June 2011 DC Beacon Edition by The Beacon Newspapers

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VOL.23, NO.6

Centenarians club growing fast

More reach and pass 100 While Leyda is one of our area’s oldest residents, she is only one among hundreds of centenarians living in the Washington region. The Census Bureau estimates there were 71,991 centenarians in the United States as of Dec. 1, up from 37,306 two decades earlier. While predicting longevity and population growth is difficult, the census’ low-end estimate for 2050 is 265,000 centenarians. Its highest projection puts the number at well over a million. The rising number of centenarians is

JUNE 2011

I N S I D E …

PHOTO BY BARBARA RUBEN

By Barbara Ruben Lois Leyda turns 108 next month, and yet she is only the second-oldest person living in the District of Columbia. Born in Saskatchewan two years before it became a Canadian province, Leyda’s roots in Washington go back almost 70 years, to her job as social director of Washington’s Wardman Park Hotel in the 1940s. There, she met political figures like Winston Churchill and Mamie Eisenhower, and helped a shy Bess Truman navigate social functions at the White House. In 1952, she took a volunteer position with Eisenhower’s presidential campaign, and was quickly elevated to assistant press secretary and speech writer, becoming one of only a few women on Eisenhower’s staff. “Working on the Eisenhower campaign was one of the most exciting times of my life,” she said in her memoir, recorded three years ago. “It was hard work and long hours, but it was fun, and I gained a thorough education about American politics and our country,” she recalled. Leyda went on to work on the campaigns for Presidents Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush, not retiring until the age of 87, and even then only because of poor eyesight. Leyda’s memory remained sharp until very recently, and, of course, she’s had some memorable life experiences. She remembers taking one of the first train tours offered through the Canadian West in the 1920s, as well as traveling to Europe as a tour company employee when it was on the cusp of war in 1938 and hearing both Hitler and Mussolini speak.

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LEISURE & TRAVEL

Both Helen Crossley (standing) and Wilma Williams are 102 years old and relatively healthy. The two retired nurses, who live in Arlington, Va., are among hundreds of centenarians residing in the area. Nearly 72,000 Americans are now over 100, and analysts estimate that number could grow to one million by 2050.

not just a byproduct of the nation’s growing population. They make up a bigger chunk of it. In 1990, about 15 in every 100,000 Americans had reached 100; in 2010, it was more than 23 per 100,000, according to census figures. In fact, centenarians “have been the fastest-growing segment of our population in terms of age,” said Thomas Perls, director of the New England Centenarian Study at Boston University. Perls said the rise in 100-year-olds can be attributed largely to better medical care and the dramatic drop in childhood mortality rates since the early 1900s. Centenarians also have good genes on

their side, he added, and have made common-sense health decisions, such as not smoking and keeping their weight down. “It’s very clearly a combination of genes and environment,” Perls said. According to the Social Security Administration, just under 1 percent of people born in 1910 survived to their 100th birthday. Some have speculated that as many as half of girls born today could live to 100. Lynn Peters Adler, a former lawyer, founded the National Centenarian Awareness Project (www.adlercentenarians.org) in 1989. The project recognizes active centenarians as See CENTENARIANS, page 13

Mediterranean coast, snowcapped mountains and desert camel rides in Mystical Morocco; plus, Montana, a state that is gaining bears, but losing glaciers page 25 FITNESS & HEALTH k Why we cry k Popular drugs going generic

LAW & MONEY k Index funds gain ground kAn upside to pricey gas?

SPOTLIGHT ON AGING

LIFETIMES

ARTS & STYLE

PLUS CROSSWORD, BEACON BITS, CLASSIFIEDS & MORE

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

All about housing This month, look inside for our second housing choices. One alternative to movedition of “Housing Options Magazine,” a ing (either from your home or from an inspecial pull-out section devotdependent living retirement ed to housing-related topics. community) is to bring in Whether you own or rent, home healthcare aides. live in a private home or reWe explain how to find and tirement community, and hire such a person or service, want to remain where you are and also how to prepare youror would like to move, you self, your parents or grandwill find a variety of articles parents for the physical and there of interest. psychological effects that can For example, most of us come from having a stranger find we have accumulated FROM THE living or working in your more “stuff” than we need or PUBLISHER home. can comfortably store. Clut- By Stuart P. Rosenthal Thinking about some ter can be an ever-present major remodeling or putting challenge. on an addition? We address the planning A clutter-control expert gives advice, and on-going attention such a task rewith a touch of humor, on how to tackle quires. the problem. Plus, we offer suggestions Or maybe rather than adding on, from Consumer Reports on how to get rid you’re really thinking of downsizing, and of (uh, recycle) almost anything, and take trying to decide where to retire to (and a look at a more serious issue — hoarding what’s the easiest way to move there). — that disproportionately affects older We have articles on those topics, as well. adults and can even become life-threaten- We even share some insights from suring. veys of people who’ve moved to assisted Healthcare needs can also affect our living.

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The Beacon is a monthly newspaper dedicated to inform, serve, and entertain residents of the greater Washington D.C. and Greater Baltimore areas, and is privately owned. Readership exceeds 300,000. Subscriptions are available via first-class mail ($36) or third-class mail ($12), prepaid with order. D.C. residents: add 5.75 percent for sales tax; MD residents: add 6 percent for sales tax. Send subscription order to the office listed below.

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CIRCULATION AUDITED BY

Publication of advertising contained herein does not necessarily constitute endorsement. Signed columns represent the opinions of the writers, and not necessarily the opinion of the publisher. • Publisher/Editor ....................Stuart P. Rosenthal • Associate Publisher..............Judith K. Rosenthal • Vice President of Operations ....Gordon Hasenei • Director of Sales ................................Alan Spiegel • Managing Editor............................Barbara Ruben

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The Beacon, P.O. Box 2227, Silver Spring, MD 20915 (301) 949-9766 • E-mail: info@thebeaconnewspapers.com Website: www.theBeaconNewspapers.com

Finally, in addition to advertising from a wide variety of local housing providers, we include a number of “advertorials,” where individual communities describe their amenities and grounds. And there’s a “free housing information” form on page B-9 where you can request additional information without obligation from any of these companies. So please take a look at the Housing Options pull-out just after page 24 of this issue. If this sort of information is not of immediate use to you, feel free to file it away for the future or to share it with a friend. And don’t forget our regular housing coupon on page 5, which also lets you request free materials from businesses not in our housing section. You can return both forms at the same time, if you like.

New column Our reader surveys have long indicated that gardening is of interest to more than half our readers. So it is with pleasure that we include this month a new gardening column, written by an experienced gardener and Beacon reader. Along with some basic summer gardening tips, this introductory column stresses the health benefits of gardening, so look for it in our Fitness & Health section. We hope you enjoy all the health, financial, travel and arts features in this issue, as well. Thank you for reading the Beacon and for telling your friends about it!

Letters to the editor Readers are encouraged to share their opinion on any matter addressed in the Beacon as well as on political and social issues of the day. Mail your Letter to the Editor to The Beacon, P.O. Box 2227, Silver Spring, MD 20915, or e-mail to barbara@thebeaconnewspapers.com. Please include your name, address and telephone number for verification. Dear Editor: I am an avid reader of the Beacon. This is a follow up to your April “From the Publisher” column, in which you talked extensively about the deficit, Medicare and Social Security. I had an appointment with my podiatrist this past week in Arlington, Va. When I arrived, his receptionist asked me when I last saw my family doctor. I told her about a month or two ago. She had a notice from Medicare on her desk that stated that if I hadn’t seen my family doctor in the past six months, I would have to pay the bill [myself], and not Medicare. The doctor also told me that he has to get the approval of Medicare before he can take an X-ray. Medicare is carrying things too far. I learned recently if you are a new patient with Medicare as primary, a doctor won’t see you for various reasons. I have made this known to the National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association (NARFE), of which I am a member. They are trying to use their clout on Capitol Hill to resolve these issues. One other thing: I was on a group tour several years ago. There were two ophthalmologists on the tour, both retired. They told me the reason they retired was because Medicare had too many guidelines to follow. Essentially, Medicare was

telling them how to run their business, and they didn’t like it. Charles F. McGuire Arlington, Va. Dear Editor: Although this has not been a topic in your excellent newspaper, I would like to know what idiot in the federal government decided to phase out Legacy Treasury Direct, used by many senior citizens for their investment in Treasury notes and bonds, and replace it with a hard-to-use, computer-only system. First, the investor in these securities needs not only a computer but, as shown by my recent difficulties, a thorough knowledge of that device as even after filling out all the required forms, the submission is rejected because of deficiencies either in the computer or the access to the government bureau. In addition, the new system, even if successful in registration, requires transfer by paper of the old Legacy Treasury Direct list of note and bond holdings. Failure to do either of these severs the investment program, as the proceeds of the securities are sent out to one’s bank account with no opportunity for reinvestment. If this represents the new efficient government, then heaven help us. Nelson Marans Silver Spring, MD

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month preceding the month of publication. Deadline for ads is the 10th of the month preceding the month of publication. See page 45 for classified advertising details. Please mail or e-mail all submissions.

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

Health Fitness &

D.C. TOPS IN WELL-BEING Our healthy, educated metro area scores first in Gallup’s Well-Being Index STOP AND SMELL THE ROSES Gardening can help reduce pain, lower blood pressure and burn calories TEST AN ALZHEIMER’S VACCINE Alzheimer’s patients are needed to try a vaccine to slow the disease GET YOUR CALCIUM FROM FOOD Yes, you need more of it, but supplements come with added risks

Why we cry: studying a most human trait We expect babies and children to cry, but U.S. House Speaker John Boehner’s well-chronicled weepiness is a reminder that adults (including menfolk) shed plenty of tears, too. Grief, personal conflict, and feelings of inadequacy are among the main reasons, but grown-ups also fill buckets at weddings, graduations and reunions because they are so happy. Having a good cry every now and then may not be a bad idea. But crying too easily — or for no apparent reason — can be a symptom of brain damage from a neurological condition like amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (Lou Gehrig’s disease) or multiple strokes. Crying is a big topic in scientific research today. Here’s a quick rundown on three areas of investigation.

Crying and tears Other animals whimper in distress, but humans are believed to be the only species wired so that strong emotions provoke the

shedding of tears. Dr. William H. Frey II, an Alzheimer’s researcher in St. Paul, Minn., who has studied tears as a sideline, reported in the early 1980s that tears provoked by emotion contain higher levels of proteins and the mineral manganese than the normal teary fluid that protects and lubricates our eyes. Earlier this year, Israeli researchers reported results in the journal Science that suggested tears are capable of sending chemical signals. They conducted an experiment that involved having men sniff both women’s tears (collected from women who watched sad movies) and a saline solution. They couldn’t distinguish between them by smell, but other tests showed that the men reacted differently to a whiff of the real tears. Their testosterone levels dipped, and brain scans showed less activity in areas associated with sexual arousal. The researchers’ theory: women’s tears may counteract men’s aggressive tendencies. Others, including Darwin himself, have

speculated on the role of tears in evolution and natural selection. Tears, it has been said, are a clear signal of vulnerability, so they may have helped create emotional bonds that kept human communities together and therefore conferred some reproductive advantages.

Crying to feel better Strong emotions bring on crying, but crying also often seems to release built-up stress and tension. The notion that crying may have a beneficial cathartic effect goes back to the Greeks and Romans, and Freud wrote about a large part of an emotion disappearing if it’s expressed. Numerous surveys and questionnairebased studies show people believe they feel better after crying — and not just in this country. Half of the respondents in a large international study (4,200 young adults from 30 countries) reported that they felt better mentally after crying, compared with how they felt beforehand. About 40 percent felt

the same, and the remaining 10 percent felt worse. However, when researchers have studied crying in a laboratory setting, using sad movies to elicit tears (they call them tearjerkers for a reason), they’ve found just the opposite: Criers feel worse, not better, than noncriers exposed to the same stimulus. There are any number of explanations for the inconsistency. People may feel bad right after crying, when lab measurements are made, but better about the episode as time goes on, particularly if beliefs about the benefits of “having a good cry” are widely held. But perhaps the best and most obvious explanation for the discrepancy is that crying outside a lab setting is often done in a social context, and if other people respond with comforting words and gestures, we end up with some psychological reward for our tears. Indeed, in the international survey, See TEARS, page 5

Popular brand-name drugs going generic Dear Savvy Senior: I’ve heard that the drug Lipitor and a few other popular brand name medications will soon be available in cheaper generic form. What can you tell me? — Frugal Senior Dear Frugal: It’s true. Generics for Lipitor and a slew of other brand name drugs will soon be coming down the pipeline, and the savings to consumers will be significant. Here’s what you should know. Over the next two years, the patents of many top-selling brand name drugs will be expiring, clearing the path for lower-cost generics to take their place. One of the biggest is the cholesterol lowering drug Lipitor, which earned the pharmaceutical company Pfizer more than $5.3 billion in U.S. sales last year. The patent for Lipitor ends in November, so starting on Nov. 30, 2011, generic manufacturer Ranbaxy Laboratories will have the exclusive right to sell Lipitor’s generic (Atorvastatin) in the U.S. for six months. At that point, other generic drug makers can enter the market to sell it.

Antacids, blood thinners and more immediately. Pharmaceutical companies or pharmacist or look it up online at sites Some other prominent drugs whose patents expire this year include: Protonix, the popular antacid drug that went off patent in January and is now offered in the generic format Pantoprazole; Concerta, the ADD and ADHA medicine whose patent ended in May; Levaquin, the antibiotic drug whose patent expires this month; and Zyprexa, an antipsychotic drug prescribed for the treatment of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, which comes off patent in October. In 2012, some popular drugs set to lose their patents include: Plavix, the anticlot/blood thinning drug prescribed to prevent heart attack and stroke; the asthma and allergy drug Singulair; Seroquel which is used to treat a variety of mental health issues, from depression to bipolar disorder to schizophrenia; the type 2 diabetes medication Actos, and Enbrel, which is prescribed for arthritis and psoriasis. It is, however, important to note that the expiration of some of these drug patents doesn’t guarantee that less-expensive generic drugs will become available

have methods they can employ to extend a patent and stave off generic competition. When a brand name drug does finally come off patent, its generic substitute is usually only about 30 percent cheaper at first. But as more generic drug makers star t manufacturing it, the costs can drop by as much as 90 percent. On average, generic drugs are about 70 percent less expensive than brand name medications.

How generics differ from brands According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, generic drugs contain the same active ingredients, dosage and quality as their brand name counterparts. The differences lie in the name (generic drugs are usually called by their chemical names), shape and color (U.S. trademark laws don’t allow generics to look exactly like the brand-name drugs). If you’re currently taking an expensive brand name drug, and aren’t sure if it’s available in generic form, ask your doctor

like destinationrx.com. If there’s not a generic counterpart for a particular drug you take, find out if there’s a generic option available in the same class of medications that would work for you. For example, some people who take Lipitor opt for the less-expensive Simvastatin, the generic form of Zocor. Both Lipitor and Zocor lower cholesterol. Many chains like Walmart, Target, Costco, Kmart, CVS, Walgreens and Kroger sell hundreds of generics for as little as $4 for a 30-day supply and $10 for a 90-day supply. Savvy Tip: If you’re having a hard time affording your medications, there are drug assistance programs offered through pharmaceutical companies, government agencies and charitable organizations that may be able to help you. See www.benefitscheckup.org to find them. 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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Depression makes people sad, so it’s presumed that depressed people cry more than those who aren’t depressed. There’s also an abiding belief that more severe bouts with depression can have just the opposite effect and rob people of their capacity to cry. Neither proposition seems farfetched, but researchers who have scoured the

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You may return this form together with the reader reply form on page B-9, which will also enter you into a random drawing for $100

Learn more about the area’s housing options Check the boxes of communities from whom you would like to receive information and mail or fax this form. Washington D.C. ❏Forest Side (See ad on page B-4) ❏Friendship Terrace (See ad on page B-3) ❏Knollwood (See ad on page B-13) ❏Methodist Home of D.C. (See ad on page B-12) ❏St. Mary’s Court (See ad on page B-13)

Maryland ❏Asbury Methodist Village (See ad on page 19) ❏Brooke Grove (See ad on page B-16) ❏Charter House (See ad on page B-5) ❏Churchill Senior Living (See ad on page 39) ❏Covenant Village (See ad on page B-3) ❏Emerson House (See ad on page B-3) ❏The Georgetown (See ad on page 26) ❏Hampshire Village (See ad on page B-7) ❏Homecrest House (See ad on page B-14) ❏Mrs. Philippines Home (See ad on page B-3) ❏Park View at Bladensburg (See ad on page B-15) ❏Park View at Columbia (See ad on page B-15) ❏Park View at Ellicott City (See ad on page B-15) ❏Park View at Laurel (See ad on page B-15) ❏Renaissance Gardens Riderwood (See ad on page 12) ❏Revitz House (See ad on page B-7) ❏Riderwood Village (See ad on page B-5) ❏Shriner Court (See ad on page B-3) ❏Springvale Terrace (See ad on page B-14) ❏Victory Terrace (See ad on page 43) ❏Victory Woods (See ad on page 42) ❏The Village at Rockville (See ad on page B-2)

Virginia ❏Ashby Ponds (See ad on page B-6) ❏Chesterbrook Residences (See ad on page B-13) ❏Culpepper Garden (See ad on page B-4) ❏Forest Glen (See ad on page 26) ❏The Glebe at Daleville (See ad on page 8) ❏Greenspring Village (See ad on page B-7) ❏Olley Glen Retirement Community (See ad on page 41) ❏Quantum Affordable Apts. (See ad on page B-3) ❏Renaissance Gardens Greenspring (See ad on page 12) ❏Sommerset (See ad on page 17) ❏The Virginian (See ad on back page) Name________________________________________________________________ Address_______________________________________________________________ City______________________________________State______Zip________________ Phone (day)__________________________(evening)_________________________ E-mail_________________________________________________________________

Check the boxes you’re interested in and return this form to: The Beacon, P.O. Box 2227, Silver Spring, MD 20915-2227 Or fax to (301) 949-8966.

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Crying and depression

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about 40 percent of the respondents were comforted when they cried, and as one might expect, that response was associated with a feel-good cry. Of course, the reaction isn’t always positive. And crying can bring on shame. Many people hold back their tears until they’re alone. In the international survey, 35 percent of the respondents reported crying alone and 31 percent with one other person present. Several years ago, Dutch researchers reported that the heart rates of 60 study subjects increased as they watched cryeliciting movies, but then subsided after they started to cry. It seems that there’s a handoff from fight-or-flight arousal to parasympathetic calming, which is certainly how many of us experience crying.

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From page 4

published studies say there’s actually little evidence to support them. A small study conducted several years ago to begin filling the void suggests, though, that the conventional wisdom may not be too far off the mark (although it is just one small study). The 44 study subjects with mood disorders (dysthymia, adjustment disorder with depressed mood, major depressive disorder) were, in fact, more prone to crying than 132 people in a comparison group. At the same time, the researchers found that an inability to cry was associated with severe depression. Many of the standardized questionnaires used to measure depression have questions about crying. Some researchers have raised the interesting question whether relying on crying as a sign of depression results in an underestimation of depression among men (who don’t, John Boehner notwithstanding, cry as often as women). Rather than weep, depressed men may become aggressive and irritable. Yet, at least in this one small study, the gender imbalance seemed to even out, and men and women with mood disorders were equally prone to crying. © 2011 President and fellows of Harvard College. All rights reserved. Distributed by Tribune Media Services, Inc.

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

We're getting ready for storm season. The summer storm season is upon us. We’ve been preparing for potential outages that storms can bring, including aggressively trimming trees, hosting emergency drills, and updating our systems and processes to better serve you. And while Pepco has a storm plan in place to safely and quickly restore your power, it is important that you, too, plan ahead. The following is a checklist of information to help you navigate this storm season as safely and comfortably as possible.

Be Prepared – Keep a Storm Kit Handy Even with the best of preparations, outages can occur, especially as a result of severe weather. Here’s what you can do to prepare before storms hit: • Assemble an emergency “storm kit.” Include a battery-powered radio or television, flashlight, a first-aid kit, extra batteries, special needs items such as medicines, an insulated cooler and a list of important and emergency phone numbers. • Keep at least a three-day supply of nonperishable foods and bottled water and have a hand-operated can opener available. • Have a telephone with a cord or cell phone to use as a backup. Cordless telephones require electricity to operate, and won’t work if there is an outage. For more storm preparation information, go to pepco.com.

Always Call When Your Power Is Out Call us at 1-877-PEPCO-62 to report your power outage. A neighbor’s call to report their outage will not indicate to Pepco that you’re out of power as well. Remember to request a call back to verify your service has been restored. This helps us pinpoint outages after the main electric line has been restored, and allows us to make repairs to individual customers. Make sure we have your current address and telephone number. Contact our customer care service center at 202-833-7500 – with your account number handy – to update your contact information in our automated system. Current customer information allows us to provide the quickest response to your outage issue.

Stay Away from Downed Wires Always assume that a downed power line is live and dangerous. Downed lines do not always spark, burn or arc. Do not attempt to move a downed power line with another object, such as a tree branch or a rope. Even non-metallic materials can conduct electricity depending on moisture content and surface contamination. If you see a downed power line, warn children to stay away and notify an adult. Report the downed power line immediately by calling 1-877-PEPCO-62, press 2.

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We recommend you do, too! Learn How We Restore Power In the event our system is damaged by severe weather, Pepco repairs equipment that will restore the largest numbers of customers first. Generally, the sequence is as follows:

Power Restoration Process in Brief

Sign Up for the Emergency Medical Equipment Notification Program Customers who rely on electricity to power life-support equipment in their home can sign up for our Emergency Medical Equipment Notification Program. Once enrolled, we will notify you of scheduled outages in your area, severe storms such as hurricane warnings that could lead to extended outages on our electric system, and we will send you a helpful information package to help you prepare for emergencies. To sign up, please call 202-833-7500 or visit pepco.com. However, because customers who depend on life-support equipment are located throughout our service area, Pepco cannot provide restoration priority to individual customers when there are extensive power outages.

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If you or someone you know uses life-support equipment that requires electricity to operate, identify a location with emergency power capabilities and make plans to go there or go to a hotel or close-by city in the event of a prolonged outage.

Use Portable Generators Safely If you plan to use a portable generator during power outages, locate your generator in a well-ventilated area. Never run it inside, even in your garage. Gasoline powered generators produce carbon monoxide and the fumes can be deadly.

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

Surprise! D.C. is tops in well-being index By Paul Bedard It may not be the hippest metro region in the nation, but the Washington, D.C. area scores first in Gallup’s Well-Being

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Retirement living at The Glebe is all about choice. And whether you choose a spacious cottage or apartment home, your days will be filled with enjoying the things you love to do. From gardening to exercising to spending time with friends and family, every day will be a reflection of your personal interests. All set against the beauty and tranquility of the Blue Ridge mountains near the arts, culture and history of the Roanoke Valley. To learn more, contact us today.

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Being Index also found that those who live in the Washington metro region (encompassing the Maryland and Virginia suburbs, as well) are healthy, love to learn and are energetic. Other top placers included Boulder, Colo., the top mid-sized city, Burlington, Vt., the top small city, and Hawaii as the top state. Gallup looks at a mix of issues to come up with its index, including life evaluation, emotional health, physical health, healthy behavior, work environment and basic access. While Washington did not win many of the categories in those topic areas, it scored high enough to take top honors in the category of areas with more than one million residents. Here are some of the specifics of the Washington, D.C. metro region that were notable to Gallup officials: 1. Washington has the second highest percentage of “thriving” residents (61 percent), and best in the nation in fewest “suffering” residents (1.6 percent) in life evaluation. 2. It is 6th in the nation in “learned something new or interesting yesterday” (67.8 percent), a key vanguard to high well-being cities. 3. Residents rank 6th in the nation in percentages without “stress a lot of the day yesterday” (61.6 percent), which is unusual in a high-income place like Washington. 4. It’s tops in the nation in the percentage of residents who’ve never been diag-

nosed with clinical depression (85.9 percent). 5. The region is 5th in the nation in “having enough energy to get all the things done that people their age can normally do” (87.5 percent). This is a good surrogate for productivity. 6. It’s tied for 6th in “health not keeping you from doing your usual activities” (77.4 percent), a good surrogate for sick days. 7. The area is 7th in obesity at just 21.7 percent, and, closely linked, is tied for 6th in diabetes (9.1 percent). 8. It’s 5th in the nation in asthma, at just 9.6 percent. 9. It is 6th in recurring physical pain in the neck and back at 27.1 percent. 10. The area is 5th in the nation in nonsmokers (84.4 percent), compared to 79.4 percent nationwide. 11. The region is 4th in the nation for being able to afford food at all times in the last 12 months (86.1 percent). 12. It’s 4th in the nation for being able to afford healthcare and medicine at all times in the last 12 months (85.8 percent). 13. It is 8th in the nation in getting to the dentist at least once per year (71.6 percent). For more information, including specific city and state reports, visit www.wellbeingindex.com. — US News and World Report Distributed by Tribune Media Services. All rights reserved.

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

Health Shorts Saving vision, saving money A much cheaper drug has proved just as good as a $2,000 monthly shot at treating a common eye disorder that can lead to blindness, a long-awaited study has found. It also shows that patients can be treated less often, sparing them a lot of pain and expense. The results are expected to lead many doctors and patients to turn away from the pricier Lucentis and instead use $50 shots of Avastin for an age-related condition called wet macular degeneration. The disease occurs when abnormal blood vessel growth damages the part of the retina re-

BEACON BITS

June 15

ELDER ABUSE AWARENESS

sponsible for central vision. Vision improvement after one year was the same for those given Avastin or Lucentis, the 1,200-patient study found. The results are a blow to Roche’s Genentech unit, which sells both medicines. Avastin (ah-VAS-tin) is a cancer drug that doctors have used for many years to treat the eye disease even though it is not approved for that purpose. Genentech had been developing Lucentis (loo-SEN-tis) specifically for the eye disease and won approval for it in 2006. A company spokesman said that the company had no plans to seek approval to sell Avastin for eye use or to lower the price of Lucentis. Yet the results are a boon for patients and insurers — mostly Medicare — because nothing prevents use of the cheaper Avastin, eye specialists said. Doctors who use it for the eye disease must get a pharmacist to prepare lower doses for injection rather than the intravenous way it’s used for cancer. “It’s always good news for patients when

there are more than one option for a condition. It’s good news for the country. Now we have potential for significant savings at a time when the cost of healthcare is skyrocketing,” said Dr. Paul Sternberg, chairman of the Vanderbilt Eye Institute. He had no role in the study, whose results were published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

A safer technique for angioplasty The first big study of doing balloon angioplasty to clear heart arteries through an arm instead of a leg found complicaSee HEALTH SHORTS, page 11

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

Introducing Seniority. A single word. A whole new generation of medicine. Holy Cross Hospital’s new concept of care for a new generation of older adults: active, independent and informed. Seniority is: The nation’s first Seniors Emergency Center, with specialized care in a private, quiet environment. A Seniors Ambulatory Surgery Center that keeps families close to patients and allows extra time to recover. A host of special services from fitness and wellness to virtual visiting and home-based programs.

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

Health shorts From page 9 tions were fewer with the arm method. At hospitals that did this more often, the rate of deaths, heart attacks and other problems was lower, too. The arm method is common in India, Israel, Europe and Canada, but less than 5 percent of U.S. cases are done this way. The study involved more than 7,000 people in 32 countries getting an angiogram — a diagnostic test to look for blockages — followed by angioplasty to open any clogs found. The procedure usually involves poking a tube through a leg artery near the groin and feeding it up to the heart, inflating a tiny balloon to flatten a blockage in a heart artery and placing a mesh tube called a stent to prop the artery open. But patients can suffer major bleeding

requiring transfusions or surgery, so doctors are trying this through an artery in the wrist instead. It’s harder for doctors to do but easier on patients, who spend just a couple hours wearing a wrist band to control bleeding afterward instead of a day or more off their feet in a hospital. The study assigned patients to get one method or the other. Survival and success rates were similar — about 4 percent of each group died or had a heart attack, stroke or major bleeding in the following month. But significantly fewer of these problems occurred in people treated with the arm method after major heart attacks, and in hospitals that did the arm method more often. “The more you do, the better you get,” and the better patients fare, said the study’s leader, Dr. Sanjit Jolly of McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario. Another recent study found that bypass

surgery did not improve survival for heart failure patients who already were taking medicines to control risks like high cholesterol and high blood pressure. The study involved 1,200 heart failure patients in 22 countries, mostly men around 60 years old. Most had suffered a heart at-

tack in the past. All were taking medicines they should for heart risks, and half were assigned to also get bypass surgery. Doctors assumed bypass would cut deaths by 25 percent. But after nearly five years, about the same number in each group had died. — AP

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June 17

IS THAT SAFE TO EAT? Are you able to recognize the signs of foods that are not safe to eat? What are the implications of consuming bad or expired

food? Learn how to choose safe foods in this program with Sandy King, home economist of the United States Department of Agriculture. The lecture is sponsored by Virginia Hospital Center and will be held from 11 a.m. to noon on Friday, June 17 at 601 S. Carlin Springs Rd., Arlington, Va. Call (703) 558-6859 to reserve your spot for this free event.

BEACON BITS

June 15

MANAGING MIGRAINES Migraines affect more than 10 percent of the U.S. population.

Attend a free seminar sponsored by Holy Cross Hospital on how to manage this chronic illness. It will be held on Wednesday, June 15 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the Holy Cross Hospital Professional and Community Education Center, 1500 Forest Glen Rd., Silver Spring. For more information or to register, call (301) 754-8800 or visit www.holycrosshealth.org.

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volunteers with family caregivers who could use a break. Trained volunteers provide six hours of service a month. For more information, call Fairfax County’s Aging, Disability and Caregiver Resources line at (703) 324-7948.

