Septemeber 2012 DC Beacon Edition

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Mark Plotkin: analyst and activist PHOTO BY CASSANDRA GAUTHIER FOR THE BEACON

By Barbara Ruben Long-time local political commentator Mark Plotkin admits he’s “not a traditional journalist. There’s not an aura of objectivity” about him. He’s more a cross between an analyst and an activist.

“When I analyze, I strive to give both sides,” he said. But “I’ve been very active in trying to promote my own views to get things to happen.”

It’s an unusual role for a radio and TV commentator, and it can get him in trouble now and then.

For example, for the past decade he was the political commentator and analyst for WTOP radio, until his weekly Friday morning “Politics Program” was yanked from the air in January, along with his frequent commentary on breaking news stories.

Plotkin, 65, admits that the ouster partially had to do with his outspoken, strident style on air and with his colleagues.

He said in an interview with the Beacon that he wanted for the first time to tell the real story of his departure.

“I had run-ins with a lot of my fellow employees, whom I didn’t think sometimes were doing their job. I have a volatile personality, and maybe some of the stuff that comes out editorially or the style rubs people the wrong way. Sometimes it’s an advantage.

Sometimes it’s a disadvantage,” he admitted.

But there’s also more to the story, Plotkin said. One of his weekly commentaries attacked Comcast for what he called “misleading” billing practices. In response, Comcast withdrew $500,000 worth of advertising from WTOP, Plotkin said.

“Second, I went after the Lerners as baseball owners. I think they’re terrible owners,” he said of the family that owns the Nationals.

“I think [WTOP’s] management, though they never explicitly said so — although there’s supposed to be a firewall between commentary and news — was not pleased with me….They didn’t want somebody quite as independent.”

Nor was Plotkin pleased with WTOP. “I don’t think they understood or appreciated what I did for that station. So it didn’t end pretty, but it was going to end anyway. It was just accelerated.”

The same day he left WTOP, Plotkin was

5 0 SEPTEMBER 2012

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LEISURE & TRAVEL

Exploring five great worldclass cities; plus, the famous Frommers’ radio show, your rights when airline schedules change, and avoiding ID theft while on vacation page 49

ARTS & STYLE

Mark Plotkin, on the floor of the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., prepares to tape a report for Fox 5 television, for which he is the political commentator.

Plotkin has been a fixture in Washington politics and journalism for over 40 years, known as much for his activism on certain issues as for his insightful analysis. He will speak at the Beacon’s expos on Oct. 7 in Arlington and Oct. 14 in N. Bethesda.

offered the political commentator job at Fox 5 television (WTTG), which he accepted. He also regularly comments on U.S. politics for CTV, Canada’s largest private broadcaster.

On Fox 5, Plotkin now appears about eight or nine times a month, though the current election season will probably increase that. He was covering the Republican National Convention for them as this paper went to press.

This is Plotkin’s fifth Republican convention; he’s also covered 10 Democratic National Conventions. “They’re really the highlight of my life,” he said. “It’s a terrific meeting ground, kind of like a hotel lobby.

Everybody is accessible.”

Born to politics Plotkin grew up in Chicago, a highly charged political town, which he credits with his early interest in all things electoral.

“The first adult you meet [as a child] is the precinct captain,” he quipped. “I was passing out literature at polling places when I was 7 or 8 years old.”

He attended the University of Chicago Laboratory High School, whose famous alums include Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens, TV journalist Garrick Utley and Secretary of Education Arne Duncan.

“There were a lot of smart kids there,” he See PLOTKIN, page 32

Kathleen Turner channels Molly Ivins’ biting wit; plus, Woody Harrelson’s new play about an old friend, and Bob Levey on men who can’t face up to aging page 55 FITNESS & HEALTH k Foods that soothe pain k Calculate your longevity

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SPOTLIGHT ON AGING k Newsletter for D.C. seniors

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LAW & MONEY k Perk up your portfolio k ABCs of annuities

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Life is a practicum Long-time readers of the Beacon have dad was right to ask me or an aide to stay “met” my mom (83) and dad (92) before in with him every night in both the hospital and rehab to keep an eye on this column. Just last year, I things and advocate for him. wrote two columns about Furthermore, it appeared their experiences in moving to me that hospital and rehab from their Austin home of 35 settings conspire to confine a years to a Texas retirement person to bed for 20 or more community. hours a day regardless of My brother and I have each made two trips there what his or her condition is. over the past six weeks, durMy dad was perfectly able ing which we’ve attempted to to walk, sit up, read, work at a help our dad navigate his recomputer — but the facilities covery from a health setback FROM THE offered only a hospital bed, and return to his community. PUBLISHER sliding food tray, and a guest It’s difficult to draw les- By Stuart P. Rosenthal chair or two in his room. sons from experiences when Furthermore, to prevent you’re deep in the throes of them. But I’d falls (and the resulting liability?), all palike to share a few inchoate thoughts with tients are largely encouraged to remain in you. Maybe putting them to paper will help their rooms (and in bed) most of the time. me process them better.

