the exception of residential mortgages — are now at record-high levels. And the growing demand for loans requires banks to gather up deposits to fuel their lending business.

Online banks offer higher rates The online-only banks, which typically pay the most for deposits, are paying even more these days. Goldman Sachs’ online savings account GS Bank pays an interest rate of 1.29 percent on its savings account,

with no minimum deposit. For those able to lock up their savings for a longer period of time, GS Bank is paying 2.37 percent for a five-year CD, with a minimum $500 deposit. Goldman is partially using its new deposits to fund a new consumer lending product known as Marcus, which is causing Goldman to be more aggressive with its interest rates in order to fund those loans. Ally Bank is paying 1.25 percent for deposits to its online savings account. So is American Express, through its Personal Savings account. The largest of the banks are still being stingy, however, since their size means they don’t need to compete as aggressively for deposits. JPMorgan Chase is paying only 0.04 percent on a standard savings account, Bank of America is paying 0.03 percent, and Wells Fargo, apparently with zero need for deposits, is paying 0.01 percent on a basic savings account. All three banks have CDs with slightly higher rates, but savers looking to maximize the interest they’ll earn on parking their money should shop around. — AP

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J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 8 — WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N

An alternative to Medicaid spend-down By Eleanor Laise Picture this: Your spouse has made a permanent move to a nursing home. You don’t have long-term care insurance, Medicare won’t cover the cost, and you have too much money to qualify for Medicaid — but not nearly enough to afford the nursing-home bills. The monthly tab — easily $8,000 or more for a semi-private room — is rapidly depleting your nest egg. Now what? This is where a Medicaid-compliant annuity might rescue your retirement. You buy an immediate annuity — owned by and payable to you — that meets a number of special requirements, transforming cash that would otherwise prevent your ill spouse from qualifying for Medicaid into an income stream that helps you preserve your quality of life. Medicaid starts covering the nursing-home stay, and your monthly bills become manageable. For an average family, “it takes 50 years to save a couple hundred thousand dollars,” said Dale Krause, president and chief executive officer of Krause Financial Services, in De Pere, Wis. When nursing-home bills start eating into that nest egg, “they all do the math and say, ‘we’re going to be broke.’” For those who have the luxury of time, there are better ways to plan for long-term care costs. If you’re relatively young and

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healthy, you may be able to get long-term care insurance — or simply turbocharge your savings with the aim of self-insuring any long-term care costs. But for couples in a crisis situation, who are watching their life savings evaporate as they pay nursing-home bills, a Medicaidcompliant annuity may be the only way to preserve a livable income for the spouse who remains at home.

Medicaid-compliant annuities Medicaid recipients generally cannot retain more than $2,000 in cash. But when one spouse enters a nursing home and the other remains in the larger community, a number of special rules apply. The healthy spouse can keep a certain amount of assets, which varies by state. (In Maryland, the amount is $123,600 in 2018). Note: Bank accounts and investments — including IRAs, in most states — count toward that threshold. Your primary residence, household items, personal effects, car, a limited amount of life insurance and a prepaid burial plan typically don’t count, though the uncounted amount of your home equity may be limited.) The healthy spouse’s income isn’t counted when determining Medicaid eligibility. And while the Medicaid recipient generally must use his available income to pay for his

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care costs, the healthy spouse can keep some or all of that income — as much as $3,090 a month in 2018 — if she otherwise would not have enough to live on. Couples trying to squeeze under Medicaid’s asset limits are confronted with difficult choices: They can spend down their life savings, leaving little for the healthy spouse to live on, or the couple can give away money, which will trigger a period of Medicaid ineligibility if the gift is made less than five years before applying for Medicaid. A properly structured Medicaid-compliant annuity can reduce the need for such drastic measures. These annuities aren’t without controversy. Some states in recent years have sought to limit their use — backing down only after losing a series of lawsuits brought by annuity purchasers who were improperly denied Medicaid benefits. And a bill introduced in Congress early last year would count half the income from a healthy spouse’s annuity when determining the Medicaid eligibility of the institutionalized spouse — but that measure has gained little momentum.

Many rules to follow Medicaid-compliant annuities must be single-premium immediate annuities and irrevocable — meaning the payment amount, duration of payments, and parties to the contract can’t be changed. Payments must be made in equal amounts, and are typically guaranteed for a certain number of years, rather than for the rest of the annuitant’s life. Generally, the state must be named as a beneficiary. So if you die before collecting all the guaranteed payments, the state can recover from the remaining payments some or all of the value of the Medicaid assistance provided. Who should consider a Medicaid-compliant annuity? People with moderate savings — perhaps $500,000 or less — who find themselves paying nursing home bills out of pocket. Jake Lowrey, president of Lowrey Financial Group, in Beverly, Mass., said most of his clients purchasing Medicaid annuities have $200,000 to $300,000 in savings. For people who are not in a crisis situation, these aren’t good investments. Because they’re designed for people in desperate straits, they generally offer minimal returns — perhaps 1 percent or so. People with millions of dollars are much better off earning a market rate of return

on their money and paying the nursinghome bills themselves, according to William Browning, an elder-law attorney at Browning & Meyer, in Worthington, Ohio. Medicaid annuities don’t allow for much advance planning. Because you don’t want to tie up money that could be needed for other expenses, you should only buy a Medicaid-compliant annuity when you know your spouse has moved to a facility permanently, Krause said. And the amount that you should invest in the annuity will be determined in part by how your finances look on the “snapshot date” — the date your spouse has spent 30 consecutive days in the facility.

An example of the savings Krause Financial offers this example of how a Medicaid annuity might help a couple burdened with unmanageable nursinghome bills: George, who suffers from Parkinson’s disease, enters a nursing home where the monthly bill is $7,250. He and his wife, Betty, have $200,000 in bank accounts and other countable assets. If they pay the nursing home bills out of pocket, they’ll have spent down enough for George to qualify for Medicaid within 16 months. Most of their nest egg will be gone, and Betty will be left with her $1,000 monthly Social Security check. If instead Betty invests $103,000 in a Medicaid-compliant annuity with a term of 83 months — her remaining life expectancy — she gets an additional $1,267 of guaranteed monthly income. And George immediately qualifies for Medicaid. He has monthly Social Security and pension income of $1,500, and $823 of that is shifted to Betty to bring her up to the Medicaid spouse’s $3,090 monthly income allowance. George can also keep $45 of his monthly income for personal needs, so his Medicaid co-pay is just $632 — saving the couple $6,618 a month. These annuities are sold by insurers such as Nationwide and ELCO Mutual Life & Annuity. But your first stop if you’re considering a Medicaid annuity should be an elder-law attorney. (Find one at naela.org.) “When you put your spouse in a facility, there’s a whole gamut of legal issues you have to get through,” Browning said. A good elder-law attorney will update your estate plan and powers of attorney — then help you determine whether a Medicaid annuity might be right for you. © 2017, Kiplinger, All rights reserved. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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PenFed.org To receive any advertised product, you must become a member of PenFed Credit Union. 1. PenFed Annual Percentage Yield (APY) is current as of November 8, 2017, and is subject to change. Minimum opening deposit is $1,000. A penalty will be imposed for early withdrawal. This will reduce earnings on the account. For all certificates funded by ACH, funds cannot be withdrawn within the first 60 days of the account opening. 2. Account is a variable rate account. APY is valid as of last dividend declaration date of November 1, 2017. APY and tiers are subject to change at any time. Fees may reduce earnings on account. Minimum deposit of $25 required to open account. When an account is terminated prior to the end of a statement cycle, dividends will be paid if the aggregate direct deposit requirement is met on the date of account termination. Dividends are compounded daily and paid monthly. Earn dividends with monthly direct deposits of $500 or more and a daily balance of up to $50,000 per statement cycle. © 2017 Pentagon Federal Credit Union

Jan.17

FAIRFAX COMMISSION ON AGING

The Fairfax Commission on Aging meets on Wednesday, Jan. 17 from 1 to 3 p.m. in the main conference room at the Mason Governmental Center, 6507 Columbia Pike, Annandale, Va. The public is welcome to attend and join in the comment period that begins each session. For more information or to register, call (703) 324-5403, TTY 711 for meeting access needs.

Say you saw it in the Beacon | Law & Money

WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N — J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 8

How retirement savers can reduce RMDs By Brian Vnak Required minimum distributions (RMDs) are the congressionally-mandated, annual taxable withdrawals from retirement accounts required of savers after they reach the age of 70½. The rules surrounding how and when to take RMDs are complicated and arcane, and taking them creates a ripple effect throughout your financial plan that could set you up for some unpleasant surprises. Those who have a significant portion of their assets in tax-deferred accounts (like 401(k)s, 403(b)s and traditional IRAs) are especially at risk. If your RMDs are large, you may find that you have more income than you need. It sounds like a great problem to have — until you realize that your RMD may bump you up to the next tax bracket. That not only has implications for your immediate tax bill, it also could impact how your Social Security benefits are taxed. Increasing your income can make up to 85 percent of your Social Security benefits taxable. And to follow the ripple even farther downstream, since premiums you pay for Medicare Parts B and D are based on your adjusted gross income (AGI) from two years prior to the year in which you pay your premiums, a higher AGI caused by RMDs could mean you’ll be paying higher Medicare premiums, as well. Here are four ways to reduce RMDs so you can avoid the ripple effects of excess income. Draw down on IRAs before age 70½. Once you turn 59½, you can withdraw your IRA funds without penalty, regardless of your working status. Spreading your withdrawals out between ages 59½ and 70½ means that you get to spend money when

you need and/or want it, and you won’t have to withdraw huge chunks of money later in life when you may not need the additional funds. Keep in mind that “no penalty” isn’t the same as “no taxes” — you’ll still be required to pay tax on those withdrawals. Of course, there are smart ways to spend these withdrawals, but there are also some not-so-smart ways. Make sure your spending objectives are in alignment with your retirement and lifestyle goals. Will you spend that money on travel while you’re still able-bodied? Will you use it to purchase long-term care insurance? You need to make the choice that best fits your own retirement picture. Execute a Roth conversion. A Roth conversion allows you to move money from a tax-deferred account to a taxfree Roth account. You’ll pay income tax on the entire amount converted, but you won’t ever have to take RMDs from the Roth (at least according to current tax law). By proactively making Roth conversions, you’re able to lock in the tax on your tax-deferred savings today, rather than potentially paying a higher rate (on a larger amount!) in the future. For example, let’s say you’re a single filer with $60,000 in taxable income and $800,000 in a traditional IRA. It may be advantageous to convert up to $22,500 of your traditional IRA savings into a Roth IRA to “fill up” your 22 percent tax bracket (under the new tax law starting in 2018). You’ll be taxed at the 22 percent ordinary income tax rate now, but since the converted amount is now in a Roth, it won’t be subject to RMDs in the future. And you’ll enjoy all the typical benefits of a Roth account: tax-free growth and distributions. For those building their financial plans with estate planning in mind, remember that

any non-spousal beneficiaries who inherit a Roth IRA are required to take RMDs (spouses can avoid RMDs depending on how they take them), typically over their lifetime. The good news is that these RMDs will continue to be tax-free to the beneficiary. Move your money to an employersponsored plan. Still working in your 70s? If you own less than 5 percent of the company where you work, you may be able to delay taking RMDs from your pretax employer-spon-

sored plan until April 1 of the year after you retire. This also may allow more time to make Roth conversions. Bonus idea: The super-savvy among us may use this opportunity to roll over pretax funds from old IRAs or 401(k)s into their pretax company plan if the plan will accept this type of rollover. This strategy is commonly referred to as a “reverse rollover,” and it could save you a bundle. See REDUCE RMDs, page 26