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

Stop to smell roses in your own garden By Ruth Kling Editor’s note: This is the first in a new series of gardening columns by Ruth Kling, a Beacon reader and avid gardener in Falls Church, Va. Every morning, I walk through my garden checking on the vegetables, herbs and flowers. There is always something new to see: a flower turned into a pea pod, a bud forming on a rose, weeds seemingly growing several inches over night. No matter what, I always have a sense of well being even if I never feel that I have quite caught up with all of the gardening chores I need to do. It is gratifying to learn that this sense of well being has a basis in science. Gardening is one of the healthiest

endeavors one can undertake. Simply looking at a garden or nature can help patients heal after surgery. Roger S. Ulrich, of Texas A & M University, has noted that patients feel less pain and therefore require less pain medication if they can view or sit in a garden. Other studies show bending down to smell roses or planting seeds reduces blood pressure. A study done in Sweden with 160 postoperative heart patients suggests that those patients experienced less anxiety when they looked at a photo of a garden as opposed to one of abstract art or nothing. So if looking at a garden can make you feel better, imagine what actually engaging in gardening can do for you.

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Mind and body benefits Gardening is good for the body as well as the soul. It burns up calories. Heavy digging, spading and turning compost burns up 435 calories an hour. Lighter tasks, such as dead heading roses or watering, burn fewer calories, yet still provide some exercise, plus that sense of accomplishment that is an important aspect of physical labor. So dig potatoes — instead of becoming one, sitting on the couch. While the act of digging is a healthy, calorie burning activity, just being around loose soil — which contains beneficial microbes that assist plants with absorbing nutrients and fighting disease — may also be good for humans. One study suggests that digging in soil releases some healthy microbes that, when inhaled, actually give one a sense of well being. Healthy soil is not difficult to nurture. Plenty of organic material, including compost and manure, will do the trick. Avoid pesticides, herbicides and just about any toxic chemical to keep your soil healthy. This applies to container gardens as well as those in the ground. Pesticides and herbicides not only kill unwanted pests and weeds, they kill beneficial insects, microbes and helpful fungi. A pesticide cannot tell the difference between a bee and a stink bug nor can an herbicide distinguish between a weed and a pansy. Then there is the environmental toll of chemicals on humans, pets and the watershed. It is obvious what the benefits of growing one’s own vegetables are: you know exactly where those carrots and spinach have been and what has gone into the soil they grow in.

Even if you only have containers to plant in, lettuce and some herbs are very easy to grow, and if you have enough sun, tomatoes can be grown just about anywhere. Another important aspect of gardening is social. One can plant, dig and harvest by oneself, of course. Yet gardening will inevitably lead one to exchange ideas with other gardeners, share produce, and even perhaps brag a bit now and then. Even better is sharing your garden with others, especially children. It is amazing how quickly a child who seems to have a computer game device permanently attached to their hand will eventually drop it to see what is happening in the garden. Gardening is a self imposed mini-vacation from stress. It is just about impossible to feel the pressures of a hectic modern lifestyle in the garden (unless, of course, you insist on bringing your smart phone along with you).

Garden tips for June Prune azaleas just after the blooms fade, but before the next year’s buds are formed. Dead head roses as they finish blooming to encourage more flowers. Try to water tomatoes steadily. Overwatering after drought causes cracked fruit and leads to blossom end rot. Snip off the suckers between the main stem of the tomato and branches to keep the plant more manageable. Ruth Kling blogs about gardening in the Washington area at ruthsgarden.blogspot.com. E-mail your questions for future columns to gardenruth@gmail.com or write Gardening Column, The Beacon, P.O. Box 2227, Silver Spring, MD 20915-2227.

Send a letter to the editor. See p. 2.

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

Centenarians From page 1 role models for the future of aging. She points out just how much the world has changed since 1903, when Leyda was born: Life expectancy was just 47. Theodore Roosevelt was in his third year of his twoterm presidency. Only 8 percent of U.S. homes had telephones and just 14 percent had bathtubs. In her 22 years of contact with centenarians, Adler has culled some similarities among them. These include a positive but realistic attitude, a love of life and sense of humor, spirituality, courage, and a remarkable ability to accept the losses that come with age but not be stopped by them. “Centenarians are not quitters,” she said.

Many are independent, healthy Both Wilma C. Williams and Helen Crossley will celebrate their 103rd birthdays this summer. They live in Culpepper Garden retirement community in Arlington, Va., and both are retired nurses. In fact, Crossley, who has lived in the independent living section of Culpepper Garden for 30 years, continued working as a nurse until she was 95, getting paid to care for another resident. Born in Richmond County in Virginia’s northern neck, Crossley began her career as a nurse for the Department of the Interior, working with Seminole Native Americans in North Carolina. She then became a nurse anesthetist, taking jobs in New York City, Philadelphia and Poughkeepsie, N.Y. before moving to the Washington area. “I never thought I’d live to be 100. It’s just nothing you thought would happen when you were younger,” she said. Crossley said she attributes her longevity to her faith in God. “Really, you don’t need anything but faith. That keeps us living,” she said. Unlike Crossley, Williams doesn’t have any explanation for how she’s lived so long. “I have no idea,” she said. “I just take it one day at a time — and there have been a lot days!” The most important piece of wisdom she has gleaned over the years is that “people should be more tolerant of one an-

other. Families, neighbors, they need to be more tolerant.” Maybe rubbing elbows with presidents helps extend life. Like Leyda, Williams has helped her share. As a nurse for the attending physician of the U.S. Capitol, she counted both Lyndon Johnson and Richard Nixon among her patients, along with numerous members of Congress. Williams grew up in Cleveland, Ohio, and moved to Maryland for nursing school. She moved to Culpepper Garden when her son died in 2003. His loss is one of the hardest things she’s had to deal with, Williams said. She says she keeps her mind sharp by participating in trivia games. “During the day I’m very active. I think that’s an important thing in staying healthy,” said Williams, who uses a wheelchair, but said she generally feels pretty healthy. Crossley, too, said she is in good health. When she started losing weight last year, she insisted it was because nothing tasted good anymore. But her doctor ordered $5,000 worth of tests, which found nothing seriously wrong. “I told him, ‘How come you think I don’t know what’s going on in there?’ It’s things like that that drive you to drink. I haven’t seen [that doctor] since,” she declared with her trademark acerbic humor. “They always say, what do you contribute to your longevity, and I say ‘This lassie took care of her chassis…It’s been hooked up to me for 102 years!’” And she stays active. Crossley points out she still does her own laundry and cooks breakfast each morning.

her sense of smell and taste, “I am most proud that I take no prescription medications and still do light exercise,” she said. Unfortunately, her memory began to decline about six months ago, making her unavailable for an interview for this story. While it remains good on some days, on

others she is forgetful. “If you live to be 107½ and it doesn’t happen until then, you’re pretty lucky,” said Eleanor Kass, who along with her husband Bob have helped care for Leyda. Eleanor is See CENTENARIANS, page 15

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Looking back As for Leyda, she lived on her own in an apartment in the District until she moved into Sunrise on Connecticut Avenue, an assisted living community, on her 104th birthday. Shortly thereafter, she recorded her memoirs. Looking back over her long and interesting life, she said there, “All in all, I feel that I have lived a charmed life. I have to say that so many times in my life, I have just happened to be in the right place at the right time to reap benefits that probably would never have come at another time.” While she noted her hearing and eyesight had deteriorated, and she had lost much of

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Health Studies Page

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

THE PLACE TO LOOK FOR INFORMATION ON AREA CLINICAL TRIALS

Help discover a vaccine for Alzheimer’s Rockville, Md., are examining whether injecting a small amount of beta amyloid into Alzheimer’s patients can help induce an antibody response to the protein. They hope that this might slow the rate of Alzheimer’s progression.

Three groups in the study The study will test two different strengths of the investigational beta amyloid drug, called ACC-001, in a two-year trial. Patients in the study will be randomly assigned to three groups: One will receive a low dose of ACC-001, one will get a dose more than three times higher, and a third will receive a placebo, which looks like the drug but does not contain the active ingre-

dient. The drug (and the saline placebo) will be delivered by injection. To qualify for the study, participants must have a diagnosis of probable Alzheimer’s disease and be between the ages of 50 and 89. They must also have a caregiver who can accompany them to all study visits. Patients will not qualify if they have tried any other experimental vaccine for Alzheimer’s. They also cannot have a significant neurological disease other than Alzheimer’s, a major psychiatric disorder, or a history of stroke, seizure or autoimmune disease. They will be disqualified if they have had a heart attack within the last two years, smoke more than 20 cigarettes per

A Study to Evaluate the Effects of Standardized Aerobic Exercise-Training on Memory

day, or have a pacemaker or other foreign metal object in the eyes, skin or body. Participants who are currently on stable regimens of certain Alzheimer’s treatments will be able to continue with them during the study.

What to expect At the first visits, potential participants will be given tests to determine the extent of their Alzheimer’s, including mental tests, status exams and MRIs and PET scans to show how much amyloid is in their brains. The results of these tests will help determine eligibility for the study. After an initial screening period of four to seven weeks, qualified participants will be assigned to one of three groups and will need to visit the study clinic approximately 21 times for tests and study procedures over two years. Study procedures include urine and blood sample collections, MRI scans, PET scans, electrocardiograms, Alzheimer’s assessments and questionnaires. See VACCINE, page 15

Who Can Participate? • Men or postmenopausal women • Sedentary (no regular physical activity) • Fully supervised and individualized aerobic exercise-training • General physical and cardiovascular exam • Blood pressure monitoring

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By Barbara Ruben There’s no such thing as a vaccine to prevent or slow the mental decline caused by Alzheimer’s disease. At least, not yet. But researchers are now studying one of the prime suspects in the disease — the protein fragment called beta amyloid — in hopes they can use it to inoculate people against Alzheimer’s. Beta amyloid can accumulate in sticky plaques in the brain, disrupting the communication between brain cells and eventually killing the cells themselves. Some drugs that may block the production of beta amyloid are currently under study. In a different tack, researchers at 25 clinics across the country, including one in

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

From page 13 a geriatric care manager, while Leyda hired Bob as her financial adviser at age 103. “She seems to thrive on Boost and a little scotch two times a week,” Bob quipped. Like many centenarians, Leyda has outlived just about everyone from her past. She never had children, and her youngest brother died in March — at age 95. “She told me the hardest thing she’s had to deal with was outliving everyone who was important to her,” Eleanor said. Another problem is that Leyda is outliving her money. She may not be able to remain at Sunrise. The Kasses are now trying to raise funds for her and are accepting donations on the Friends of Lois Leyda Facebook page: www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Friends-ofLois-Leyda/109973749082159?sk=wall. “She really is an extraordinary woman,” Eleanor said. “We need to have better ways to take care of the very oldest people in our

PHOTO JEANNE STANISLAWSKI

Centenarians

Vaccine From page 14 All study-related office visits, study-related evaluations and study treatments will be provided at no cost, though the study will not cover other Alzheimer’s medications that participants are already taking.

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June 6+

learn how to maximize your potential even when a long-term health condition may require altering activities. Anyone living with a long-term health condition, family, friends and caregivers are welcome to attend. The free six-week program will be presented by Holy Cross Hospital at Springvale Terrace, 8505 Springvale Rd., Silver Spring, Md., starting Monday, June 6. It will be held from 9:30 a.m. to noon. For more information, call (301) 587-0190.

Lois Leyda, 107, is the second-oldest person in the District of Columbia.

community.” It’s a problem that will only grow. — with additional reporting from the Associated Press

Compensation is available for both caregivers and patients who continue participation beyond the fourth visit. For more information, contact Dr. Marc Hertzman at (301) 984-8800. His office is located at 11404 Old Georgetown Rd., Rockville, Md. More information on the study can also be found at www.acctionadstudy.com.

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COPING WITH CHRONIC CONDITIONS “Coping: A Journey to Living Well” is a program that will help you

GOUT & D

Healthy adults aged 60 – 85 needed for a research study • Study involves viewing objects and answering questions about their location. • Must have good vision in both eyes (glasses or contacts OK) • Must walk well without assistance • Study will be conducted in a single session (1.5 - 2 hours) at The George Washington University • Reimbursement (for travel and time) will be provided

If interested, or for more information,

call 202-994-9753. The George Washington University is an Equal Opportunity/ Affirmative Action institution.

ALzHeIMeR’S DISeASe HAS THeM NeeDING YOu MORe THAN eveR.

We NeeD YOu, TOO If you care for someone with Alzheimer’s, look into our research study.

Consider the following criteria for possible participation in a local clinical research study:

Our clinic is taking part in a clinical research study to test the safety and eﬀectiveness of two diﬀerent doses of an injectable investigational treatment (ACC-001) against placebo (looks like the injectable investigational treatment but does not contain the active ingredient) in patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer’s disease. ACC-001 is being developed to determine if it can slow the rate of Alzheimer’s disease progression. You or someone you care for may be able to help.

• • • •

To be eligible, participants must be: • 50-89 years old • Diagnosed with probable Alzheimer’s disease • Living at home, or in a community dwelling, with an appropriate caregiver able to accompany participant on all study visits as well as visit participant at home at least 5 times a week.

DOES THIS DESCRIBE YOU? Men 50 years of age or older Women 55 years of age or older Diagnosed with gout History of major cardiovascular disease (includes stroke, blocked arteries, diabetes)

Qualified participants will receive study medication and study-related medical care at no cost. Compensation for time and travel may also be available for those who qualify.

Learn more by calling Manassas Clinical & Research Center. Dr. Nabil Andrawis,M.D.

Our study staff will review additional study criteria at the first study visit. People who are currently on stable regimens of certain Alzheimer’s treatments will be able to stay on them during the study. e study lasts approximately 2 years. All study-related office visits, medical examinations, and injectable investigational treatment will be provided to qualified participants at no cost.

Marc Hertzman, M.D.

Call today, 301-984-8800 Or visit: www.GoutAndHeartStudy.com

or visit, www.ACCTIONADstudy.com 11404 Old Georgetown Rd., Suite 203 • Rockville, MD 20852

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

Get enough sleep to keep healthy weight Q: Is it true that getting more sleep In one study, overweight people were put might help me lose weight? on a controlled low-calorie diet during two A: If you are already getting weeks of spending only fiveadequate sleep (seven to nine and-a-half hours in bed nightly. hours a night), getting more Although they lost the same sleep will probably not affect amount of weight as when they your weight. However, if like spent eight-and-and-half hours many people, you are currentin bed nightly, they lost less ly getting less sleep than that, body fat and dropped 60 permore sleep might help. cent more lean body tissue. Studies show that adults Results like this are prelimiwho get less sleep (six hours a nary, but we do know that loss night or less in most studies) of lean body tissue makes mainare about 55 percent more NUTRITION tenance of weight loss more difWISE likely to be obese. ficult. These associations (which By Karen Collins, Too little sleep may lead to have also been shown for youth) MS, RD, CDM weight gain by making us too don’t show cause and effect. tired to be physically active or However, a few studies that followed people more likely to turn to sweets and other over 10 or more years do provide some evi- foods to perk up our energy. dence that getting less than six or seven Additionally, spending less time sleephours of sleep a night is linked with greater ing leaves more time available for eating likelihood of weight gain. and that can mean consuming more calo-

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June 21

TAKE AS DIRECTED

Pharmacist Brian L’Heureux simplifies the complex world of medications, including risk factors, side effects and how dosages are determined, at a seminar sponsored by Suburban Hospital on Tuesday, June 21 from 1:15 to 2:15 p.m. It will be held at Holiday Park Senior Center, 3950 Ferrara Dr., Wheaton, Md. Call (240) 777-4999.

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about one in four over 70 may be getting less than the minimum, and another 25 percent of adults over 50 may be getting less than the proposed higher target. You can reach this higher level of protein with five to six ounces a day of lean poultry, fish or meat plus three servings of dairy products or dairy alternatives as part of a balanced diet that provides smaller amounts of protein from whole grains, vegetables, beans, nuts and seeds, and perhaps some eggs, too. Those who prefer to omit or minimize meat or dairy products need to include multiple servings of vegetarian sources of protein. Some research suggests that protein may be more efficiently used when it is spread out through the day. As important as protein seems to be, research also emphasizes the vital role that resistance (strength-training) exercise has in avoiding lean tissue loss. The American Institute for Cancer Research offers a Nutrition Hotline, 1-800843-8114, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. This free service allows you to ask questions about diet, nutrition and cancer. A registered dietitian will return your call, usually within three business days. Courtesy of the American Institute for Cancer Research. Questions for this column may be sent to “Nutrition Wise,” 1759 R St., N.W., Washington, DC 20009. Collins cannot respond to questions personally.

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ries than you need. Furthermore, limited but growing research suggests that people who get less sleep tend to show changes in two hormones that can lead to increased appetite. Q: Do older adults need extra protein to avoid losing muscle? If so, how much is enough? A: Research suggests that older adults may need somewhat more protein than younger adults to avoid the loss of lean body tissue like muscle and bone that occur as we age. Most studies involve those over age 65, but some include adults over 55. This does not require huge amounts of meat or protein supplements, however. The long-time standard protein recommendation for adults has been this formula: your body weight in pounds divided by three (thus, a 160 pound adult needs 53 grams of protein). Quite a few studies in recent years suggest that older adults lose less muscle, and may actually gain muscle better, if along with strength-training exercise, they consume protein equal to their weight in pounds divided by two. (So a person who weighs 160 pounds may do well to target 80 grams of protein per day.) Studies do not show any further benefit in maintaining or gaining muscle with protein consumption beyond that amount. U.S. dietary surveys suggest that average protein consumption of adults ages 51-70 generally meets that target. However,

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Easy strawberry pie to welcome summer Will we ever accept fruit for dessert as contentedly as Europeans do? In Italy, where a bowl of fruit usually sits on the dining room table or nearby, I am content reaching for a juicy pear or an orange after dinner. Sitting and sharing conversation while everyone peels their selection and eats it leisurely is probably part of the satisfaction. Perhaps this supports findings that socializing at mealtime contributes to wellbeing as much as serving healthy food. Returning home, though, I find myself quickly craving desserts that are somehow an occasion. It could be something simple, like a sliced orange sprinkled with candied ginger, or cantaloupe slices drizzled with blueberry syrup made from jam warmed with apple juice. It may be due to the often disappointing taste of commercially grown fruit, but I need an embellishment, something extra, that little Martha touch, to be satisfied. Local strawberries are in season now, joining the usual abundance of giant, glowing fruit from California or Florida. After a friend reminded me of the strawberry socials our grandparents enjoyed, and the luscious shortcake both our mothers served, a buttery biscuit soaking up the juice of halved berries, I resolved to use fresh berries in an equally seductive strawberry delight. Spotting a whole-wheat graham cracker piecrust at the natural food store, I also reached for cream cheese and sour cream —reduced fat, of course — and a jar of strawberry fruit spread. Lining the crust with a blend of the cheese and cream, I then tossed fresh strawberries with melted fruit spread and heaped them into the pie shell, creating this jewel-bright, blissful result.

Strawberry and Cheese Refrigerator Pie Serves 8 1 (9-inch) prepared graham cracker piecrust, preferably whole-wheat 4 oz. reduced-fat cream cheese 1/4 cup reduced-fat sour cream 2 Tbsp. extra-fine sugar 1 tsp. grated lemon zest 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract 1 lb. strawberries 1/2 cup strawberry fruit spread 1 tsp. lemon juice, optional Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Place crust on baking sheet and bake for 8 minutes, or until golden and fragrant. Transfer to wire rack and cool completely. This can be done 8 hours ahead. Place cream cheese, sour cream, sugar, lemon zest and vanilla in small bowl. Blend until combined and smooth, using hand mixer on medium speed or wooden spoon. Spread cheese mixture evenly over bottom of piecrust. Refrigerate until set, 1 to 2 hours. Just before serving, cut off tops of strawberries. Halve largest, prettiest ones and place in bowl. Cut remaining berries length-

wise in quarters and place in another bowl. Melt fruit spread in bowl in microwave, or in small saucepan over medium heat, stirring often. Mix in lemon juice, if desired, and divide hot fruit spread between the two bowls of berries. Using fork, toss until fruit is coated and glistening. Spoon quartered fruit into the center of pie over cheese, turning most pieces cut side down as you spread them out.

Arrange larger halves in circle around edge of pie, with flat side facing rim of crust and points toward the center of the pie. Spoon on any fruit spread remaining in bowls to fill in open spaces. Serve pie within 1 hour.

Per ser ving: 262 calories, 11 g. total fat (3.5 g. saturated fat), 39 g. carbohydrate, 3 g. protein, 2 g. dietary fiber, 219 mg. sodium. — Courtesy of the American Institute for Cancer Research

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

Need calcium? Get it from food, not pills Dear Pharmacist: mous Women’s Health Initiative trial. They Is it safe for me to take calcium sup- pored over the data and found that women plements? You said on who were already taking calFacebook that they might cium and vitamin D suppleincrease heart problems. ments at the start of the trial Why is that? did not have any greater risk — N.L. of heart attack. Dear N.L.: In contrast, women who My post was based on the began taking calcium and viApril 2011 research published tamin D supplements during in the British Medical Journal the trial did have an increased (BMJ) that found a higher risk of heart attack. risk of cardiovascular events The scientists suspect the (think heart attack or stroke) DEAR trouble occurs because of the PHARMACIST in older women who took calabrupt change in blood calciBy Suzy Cohen cium supplements. um levels, rather than total inCalcium is suggested for take of calcium. That said, post-menopausal women in order to main- high blood levels of calcium have been tain or build bone strength. linked to hardening of the arteries (calcifiRecently, researchers looked at data cation), which may partially explain their from 16,718 women who were not taking findings. calcium supplements at the start of the faData from 13 different trials (involving a

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total of 29,000 people) consistently points to increased risk of heart attack and stroke, uncannily associated with calcium supplements (with or without vitamin D). This is a hot topic, as some physicians feel strongly that calcium is the master mineral of bone health. I think we need a good study to determine what is going on. The BMJ study refers to supplements and it raises the question as to what kind of calcium supplements are to blame? Are certain forms better than others? This was not teased out. For the time being, if you are at risk for cardiovascular complications or stroke, my suggestion is that you avoid calcium supplements. Get your calcium from food because it is highly bio-available (usable by your body) and has not been shown to cause calcification. Also, food-derived calcium improves estrogen balance, which protects bone mass. There are many sources of high-calcium foods. Eat lots of leafy greens, such as Swiss Chard, kale, kelp, spinach, lettuce and

broccoli. Tahini’s good too. I’m not a huge fan of dairy, but this is certainly another option. Don’t forget the obvious: weight-bearing exercise will also strengthen your bones and reduce your risk of osteoporosis. If you happen to take a bisphosphonate bone-building medication (Boniva, Actonel or Fosamax), it can reduce blood levels of calcium. Also, if you have Celiac disease or gluten intolerance, you may have trouble absorbing calcium from food. In both cases, you may need more calcium to make up the difference. Calcium is to be appreciated not feared. But take supplements only if you are deficient. Refer to my Drug Mugger book to see if you take a medicine that depletes it. This information is opinion only. It is not intended to treat, cure or diagnose your condition. Consult with your doctor before using any new drug or supplement. Suzy Cohen is a registered pharmacist and the author of The 24-Hour Pharmacist and Real Solutions from Head to Toe. To contact her, visit www.dearpharmacist.com.

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June 22

LEARN ABOUT ALZHEIMER’S A free panel discussion with Alzheimer’s experts will be held on Wednesday, June 22 at 8:30 p.m. at Sunrise Senior Living, 5111

Connecticut Ave., N.W. The event is sponsored by Sunrise and the Alzheimer’s Association. Call (202) 966-8020 for reservations.

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June 22

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Why am I already tired of retirement? Dear Not Sure: Dear Solutions: foot all through your marriage! won’t want to insult them or have to put on an Tacky to you, titillating to others — act if she knows about it. I keep reading about men having trou- Dear Solutions: ble with retirement, so I My daughter is getting maybe. Say nothing. Your daughter will surIt’s one evening. They care about her and vive it even if she finds it offensive. never thought a woman married soon. Good friends it’s their version of fun. Stay mum, mom! What she won’t survive so well is the emwould have problems, too. and relatives gave her a taste© Helen Oxenberg, 2011. Questions to be barrassment of having her mother interfere. considered for this column may be sent to The My husband is still workful, lovely bridal shower. ing, but I took early retireNow, though, her col- These are people she works with, and she Beacon, or e-mail helox72@comcast.net. ment because I thought I’d leagues at work are planning feel great about leaving a job to surprise her by taking her that I really didn’t like. to a bachelorette party at a Instead, I miss the people male strip club. I took a mes• Osteoarthritis of the Knee? • Non-Surgical Treatment I worked with. The women I sage for my daughter when meet now are just playing she wasn’t home, and that • No relief from NSAID medicine or Physical Therapy alone? tennis or golf or cards. It all SOLUTIONS person told me about it in se• Treatment covered by Medicare and most Insurances By Helen Oxenberg, seems meaningless to me. cret. MSW, ACSW • Pain Relief possible in as little as 2-3 visits I couldn’t wait to get away I’m sure my daughter will from that job, so what’s not appreciate this tacky kind Dr. John Melmed, M.D. wrong with me? of entertainment, but I don’t know if I Silver Spring Medical Center, LLC —Tired of Retirement should warn her about it because it’s 11301 Amherst Ave., Silver Spring MD 20902 Dear Tired: supposed to be a surprise. Nothing’s wrong except your expecta— Not Sure tions. You have to figure out what you want for your life now. You didn’t plan. You just slipped into this new phase without realizing that the job gave you structure and status and an image of yourself that you don’t have now. Get involved in activities that are important and meaningful to you. Spend some of your time volunteering. Everybody needs help — abandoned children, the elderly, hospitals, etc. Take a course in something you really want to learn, or take a part-time job. But before you retire again, give yourself a better present by planning your future. Dear Solutions: My problem is about a senior (my mother-in-law to be), so I’m asking for your advice. My fiancé and I are getting married in a couple of months. His mother is a successful decorator who charges a lot for her services. We’ve gotten a very nice apartment. My future mother-in-law now says as her wedding gift she will give us her services as a decorator free, and will get ibrant retirement living awaits you within a beautiful 130-acre campus in the heart wholesale prices on the furniture she of Montgomery County: Asbury Methodist Village. Our wide array of residences range picks out for us. from all-new, amenity-filled Courtyard Homes to dozens of apartment styles, sizes and I want to decorate my apartment mylocations across campus. All are surrounded by choices — including cultural, educational, self and pick out my own things, but I don’t want to insult her. I don’t want to entertaining and wellness-enhancing opportunities — with access to a full continuum of start out on the wrong foot with her. services on site, if ever needed. You’ll discover Asbury offers an incredible value, with the Should I ask my fiancé to speak to her added security of our financial stability and experience, unrivaled in the region for 85 years. about this? — The Bride Dear Bride: No. Don’t put your wrong foot in his Call 1-800-614-7618 to schedule a tour mouth! You can only balance this by standing of our model apartments! on your own two feet. Invite your future mother-in-law to lunch Choose any day of the week. and talk honestly to her. Tell her how much Monday through Friday, Saturday 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. you appreciate her generous offer. Tell her 85 Years Strong you’ve looked forward all your life to doing and Sunday by appointment. this first home yourself even if you make mistakes. 201 RUSSELL AVENUE Ask her if you can just ask for her advice GAITHERSBURG, MARYLAND 20877 when you feel stuck. If you don’t start out www.AsburyMethodistVillage.org with an open and honest relationship, you may find yourself tripping over that wrong

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Managed funds losing out to index rivals By Mark Jewell Pay a fund manager above-average fees, and it’s reasonable to expect you’ll have a better than 50-50 chance of beating the stock market. Yet the latest numbers show a majority of managers aren’t keeping up their end of the deal. It’s a key reason why investors have been pulling cash out of managed funds at a rapid clip in recent years. It’s even happening to big mutual funds that have delivered above-market returns. A few ugly numbers: • Over the past five years, nearly 58 percent of managed U.S. stock funds failed to beat a broad measure of the market, the Standard & Poor’s Composite 1500. That’s according to S&P’s ninth annual scorecard of managed fund-vs.-index performance. • Investors pulled a net $323 billion from managed stock funds over the past four years, according to Morningstar. That’s about 10 percent of the assets those funds hold. Index funds are different animals. Their investors expect to match performance of the market segment the fund tracks. Index funds typically charge less than managed

funds, because they don’t have to pay investment-picking pros. It’s an approach that continues to gain momentum, 35 years after Vanguard launched the first index fund. Investors have deposited a net $108 billion into U.S. stock index funds over the past four years. Index funds still trail managed funds. Only $1 of every $4 that individuals invest in U.S. stock funds is in index funds. That suggests most investors continue to believe managers are more likely than not to earn their higher fees. That puzzles Srikant Dash, a managing director at S&P, who said plenty of managers can beat the market for two or three years. But their numbers drop off sharply over five years. Dash said that five-year dropoff is the only thing that’s consistent from S&P’s analysis of more than a decade of fund returns.

Better returns with index funds In S&P’s latest scorecard, managed funds trailed nearly across the board, regardless of the types of stocks they invest in. In 16 of 17 fund categories, average fiveyear returns trailed those of comparable

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S&P market indexes. The lone exception: large-cap value funds. S&P evaluates category returns based on simple averages. Fund manager performance looks better when the returns are asset-weighted, meaning bigger funds count more toward the average than smaller ones. This method aims to reflect where investors put most of their money. Market-beating returns, however, don’t necessarily protect a managed fund from losing investors. Here are examples of stock funds that have had investors withdraw huge sums, despite beating the S&P 500 from 2007 through 2010. • Fidelity Blue Chip Growth (FBGRX). This nearly $15 billion large-cap growth fund delivered an average annual return of 4.5 percent over that four-year period, versus the S&P 500’s average annual loss of 0.8 percent. Yet it suffered nearly $9 billion in net withdrawals over those years, according to Morningstar. • Putnam Voyager (PVOYX). This $5.2 billion large-cap growth fund has seen $6 billion exit, despite returning an average 7 percent. • Calamos Growth (CVGRX): More than $8 billion has flowed out of this $9.4 billion large-cap growth fund, despite its 2.9 percent average return. The biggest downsizing was the nearly $25 billion pulled from American Funds Washington Mutual (AWHSX), now a $53 billion fund. It averaged an annual loss of 1.6 percent. On the other end of the spectrum, the

largest amount of new money, unsurprisingly, belongs to an index fund: Vanguard Total Stock Market (VTSMX). Some $56 billion has come in, to boost its asset total to $164 billion. Its four-year return is essentially flat, at 0.02 percent.