It seemed to me this only made my father First, I want to say a few words of praise weaker and frailer as the days and weeks for the many nurses, techs and doctors passed.

My grandmother (his mother) always who work hard and do their best in busy hospital and rehab facility settings. used to say “a hospital is no place for sick There’s so much to remember, so many people.” As a kid I thought that was funny. charts and computers to consult, devices I now know what she meant. to use and pumps to unclog, it’s a wonder I also learned that you don’t know what you don’t know. My dad’s chief problem that more mistakes don’t happen.

But mistakes do happen, not infrequent- resulting from his illness is that he is not ly. I don’t think the details are important, able to safely swallow food or drink, at but I discovered more than once that my least for the time being.

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The Beacon is a monthly newspaper dedicated to inform, serve, and entertain the citizens of the Greater Washington area, and is privately owned. Other editions serve Greater Baltimore, Howard County and Palm Springs, CA. Readership exceeds 400,000.

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• Publisher/Editor ....................Stuart P. Rosenthal • Associate Publisher..............Judith K. Rosenthal • Vice President of Operations ....Gordon Hasenei • Director of Sales ................................Alan Spiegel • Managing Editor............................Barbara Ruben • Graphic Designer ..............................Kyle Gregory • Assistant Operations Manager ..........Roger King • Advertising Representatives ........Doug Hallock, ................................................Dan Kelly, Cheryl Watts

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His doctor and speech therapist explained that the best option under the circumstances would be to insert a feeding tube into his stomach through which he could directly ingest liquid nourishment.

For reasons never made clear, Dad spent three days in the hospital (courtesy of Medicare, and during which time he was getting only IV fluids) before the 45minute procedure was finally arranged.

While it went well, it was only a day or two later, while at a rehab facility preparing for discharge, that he learned his retirement community would not permit him to return with a feeding tube!

The real kicker is that my parents had just the month before been asked (effectively, forced) to move from the community’s independent living wing to its assisted living wing so the facility could better provide the services they required.

What we didn’t know was that residents cannot be excluded from the independent living wing due to feeding tubes — only from the assisted living wing. So having packed up and moved to assisted living

just a month ago, they were now basically being asked to pack up and move out for good!

With great effort — involving many calls, much research, some cajoling and a few threats — reason prevailed, and we were able to convince the facility that my dad could safely and independently manage his feeding tube so they could permit him to return.

During this period, we visited a few other facilities just in case he would not be allowed back. At one, the marketing director — describing the limits of our ability to negotiate a similar arrangement to the one my parents would be leaving — quoted a song lyric I hadn’t heard before: “Sometimes you’re the windshield, and sometimes you’re the bug,” she said.

I think it’s a very apt phrase to describe what I have learned from my recent visits to Texas.

Letters to the editor Readers are encouraged to share their opinion on any matter addressed in the Beacon as well as on political and social issues of the day. Mail your Letter to the Editor to The Beacon, P.O. Box 2227, Silver Spring, MD 20915, or email to barbara@thebeaconnewspapers.com. Please include your name, address and telephone number for verification.

Dear Editor: Many thanks to the Beacon for spreading the word about “D.C. seniors and rent control” in the July issue. However, I am writing to make several corrections.

Seniors (defined as age 62 and over) do not have to apply each year to qualify for the lower rent increase limit; rather they need do so only once by filing an “elderly/disability status” registration form with the D.C. Rent Administrator’s office.

The D.C. Rental Housing Commission publishes the “rent control CPI” each February. It applies to standard annual rent increases taken in rent controlled units between May 1st and April 30th of the following year.

The current “rent control CPI” is 3.6 %.

Thus, for elderly tenants and tenants with disabilities, the maximum standard annual rent increase is now 3.6%, and for all other tenants it is 5.6% (CPI + 2%).

Rent control generally applies to apartments built prior to 1976, except for units that are federally or District subsidized, or are owned by a natural person(s) who own(s) fewer than five rental units in D.C. The article includes a phone number, 202-719-6560, which is the main number for the D.C. Office of the Tenant Advocate (OTA). It also includes the OTA web-link to the registration form (http://bit.ly/seniorsrentcontrol).

Eligible tenants should take advantage of the “elderly/disability status” registration clinic at the OTA’s Annual Tenant

Summit, to be held on Saturday, Sept. 22 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., at Gallaudet University’s Kellogg Center, 800 Florida Ave., NE. Again the OTA thanks the Beacon for sharing this important information, and we encourage anyone who has questions about tenant rights in the District, including the rent control law, to contact our office.

Joel Cohn Legislative Director D.C. Office of the Tenant Advocate Dear Editor: Finally! After many months of polarized coverage by the mainstream media, with conservatives blasting “Obamacare” as a slippery slope to socialism and liberals proclaiming it as the best thing since the “New Deal,” we have your August editorial, which puts the whole issue in clear perspective. You also give some “real world” examples of how this will affect us all.