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Reduce RMDs From page 25 Maximize charitable gifting. If you planned on giving your RMDs to charity because you don’t need the excess income, consider doing a Qualified Chari-

J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 8 — WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N

table Distribution (QCD) from your IRA. This provision allows you to donate up to $100,000 annually from your IRAs to the charity of your choice. The QCD counts toward your RMD requirement, and helps to avoid raising your AGI, which, as we previously discussed,

can help avoid Medicare premium increases. The QCD allows you to potentially avoid unnecessary taxation, and your favorite charity gets more money. It’s a win-win. Planning for RMDs is rife with complication. Make one misstep and you could be setting yourself up for years of expensive consequences. The earlier you plan for future RMDs, the better. Ask yourself and/or your adviser the

following questions to help you determine if your RMD planning strategies are fully sound: • Do you understand the projected size and impact of RMDs to your situation? • How does your RMD plan integrate and/or support the pursuit of your financial goals and objectives? © 2017 The Kiplinger Washington Editors, Inc. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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By Kimberly Lankford Question: I have to take a $20,000 required minimum distribution from my Vanguard IRA this year. I’d like to give $5,000 taxfree to a charity and withdraw the remaining $15,000 for myself. A Vanguard rep said it would send me a check for $15,000 payable to me as well as a $5,000 check made payable to the charity that I could forward. The rep said that at the end of the year it would report the entire $20,000 on my Form 1099-R as a gross distribution. How can I benefit from the tax-free transfer then? Answer: The tax reporting rules for qualified charitable distributions can be tricky. (With a QCD, you can give up to $100,000 tax-free from your IRA to charity each year after you turn 70½; the gift counts as your required minimum distribution but isn’t included in your adjusted gross income.) Regardless of where the distribution is sent, the full amount is reported on IRS Form 1099-R with the name, address and Social Security number of the IRA owner using Code 7 “normal distribution,” as if the distribution had been paid directly to the owner, according to Vanguard. But you’ll claim the tax-free benefits of a QCD when you file your federal income tax return.

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Jan. 17

FOR MORE INFORMATION

or e-mail Career.Gateway@AccessJCA.org Funded by Montgomery County Aging & Disability Services, e Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation, and the Jewish Council for the Aging.®

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HOSPITAL FUNDRAISER

Virginia Hospital Center presents “White HOT,” a Lifeline Assistance fund fundraiser on Wednesday, Jan. 17 from 6 to 10 p.m. at NRECA, 4301 Wilson Blvd., Arlington, Va. The party will be filled with music, dancing, great food from local senior communities and a silent auction. Admission is a requested donation of $20 or more. For more information or to submit donations for “tickets,” call (703) 558-6859 or www.virginiahospitalcenter.com/whiteHOT.

Jan. 13

Call (301) 255-4215

Report the full $20,000 distribution on line 15a of Form 1040 as a gross distribution. On line 15b, write $15,000 for the taxable amount and add “QCD” next to that line to explain why part of the distribution is tax-free. Be sure to keep records from the charity in your tax files showing that the tax-free transfer was made to the charity. Make a copy of the check before you forward it to the charity, and keep an acknowledgement of the gift from the charity in your tax files. (IRA administrators don’t always make it clear who made the donation when transferring money from an IRA to charity, so before you make the donation, give the charity a heads-up about how much money it will be receiving from your IRA, and tell them that the receipt should be sent to you.) Ask your IRA administrator for its procedure for making the tax-free transfer to charity; the specifics can vary. If you work with a tax preparer, let him or her know about the qualified charitable distribution, so you don’t end up paying taxes on the amount, since the Form 1099-R reporting the distribution does not specify that it was a tax-free transfer to charity. © 2017 The Kiplinger Washington Editors, Inc. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

LEARN TO GROW MICROGREENS

Master Gardeners of Northern Virginia presents a free class called “Microgreens: What Are They? Why Are They So Fabulous? and How to Grow Them” on Monday, Jan. 8 from 7 to 8 p.m. at Barrett Branch Library, 717 Queen St., Alexandria, Va. Learn some simple ways to grow these delicious, nutritious and inexpensive baby plants and sprouts in your own home. There will also be supplies for you to plant your own container, so come prepared to get dirty while you make your own microgreen garden in class. Advance registration is requested. For more information, visit mgnv.org or call (703) 228-6414 or email mgarlalex@gmail.com.

Say you saw it in the Beacon | Law & Money

WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N â&#x20AC;&#x201D; J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 8

Refusing to pay hurts you more than them By Liz Weston Oh, the injustice of it all. Who among us hasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t felt abused as a consumer? We get billed for stuff we didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t receive, or that doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t work, or that didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t live up to its hype. Companies charge us unexpected fees and insist the costs were revealed in the fine print. Health insurers take customer disservice to a whole new, awful level, inexplicably refusing to pay for services they promised to cover, and deluging us with impossibleto-decrypt paperwork. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s understandable if you feel that enough is enough. But taking a righteous stand against paying an unfair bill can boomerang on you â&#x20AC;&#x201D; hard. Here are some situations where you might be tempted to refuse to pay, and what you might want to consider doing instead.

Billing disputes Several years ago a friend refused to pay a bill for Internet service that didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t work. The collection account that later appeared on his credit reports nearly cost him a job offer. (He paid off the collection and wound up taking a job with a different employer.) The balance of power is tilted heavily in favor of companies and collection agencies that can report an unpaid bill to the credit bureaus. You can include a 100-word dispute in your credit files, but good luck getting anyone to read it. The credit scores most lenders and insurers use donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t factor in those statements. Employers, who typically use credit reports rather than scores to evaluate applicants, may see your statement, but it may not affect hiring, firing or promotion decisions. What to do instead: Settle disputes before a bill goes to collections. Consider asking a government regulator for help (search online for â&#x20AC;&#x153;Who regulates (company name)?â&#x20AC;? to find the agency), or turning to a lawmaker whose staff can help with constituent disputes. As a last resort, consider paying the bill, then suing the company in small claims court. If you used a credit card to pay the bill, youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re in luck. Credit card users have a powerful, built-in weapon to deal with

shoddy services or goods â&#x20AC;&#x201D; the chargeback. A chargeback, which reverses a payment to a merchant, prevents damage to your credit report for nonpayment while a dispute is resolved.

Medical bills For about 43 million people, or 1 out of 5 credit reports, thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s overdue medical debt, according to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. For 15 million people, medical bills are the only overdue debt on their credit reports. Clearly, many of us are having trouble paying our medical bills â&#x20AC;&#x201D; or thinking they have been paid when they havenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t, since many ricochet between healthcare providers and insurers, sometimes for months. The latest versions of the FICO and VantageScore credit scoring models treat medical debt less harshly than other collections, but most lenders use older versions of the scores. The toll can be significant: A single collection account can drop a 680 FICO score by 40 points, and a 780 score by 100 points. (The most widely used credit scoring formulas, such as the FICO 8, use a 300-to-850 range.) What to do instead: If you have health insurance, follow up on every medical bill you receive to make sure it gets paid. If you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have insurance or canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t pay your bill, ask healthcare providers if they have charity programs or payment plans that could make the costs more manageable.

Federal student loans Only half of recent graduates strongly agreed that college was worth the cost, a 2015 Gallup-Purdue Index poll found. That may explain why about 1 in 10 borrowers who were scheduled to start paying their federal student loans in 2013-14 have defaulted instead, according to the U.S. Department of Education. Refusing to pay your loans is shortsighted. The default hurts your credit scores, which will make other borrowing difficult and can increase the cost of items like car insurance and cell phone plans. But thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s just the start. Government collectors can seize your tax refund, take a

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portion of your wages without going to court, and literally pursue you to the grave. The U.S. Supreme Court decided a portion of Social Security benefits, which are typically off-limits to creditors, could be seized to repay delinquent federal student loans. What to do instead: The education department offers several affordable repayment options, including an income-based plan that can reduce required payments to zero. Struggling borrowers can find plenty

of information at the education departmentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Federal Student Aid site. For private student loans, consider calling the loan servicer directly to ask about options, such as interest-only payments. This column was provided to the Associated Press by the personal finance website NerdWallet. Liz Weston is a columnist at NerdWallet, a certified financial planner and author of â&#x20AC;&#x153;Your Credit Score.â&#x20AC;? Email: lweston@nerdwallet.com.

ESTATES & TRUSTS

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FREE WORKSHOPS IN FAIRFAX Saturday, January 13th or February 17th, 2018 10 am â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 12 pm The Law Firm of Evan Farr Fairfax Main Office: 10640 Main St., Suite 200, Fairfax, VA 22030 | 703-691-1888 Call Now To Reserve Your Seat:

703-691-1888 Or Register Online at: www.FarrLawFirm.com

Montgomery County, Md. is now accepting appointments to prepare 2017 taxes. The program offers free tax preparation assistance to low- and moderate-income individuals who earn less than $54,000 per year. Preparation is done by IRStrained volunteers who assist taxpayers in determining if they are eligible for the Earned Income Tax Credit. Services are offered in both English and Spanish at the Benjamin Gaithersburg Center, 80A Bureau Dr. on Mondays from 3 to 8 p.m., from Monday, Jan. 22 through Monday, March 5. Appointments are required and can be made by calling (240) 777-1123 on weekdays between 9 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. For more information about Montgomery Countyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s program, visit www.montgomerycountymd.gov/freetaxhelp. To find another VITA near you, contact AARP Foundationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Tax Aide Program at (888) 227-7669.

Also accepting appointments at our other offices: Fredericksburg Office: 511 Westwood Office Park, Fredericksburg, VA 22401 | 540-479-1435 DC Office:1775 I Street NW, Washington, DC 20005 | 202-587-2797 MD Office: 1 Research Court, Suite 450, Rockville, MD 20850 | 301-519-8041 Your Speaker is Evan H. Farr, Certified Elder Law Attorney, creator of the Living Trust PlusTM Asset Protection Trust and one of the foremost legal authorities in the Country in the fields of Medicaid Asset Protection and Medicaid Asset Protection Trusts. Virginia has no procedure for approving certifying organizations.

Law & Money | More at TheBeaconNewspapers.com

J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 8 — 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 — J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 8

Say you saw it in the Beacon

Travel

Leisure &

Loud and lively Palermo, Italy is worth the trip to Sicily. See story on page 32.

New Orleans: music, museums and meals posters touting “adult entertainment.” Crowds of revelers often have no choice but to move along slowly, at times shoulder to shoulder, taking in the color and, for many, colorful beverage concoctions. At the same time, those seeking something more educational, but no less enjoyable, can find a fascinating history to explore, a rich cultural mélange to experience, and attractions for people with a variety of interests.