Will managed funds improve? Many fund managers argue that their prospects will improve in coming months, and perhaps years. They predict the market will enter a new phase where their stock-picking expertise stands a better chance of making a difference than during the last four years of volatile markets. That’s because managers like Bob Doll expect that the recent gains in the stock market will start to flatten out: “That’s when active managers tend to do better.” As the lead manager of a group of largecap funds run by asset-management giant BlackRock, Doll said that there are still potential breakout stocks that will post above-market returns. Managers can offer their research and analysis to help investors who want to do more than simply go along for the ride, as they would with index funds. Still, Dash said S&P’s findings don’t support that. Over the last decade, a majority of fund managers have lagged the market during periods when stocks meandered, as well as during stretches when they sharply rose or fell. “It doesn’t matter, if the market is going up, down or sideways,” Dash said. — AP

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Investors see upside to expensive gasoline By Mark Jewell Think positive. The pain you’re feeling at the pump from $4-a-gallon gas may become a little easier to bear once you receive your next quarterly mutual fund statement. Chances are your fund portfolio holds big oil names that have been reporting Texassized profits and boosting dividends paid to their investors. Exxon Mobil, for example, is the biggest component in the Standard & Poor’s 500, the most widely tracked benchmark among index funds anchoring many 401(k) plans and retirement accounts. Exxon earned nearly $11 billion in the first quarter, its biggest profit in more than two years. Exxon and rival Chevron are increasing their quarterly dividends, boosting returns for investors. Combined, Exxon and Chevron make up about 4.6 percent of the S&P 500. If your portfolio includes a specialized fund that focuses on energy stocks, you’ve got even more reason to consider the bright side of rising oil prices. Energy stock funds have returned an average 26 percent over the last 12 months, the thirdbest performance among Morningstar’s 21 domestic fund categories. That tops the S&P 500’s nearly 17 percent return. What’s more, the top performer among all funds is an energy fund. Integrity Williston Basin/Mid North America Stock (ICPAX) has returned 63 percent, thanks to sizzling gains from the energy exploration and oilfield services companies it favors.

Think twice before investing Such eye-popping numbers make these funds tempting. But be careful if you’re considering a specialized fund whose returns are closely tied to swings in energy prices. “The initial knee-jerk reaction to jump in might not be warranted, because most investors already have plenty of exposure to energy in their portfolios,” said Rob Wherry, a Morningstar analyst who tracks energy funds. “It’s important to check what you’ve got in your portfolio first.” Energy stocks account for nearly 15 percent of the holdings in funds tracking the S&P 500, so that’s a good threshold for assessing your portfolio’s energy exposure.

Yet 15 percent may be too high for some risk-averse investors. It’s not just energy stocks that leave an investor exposed to energy price swings. Price changes can also make or break the bottom lines of other companies, including airlines and petrochemical makers. Also, beware any recently hot area of the market, because strong gains often precede a crash. Witness what happened in 2008. Oil climbed to a record $147 a barrel in the summer, then tumbled below $40 in the winter as economic news worsened and the globe’s thirst for oil tailed off. Energy funds lost an average 51 percent that year, compared with the S&P 500’s 37 percent loss.

Drilling and extraction may prosper As for oil’s recent surge, managers of two top energy funds don’t expect a repeat of 2008. They’re cautious, because it’s hard to predict whether the war in Libya and Mideast political instability will continue to generate enough uncertainty over the supply of oil to prop up prices. But they expect costly oil and expensive gas won’t go away anytime soon, based on supply-and-demand fundamentals. “Oil is finite in quantity, and once you pull a barrel out of the ground, it’s gone forever,” said Bob Walstad, co-manager of Integrity Williston Basin/Mid North America Stock, the fund that’s beaten all others over the past 12 months. Amid rising oil demand, global production has been stretched for decades, Walstad said: “We’ve got years of drilling just to catch up.” Walstad co-manages the $319 million fund from Minot, N.D., in the heart of the Williston Basin. The region, stretching across the Dakotas and Montana and into southern Canada, is experiencing a boom in exploration and production of oil extracted from shale deposits. Walstad’s fund changed its name and investment mission in 2008 to capitalize on the boom. Many of his fund’s favorite stocks are oilfield services companies: Top holding Baker Hughes is up 52 percent in the past 12 months, and No. 3 holding Lufkin Industries has more than doubled. Dan Rice, co-manager of BlackRock En-

ergy & Resources (SSGRX), said the strengthening global economy makes him confident that energy stocks will continue delivering strong returns. “I think I can make 20 to 30 percent returns for a number of years,” Rice said of his $2 billion fund, one of two Morningstar analyst picks in the energy stock fund category. The fund is up 31 percent over the past 12 months. Long-term investors have enjoyed an average 18.4 percent annualized return over 10 years. That places it in the top 4 per-

cent of its category over that time period. Rice currently favors coal and natural gas stocks, like Massey Energy, a coal miner that’s the fund’s current top holding. He’s keeping more than 75 percent of his portfolio in small- to mid-sized companies, which are more likely to post stronger gains in a rising market than bigger ones. However, he acknowledges that approach invites more risk. When stocks decline, the smaller names are likely to fall harder than the big ones. — AP

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Social Security stops mailing statements By Mark Miller What age should you file for Social Security benefits? Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s one of the most critical decisions youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll make that affects longterm retirement security. One of the best decision-making tools to help with that decision is the annual benefit projection that we all receive in the mail from the Social Security Administration (SSA). But the SSA is about to stop mailing out those statements to save money in Washing-

tonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s current budget-cutting environment. The agency will save $30 million by suspending mailings for the remainder of the current fiscal year, which ends in September, and an additional $60 million next year by restricting mailings to workers 60 and older.

Statements for those over 60 Statements usually are sent out about three months before your birthday. The suspension started in April, which means everyone with birthdays in July and later

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spouse to receive 100 percent of her husbandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s benefits. The SSA also is shelving plans to open eight new hearing offices to handle the backlog of disability claims, which has soared during the recession. Each disability claim is reviewed by an examiner. Filings have jumped from 2.6 million annual claims in fiscal 2005 to 3.0 million in FY 2009 and 3.2 million FY 2010. The claims process is complex and waiting times are long, averaging 800 to 900 days in many cities and sometimes as long as 1,400 days. The SSA had been making progress clearing the backlog early this year, but that progress likely will stop with the latest budget cuts. SSA doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t expect the cuts to impact turnaround time for retirement benefit applications, which can be filed online (http://www.ssa.gov/onlineservices/), by phone (1-800-772-1213), or in person at your local Social Security office. For now, you can get an estimate of your benefits using the SSAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s excellent online Retirement Estimator tool (www.ssa.gov/ estimator/), which pulls up your personal benefits and allows you to do what-if scenarios for filing at different ages. Or, drop by your local Social Security office â&#x20AC;&#x201D; before they decide to shut it down. ÂŠ 2011 Tribune Media Services, Inc.

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wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t get a paper statement this year. Next year, the SSA intends to resume sending statements to Americans over age 60; itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s working on an online download option for everyone else. Personally, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m OK with online access to just about everything â&#x20AC;&#x201D; itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s greener and saves money. But the paper Social Security statement provides a valuable annual reminder of what you can expect and how benefits are calculated. Most importantly, the statement includes a projection of your benefits based on varying retirement ages. That drives home the point that you get the maximum monthly payout by waiting, if at all possible, at least until the age when your full benefits are available â&#x20AC;&#x201D; the so-called full retirement age (FRA). Monthly benefit payments are 8 percent higher for every year you wait up until age 70. That can really add up over time. If you wait until age 70 to claim benefits, your monthly income will be about 76 percent higher than it would be if you had claimed benefits at age 62, according to the National Academy of Social Insurance. And for married couples, if the higher earner is the man, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s especially important for him to wait to file as long as possible. Women usually outlive men; Social Securityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s survivor benefit allows a widowed

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Books offer do-it-yourself financial advice Consider adding these recently released financial books to your shelf or e-reader (all are available as e-books). Look for more suggestions in upcoming issues. Debunkery: Learn It, Do It, and Profit From It — Seeing Through Wall Street’s Money-Killing Myths Author: Ken Fisher Price: $27.95 Summar y: Debunkery is the seventh book by Ken Fisher, the founder and CEO of Fisher Investments, a money management firm overseeing more than $32 billion. In his latest work, Fisher attacks common myths and misperceptions, and shows readers how to analyze and discredit them. He divides the discussion into five sections: Basic Bunk to Make You Broke; Wall Street “Wisdom”; Everyone Knows; History Lessons; and It’s a Great Big World! Each of the 50 chapters is dedicated to one misperception and is typically only three to five pages long. The short discussions enable you to pick and choose what’s most interesting for your financial situation. Quote: “Once you intuitively accept that 1) lots of commonly accepted investing wisdom isn’t wise, and 2) you will still make mistakes anyway but can aim to lower your error rate and improve your results, actually doing debunkery can be easy. Simple really!” Publisher: John Wiley & Sons Inc. The Wall Street Journal Guide to the New Rules of Personal Finance Author: Dave Kansas Price: $16.99 (paperback) Summar y: It makes sense that we should be acting differently about our money in the wake of the financial crisis. Some time-tested lessons of personal finance still hold true: saving, budgeting and avoiding over-borrowing and overspending. But Kansas makes a persuasive case that we need a new way of thinking to replace others that failed us, such as overreliance on the stock market and real estate. One new rule is to really embrace thrift and abhor loading up on debt. As this veteran personal finance writer puts it, debt is deadly and credit cards are cursed objects. Another is that diversification really matters, not just in stocks but in retirement planning — IRAs, insurance plans and savings accounts in addition to 401(k)s. When it comes to investing, be where the action is going to be: international markets and commodities such as oil, gold, wood

and other natural resources. Other chapters focus on debt reduction, spending smarter on your home, and other important topics. If the lessons aren’t all brand new, the focus and priorities are. In plain language and Kansas offers wise advice that points out a clear path to a stable financial future for those who follow it. Quote: “The New Rules aren’t simply quick fixes to financial problems. Instead they’re about learning how to save, invest, and plan better, and they require discipline, prudence, and taking personal responsibility for your financial future. They’re also about understanding that financial strategy is about more than money.” Publisher: HarperCollins. Spousonomics: Using Economics to Master Love, Marriage, and Dirty Dishes

Authors: Paula Szuchman, Jenny Anderson. Price: $26 Summary: Forget the flowers and romantic getaways. If you want a happy marriage, think like an economist. That’s the premise of this new release by Wall Street Journal editor Paula Szuchman and New York Times reporter Jenny Anderson. The authors have fun with their theory by taking 10 economic principles and explaining how they can be used to avoid the common pitfalls of marriage. In the opening chapter, for example, the authors invoke Adam Smith’s The Wealth of Nations in arguing for a division of labor based on skill sets, rather than automatically splitting chores 50-50. Another chapter titled “Moral Hazard, Or the Too-Big-to-Fail Marriage” discusses how the emotional safety of

marriage can lead spouses to take each other for granted and wear away at a relationship. And in “Trade-Offs, Or the Art of Getting Over It,” Szuchman and Anderson encourage examining spats through a costbenefit analysis rather than letting minor grievances fester. On their own, marriage and economic theory aren’t exactly fertile ground for lighthearted reading. But by bringing them together, Spousonomics injects some levity into both. Quote: “At its core, economics is way simpler than all that. It’s the study of how people, companies and societies allocate scarce resources. Which happens to be the same puzzle you and your spouse are perpetually trying to solve: how to spend your limited time, energy, money and libido in ways that keep you smiling and your marriage thriving.” Publisher: Random House — AP

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

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

What do people think of assisted living? By Erin Roth For the past nine years, a team of researchers from the Center for Aging Studies at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) has been studying assisted living settings in Maryland from urban, rural and suburban locales. With funding from the National Institute on Aging, we have interviewed more than 500 residents, family members and staff members in 17 different assisted living settings, giving us insight into their everyday experiences. Assisted living came onto the senior housing scene over 25 years ago as an alternative to nursing home care. It sought to create a home-like environment by offering private rooms with a bathroom, a kitchenette with microwave, and locks on the doors. Handrails were discreetly disguised as chair rail molding, and residents were given a choice of entrees at meals. While the physical structure of assisted living facilities vary greatly — from purpose-built, architect-designed buildings, to converted cinder-block walled nursing homes built in the 1970s, to split-level homes located in the midst of single-family neighborhoods — they all share the desire to be less medical and institutional in appearance and operation than conventional nursing homes.

Unanimously preferred From our research we’ve found that over and over again, family members, residents and staff talk about assisted living in terms of what it is not — it is not a nursing home. It doesn’t smell like one, look like one, or feel like one, they say. And yet, as assisted living has matured, it has in some ways become susceptible to some of the same issues nursing homes have faced. Because people are staying in their homes longer and coming to assisted living older and frailer, dining rooms have become jammed with more walkers and wheelchairs than they were designed to accommodate. Elevators are crowded — but absolutely essential. And the old ratios of direct care staff to residents are not realistic or perhaps even safe, given the increased needs. The consensus among those who work within these settings is that assisted living is the new nursing home. Still, people unanimously prefer assisted living over nursing homes because of the strides it has made in improving upon the old nursing home model.

Change is the one constant In addition to the change assisted living facilities have experienced as they care for higher needs seniors, there are a remark-

able number of other changes over time — some planned and some not. Many people move into a setting with the assumption that things like staff, services, food quality, or the number of people living there will remain the same. The reality is that each assisted living facility is continually in flux, adapting to changes in ownership, additions to the building, evolving state policies, adjustments in the services offered, and fees charged. Well-liked employees may leave, and fellow residents eventually move or die. These factors impact how residents experience life in assisted living, both in the short and long term. Because so many of these changes are out of one’s control, many people learn to adapt and accept. For most people, the efforts involved in finding a new place and moving are simply not worth it. It may be helpful to heed the words of advice from some of the people we have interviewed. One administrator suggests you plan ahead, shop around, ask lots of questions and do the math. Here’s her advice on choosing an assisted living community: “Whenever we have anybody come in and tour our facility, as much as they like it, the thing I always tell them to do is make sure you go look at other places. Because at the end of the day whenever, who-

ever is making that choice, you want to be able to put your head down on that pillow and go, ‘I know what’s out there, at least I think I know what’s out there, and I made the best choice I could.’ “It’s not the world’s easiest or happiest decision. But you can make it easier on yourself and your loved one by at least touring as many places as you can and not falling in love with a place because of infrastructure. A lot of times people try to cover things up with crown molding and bead board. “Ask as many questions as you can, and when you’re ready to make that move — if it’s not a subsidized facility and it’s a “private-pay” facility like most of them are — sit down with a calculator and try to figure you out how much time are you [likely] to have in that [facility] — because [the total cost is] going to be a big part making the decision.” Erin G. Roth is a senior ethnographer at the Center for Aging Studies, part of UMBC's Department of Sociology and Anthropology. She has co-authored two books based on the center’s assisted living research: Inside Assisted Living: A Search for Home (2009), http://bit.ly/insideassistedliving, and Quality Assisted Living: Informing Practice through Research, http://bit.ly/qualityassistedliving, (in press). For additional information, see http://bit.ly/centerforagingstudies or contact Erin Roth at eroth@umbc.edu.

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Don’t let your clutter Affordable Senior boss you around By Fiona Morrissey Clutter has many faces. It’s not always something obvious like a box of antique bank statements, a pile of yellowing newspapers or a bucket with holes. It can be a warm winter coat, a great book or a crystal vase. Each may seem harmless in itself, but if your house is crammed with excess clothing, reading matter and bric-a-brac, then it’s clutter and you need to take action. As a professional organizer I’ve found that a lot of people with clutter issues are intimidated by what they own. This is particularly true of my older clients, many of whom grew up in the Depression. They often allow a perfectly useless piece of junk to bully them into keeping it: How dare you say I’m only a jar of rusty nails? You might need me one fine day. So don’t even think of throwing me out! The first thing I do is remind my clients that possessions make good servants but bad masters. If you let your clutter boss you around, then you’ll always have a home that you’re ashamed of and keep apologizing for.

Interrogate your clutter The trick is to stand up to what you own. If you suspect a particular item of being clutter — interrogate it! Ask it the following questions: • When was the last time I used you? • When will I use you again? • Who might ask for you? • Are you easily replaceable? • What’s the worst that would happen if I gave you away? • Are you helping to make my home difficult to clean? • Do you make it harder for me to find things I need? • What have you done for me lately? Once you decide that something deserves to be kept, it has to have a fixed address. Homelessness is a concern in many households, with things drifting aimlessly from place to place. A quick cross examination should find the right spot for any item.

• Do you belong in this room? • How accessible are you now? • How accessible should you be?

Get it out of the house The next step is to dispense with all those rogue articles that fared badly under interrogation. Anything cracked, chipped, soiled, ripped, or with missing parts should go into the garbage. Larger pieces that you believe are so broken or decrepit that no one will want them can be put out at your curb for a special trash pick-up. Call your jurisdiction’s solid waste department to arrange for one. As for any usable items, load them up in your car, drive to your nearest thrift store and be done with it. Some thrift organizations will even pick your stuff up. Call one of these numbers: Goodwill: 1-888-817-4323 Purple Heart: 1- 877-851-8111 Salvation Army: 1-800-728-7825 Amvets: 1-800-526-8387 Central Union Mission: 202-745-7118 Goodwill, Salvation Army and Central Union Mission will even accept big pieces of furniture, such as sofas, if clean and in good condition. Amvets also picks up sofas and the like, but only from the curb and not from inside your house.

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Don’t put it off It is important to be aware that clutter is sly and unscrupulous. You want your home up and running — your clutter does not. So it employs delaying tactics to slow you down. What? Give me away for nothing? But we’ve been together for so long! The least you can do is get money for me. Aren’t I worth it? This is why I do not recommend consignment stores for those with major clutter issues. Consignment stores are picky. There is no guarantee they will take anything, and even what they do accept may not sell. Yard sales don’t work for most people, ei-

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Ways to recycle practically anything at all You’re inspired to clean out your cluttered garage, basement and closets. But what should you do with your out-of-date clothes, ancient tube TVs and old mattresses? Long gone are the days of dumping everything into the trash and out on the curb. Here’s a rundown from Consumer Reports magazine of some of the most creative ways to get rid of unwanted items: E l e c t r o n i c s . Log on to www. ecoqsuid.com to check out options for reselling or recycling old gadgets. Or try selling on eBay — somebody, somewhere might be looking for an older model or its components. Best Buy also recycles gear. The stores accept computers, TVs and more, even when items were not purchased there. Office Depot and Staples also recycle. Toys and stuffed animals. After the

kids (or grandkids) have grown, many of us have bags full of toys. Before donating or selling items, go to www.recalls.gov to make sure they have not been recalled in recent years. Standards are tougher now than even a few years ago. For like-new stuffed animals, donate to Beanies for Baghdad, an organization that sends items to armed service units in wartorn areas and they distribute them to children (www.BeaniesForBaghdad.com). LovingHugs.org sends soft stuffed animals to children in war zones, refugee camps, orphanages, medical facilities and the like. Mattresses. If a retailer offers to take away your old mattress when you purchase a new one, try to find out what happens to it. Some retailers dismantle the mattress and recycle its components, and some don’t. If it’s in good condition, offer it to shel-

ters for the homeless or battered women, or to the Salvation Army. Hauling the mattress to the curb for regular trash pickup is a last resort, but if it’s the only option, check with the sanitation department. Some communities require mattresses to be wrapped in heavy plastic and sturdy tape to seal in any bugs. Paint. Put buckets of old paint to good use by asking around at local charities, religious organizations, or high school or college drama departments. Perhaps they can use it. Some communities collect paint for reuse, but if there are no takers, call a local municipal recycling center or find a recycler at www.earth911.com. Even items that seem useless can be recycled into something practical for someone else. Try these tips for stuff that’s past its prime:

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4. Social 5. Spiritual 6. Environmental

Also offering: Three meals per day • All utilities Full housekeeping & laundry Full social & spiritual programs Basic assistance with daily activities

Clutter From page B-3 ther. Haggling with your neighbors to get the best price for your junk uses up time and energy. Chances are you’ll sell only a small fraction. Then you’ll have to bag it all up again and bring it to the thrift shop where it should have gone in the first place. Once you are no longer at the mercy of what you own, life can only get better. One of my clients put it this way: “I love having my house back. Now I can find things and it’s fun being able to entertain family and friends. Best of all, my grown children have stopped nagging me to declutter. It’s all done and I feel great!” Fiona Morrissey is a professional organizer in Silver Spring, Md. For more information, see www.happyroomsbyfiona.com or call (301) 593-4026.

Providing Affordable Independent and Supportive Services Apartments

Forest Side offers programming based on the Six Components of Wellness: 1. Physical 2. Emotional 3. Mental

Toys. Ask a local animal shelter if they can use old stuffed animals to comfort puppies. Clothing. At Goodwill, if they can’t repair clothes for sale, they’ll recycle old clothing scraps into industrial wipes for industrial buyers. Cars. Nonprofit groups like Goodwill Industries and Habitat for Humanity accept vehicles; many don’t care whether they run or not. Linens. Goodwill and Salvation Army thrift stores accept towels, sheets, curtains and such. To donate well-worn towels, call a local animal shelter. Often they take them to use for pet bedding and/or cleanup rags. Furniture. Ask the trash collector about curbside pickup. Haul it to the curb a day early and put a “free” sign on it, in case someone might want it. — Consumer Reports

FOREST SIDE Please call for more information and to schedule a visit

202-966-7623

Take a virtual tour of Forest Side at:

www.MethodistHomeOfDC.org

Where else in the heart of Arlington can you live in a community nestled on five acres of beautiful, perennial gardens with Arlington County’s largest senior center on the premises?

(703) 528-0162 VA Relay: 1-800-828-1120

4435 N. Pershing Drive Arlington VA 22203

www.culpeppergarden.org Coordinated Services Management Managing Retirement Communities Since 1982

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When cluttered living turns into hoarding By Valerie Lambros There are probably many of us who have homes or offices that are less neat than we’d like them to be. Maybe there are piles of papers, files or books that we put off sorting because we’ve grown accustomed to them, and they don’t interfere with our daily routines. This tendency is common and rarely cause for concern. Unfortunately, for some people the accumulation of stuff can develop into a more advanced state of clutter, turning a few piles into roomfuls of belongings that get in the way of living life. These people suffer from hoarding. Hoarding is defined as the acquisition of, and failure to discard, a large number of possessions that invade living spaces in such a way that people can no longer live normally in them Hoarding is estimated to affect between 2 and 5 percent of the population and is more prevalent in seniors. Scientists have found that the onset of hoarding typically occurs between 11 and 15 years of age, but does not reach significant levels until later in life.

larly if someone had to get out of the house quickly,” said Randy Frost, a Smith College professor and expert on hoarding. “Piles of papers near a stove, for instance, are a fire hazard,” he added. A frequent feature of these cluttered homes, he said, is the presence of what some call “goat paths” — narrow aisles that navigate through the mountains of stuff. An inability to clean, dust and vacuum can lead family members to suffer acutely from dust and mold allergies. Most people might think the easy fix to hoarding is to have someone come in and throw everything out, but anyone who’s watched one of the popular television programs dedicated to this topic, such as “Hoarding: Buried Alive,” knows it’s not that simple. The people who hoard don’t often see the problem. There is resistance, denial and bargaining. The process frequently becomes emotional, with tears and anger a typical outcome. “When others clean up after them, they feel as though they are losing things of value, even parts of themselves,” Frost said. “One person said, ‘If I throw away too much, there will be nothing left of me.’” While hoarding does share some traits with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), the overlap isn’t exact and many

Can be life-threatening “Hoarders can collect all measure of things, and many times doorways will be blocked, windows will be blocked. This condition can be life-threatening, particu-

people who hoard display characteristics that differ from OCD. For example, researchers have reported that while there are few differences in memory or problem-solving between hoarders and control subjects, hoarders often performed much worse on matters relating to attention span and decisionmaking Because hoarding is mostly hidden behind closed doors, few are aware of the condition’s prevalence. Little attention has been given to the disorder until recently. Hoarding is not currently included in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders published by the American Psychiatric Association, but there is talk of adding it to the latest edition of the book. The inclusion of hoarding might open more doors to study the disorder, scientists say.

Treatments exist Treatments for the condition are lengthy and difficult. “We face a great deal of treatment refusal and dropout, low insight into the

problem, and limited cooperation during treatment,” said Dr. Gail Steketee, dean and professor at Boston University’s School of Social Work. A National Institutes of Mental Health study found there is hope in using cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), particularly when it includes specialized components designed for hoarding, such as motivational interviewing, organizing and decision skills training, and practice discarding and not acquiring. “While standard therapy doesn’t work, specialized CBT makes a dent,” Steketee said. “And group treatments provide [patients] with an instant, built-in support system. The therapy turns into something they look forward to.” For more information on hoarding, see Frost and Steketee’s book Stuff: Compulsive Hoarding and the Meaning of Things, published earlier this year. Also visit the International OCD Foundation’s Hoarding Center at www.ocfoundation.org/hoarding. This article is excerpted from the newsletter “NIH Record,” published by the National Institutes of Health.

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301-495-1600 A Homes for America Community 1316 Fenwick Lane • Silver Spring, MD 20910

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Advertorials IN-HOME CARE

Comfort Keepers 703-591-7117 Serving Northern Virginia www.comfortkeepers.com Bringing Care Home… YES, YOU CAN live at home and receive the same services that you can in an assisted living facility. We provide comprehensive personal care and assistance to people who want choice and independence. Comfort Keepers offers a customized plan of care which begins with a Registered Nurse conducting a complimentary assessment to determine each client’s individual needs. Each Comfort Keeper employee completes a Criminal Background Check, monthly National Background Check, Motor Vehicle Record Check, Reference Check, Certification and License Verification. If you want to remain independent in your home, please call Comfort Keepers to schedule your free long-term quality of life plan.

INDEPENDENT LIVING

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

How to find and hire a home health aide When Richard Foye was looking for a home health aide to live with his 97-yearold mother, he found the search daunting. One applicant was bipolar and admitted that she didn’t always take her medication. Another was afraid to stay overnight alone with his mom. Finally, Foye found a caring and capable aide. But “it was a struggle,” he said. Care at home can be a lot less expensive than a nursing home or an assisted-living facility, especially for seniors who need only a few hours of help a day. And staying in familiar surroundings can be much more comfortable for the caregivee than living in an institution. There are many options for hiring trained aides through private companies. Finding an aid to hire directly, as Foye learned, is not easy. But with perseverance, it’s a manageable task.

To start, think about the level of help your parent or spouse will need. For the most seriously ill, there are registered nurses, who can manage many complex medical conditions, administer medications, and operate sophisticated equipment. At the next level are certified nursing assistants, who have training in first aid and in helping patients bathe, go to the bathroom and transfer from a bed to a wheelchair. Finally, for those who don’t need skilled assistance, there are companions and homemakers, who may have little or no medical training. Once you settle on a level of care, decide how many hours of assistance you’ll need. Does your mom need someone to come in just a few mornings a week to help her cook, clean or perhaps bathe? If Mom needs constant care, you can hire aides to work eight- or 12-hour shifts. Hiring a live-in aide would be a lot less costly, since you’ll be providing room and board. But you can’t expect a live-in to be on call 24 hours a day. If your loved one needs to be turned in bed every few hours, you’ll need to use shift workers. Often the biggest area of conflict between aides and clients is confusion over what services will be provided. For instance, families often expect aides to administer medications. But in most states, only nurses can dispense drugs.

In Baltimore, the going rate is $21 an hour for a certified aide who is an agency employee. A registered nurse will likely cost twice as much. A second option is to hire an independent aide through home-health agencies called registries. These firms act like an old-fashioned hiring hall. They may check aides for competency or a criminal record, but the level of screening differs by firm. Aides hired through a registry may cost, on average, around $15 an hour. To find a good agency, check with your local area agency on aging (AAA) or a nonprofit information-and-referral service. [Numbers for local AAAs appear at the end of this article.] The federal government’s HomeHealth Compare at www.medicare.gov provides broad quality ratings for Medicare-approved agencies. (But note that Medicare itself will pay for only very limited home care after a hospitalization.) Once you’ve selected some potential companies, call and ask many questions. How long has the firm been in business? Is the firm insured? How does it handle complaints? Most important, you’ll want to learn all you can about the individual aide they will be sending you. You’ll also want to know what their policy is on replacing an aide that you and your Mom do not like. If you have long-term-care insurance, read the policy carefully and contact your agent to determine if it will cover all or part of your costs. Some policies will reimburse you only if you hire through an approved agency. Medicare and Medicaid, which pays for long-term home care only if you meet strict income and asset tests, will also require you to hire through an approved firm. You can save money by hiring an aide on your own. You may find one through a newspaper ad, an online service such as Craigslist.org, or a friend. You’ll negotiate your own price, but expect to pay about $10 to $12 an hour. Note that if you go this route, you will be an employer. You’ll have to pay Social Security taxes, withhold income taxes, check references, and make sure that an immigrant worker has a green card. Also, by self-hiring, you will have to make other arrangements when your aide calls in sick or takes vacation.

How to hire an aide

Evaluating an aide

You can hire an aide in one of three ways. The simplest but most expensive option is to hire an employee of a homehealth agency. The agency will take care of the aide’s withholding taxes and any benefits, and it will find a fill-in on days your aide cannot come. The agency may also provide insurance and arrange ongoing training.

Before choosing an aide, conduct an inhome interview. Most reputable agencies will conduct a formal assessment of your loved one’s needs either by phone or by sending a registered nurse, along with the prospective aide, to the patient’s home. Ask the aide about his or her experience.

Types of aides

Park View at Laurel 301-490-1526 9000 Briarcroft Lane Laurel, MD 20708 parkviewlaurel@sheltergrp.com Your new lifestyle begins at Park View at Laurel! This controlled access elevator building is conveniently located close to Laurel Town Center and Phelps Senior Center. Movie theaters, restaurants and shopping are nearby to encourage the active lifestyle of Seniors 62 or better. The community features a community room with kitchen, game room, lending library, and computer center. Residents can also enjoy the exercise room and wellness suite, as well as beauty and barber services. Call 301-490-1526 or email parkviewlaurel@sheltergrp.com today to arrange for your personal visit.