Mainstream media is more focused on how it will affect the November election.

The media also loves to quote statistics, but since it’s too soon to have any reliable stats on this issue, your “anecdotal evidence” is compelling.

I hope the Beacon continues to provide “behind the sound bites” coverage of how issues of our day affect seniors, free from the haze of political bias.

Jim Seeley Producer/host Forever Young TV See LETTERS TO EDITOR, page 61

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

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Health Fitness &

5

ARM YOURSELF WITH INFO Check blood pressure in both arms; a big difference could spell trouble HOW LONG WILL YOU LIVE? Sophisticated online tools can help predict longevity, but calculations vary HOPE FOR ALZHEIMER’S A small study of a new drug shows that it may help stabilize Alzheimer’s FOODS THAT FIGHT STROKE Foods, from fruits to milk to fish to tea, may help reduce risk of strokes

Soothe pain with foods, from fish to fruit

By Sharon Palmer Aches and pains — whether they result indirectly from a condition like arthritis or cancer, or directly due to injury — can be destructive. However, research is beginning to discover the power of diet to help manage pain.

When you injure yourself or get an infection, acute inflammation is your body’s natural defense response. Redness, swelling and pain are the telltale signs as immune cells flood the area to target infectious organisms or push out debris from the site.

But chronic inflammation occurs when the inflammatory process is triggered with no real threat at hand. This slow simmer of inflammation may underlie the pathogenesis of many diseases, such as cancer and arthritis, that cause pain.

Anti-inflammatory drugs have been used to treat pain and inflammation for more than 40 years. Now scientists are turning their attention to foods that can act as anti-inflammatory agents.

Foods fight or feed inflammation Studies show that your daily food choices can either reduce or increase levels of inflammation in your body. A 2006 review published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology found that a dietary pattern high in refined starches, sugar, saturated fats and trans fats, and low in fruits, vegetables, whole grains and omega-3 fatty acids, increased inflammation.

In contrast, Mediterranean diet patterns — characterized by high fruit, vegetable, whole grain, healthy plant fats and fish intake, and low intake of processed foods, refined grains and red meat — are linked with lower inflammation.

“Making poor food choices, like highfat, high-sodium foods, can increase inflammation levels in our bodies that can trigger flare-ups and cause further problems,” said registered dietician Jessica Crandall, Wellness Director at Sodexo Health Care and spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics in Chicago.

“Foods that contain high amounts of antioxidants and omega-3 fatty acids, such as berries, beans, broccoli, spinach, kale, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, grapes and fish, will help reduce inflammation throughout the body,” Crandall noted.

Beyond just taming inflammation, consuming a balanced diet with adequate intake of essential protein, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins, minerals and fluids should be your first goal in addressing pain.

Many nutrient deficiencies present themselves with symptoms of pain, such as low levels of vitamin D manifesting with muscle and back pain. Conversely, vitamin D supplementation can reduce levels of pain, and magnesium supplementation helps treat migraines.

“Drinking inadequate amounts of fluids can cause additional joint pain and headaches,” Crandall added. Water is used by your body as a natural lubricant around joints and as a shock absorber for your eyes, brain and spinal cord.

If you have sensitivity to a particular

food, it can also cause pain, said Crandall.

Food allergies are an abnormal immunologic response following the ingestion of a certain food.

Food intolerances are an adverse reaction to a specific food produced by a nonimmunologic mechanism. For example, both peanut allergies and red wine sensitivities can trigger painful symptoms, such as stomach cramps or headaches in some individuals.

A 2010 study published in Cephalagia found that a diet that restricted foods that produced an immunologic response significantly reduced migraines.

If you suspect food sensitivities may be triggering your pain, you may want to keep a food diary to track symptoms and consult your healthcare provider to discuss testing for food allergies.

Foods that reduce pain While science supports the benefits of an overall anti-inflammatory diet — high See SOOTHE PAIN, page 6

With aging, mental healthcare needs grow

By Lauran Neergaard Getting older does not just mean a risk for physical ailments like heart disease and creaky knees: A new report finds as many as 1 in 5 American seniors has a mental health or substance abuse problem.

And as the population rapidly ages over the next two decades, millions of baby boomers may have a hard time finding care and services for mental health problems such as depression because the nation is woefully lacking in doctors, nurses and other health workers trained for their special needs, according to the report by the Institute of Medicine.

Instead, the country is focused mostly on preparing for the physical health needs of what has been called the silver tsunami.

“The burden of mental illness and substance abuse disorders in older adults in the United States borders on a crisis,” wrote Dr. Dan Blazer of Duke University, who chaired the Institute of Medicine panel that investigated the issue. “Yet this crisis is largely hidden from the public and many of those who develop policy and programs to care for older people.”