PHOTO BY PISA PHOTOGRAPHY

By Victor Block Quick quiz: Think swinging jazz and soulful blues played in music clubs and by street musicians outside. Picture sidewalks crowded with people sipping beverages from plastic cups as they stroll along. If you guess that describes New Orleans, you’re right — but there’s more. Now see yourself visiting museums whose focus ranges from food and festivals, to history and mystery. Where? New Orleans again. Many visitors to “the Big Easy,” as the city is nicknamed, are on a quest for fun and frivolity, and both are there in abundant supply. The hub of activity is the famous, some might say infamous, French Quarter. The iconic district of cobblestone streets lined by hotels and restaurants, shops and art galleries is centered on Royal Street. The scene is very different just a block away on Bourbon Street, which lives up — or down — to its reputation as the playground of the South. T-shirt shops and other touristy traps vie for attention with

Many museums

PHOTO BY VICTOR BLOCK

Anyone seeking to delve below the surface of the city’s well-known appeals has an inviting choice of museums that await exploration — nearly four dozen span the alphabet from A (Art) to Z (Zoo). Together they offer insight into both aspects of New Orleans for which it is famous, as well as lesser known, but no less intriguing, tidbits. And so during our recent visit, my wife Fyllis and I spent time walking along Bourbon Street, enjoying music both in bars and outside, and partaking of meals that will linger in our minds long after they left our taste buds. But we also satisfied our curiosity at several museums among the many in the city which, we concluded, too many people may overlook. A good place to being an exploration is the Historic New Orleans Collection. From its rather modest start, this institution has expanded to occupy 10 historic buildings on two campuses in the French Quarter. Exhibits present the intriguing history and colorful culture of New Orleans, Louisiana and the entire Gulf of Mexico region. They document major historical events that have shaped the Visitors to the vast Mardi Gras World studio can watch ararea, and describe and tisans create floats for parades in New Orleans and other demonstrate the everylocations around the world. This year, Mardi Gras takes day lives of people who place on Feb. 13.

Mule-drawn carriages offer a leisurely way to explore New Orleans’ French Quarter. Drivers regale tourists with true stories and amusing anecdotes about the city and its colorful cast of characters.

passed through and settled there. Guided tours provide in-depth information for those seeking more than a casual introduction, and changing exhibits offer insight into various aspects of the city’s and area’s story. I found two exhibits particularly intriguing in very different ways. One, titled “Giants of Jazz: Art Posters and Lithographs,” includes 17 larger-thanlife portraits by famous 20th-century poster artists. Among music legends depicted in the collection are Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald and Ray Charles, along with information about their ties to New Orleans. “Storyville: Madams and Music” relates another, very colorful chapter in the story of music in the city’s past. Created in 1897, the Storyville neighborhood operated as a city-sanctioned red light district until 1917. It attracted visitors with its saloons, music and dance, along with its many brothels. Pioneering musicians who later went on to become famous played there for tips. The exhibit recalls this colorful time with photographs, oral histories and recordings. Holding center stage is a collection of pocket-sized directories known as “Blue Books,” which presented Storyville as a luxurious playground of lavish mansions, fine music and elegant women. In contrast, some items in the collection paint a very different picture of the reality.

Mardi Gras on the mild side Of course, New Orleans is synonymous with Mardi Gras — the multi-day carnival, parade and excuse for over-eating and over-imbibing which has been celebrated there since the early 18th century. Two museums offer opportunities to experience the wonder of the festivities without the wildness. Mardi Gras World is where floats for parades in New Orleans and other locations around the world have been made since 1947. In a studio so vast it could almost have its own zip code, visitors see artisans constructing lavishly decorated floats literally from the ground up. The scene is set in a video, followed by a taste of King Cake, a treat closely associated with Mardi Gras. This confection, which is believed to have been brought to New Orleans from France in 1870, is served throughout the carnival season. During the tour, Fyllis and I felt like Lilliputians in a world of giants. We were dwarfed by much-larger-than-life likenesses of cartoon figures, movie personalities and fantasy creatures. Oversized animals and flowers the size of trees loomed over us. A different take on Mardi Gras comes forth at the Backstreet Cultural Museum. Don’t let the nondescript exterior of the See NEW ORLEANS, page 30

Leisure & Travel | More at TheBeaconNewspapers.com

New Orleans From page 29 house that contains this collection put you off. The two rooms and hallways inside are jammed with memorabilia that pay homage to New Orleans’ African-American carnival traditions and celebrations. Artifacts, photographs and films tell part of the story. Hand-sewn and elaborately decorated costumes line the walls, their variety of bright colors presenting a challenge to the largest box of Crayolas. Some of the outfits pay homage to Native Americans, who are remembered for the assistance they once provided to slaves who were running away from their owners. The displays also include hints of Africa, voodoo and other references to African-American history and customs.

A taste of the supernatural Speaking of voodoo, and folks in New Orleans often do, there’s no better place to

J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 8 — WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N

explore and experience that mysterious combination of religion and superstition. It was transported to New Orleans by slaves from West Africa in the early 18th century. I got my voodoo fix at the New Orleans Historic Voodoo Museum, a miniscule but mesmerizing collection that I found to be both educational and entertaining. Visitors are overwhelmed by a haphazard jumble of paintings, sculptures, dolls, masks and other artifacts. One painting depicts a voodoo exorcism that took place around 1850. The Gris-Gris room displays objects used to invoke supernatural powers which, I learned, are rarely used for evil. Rather they seek to achieve fortune, luck and love. A hollow “wishing stump” is festooned with notes that people left, along with a money offering for their ancestral spirits. Other tokens donated to please otherworldly beings include alcoholic beverages, cigarettes and chewing tobacco. We rounded out our stay with three ad-

ditional museums that deal with vital facets of what makes New Orleans such a magnet for tourism. The aptly named Old U.S. Mint was built in 1835. During its decades of operation, it produced millions of gold and silver coins. Today, it displays treasure of a different kind, including instruments that were played by notable musicians, and other memorabilia that trace the history of jazz from its humble beginnings on the city’s streets. Another feature is a series of free jazz concerts. Only in New Orleans would there be a national park devoted to jazz, and the Jazz National Historical Park fills the bill. The Visitor Center is the place to start, and it’s where jazz-related walking tours take off. The exhibits are not just about music, but also local history, cultures, wetlands, wildlife and food. Food has top billing at the Southern Food & Beverage Museum, along with local beverages of the city and the South.

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There’s a separate exhibit area for each southern state, telling the stories of the various cultures that contributed to the region’s culinary heritage. At the associated Museum of the American Cocktail, demonstrations by chefs and occasional tastings round out the menu. Whether enjoying distinctive dining, listening to world-class jazz, or checking out any number of other attractions, New Orleans offers a surprisingly complete menu of choices. Those who take time to explore its variety of museums leave with an understanding of an often-overlooked aspect of the city’s past, and present.

Planning your trip Visitors to New Orleans who prefer to stay in the center of action might like the French Quarter Guest Houses, a group of four inns with a strong sense of the past. For example, the Inn on Ursulines, originally built in the 18th century, is one of the oldest structures in the Quarter. The traditional Creole cottage once was owned by Marie Laveau, a well-known voodoo priestess. Rates begin at $100 for two people. For information about these Guest Houses, call (800) 535-7815 or visit www.frenchquarterguesthouses.com. Other places to stay combine proximity to the center of town with a much quieter setting. At the Frenchmen Hotel, the guest rooms overlook a swimming pool set in an old traditional New Orleans brick courtyard, which adds a bit of authentic local ambience. Rates begin at $89. For more information, call (504) 945-5453 or see www.frenchmenhotel.com. When it comes to dining, the challenge is choosing among so many famous, and fabulous, places to eat. One “must” for many visitors is the venerable Antoine’s, which was established in 1840 and now is operated by the fifth generation of the founder’s family. Menu prices keep pace with the elegant setting and service. Popular items include chicken breast stuffed with fresh mushrooms served over onion rice ($27) and fresh Gulf fish prepared several ways ($27$40). For more information, call (504) 5814422 or visit www.antoines.com. What hungry history buff wouldn’t be attracted by a sign reading “The Original Pierre Maspero’s, Est. 1788”? The building in which the restaurant is located served as a slave exchange and as the meeting place where Andrew Jackson planned the Battle of New Orleans, during which the American troops he led defeated the British. Today, people gather there to sample local fare like fried alligator ($12.50) and seafood pot pie ($24.50). For more information, call (504) 524-8990 or go to www.originalpierremasperos.com. Direct roundtrip flights from Reagan National and Dulles Airports in late January start at $211 on United and American Airlines. For more information about New Orleans, visit www.neworleansonline.com or call (800) 672-6124.

WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N — J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 8

Say you saw it in the Beacon | Leisure & Travel

New airline rewards cards without the fee By Lisa Gerstner Frequent fliers can now sign up for a dedicated airline credit card from a major airline without paying up front. Delta and United have introduced no-fee cards that offer miles or credits that cardholders can redeem for flight purchases. The American Express Blue Delta SkyMiles card (16.74 to 25.74 percent annual percentage rate; 2.7 percent foreigntransaction fee) offers two SkyMiles per dollar spent on Delta purchases and at U.S. restaurants; other purchases earn one

mile per dollar. Cardholders also get a 20 percent discount on in-flight purchases. By contrast, Delta’s Gold Delta SkyMiles card ($95 annual fee) pays out only one mile per dollar on dining, but it offers perks such as free baggage and priority boarding, and it charges no fee for foreign transactions. Rather than rewarding you with United MileagePlus miles, the no-fee Chase United TravelBank card (16.99 to 23.99 percent; no foreign-transaction fee) offers cash back that you can use to purchase

BEACON BITS

Ongoing

SCHEDULE TAX APPTS.

The RSVP/AARP Tax-Aide Program provides tax preparation assistance to low-to-moderate income taxpayers (special attention to those 60 and older) and is looking for volunteers to schedule appointments now through April at its office in Holiday Park Senior Center, 3950 Ferrara Dr., Silver Spring, Md. For more information, call (240) 777-2612.

Jan. 26

NATURALIST TRAINING DEADLINE

The deadline to apply for the Arlington Regional Master Naturalists Spring 2018 Training Class is Friday, Jan. 26. This valuable nature education, outreach and stewardship program helps teach others to conserve and manage natural resources and public lands in Virginia. The class costs $175 and requires a commitment to volunteer. For more information and to complete an application, visit www.armn.org.

United flights. You’ll earn 2 percent back on United ticket purchases and 1.5 percent on all other spending. Plus, cardholders get 25 percent off in-flight food and beverage purchases. Even if your preferred carrier doesn’t advertise a no-fee credit card, you may be able to bypass the fee. “It never hurts to ask if there’s a no-fee or low-fee alternative,” said Brian Karimzad, analyst for MileCards.com. For example, the no-fee Citi/AAdvantage

Bronze MasterCard from American Airlines is generally not available to new applicants. But the issuer may be willing to give the card to customers who ask — especially those who already hold another of the airline’s cards. If your airline card has an annual fee, the issuer may waive it for a year on request, instead of downgrading you to a no-fee version. © 2017 The Kiplinger Washington Editors, Inc. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC

Leisure & Travel | More at TheBeaconNewspapers.com

J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 8 — WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N

Palermo, Italy offers a lively slice of Sicily life in everything from food to pop culture. Part of The Godfather was filmed here, and the Mafia remains a force despite government crackdowns and the public’s outrage and resistance in the wake of bombings that killed two anti-Mafia magistrates and others with them in 1992.