INDEPENDENT LIVING

Ashby Ponds 703-723-1999 21170 Ashby Ponds Boulevard Ashburn, VA 20147 www.EricksonLiving.com Announcing Red Robin View, our newest and final building in our current neighborhood to open Spring 2012. Ashby Ponds offers maintenance-free retirement living combined with a vibrant lifestyle―all in a beautiful, private and gated community. Without the worries of a house and yard, you can spend more time pursuing your passions. Travel, volunteer, take a college class and explore some of Ashby Ponds many clubs and interest groups. Campus restaurants offer a variety of delicious dining options, while security offers protection and peace of mind. Enjoy the stability of predictable monthly expenses and look forward to a healthy future with our health care and wellness services. Whatever your passions in life, you’ll find the freedom and opportunity to follow them at Ashby Ponds.

See HEALTH AIDE, page B-8

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Advertorials

Housing Notes By Barbara Ruben

Universal design options Maryland legislators recently passed a law that requires home builders to offer buyers the option to add universal design features to new homes and requires builders to explain the options. Universal design makes it easier for people of all ages and abilities to live in or access the house. Under the new law, the features that must be offered include a ground-level entry doorway that is at least 36 inches wide, which is easier for wheelchairs to pass through, and a level exterior entryway that is not more than an inch and a half lower than the interior floor. Buyers also must have the option of purchasing a home that doesn’t have curbs, steps or other obstacles that are higher than an inch and a half.

Public meetings address assisted living regs The Office of Health Care Quality and the Maryland Department of Aging will host two town hall meetings in July to discuss proposed changes in assisted living regulations in Maryland. The meetings will be held on July 12 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Bowie Senior Center, 14900 Health Center Dr., Bowie, and on July 19 from 10 a.m. to noon at the Harriett Hunger Center, 6420 Allentown Rd., Camp Springs. To register or for more information, call or e-mail L ynda Brown at lmbrown@ dhmh.state.md.us or (410) 402-8004. The

deadline to register is July 1.

INDEPENDENT LIVING COMMUNITY

Apartments renovated in D.C.

Greenspring 703-913-1200

Allen House Apartments, which includes 97 units of low- and moderate-income senior housing, recently finished an $8.5 million renovation project. All building systems and amenities have been upgraded and modernized, including residential units and appliance, common areas, the roof and parking lot. The apartments opened in 1991 under the management of Upper Room Housing Corporation and have been a catalyst for development in the Ward 7 area of Northeast Washington. Allen House Apartments grew out of vision by the late Dr. Willie B. Allen and his son, Rev. Vincent E. Allen, pastor of Upper Room Baptist Church. For more information about the apartments, call (202) 397-1862.

7410 Spring Village Drive Springfield, VA 22150 Situated in beautiful Springfield, Va., Greenspring is retirement living at its best. Every apartment home in this 108-acre gated community is 100% maintenance-free. So rather than worrying about the house and the yard, you can spend more time pursuing your passions. Travel, volunteer, take a college class and explore some of Greenspring’s many clubs and interest groups. Multiple campus restaurants offer a variety of delicious dining options, while 24-hour security offers protection and peace of mind. Enjoy the stability of predictable monthly expenses and look forward to a healthy future with our full continuum of health care and wellness services.

INDEPENDENT LIVING COMMUNITY

Long-term care costs jumped in 2010 Nursing home and assisted living rates rose significantly from 2009 to 2010, according to the “Market Survey of LongTerm Care Costs” by the MetLife Mature Market Institute. Washington, D.C. has the highest assisted living costs in the nation, at an average monthly base rate of $5,231. Rates in Northern Virginia average $4,410 per month and Silver Spring, Md. averages $4,104. Across the U.S., assisted living rates rose 5.2 percent on average to $3,293 per month, or $39,516 per year. Private room nursing home rates rose 4.6 percent to $229 per day or $83,585 per See HOUSING NOTES, page B-8

AFFORDABLE APARTMENTS FOR SENIORS 62+

Hampshire Village 301-924-6565 3210 Norbeck Road Silver Spring, MD 20906 At Hampshire Village, you can enjoy active independent living without sacrificing affordability. Located in the heart of Montgomery County, near public transportation, Hampshire Village offers more living space and amenities than other area communities. Each of our 2-bedroom apartment homes features a fully equipped kitchen with dishwasher, wall-to-wall carpeting, and large energy-efficient windows. Enjoy weekly socials in our coffee café, a game of pool, a walk with our exercise team, or a film in our movie theatre. When needed, visit our onsite health suite for a check-up. At Hampshire Village, our experienced, on-site team of residential management specialists ensures an unmatched level of personal attention.

Revitz House 301-770-8450 6111 Montrose Road Rockville, MD 20852 www.revitzhouse.org www.smithlifecommunities.org Revitz House is independent living in an exceptionally welcoming, friendly community — the ideal choice for those who want to set their own schedule, be part of a lively and supportive neighborhood, and do it all in an affordable manner. Revitz House is unique in its price range for the supportive services at your fingertips, from complimentary bus transportation to shopping and cultural outings, to a bountiful dinner, personal security system, social work services, extensive programs, fitness, access to Hirsh Health Center, and more. Find the key to successful retirement right here in Rockville.

INDEPENDENT LIVING COMMUNITY

Sommerset Retirement Community 703-450-6411 22355 Providence Village Drive Sterling, VA 20164 www.sommersetretirement.com Your Search is Over for Premier Independent Living! Sommerset Retirement Community is a unique rental community, offering spacious 1 and 2 bedroom apartment homes for active adults 55 or better. Each apartment has a full kitchen, wall to wall carpet, ample closet space and a private balcony. Our floor plans range from 620 to 1000 square feet. There are Absolutely NO Buy-ins or community fees! We are conveniently located in Sterling , VA , minutes from shopping, restaurants, hospitals, doctors, entertainment and much more which are accessible via our private chauffeured transportation. Enjoy independent & maintenance-free living. We invite you to take a tour and have lunch on us. Call (703) 450-6411.

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Advertorials INDEPENDENT LIVING

Emerson House 301-779-6196 5999 Emerson Street Bladensburg, MD 20710 Emerson House Apartments is conveniently located on Emerson Street, just off of Rt. 450 and 57th Ave in Bladensburg, Md. A quaint residential setting, just minutes from neighborhood shopping, the community is convenient to Prince George's Hospital, a local library, public transportation and parks. Activities within Emerson House include: exercise classes, a Wii bowling league, arts and crafts classes, bingo, movie night, parties, bus trips and much more. Emerson House is a nine story, community designed for today’s seniors (62 and older). Our 220 one-bedroom units offer Section 8 rent subsidy for low- to moderate-income households. Please call today to request an application or make an appointment to tour our community. 301-779-6196. Monday – Friday 8:30 to 5:00.

INDEPENDENT LIVING COMMUNITY

Riderwood 301-495-5700 3140 Gracefield Road Silver Spring, MD 20904

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

Health aide From page B-6 If your Mom has dementia or other special needs, see if the aide has cared for such patients before. Find out if the agency or the aide has malpractice insurance. After you hire someone, prepare a daily schedule of duties, so that expectations are clear. Visit frequently, and at irregular times. Check that the house is clean, that the refrigerator is full and that Mom is doing well — that she’s up and dressed (if that is possible) every morning. If she is confined to bed, check for bedsores. Have the aide keep a log of what she does each day. Many aides are immigrants. Some may speak English with a heavy accent, and if Mom has difficulty hearing, communicating can be a challenge at first. But if the aide seems caring and competent, give it a few weeks. You’ll be surprised at how well they’ll be able to work things out. It is crucial that you communicate with the aide. If an aide is doing a good job, offer your thanks. If there are problems, talk about it. Sometimes an aide is capable, but personalities can clash. If so, you can ask an agency to send someone else. Remember, this is a difficult situation for

Housing notes From page B-7

Ideally located in Silver Spring, Riderwood offers maintenance-free retirement living combined with a vibrant lifestyle — all in a beautiful, private community. Without the worries of a house and yard, you can spend more time pursuing your passions. Travel, volunteer, take a college class, and explore some of Riderwood’s many clubs and interest groups. Multiple campus restaurants offer a variety of delicious dining options, while 24-hour security offers protection and peace of mind. Enjoy the stability of predictable monthly expenses and look forward to a healthy future with our full continuum of health care and wellness services.

ALZHEIMER’S/DEMENTIA CARE

Forest Side 202-966-7623 2701 Military Rd. NW Washington, DC 20015 www.methodisthomeofdc.org/forest-side Forest Side is a highly specialized care program for residents with Alzheimer's or dementia. This 33 apartment assisted living facility is in a welcoming forest-like setting, nestled in the Chevy Chase neighborhood in the District. The focus is to engage the residents in all aspects of their day, fostering a level of friendship and understanding. Each resident's interests are respected and taken into consideration regardless of their cognitive ability. Trained staff understands the challenges of memory loss and have great sensitivity and compassion for their residents and families. Everything we do is with the purpose of supporting and celebrating the life of each and every resident.

year. These increases come on top of increases from 2008 to 2009, when both nursing home and assisted living costs went up 3.3 percent on average, nationally. In Washington, D.C. the average cost of a private room in a nursing home is $290 per day; a semi-private room is $272. Alexandria-area nursing homes average $247 for semi-private and $292 for private, while rates in Silver Spring average $247 for semiprivate and $269 for private rooms. Costs for home health aides and adult day services were unchanged in the past year. Home health aide costs remain at an average price of $21 per hour, while adult day services costs are still $67 per day. Throughout this area, the cost for home health aides is lower than the national average, at $20 per hour. But adult day care in D.C. costs $96 per day, while it is $76 in Silver Spring and $78 in Northern Virginia. “The cost of care in nursing homes and assisted living has been and continues to be high and, in the past year, the increases have even outpaced medical care inflation

everyone. A little patience can go a long way. Local AAA numbers to call: District of Columbia: D.C. Office on Aging: (202) 724-5622 Maryland: Montgomery County Aging and Disability Information and Assistance: (240) 777-3000 Prince George’s County Aging Information Referral and Assistance: (301) 265-8450 Virginia: Alexandria Alexandria Office of Aging and Adult Services: (703) 838-0920 Arlington Arlington Agency on Aging: (703) 2281700 Fairfax County Fairfax Area Agency on Aging: (703) 324-5411 Loudoun County Loudoun County Area Agency on Aging: (703) 777-0257 Prince William County Prince William Area Agency on Aging: (703) 792-6400 © The Kiplinger Washington Editors, Inc. Distributed by Tribune Media Services. All rights reserved.

of about 3 percent,” said Sandra Timmermann, director of the MetLife Mature Market Institute. “While families continue to provide the lion’s share of care, paid care is commonly part of the equation and the costs can derail even the best financial plan.” Current estimates from the American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging indicate that nearly one million people live in approximately 39,500 assisted living residences in the U.S. The average age of an assisted living resident is 86.9 years old, and the median length of stay in assisted living is 29.3 months. Adult day services centers are seeing increasing growth as a cost-effective key provider of long-term care services. According to the report, there are more than 4,600 adult day service centers nationwide, a 35 percent increase since 2002. Those served by these centers have increased by more than 100,000 in that time period. To read the full report online, go to http://bit.ly/longtermcarecosts. A print version can be ordered by e-mailing MatureMarketInstitute@metlife.com or by writing to: MetLife Mature Market Institute, 57 Greens Farms Rd., Westport, CT 06880.

BEACON BITS

Oct. 30+

BEACON SEEKING EXPO VENDORS The Beacon is seeking vendors for its annual 50+Expo, which will

be held Sunday, Oct. 30 at Ballston Commons Mall in Arlington, Va., and on Sunday, Nov. 6 at White Flint mall in N. Bethesda, Md. The expos include informative speakers, health screenings and entertainment and draw thousands of attendees. For more information, call Alan Spiegel at (301) 949-9766.

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FREE HOUSING AND OTHER INFORMATION For free information — at no obligation — from the following advertisers, just check off the items of interest to you and mail the entire page to the Beacon. Please do not request info if you are not interested. All replies will have an equal chance to win.

MARYLAND HOUSING ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑

Asbury Methodist Village B-11 Brooke Grove B-10 & B-16 Charter House B-5 Covenant Village B-3 Emerson House B-3 & B-8 Forest Side B-4 & B-8 Hampshire Village B-7 Homecrest House B-11 & B-14 Mrs. Philippines Home B-3 Park View at Bladensburg B-15 Park View at Columbia B-15 Park View at Ellicott City B-15 Park View at Emerson B-15 Park View at Furnace Branch B-15 Park View at Laurel B-6 & B-15

❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑

Park View at Rosedale B-15 Park View at Snowden River B-15 Revitz House B-7 Riderwood B-5 & B-8 Shriner Court B-3 Springvale Terrace B-14 Victory Woods B-10 & B-14 Village at Rockville B-2 & B-10

VIRGINIA HOUSING ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑

Ashby Ponds B-5 & B-6 Chesterbrook Residences B-13 Culpepper Garden B-4 Greenspring B-5 & B-7 Gum Springs Glen B-3 Herndon Harbor House B-3

❑ ❑ ❑ ❑

Lockwood House B-3 Morris Glen B-3 Sommerset B-7 The Virginian B-10

WASHINGTON, DC HOUSING ❑ Friendship Terrace B-3 ❑ Knollwood B-13 ❑ Methodist Home of D.C. B-11 & B-12 ❑ St. Mary’s Court B-13

MISCELLANEOUS ❑ Comfort Keepers B-6 ❑ New Lifestyles B-14 ❑ Weichert Realtors B-12

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 housing info coupon on page 5 of the Beacon.

1 ENTRY PER HOUSEHOLD PLEASE Name __________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Address ____________________________________________________E-mail_______________________________________________ City _______________________________________________________ State ______________________ Zip ____________________ WB 6/11

Phone (day) _______________________________________________ (eve) ________________________________________________ Please provide your telephone number or e-mail address so we may contact you promptly if you win the drawing.

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Advertorials CONTINUING CARE RETIREMENT COMMUNITY

The Virginian 703-385-0555 9229 Arlington Boulevard Fairfax, VA 22031 www.thevirginian.org Welcome to The Virginian – one of Northern Virginia’s most respected Continuing Care Retirement Communities. Since 1980, our community, located on 32 wooded acres, has been home to hundreds of residents from all walks of life. With accommodations of spacious one and two bedroom apartments in Independent, Assisted, and Enhanced Assisted Living, The Virginian also offers Long Term Nursing, Rehabilitation, and now, Home Health Services. Residents are encouraged to take advantage of the many amenities offered. Call today to schedule a tour and enjoy a complimentary lunch. The Virginian offers surprisingly affordable luxury living in the heart of Fairfax. Come see why our residents are proud to call The Virginian home.

CONTINUING CARE RETIREMENT COMMUNITY

Brooke Grove Retirement Village 301-260-2320 18100 Slade School Road Sandy Spring, MD 20860 www.bgf.org Situated amid the natural beauty of a 220-acre campus just down the road from historic Sandy Spring, Maryland, Brooke Grove Retirement Village has been an innovator in continuing care for seniors for more than 60 years. With the ongoing growth of our independent living community, The Cottages, Brooke Grove Retirement Village adds to decades of expertise in assisted living, nursing and rehabilitation, respite care, and specialized support for those with Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of memory loss. Call for a personalized tour or visit us on the Web at www.bgf.org.

RESIDENTIAL LIVING & NURSING CARE

The Village at Rockville 301-424-9560 9701 Veirs Drive Rockville, MD 20850-3462 www.thevillageatrockville.org The Village at Rockville excels in short-stay rehabilitative, respite and hospice care, as well as longer-term 24-hour skilled nursing services. For residents with higher care needs, we also offer dementia/ Alzheimer’s care, post-surgical wound care, and TPN. For over 120 years we have been the flagship quality senior care community in Maryland, attested to by the 98% of residents and families who would recommend us to others. Residential living cottages are also available on our campus. Open to people of all faiths, we accept Medicare/Medicaid, private pay and private insurances. Stop by or visit our website at www.thevillageatrockville.org.

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

Eat well with grocery and meal delivery By Phyllis Courlander and Barbara Ruben If you’ve just had surgery or have chronic health problems like arthritis, walking up and down the supermarket aisles can feel like running a marathon. Even with a motorized cart, lifting and toting the bags of groceries can be overwhelming, not to mention cooking the food once you have it home. Luckily, a variety of resources are available, from grocery delivery services, to meal delivery programs, to in-home meal chefs.

Shop from home Several local grocery chains allow you to use their online sites to select groceries you want and have them delivered to your door. Giant’s Peapod allows for ordering online and delivers to your door. Their minimum order is $60. Orders under $75 have a $9.95 delivery fee, while those between $75 and $100 cost $8.95 for delivery, and orders over $100 cost $7.95. Peapod is currently offering free delivery for 60 days after your first order. For more information, see www.peapod.com or call 1-800-5-PEAPOD. Safeway also will deliver orders placed online. Their minimum delivery purchase is $50, and fees range from $6.95 to $12.95 depending on the whether the order is under or over $150 and the time of day you schedule delivery. Delivery is free on your first order. Learn more at www.safeway.com or call 1-877-505-4040. Harris Teeter offers a service called ExpressLane, in which you order groceries online and then pick them up curbside at the store. The service costs $4.75 per order or $16.95 for unlimited orders during a 30-day period. For more information, see www.harristeeter.com or call 1-800-432-6111. The only commercial delivery option for local residents who prefer to place orders over the phone rather than via computer is Top Banana Home Delivered Groceries, a nonprofit organization established 29 years ago. They fill orders from their own storehouse, which carries a variety of name brand products, frozen goods, fresh meats, produce and dairy, as well as home, personal and pet supplies. Top Banana makes once a week deliveries to all of Prince George’s County and much of Montgomery and Charles Counties in Maryland, as well as throughout Washington, D.C. They do not serve the Northern Virginia area. The program’s main focus is serving seniors, but anyone, regardless of age or income, can get assistance. Orders are placed by telephone and are delivered to the customer’s kitchen. Drivers will even unpack the bags and loosen stubborn jar lids when needed. Groceries are competitively priced, and a service fee of $5 to $15 per delivery

is based on ability to pay. For a “Storehouse Product Guide” or information, call (301) 372-FOOD (3663) or visit www. topbananagroceries.org.

Shopping help and meal delivery Fairfax County’s Volunteer Solutions program has drivers that take older adults to the grocery store or shop for them. For more information, contact Information on Aging, Disability and Caregiver Resources at (703) 324-7948. In Montgomery County, the nonprofit Senior Connection provides volunteers to shop for seniors. To be eligible for this program, the participant must be 60 or older, meet an income requirement, and have no one in the home available to do their shopping. For more information, call (301) 9620820 or see www.seniorconnectionmc.org. The Jewish Social Service Agency’s (JSSA) Shoppers Program is another volunteer shopping service. On a regular basis, usually weekly, volunteers in the Washington area shop for groceries and other household items for frail elders. Some shoppers take their older friends to the store; others pick up a list and money and return with groceries and change. To request service, call the JSSA intake line at (301) 816-2633 to set up a social work assessment. The service is free, but there is a sliding scale fee for the assessment. Food and Friends provides meals, groceries and nutrition counseling to people who have a serious illness, such as cancer or AIDS, and a limited ability to prepare meals. There are no income limitations or requirements for insurance coverage, and their services and meals are entirely free. Breakfast, lunch and dinner, including 11 special diets, are delivered daily, Monday through Saturday, to a limited area in the Washington, D.C. area. Groceries are delivered weekly or every other week to people outside the freshlyprepared meals delivery area and to those healthy enough to prepare their own meals. Recipients get two bags of non-perishable groceries, frozen soups, entrees and liquid nutritional supplements. Call (202) 269-2277 or visit www.foodandfriends.org. Meals on Wheels volunteers will provide two cooked meals, one hot and one cold, to each recipient Monday through Friday. There are numerous local Meals on Wheels programs throughout the Washington region, and fees and eligibility vary from program to program. To find one, go to www.mowaa.org or call (703) 548-5558. There are also a number of companies that offer frozen meals for delivery that can be ordered online or by phone. Magic Kitchen (www.magickitchen.com, 1-877516-2442) caters to the dietary needs of seniors. It offers a wide variety of nutriSee MEALS, page B-12

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Considering an addition? Be prepared By Melissa Rayworth Ask William Carter about expanding your home and he’s going to be blunt: It will be expensive. It will be messy. And it will take time. “This is a very taxing process,” said Carter, who has renovated homes in California for three decades and is now board chairman of the National Association of the Remodeling Industry (www.nari.org). “You’re probably going to make 1,500 to 2,000 decisions before this project is completed.” But, he said, if you plan carefully and trust your instincts, you can “end up with a quality project and everyone will be friends afterwards.”

Do your research Like all remodeling projects, adding on to your home starts with planning and research. In surveys of Consumer Reports readers who have remodeled their homes, “the thing they wish they had done is spent more time upfront,” said Celia Kuperszmid-Lehrman, deputy home editor at the magazine. Make detailed notes about the basics you want, and a separate list of special things — maybe skylights or a fireplace — that you’d love to include but can live without. “There is almost always a conflict between what you can afford and what you want,” said Bill Harbrecht, a retired contractor from Florida who shares his knowledge at Remodeling4Dumbells.com. Basics such as “foundation, framing, basic electric and heating are built-in costs and there is no way around them. Many are governed by building codes and cannot be changed to make them less expensive,” Harbrecht said. But “you do have control over everything else, and everything else encompasses hundreds of choices, each one more or less expensive than the other.” Be sure to plan a large enough addition, he said, because scrimping on space may leave you unsatisfied with the finished product. But also consider how the value and size of your home compares with others in the neighborhood. “You don’t want to go crazy beyond what’s common in your neighborhood,” said KuperszmidLehrman, because building too big can make it harder to recoup the money when you eventually sell. Do research at local stores to decide what you like — particular appliances, types of flooring, etc. — and what it costs. This legwork makes you more informed when interviewing contractors, and helps create a budget. Knowing exactly what you want will help you avoid expensive changes once the job is underway. Work up a realistic budget, KuperszmidLehrman said, leaving room for cost over-

runs of 5 to 10 percent. When budgeting, consider whether you’ll need to live elsewhere while work is being done. Look into financing in advance, said Mark Donovan, founder of the DIY website HomeAdditionPlus.com. Don’t wait until you’ve signed a contract to confirm how you’ll pay for it. Once you know what you want, ask friends and neighbors to recommend contractors.

Conduct extensive interviews You can commission plans from an architect before interviewing contractors, or work with “design/build” contractors who create plans for their work. If the addition isn’t elaborate, you also can buy software to design your own plans. Software can cost up to several hundred dollars, Donovan said, but “that’s what an architect would charge you for one hour.” When interviewing contractors, make sure all decision-makers are present. Come prepared with questions, and ask for clarification of details. Once you have several bids, be sure you’re comparing apples to apples. Low bids may not offer the same services or quality items as higher ones, so ask for specifics. “If someone offers a much lower bid than others, he’s probably not going to be on the job all the time,” Carter said. “It’s going to start, then languish awhile.” Carter’s proposals are carefully organized, and include numerous documents detailing every aspect of the job. “Look at how the bid was presented,” he said, because the effort put into the proposal may give a sense of the effort that will go into the finished job. Look for someone who is experienced in the specific type of work you’re planning, and perhaps is certified in that area. Does the contractor point out potential difficulties up front or promise that the job will be totally smooth sailing? Ask about things like downtime while they wait for supplies. Get references from former customers, and “don’t just say, `Did you like the guy?’” said Kuperszmid-Lehrman. Ask how the job went and whether there were any surprises. Ideally, visit former customers’ homes to see the work. Most important: Listen to your instincts in choosing the right contractor. “Find the builder you have the right chemistry with,” Carter said, because this person will be in your home for months to come.

Get everything in writing “A lot of people get bids, and by then they’re already so tired of the process” that they just jump in and get started, See REMODEL, page B-13

B-11

Advertorials CONTINUING CARE RETIREMENT COMMUNITY

The Methodist Home of DC 202-966-7623 4901 Connecticut Ave Washington, DC 20008-2094 www.methodisthomeofdc.org The Methodist Home of D.C., a non-profit community, offers independent living, assisted living, rehabilitation and nursing care. We have been serving seniors since 1889. Our new community, Forest Side, a 33 apartment Alzheimer’s Assisted Living, is now open! Forest Side provides secure indoor and outdoor spaces, programming both day and night, and smaller neighborhoods of studio and one bedroom apartments. While Forest Side is part of the Methodist Home family, it is located just minutes away from our Connecticut Avenue location at 2701 Military Road, NW, Washington, DC 20015. The Independent and Assisted Living offers studio, one-bedroom, one bedroom/den, and two-bedroom apartments. Rental fees include three meals daily, housekeeping, social and exercise programs, and much more.

CONTINUING CARE RETIREMENT COMMUNITY

Asbury Methodist Village 301-216-4001 201 Russell Avenue Gaithersburg, MD 20877 www.asburymethodistvillage.org Ever dreamed of having your own wildlife preserve? Becoming a television reporter? Entertaining guests from all over the world? Seeing your work displayed in a gallery? Maybe it’s just living without worries and with a secure plan for the future. At Asbury Methodist Village, your only limit is your imagination. Explore our 130-acre campus in the heart of Montgomery County, and you’ll see how easy it is to live life the way you want. With eight different neighborhoods, including the brand-new Courtyard Homes, there’s something for every taste and budget. Learn more by scheduling a tour any day of the week, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday – Saturday, or Sunday by appointment.

INDEPENDENT & PERSONAL CARE COMMUNITIES

B’nai B’rith Homecrest House 301-598-4000 14508 Homecrest Road Silver Spring, MD 20906 www.homecresthouse.org Homecrest is a non-profit community that offers rent and service subsidies so that you pay only what you can afford. Nestled in a beautiful, wooded ten-acre park setting with its own pond, Homecrest House features two communities, independent living and personal care services. Homecrest offers a full array of activities both in-house and around the metro area via our courtesy van. Our computer lab, beauty shop, exercise room, library and social halls are just a few of the amenities our residents enjoy at Homecrest House. Call today for a personalized tour or visit us on the web at www.homecresthouse.org.

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BEACON BITS

Meals

June 22

ASSISTED LIVING AND NURSING HOME CONTRACTS

From page B-10

Elder law attorney Meredith McKay, with Legal Services of North-

tious meals, with prices ranging from $8 to $12 per meal. Other prepared meal services include Schwan’s (www.schwans.com, 1-888-7249267), DineWise (www.dinewise.com, 1-800-749-1170) and FamilyChef (www. familychef.com,1-888-612-9264).

ern Virginia, will give a talk on assisted living and nursing home contracts on Wednesday, June 22 at 1:30 p.m. at Lee Senior Center, 5722 Lee Hwy., Arlington, Va. The free program will focus on the difference between assisted living and nursing home facilities and how to avoid pitfalls associated with their contracts. Call (703) 228-0555 to register.

June 14

FOR GRANDPARENTS RAISING GRANDCHILDREN Grandparents and other relatives who are raising children are invited to a Fairfax County support group on Tuesday, June 14 from 7

to 8:30 p.m. Free child care is available during the meeting. Participants must live in Fairfax County, or the cities of Fairfax and Falls Church. The meeting will be

Personal chefs If your budget permits, consider hiring a personal chef from time to time. A personal chef can help plan meals according to your taste and needs, do the grocery shopping and prepare several weeks

held at the Pennino Building, Suite 232, 12011 Government Center Parkway, Fairfax, Va. To register, call the Kinship Registration Line at (703) 324-5447.

BEACON BITS

June 30

Specialists of the World of Leisure in Rossmoor FEATURED TOWN HOME - Leisure World Blvd End unit, bright and sunny, 2Br, 2.5Ba, 2 level town, updated kitchen with corian counters, pergo flooring, patio, assigned prkg, util. included in fee and more. $104,500.

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D.C. HOME RULE

Jennifer Matson, manager of DC Vote, will speak on the importance of voting rights and home rule for the District of Columbia at a meeting of Seniors Organized for Change on Thursday, June 30 at 10:30 a.m. The meeting will take place at Ring House, 1801 E. Jefferson St., Rockville, Md. The seminar is free, but the optional lunch costs $5 and must be prepaid by calling (301) 348-3760.

Aug. 4

CAN YOU CANOE?

Take a park naturalist-led canoe tour through Jug Bay Wildlife Sanctuary bordering the Patuxent River in Anne Arundel County with Montgomery County’s SOAR travel program for active older adults. The Thursday, Aug. 4 trip leaves at 8:15 a.m. and returns at 3:30 p.m. The fee is $30. Sign up online at www.montgomerycountymd.gov/rec or call (240) 777-4926 for more information.

Information provided by MRIS and may include sales not made by the agents named or Weichert Realtors

See Forest Sid e ad on page B-4. We offer the full continuum of care, all under one roof, and without an entry fee. Come enjoy luxurious independent living, attentive assisted living, plus rehabilitation and nursing care should you ever need it. Three meals a day, housekeeping, transportation, wellness programs and more are included in your rent. Plus — our onsite physicians’ clinic brings an internist, dentist, podiatrist, and massage therapist to you.

For more information or to schedule a tour, call (202)

966-7623.

4 9 0 1 C o n n e c t i c u t Av e n u e , N W • Wa s h i n g t o n , D C 2 0 0 0 8 - 2 0 9 4

worth of tasty meals in your home, which you can freeze and eat when you please. Or, they can prepare it in their own kitchen and deliver it. Chef’s fees range from $200 to $300 plus the cost of groceries. To find a personal chef, visit the American Personal & Private Chef Association website at personalchef.com or call 1-800-644-8389. A less expensive way to go is to hire a homemaker or home-helper who will shop and cook for you on occasion. This type of service typically costs from $12 to $20 per hour. Phyllis Courlander is the assistant director of Top Banana. Jim Miller of Savvy Senior also contributed to this article.

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B-13

Specialty services make moving easier Dear Savvy Senior: Are there organizations or businesses that specialize in helping seniors sell their house, find a new home and help them relocate to it? My wife and I are interested in downsizing from our home of 35 years, but need some help with the entire process. What can you tell us? — Slow Movers Dear Slow: The process of selling a house and moving to a new home, or downsizing to a condo or an apartment, is a huge job that can be physically and emotionally exhausting, especially for older adults. Fortunately, there are a variety of specialized services available today that can help make it a little easier. Here’s what you should know.