A common and growing problem

More difficult to treat with age

Already, at least 5.6 million to 8 million Americans age 65 and older have a mental health condition or substance abuse disorder, the report found, calling that a conservative estimate that does not include a number of disorders. Depressive disorders and psychiatric symptoms related to dementia are the most common.

While the panel could not make precise projections, those numbers are sure to grow as the number of seniors nearly doubles by 2030, said report co-author Dr. Peter Rabins, a psychiatrist at Johns Hopkins University.

How much substance abuse treatment for seniors will be needed is a particular question, as rates of illegal drug use are higher in people currently in their 50s than in previous generations.

Mental health experts welcomed the report. “This is a wake-up call for many reasons,” said Dr. Ken Duckworth of the National Alliance on Mental Illness. The coming need for geriatric mental healthcare “is quite profound for us as a nation, and something we need to attend to urgently,” he said.

Merely getting older does not make mental health problems more likely to occur, Rabins said, noting that middle age is the most common time for onset of depression.

But when they do occur in older adults, the report found that they are too often overlooked and tend to be more complex.

Among the reasons: • People over 65 almost always have physical health problems at the same time that can mask or distract from the mental health needs. The physical illnesses — and medications used for them — also can complicate treatment.

For example, up to a third of people who require long-term steroid treatment develop mood problems that may require someone knowledgeable about both the medical and mental health issues to determine whether it is best to cut back the steroids or add an antidepressant, Rabins said.

On the other side, older adults with untreated depression are less likely to have their diabetes, high blood pressure and other physical conditions under control — and consequently wind up costing a lot more to treat.

• Age alters how people’s bodies metabolize alcohol and drugs, including prescription drugs. That can increase the risk of dangerous overdoses, and worsen or even trigger substance abuse problems.

Additional issues • Grief is common in old age as spouses, other relatives and friends die. It may be difficult to distinguish between grief and major depression.

That also means a loss of the support systems that earlier in life could have helped people better recover from a mental health problem, said Dr. Paul D.S. Kirwin, president of the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry.

Adding stress may be loss of a professional identity with retirement, and the role reversal that happens when children start taking care of older parents.

“There’ll never be enough geriatric psychiatrists or geriatric medicine specialists to take care of this huge wave of people that are aging,” Kirwin said.

See MENTAL HEALTHCARE, page 6

Fitness & Health | More at TheBeaconNewspapers.com

Soothe pain From page 5 in minimally processed plant foods such as whole grains, legumes, nuts, fruits, vegetables, coffee, tea and spices — to reduce chronic inflammation, certain foods and supplements are linked with managing certain types of pain, including:

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

1. Omega-3 fatty acids, found in fish and fish oil, produce arthritic pain-reducing effects equivalent to ibuprofen.

2. Green tea, rich in antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties, appears to reduce inflammation and pain in arthritis.

3. Pomegranates and cherries are both linked with reducing muscle soreness after intense physical activity.

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4. Red grapes or wine, rich in the compound resveratrol, are associated with reducing pain.

5. Olive oil contains the compound oleocanthal, which possesses anti-inflammatory properties similar to ibuprofen.

6. Coffee has been shown to reduce muscle pain during and after exercise.

7. Curcumin, the anti-inflammatory spice that gives curry its golden hue, relieves pain in osteoarthritis, according to research.

8. Ginger has been linked with reducing pain associated with muscle injury after exercise.

9. Glucosamine and chondroitin, supplements often taken together, have shown improvements in pain related to osteoarthritis — although not all studies have found such benefits.

10. S-adenosylmethionine (SAMe) supplements appear to be as effective as anti-inflammatory drugs such as celecoxib at relieving arthritis pain.

Reprinted with permission from Environmental Nutrition, a monthly publication of Belvoir Media Group, LLC.1-800-8295384. www.EnvironmentalNutrition.com. ©2012 Belvoir Media Group. Distributed

by Tribune Media Services, Inc.

Mental healthcare

tants and social workers — need some training to recognize the signs of geriatric mental health problems and provide at least basic care.

To get there, it called for changes in how Medicare and Medicaid pay for mental health services, stricter licensing requirements for health workers, and for the government to fund appropriate training programs.

— AP

From page 5

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The Institute of Medicine report recognizes that. It says all health workers who see older patients — including primary care physicians, nurses, physicians’ assis-

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Sept. 13 Medical professionals believe it is important for everyone to have their hearing evaluated annually. Your free hearing consultation is sponsored by a licensed hearing care specialist and is intended for those who have difficulty understanding speech in noisy situations.

Free hearing consultations are only available at a location listed below and will be offered for one week only:

Bethesda, MD

Silver Spring, MD Frederick, MD

Connecticut Belair Wildwood Medical Center 10401 Old Georgetown Rd., Medical Park 3915 Ferrara Drive Suite 102

Falls Church, VA

(301) 328-1092

(301) 850-1527

Guilford Professional Center Rock Spring Professional 5950 Frederick Cntr.