BY ROMAS PHOTO

By Cain Burdeau For many travelers, Italy is seen as romantic, mysterious and a bit chaotic, with torpid heat, gorgeously rich colors and irresistible food. In reality, of course, every region has a distinct culture and identity. But Palermo — the ancient capital of Sicily and jewel of the Mediterranean — lives up to the Italy of popular imagination. It’s joyful and colorful, rich in art and cuisine, but also disorganized, unable even to reliably collect the garbage. Life is busily lived on the streets here. Clothes hang haphazardly from balconies. Motor scooters zip down narrow alleyways (often driven by children going the wrong way). People shout in Sicilian — a dialect incomprehensible to many Italian speakers — back and forth across streets and from windows. They gesture, sing and openly observe others. All this plays out in a city steeped in religious rituals, intricate history, stunning art and stunning decay. It’s a place living amid the past — a past lost in so much of today’s modernizing Italy. It’s also a culture that can seem oddly familiar to outsiders, likely due to the waves of Sicilians who emigrated to the U.S. and made their mark on everyday American

A mosaic of cultures Before being bombed by Americans in World War II and ransacked by the Mafia after the war, Palermo was for centuries one of Europe’s most splendid cities — rich with churches, palaces, theaters, villas. Much of that illustrious past remains, albeit faded, but so does deep poverty. There are medieval Arab-Norman palaces (La Zisa, La Cuba, the Norman Palace), fantastic churches (the main cathedral with tombs of Norman royalty, and the Cathedral of Monreale with extraordinary mosaics), art-filled Spanish palaces, the grand Teatro Massimo opera house, and much more. What makes the city unique is the mixture of cultures across centuries: a tapestry of Phoenician, Greek, Roman, Arab, Norman, Jewish, French, English, Spanish and Italian influences. “You need an encyclopedia to describe the Palermitan,” said Pietro Tramonte, a retired accountant who runs an eccentric outdoor bookstore. “Here you find a labo-

The Palermo Cathedral was erected in 1185 C.E. by the Anglo-Norman archbishop of Palermo. A statue of Santa Rosalia, the patron saint of Palermo, stands in front.

ratory, just like when life began. It’s an impossible mosaic. But we’re forced to live together.” Just then, a man in a car hails Tramonte from the end of the alleyway. He’s dropping off a strange donation: hardbound books about fascism by the Italian dictator Benito Mussolini.

“Palermo is the fountain of serendipity,” Tramonte continued. “When a foreigner comes to Palermo, he should let himself go. Let yourself be a feather in the wind, and you can find that that wind can take you to beautiful places.” See PALERMO, page 33

Say you saw it in the Beacon | Leisure & Travel

WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N — J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 8

Palermo From page 32

Lively outdoor markets Outdoor markets are some of the best places to revel in Palermo. Vendors shout out prices. Butchers slice, pound and weigh meat. Fishmongers’ stands display decapitated swordfish. Things sizzle in pots and pans at kiosks: chickpea fritters (panelle), potato and egg rolls (crocche), stuffed rice balls (arancine). Your head spins at the movement, the flashes of life: A fellow brushes by with a pushcart full of sardines for sale; another tries to catch your attention to buy a bouquet of flowers. You admire displays of oranges, lemons, apples, strawberries, lettuce heads, broccoli and tomatoes as mouth-watering works of art. You’re in a stream of people, moving, buying, looking, talking, bumping into each other with bags full of food. A scooter blows its horn and plows through. Your senses are assaulted by mounds of olives and dried tomatoes, bunches of rosemary and bay leaves, cheeses. “We were born here, and we will die here,” said Francesco Andolina, a fruit and vegetable vendor whose family has been getting up before dawn and working until dusk in the Ballaro market for generations. But Palermo’s most famous market, the

Vucciria, is a shadow of its former self. Merchants now offer antiques and souvenirs to tourists. The streets are no longer slick with vegetable and fruit remains. “All the people want to go to the supermarkets with their carts,” Andolina said, as he mockingly pretended to push a cart.

Italy’s culture capital Palermo recently restricted most cars from the city center. “Now you can hear your own footsteps, you can hear your voice. That was taken away when there were cars,” said Sara Cappello, a folk singer and storyteller. And in 2018, Palermo is being celebrated as Italy’s Capital of Culture. “We deserve to be the cultural capital because we are a wonderful city,” she added. She then thinks of the city’s continuing problems: Trash piling up, corruption, unregulated development, poverty. “We mistreated our city so badly,” she said. “But maybe this too is the fascination of Palermo.” The lowest roundtrip airfare to Palermo in late January is $721 on British Airways from Dulles. The flight has one change of planes at London Heathrow airport. To learn more about Palermo, see www.officeoftourism.org/europe/italy/ Sicily/palermo.asp. — AP

BEACON BITS

Jan. 18

HEAR FROM A COUNCILMEMBER The Chevy Chase (DC) and Georgetown chapters of NARFE

(National Active and Retired Federal Employees) presents a free talk by Council member Mary Cheh, who will speak on issues of general interest for residents, especially seniors. The talk will take place on Thursday, Jan. 18 at noon at IONA Senior Services, 4125 Albemarle St. NW, Washington, D.C. Non-NARFE members are welcome. For more information, contact Ann Sulkovsky at (202) 518-2519 or ansul2032@verizon.net.

BEACON BITS

Jan. 11

ADVENTURES INFO SESSION

The Shepherd’s Center of Oakton-Vienna offers many programs, ranging from bridge to tai chi, world affairs, literature, history and more. Learn about them in an information session on Thursday, Jan. 11, from 10 a.m. to noon, at 2709 Hunter Mill Rd., Oakton, Va. Refreshments will be provided by Sunrise at Hunter Mill. For more information, visit www.scov.org or call (703) 281-0538.

Jan. 14

ACTIVIST ATHLETES TALK

The McLean Community Center’s 2018 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Celebration will feature award-winning sports columnist William Rhoden, who will speak on the timely subject of “Activist Athletes,” on Sunday, Jan. 14 at 2 p.m. at The Old Firehouse, 1440 Chain Bridge Rd., McLean, Va. Tickets cost $20, $10 for MCC tax district residents. For more information, or to purchase tickets online, visit www.aldentheatre.org or call (703) 790-0123, TTY: 711. For ADA seating, contact Evelyn Hill at evelyn.hill@fairfaxcounty.gov or (571) 296-8385.

PHILADELPHIA FLOWER SHOW, March 7..........................................................$105pp “Wonders of Water.” Enter the show under a canopy of exotic flowers!

SAVANNAH, GA FOR ST. PATRICKS DAY,, March 15 – 18 ................................ $1025pp The only place outside of Ireland to celebrate like the Irish do! Call for details. Based on double occupancy

CHERRY BLOSSOM CRUISE, April 4 ........................................................................$129pp Enjoy a three course sit down luncheon while cruising down the Potomac River aboard the Odyssey.

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J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 8 â&#x20AC;&#x201D; WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N

Style Arts &

Four new books help start 2018 on a positive note. See story on page 39.

Crazy about a Gershwin musical revival the beautiful choreography of Tony-award nominee Denis Jones and the exuberant dancing of the talented cast?

Putting on a show Crazy for You is the classic story of boy meets girl, girl falls for boy, then discovers heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not who she thought he was, so she slaps him in the face. You could say the entire musical does the same to its audience, delivering a spellbinding blow that startles and holds you until the final curtain call. The show opens with the hustle and bustle going on backstage at the â&#x20AC;&#x153;Zangler Theaterâ&#x20AC;? in New York in the 1930s, where the â&#x20AC;&#x153;Zanglerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Folliesâ&#x20AC;? and their brassy dance director Tess are getting ready to perform. Scenic designer Paul Tate dePoo III earns some extra points here for the cleverly designed set that shows the actors going â&#x20AC;&#x153;on stage,â&#x20AC;? facing away from the audience. Then we meet aspiring dancer Bobby Child, the son and heir of a wealthy banking family. Heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s good friends with the girls, and hopes to audition himself for impresario Bela Zangler, whoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s much more interested in wooing Tess (despite his being married).

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PHOTO BY C. STANLEY PHOTOGRAPHY

By Rebekah Alcalde Though the end-of-year holidays are over, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not too late to experience some of that seasonal spirit at Arlingtonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Signature Theater, where the revival of Crazy for You continues through Jan. 14. The musical originally opened in 1992 as a brand-new production largely inspired by George and Ira Gershwinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 1930 musical Girl Crazy, and featuring other songs by the famous duo. Like more recent shows Mamma Mia and Rock of Ages, Crazy for You is an old-fashioned jukebox musical, created largely by combining classic Gershwin favorites from other musicals, like â&#x20AC;&#x153;They Canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t Take That Away From Me,â&#x20AC;? from Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Shall We Dance, and â&#x20AC;&#x153;Nice Work If You Can Get Itâ&#x20AC;? from Damsel in Distress, with classics from Girl Crazy, like â&#x20AC;&#x153;I Got Rhythmâ&#x20AC;? and â&#x20AC;&#x153;Embraceable You.â&#x20AC;? Fitting nearly 20 songs from different shows into a coherent whole isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t always smooth, but book writer Ken Ludwig did his best to create a story that works. And who needs to focus on the (often silly) plot line when you have the musical genius of the Gershwins combined with

In Signature Theatreâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s production of Crazy About You, chock full of Gershwin tunes, Bobby Child (played by Danny Gardner) and Polly Baker (Ashley Spencer) â&#x20AC;&#x201D; center â&#x20AC;&#x201D; kick up their heels with other members of the ensemble.

After a clumsy trod on Zanglerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s shoes, Bobby is shooed away, right into the arms of both his shrewish fiancĂŠe Irene and his controlling, impassive mother â&#x20AC;&#x201D; both of whom

want him to grow up and settle down. To this end, Bobbyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s mother decides to See CRAZY FOR YOU, page 35

Say you saw it in the Beacon | Arts & Style

WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N — J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 8

Crazy For You From page 34 send him to Deadrock, Nevada to obtain the signature of the owner of the town’s theater, which is to be repossessed by their bank. It’s here we get the first big tap dancing song by Bobby (besides his sub-par audition) in “I Can’t Be Bothered Now.” The number’s a smash, and Danny Gardner as Bobby is even better, his voice charismatic, his smile contagious, and his feet flying across the floor. Gene Kelly would be proud.