Buying and selling To get help selling your home and find-

Remodel From page B-11 Carter said. But it’s vital to move slowly and carefully when signing contracts. Don’t assume details are implied. Outline everything on paper — from which materials will be used to how clean the worksite will be at the end of each day. Agree in writing on an estimated time frame and overall estimate of costs. But accept that contractors can’t predict the weather, and things like frayed wiring or termites may be discovered when walls are opened.

ing a new one, a good place to start may be with Seniors Real Estate Specialists (SRES). These are realtors that have received special training, making them better equipped to help older clients through major financial and lifestyle transitions involved in relocating, refinancing or selling the family home. SRES designees are educated and knowledgeable in such areas as reverse mortgages, senior housing options, downsizing, universal design, as well as ways to use pensions, 401k accounts and IRAs in real estate transactions. They can also help you steer clear of loan scams that victimize older borrowers. And if you need help from other professionals, a SRES can put you in touch with qualified home inspectors, movers, attorneys, CPAs and other experts. To learn more or to search for a SRES in your area, visit www.sres.org or call tollfree 1-800-500-4564. Also ask for their free “Moving On” guide, which can help you

“Even the best contractor doesn’t have Xray vision,” said Kuperszmid-Lehrman, “and the older your home is, the more likely it is you’re going to find something like that.” Once the project is underway, stay in written communication. Phone messages can cause confusion, said Carter, so he prefers e-mail updates, with everyone copied in. Written communication with a date and time stamp is the best way to prevent “he said, she said” conflicts, and preserve a good relationship until the end. —AP

For free info, return coupon on p. B-9. Are You a Retired Military Officer or a Female Relative of One? If so... Welcome to Knollwood...an elegant retirement community for career military officers and their female relatives overlooking Rock Creek Park in northwest DC. We provide the lifestyle and respect you deserve, while supporting your needs in four distinct levels of care. Schedule a visit today!

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with the decisions and transitions that come with moving.

Making the move To help you get packed-up and move, another specialty service you should know about is “senior move managers.” These are organizers who assist older people with the challenges of relocating, and can minimize the stress of this major transition by doing most of the work for you. They can help you pare down your belongings, decide what to take and what to dispose of, recommend charities for donations and help sell your unwanted items. They also get estimates from moving companies, oversee the movers, arrange the move date, supervise the packing and unpacking, have the house cleaned and do just about anything you need related to your move. Costs vary depending on the services and size of the move, but you can expect to pay between $1,000 and $5,000, not includ-

ing the cost of movers. To locate a senior move manager visit the National Association of Senior Move Managers website at www.nasmm.com or call 1-877-606-2766. One note: before you hire one, be sure you ask for references from previous clients and check them out. Also find out how many moves they have actually managed, and get a written list of services and fees. And make sure they’re insured and bonded. If you can’t find a senior move manager in your area, another option is to hire a certified professional organizer — many of whom offer moving/relocating services for seniors. To find one, check the National Association of Professional Organizers at www.napo.net. Send your questions to: Savvy Senior, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070, or visit www.SavvySenior.org. Jim Miller is a contributor to the NBC Today show and author of The Savvy Senior book.

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

7 reasons to downsize in retirement By Emily Brandon One of the quickest ways to stretch your retirement budget is to shrink your housing costs. Moving into a smaller house, condo, or apartment can also reduce your taxes, utility bills and home maintenance costs. Here are other reasons to consider downsizing in retirement: Boost your nest egg. Cutting your housing costs is a quick way to increase your retirement savings. “Having less money locked up in your housing frees up more money to invest or just for your lifestyle,” said Kathy Hankard, a certified financial planner. “If you’re deciding just by the numbers, it’s pretty much a nobrainer to downsize.” For example, if you moved from a $300,000 home with a paid-off mortgage into a $150,000 condo, you could add $100,000 or more to your nest egg, after transaction costs. Lower your cost of living. For retirees who still have a mortgage or pay rent, mov-

ing into more compact quarters in your current town or relocating to a low-cost locale can lower one of your biggest monthly expenses. Ideally the smaller space would also cost less to heat, furnish and maintain. Slimming housing costs will produce far greater results than skipping coffee and clipping coupons. Aim for a town that balances a low cost of living with amenities such as high-quality healthcare and plenty of fun, affordable activities. Reduce taxes. Inexpensive housing has the added bonus of smaller property tax bills. “I have clients who have saved a couple of thousand dollars per year because they have moved from an urban area with a high property tax to an area with a lower property tax that doesn’t assess seniors for school taxes,” said Micah Porter, a certified financial planner. Taxes can vary considerably by location. Alaska, Florida, Nevada, South Dakota, Texas, Washington and Wyoming have no state income tax. New Hampshire and Ten-

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nessee tax dividend and interest income only. “If you anticipate earning income in retirement, being able to forgo that state income tax could save you thousands of dollars as well,” said Porter. Five states levy no sales tax: Alaska, Delaware, Montana, New Hampshire and Oregon. Also look for state and local tax breaks specifically for seniors who reach certain ages. Less upkeep. Ron and Jean Mirabile, both 67, traded in a three-story townhouse with a basement in Cromwell, Conn., for a three-bedroom apartment with a lake view in Port Charlotte , Fla. The couple was looking for a change of scenery and housing that required less upkeep when they retired in 2008. “If something breaks, I call the office and the maintenance man comes and fixes it,” said Jean, a former proofreader. Ron, a retired dentist who makes wooden fishing lures as a hobby, no longer needs to travel to fish. “I can take one pole and lure and go out in the backyard and fish for bass,” he said. “The best things in Florida are free: The weather, the beach, and the scenery.” Slash utility bills. Cozier quarters may also result in lower heating and cooling expenses and a smaller homeowner’s insurance bill. “A smaller space should save you money on utilities,” said Porter. Ask for copies of the previous owner or tenant’s utility bills to determine approximate monthly expenses. Increase flexibility. Some retirees go back to renting in retirement. “Renting makes a lot of sense because there is more flexibility,” said Hankard. “Most people would rather do other things with their time and money, unless they are really in love with their home.” Renters can try out a few retirement locations. Sometimes priorities also shift throughout retirement. For example, im-

mediately upon retirement, you might want to move to the Sunbelt or travel. But after a few years, you might want to move closer to your children and grandchildren. More amenities. First-time home buyers are often concerned about space for children and living in a good school district. But retirees need to think about whether their home will continue to be convenient as they age. “As you get older, those stairs are not going to be your friend,” cautioned Julie Schatz, a certified financial planner. Seniors may want to consider a single-level home and proximity to family and friends who can help with household tasks. If you have any type of health problem, it is essential to live near a medical facility. Art and Barb Thomas, 80 and 76, of Lawrence, Kansas, have downsized twice. The former college professor and middle school teacher sold their home and moved into a three-bedroom, two-bathroom town house shortly before retiring in 1994. “Things like lawn care and snow removal are taken care of for us,” said Art. “Neither of us like outside work and it just relieves you of a lot of responsibilities that you don’t want to do.” The couple then relocated to a two-bedroom unit in a retirement community in February 2010 that provides assisted living and healthcare services. “We see this as an insurance policy for the future, and it relieves our children from the responsibility of having to figure out what to do with us,” Art said. When children and grandchildren come to visit, the couple pays for a hotel room. Said Art: “We have found that in many ways, it is just as inexpensive to buy a hotel room for a few nights as it is to maintain more space.” — U.S. News & World Report

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B-15

Preparing parents for a caregiver at home By Francine Parnes Wanted: licensed caregiver, to provide full-time, at-home care for elderly parents guaranteed to balk over a complete stranger invading the privacy of their home. Indeed, who ever thought their home would double as a caregiver’s workplace? People 65 or older increasingly are being persuaded, cajoled and otherwise prevailed upon by their children to open their doors to paid caregivers, whose presence redefines their home. In some cases, the health aides are welcomed and become part of the family. In others, seniors may see them as intruders, and lash out or curse while getting bathed or fed. Most older adults say they prefer staying at home to moving into a community or in with relatives or friends, according to a recent AARP survey. Home seems to offer familiarity, privacy, independence. In some cases, people stay put because they can’t sell their house. But spending the golden years at home often means adapting both home and mindset to accommodate live-in caregivers. The initial hurdle is psychological. “Once we got my dear, sweet mother-inlaw in her 80s past the first battle — ‘I don’t need any help, I am doing just fine’ — she still didn’t want caregivers in her house who weren’t part of her family,” said Cheryl Phillips, a San Francisco-based doctor specializing in geriatrics, and past president of the American Geriatrics Society. “How many of us would want someone we don’t know — and may not like — living in our space, creating a very intimate relationship not based on our choices?” she asked. “Do the health aides get to watch your TV? Can they park their car in your

BEACON BITS

June 26

VOLUNTEER YOUR SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING SKILLS

ReSET (www.resetonline.org) is seeking retired and working scientists and engineers to volunteer to lead elementary school students in science experiments. On Sunday, June 26, ReSET invites those interested in learning more about volunteering to a light lunch and discussion starting at 12:30 p.m. in the Commons of St. Columba’s Episcopal Church, 4201 Albemarle St., N.W., Washington, D.C. For more information, contact John Meagher at johnmeagher@cox.net or (703) 250-0236.

garage? Can their kids visit? Each point may get negotiated.” Experts offer these tips for ushering in an aide with minimum stress: • Introduce the health aide into the home gradually, in shorter shifts, advised Dr. Eric Rackow, a professor at New York University School of Medicine and president/CEO of Senior Bridge, an organization that manages at-home care. Be prepared, he said, for the older person to struggle at first with this new reality: “Not only is someone sharing my home, but whether it’s four hours or eight or 24 hours a day, I’m dependent on a ‘stranger.’” • Don’t forget that aides have their own lives, too. “To demonstrate concern for an aide,” said Rackow, “consider showing her where she can comfortably put her personal things, and offer to add some foods that she might enjoy to the shopping list —

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especially if the aide will be working long days or living in.” • Track the older person’s important possessions. “I encourage seniors to think of their aide like anyone else coming to your home to provide a service,” said Shellie Williams, a doctor specializing in geriatrics at the University of Chicago Medical Center. “You should not leave out in open sight cash or sensitive legal, financial or medical information, or credit cards.” Of course, verify identity before admitting a stranger into your home, Williams said. • Establish ground rules. As Williams puts it, “This is your home,” not the caregiver’s. Remember: “Aides are employees; we hire them to provide care,” said Debra Greenberg, a psychiatric senior social

worker in geriatrics at Montefiore Medical Center in New York City. “Becoming a part of the home may set up an unrealistic expectation if we think of aides as surrogate family.” Lines do blur: Some families bond with caregivers, breaking bread over dinner. But don’t lose sight of the work relationship, agreed Marki Flannery, president of Partners in Care, an affiliate of the Visiting Nurse Service of New York. “You don’t just want someone ‘nice.’ You want someone who has been trained in the many safety and care skills needed to provide the client with the best possible care,” she said. “Don’t hire someone you think is going to be a good friend, but rather hire someone who is trained to act like a guest in the client’s home — friendly but professional,” Flannery said. —AP

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:Xcc +('$)+-$.+00 fi <dX`c J\e`fiC`mè^7j_\ck\iîg%Zfd kf èhlì\ XYflk \c`^`Y`c`kp i\hlì\d\ekj Xe[ kf XiiXe^\ X gi`mXk\ kfli% Professionally managed by The Shelter Group. www.thesheltergroup.com The Shelter Group is committed to Equal Housing Opportunities for people of all races, religions, ethnic groups, and disabilities and all other groups protected by federal, state, or local law.

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“A Concert and Dance to End Alzheimer’s” Raises More than $10,000 Playing to a full house, the Olney Big Band, the Eubie Blake Jazz Ensemble and the M Street Brass Quintet dazzled a crowd of more than 200 people gathered in Clarksville's Ten Oaks Ballroom for "A Concert and Dance to End Alzheimer's" on May 1. Produced by James Hubert Blake High School Senior Ashley Larkin in partnership with Brooke Grove Retirement Village (BGRV), the event raised more than $10,000 for the Alzheimer's Association.® "We laughed, we cried, we reveled in the joy of music, and we celebrated the opportunity to support a very worthwhile cause," remarked one guest. “It was a remarkable, hopefilled occasion.” Guests wiped away tears as Ashley shared stories that expressed her love for her grandfather, "Pappy" Paul MacKenzie, who participates in BGRV’s memory support program as a resident of The Meadows assisted living and is the inspiration behind the event. When Pappy himself arrived at the ballroom, smiles returned in abundance at the touching sight of the pair sharing a hug and a dance. In the two weeks prior to "A Concert and Dance to End Alzheimer's," Ashley and Pappy were featured in the "Olney Gazette" as well as on WUSA 9 News. "He really helped raise me. He was really such a big figure in my life," said Ashley when interviewed by Channel 9 reporter Peggy Fox. Now that Pappy has Alzheimer's, he sometimes forgets who his family members are, but when Ashley sings, the deep and loving connection between them

Ashley and Pappy share a tender moment during a pre-concert interview by reporter Peggy Fox of WUSA 9 News.

returns. That led to Ashley’s determination to make a difference in the fight against Alzheimer’s. An aspiring opera singer, she formulated the plan for the day’s event in Pappy’s honor and also sang with each of the bands. “All that matters is that he knows he’s loved … he’s still the same person who came to all my basketball games and everything else I did,” she concluded. The statistics are sobering. There are currently 5.4 million Americans with Alzheimer's disease. It is the sixth-leading cause of death, killing more Americans than diabetes and more than breast cancer and prostate cancer combined. Since 2000, other major disease death rates have declined, but Alzheimer's rates have increased 66%. In fact, it is the only top 10 cause of death without a way to prevent, cure or even slow its progression. Nevertheless,

there is reason for hope. “Ashley represents the future of the fight against Alzheimer’s,” noted Danielle Otsuka, development director, Alzheimer’s Association® National Capital Area Chapter. “Not only did she eloquently state the impact that the disease has on the entire family, but she is doing something about it! We are so thankful and encouraged by the number of younger people that are getting involved. Young people like Ashley are the leaders of the movement tomorrow.”

A long-time supporter of the Alzheimer’s Association®, BGRV was the top local team fundraiser for the Walk to End Alzheimer’s for the past three years. “We are grateful to the many sponsors and donors who contributed to the success of ‘A Concert and Dance to End Alzheimer’s’ and to all of the band members who donated their time and talents,” said Toni Davis, BGRV’s director of marketing. Sponsors included Morgan-Keller Construction (diamond) and The Beacon (gold).

For more information about Brooke Grove, call today! 301-260-2320 or 301-924-2811 www.bgf.org 18100 Slade School Road • Sandy Spring, MD 20860

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Montana’s stunning scenery owes much to the Ice Age. See story on page 27.

Mystical Morocco an exotic tourist mecca

PHOTO BY SUSAN COOK

news sources about conditions in Morocco. Moroccan youth, seeking more democracy, had started a wave of protests on February 20. This resulted in 135 serious injuries, but subsequent protests have seen less violence. The consensus in March was that Morocco, in the northwest corner of Africa, would weather this “Arab Spring” in relative calm — despite the turmoil in other Arab countries. The optimism stemmed, in part, from the popularity of Morocco’s young king, Mohammed VI, and his recent promises of new reforms. Reassured, we flew on Royal Air Moroc from New York to Casablanca, where we were met by our tour director, Abdellatif Benharima. A walking Wikipedia, fluent in six languages, Abdel (as he is best known) informed us daily about Morocco’s mystical past and its current politics as he led us to every interesting site a tour group could pack into 14 ten-hour days. Except for a horse and buggy ride in midtown Marrakech and a camel ride to die for in the Sahara, we traveled daily in A (relatively) safe destination the same comfortable bus driven by the Before starting our journey, we checked same excellent driver. with the State Department and copious From the airport, Adbel steered us directly to nearby Rabat, the capital city, where we saw one of Morocco’s most popular tourist sites: the Hassan Tower and the nearby Mausoleum of Mohammed V. The tower is the unfinished minaret of a mosque meant to be the largest in the Islamic world. Built in the 12th century by Almohad sultan Yacoub al Mansour, it was left unfinished at Mansour’s death. In sharp contrast is the magnificent mausoleum next door, a white silhouette topped by a traditional green tiled roof and fronted by mounted royal guards. The mausoleum was commissioned in 1961 by the late King Hassan II to honor his father, Mohammed V, and comAuthor Gwen Gibson (right) and friend Josephine pleted in 1971.The tombs of Sherfy, both octogenarians, explore Morocco’s western Mohammed V, King Hassan II Sahara desert on camelback. Despite uprisings in the and Prince Abdallah lie here Middle East this spring and some incidents in Morocco, they felt safe during their visit to the country in March. today.

In Rabat, we also toured the grounds of the walled, 17th century Palais Royal and surrounding Andalusia gardens. This is the official royal residence. But the current king, who has distanced himself from his father, Hassan II, resides in his villa, Les Sablons, just across the river. Mohammed VI does, however, utilize the many other royal palaces that Morocco maintains for the king’s pleasure. “M6,” as he is often called, became king in 1999, at age 36, on the death of his father. One of his first reforms was to close the palace harems and free his father’s 40 concubines. He has since granted Moroccan women the right to say “no” to marriage and “yes” to divorce — major feats in this mostly Muslim country. In 2002, Mohammed VI A Muslim woman in a traditional burqa passes a voting married Selma Bennani, a place in Morocco with a sign in Arabic announcing elec“modern” Muslim woman, tions. schooled in the computer Once in the dazzling, snow-covered sciences, who is often compared to Princess Diana because of her charity High Atlas Mountains, as our bus parked near a precipitous cliff, Abdel teased: “I work. Both the king and his wife, now Princess don’t think you expected this in Morocco.” Descending the mountain, we negotiatLalla Salina, are half-Arab and half-Berber, a common heritage in Morocco where ed scores of hairpin turns on the narrow Berbers, the country’s original inhabitants, roads built by the French when they occupied Morocco. form some 40 percent of the population. It takes a book to describe the many mosques, palaces, kasbahs, souks and Desert to snow-capped peaks Our odyssey continued from Rabat to other historical sites in this ancient counMenkes, Fez, Erfoud, Ouarzazate, Mar- try. Here are a few of the many I would put rakech and Casablanca, plus a dozen re- on a “must-see” list: • The Roman ruins of Volubilis, near mote mountain villages along the way. Even in the poorest villages, most homes Menkes. A UNESCO world heritage site, have satellite TV. Asked what these natives this is the largest of the 17 colonies estabwatch, Abdel said with a straight face, lished by the Romans in Morocco more than 2000 years ago. “Desperate Housewives.” • The Hassan II Mosque in Casablanca. Morocco embraces four high mountain ranges, part of the world’s largest desert. Commissioned by Hassan II and completand 2,200 miles of coast line along the At- ed in 1993 at a cost of more than $800 millantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. See MOROCCO, page 26 We got a taste of it all. PHOTO BY SUSAN COOK

By Gwen Gibson From the High Atlas Mountains to the lonesome shifting sands of the Western Sahara, Morocco offers the visitor a labyrinth of stories, dreams, contrasts, mysteries and myths. But when I talk about my recent trip to this exotic country, friends often ask the same three basic questions. One: Why did you go to North Africa when there was so much turmoil there? Two: How was the food? Three: Aren’t you too old to be riding camels? Actually, I love the questions as they allow me to expound on the many faces of Morocco as it moves steadily toward democracy. I travelled throughout Morocco in March with 15 congenial members of the Texas Exes Flying Longhorns, a travel group composed of University of Texas graduates and their spouses or friends. My roommate for this glorious, but arduous, two-week trip was my good friend, Josephine Sherfy of Austin, a UT graduate. If you must know, we are both octogenarians.

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Morocco From page 25 lion, this magnificent structure, designed by French architect Michel Pinseau, dominates the Casablanca skyline. Unusually bright and modern, the Hassan II Mosque will accommodate 26,000 worshippers inside and thousands more outside. Some 360 loudspeakers are used during services. Part of the mosque sits on a platform over the Atlantic. A few blocks away is one of Moroccoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s largest shantytowns â&#x20AC;&#x201D; a glaring reminder of the division here between the rich and poor. â&#x20AC;˘ The huge, bustling medinas of Fez and Marrakech, Moroccoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s largest inner cities, where residents still cling to ancient ways â&#x20AC;&#x201D; and the ville nouvelles in the suburbs where the well-to-do live in modern, upscale style. â&#x20AC;˘ The quiet and beautiful Jardin Majorelle in midtown Marrakech. This exotic botanical garden nurtures over 300 plant species. The cobalt blue walls and vases are the signature of Yves Saint Laurent

who lived and worked here from 1980 until his death in 2008. His ashes are scattered in the garden. â&#x20AC;˘ Ifrane, Moroccoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most atypical town. High in the Middle Atlas Mountains, Ifrane is a quaint ski resort town with Swiss chalet style homes set amid cedar and pine groves. It is also home to the prestigious Al Akhawayn University. Funded by the kings of Morocco and Saudi Arabia, Al Akhawayn is patterned after an American liberal arts university. We were welcomed everywhere, especially by trades people eager to sell us everything from beads, blankets, scarves and djellabahs to cosmetics made from the oils of the argan tree and guaranteed to restore our lost youth. Josephine and I even drew hugs, smiles and V signs on the day we wore our Obama T-shirts.

Where to eat and sleep The food at the many restaurants we patronized â&#x20AC;&#x201D; to answer question two above â&#x20AC;&#x201D; ranged from good to great. As a vege-

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tarian, I was impressed with the variety of vegetables and fruits served with dates, almonds, olives, succulent soups and honey cakes, and the ever present sweet mint tea. Many dishes are prepared in a tajine, a round clay jar, with fish, meat or vegetables roasted over couscous and topped with rich sauces. Two of the restaurants we patronized illustrate why Morocco is called a country of contrasts. One, the Dinarjet, is deep in Rabatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s medieval medina and reached through dark, narrow passageways. But step inside the Dinarjet and you are in another world. Housed in a spacious 17th century house, the restaurant resembles an Andalusia palace with beautiful mosaics and graceful arches. Musicians play soft string instruments while an attentive staff serves you five courses of traditional Moroccan food with appropriate wines. From an entirely different world is Rickâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Place in Casablanca. Established in 2004 by Kathy Kriger, a former counselor with the American embassy, this sevenyear-old restaurant mimics the dĂŠcor and architecture of the seductive piano bar at the heart of the 1942 movie Casablanca. Ironically, the movie was filmed almost exclusively on the Warner Brothers Studios lot in Burbank, Calif., and neither Humphrey Bogart nor Ingrid Bergman nor â&#x20AC;&#x153;Sam,â&#x20AC;? the pianist, ever set foot in Morocco. But here it sits, Casablancaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s first ever Rickâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Place, serving fresh fish from the Atlantic and â&#x20AC;&#x201D; as we can personally attest â&#x20AC;&#x201D; packinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; them in. Accommodations in the six hotels we used were first rate. At the Sofitel Palais Jamai in Fez, where the halls are perfumed daily, we were greeted with roses.

At the Kasbah Hotel Xaluca in Erfoud, we were greeted with belly dancers and a local band playing Morocco jazz. At all six hotels we were greeted with sweet mint tea and warm wash rags. All had swimming pools, television and internet access. To answer question three: No, I am not too old to ride a camel, nor is Josephine. We proved this by joining our group on a Lawrence of Arabia-type safari across the golden sands of the Sahara. This wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t easy. The African camels (dromedaries) we rode didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t come with saddles or stirrups â&#x20AC;&#x201D; only a blanket and a small bar that served as a rein. Clinging to this we rode into the dunes, stopping at a high point to watch the sunset. Coming down, I thought one of us would surely somersault over the camelâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s nose. But we made it, and thanks to Susan Cook of Houston, a fellow traveler and excellent photographer, we have pictures to prove it. A fourth question friends frequently ask is: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Would you go back?â&#x20AC;? My answer is: Yes, in a Morocco minute. I want to visit the places we missed; revisit some of the special sites we did see, and yes â&#x20AC;&#x201D; just maybe â&#x20AC;&#x201D; ride that camel again. [Editorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Note: Scattered incidents of violence have occurred in Morocco since this story was written. Check with the U.S. State Department for any travel advisories before going to Morocco, and consider purchasing trip insurance that allows you to cancel â&#x20AC;&#x153;for any reasonâ&#x20AC;? before paying for airfare or a package tour.] Gwen Gibson, a former Washington journalist whose articles frequently appeared in the early years of the Beacon, is a freelance writer living in Texas.

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Montana — gaining bears, losing glaciers By Glenda C. Booth Montana is big grizzly country. It’s also where you find big sky, big rivers, big mountains, big cows, bison and game, bighorn sheep, big pickup trucks, big boots — and big helpings of food. Though it covers 150,000 square miles, Montana has only around 1 million residents, and they share one member of the U.S. House of Representatives and one area code (406). Montana is also distinguished for having produced the first female member of Congress, Jeannette Rankin, and the reclusive Unabomber. The Big Sky state was the setting for the movie A River Runs Through It. It’s cowboy and cowgirl country. Little boys sport camouflage and cowboy hats and women wear neckerchiefs. Hunting, fishing and ranching are sacred. In fact, Montana is practically one vast nature preserve, and that’s not something to forget. Last October, on a balmy evening under bright moonlight, I walked alone across the Clark Fork River bridge to my riverside hotel in Missoula, Montana. The visibly concerned hotel clerk asked, “You walked?” I answered, “Yes,” thinking, no big deal. Clerk: “Did you have bear pepper spray?” “No,” I muttered, and that’s when I realized I had violated a basic Montana tenet. “Be bear aware” is a fundamental credo in Montana, where people advise you to always carry two cans of bear pepper spray — in case you are charged by more than one black bear or grizzly. And as a National Park Service ranger told us, “Bear spray does no good in your backpack. Keep it accessible.”

Start in Missoula If you’ve always wanted to see big grizzlies in their native habitat, you’re best bet is Montana’s Glacier National Park, called the “crown of the continent” here. There are several ways to get there. Fly to Glacier Park International Airport and rent a car. Take Amtrak to White Fish and rent a car. Fly to Missoula and drive north 129 miles. Starting in Missoula is a good transition into the West. Population 109,000, Missoula is home to the University of Montana, home of the Grizzlies, and some say

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the cultural hub of the state. The rippling Clark Fork River splits the town and features gentle walking trails on both sides where you can spot a bald eagle, pileated woodpecker and bear-proof trashcans. Missoula hosted the 2010 U.S. kayak championship on the Clark, where it flows through the town. Stop by the Convention and Visitors Bureau (www.missoulacvb.org) at 140 N. Higgins Ave. for info, including a self-guided historic buildings and art walk. By staying downtown, you can tour on foot. The mid-town Caras Park has 60 events a year, such as summer music concerts, a beer garden and a carousel where you might see carvers making or repairing merry-go-round figures. A 20-minute climb up Mount Sentinel, right by the university, offers great views of the valley. The Montana Natural History Center features a 13-minute film tutorial on how glaciers affected the northwest U.S., good preparation before visiting Montana’s glaciers. You’ll learn why boulders the size of houses rest in some Montana fields.

Nestled up against Glacier National Park is Whitefish, population 8,200, a railroad town where an Amtrak train stops from east and west once a day. Townsfolk say the highest “structures” are the trees. In Whitefish, you can have a taste of the old West by walking the wooden sidewalks and visiting the Palace saloon, where cowboys imbibe Moose Drool beer and gab about cattle ranching when they are not shooting pool. Contact the Whitefish Chamber of Com-

merce (http://whitefishchamber.org) for lodging and visitor information.

See the glaciers while you can The National Park Service touts Glacier National Park, formed 12,000 years ago when glaciers sculpted its terrain, as having “some of the most spectacular scenery on the planet.” Congress made it a national park in See MONTANA, page 28

It’s Showtime “Music of the Night” atAmerican Music Theatre Saturday, June 11, 2011 Andrew Lloyd Webber has penned some of the most widely recognized and beloved music of all time. Show-stoppers from Phantom of the Opera, Jesus Christ Superstar, Cats, Evita and more will take center stage as The AMT Band, Singers and Dancers pay tribute to the music of this Broadway master. Before the show bring your appetite for lunch at the Shady Maple Smorgasbord. $129 per person

“Hello, Dolly!”

at Allenberry Inn & Playhouse

A glimpse of the old West From Missoula en route to Glacier on highway 93, two stops give glimpses into two starkly different aspects of the state’s history. Fifty miles north is the St. Ignatius Mission, built in 1891 by Jesuits seeking to convert Native Americans, now a national historic site on the Flathead Indian Reservation. Check out the 61 original paintings by Brother Joseph Carignano in the church and the missionaries’ log cabin. Also on the Flathead Indian Reservation, just west of the mission, is the 18,500acre National Bison Range. This wildlife refuge is home to hundreds of bison, the largest land mammal (weighing up to 2,500 pounds), plus elk, white-tail and mule deer, pronghorn antelope, bighorn sheep and black bears. Allow time for a 19-mile drive, a road that climbs to 2,000 feet through four habitats — grasslands, montane forest, riparian areas and wetlands. There’s also a five-mile drive on a gravel road through the flats.