Crossing Lane 5657 Columbia Pike, (301) 703-2707 Suite 100

Burke/ Springfield, VA

Sterling, VA

Leesburg, VA

Rolling Valley Office Park 9312-D Old Keene Mill Rd.

(571) 642-1691

(703) 955-4530 Manassas, VA

Sterling Medical Office Park Lansdowne Office Park 46440 Benedict Dr., 19465 Deerfield Ave. Suite 101 Suite 109

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(703) 794-2371

An inspection of your ears with a video fiber optic otoscope may reveal excessive ear wax or fluid accumulation, factors that may contribute to difficulty hearing. Your free hearing consultation is painless, takes less than an hour, and you are under no obligation.

Our hearing care specialists are licensed by the state and will be the first to tell you if you do not need a hearing aid. If you do have a hearing loss, we will explain your results and provide you with a list of options, including solutions to match your financial need, lifestyle, and virtually any type of hearing loss.

8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Evenings and Saturday by appointment.

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MACULAR DEGENERATION RESEARCH OPPORTUNITY

Learn about participating in a clinical trial with FDA approved homebased monitoring program for people with the dry form of macular degeneration on Thursday, Sept. 13 from 1:30 to 3 p.m. Join Retina Group of Washington’s Debbie Oliver, clinical research manager and Osmat Ehrmat, developer of the monitoring device. Also learn about DaVinci, a text-to-speech reader at the program at Charles Beatley Central Library, 5005 Duke St., Alexandria, Va. For more information, call (703) 746-1760.

Sept. 11+

CAREGIVERS TELEPHONE SUPPORT GROUP

Share your experiences, get emotional support, and listen to helpful information through this Fairfax Countyrun caregiver support group. The group meets over the phone on the second Tuesday of each month from 7 to 8 p.m. To register or for more information, call (703) 324-5484 and leave your name and phone number or go online to www.fairfaxcounty. gov/dfs/olderadultservices/caregiver.htm. The topic of the Sept. 11 meeting will be end of life caregiving, hospice and palliative care.

Sign up by Sunday, Sept. 30 for the Senior Spelling Bee, open to those age 55+, to be held on Saturday, Dec. 1 at the Rockville Memorial Library,

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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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I N F O R M A T I O N

Practicing seven healthy lifestyle habits might reduce your risk of dying from heart disease or any other cause, according to a study published online in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

The American Heart Association calls these steps the “Simple 7” — 1) Exercise at least five days a week; 2) lower cholesterol to under 200 mg/dL; 3) eat

Pop. Soda. Cola. No matter what you call soft drinks, they’re among the unhealthiest beverages in this country. Sugar-sweetened soft drinks have been linked with coronary artery disease and its risk factors, including obesity, high blood lipid levels, hypertension and diabetes.

And although low-calorie sodas have not been extensively studied, there’s new information that both sugar-sweetened and diet soft drinks may increase the risk of stroke, according to a study in the May issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

The finding comes from an analysis of two long-term studies, the Nurses’ Health Study, which began in 1976 with 121,700 women, and the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study, which started in 1986 with 51,529 men.

Every few years, participants in both

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Prolong your life with healthy habits

Soft drinks may increase stroke risk

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If you’re over 65, you may no longer need to see your clinician for a Pap smear every year. In March, both the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force and American Cancer Society released new recommendations on cervical cancer screening.

The groups say women over 65 can stop having this annual screening, provided they’ve had at least three negative Pap smears or two negative human papillomavirus (HPV) tests in the last 10 years and they aren’t at high risk for cervical cancer.

Women who’ve had their cervix removed with a hysterectomy also don’t need to be screened. Up to age 65, women should have either a Pap smear every three years, or a combination of a Pap smear and HPV test every five years. As with any health guidelines, it’s important to discuss cervical cancer screening with your doctor, taking into account your unique risks for the disease.

If you’re having unprotected sex with a new partner, also talk to your doctor about getting tested for HPV, as well as for other sexually transmitted diseases.

— Harvard Women’s Health Watch

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No need for Pap smears after 65

a heart-healthy diet; 4) manage blood pressure; 5) keep body mass index under 25, 6) reduce blood sugar; and 7) don’t smoke.

The study, which used survey information from nearly 45,000 adults, found that people who met six or more of these goals had a 51 percent lower risk of death from any cause, and a 76 percent lower risk of death from heart disease compared to people who met one or fewer goals.

Only 10 percent of people surveyed said they were meeting six of the goals, and less than 2 percent were achieving all seven goals.

The good news from this study is that there is a lot we can do to help ourselves if we make important lifestyle changes.

— Harvard Women’s Health Watch

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Health Shorts

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

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Health shorts From page 7 studies complete questionnaires about their health and diet. This allows researchers to see relationships between food choices and medical conditions that

arise over time.

In this study, researchers looked at the number and type of strokes that occurred over a 22- to 28-year period. They compared this information with the consumption of low-calorie caffeinated colas, caffeine-free colas, other low-calorie soft drinks and their

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

sugar-sweetened counterparts.