Charmed by small town Bobby heads out to the small, once bustling town of Deadrock, which has been nearly abandoned following the collapse of its gold mining industry, less to satisfy his mother than to flee from his fiancée. At the town’s only saloon, he meets the friendly but downtrodden town cowboys — and the only woman left in town, Polly Baker. Suddenly, “Things Are Looking Up” for Bobby. Tough-girl Polly wants to save the theater, and falls initially for Bobby’s charm. Long story short, things don’t go as planned, and Bobby ends up laughably impersonating Bela Zangler to put on a show and save the day. Ashley Spencer is truly sublime as Polly. While certainly light and lithe on her feet, it’s her singing voice that captures your heart — a sweet, bright sound that fills every corner of the room during her solos. If only the mikes had better pick up on her big notes during the numbers with the full cast. The rest of the performers are similarly charming and talented. Maria Rizzio’s Tess is especially fun. Her classic, fast-talking New York accent and attitude, alongside her natural charisma, quickly make her an audience favorite. She’s joined by a stunning gaggle of dancing girls, with standout Colleen Hayes

as the sweet “dumb blonde” Patsy, who easily could have been obnoxious and clichéd. The local men are also memorable, including Cole Burden, as Gaston-like character Lank Hawkins, who’s “in love” with Polly and doesn’t want the show to succeed. Burden makes his character just likable and funny enough not to hate him. And A. Ross Neal is hilarious as the clumsy and uncoordinated Moose. He gets to be the “star” in Act I’s “Slap the Bass,” another famous Gershwin tune recalling the slap style of double bass playing that was popular at the time. Natascia Diaz, as Irene, also gets her shining moment with “Naughty Baby,” a number performed exactly as it sounds. Diaz leans into Ira Gershwin’s witty lyrics and clever rhymes. By the show’s end, there are no villains left: Zangler, Irene, Bobby’s mother and Lank, who began as antagonists, have their stories cheerfully tied up with a bow.

Timeless favorites Act II’s best number is definitely a strange one, with both Bobby (impersonating Zangler) and the real Zangler (who winds up in the town looking for Tess), as they bemoan their sad, unrequited love in “What Causes That?” (from Treasure Girl). Extraordinarily drunk, the two end up mimicking each other’s movement and language, and the resulting scene is played to the hilt by Gardner and Bobby Smith as the two Zanglers. The rest of the story unfolds with the usual convenient plot twists from the golden age of Hollywood — she falls for him but turns him away, feeling betrayed by his mission in town. Then he finds a silly way of weaseling back into her affections, which backfires. But of course, it all works out in the end. Though predictable, it’s the journey that makes it unforgettable. The large number of songs never feel tired, and apparently nei-

‘Great Performances in the Neighborhood’ Rockville Little Theatre presents

Tamburitzans presents

The Underpants

Passages – the Journey of our Ancestors

6 Performances | Jan. 26, 27 and Feb. 2, 3 at 8 p.m.; Jan. 28 and Feb. 4 at 2 p.m. Celebrate RLT’s 70th anniversary season!

Saturday, Feb. 10 at 7:30 p.m. Celebrate their 81st season!

Our theatre will be closed for annual maintenance Jan. 2-12. The box office will be open Tuesday-Friday, 2 p.m.-7 p.m. during that time.

ther do the cast, since they sing and dance in so many numbers we get dizzy watching. In fact, the dancing alone is worth the cost of your ticket. From the solo tap numbers by Gardner, to the swirling couple numbers with Bobby and Polly, à la Ginger Rogers and Fred Astair, Crazy for You just

continues sweeping you off your feet until the ovation at the end. Crazy for You is playing at Signature Theater until Sunday, Jan. 14. Tickets range from $40 to $104, depending on seats. For more information, visit www.sigtheatre.org or call (703) 820-9771.

EPIC POLITICAL THRILL RIDE

THE GREAT SOCIETY BEGINS FEBRUARY 2 BY ROBERT SCHENKKAN DIRECTED BY KYLE DONNELLY JACK WILLIS AS LYNDON BAINES JOHNSON Photo by Tony Powell.

ARENASTAGE.ORG ORDER TODAY! 202-488-3300

40th International Saxophone Symposium FRIDAY, JAN. 12, 8 P.M.

Concert Band with Claude Delangle Timothy McAllister the Navy Band Saxophone Quartet and Dale Underwood

SATURDAY, JAN. 13, 8 P.M.

Commodores with Miguel Zenón George Mason University Center for the Arts in Fairfax, Virginia.

Theatre F. Scott Fitzgerald

Tickets online: www.rockvillemd.gov/theatre Box Office: 240-314-8690

AT RO C K VI L L E C I VI C C E NTE R PA R K

Rockville Civic Center Park • 603 Edmonston Drive, Rockville, MD

All concerts are FREE and open to the public. No tickets required. For our full performance calendar, visit our website.

Arts & Style | More at TheBeaconNewspapers.com

Artist

A color expert

From page 1 — rented a flat in Chelsea, 41 Pont Street. What an amazing summer!” she reminisced. There, they were shown all around the city, watched the moon landing, went to a free Rolling Stones concert in Hyde Park, and felt privileged to live near Judy Garland before her passing. It was almost a decade later that she returned to the University of Maryland and got her art education degree. But by then, her career goals had changed. While in London, she’d gotten “a taste of working and not studying,” and had already launched a career in media with “various jobs” in radio and TV. Her first job back in America was as an assistant to the program director at WWDC radio in Silver Spring, Md., where she got some experience in public relations. She then worked as a secretary at Metromedia Channel 5 (now Fox 5 DC) before moving to WTOP television (now WUSA), where she worked in the promotions department, charged with writing the daily and weekly synopsis of TV shows for TV Guide and local newspapers. For two years, she and her then-husband moved to New York City, where she worked as assistant to the head of television syndication at MGM New York. It was there that she rubbed elbows with celebrities, such as Otto Preminger, Alan Park and Robert De Niro.

Manzari re-whet her appetite for art when she returned to this area and began working for master printmaker Lou Stovall at the Workshop in D.C. The intricate process of printmaking involves placing a thin translucent vellum film over the original piece, which is cut out in shapes to match, to guide the ink into the right location on the replica print. Her job was to mix the inks, which were then pulled through a screen onto the shapes. She was talented at her job, and gradually was entrusted with cutting the film strips, which later proved useful in her work with the famous color field abstract painter Sam Gilliam. She also successfully matched the original colors of notable artists Gene Davis, Jacob Kainen, Pat Buckley Moss and Selma Hurwitz. Manzari looks back fondly on her years working with those artists. “Working for Lou and Sam Gilliam...I learned what art truly is. I feel Lou’s and Sam’s influence today [even] after all these years.” Two of their prints, received as gifts, now hang on her walls.

A writer and designer too According to Manzari, she can’t take all the credit for her artistic achievements — some of it goes to her family background. Art seems to flow through her family’s blood. From her nephews, who comprise the locally famous tap dance duo the Manzari

THE UNITED STATES AIR FORCE BAND WA S H I N G T O N , D . C . Colonel Larry H. Lang, Commander and Conductor

2018 ConcertBand F REE CONCER T!

Schlesinger Concert Hall | Alexandria, Virginia

Patrick Sheridan Thursday, Jan. 18 at 8 p.m. world-renowned tubist

for FREE tickets, please visit: www.usafband.eventbrite.com ~SAVE THE DATE!~ Concert Band Collegiate Symposium Saturday, Feb. 3 at 8 p.m. Schlesinger Concert Hall | Alexandria, Virginia

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J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 8 — WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N

brothers, to her screenwriting brother Arnie Zelkovitz, she’s always been surrounded by artistic pursuits in some way. In fact, Zelkovitz’s recent successes (his script “Heatwave” was an official selection at the L.A. Neo Noir Screenplay and Novel Festival and a finalist in the Extreme Screenwriters Screenplay contest), have “inspired me to write. I have a bazillion ideas,” she said. Her most recent writing project is a screenplay called “Soles for Souls,” which follows the love and success story of a young Hungarian Jewish girl who finds herself making shoes in Budapest at the end of WWII. Manzari plans to submit it to screenwriting contests, such as the BlueCat Screenplay Competition. Thankfully, “there are lots of opportunities” to get noticed, she said. She is also taking a more proactive approach to painting, drawing inspiration from artists like Chagall, Klimt, Van Gogh and O’Keeffe. She also looks to television, movies and music, which she says “brings out personal feelings to the canvas.” Painting has become such a passion, she even has “vivid dreams” about it. “I’ll wake up and start painting. Sometimes, I’ll have dreams with paintings that are mine that I haven’t painted yet,” which she feels she has to get to work on right away. Winning “Project Runway’s” contest was an important step in her career, since she considers herself a “closet [i.e., se-

cret] designer,” and said she has “many fashion designs on paper.” She’s especially inspired by “kimono and ancient Asian costume.” She has recently begun selling her work, including a Chagall-influenced piece titled, “Wish I Could Dance with My Father Again.” Manzari said her next contest will be the Beacon’s own Celebration of the Arts, a regional competition for artists 50 and over, which will begin accepting entries in the spring. While it’s nice to be acknowledged, Manzari said, it’s not the reason she continues to create. “Art is my life,” she said with passion. “All of my pieces tell a story — whether in my mind or the viewers’. I like to look at a painting and get the ‘goosies’ and say, ‘This is really good.”‘ It’s also an emotionally charged experience. “When I paint, I escape into the world of my subject matter, and when I finish a painting, it’s like saying goodbye to a precious adventure. “It’s also true for writing. I get so involved with my characters and their journey emotionally — it’s hard to say goodbye to them when I finish.” The Beacon’s Celebration of the Arts contest will be open for online submissions from April through early June. For more information, or to get updates about the contest, visit www.thebeaconnewspapers.com/artcontest or call (301) 949-9766.

Say you saw it in the Beacon | Arts & Style

WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N — J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 8

JAN/FEB EVENTS

Shostakovich’s Ninth Symphony Gerhardt plays Bloch

Bernstein’s “The Age of Anxiety” Ravel’s Boléro Yutaka Sado, conductor Jean-Yves Thibaudet, piano

Fabien Gabel, conductor Alban Gerhardt, cello

Rossini

Dukas Bloch Rachmaninoff Shostakovich

Bernstein Tchaikovsky Ravel

Overture to La Gazza ladra (The Thieving Magpie) Symphony No. 2, “The Age of Anxiety” Francesca da Rimini Boléro

Gerhardt

Overture to Polyeucte Schelomo The Rock Symphony No. 9

Thu., Feb. 8 at 7 Sat., Feb. 10 at 8 Feb. 8: AfterWords free post-concert discussion Feb. 10: ForeWords free pre-concert discussion at 6:45

Thu., Jan. 11 at 7 | Sat., Jan. 13 at 8 Jan. 11: AfterWords free post-concert discussion Jan. 13: ForeWords free pre-concert discussion at 6:45

Brahms’s First Symphony Jackiw plays Bruch Marek Janowski, conductor Stefan Jackiw, violin

Jackiw

Weber Bruch Brahms

Overture to Euryanthe Violin Concerto No. 1 Symphony No. 1

Thu., Feb. 22 at 7 Fri., Feb. 23 at 11:30 Sat., Feb. 24 at 8

Coffee Concert!

Feb. 22: Organ Postlude free post-concert recital Feb. 24: ForeWords free pre-concert discussion at 6:45

Kenny “Babyface” Edmonds

Schumann’s “Rhenish” Symphony

Tim Davies, conductor

Christoph Eschenbach, conductor Leila Josefowicz, violin Brahms O. Knussen Schumann Josefowicz

Variations on a Theme of Haydn Violin Concerto Symphony No. 3, “Rhenish”

Edmonds

Thu., Jan. 25 at 7 Sat., Jan. 27 at 8

Eleven-time Grammy®-winning singer/songwriter/ producer and Songwriters Hall of Fame 2017 Inductee Kenny “Babyface” Edmonds joins the NSO for some of his top hits—“Never Keeping Secrets,” “When Can I See You,” “Every Time I Close My Eyes”—and more over two unforgettable evenings.