Sunday, July 17, 2011 This multi-Tony-Award-winning musical is filled with fun and music. It's the turn of the 20th century, and all of New York City is excited about matchmaker Dolly Levi. The show is replete with hit songs like Before the Parade Passes By, Put On Your Sunday Clothes, It only Takes a Moment, and, of course, Hello, Dolly! Prior to the show, we’ll partake of a wonderful buffet lunch — includingAllenberry’s famous “sticky buns.” $129 perperson

“I LoveAPiano” (music of Irving Berlin) at DutchApple DinnerTheatre

Sunday, August 28, 2011 A salute to America's greatest tunesmith! The show is a nostalgic musical journey spanning seven decades of American music with more than 60 Irving Berlin songs, including Puttin' on the Ritz, There's No Business Like Show Business, Easter Parade, Blue Skies, Anything You Can Do, Steppin' Out With My Baby, God Bless America, and more. Before the show you’ll enjoy Dutch Apple’s luncheon buffet. $129 per person

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Montana

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Bisected by the Continental Divide, the park requires several days of exploration to soak in its essence. Besides glaciers, other stunning sites in what the Blackfeet Indians called the “backbone of the world” include: 1,600 square miles of sharp granite peaks, over a million acres of verdant forests, alpine meadows, turquoise and emerald lakes, tumbling creeks and glacial-carved valleys. Some of the 620 named lakes have ice chunks even in the summer. Most visitors yearn for close encounters with the park’s wildlife. Sightings of bighorn sheep, mountain goats, bald and golden eagles, wolves, wolverines, elk, moose, coyote, and yes, bears, are sure to thrill. One of the most exhilarating attractions is the 51-mile Going-to-the-Sun Road, an engineering marvel that offers spectacular views of soaring mountains, plummeting

From page 27 1910. It is also a World Heritage site. Go visit the park now, while you can still see some glaciers. The park actually got its name because it was carved by glaciers, not because of the presence of glaciers. But glaciers do remain. There were about 150 in the mid 19th century; just 25 exist today. Whatever the cause — many say global warming — these big sheets of snow and ice are a geological highlight, along with snow fields. You can view the glaciers from a distance, but hiking to them is what will really dazzle you. The hike to Grinnell Glacier, for example, is a six-mile trek from Many Glacier. Check with rangers on what is most accessible and doable in terms of your schedule, stamina and the weather.

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drop offs and expansive vistas. It closes for snow, so check before you go. Plan on taking three hours one way, and steel your nerves for a white-knuckle ride. Glacier is a place to hike, walk and imbibe the wilderness and solitude. There are 700 miles of trails, from easy to straight up to remote backcountry. One easy hike, and a good example of the park’s diverse ecosystems, is the .8mile Trail of the Cedars, a boardwalk through dense old-growth rainforest with springy moss and drippy ferns, the wettest spot in Glacier. This area last burned in 1571. Glacier is a place where you should take your time and let nature overwhelm and penetrate you. Hear the silence. To get around, besides driving, your seven-day entry pass allows you to ride the free shuttle, which stops at 16 locations on the Going-to-the-Sun Road. Leave your car at the Apgar Transit Center or the St. Mary Visitor Center. There are also red “jammer buses” that offer narrated tours for an added charge (www.GlacierParkInc.com). The park’s website (www.nps.gov/glac) describes touring and lodging options. Most of the park’s two million visitors go in the summer, but other seasons are more tranquil. Enthusiasts promote Glacier as a “park for all seasons,” but some facilities are closed for winter and most are not winterized, so check ahead.

Glacier’s bear population is increasing, a good sign for the environment. Be on the lookout for bear hair on trees and power poles from bear rubs. Rangers urge hikers to make noise because bears need their “personal space.” “They amble slowly but can move fast,” bear expert Amy McCloud said. Stay at least 300 feet from bears, experts advise, and don’t forget the “bear essentials” — your pepper spray.

Getting there Delta, United and Alaska Airlines fly to Missoula from the Washington area. The lowest roundtrip fare for late July is currently $546 on Delta from Reagan National Airport. Glacier National Park has three visitor centers, historic lodges, hotels, cabins and campgrounds. In the early 1900s, the Great Northern Railroad built Swiss-style grand hotels for rich travelers. The still-standing Many Glacier Lodge and Lake McDonald Lodge recall days of yore. Summer rates range from about $170 to $300 per night. Check with www.glacierparkinc.com or call (406) 892-2525. For more information on visiting Glacier National Park, see the following websites: www.nps.gov/glac, www.visitmt.com/glac, www.glacier.visitmt.com. Glenda C. Booth is a freelance writer in Alexandria, Va.

BEACON BITS

June 19

Preferred Riderwood Realtor

LEARN ABOUT YEMEN

David Newton, former U.S. ambassador for Yemen and Iraq, will speak on “Yemen: The Middle East’s Latest Hotspot“ at a meeting of the Fairfax Elderhostel Alumni Association on Sunday, June 19 from 2 to 4 p.m. The talk will be held at the George Mason Public Library, 7001 Little River Turnpike, Annandale, Va. Visitors are welcome for this free event, but reservations are required by calling Rebecca Prather at (703) 534-2274.

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CONTACT ME Call or email for your free World of Leisure Booklet. Meet me by appointment at our Leisure World Plaza Office or the office inside the community.

D.C. Residents You may be eligible for discounted phone service Economy II Service is a discounted telephone service available to qualified D.C. residents.

who meet income eligibility guidelines can receive Economy II • Residents Service for $3.00 a month, plus applicable taxes and surcharges, including free unlimited local calling.

qualified Seniors 65 years of age and over pay only $1.00 per • Income month, plus applicable taxes and surcharges. For additional information on how to qualify, please contact The District Department of the Environment/Energy Office on 311. Household Size 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

FY 2010 Income Eligibility Guidelines:

Maximum Annual Income $16,245 $21,855 $27,465 $33,075 $38,685 $44,295 $49,905 $55,515

Link-Up America is for District residents who are eligible for social service assistance. New customers or customers who move to a new address may qualify for a 50 percent reduction in service connection charges

Link-Up America

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

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA OFFICE ON AGING

Spotlight On Aging VOLUME XXVI, ISSUE 6

A newsletter for D.C. Seniors

June 2011

ACTING EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR'S MESSAGE By Dr. John Thompson Reflection on Older Washingtonians Month The Month of May was a great celebration citywide honoring the many contributions of our residents ages 60 and older. Mayor Vincent C. Gray proclaimed the month Older Washingtonians Month to emphasize the importance of the more than 98,500 senior citizens who have contributed to the fabric of the city, with the theme “Connecting the Community.” We thank you again for your hard work and hope that most of you were able to participate in the concerts, health fairs, awards events, proms and other celebrations that were held to honor you. I would like to take the opportunity to use this venue to thank and acknowledge the hard work and dedication of the Office on Aging Senior Service Network, which planned these events to honor all of our residents. I had the opportunity to attend many of the events and, most importantly, to meet many of you. I hope that my tenure here at the Office on Aging will allow me the opportunity to meet more of you, but also that my work and the work of my colleagues here in the office and throughout this government will greatly affect the way that you live out your golden years. In addition, I plan to bring to this position the knowledge that I have gained over the past year and a half working with other aging programs across the nation and use it to implement programs and services. I will use many of the best practices that fit the District’s changing population without leaving out the vulnerable, the semi-independent or the independent residents age 60 and older. The needs of our younger seniors, or the baby boomers, are different from those of seniors who are much older. The Office on Aging has a responsibility to provide services to them as well. Our challenge will be to implement programs for everyone. We welcome the challenge.

Councilmember Yvette Alexander, Ward 7, DC Office on Aging Acting Executive Director John Thompson, and Chairperson of Commission on Aging Jacqueline C. Arguelles outside the Washington Seniors Wellness Center. The Ward 7 wellness center is the first wellness center constructed for seniors.

New Senior Service Provider in Ward 6 The Office on Aging has enlisted the services of Family Matters of Greater Washington, a current DCOA grantee, to provide the senior services in Ward 6 that were previously provided by South Washington West of the River. Family Matters will provide all Lead Agency services to Ward 6 residents for the remainder of this fiscal year. The name change does not affect the staff, senior services, telephone numbers, fax numbers or staff location for the clients currently receiving services in Ward 6.

Taking Care of our District’s Men

Mayor Vincent C. Gray addresses seniors at the East River Family Strengthening Collaborative Health and Safety event, getting a laugh from Dr. John Thompson. The event was held at the Washington Seniors Wellness Center and featured panel discussions, health exhibits and more.

As we gear up for the summer citywide, let us not forget our men who are leaving their families unnecessarily as a result of preventable deaths. Encourage the men in your life to see a doctor on a regular basis. Invite them to become more involved in senior programs. For example, we have several wellness centers across the city that feature a Men’s Parlor; so help them to learn about a wellness center near them. Please call our Information and Assistance Unit at 202-724-5626 for more information.

Estimated Preventable Causes of Death in the District of Columbia, 2007 Tobacco Use Diet/Physical Inactivity Microbial Agents Alcohol Consumption Firearms Medical Errors

860 780 240 150 140 140

Toxic Agents Sexual Behavior Illicit Drug Motor Vehicles Uninsurance

110 40 40 30 30

Ms. Senior DC Sheila Poole and Chairperson Jacqueline C. Arguelles are pictured at the Barney Neighborhood House Commission on Aging Senior Program concert. Each woman attended many of the events that were held across the city to commemorate the contributions of Older Washingtonians.

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

D.C. OFFICE

AGING NEWSLETTER

Community Calendar

Ms. Senior D.C. Pageant to be Held June 12

June 7 • 7 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Take a trip to Atlantic City with members of the Hattie Holmes Senior Wellness Center. The cost is $45, and participants get $30 in free play at the Showboat casino. The trip leaves from the center, 324 Kennedy St., N.W. For more information, call 202-291-6170.

June 9 • 10 a.m. Join Seabury Ward 5 Aging Services for a D.C. Parks & Recreation senior picnic at Kenilworth Park, 1550 Anacostia Ave., N.E. For more information, call Vivian Grayton at 202-529-8701.

June 10 • 5 to 8 p.m. Iona Senior Services will host a meet-the-artists reception with music and refreshments for its artists in residence, Gwen Aqui and Bernard Brooks. Aqui is a painter, contemporary quilt maker and doll designer, and Brooks conveys his craft through watercolors, mixed media, and ink sketching. He was the chief medical illustrator at Howard University for 26 years. Iona is located at 4125 Albemarle St., N.W. For more information, call 202-895-9448.

June 24 • 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The Hattie Holmes Senior Wellness Center will host its third annual Family Day/Open House. There will be free health screenings, vendors, entertainment, food, door prizes, activities for children and more. The center is located at 324 Kennedy St., N.W. For more information, call 202-291-6170.

July 1 • 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Celebrate with Barney Neighborhood House & Metlife’s Independence Day Fish Fry for Ward 1 and 4 seniors. It will take place at 930 Farragut St., N.W. Call James Thompson at 202-939-9031 for more information

Cataract Awareness Month “You can still enjoy the sunshine and the outdoors,” assures Hugh R. Parry, president and CEO of Prevent Blindness America. “Putting on sunglasses and applying sunscreen takes only a few minutes and helps avoid dangerous sunburns and future vision issues, such as cataracts or macular degeneration.” Wearing sunglasses or other eyewear that offers UV protection is the best way to shield the eyes from the sun. Consumers should consider the following tips when choosing a pair of shades: • Buy from a reputable retailer: Their products will meet frame and lens quality criteria set by the American National Standards Institute. • Look for UV protection: Sunglasses

should filter UVA and UVB light. • Try the sunglasses on: Fit and feel make a difference because sunglasses that are uncomfortable are less likely to be worn. • Use multiple pairs: Different lenses and frames may be suited to various types of activities. • Understand lens color: The darkness of a lens has nothing to do with UV protection, although various lens colors can offer other benefits. For instance, yellow- and browntinted lenses are best when used for water sports; gray, brown and amber are great for field sports; and mirror coatings work well for downhill skiing and snowboarding. • Focus on design: For extra protection, wraparound glasses or glasses with larger temple pieces help block the sun from side angles.

SPOTLIGHT ON AGING Spotlight On Aging is published by the Information Office of the D.C. Office on Aging for D.C. senior residents. Advertising contained in the Beacon is not endorsed by the D.C. Office on Aging or by the publisher. 441 4th St., N.W., 9th Floor, Washington, D.C. 20001 202-724-5622 • www.dcoa.dc.gov Dr. John Thompson, Acting Executive Director Darlene Nowlin, Editor Adrian R. Reed, Photographer The D.C. Office on Aging does not discriminate against anyone based on actual or perceived: race, color, religion, national origin,

sex, age, marital status, 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.

The District has announced the contestants in the upcoming Ms. Senior D.C. Pageant 2011. The Ms. Senior D.C. Pageant will be held on Sunday, June 12 at 2:30 p.m. at the University of the District of Columbia, 4200 Connecticut Avenue, N.W., Main Auditorium, Building 46. This year, 11 District residents age 60 and older will compete for the title of Ms. Senior D.C. and the opportunity to represent the District in the Ms. Senior America Pageant. Contestants will be rated on their personal interview with a panel of judges, their philosophy of life, and their talent and evening gown presentations. The judges are members of the community who have been chosen to act as an impartial body, responsible for selecting the most elegant, talented and community service-oriented woman, who will represent her peers throughout the year. Ms. Senior America Kim Moore, who represented the U.S. Virgin Islands in the national pageant, will perform at this year’s local pageant. A practicing dentist, Dr. Moore wowed the audience with her rendition of Tina Turner’s “Proud Mary.” Ms. Senior D.C. Sheila Poole will crown this year’s winner and will also per-

form at the event. Since she was crowned last year, Ms. Poole has been busy throughout the city reaching out to seniors, serving as a mistress of ceremonies, cooking for events, and sharing her many talents, including singing. In addition, the retired D.C. Public Schools employee has continued to work with the children in her neighborhood, sharing her time and wisdom. The Ms. Senior D.C. Pageant is presented by the D.C. Senior America Cameo Club, Family Matters of Greater Washington and the D.C. Office on Aging. For tickets and more information, please call 202-724-5626 or 202-289-1510, x1171.

Contestants Mary Franklin-Knight Diann Ellerbe Barbara Brown Thomasena C. Allen Alease Smith Earnestine Wiggins Julie D. Anderson Emma Ward Patricia Ferguson Faith Janie Connor

New Wheelchair-Accessible Cab Option Persons using wheelchairs now have access to rollDC’s full service fleet of 20 accessible taxicabs, provided by Royal Cab and the Yellow Cab Company of D.C. The service is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. rollDC is a curb-to-curb service for people who use standard-size wheelchairs or scooters and cannot use traditional taxi sedans. The accessible

taxis can accommodate up to four passengers in addition to the person using the wheelchair, and rates for the accessible taxi service are the same as those for traditional taxi services in D.C. Trips may be reserved up to a week in advance. Scheduling trips can be done online or by phone. Contact Yellow Cab Company of D.C. at 202-544-1213, www.dcyellowcab.com, or Royal Cab at 202-398-0500, www.dctaxionline.com.

National Men’s Health Week National Men’s Health Week is celebrated each year during the week leading up to and including Father’s Day. This year, it is the week of June 13 to 19. The purpose of Men’s Health Week is to heighten the awareness of preventable health problems and encour-

age early detection and treatment of disease among men and boys. Recognizing and preventing men’s health problems is not just a man’s issue. Encourage a senior male friend or relative to visit one or more of our senior wellness centers:

Model Cities Senior Wellness Center 1901 Evarts St., N.E. 202- 635-1900 Washington Seniors Wellness Center 3001 Alabama Ave., S.E. 202- 581-9355

Congress Heights Senior Wellness Center 3500 Martin Luther King Jr., Ave., S.E. 202-563-7225 Hattie Holmes Senior Wellness Center 324 Kennedy St., N.W. 202- 291-6170

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

A Special Supplement to The Beacon newspaper

101st Annual Meeting The meeting coincided with outgoing Chair David Samuels’ birthday. A surprise cake and rendition of “Happy Birthday” enlivened the meeting. David and Tenley Carp, with the cake.

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June 2011/No.21

Homer LaBorwit just reached his 100th birthday, his wife Bess her 97th, and their marriage has lasted for 77 glorious years. Two children set the stage for five grandkids and nine great-grandkids. Impressive statistics by any measure, and to be sure, they’ve experienced their share of ups and downs. But what’s most enviable is Homer and Bess still enjoy comparatively good health; they live independently at Revitz House; their humor is clearly intact as they banter teasingly, and their life brims with warm memories and plenty of love. “None of us knows how we’ll age,” says Homer, but he and his wife readily admit that luck enables them to lead such sweet lives. Both natives of Baltimore, Homer first met Bess as a guest at her “Sweet 16” party. Four years later, in 1934, they walked down the aisle. After quitting high school to help his parents, Homer worked in an optical shop grinding lenses and filling eyeglass prescriptions. With his savings and expertise, he opened a wholesale optical company in partnership with another Baltimore resident, Joe Schwartz. Twenty-five years later, Homer sold his share of the business

by Emily Tipermas

to Joe and went on to establish State Optical Company in Pikesville. Today he keeps a hand in his old profession by helping fellow Revitz residents with eyeglass repairs. Back in their Pikesville days, Homer and Bess led an active social life centered around their country club, Baltimore Hebrew Congregation, and a raft of friends. With a shared zeal for dancing, the LaBorwits would gather five couples and a dance teacher and quite literally have a ball. “He’s a great dancer – he’s a natural,” comments Bess in describing Homer’s agility on the dance floor. “I won a ChaCha contest on a cruise ship,” adds Homer. Adorning the couple’s apartment are striking figurines and paintings of clowns. Homer is a long-time collector of clown artwork and owns works by Red Skelton and Xavier Cugat. An artist in his own right, Homer holds up a portrait he created using a palette knife and oils of a clown perched on a unicycle with a dog playfully balanced atop his head. Life remains full for the Revitz couple. Homer served as president of the Revitz House Association for five years and today sits on its Board. While Bess is off playing

Homer was one of the models for the current annual report, “Blueprint for our Second Century.”

Photo by Randy Sager

Celebration in Numbers

Homer LeBorwit, 100, and Bess, his wife of 77 years, live independently at Revitz House.

mah jongg or canasta, Homer frequently attends the Men’s Schmoozers’ Group. They travel to local supermarkets, malls, banks, cultural events and Hirsh Health Center on Revitz’s free bus service. Homer and Bess exude captivating warmth. When asked the secret of their long and happy years together, Homer says: “Just remember to say, Yes, dear!” ■

HEBREW HOME OF GREATER WASHINGTON • SMITH-KOGOD & WASSERMAN RESIDENCES LANDOW HOUSE • RING HOUSE • REVITZ HOUSE • HIRSH HEALTH CENTER

101st Annual Meeting

Hoarding: it’s big

Publication wins gold award

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

When Gathering Estate Planning Information… Our FREE booklet helps you record important details regarding your assets and the location of your will. We offer more assistance, too, including an opportunity to discuss, without obligation, ways to include the Hebrew Home in your estate plans. Please call 301.770.8342 or mail this form to: Julia Pitkin-Shantz, CFP®, Director of Gift Planning Charles E. Smith Life Communities 6121 Montrose Road, Rockville MD 20852-4856

Name Address City/State/Zip Phone/E-mail For a personalized illustration showing how you can receive income for life, please list your birth date: LT 6/11

LifeLines Dear Mr. Slavin: I spent many weeks in the rehab unit from December 13, 2010 to March 18, 2011. The head of nursing Abibou was a pleasure to deal with, as was Patrick in 2nd floor North, Paul, who sat at the desk, Elisa, head of social work, and Minnie in the dining room. Most of the nurses and aides were very professional, as was the admissions office. I am sorry not to have every individual’s name who smiled and took such good care of me. One I will never forget is Dr. Linda Benson. During my stay there I had a medical emergency which had nothing to do with my rehab situation and which required me to leave the Hebrew Home for almost a week at Sibley Hospital. The symptoms were painful and frightening and were it not for Dr. Benson’s skill and calm presence, my wife and I would have been terrified. Dr. Benson followed up on every detail, administered the necessary medications and did all tests regularly to monitor my progress. Whenever one of my personal physicians prescribed medication, I was already taking it due to her knowledge and caring. She was available to my wife and me to keep us calm in face of these emergencies, and we knew that I would be safe and well taken care of because she was there. She listened to all our concerns and was reassuring in her responses. It was important to us to know that someone was there who listened and acted on our behalf and answered all our phone calls. I cannot praise her help and care for me enough. You are indeed fortunate to have someone of her caliber to take care of the patients in your facility. She is an asset to your Community. Sincerely,

Leo Kramer

LifeTimes is published quarterly by the Hebrew Home of Greater Washington, Inc. The Hebrew Home is registered in Maryland as a charitable organization. Documents and information filed under the Maryland Charitable Solicitation Act may be obtained from the Maryland Secretary of State, 410.974.5534. We are an equal opportunity employer and we provide access to community programs without regard to race, age, national origin, familial status, religion, sex or disability. Our services and programs are open to all in the community. Andrew S. Friedlander, Chair Warren R. Slavin, President/CEO Marilyn Feldman, Editor Nicholas Simmonds, Vice President, Development and Public Affairs

Since her childhood, Evelyn Norwitz has had a “soft spot in her heart” for elderly people and animals, and she finds herself unable to sit idly by. Evelyn retired from a government career as a “mere secretary” for the National Weather Service, National Institutes of Health, Coast Guard, and more, discovering her most fulfilling position at the Child Welfare Agency where she was able to directly help people get aid. That experience of being able to impact someone’s life has affected her own philanthropy. Evelyn has known about the good work the Hebrew Home does for as long as she can recall. A good friend lived here for 15 years, always wellcared for, and Evelyn has recently entrusted her 102-year-old mother’s care to the Home. She knows we serve the elderly with respect, whether or not they have financial resources to pay for their care. Some years ago, Evelyn established a gift annuity with the Hebrew Home with profits from a “lucky” investment. She received payments every quarter and an income tax deduction in the year she created the annuity. After a few years, she decided the “Home needed the money more than I did,” so she gave the Hebrew Home the right to receive all the income she would have received from her annuity. Evelyn also

thought about how her assets should be used after her death, and translated that into a generous bequest to the Home. Charitable gift annuities and bequests are planned gifts that provide different benefits. Gift annuities can improve your cash flow with payments for the rest of your lifetime, based on your age. The rate for a 79-year-old as of July 1 will be 7.3%. Bequests can be done in many ways, from a statement in your will, to making the Home a beneficiary of your IRA or retirement plan. All allow you to make a larger gift than you could have considered during your lifetime. By using both of these approaches, Evelyn is truly helping the Hebrew Home start its second century stronger and better able to provide care for those we serve. To learn more about creating your own legacy to the Hebrew Home, contact your professional advisor or our director of gift planning, Julia Pitkin-Shantz, CFP® at GiftPlanner@hebrew-home.org or at 301.770.8342. To help you think through your own estate plans, please click on “Plan Your Will” on www.hhgwgift.org. ■

Neal White brings 38 years of health care experience and a great deal of enthusiasm to his new role as Administrator for the Hebrew Home’s services. He was most recently at Atlantic Shores Rehabilitation and Health Center in Delaware, and previously, Genesis Health Care Corporation in Salisbury, MD.

Page 2 | June 2011

Evelyn Norwitz takes positive steps to help today’s residents, and tomorrow’s.

Listening to her heart

www.smithlifecommunities.org

Photo by Randy Sager

In Our Mailbox

LifeTimes

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

Living at Charles E. Smith Life Communities • Ring House: apartments with a fresh, new face • Revitz House: a unique array of services at an affordable price • Landow House: assisted living tailored to your personal needs

We invite you to learn more about us at www.smithlifecommunities.org

The 101st annual meeting chaired by Dr. Mark Klaiman was an engaging tribute to the power of personal contact – from an invitation to lunch, to the example of family, to a colleague’s plea to attend just one planning meeting. Incoming and outgoing officers, award presenters and award recipients alike each related how a personal connection defined the moment they got hooked on the Home. “David Ruben asked me to help with some accounting for the Men’s Club, just a couple of hours, and maybe a small donation,” recalled Arthur Dykes, recipient of the 2011 Hymen Goldman Award. Since that first connection, Arthur has actively participated on Board committees and the Guardian Campaign and served as chair of the Board of Governors. During his tenure from 2005-2007, the Home secured a $12 million gift from the Charles E. Smith Family Foundation and rolled out its new identity as Charles E. Smith Life Communities. “I’ve had a great return on my investment,” Arthur said. Newly installed Chair Andy Friedlander described how food and family hooked him. When Moe Dweck asked him to lunch 17 years ago, “I thought he needed insurance,” Andy said. “Even before the pickles hit the table, Moe jumped right in, ‘I think you should get involved with the Hebrew Home.’” Andy left Celebrity Deli without a commission, but with a newly ignited passion and compassion for the Hebrew Home, reinforced by the example set by his grandparents and by his parents, Arlene and Steve Friedlander. His commitment was further sealed over another lunch, this time with Hebrew Home resident Lillian Kline. “A dynamic, witty, lucid and lovely lady -- she had me at ‘hello,’” Andy said, as she told him why a more home-like way of serving resident meals was so vitally important. LifeTimes

Photos by Randy Sager

The first annual meeting of our second century

David Ruben, left, presented the Home’s top honor, the Hymen Goldman Humanitarian Award, to Arthur J. Dykes.

Members of the Centennial Task Force, recipients of the Chair’s Award, at the reception. From left, Beth Sloan, William I. Lang, Arlene Friedlander, Hanita Schreiber, Andrew S. Friedlander, Vivian Pollock, Chair Ted Gumer, Marc F. Solomon, David A. Samuels, and Barbara Hurwitz. Not pictured: Cliff Mendelson, Gary Saffitz.

With the Home’s Centennial year behind us, Warren Slavin, President/CEO addressed the organization’s plans for the future. “The blueprint for our second century of caring needs to envision a spectrum of services perhaps as different from what we offer today as Charles E. Smith Life Communities is from our historic M Street www.smithlifecommunities.org

President/CEO Warren Slavin and incoming Chair Andy Friedlander, at the 101st Annual Meeting.

Maryland Attorney General Doug Gansler was among the elected officials who attended May 11.

beginnings.” Warren stressed the personal aspects of the care the Home provides, and shared a letter from a family praising the care, respect and kindness of staff and noting, “We became part of a community [at the Home] ...we shall miss their company.” The 2011 Chair’s Award this year was presented to the Centennial Task Force. This group, which began with “just one planning meeting,” went on to design the centennial logo, video, a full year of events and messaging. ■ June 2011 | Page 3

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

U.S. Centenarian Population Grows Leading Age, which represents notfor-profit eldercare organizations, reports that new Census Bureau data show a remarkable growth in the number of citizens who have reached the century mark. Since 1991, America’s population of

centenarians has roughly doubled to 72,000. That number is projected to double again by 2020. By 2050, the bureau predicts anywhere from 250,000 to 4.2 million Americans will be over 100. Better medical care and an individual’s genetics and behaviors all are factors in this boom. Lynn Peters Adler, founder of the National Centenarian Awareness Project, notes “Centenarians are not

quitters,” and cites these emotional and mental similarities: • a positive, but realistic attitude • a love of life • a sense of humor • spirituality • courage • a remarkable ability to accept the losses that come with age but not be stopped by them ■

Generation to Generation But I Might Need It Someday If you walk into a home that appears to be sinking under the weight of disorganized, overflowing clutter and debris, you’ve entered a different kind of universe, a world ruled by someone likely suffering from a psychological problem known as “compulsive hoarding.” To comprehend its scope, you could watch episodes of “Hoarders” on cable TV or read Stuff: Compulsive Hoarding and the Meaning of Things, by Professors Gail Steketee, Ph.D. and Randy O. Frost, Ph.D. What is compulsive hoarding? Compulsive hoarding is at base a “complex disorder,” writes Dr. Frost, a psychology professor at Smith College. He lists its chief characteristics: • The acquisition of, and failure to discard, a large number of possessions that appear to be of useless or of limited value. • Living spaces sufficiently cluttered so as to preclude activities for which those rooms were designed. • Significant distress or impairment in functioning caused by the hoarding. What’s in the clutter? According to Dr. Frost, the clutter can include “anything.” It can be beautiful heirlooms and it can be trash. It can be new, never-worn clothing and it can be stack upon stack of books, newspapers, magazines and old mail; it can even be pets. Broken appliances, empty boxes or plastic bags, and refrigerators filled with rotting food are other frequent components of the mess. The point is that it’s all “stuff” mixed together into mountainous piles dispersed on all available tabletops, counters and chairs, and strewn across floors and even hallways.

Initiatives

In her decade-long experience at Charles E. Smith Life Communities, Laurie Rudorfer, LCSW-C observes that success in treating compulsive hoarding is possible when the person with the disorder willingly not taken care of well,” writes Dr. accepts ongoing help from a Social Worker Laurie Frost, “and if it’s left to sit around Rudorfer works with team of specially-trained prolong enough, will sustain damage hoarders. fessionals who can sort and be rendered useless.” through possessions, clean and reorganize their The question is why living space. That willingness is absent more Dr. Steketee, a dean and professor at often than not, but if it can be established, Boston University School of Social Work, rewarding results may be realized. says “the hallmark of hoarding behavior is Mrs. Rudorfer shares an example of not being able to let go of things.” One success in overcoming clutter: one resident commonly stated reason is to avoid waste; who agreed to outside assistance is now happy someone someday might be able to use it. to see her possessions neatly displayed and Other rationales include the need to retain accessible on new shelving units; likewise, information or to keep something because the family is relieved to see their relative able of emotional sentiment. Sometimes, just to navigate her apartment safely with no “liking the way something looks or feels” danger of tripping. is the only explanation. Mrs. Rudorfer earned her social work Is there a treatment? degree from Washington University.

“If you are a caregiver of someone with a hoarding problem, please remember that hoarding is big. It is bigger than you, it is bigger than your loved one,” advises Dr. Frost.

Psychotherapy (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy) and/or medication may help some people if they can be convinced of the need for treatment. Unfortunately, objection and denial are the usual antagonistic response to any suggestion that a problem even exists. ■

Perspectives “When people collect things, they typically organize them in a pretty systematic fashion — and that doesn't happen in hoarding. The other thing is, when people collect things, they typically want to display them to other people. Hoarders want to keep things hidden because of the shame they have.” — Dr. Randy O. Frost

“Whatever is hoarded, however, is usually

Page 4 | June 2011

www.smithlifecommunities.org

LifeTimes

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

Builders of the Future Society Luncheon Nationally-known guest speaker Jonathan Ackerman, JD, LLM, will speak about “TOP ESTATE AND GIFT PLANNING TIPS FOR 2011 – 2012” June 7, 11:30 a.m., at Ring House, 1801 East Jefferson Street, Rockville There is no charge for this event. RSVP at 301.770.8342 or GiftPlanner@hebrew-home.org. Builders are individuals who are leaving a legacy gift to the Hebrew Home.