All findings were adjusted for factors that might influence stroke risk, such as vegetable and red meat intake, smoking, hormone replacement therapy, age, parental history of heart attack and stroke, and exercise.

What they found was a red flag: Sugarsweetened and diet soft drinks alike were associated with a higher risk of stroke, particularly in women.

The more sugar-sweetened soft drinks the women drank, the higher their risk of ischemic stroke. Even more alarming was the significant risk of hemorrhagic stroke with increasing amounts of diet soda consumed.

The number of hemorrhagic strokes that occurred in men was too small to draw a comparison with soda consumption.

The questionnaires also asked about consumption of other beverages, and here there is some good news: Coffee was associated with a 9 to 13 percent lower risk of stroke, and skim milk with an 11 percent lower risk than soft drinks. Tea and orange juice were also safer, but the comparison was not as dramatic.

— Harvard Heart Letter

New knee can help your heart Here’s another reason to get that knee replacement you’ve been considering. A new study presented at the 2012 Annual Meeting See HEALTH SHORTS, page 10

BEACON BITS

Ongoing

OLNEY FARMERS AND ARTISTS MARKET Take a trip to the Olney Farmers and Artists Market each Sunday

from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. for produce from 16 farmers, juried artists, a wide variety of interesting food vendors, including Asian and Bangladeshi cuisine, and pizza, with fresh produce as toppings. The market has a live chef demo every Sunday at 11 a.m. and offers live music every Sunday, as well as a fitness tent. The market is located on the grounds of the Medstar Montgomery Thrift Shop at 2801 Olney Sandy Spring Rd, Olney, Md. The market runs through the first Sunday in November and will have a special one-day holiday market the first Sunday in December. For more information, see www.olneyfarmersmarket.org.

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AARP Update Sponsored by AARP Maryland Fighting for Food Security for Maryland Seniors Throughout the year, AARP Nationwide nearly 9 million Americans over the age 50 are at Maryland partners with local groups such as Maryrisk of hunger. In land Hunger Solutions, Maryland, 6.35 perMaryland Food Access cent are threatened by and Nutrition Network hunger. No one of any (MFANN) and Harage should go hungry vest for the Hungry, to in the U.S. today. name a few, to increase With AARP FoundaSNAP enrollment, host tion and local commuoutreach events or parnity partners, AARP

By Jennifer Holz Maryland is commit- Associate State Director ticipate in food drives. for Outreach, We help our partners ted to helping to find AARP Maryland reach Marylanders the root causes of hunger; developing solutions; who might be in need through and protecting benefits such as telephone town halls, for instance, Senior Nutritional Access Pro- such as the one we held earlier gram (SNAP) so no older adult this year with more than 250 Baltiwill have to choose between more City residents.

An important initiative in their medications, or heating Maryland in combatting hunger their home in lieu of food.

is the annual Harvest for the Hungry campaign. The campaign runs in March and AARP Maryland teamed up with Harvest for the Hungry this year to raise awareness among AARP members across the state. In March 2012, thousands of Marylanders left non-perishable goods at their mail boxes, in Safeway stores and at Coldwell Banker offices during the campaign week. US postal workers and Harvest for the Hungry partners picked up and dropped off over 250,000 pounds of food to food banks across the state.

AARP Maryland is expanding its role in the Harvest for the Hungry campaign 2013. Focused on the DC metro area,

AARP is helping Harvest for the Hungry recruit volunteers to staff area Safeway stores to encourage shoppers to make donations. If you live in Prince George’s or Montgomery counties and would like to volunteer at your local Safeway store staffing an AARP donation table any time during the week of March 2 – 9, 2013, please contact Jen Holz at jholz@aarp.org or 410-895-7602.

For more on AARP Maryland’s hunger work and other projects,visit: www.aarp.org/md, like us on www.facebook.com/aarpmd and follow us at www.twitter.com/aarpmar yland. Questions? Call us at 866-542-8163 or email mdaarp@aarp.org.

YOU SHOULDN’T HAVE TO CHOOSE WHAT’S MORE IMPORTANT.

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The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly known as Food Stamps) helps you boost your budget so you don’t have to choose between food and paying your utility bills. SNAP is a secure and confidential way for you to put healthy food on your table and take a weight off your mind.

AARP Foundation is making it easier than ever to sign up for SNAP. We’re committed to working toward ensuring that every older Marylander has a life free from hunger.

CALL 1-800-332-6347 TO SEE IF YOU OR SOMEONE YOU CARE ABOUT IS ELIGIBLE FOR SNAP BENEFITS.

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Health shorts From page 8 of the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons finds that adults with osteoarthritis face lower odds of developing heart failure by having a total knee replacement.

The study did not show a direct cause and effect, or prove definitively that a total knee replacement (TKR) could improve cardiovascular health. However, the procedure does allow the recipient to exercise again, which can lead to better heart health. “These days, total knee replacement lasts a long time. After 20 years of implan-

tation, 80 percent of new joints survive.