Fri., Jan. 19 at 8 Sat., Jan. 20 at 8

Jan. 25: AfterWords free post-concert discussion Jan. 27: ForeWords free pre-concert discussion at 6:45

West Side Story in Concert

Gerstein

Rachmaninoff’s Second Piano Concerto

Steven Reineke, conductor Francesca Zambello, director

Hannu Lintu, conductor Kirill Gerstein, piano

Experience forbidden love, fierce family loyalties, and the deadly feud between the Sharks and the Jets through Leonard Bernstein’s legendary, Broadway-shaping musical interpretation of Romeo & Juliet with lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. The cast includes Solea Pfeiffer as Maria, Corey Cott as Tony, Ephraim Sykes as Riff, and Joel Perez as Bernardo. Part of Leonard Bernstein at 100.

Tchaikovsky The Tempest Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 2 Stravinsky The Fairy’s Kiss Thu., Feb. 1 at 7 Fri., Feb. 2 at 8 Sat., Feb. 3 at 8

Wed., Feb. 14 at 8 Fri., Feb. 16 at 8 Sat., Feb. 17 at 8

Feb. 1: Organ Postlude free post-concert recital Feb. 2 & 3: ForeWords free pre-concert discussion at 6:45

TICKETS ON SALE NOW!

KENNEDY-CENTER.ORG (202) 467-4600 Tickets also available at the Box Office. Groups call (202) 416-8400. For all other ticket-related customer service inquiries, call the Advance Sales Box Office at (202) 416-8540.

David and Alice Rubenstein are the Presenting Underwriters of the NSO.

AARP is the Presenting Sponsor of the NSO Pops Season.

The Blue Series is sponsored by United Technologies Corporation. NSO Pops: Babyface is presented with the support of

FRIDAY MORNING COFFEE CONCERTS Join your friends for coffee and a la carte continental breakfast in the KC Café beginning at 10 a.m. before attending the 11:30 concert together!

Arts & Style | More at TheBeaconNewspapers.com

J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 8 — WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N

A 94-year-old American hero looks back It’s about the size of a small pancake. It Williams was the keynote speaker. If his hangs around the man’s neck on a ribbon. story doesn’t buff up your sense of pride “I use a lot of Brasso on it,” and patriotism, well, you need he jokes. He must, because it some Brasso. shines. And so does he. Williams was bor n and Hershel “Woody” Williams brought up on a dairy farm in is 94 years old. He is one of Quiet Dell, West Virginia. His 464 American soldiers to have father died when he was 11. received the Medal of Honor He tried to join the Marines for extraordinary service durwhen he was 17, but the miniing World War II. mum height requirement was Only four survive. Williams 5-feet-8. Since he was only 5is the oldest. But he is a long HOW I SEE IT feet-6, he was rejected. way from being done. But in 1943, in need of more By Bob Levey I met him a few weeks ago men, the Marines dropped the in New Orleans, at a conference sponsored minimum to 5-feet-6. Williams joined that by The National World War II Museum. week.

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One of his early assignments was delivering telegrams to the families of casualties, informing them that their sons had died in battle. “That remains imprinted on my mind,” Williams told his audience of about 500. “The sadness, the grieving. I learned that dads cry, too.” In 1944, Williams was shipped to the South Pacific. “I had never even heard of the South Pacific,” he said. “I didn’t know we had one.” The next February — the 23rd, to be exact — he and his special weapons squad were on Iwo Jima, the legendary island where U.S. forces fought the Japanese for weeks and sustained heavy casualties. Williams, by now a corporal, was tasked with neutralizing enemy pillboxes at an airfield. Pillboxes are bunkers, dug into the earth and fortified with concrete. It’s easy to fire out of them, via slits. It’s very difficult to fire into them. The only way to knock them out is to walk right up to them and start shooting. Which Woody Williams proceeded to do. When his commanding officer told Williams to take out as many of them as he could, “I said, ‘I’ll try,’” he recalled. For the next four hours, armed with a single flamethrower, Williams destroyed seven pillboxes single-handedly. “Much of

it I don’t even remember,” he says. Miraculously, he was not wounded during his mission. He just kept eyeballing a pillbox and destroying it, eyeballing another and destroying it. Is he braver than most? Williams denies it. Was he a better solider than his comrades? Williams denies it. “I have no explanation for how I accomplished what I accomplished that day,” he says. Nor has he ever forgotten the men in his unit who were killed that day — especially a good friend named Vernon Waters. Waters had given Williams his ring while they were on Iwo Jima. If anything ever happened to him, he told Williams, please see that the ring is returned to my family. Once the war ended, and he was back in West Virginia, Williams bought a 1942 Dodge and drove the ring to Frawley, Montana, Waters’ home town. “It took me three days to drive it, but it was the least I could do,” Williams said. Woody Williams has devoted much of his post-war life to helping and honoring the families of Americans killed in battle. His family foundation provides college scholarships to Gold Star children. He has been instrumental in erecting memorials to Gold Star soldiers throughout the United States. See BOB LEVEY, page 41

Say you saw it in the Beacon | Arts & Style

WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N — J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 8

Start 2018 on a positive note with these The beginning of a new year is a time for surprisingly, even better for longevity.” assessment and action. Look ahead with Amen to that! Learn how to age well by utilizing nostalgia as a tool to enhope. Read and reflect on the hance life. Read about the imchoices before you. Draw inportance of cultivating a spiration on how to make imframe of mind that embraces provements, break old habits, optimism, mindfulness and and forge new positive pathgratitude. ways. Start each day of 2018 Revivement: Having A with a smile and a purpose. Life After Making a LivBrain Rules for Aging ing by Gloria Dunn-Violin, Well: 10 Principles for 270 pages, Having A Life Staying Vital, Happy, Now Publishing softcover, and Sharp by John MediTHE 2017. na, 288 pages, Pear Press BIBILOPHILE Whether you’ve been laid hardcover, 2017. By Dinah Rokach off and are looking for a new Enjoying good health well job or want to stay productive into old age has been the focus of much recent scientific research. as you age, you will find Revivement to Brain Rules for Aging Well is a con- be an excellent resource. Research shows that people who broadcise summary of what experts have determined is the best approach for people to en their horizons, learn new skills and stay achieve longevity, sound mental health, active live longer. Ms. Dunn-Violin directs her advice to those over 50. and physical vigor. She coins the term revivement as an alDr. John Medina, a molecular biologist, lucidly explains the jargon of neuro- ternative to the word retirement. The book science, physiology and other esoteric inspires us to broaden, rather than narrow, fields of study. He helps us understand the our life’s purpose, add to our skill sets, and process of aging — physically, mentally not lose the ones we have through disuse. We are encouraged to look back to find and psychologically. He imparts this inforand reignite our former passions that may mation in a conversational manner. After explaining the basis of current have been latent during middle age. Read knowledge, he proceeds to delineate how stories of those who have followed this to best make use of the latest research concept, then complete the worksheets to with specific, practical applications we can formulate your personal goals. The author provides practical advice: incorporate in our own daily activities. The book includes many stories that bring the Use technology to make life simpler. Don’t topics to life. Each chapter concludes with let new ideas and methods pass you by due to lack of curiosity or resistance to change. a summary of salient points. While he apparently has a business in- Nurture excitement in what you do. Venterest in selling video games to seniors, ture down a challenging new course, and Medina soft pedals that endorsement. He stop treading the comfortable, safe, old offers a wide range of suggestions on how worn-out path. Finding purpose in our activities is esto mitigate the undesirable aspects of aging. He encourages us to defer retire- sential for vitality. Making meaningful use ment, keep a busy social schedule, go on- of our time and energy brings fulfillment line to communicate with others, learn and satisfaction as we age. That’s a goal to which we should all aspire in the New Year. new skills, exercise and read. Everything You Need to Know “Voracious reading,” he writes, “… turns out to be good for aging brains and, About Social Media (Without Hav-

ANSWERS TO CROSSWORD

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C H E R I S T H O L U E N E I M L P I T A Y

M I N I C A L M A P S E S

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

ANSWERS TO JUMBLE Jumbles: OZONE JADED DEAFEN BEYOND Answer: The mortician sought a career change because he had a -- DEAD-END JOB

P O L I T B U R O

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ing to Call a Kid) by Greta Van Susteren, 305 pages, Simon & Schuster paperback, 2017. For those who have yet to join the social media world, Greta Van Susteren’s detailed step-by-step book is an indispensable guide. Chapters cover Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and Snapchat. Also included is information on loading your own videos online, what she calls personal broadcasting. Her book painstakingly takes you through the process of using each platform — including their advantages and downsides, how to sign up, the exact privacy settings you may want to consider, and how to load videos and photos. The book effectively employs screenshot illustrations. Explanations are easy to understand. In Van Susteren, technophobes have found a warm and engaging coach to help broaden their horizons. Cartoons from The New Yorker 2018 Day-to-Day Calendar, 640 pages, Andrews McMeel Publishing boxed edition, 2017. Humor is an important tool in overcoming life’s vicissitudes. Enjoying a good joke is a great way to start each day. What could be more useful in setting the proper tone in 2018 than a desk calendar with a daily dose of humor? The droll wit of The New Yorker maga-

zine’s famous cartoons will surely help put you in an upbeat mood as you face the day. Your coping skills will be enhanced when you put this calendar on your desk. The New Yorker magazine has included cartoons since the periodical’s inception in 1925. They are not just for New Yorkers. They’re for anyone who enjoys a touch of sophistication along with a humorous take on contemporary life. Most cartoons include a sketch with a caption that gives a pithy, wry or humorous comment on the illustration. The cartoons are in black-and-white, and drawn in a multitude of styles by a wide variety of talented and witty cartoonists who also supply the captions. The calendar pages are bound together at the top in a black plastic holder and can be ripped off each day. There are only six per week; Saturdays and Sundays share one page. Official holidays in the Englishspeaking world are noted at the bottom left, including the country where they are observed. At the bottom right is the day and date. While the cartoons and captions take up most of the page, the back is blank for note-taking. It’s not an appointment calendar, just a daily appointment with a funny cartoon. Smile, chuckle, relax, and the rest of the day may be more easily endured.

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J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 8 — WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N

PUZZLE PAGE We offer MORE than other senior living options.

on page B-3.

Daily crosswords can be found on our website: www.TheBeaconNewspapers.com Click on Puzzles Plus Customer: Serve Us

12204647

Call 1-877-575-0231 for See our ad your FREE brochure.