Robinson H2YP Youth Philanthropy Program awards four grants

EventMakers Audrey and Marc Solomon, shown here with their daughter Morgan at the recent annual meeting, are chairing the $30 million Centennial Campaign. We congratulate and thank all of the donors who have made generous contributions to date.

Centennial campaign passes $24 million In December, 2010, we publically announced our $30 million Centennial Campaign. This support is needed and appreciated more than ever, as we face the challenges of a difficult economy, government reimbursement shortfalls, rising costs, facilities renovations and an increased need for charity care. We are pleased to announce that through the leadership of Audrey and Marc Solomon, campaign co-chairs, $24.4 million has been raised to date. Our Centennial Campaign lays the foundation for our second century with this ambitious goal to: • Fund capital and programmatic initiatives and provide for new construction and improved facilities • Strengthen our endowment for the future • Provide unrestricted funds to meet the growing need for charity care Dedication opportunities are available for all gifts of $10,000+. Please help us bring our plans to life by contacting Susan Moatz, Centennial Campaign director at 301.816.7746. ■

Aunt Minnie Luncheon Honoree Judy Garner, with her daughter Stacey and granddaughter Sarah, the youngest luncheon attendee. Fitness guru Dr. Pamela Peeke spoke at the May 23 event, and Judy and Don Garner, 2011 recipients of the Aunt Minnie Goldsmith Award, were honored for their outstanding service to the community through the Hebrew Home, American Kidney Fund and Hadassah. Luncheon Chair was Paula Robinson.

LifeTimes

“H2YP meetings have allowed us to step back from our daily, somewhat self-centered lives… and focus on the needs of others,” said student Deborah Gross at closing ceremonies for this year’s Harold and Shirley Robinson H2YP Youth Philanthropy Program in May. This innovative program, led by Rabbi Sarah Meytin, gives students the opportunity to act as a foundation board, listening to proposed programs and coming to a consensus on how charitable dollars should be allocated. This year, the 14 participants funded four grants that will benefit the residents living on our campus. They selected a Recreation Therapy Park Naturalist program, a program to provide reading materials in foreign languages for non-English speaking residents, a blood pressure arm and amplifier for staff training and new computers and adjustable tables for residents. Students donated a total of $3,750, and these funds were enhanced by a generous donation from Bruce and Paula Robinson who established an endowment in memory of Bruce’s parents to provide annual support to this program. The next session of H2YP begins January 2012. For more information or to recommend a local student, contact Lisa Friedman at 301.770.8328 or friedman@hebrew-home.org. ■

Joey Springer, a Russianspeaking volunteer, presents Patty Hagen, director of recreation therapy, a grant to purchase foreign-language publications. Residents of the Home speak 19 languages.

Danielle Fisher, Stephanie Gans and Allyson Meltzer present a grant to purchase a blood pressure simulator and amplifier for staff training. They are pictured with the geri-mannikin funded by the 2010 Youth Philanthropy group. 2011 H2YP participants: Jack Copeland – Bullis School Matt Feldman – Winston Churchill Rebecca Feldman – Winston Churchill Danielle Fisher – Winston Churchill Stephanie Gans – Thomas S. Wootton Deborah Gross- Richard Montgomery Andrew Held – Winston Churchill

www.smithlifecommunities.org

Allyson Meltzer – Thomas S. Wootton Michelle Pargament – Winston Churchill Brandon Robinson- McLean School Andrew Ross – Walt Whitman Michelle Sandler – McLean School Matthew Smagin – George C. Marshall Joseph Springer- Sherwood

June 2011 | Page 5

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Bring the summer season into the room of a Hebrew Home resident with a colorful

IT MAY BE USED… BUT IT’S NOT USELESS! Consider donating your car to the Hebrew Home. Proceeds benefit our elderly residents. It’s an easy, tax-deductible gift… and we offer FREE towing. For more information,

arrangement of flowers. Flowers brighten Shabbat and other special occasions. For information or to place an order, contact the Hebrew Home’s Volunteer Department at 301.770.8333 or online at www.hebrew-home.org/family.

please contact us at

301.770.8329.

News from Persistence = Rehab Success

What you don’t know about the Hebrew Home and Charles E. Smith Life Communities might surprise you. 1037 people

When Lewis Francis, 82, arrived at our Rakusin Rehabilitation Center from the hospital after suffering a stroke, he couldn’t walk, raise his arms came to our or speak. Just one month later, his recovery is rehab center We help train the next nothing short of phenomenal. last year. generation of eldercare Sherri Jarrell, a speech and language patholoprofessionals in nursing, gist who works with Mr. Francis five days a week, pharmacy, social work, health explains that initially her patient’s memory, problem-solving information, infection control and word retrieval skills were impaired, one side of his face and more through affiliations drooped, and a swallowing disability limited him to pureed food with the University of and thickened liquids. Today, he can converse and articulate Maryland, Johns Hopkins his thoughts clearly, he is back to a regular diet, and his facial University, Montgomery muscles are nearly restored to normal. College and Howard The physical recovery has been equally impressive. According Community College. to physical therapist Amy Bohnsack, Mr. Francis has gone from almost total incapacitation to being able to walk 150 feet with We employ moderate assistance as his strength, trunk control and cardiovascular more than endurance have progressed dramatically. Moreover, he happily 1,000 people demonstrates how he can lift his arms victoriously above his head. on our campus, Commenting on the warm and attentive care he has received who spend a from his therapists, Mr. Francis says, “They put their utmost into $38 million payroll their work; they really extended themselves every single day. patronizing businesses in our own When I would get down, they’d pick me up and encourage me to communities. do even better. I’m so thankful for them.” ■

Lewis Francis, center, exceeded major recovery goals at Rakusin Rehabilitation thanks to his therapists Sherri Jarrell and Amy Bohnsack.

We have the capability to become a community shelter in case of natural disaster.

Senior programs from Potomac, the Jewish Community Center and Leisure World meet and eat here. This is especially important in light of budget cuts to senior programs.

We provide approximately $75,000 in tuition reimbursement to staff and scholarship awards to their children to promote learning and career advancement.

We care: $ 2.7 million in charity care provided on our campus; 349 apartments available with subsidies.

We recycle, and we take a “green” approach to laundry, washing close to 2 million pounds each year.

See What’s Springing up at Revitz Affordable senior independent living is now available at Revitz House with monthly costs starting at just $1,054, based on income level. Revitz House is unique in its price range for the wide array of services it provides — evening meals, utilities, scheduled bus transportation to shopping and outings, social work services, a personal emergency response system, and a full schedule of programs. Don’t miss out; call 301.770.8450 for more information. ■ Page 6 | June 2011

We prepare 30,253 meals-on-wheels for delivery to home-bound seniors.

www.smithlifecommunities.org

We find meaningful roles for 50 special-needs volunteers.

You can find us on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn!

LifeTimes

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

Kudos

Scott Globerman, bus transportation coordinator on our campus for 26 years, received the Laurel Lions Club Volunteer Award for outstanding emergency medical services work. “In Scott’s almost 30 years with the Prince George’s County Volunteer System, he exemplifies excellent volunteer EMS care,” said Mark Arsenault, president and chief of the Rescue Squad. We are proud to have someone of Scott’s caliber behind the wheel of our Ring House bus.

Daniel Bakhadj, a Richard Montgomery High School student, drops by whenever possible to assist our residents. It’s rewarding for him and deeply appreciated by the folks he helps.

Explore volunteer options on our campus at 301.770.8332. David Braun, of the SmithKogod Residence, has the important job of “sandek” at his grandson Zachary’s bris. Valerie Kugler, mother of the adorable newborn, expressed gratitude to the Hebrew Home for accommodating their family and friends for this beautiful and meaningful religious event.

Beatrice Miller, a Landow House resident, reads to nursery school students in an intergenerational program.

Is “happy hour” just for the TGIF set? No way! At tables colorfully decked out with checked linens, glittering votives and wineglasses, with music setting such a festive tone that some folks began to dance, long-term residents helped themselves to hors d’ouvres — savory spanakopita, mini-quiches, Nova and cream cheese on cucumbers, sliced pizza — while sipping on cold beer, wine and sangria. Food Service Directors Dave Parker and Lynford Wilson, with the support of the Dietary, Medical, Activities and Social Work Departments, orchestrated two robust Happy Hours for our seniors. One thing they did not need to worry about: no one needed to be carded. ■ Flamenco dancers put on a lively Cinco de Mayo performance for residents.

Write. Paint. Shoot. Create. Dream. Cheer! From Nancy Goldberg’s intergenerational art class at Landow House, which included creating an original story based on butterflies the kids designed, to digital photography classes at Ring House, to a memoir writers’ group, opportunities abound for creative expression. Two Ring House residents in Deborah Rittenhouse’s writers’ group, Gert Wanerman and Sylvia Cherrick, submitted short essays to the Bethesda Literary Festival Essay and Short Story Contest and were pleased to have received hand-lettered certificates. “Our two residents hadn’t really written much in their 90-year lives, and I was so proud that they had the courage to submit their work to a competition,” said Deborah. LifeTimes

In another collaborative effort, Ring House has aligned with the Montgomery County Infants and Toddlers Program and Special Olympics of Montgomery County. Rose Grossman is one of five Ring volunteers who help with a Young Athletes program for children ages 2-5. The activities involve simple play such as ball tosses, an obstacle course, throwing a ball through a hoop, but the energy required to help the families involved provides good fitness work-outs for everybody. For two hours every Tuesday, Ring volunteers

Ring House writers: (seated) Sylvia Cherrick, Gert Wanerman, (standing) Esther Feldblum, Jerry Norris and Shirley Rosenberg. Volunteer Rose Grossman (left).

take on the role of cheerleaders, sharing encouraging words, clapping, and singing songs with the athletes and families. ■

www.smithlifecommunities.org

June 2011 | Page 7

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Lessons of 100 Lifetimes

Save the dates

Lessons of 100 Lifetimes, Wisdom to Guide the Next Generation, published as part of the Hebrew Home’s centennial celebration, has received a gold award from The Aster Awards. The competition recognizes outstanding healthcare communication and drew 3,000 entries from the U.S., Canada and South America. The colorful book shares residents’ advice culled from an intergenerational volunteer project, “Lessons of a Lifetime: The Ethical Wills Project” and is illustrated with engaging drawings by children. Read it on One centennial celebration publication, www.hebrew-home.org. Lessons of 100 Lifetimes, has won a gold The ethical wills project which provided the award in health care communication. text for the award-winning book has deeply affected the lives of its student volunteers. Joshua Stanton credits this volunteer experience with guiding his career choice as a reform rabbi. Clips about Josh can be found at www.whatsyourcalling.org and on the Huffington Post at www.huffington post.com/joshua-stanton. Volunteer Andy Siegel recently attended a resident’s funeral and shared the resident’s ethical will with the family. “It was so extraordinary being part of something that gave the family so much comfort in one of the worst times in their lives. If only everyone could feel the way I felt, and see what I saw, everyone would want to be a part of this project,” Andy said. ■ Andy Siegel and Joshua Stanton

June 7

Future e h t f o s r e Build cheon Society Lun e

ing Hous 11:30 am, R , an, JD, LLM rm e k c A n a Jonath er guest speak lanning tips p t if g d n a “Top estate 11-2012” for 20 2 1.770.834 0 3 P V S R

16 r e b o Oct un Race

R Home , Federal Plaza

rs m t, Chai 8:30 a s e W lie rg d Nata ome.o Eric an h w e r eb www.h

✓ check 8111 or for CFC ■ ✓ check 49705. Support the Hebrew Home through your gift to United Way ■

December 7 Starlight 2011 Save the date

An interactive online version of the newly published annual report, A Blueprint for Our Second Century of Caring is on our website at www.hebrew-home.org. Four residents of Revitz House modeled for the publication, Miriam Rosen, Sid Levy, Homer LeBorwit (who is featured on page 1), and Shirley Klavan. Photo by Randy Sager

Our Other Special Events First Sunday of each month beginning September 7 Jewish War Veterans, Greenberg-Lerner Post 692 10:30 am, Ring House Veterans and interested persons welcome

For more information about community events, resident programs and family support groups, visit www.hebrew-home.org and www.smithlifecommunities.org

How to reach us... ■

■

Hebrew Home 301.770.8476, Rehab 301.770.8450, Long Term www.hebrew-home.org Revitz House 301.881.7400 www.revitzhouse.org

Page 8 | June 2011

■

Hirsh Health Center 301.816.5004

Ring House 301.816.5012 www.ringhouse.org

■

Landow House 301.816.5050 www.landowhouse.org

Volunteer Programs 301.770.8333

www.smithlifecommunities.org

LifeTimes

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

More at TheBeaconNewspapers.com

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Arts &

Dick Van Dyke writes a book about his lucky — and funny — life. See story on page 41.

Sondheim’s Follies needs a patient audience

High-profile cast Follies is a dual-period piece, set both in 1971 and 30 years earlier. Former showgirls and the stage-door Johnnies they married are in New York for a reunion of the Weisman (think Ziegfield) Follies, a revue running from World War I to World War II. Their old theater is about to be razed to make space for a parking lot, and this is a last chance to revisit the scene of their glory days, an opportunity to re-think some life choices. We focus on two couples, the best of friends in their youth. They have lost touch over the years, but deep feelings re-

main below the surface. Both couples are in doubt about their marriages and unhappy with the paths their lives have taken. As the 1971 version of the characters mingle and re-engage with each other, their younger selves are also seen enjoying the heady days of youth and excitement. Ghostly younger showgirls glide silently about the stage, reminders that the past is always present. A high-profile cast of Broadway stars was hired, including Sondheim favorite Peters, Linda Lavin (perhaps more familiar to many as TV’s Alice in the 1970s), Elaine Paige (often called “The First Lady of British Musical Theatre”, who created the role of Evita Peron in Evita), and multiple Tony Award nominee Jan Maxwell. The male leads are Broadway stars Danny Burstein and Ron Raines. And in a curious move, Régine (one name apparently suffices), whose credits include liberal use of the term “chanteuse” and who is credited with inventing the discothèque, was brought in from Paris to croak a song. Enough said about that. Some of the songs have achieved high profiles over the decades, especially “Broadway Baby,” “I’m Still Here,” “Too Many Mornings,” “Could I Leave You” and “Losing My Mind.” Sondheim is musically expansive here, and his score ranges from ballads to Tin Pan Alley, to light opera, and music hall numbers. Follies sometimes feels like two shows, as there is a clear division between the “book” numbers, which augment the story, and the period vaudeville-type numbers that showcase the showgirls’ old performances. “Loveland,” the concluding musical sequence, is designed to resemble a Ziegfeld Follies show, circa 1920s. Each member of

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the two lead couples gets the chance to perform in a dream-like sequence, the songs highlighting their emotional dilemmas.

Gets off to a slow start

PHOTO BY JOAN MARCUS

By Michael Toscano First the good news about Follies, the potentially Broadway-bound Kennedy Center revival of Stephen Sondheim’s 1971 musical: the music sounds magnificent. A 28-piece orchestra, almost unheard-of these days, robustly plays Jonathan Tunick’s original orchestrations of Sondheim’s charming score. That music, by the way, won Sondheim the Tony Award for Best Original Score, while James Goldman’s book took home the writing award. Now the bad news: the awkwardly conceived first act is unfocused and episodic, with little chemistry or cohesion among members of the star-studded cast. It drags on. Even perky Bernadette Peters, the nominal star of the show, can’t save it. Director Eric Schaeffer appears to have his work cut out for him to get this show back to Broadway. Act two gets better, though, as the story focuses on its main characters — two sets of couples negotiating mid-life crises.

This may be the area’s highest-profile show of the year, as the Kennedy Center is hoping it will make the jump to Broadway. They have spared no expense, pumping from $6 to $8 million into it, depending on which report is to be believed. Schaeffer, director of Signature Theatre and one of the country’s top Sondheim interpreters, was brought in to direct the cast of 43, a size rarely seen in contemporary theater. And Sondheim himself has been on hand to lend his imprimatur. The chance to see this The Kennedy Center’s star-studded production of music performed in WashStephen Sondheim’s Follies includes Ron Raines and ington with a full-out Broad- Bernadette Peters, who play former musical revue perway staging, and with formers revisiting their glory days. Broadway talent, is a rare opportunity, indeed. That issue ticket prices top out at $150 each. makes it likely the Kennedy Center’s But be prepared to suffer a bit through act Eisenhower Theater will be full most nights, even as non-scalped, standardSee FOLLIES, page 40

Arts & Style | More at TheBeaconNewspapers.com

Follies From page 39 one, which seemed listless on opening night. As the show opens, we meet the older, 1971 versions of the characters, and they explain their current status, emotionally and otherwise. We also meet their younger selves as they reminisce. Each one of the stars and numerous featured players all have to be introduced and trotted out for a solo. Momentum is problematic as the story jumps around in time and intersperses a glut of characters, some of whom we don’t ever see again. Schaeffer has failed to inspire consistent pacing and energy in this act, and it begins to feel episodic. Furthermore, the “stars” seem more concerned with their own numbers, and there is little ensemble chemistry as they each stride onstage, try to “stop the show,”

and then exit. Bernadette Peters does a fine job as former showgirl-turned-Phoenix-housewife Sally Durant Plummer. Still, her voice seemed strained somewhat on opening night, and she seemingly held back some of her power for her showcase number in act two, the iconic “Losing My Mind.” Stepping into the energy vacuum that evening was Jan Maxwell. She plays Phyllis, the former showgirl who married Benjamin Stone (Raines), the man Sally loved. By 1971, Phyllis is adrift, feeling emotionally abandoned by Ben. In “Could I Leave You,” she fills the theater with a burst of emotion and shows us a fully dimensional woman, igniting act two. Follies becomes her story. Linda Lavin, looking and sounding younger than her years as showgirl Hattie, belts “Broadway Baby” to enthusiastic au-

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

dience response — and then disappears until the curtain call. Elaine Paige rides the waves of the survivors’ anthem, “I’m Still Here,” gently swinging and building to a mighty finish as the orchestra goes into big band overdrive. Burstein gets in some good moments, too, especially commanding the stage with his follies tune, “Buddy’s Blues.” Emotional resonance finally reaches dramatic critical mass in act two, though it may be too long a wait for some (the show runs two and a half hours). There are enough musical highlights to keep hope alive until then, however. With some hard work, especially in act one, Schaeffer, Peters and company may

pull this together enough to make Follies shine on Broadway yet again. Follies continues through June 19 at the Eisenhower Theater of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, 2700 F St., N.W. in Washington, D.C. Tickets range from $45 to $150. They are on sale at the Kennedy Center Box Office, by calling Instant Charge at (202) 4674600, or online at www.kennedy-center.org/tickets. Performances are at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday through Saturdays, with matinee shows at 1:30 p.m. Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays. Michael Toscano is the Beacon’s theatre critic.

BEACON BITS

June 25+

SENIOR ATHLETE FILM

Age of Champions follows senior athletes, including D.C. nonagenarian swimmers John and Bradford Tatum, as they prepare for the National Senior Games. The screening takes place at the SilverDocs Film Festival on Saturday June 25 at 5:15 p.m. and Sunday, June 26 at 2:15 p.m. Visit www.silverdocs.com for details on location and ticket price, which wasn’t available at press time.

July 14

THE SILENT GENERATION

Gen Silent is a new documentary film about gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender seniors so afraid of discrimination that many go back into the closet. A free screening of the one-hour documentary will be followed by a discussion on Thursday, July 14 at 2 p.m. The film will be shown at Fox Hill Club & Residences, 8300 Burdette Rd., Bethesda, Md. Seating is limited; to reserve your seat, send an e-mail to rsvp@proaging.com.

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Washington Monument Grounds, 15th & Constitution, NW • Washington D.C.

Take Steps for Crohn’s & Colitis is CCFA’s national evening walk and the nation’s largest event dedicated to finding cures for digestive diseases. For more information or to register, Visit www.cctakesteps.org/dc Call (703) 865-6130 or E-mail mfritter@ccfa.org

More at TheBeaconNewspapers.com | Arts & Style

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

Dick Van Dyke’s lucky life and funny times By Frazier Moore Dick Van Dyke looks back and marvels. The way he sizes up his 85-and-counting years is summarized by the title of his new memoir, My Lucky Life In and Out of Show Business: dumb luck. Luckily, he had a lot of talent, too. Van Dyke writes proudly of his roles in one of television’s most beloved sitcoms (“The Dick Van Dyke Show”) as well as a classic film musical (Mary Poppins). But he characterizes those hits, along with the rest of his career, as lucky breaks that fell into his lap. So don’t come to this breezy but heartfelt book expecting Van Dyke to crow about his many accomplishments. Or bellyache about the low points. Or dish dirt: In his preface, he posts a consumer alert that “there is nothing salacious here.” He makes good on that promise. The book’s very creation seems a surprise to him, judging from a recent interview. “It never occurred to me to write a book,” he said. “My life seemed kind of pedestrian to me. I auditioned for a few things, but for the most part, I just happened to be in the right place at the right time, just going with the flow.” He paused. Reconsidered. “So it is a kind of interesting story from that standpoint,” he conceded, as if trying to rationalize telling it.

Inspired by his kids But what about the years of setbacks and struggles before he scored his first big success, starring in the 1960 Broadway musical Bye Bye Birdie? Van Dyke credits his tenacity to his four kids — Chris, Barry, Stacy and Carrie — who are now grown and “truly admirable people. “ “I had to keep working in order to support them,” he explained, flashing his familiar grin. “I never had a lot of drive, not much vision or goals. It was them that kept me going. And God.” Van Dyke grew up in Danville, Ill., a small town in America’s heartland, the son of a stenographer and a salesman for the

Sunshine Cookie Co. (He had a younger brother, Jerry, who followed him into show business and is best known from the 1990s sitcom “Coach.”) His involvement in the high school drama club led to a job as an announcer on a Danville radio station. Then, in his early 20s, Van Dyke hooked up with a former chum, Phil Erickson, who needed a partner for his comedy duo. It already had a booking in California. Van Dyke signed on without even asking what he was supposed to do. Their act called for the pair to comically mime records, and the Merry Mutes weathered obstacles and money shortages, as well as car troubles that seemed to put every crucial audition and club date in peril. Meanwhile, Van Dyke brought his fiancée, Margie, from Danville to Los Angeles, where they were married before an audience of millions on the radio program “Bride and Groom.” That gave the moneystrapped lovebirds a cost-free way to get hitched, with a honeymoon thrown in. A year later, in 1949, the Merry Mutes (and the newlyweds) moved to Atlanta, where club bookings awaited, as well as local TV gigs for Van Dyke. Then in 1955 he set off for New York, where he had been hired for the “CBS Morning Show” alongside anchor Walter Cronkite. But within a year, Van Dyke was reassigned to a grab bag of other shows. Then CBS let him go. Van Dyke’s prospects brightened when he was cast in Bye Bye Birdie. The director wasn’t put off when Van Dyke cautioned him, “I can’t really dance.” The director soon proved him wrong. And Van Dyke won himself a Tony.

shared a chaste but palpable crush. He said he stays in touch with her to this day, describing her warmly as “a wonderful gal.” The 1964 Mary Poppins brought him another made-in-heaven pairing, as he played a Cockney chimney sweep to Julie Andrews’ flying nanny. By then, Van Dyke had proved himself not only as an actor, singer and dancer, but also as affable everyguy with equal skill for light comedy and rubber-jointed slapstick. “When I was a kid, I loved all the silent comedians — Buster Keaton, Laurel and Hardy, Chaplin,” he said. “And I used to imitate them. I’d go to see a Buster Keaton movie and come home and try things out I’d seen. I learned to do pratfalls when I was very young.”

See VAN DYKE, page 42

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In luck with two Marys In January 1961 came an audition for Carl Reiner, who was cooking up a series based on his own life as a comedy writer and family man. Van Dyke’s eponymous sitcom, on which he was paired with an effervescent unknown named Mary Tyler Moore, premiered that October. Van Dyke depicts those five seasons as a creative lovefest for all concerned, during which he and Moore

As he speaks, Van Dyke seems youthful still. The full head of hair is silver, but the blue eyes are clear and bright, and his smile retains its boyishness. He is slightly stooped, but “a month ago I had spinal surgery,” he said. “I’m still recovering from it. I had pinched nerves.” With all those pratfalls, “I beat myself up pretty good.” Though avoiding self-pity, Van Dyke — in his book and in conversation — doesn’t shy from discussing obstacles that cluttered his path. His battle with alcoholism, for example. “I worked nightclubs all through my 20s and I was a teetotaler,” he said. “But in my 30s, I finally discovered that a martini low-

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Now Accepting Applications! Attractively designed new apartments with affordable rents for seniors 62 years old or better! Apply today and enjoy living in this friendly community located in the heart of Fairfax County. Income limits apply. OLLEY GLEN MARKETING OFFICE 4023 Olley Lane z Fairfax, VA 22032-1300 Call: 703-503-8717 z TTY: 703-385-3578 E-mail: Olleyglen@fairfaxcounty.gov Website: www.fairfaxcounty.gov/rha/olleyglen.htm Fairfax County is committed to a policy of nondiscrimination in all county programs. Reasonable accommodations upon request. 703.246.5101 or TTY 703.385.3578.

B180

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From page 41 ered my inhibitions a little bit and made me a little more sociable and garrulous,

and I found myself hooked on it. I would go home and drink too many. I got worried.” (He has been sober for years.) His marriage came unraveled as he and his wife grew apart. They were divorced in

BEACON BITS

June 20

MEMORABLE SONGS

Singer Christiana Drapkin sings the best of popular standards at Holiday Park Senior Center on Monday, June 20 from 1:15 to 2:15 p.m. The fee is $1. The center is located at 3950 Ferrara Dr., Wheaton, Md. For more information, call (240) 777-4999.

June 13

1984 after a long separation. By that time, he had begun a relationship that lasted nearly 35 years with Michelle Triola (wellknown as the ex-companion of actor Lee Marvin, whom she sued for what was dubbed “palimony”). She died of cancer two years ago. After the mid-1960s, Van Dyke’s career was laden with short-lived TV shows and “a lot of really bad movies” — Van Dyke laughs in gratitude that no one remembers them.

AP PHOTO/DAMIAN DOVARGANES

Van Dyke

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

THE GOLDEN AGE OF DUTCH ART

Take an armchair tour of the art and architecture of 17th century Netherland’s Golden Age and its most renowned cultural centers, including Vermeer’s Delft, Frans Hals’ Haarlem and Rembrandt’s Amsterdam. The seminar is presented by Joan Hart, art educator with Museum One, Monday, June 13 at 1 p.m. at the Aurora Hills Senior Center, 735 S. 18th St., Arlington, Va. The cost is $6. Register by June 8 by calling (703) 228-5722.

Want to meet other seniors and enjoy yourself? Would you or your loved one benefit from having help or supervision during the day? Come learn new skills, share interests and develop friendships at our two supervised adult day programs. We provide: • transportation to Misler from your home and back • personalized attention • fun and stimulating activities

• lunch and snacks (kosher at Misler) • a welcoming atmosphere • financial assistance for those who qualify

Misler Adult Day Center (301) 468-1740

Gorlitz Kensington Club (301) 255-4204

located at Ring House in Rockville

located in Kensington

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

8127

52847

Recent TV and stage work Even so, the 1990s signaled an unexpected show-biz comeback with “Diagnosis Murder,” his bestreceived project in decades. In that lighthearted mystery series, Van Dyke played physician-sleuth Dr. Mark Sloan, while his son Barry costarred as an LAPD detective. It Dick Van Dyke’s new memoir is called My Lucky Life In and Out of Show Business. aired on CBS through 2001. Today he stays as busy he wants to, he said. He performs favorite songs in a way. How about it, Dick? “Well, yeah,” he agreed, while voicing quartet called The Vantastix. And he just finished a brief run in Los Angeles in an concerns about doing eight performances adaptation of The Sunshine Boys, joining 79- a week — and about continuing to work year-old brother Jerry Van Dyke as two with his brother. “I have trouble, because aged ex-vaudevillians who reunite for a TV he breaks me up. My brother just kills me, and I can’t keep a straight face.” special despite their longtime feud. A man who can’t stop laughing. Some Now there is talk — especially from — AP Jerry — of bringing this comedy to Broad- luck!

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

More at TheBeaconNewspapers.com | Arts & Style

Remembering grandmas and grandpas I wandered into one of those ubiquitous my grandparents were like. Here’s a rough draft: coffee places the other day, not because I “Brandon (or whoever), my needed a jolt of java but begrandparents were not as cause I had 20 minutes to kill. lucky as I’ve been. They were I ordered a decaf, black. not educated. They did not What I got was a lesson. have a TV set or a cell phone. A man right in front of me And they weren’t as healthy was ordering a latte for himself as I’ve been. and a smoothie for his companOnly one of them lived past ion. The man was about 75, I’d the age of 70. If I’m lucky, I’ll guess. His companion was 4. live to be 80, or beyond. Will I know because the 75-yearold was making a big deal you come to my 80th birthday HOW I SEE IT party? Thanks, I thought you about a birthday celebration By Bob Levey would! the day before. Young Brandon had moved from being “My grandmothers did the wash by hand, 3 to being 4, in one day, just like that! The and then they hung it outside to dry, on a young fellow was basking in the attention clothesline. Have you ever seen somebody do that? I didn’t think so. But I remember my and soaking up hugs. Then Brandon asked a question: “Grand- grandmothers doing this four times a week. “One time, when I was little, my grandfapa,” he said, “tell me about your Grandpa.” Being an equal-opportunity kind of guy, ther bought himself a new car. I was about Grandpa told about not only his grandfa- your age — 4, maybe 5. He bought a Cadillac because he was doing well in his busithers, but about his grandmothers. Brandon might have tuned out, as chil- ness. “A Cadillac is a big, fancy car. I remember dren sometimes do after about 90 seconds. But he listened patiently to stories of New sitting in the front seat and feeling swallowed up, it was so big. The engine sounded Jersey long ago. I have zero grandchildren. But I have like a cat when it purrs. It was very exciting! long imagined what that would be like. “So were family dinners. My grandAnd now I’m imagining what I would say if mothers would do all the cooking thema small grandperson ever asks me what selves. You know how your mama some-

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times brings home takeout from a restaurant when she gets home late from work? Not 100 years ago. Cooking at home was what families did. “And everybody had to wash their hands before and after every meal, with Grandma herself watching to make sure you got all the dirt out from under your fingernails. My grandmas were very careful about germs. “I remember my Grandpa Charlie shaving in front of his bathroom mirror. Your Dad probably shaves with an electric razor, doesn’t he? I thought so. “But Grandpa Charlie didn’t own one. He owned a steel razor. Very sharp. “He would smear shaving cream all over his face and start singing opera. And he would shave. And I would watch. And he would show me how he reached the corners of his mouth, ver-r-r-ry carefully. “Every day, when I shave the corners of my mouth, I think of him. Yes, I also use a steel razor. Very sharp. “My other grandfather, Grandpa Abe, was a great big man. He had very big hands. He could cover my whole face with one of his hands. He used to do it all the time, and he’d say, ‘Where did little Robert go?’ “One of my grandmothers, Grandma Fanny, was famous for her food. Not because it tasted good. Because she gave us so much of it.