That’s better than cars, washing machines and refrigerators,� said Dr. Donald Reilly, assistant clinical professor of Orthopedic Surgery at Harvard Medical School. “The large majority of U.S. surgeons do a resurfacing operation,� said Reilly. In resurfacing, surgeons remove damaged cartilage at the ends of the thigh and shin bones, then implant metal and plastic components to act as the new surface of the joint. They may also resurface the underside of the knee cap.

Sometimes, only part of the surface of the knee bones needs to be resurfaced.

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

This is called a partial total knee replacement. The procedures are reliable, with very few problems.

Complications that can require repeat surgery — like infection, instability, wear, fracture and loosening — occur at a rate of about 1 percent per year.

But even today’s advanced TKRs come with a long recovery. “We have gotten better with pain management after total knee replacement, but the postoperative course is hard and takes substantial effort in physical therapy by the patient,� explained Reilly.

“Patients who are in good shape can expect to climb stairs with crutches three to five days after surgery and walk comfortably on crutches by four weeks.�

Reilly said physical therapy typically lasts two months and it may take six months for a patient to be able to climb the stairs without assistance. But most people are happy to have full use of their knee again. “Four out of five people are glad they had their knee replaced,� said Reilly. — Harvard Health Letter

BEACON BITS

Sept. 12

GET OUT THE VOTE

Gloria Lawlah, Secretary, Maryland Department on Aging and Nancy Soreng, President, Maryland League of Women Voters, will speak on why you should cast a ballot at the Wednesday, Sept. 12 meeting of OWL (formerly the Older Women’s League). The meeting will be held from 1:15 to 3 p.m. at the Holiday Park Senior Center Social Room, 3950 Ferrara Dr., Wheaton Md. For more information, call (301) 468-4448.

Sept. 14

RETIRED FEDERAL EMPLOYEES MEETING

The National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association (NARFE) will hold its September meeting on Friday, Sept. 14 at 11:30 a.m. at Alfios La Trattoria, 4515 Willard Ave., Chevy Chase, Md. There is free valet parking, and the restaurant is walking distance from Friendship Heights Metro station. The lunch starts at noon and afterward, Judy Welles, head of the Montgomery County Commission on Aging, will speak. The cost of lunch is $14.

For more information, call Gordon Brown at (240) 328-6926.

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What else don’t you know about The Village at Rockville? Don’t you owe it to yourself to learn more? Call 877-405-1590 to schedule your personal tour of a Cottage Home.

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9701 Veirs Drive s Rockville, MD 20850 s 877-405-1590 s www.thevillageatrockville.org The Village at Rockville is a continuing care retirement community (CCRC) sponsored by National Lutheran Communities & Services, a faith-based, not-for-profit ministry of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.

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

Stay Connected to the Life You Love

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

Check your blood pressure in both arms Arm-to-arm variations in blood pressure may warrant attention. A difference of 10 or more points could signal peripheral artery disease.

Roll up both sleeves the next time you check your blood pressure at home or have it measured by a healthcare provider.

Why? A recent analysis of 20 different

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studies in which blood pressure was measured in both arms came to two noteworthy conclusions.

First, people with arm-to-arm pressure differences of 15 points or more were twice as likely to have peripheral artery disease (PAD) compared with those who had similar readings in both arms.

PAD occurs when vessels of the arms, legs or other body parts beyond the heart and brain become clogged, usually from atherosclerosis — the buildup of fatty plaque that is also behind most heart attacks and strokes.

Stroke predictor Second, arm-to-arm pressure differences of 10 to 15 points or more also boosted the chances of having a stroke or dying from cardiovascular disease, according to a study published in Lancet.

The first finding may be more worthy of attention than the latter, even though strokes and death sound more grievous than “peripheral artery disease.”

The fact is that PAD affects an estimated 12 million Americans — more than heart disease and stroke combined. It can severely limit mobility and cause debilitating pain, but it can also lurk silently.

It can be deadly, as well, which might make differences in blood pressure from arm to arm an important early warning sign. Most guidelines already recommend measuring blood pressure in both arms, but many doctors and do-it-yourselfers ignore that guidance.

You needn’t worry much about varia-

tions of a few points between the right and left arm. But if your arm-to-arm readings at home diverge by more than 10 or 15 points, tell your doctor and ask him or her to check both arms also.

If your doctor finds the same discrepancy, he or she might order another test.

That’s the ankle-brachial index, which is calculated from blood pressure measurements at the ankle and the arm.

Pressure that is significantly lower at the ankle than at the arm suggests a blockage in the leg. And, as the authors of a commentary accompanying the Lancet article note, many cases of high blood pressure could be missed when only one arm is checked.

Tips for taking blood pressure at home 1. Avoid caffeine, alcohol and nicotine for 30 minutes before taking your blood pressure.