Crossword Puzzle 1

23 25

37 41 45

51 60

67 69

Across 1. Lancelot and Mix-a-Lot 5. Summit 9. Fabled home builder 12. Water balloon toss failure 13. Evade responsibility 15. Egg cells 16. Biff Loman’s dad 17. Tube-shaped pasta 18. PC linkup 19. With 31, 42, and 57 Across, a Customer Serve-Us line that starts “We” and ends “to us” 22. Start to -scope or -meter 23. Boyhood nickname of Darth Vader 24. A matter of Life (cereal) 25. Brit. timezone baseline 27. Commonality in “sack”, “sick”, and “sock” 30. Last third of an SSN 32. Our options have changed; the line now continues at 32 Across 38. Gold, panned in a Mexican river 39. Mexican river used to pan for gold 40. “___ Miserables” 41. Abbrev. for Regiment 42. To give up on this puzzle, press 1; or to continue the line, press 2 46. ___.edu (website for the National Defense University) 47. One plus two plus three plus four 48. Letter sequence found in only two English words: “already”, and “milreis” 49. Toilet paper thickness measure 51. Visit the dining hall 53. Directors Spike and Ang 57. Before turning the page, please take our brief survey about the conclusion of the line 62. Letters on an Apollo rocket 63. Orange juice solids 64. Writing assignment 65. Sale item at the Mets’ team store 66. Cut off your nose, proverbially 67. Caroline Kennedy, to Bobby 68. One of the Kongs - Donkey or King

Jumble answers on p. 39.

Scrabble answers on p. 39.

Stephen Sherr

69. What Simon does 70. “Channel 2 news comes ___ 11:00” Down 1. Index fingernails, when performing “Here’s the church; here’s the steeple...” 2. Ahead, in the ER triage line 3. Research Triangle’s biggest point 4. River to the underworld 5. Colorado home to the Winter X Games 6. Dote on 7. Knee-baring skirt 8. Marine eagle 9. Communist leadership committee 10. ___ the Terrible 11. West Side Story group 12. Parent Trap ruse 14. Numbers game 20. Member of the Superbowl LI champs 21. Coke machine contents 26. Game-show founder Griffin, who proposed one called “Let’s Do Crosswords” 28. Storm preceder 29. Greet the king 31. Prego taste test foe 32. Ad ___ committee 33. Its official language is Persian 34. Make the ordinary appear special 35. “I ___ ya’ so” 36. Winner of 80 Olympic golds in ‘80 37. It’s inside an env. (or one of its words) 43. Conversational gap 44. Containing some material 45. Boris ___, predecessor of Putin 50. Puppy sounds 52. Domed cathedral areas 54. Use aloe to ___ sunburn 55. Convert a bill to a law 56. Eye sore 57. Finalist in the first World Baseball Classic, in 2006 58. “Don’t wait for me to say all the words!” 59. Dines at dusk 60. Hip bones 61. Nevada gambling town

Answers on page 39.

WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N — J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 8

Bob Levey From page 38

Say you saw it in the Beacon | Arts & Style

ONE BIG HAPPY By Rick Detorie

Meanwhile, he is backing an organization called State Funeral for World War II Veterans. The organization is marshaling support for a single state funeral once the last World War II Medal of Honor winner dies. If an idea ever deserved to blossom, it’s this one. Asked why he left the family farm in 1943 to join the Marines, Woody Williams says his reason was simple: “To protect my country and my freedom.” Asked how Feb. 23, 1945 looks to him, all these years later, he says: “I never dreamed that a poor, little old boy from West Virginia would have such a high honor. No one could ever convince me that that could happen, except in America.” I walked up to Williams just as the standing ovation was ending. “Mr. Williams,” I said, “I was born right at the end of World War II. I know I could never have had the life I’ve had without men like you.” “Thank you,” said Woody Williams. No, corporal. Thank you. Bob Levey is a national award-winning columnist.

BEACON BITS

Ongoing

ART AND LUNCH

The Fairfax Art League is hosting an “Art & Lunch” event at Old Town Hall, 3999 University Dr., on Thursday, Jan. 11 from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Bring lunch and enjoy the company of other artists. This event is free and open to the public, and new members are welcome. For more information, visit www.fairfaxartleague.net or call (703) 587-9481.

BEACON BITS

Ongoing

CAT-LOVING VOLUNTEERS

Laurel Cats, an all-volunteer feline spay/neuter group is offering free cat spay/neuter for all cats in Laurel, including pet cats as well as stray cats that you may feed. They are also looking for volunteers to transport, foster and help trap cats if need be. For more information, call (301) 886-0161.

Exploring New York’s synagogues Using his heritage as a jumping-off point, Michael J. Weinstein wound his way through close-knit New York neighborhoods in Brooklyn, Brighton Beach, Coney Island, Flatbush and Williamsburg to produce the coffee table book, Ten Times Chai: 180 Orthodox Synagogues of New York City. The only text lists the founding date and address of each synagogue, and Weinstein leaves the photos of radiant

stained glass windows, sanctuaries and ornate arks to speak for themselves. There are 613 color photos, a nod to the fact that Jewish tradition says there are 613 mitzvot, or commandments, in the Torah. Published by Brown Books Publishing Group last April, the book retails for $39.95, but may be available at a discount through such online sellers as Amazon.com. — Barbara Ruben

WB 1/18

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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 page 43. CAVEAT EMPTOR! The Beacon does not knowingly accept obscene, offensive, harmful, or fraudulent advertising. However, we do not investigate any advertisers or their products and cannot accept responsibility for the integrity of either. Respondents to classified advertising should always use caution and their best judgment. EMPLOYMENT & REAL ESTATE ADS: We will not knowingly or intentionally accept advertising in violation of federal, state, and local laws prohibiting discrimination based on race, color, national origin, sex, familial status or handicap in connection with employment or the sale or rental of real estate.

Business and Employment Opportunities ART C. HAMM & ASSOCIATES. JOB SEARCH and Career Transition Assistance (including transition from or into Retirement) with a Princeton and Yale professional. Thirty years’ experience in the Washington Metropolitan Area helping individuals to make interesting, rewarding and timely career changes. Whether you are the Managing Director of a prestigious law firm seeking either to retire or to develop an exciting new career, or some other individual with other aspirations, I would welcome the opportunity to speak with you. Very reasonable rates. Please feel free to call me anytime to discuss your situation in complete confidence. I look forward to speaking with you! We are located in Silver Spring near Leisure World. Thank You! Arthur C. Hamm (Art) Art-Hamm@comcast.net. 301351-5286.

Caregivers SEEKING WEEKEND COMPANION/ELDERLY CARE — I am available for weekend part-time work. Experienced, skilled and patient, as well as driving. Will cook, and light housekeeping included. Good references. Call 301-598-3627. 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.

J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 8 — WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N

For Sale/Rent: Real Estate

Miscellaneous

Wanted

LEISURE WORLD® — $169,000. 2BR 2FB “F” with Garage in Greens. Enclosed balcony plus outdoor patio space, close to the elevator, 1115 sq ft. Stan Moffson, Weichert, Realtors. 301-928-3463.

ENJOY 100% GUARANTEED, DELIVERED to-the-door Omaha Steaks! Save 75% plus get 4 more Burgers & 4 more Kielbasa FREE! Order The Family Gourmet Buffet — ONLY $49.99. Call 1-844-302-3754, mention code 51689JCT or visit www.omahasteaks.com.

BUYING VINYL RECORDS from 1950 through 1985. Jazz, Rock-n-Roll, Soul, Rhythm & Blues, Reggae and Disco. 33 1/3 LPs, 45s or 78s, Larger collections of at least 100 items wanted. Please call John, 301-596-6201.

LEISURE WORLD® — $279,000. 3 BR 2 FB “M” with Garage in Fairways. Table space kitchen, separate dining room, close to the elevator, rough-in for HB. 1480 sq ft. Stan Moffson, Weichert, Realtors. 301-928-3463. LEISURE WORLD® — $189,000. 3 BR 2 FB “CAPRI” model with huge living and dining rooms, table space kitchen, Carport. 1415 sq ft. Stan Moffson, Weichert, Realtors. 301-928-3463. LEISURE WORLD® — $ 199,000. 2BR 2FB “J” with Garage in “Greens,” move-in condition, close to the elevator. 1317 sq ft. Stan Moffson, Weichert Realtors. 301-928-3463. LEISURE WORLD® — $ 269,000. 2BR + Den, 2 FB “S” with Garage in “Fairways,” separate dining room, table space kitchen, 1460 sq ft. Stan Moffson, Weichert, Realtors. 301-928-3463. FURNISHED ROOM IN NORTH POTOMAC with private bath for clean, quiet employed female. No smoking, pets. Includes utilities, W/D, Wi-Fi, kitchen use, free parking. Safe, convenient neighborhood. 240-506-2450. HOME FOR PRECIOUS GEMS Assisted Living Facility in Upper Marlboro. “Where your loved one is as precious to us as they are to you!” 240-802-6202. MAGNOLIA HOUSE — New and accepting residents! Assisted Living/Memory Care: 301512-1685. 1:4 staff to resident ratio. Single-level facility, private and semi-private accommodations. Silver Spring, MD 20904.

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 set up an automated online search for you, preview units, and contact you to arrange a showing when there is 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 in this issue. Contact me: 301-580-5556, SueHeyman@aol.com, www.SueHeyman.com, Weichert Realtors.

TURN YOUR SILVER AND OLD GOLD jewelry into cash and do something good for yourself. Gold 4 Good (8241 Georgia Ave., Suite 100, Silver Spring, MD 20910) buys gold and silver jewelry, including broken pieces, all sterling silver, gold watches and gold and silver coins. I will come to your house and give you a free evaluation of what I can pay. If you decide to sell, I can buy your items at that time, but there is no obligation. Licensed with both Maryland and Montgomery County (lic. #2327). Call Bob, (240) 938-9694. I WILL REPAIR YOUR CHIPPED GLASS and crystal in a perfect, professional way. Call Giovanni, 301-340-2624. I also restore china and porcelain. Museum quality.

TV/Cable

DONATE YOUR CAR, TRUCK OR BOAT to Heritage for the Blind. Free 3-Day Vacation, Tax Deductible, Free Towing, All Paperwork Taken Care Of. CALL 1-844-855-7670.

DIRECTV. CALL AND SWITCH NOW — Get NFL Sunday Ticket for FREE! Every Game. Every Sunday. CHOICE- All-Included Package. Over 185 Channels. $60/month (for 12 Months.) CALL 1- 888-572-4953.

GOT AN OLDER CAR, VAN OR SUV? Do the humane thing. Donate it to the Humane Society. Call 1-844-230-2952.

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

Health

DENTAL INSURANCE. Call Physicians Mutual Insurance Company for details. Not just a discount plan, real coverage for 350 procedures. 844-366-1003 or http://www.dental50plus.com/320 Ad# 6118.

For Sale/Rent: Real Estate

PERSONAL COOKING — Get tasty, healthy meals in your home by an experienced cook. Great for new parents, elders, busy families, etc. For more info: 240-506-2450 or hbgroves@gmail.com.

Financial

I WILL CARE FOR YOUR LOVED ONES night/day. Own transportation. Good references. Lots of experience. 301-502-2258.

PROBLEM WITH YOUR PC/MAC OR NETWORK? Computer Systems Engineer will come to you with help. Call: David G at 301-642-4526.

Personal Services

PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZER: Everything from photos to paperwork to pesky clutter. Downsizing, setting up a new home, and time management! Liz, 228-332-0961.

STOP OVERPAYING for your prescriptions! SAVE! Call our licensed Canadian and International pharmacy, compare prices and get $25.00 OFF your first prescription! CALL 1-888-9817657 Promo Code CDC201725.