“We would have dinner, and she’d serve us soup. Then chicken. Then potatoes. Then vegetables. Then dessert. “It would be time to leave. We’d be stuffed. And just before we walked out the door, she’d come running after us, with a bag full of apricots. ‘Just in case the children get hungry,’ she’d say. Oh, how we laughed about that! “My other grandmother, Grandma Mildred, liked to buy me ties. Whenever she came to visit, I’d have to put on one of the ties she had given me. “Grandma Mildred had the worst taste in ties. They all had fruit on them, or strange colors, or both. Just awful! To this day, whenever I see someone wearing a tie with fruit on it, I start chuckling. “I don’t think my grandparents really understood me, or what I liked to do. I loved to eat pizza, but they never bought me one. I don’t think any of them ever tasted it. “And when I fell in love with a baseball player named Mickey Mantle, my grandfathers couldn’t understand it. I don’t think either one of them ever owned a glove, or threw a ball or saw a game. “But you know what, Brandon (or whoever)? My grandparents had a big effect on me, even though we were very different. See BOB LEVEY, page 44

Arts & Style | More at TheBeaconNewspapers.com

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

BEACON BITS

ONE BIG HAPPY By Rick Detorie

June 30

CALLING ALL POETS

Entries are being accepted in the 19th annual National Senior Poets Laureate Poetry Competition for American poets age 50 and older. Poets must be U.S. citizens, and entries must be in English. The deadline to apply is June 30. State senior poets laureate will be named in July and will advance to final rounds for the 2011 National Senior Poet Laureate ($500) and runner up ($100) awards. Details are at www.amykitchenerfdn.org.

Ongoing

CELEBRATING A CENTENARIAN ARTIST

VisArts at Rockville presents an exhibition featuring renowned artist Will Barnet, in conjunction with the celebration of his 100th birthday. Barnet’s prints from 1960 through 1990 will be on view through June 26. VisArts at Rockville is located at 155 Gibbs St., Rockville, Md. For hours and more information, call (301) 315-8200 or visit www.visartscenter.org.

June 2+

s a ft! e ak gi M eat gr

Bob Levey

Beacon The

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F O R

P E O P L E

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

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“They worked hard, they believed in marriage, they were very patriotic, they made sure they got all the dirt that was under their fingernails. I’m the same way. And I hope you’ll be the same way.” Of course, I would say much more than this. I would rhapsodize about Mantle and pizza and Cadillacs until a certain grandchild was glazed with boredom, or asleep in my lap.

RAUSCHENBERGINSPIRED PLAY

Inspired by painter and pop artist Robert Rauschenberg, bobrauschenbergamerica is a vivid collage of love stories, business schemes, backyard barbecues, singing, dancing and chicken jokes. It will be performed at the Round House Theatre, 8641 Colesville Rd., Silver Spring, Md. from June 2 through 25. Tickets are $25 for general admission and $20 for seniors. To purchase, visit www.forumtheatredc.org or call the Round House box office at (240) 644-1100.

But I’d do it on a hunch — that 60 years later, a once-young man would see a Cadillac pass him in the street, and remember. Bob Levey is a national award-winning columnist.

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

CLASSIFIEDS The Beacon prints classified advertising under the following headings: Business & Employment Opportunities; Caregivers; Computer Services; Entertainment; For Sale; For Sale/Rent: Real Estate; Free; Health; Home/Handyman Services; Miscellaneous; Personals; Personal Services; Vacation Opportunities; and Wanted. For submission guidelines and deadlines, see the box below.

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Caregivers

Financial Services

For Sale/Rent: Real Estate

CATHERINE’S HOME HEALTHCARE It is now possible to keep your loved one in their home.We can assist you with aides, nurses, & companions.We also have doctors, physical therapists & laboratories that will come to your home. Part-time & around the clock care available. Kelsie 301-428-0562.

OWE THE IRS OR STATE? Get Instant Relief today! Stop Bank Levys & Wage Garnishments Call Today at 888-674-9201.

LOVING HOME CARE “Care you can trust and afford.” Companionship, hygiene care, meal preparation, housekeeping, errands, shopping, doctor’s appointments. Loving, dependable caregivers for FT/PT or Live-In care. Call: 301-4901146. www.lovinghomecare.org.

LEISURE WORLD® - $119,500. 2BR 1FB “Hampton” model with access to Broadwalk. Wood floors, upgraded carpet, recent updates. 1200 sq ft. Stan Moffson, Weichert Realtors, 301928-3463.

LOOKING TO TAKE THE LEAP? I’ll take you on a tour of the community, show you floor plans, discuss campus amenities, & offer how to best coordinate your move. I will preview units & contact you with a match. I also offer exceptional service selling your home. I’m a Seniors Specialist, Buyer Broker, Top 1% of Agents Nationwide, and a Leisure World resident! You can see my current listings on page 28. Contact me: 301-580-5556, SueHeyman@aol.com, www.SueHeyman.com, Weichert, Realtors.

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.

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.

Business & Employment Opportunities

COMPANION/HELPER: I am interested in part-time position. Have experience and references. Please call: Martha at 301-984-4422.

BATH FITTER® THE NATIONAL LEADER IN THE ACRYLIC TUB LINER INDUSTRY IS SEEKING MARKETING REPS. GREAT PAY + COMMISSIONS. CALL TIM 410-808-6318. WOULD YOU LIKE TO SELL ADS FOR THE BEACON? This full-time, outside sales position pays a base salary plus commission and benefits. We’re looking for a hard-working, detail-oriented “people-person.” Must be outgoing, love selling, be comfortable with computers, email and contact management software (such as ACT), and be willing to follow direction, complete required paperwork, and participate in weekly sales training and sales meetings. If you love the Beacon — and would be excited about coming to work every day to call and meet with potential advertisers throughout the Washington, D.C. metro area — send your resume and cover letter to Alan Spiegel, Director of Sales at: alan@thebeaconnewspapers.com. OFFICE ASSISTANT – P/T for nonprofit organization promoting intergenerational programs. Downtown DC. General office, data entry duties. Flexible hours. Salary $12 hour. Email resume: gu@gu.org or fax 202-289-3952. ACTORS/MOVIE EXTRAS - $150-$300/Day depending on job. No experience. All looks needed. 1-800-281-5185-A103. AIRLINES ARE HIRING - Train for high paying Aviation Maintenance Career. FAA approved program. Financial aid if qualified - Housing available CALL Aviation Institute of Maintenance (866)4536204. CDL DRIVERS - Relocate for Great Paying Texas Frac work! Bulk pneumatic trailer exp. req. 1-800-397-2639. MYSTERY SHOPPERS! Earn up to $150 daily. Get paid to shop pt/ft. Call now 800-690-1272. PROCESS MAIL! Pay Weekly! FREE Supplies! Bonuses! Genuine! Helping Homeworkers since 1992! Call 1-888-302-1522 www.howtoworkfromhome.com. YOUR WISH IS YOUR COMMAND! Revolutionary discovery goes beyond the “Law of Attraction.” Create wealth, love, happiness! Limited time offer, $300 value, yours FREE! Call 1800-422-3061 NOW.

CAREGIVER AVAILABLE Live-in/out days/nights or weekend, car, cook, experience, excellent references. MD/DC/Northern VA. 703408-1347.

SEEKING CAREGIVER for elderly couple in Potomac, MD, possibly live-in. Must speak English, have car for light errands, and references. Call daughter at 703-798-8132. PROBLEM WITH YOUR PC OR NET-

Computer Services WORK? Computer Systems Engineer will come to you with help. HOME. BUSINESS. Call: D. Guisset at 301-642-4526. COMPUTER LESSONS – Personal Computer training at your home. Email, Internet, general computer use, and more. Learn at your own pace with gentle and patient tutor. We also fix computers, setup your new computer, and troubleshoot. Working with Seniors since 1996. Ask about your Senior discount. Call David, 301762-2570, COMPUTERTUTOR.

Entertainment PRIME TIME GROUP – JUNE 15, 2011. 11:00 AM-2:00 PM. 50+ age group. 11:00 am12:00 pm: 30-member Harmony Heritage Singers Barbershop Chorus performs in concert. Come hear this amazing group! 12:00 pm-1:00 pm: Lunch. 1:00 pm-2:00 pm: BINGO. RSVP to church office: 202-966-5489. PUT THE MUSIC YOU LOVE BACK IN YOUR LIFE! Enjoy live jazz and swing on the first Friday of the month at Hollywood East Café, Westfield Wheaton Shopping Mall, 7 to 10 PM. Listen to the Night & Day Combo perform the classic standard songs of the 30’s, 40’s and 50’s, from Cole Porter, Gershwin, et al. Great music, great food, no cover charge! http://nightanddaymusic.com/clubpage.html.

Financial Services SECRET STRATEGY YOUR FINANCIAL ADVISOR DOESN’T KNOW Find out how you can have retirement income that is not subject to market risk and is 100% contractually guaranteed! PROTECT YOUR FINANCIAL FUTURE TOMORROW BY CALLING TODAY: 301-823-8020 or 1-877-265-6739. www.TheFinancialInsider.com.

ANSWERS TO SCRABBLE

ANSWERS TO CROSSWORD R A P S

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

M O R G A N

From page 46.

A B R A

A M O E B A

J I T N E Y

K S E T V A T R O C E N T A I R T E T O R O R R T S I M E R A T T E S

S W E D E N U S E P L O T

L I M A N E P R O P E W E S G K A N G A H O Y T A W I J N O V A G R A C I N K H O S P O L O T E T

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

For Sale/Rent: Real Estate

LEISURE WORLD® - $114,900. 2BR + sitting room 2FB “Warfield Deluxe” rarely available, cathedral ceilings, new paint, table space kitchen. 1136 sq ft, Stan Moffson, Weichert, Realtors, 301-928-3463. LEISURE WORLD® - $84,900. 1BR 1FB “A” model in “Fairways”. New paint and carpet, new countertop. Great view. Close to elevator. 850 sq ft. Stan Moffson, Weichert, Realtors 301-9283463. LEISURE WORLD® - $58,500. 2BR 1FB “Carlyle” model coop. Renovated, new appliances, new windows. 1035 sq ft. Stan Moffson, Weichert, Realtors 301-928-3463. LEISURE WORLD® - $89,000. 1BR 1FB “A” in “Greens”. New paint and carpet, view of trees enclosed balcony, close to elevator. 850 sq ft. Stan Moffson, Weichert Realtors 301-9283463. LEISURE WORLD® - $219,000. 2BR + den, 2FB “R” model in “Fairways”. Ceramic tile enclosed balcony, table space kitchen, garage parking, new carpet. 1420 sq ft. Stan Moffson, Weichert, Realtors, 301-928-3463. LEISURE WORLD® - $119,000. 2BR 2FB “Riviera” model. Loaded with extras and upgrades, covered carport parking. 1273 sq ft. Stan Moffson, Weichert, Realtors 301-9283463. LEISURE WORLD® - $113,900. 2BR 2FB “F” in “Greens”. Close to elevator, table space kitchen enclosed balcony, extra storage, golf course view. 1120sq ft, Stan Moffson, Weichert, Realtors 301-928-3463. LEISURE WORLD® - $154,900. 2BR 2FB “H” model in “Greens” with GARAGE + storage room, upgrades throughout, lots of light. 1225 sq ft. Stan Moffson, Weichert, Realtors, 301-9283463. LEISURE WORLD® - $123,900. 2BR 2FB “E” model in “Greens”. Garage. Close to elevator. Enclosed balcony. 990 sq ft. Stan Moffson, Weichert, Realtors, 301-928-3463. LEISURE WORLD® - $174,471. 2BR 2FB 1HB “Berkeley” Condo. Upgraded throughout, golf course view. New windows, new HVAC. 1445 sq. ft. Stan Moffson, 301-928-3463. LEISURE WORLD® - $185,000. 2BR 2FB “E” model in “Villa Cortese”. Table space kitchen, enclosed balcony with view of trees and park. Extra storage. 1350 sq ft. Stan Moffson, 301328-3463. ROOMS FOR RENT in a private home, shared facilities, only non-smoking female, fully furnished, no pets. $495 per month plus utilities. 301-233-4722

ELLICOTT CITY $249,900 ENCLAVE AT ELLICOTT CITY Bright and spacious 3BR/2FB end unit condo with SW Exposures. 1780 Sq ft includes: Master bedroom with FB, formal DR, eat-in kitchen, family & living room. Fitness center, pool, clubhouse, business center, on-site manager, and affordable condo fees. Close to shopping, I-70 & Routes 40 & 29. Easy access to DC, Frederick & Baltimore. 2500 Kensington Gardens #207. Lisa Frazier 301-922-7888, Long & Foster 301907-7600. THE GREENS $240’s Spread out in this spacious 2BR 2FB unit with table space kitchen, walk-in pantry, dining room, & den. Enjoy leisurely moments on enclosed balcony which overlooks trees & the golf course. John Brown, 240-277-3132, Weichert Realtors. WATERFRONT LIVING Enjoy the ease of condominium living in a premier residential building on the Potomac in Alexandria. Beautiful views, one-level innovative floor plans, excellent security and outstanding amenities. Prices range from $450,000 to over $1,000,000. Please call Pat Tierney, Long & Foster, 703-850-5630. LAUREL, MD TOWNHOUSE Share two bedrooms 1.5 bath, washer & dryer, A/C. Male or female, 65 or older. $450 includes utilities. Mister Rosen, 301-362-4752. LEISURE WORLD Bright airy spotless 3BR 2FB ranch quadruplex. Freshly painted, hardwood floors, bright kitchen, new carpet in bedrooms. Move-in ready. Call to view, John Robertson, 240-271-1557. Open House Sundays 1-5pm. ***FREE FORECLOSURE LISTINGS*** OVER 400,000 properties nationwide. Low down payment. Call now 800-250-2043. AVAILABLE NOW!!! 2-4 Bedroom homes Take Over Payments No Money Down/No Credit Check Call 1-888-269-9192. LAND LIQUIDATION 20 Acres $0 Down, $99/mo. Only $12,900 Near El Paso, TX, Owner Financing, No Credit Checks! Money Back Guarantee FREE Color Brochure. 800-7558953. STOP RENTING Lease option to buy Rent to own No money down No credit check 1-877-3950321.

Classifieds cont. on p. 47.

CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING RATES

Deadlines and Payments: Ad text and payment is due by the 20th of each month. Note: Only ads received and prepaid by the deadline will be included in the next month’s issue. Please type or print your ad carefully. Include a number where you can be reached in the event of a question. Payment is due with ad. We do not accept ads by phone or fax, nor do we accept credit cards. Private Party Text Ads: For individuals seeking to buy or sell particular items, offer a personal service, or place a personal ad. Each ad is $15 for 25 words, 25 cents for each additional word. Commercial Party Text Ads: For parties engaged in an ongoing commercial business enterprise. Each ad is $35 for 25 words, 50 cents for each additional word. Note: Each real estate listing counts as one commercial ad.

The Beacon, Classified Dept. P.O. Box 2227, Silver Spring, MD 20915-2227

Send your classified ad with check or money order, payable to the Beacon, to:

For information about display advertising, or to request a media kit, call (301) 949-9766.

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Puzzle Page

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

Crossword Puzzle Daily crosswords can be found on our website: www.TheBeaconNewspapers.com Click on Puzzles Plus An Army of One Across by Stephen Sherr 1

27 31

34 36 41 46

50 52

56 62

Across

JUMBLE ANSWERS

Scrabble answers on p. 45.

21 24

Answer: How he tried to sell the instrument BY "TRUMPETING" IT Jumbles: MANGY AFIRE PURITY GIMLET

1. This puzzle’s theme 6. Thin cigarette 10. The Santa Maria, for example 14. Minimal requirement to make borscht 15. Decline 16. Female lobsters 17. Words on an unwelcoming sign 20. Gal, portrayed by Rita Hayworth 21. Staff 22. Ram’s ma’am 23. “What’s up ___?” 24. Public shouting matches 27. “Pride ___ ...” 29. His theme song was “Puffin’ Billy” from 1955 to 1974 33. Attentive 34. Sailers’ greetings 35. Toe total, typically 36. Camden Yards’ homerun street 38. Run up a tab 41. Many mannequins 43. Extra on L.A. Law 45. A new kitchen, perhaps 50. Leaves out 51. “Say good night, ___” 52. Go bad 53. Rascal 56. Printer’s expense 57. Pwr. plant regulator 60. Its 10,000th episode was broadcast April 17, 2002 64. Drive the getaway car 65. Needle-nose pliers, for example 66. Mozart specialty 67. Senate votes 68. Rock ending (in NYC) 69. Before midnight

Down 1. Criminal charges 2. Start of a magic word 3. It is used to write “Diamond” for autograph collectors

4. Actor Costner, briefly 5. Ogle 6. Nation with five Gold Medals at the 2010 Winter Olympics 7. Seatbelt location 8. Pertaining to, briefly 9. Persian pronouncement 10. Pronoun for 10 and 22 Across 11. Sheepdog 12. Completely 13. From 1960, the American Film Institute’s #1 thriller 18. Author Morrison 19. Sue or Lee 25. Midpt. 26. Participating in a roller derby 28. Grp. with members from Canada to Chile 29. Heathcliff or Garfield 30. Barley brew 31. Solver’s shout 32. “Act ___!” 36. Act human 37. Take advantage of 38. Provided guidance to a newcomer 39. Court 40. West end 41. Viewer of 29 Across 42. “Dear Madam ___” 43. Bonanza 44. Urologist’s diagnosis (abbrev.) 45. Arthurian sorceress 46. It’s magnified on a slide 47. Small bus 48. American League bird 49. FedEx vehicles 54. Sock’s partner 55. Storyline 58. ___ avis 59. Ali, once 61. Aliens, for short 62. All the rage 63. Wall St. debut

Answers on page 45.

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

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Personal Services

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

VINYL RECORDS WANTED from the 20s through 1985. Jazz, Rock-n-Roll, Soul, Rhythm & Blues, Reggae and Disco. 33 1/3 LPs, 45s or 78s, Larger collections preferred. Please call John, 301-596-6201.

FREE HD for LIFE! DISH Network. $24.99/mo. Over 120 Channels. Plus $500 BONUS! Call 1800-915-9514. Get DIRECTTV-FREE Installation NO Start up Costs!!! Showtime FREE-Local Channels Included FREE HD DVR & HD Receiver Upgrade - Ask How!!! Call for Full Details-888-860-2420.

Health RESEARCH VOLUNTEERS ARE NEEDED, aged 18 or older to participate in a study investigating the role of healthy aging on cognitive function. The study will require two, 2hour visits to the Cognitive Aging Laboratory on the Catholic University of America campus in Northeast Washington. We have testing locations both in O’Boyle Hall and in Nursing/Biology. The campus has ample free parking and is conveniently located on the CUA/Brookland METRO stop. You will be reimbursed with a gift certificate worth $25 per visit for your time. Please contact Alissa at Catholic University’s Cognitive Aging Laboratory at 202-319-5748 or b email at cuaaging@cua.edu. HELP! I’ve Fallen & I Can’t Get-UP! You or a loved one live alone? Get Immediate Help in an Emergency! Call LifeAlert Now-FREE Info! Call-800-630-6101. LOW TESTOSTERONE? Free 30 Day Supply! Try PROGENE and Restore power, performance, and confidence naturally. Progene Daily Complex CALL FOR FREE SUPPLY Pay only S&P 800-992-7939.

CABIN JOHN ORGANIZING Household organizing, bill paying, and paperwork for seniors and those with ADHD or chronic disorganization. Member NAPO, GROWS, AADMM, www.cabinjohnorganizing.com. 301-263-9482 or Melanie@dorsetwest.com. DO YOU HAVE A NOVEL IN YOU? Award winning writer with 25 years experience with help you write, edit, and help find agents and publishers for your work of fiction, non-fiction, poetry, or your memoir. Hourly rate reduced for senior citizens. Phone Jack Ryan at 703-5601015, or email to jryan12558@aol.com. WILL TYPE YOUR MEMOIRS, manuscripts, etc. For info and rates, call 703-671-1854. WOW! GREAT HAIRCUT at a great price! Professional family hair salon conveniently located in Bethesda, MD. State board certified. Call 240-432-7211. EASY BUSINESS RÉSUMÉS Short résumés, cover letters, typed references. 16 years experience. Marty – mfixman@aol.com 703-768-5254, 9a.m. – 10p.m. STRESSED? TIRED? OVERWHELMED? Changes in work status, family life, friendships, health and aging can produce increased levels of stress. I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with training and experience in cognitive/behavioral therapy. I support people who are undergoing change to help them transform “limitations” into possibilities. Convenient Bethesda location. Accept Medicare. Don’t struggle alone: Call for support today. Judith R. Peres, LCSW-C 301-455-5140. PARALEGAL: Experienced in trusts, estates and will preparation and other paperwork. Call 301-565-2917.

SOCIAL SECURITY DISABILITY BENEFITS WIN Benefits or pay Nothing! FREE Consultation- FREE Book! Disability Group,Inc - Se Habla Espanol BBB Accredited CALL NOW 888-510-9008.

ORGANIZE & DECLUTTER; transportation; help with forms, phone calls, bill paying; personal memoirs; friendly listener and companion; one hour minimum; mature college-educated woman 301-468-9594.

Home/Handyman Services

VAN MAN – For your driving needs. Shopping, appointments, pick-up and deliver – airport van. Call Mike 301-565-4051.

MICHAELS HAULING Clean-outs, scrap & debris removal yard waste, etc. Mulch, dirt & stone delivery, lite dump truck, 20’ trailer & bobcat. Fully insured. 240-388-1898. MARY N’ ME RESIDENTIAL/COMMERCIAL CLEANING. 25 years experience. Maid/janitorial service, move in/out, turnovers, junk removal, room/closet organization, concierge services, weekly/biweekly, personalized arrangements, affordable, available weekends, free estimates, impeccable references. Area native. Mary: 301-834-6410; 301-473-2296.

Miscellaneous HELP! I’ve Fallen & I Can’t Get-UP! You or a loved one live alone? Get Immediate Help in an Emergency! Call LifeAlert Now-FREE Info! Call- 800-630-5258. ATTEND COLLEGE ONLINE from home. Medical, Business, Paralegal, Accounting, Criminal Justice. Job placement assistance. Computer available. Financial aid if qualified. Call 800494-3586 www.CenturaOnline.com. DONATE YOUR CAR. FREE TOWING. “Cars for Kids”. Any condition. Tax deductible outreachcenter.com, 1-800-597-9411. YOUR WISH IS YOUR COMMAND! Revolutionary discovery goes beyond the “Law of Attraction.” Create wealth, love, happiness! Limited time offer, $300 value, yours FREE! Call 1800-422-3061 NOW. LOW TESTOSTERONE? Free 30 Day Supply! Try PROGENE and Restore power, performance, and confidence naturally. Progene Daily Complex CALL FOR FREE SUPPLY Pay only S&P 800-992-7939. PREGNANT? CONSIDERING ADOPTION? You choose from families nationwide. LIVING EXPENSES PAID. Abby’s One True Gift Adoptions. 866-413-6292, 24/7 Void/Illinois.

Personals WOULD LIKE TO MEET Caucasian lady, about 60-65 or so, non-smoker, non-drinker, quiet type, low-key, easy going, not hyperactive, good quiet sense of humor. Home person, no bars or clubs, who likes quiet moments alone with two, walking in parks, around lakes, visiting museums, some malls, historic places, and scenic places, and who lives in the Takoma Park or Silver Spring area. I am mid-70’s, non-smoker, non-drinker, low-key, easy going, good quiet sense of humor, same likes as above. American, born in W.VA., retired Federal Government worker, own nice home. I am tall slim build, not handsome…but mirror only cracks about once a month while I am shaving. Love to do little things to make a lady happy and contented. One other thing, I am not Caucasian if that matters to you. Contact me at billwv@aol.com.

Vacation Opportunities SELL/RENT YOUR TIMESHARE FOR CASH!!! Our Guaranteed Services will Sell/ Rent Your Unused Timeshare for CASH! Over $95 Million Dollars offered in 2010! www.sellatimeshare.com Call (800) 882-0296.

Wanted WANTED: OLDER VIOLINS, GUITARS, BANJOS, MANDOLINS, ETC. Musician/collector will pay cash for older string instruments. Jack (301) 279-2158. 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.

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. OLD HIFI, STEREO EQUIPMENT PreAmps, Amplifiers, Tuners, Large Old Speakers, James B Lancing, Altec, Tannoy, Quad, Basement-Garage-Attic. Honest Pricing. Please Call Alan 240-478-1100. 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 rungs to Tiffany objects, from rare clocks to firearms, from silver and gold to classic cars. If it is wonderful I am interested. No phony promises or messy consignments. References gladly furnished. Please call Jake Lenihan 301-279-8834. Thank you. WANTED: ANTIQUE ELECTRONICS, radio tubes, ham radios, tube HIFI amps; huge old speakers, vinyl records, scientific curiosities, antique computers, calculators. 202-527-9501. CASH FOR RECORDS & CDs. BEST PRICE GUARANTEED. Free appraisals. All types of music, 33, 45, 78 & CDs. Call Steve 301-6465403. Will make House Calls. STAMP COLLECTIONS, AUTOGRAPHS purchased/appraised – U.S., worldwide, covers, paper memorabilia. Stamps are my specialty – highest price paid! Appraisals. Phone Alex, 301309-6637. Stampex1@gmail.com.

HIGHEST CASH PAID FOR ANTIQUES, ESTATES. FREE evaluations and house calls. We pay the most for your valuable treasures because we get the most money on eBay – the worldwide Internet. Serving entire metro area – Maryland, Washington, DC, Northern Virginia. Buying the following items – furniture, art, paintings, silver, gold, old coins, jewelry, vintage wristwatches, military items, including guns, rifles, swords, daggers, knives, musical instruments, guitars, violins, banjos, old toys, dolls, trains, old golf clubs, baseball, football, tennis equipment and memorabilia, old fishing, tools, books, photographs, comic books. I am a resident of Silver Spring. 20 years experience. Please call Tom 240-4763441, Thank you. COLLECTOR BUYING MODERN FURNITURE, lighting, art & accessories from the 1940’s – 1970’s. Danish/Scan, Knoll, Herman Miller, Dunbar, Paul Evans, Thayer Coggin, Harvey Probber, Vladimir Kagan, Nakashima, etc. Also buying abstract modern art, ceramics, glass and records. Please call 202-213-9768. WANTED TO BUY old magazines, books, postcards, posters, etc., pre-1975. Also bookends, antique bookcases with glass fronts. Please call 301-946-0941 anytime. ESTATE BUY-OUTS ESTATE CLEANOUTS Single piece or entire estate, real estate prep, trash hauling. The Attic, LLC. Licensed, Bonded, Insured. MD/DC/VA. 301-520-0755. CASH FOR JEWELRY: Buying jewelry, diamonds, gold, platinum, silver, watches, coins, flatware, etc. We make house calls. Ask for Tom or Katherine. Call anytime 301-654-8678. DIABETIC TEST STRIPS DONATIONS WANTED. New sealed boxes only. Supports JDRF. Post-paid mailer @ 1-877-572-0928. Teststrips4kids.org. $$OLD GUITARS WANTED$$ Gibson, Fender, Martin, Gretsch. 1920’s to 1980’s. Top Dollar paid. Toll Free: 1-866-433-8277. CASH PAID for unexpired, sealed DIABETIC TEST STRIPS - up to $17/Box! Shipping paid. Sara 1-800-371-1136. www.cash4diabeticsupplies.com. WANTED JAPANESE MOTORCYCLES KAWASAKI 1970-1980 Z1-900, KZ900, KZ 1000, H2-750, H1-500, S1-250, S2-250, S2-350, S3-400 CASH. 1-800-772-1142, 1-310-721-0726 usa@classicrunners.com. WANTED DIABETES TEST STRIPS Any kind/brand. Unexpired up to $18.00. Shipping Paid 1-800-266-0702 www.selldiabeticstrips.com.

BEACON BITS

Ongoing

TAX RELIEF FOR DISABLED VETERANS

New Virginia state legislation gives certain veterans with disabilities and their surviving spouses exemption from local real estate taxes on their principal residence. Fairfax County has also adopted a lower personal property (car) tax rate for qualified veterans with disabilities. An application is available online at www.fairfaxcounty.gov/dta. For more information, e-mail dtadav@fairfaxcounty.gov or call (703) 222-8234.

July 1

DANCE THE NIGHT AWAY

The Friendship Club of Laurel holds a dance the first Friday of each month from 7:30 to 10:30 p.m. All are welcome, including singles, couples and groups. DJ Professor Jay spins the tunes. A donation of $2.99 includes dancing and snacks. Dances are held at the Phelps Center, 701 Montgomery St., Laurel, Md. For more information, call (301) 937-2896.

June 21

LEARN ABOUT THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS

The Mount Vernon Genealogical Society will meet on Tuesday, June 21 at 1 p.m. Guest speaker Bruce Kirby, a reference librarian at the Library of Congress, will discuss the collections in the library’s Manuscript Division and discuss the tools available to researchers. The meeting will be held in Room 112 of the Hollin Hall Senior Center, 1500 Shenandoah Rd., Alexandria, Va. For more information, contact Harold McClendon at (703) 360-0920 or haroldm@erols.com.

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