Computer Services

CUTE, ATTRACTIVE FEMALE, FIFTIES — ISO single white male, fifties plus, attractive, robust, warm-hearted, romantic. Enjoy dates, companionship, devoted relationship. If interested, call 240-418-4124, leave message.

FLORIDA GULF COAST BEACH VACATION HOME — 2 blocks from Manasota Key Beach. 2 bedroom, 1 bath, lanai with hot tub. $2,000/month, all inclusive. Available Jan-March 2018. 304-268-9440.

“A” HOME HEALTH CARE – Experienced nurses, CNA, GNA are available 24/7. Cooking, companionship, personal care, housekeeping, driving. Full/Part-time or live-in. Flat rate for live-in care. 15 years’ experience. 240-533-6599.

A LOVING, CARING, COMPASSIONATE, dependable and reliable caregiver with years of experience and references for your loved ones. Has experience with MS, Alzheimer’s, diabetics and other health problems. Please call 301-908-9134.

Personals

Home/Handyman Services MOVING? CALL AMAZON MOVERS. Packing service. Moving service. Packing material available. Cleaning service after the move. We haul junk away. Loading, unloading trucks out of town. Experienced in sorting out. Serving the Metropolitan area for 30 years. Excellent references. Member of Washington BBB. We beat other movers’ prices. Call Carmen Alberto, 571-229-8021, 703525-7510, packingamazon@gmail.com.

Legal Services WERE YOU AN INDUSTRIAL OR CONSTRUCTION TRADESMAN and recently diagnosed with lung cancer? You and your family may be entitled to a significant cash reward. Call 1-888-351-0312 for your risk free consultation. SOCIAL SECURITY DISABILITY? Up to $2,671/mo. (Based on paid-in amount.) Free evaluation! Call Bill Gordon & Associates. 1-866-9700779. Mail: 2420 N St NW, Washington, D.C. Office: Broward Co. FL., member TX/NM Bar.

DISH Network. 190+ CHANNELS. FREE Install. FREE Hopper HD-DVR. $49.99/month (24 months) Add High Speed Internet - $14.95 (where avail.) CALL Today & SAVE 25%! 1-844-560-5837. SPECTRUM TRIPLE PLAY! TV, Internet & Voice for $29.99 ea. 60 MB per second speed. No contract or commitment. More Channels. Faster Internet. Unlimited Voice. Call 1-888-366-7573.

Wanted CASH FOR ESTATES, PARTIAL ESTATES, DOWNSIZING. I buy a wide range of items. Buy-out/cleanup. Gary Roman, 301-520-0755. LOOKING FOR HOUSEKEEPER — laundry, empty dishwasher, clean floors, bathroom, change sheets, prefer references. Have dog. Barbara, 301-445-4318. CASH FOR RECORDS, CDs AND TAPES. Best price guaranteed. Free appraisals. All types of music, 33, 45, 78 & CDs. Call Steve 301646-5403. Will make house calls. MONEY, TIME TO SELL! Make the right choice. Call Greg, 717-658-7954. We buy costume and other jewelry, coins, antiques, watches, art, paper money, toys, bottles, etc. No middleman, no fees, no overhead means more money for your stuff. Give me a call, and let’s do business.717-658-7954. TIRED OF POLISHING YOUR SILVER? Turn it into cash, which does not tarnish. I will come to your home and give you a free evaluation of what I can pay. I buy all gold and silver jewelry, including broken pieces, all sterling silver, gold and silver coins, gold watches, etc. I am licensed with both Maryland and Montgomery County (lic. #2327). If you decide to sell, I can buy your items at that time, but there is no obligation. Call Bob, Gold 4 Good, 8241 Georgia Ave., Suite 100, Silver Spring, MD 20910, (240) 938-9694. GOLD, SILVER, ANTIQUES — Private collector buying what you have for over 40 years! Wanted: Jewelry, Flatware, Holloware, Antiques, Men’s Magazines (pre-1971), Playboys (19531959), Comic Books, Coins, Stamps and other old stuff. Call or Text Alex Now. 571-426-5363.

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 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. COLLECTOR BUYING MILITARY ITEMS: Helmets, weapons, knives, swords, bayonets, web gear, uniforms, etc. from all wars and countries. Also Lionel Toy Trains, and coin operated machines. Will pay top prices for my personal collection. Discreet consultations. Call Fred, 301-910-0783. BUYING VINTAGE TOYS AND STEREO equipment, tin wind-ups, cast iron banks, peddle cars, Lego, Disney toys, marbles, record players, amplifiers, tube amplifiers, tubes. Betty, 301219-6201. 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. WANTED: 3 STOOGES, 1959, Bubble Gum Cards + any cards from 1950s. Call John at 301423-1256. WANTED: OLDER VIOLINS, Guitars, Banjos, Mandolins, etc. Musician/collector will pay cash for older string instruments. Jack, 301- 2792158. ITEMS WANTED: CAUTION! BE SMART. Get 3 estimates before you sell anything of value. Cash paid for quality antiques + mid-century items, including furniture, art, sculptures, toys, jewelry, gold, silver, fishing, military, vehicles, etc. One piece or estate. Compare my estimate before you sell. 301-262-1299. BUYING MILITARY MEMORABILIA WW2, WW1, Civil War uniforms, weapons, photos and items associated with US, German, Japanese or items of other Military History. DAVE, 240-4640958. STAMP COLLECTIONS, AUTOGRAPHS purchased/appraised – U.S., worldwide, covers, paper memorabilia. Stamps are my specialty – highest price paid! Appraisals. Phone Alex, 301309-3622. Stampex1@gmail.com. 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. LADY WHO LOVES FINE CHINA and crystal would like to buy yours. Especially interested in figurines and dishes by the following makers: Herend, Johnson Brothers, Lenox, Lladro, Meissen, Rosenthal, Royal Copenhagen, Shelley, Spode, Wedgwood, Baccarat, Lalique and Waterford stemware and miscellaneous. Bone China cups and saucers and quality dog and cat figurines. 301-785-1129. CASH FOR JEWELRY: Buying jewelry, diamonds, gold, platinum, silver, watches, coins, flatware, etc. Ask for Tom. Call anytime, 301654-8678 (reg. 883). HIGHEST PAID CASH FOR JEWELRY, WATCHES, toys, comics, records, jukeboxes, trains, signatures, military items and art 1950s and older. Treasure Barn, 16650 Georgia Ave, Olney. Call 301-750-4164.

Thank you for reading the Beacon!

WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N — J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 8

Say you saw it in the Beacon

BEACON BITS

Jan. 13+

CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING RATES

FORTY+ OR MINUS

Jane Franklin Dance presents several performances by dance troop Forty+, a group of performers past the age of 40. Their premier, called “Shorthanded,” explores the role of women, memory and change by revisiting technology pushed away over time, including cassette tape, VHS, paper dolls, IBM 3033 and more. Shows take place on Saturdays, Jan 13, 20 and 27 at 7:30 p.m. at Theatre on the Run, 3700 S. Four Mile Run Dr., Arlington, Va. Tickets cost $22. For more information, visit www.janefranklin.com or call (703) 933-1111.

Jan. 22

POETRY READING

Cafe Muse, a longstanding monthly poetry series, will take place on Monday, Jan. 22 from 7 to 9 p.m. at Friendship Heights Village Center, 4433 South Park Ave., Chevy Chase, Md. Poets Marlena Chertock and Sean Enright will read from their work, and an open mike will follow. The evening starts with classical guitar by Michael C. Davis and includes refreshments. Admission is free. For more information, call (301) 656-2797.

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. 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.

ADVERTISERS IN THIS ISSUE Computer/ Technology Help TechMedic4u..............................5

Dental Services Friedman, Stephen, DDS .........14 Oh, Judy, DDS .........................17

Financial Services Children’s National Hospital....23

Housing

Village at Rockville,

Retail/Pawn/Auction

The ............................B-8, B-10 Ashby Ponds...........B-3, B-19, 40

Vinson Hall ..................B-4, B-15

Perfect Sleep Chair...................22

Aspenwood

Waltonwood .................B-5, B-18

Quinn’s Auction Galleries ........14

Senior Living ..............B-5, B-6 Atrium Assisted Living ............13 Brooke Grove Retirement Village. ........B-5, B-9, B-20, 19 Charles E. Smith Life Communities .............6, 15 Chesterbrook

Legal Services JGL Law...................................25 Law Firm of Evan Farr.............27 Law Offices of Lee Holdmann.......................26 Law Offices of Paul Riekhof ...27

WOW Computer.......................28

Skilled Nursing & Rehabilitation Brooke Grove .......................B-10 Manor Care Health Services.................................11 Village at Rockville, The .....B-16

JCA Career Gateway................26

Residences.................B-8, B-19

Mortgage Network Solutions ...23

Churchill Senior Living ...........13

PENFED Credit Union ............24

Covenant Village ..................B-15

United Way Annuities ..............25

Crossings at Spring Hill, The .....8

Germantown Hospital ............ 3

Beacon Newspaper...................41

Culpepper Garden ....................16

Medical Eye Center..................16

Washington Jewish Week.........36

Emerson House ....................B-19

Silver Spring Medical

Funeral Services

Medical/Health

Subscriptions

Holy Cross

Going Home Cremation...........38

Friendship Terrace........B-9, B-14

Center....................................12

Theatre/ Entertainment

Government Services

Gardens of Traville, The...........15

Miscellaneous

Arena Stage..............................35

DC Office on Aging ...........20-21

Homecrest House .......B-10, B-18

Arthur C. Hamm & Assoc........25

Ford’s Theatre...........................34

MC311 .....................................16

Kensington Park.........B-10, B-17

Beacon Celebration

F. Scott Fitzgerald Theatre .......35

MC DOT Call-N-Ride .............13

Maplewood Park Place...............9

of the Arts..............................44

Kennedy Center .......................37

Montgomery County Aging and

Olney Assisted Living..B-2, B-15

Senior Zone..............................38

Toby’s Dinner Theatre ..............34

Overture Fair Ridge......B-7, B-15

Real Estate

Disability Services ..........10, 17

Home Health Care/Companion Services Ameristar Healthcare Services .9 A Second Me . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11 Best Senior Care . . . . . . . . . .B-4 Options for Senior America .....12

Greenspring..............B-3, B-9, 40

Park View .................................30 Paul Spring Retirement Community ...............B-5, B-13 Quantum Property Mgmt........B-12

Long & Foster/

US Air Force Band ...................36 US Navy Band .........................35

Tour & Travel

Eric Stewart.....................18, 32 Long & Foster/

Eyre Travel ...............................33

Riderwood..............B-3, B-15, 40

Walter Johnson ....................B-3

Nexus Holidays ........................33

Sommerset......................B-2, B-9

Weichert/Sue Heyman..............12

Seven Lands & Sea Travel .......31

Springvale Terrace......B-14, B-15

Restaurants

Tall Oaks ......................B-6, B-19 Victory Crossing ......................17

Original Pancake House...........15

Shillelaghs, The Travel Club ....33 US Navy Memorial ..................31 Vamoose...................................31

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J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 8 â&#x20AC;&#x201D; WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N