2. Sit quietly for a few minutes with your feet on the floor before inflating the cuff.

3. Rest your arm so your elbow is level with your heart, and wrap the cuff over the bare skin of your upper arm.

4. Take two readings. If they’re close, average them. If not, take a third reading and average the three.

5. Repeat the procedure in the other arm.

For a video showing how to measure your blood pressure at home, go to www.health.harvard.edu/128.

— Harvard Heart Letter © 2012 President and fellows of Harvard College. All rights reserved. Distributed by Tribune Media Services, Inc

BEACON BITS

Sept. 13

LETTING GO OF CLUTTER

The Village at Rockville will host author Marcie Lovett to discuss her book The Clutter Book: When You Can’t Let Go, which addresses concerns about clutter in your life, whether it’s caused by things, commitments or thoughts. The discussion will take place Thursday, September 13 at 2:30 p.m. in Lang Hall, 9701 Veirs Dr. Rockville. Call (301) 354-8447 for more information.

Sept. 29

FREE ADMISSION TO MUSEUMS

Museums across the country that normally charge for admission are free on Saturday, Sept. 29 as part of the Smithsonian Institution’s Museum Day Live! event. Museums in the D.C. area that will be free include the National Building Museum, the National Museum of Crime and Punishment, the Octagon Museum and the Woodrow Wilson House.

Free tickets, available at http://Smithsonian.com/museumday, are required. One ticket per household, for two people. A ticket will gain entry to only one of the participating museums.

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Digestive Health Corner Sponsored by Capital Digestive Care

Understanding Celiac Disease Celiac disease is a disease of the di- nutrients from food to be absorbed Without gestive tract that damages the lining into the bloodstream. of the small intestine and interferes healthy villi, a person can become with the absorption of nutrients from malnourished, no matter how much food they eat. food. The prevalence of There are a wide range celiac disease has inof symptoms associated creased dramatically and with celiac disease, both today, affects approxigastrointestinal (within the mately 1% of the populastomach and intestines) as tion of the United States. well as extraintestinal (outAlthough it affects both side the intestines), that children and adults, the may present at any age. majority of cases are diagThe gastrointestinal (GI) nosed in adulthood.

By Andrea Kohn symptoms may include diThose with a family histoCRNP arrhea, pale, foul-smelling ry of celiac disease (typistools, abdominal pain, cally first or second-degree relative) are at an increased risk. vomiting, bloating, constipation and The exact cause of celiac disease is weight loss. Non-GI symptoms may unclear, but it appears to be a combi- appear in the form of skin conditions nation of immune response, genetic (dermatitis, hepetiformis), iron deficiency, unexplained anemia, delayed makeup and environmental factors.

People with celiac disease cannot growth or puberty or osteoporosis, tolerate gluten, a protein found in among others. Celiac disease has also wheat, barley, rye, and possibly oats. been associated with neuropsychiatric When people with celiac disease eat conditions, such as depression, mifoods or use products containing graine headaches, ataxia, anxiety, neugluten, their immune system re- ropathy and epilepsy and some chronsponds by damaging or destroying ic liver disorders, such as chronic liver villi – the tiny finger-like protrusions cirrhosis, autoimmune hepatitis, and that line the small intestine enabling primary sclerosing cholangitis.

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Since many of these symptoms are related to other digestive conditions, diagnosing celiac disease can be difficult and more than one test is often needed to rule-out the presence of other conditions as well as to identify any nutritional deficiencies caused by celiac disease.

Esophagastroduodenoscopy (EGD) is considered the optimal method for diagnosis. During an EGD a physician uses an endoscope (a thin tube with a light and camera at its tip) to examine the lining of the esophagus, stomach, and upper duodenum. If necessary, a biopsy may be performed during the procedure. Further examination of biopsied tissue can confirm a diagnosis of celiac disease.

Celiac disease cannot be prevented but once diagnosed, its symptoms and effects may be reversed or managed with dietary changes. Nutritional deficiencies in iron, calcium, phosphorus, folate, B12, and fat-soluble vitamins should be treated, and it is very important to immediately begin a life-long gluten-free diet – even a small amount of gluten can be harmful to someone with celiac disease.

Although celiac disease awareness has brought many changes to the market, food labels remain an issue.

It can be difficult, or even impossible, to tell whether a packaged product contains ingredients that may be harmful, but great changes are on the horizon. Just as calorie counts are beginning to show up on menus all over the country, so are gluten-free menu items. Potato, rice, soy or bean flour may be substituted for wheat flour

and plain meat, fish, fruits and vegetables are safe as well. Oats are controversial – some people can tolerate them without a reaction, while others cannot. A registered dietician or nutritionist may be a valuable resource in helping to develop a healthy, glutenfree diet that is well balanced.

If left untreated, damage to the small intestine and poor nutrient absorption can lead to additional health concerns and long term consequences. It is important to see a specialist if you have persistent GI or non-GI symptoms that last longer than would be typical of a viral or bacterial infection, especially if symptoms prevail after treatment is completed.

For more information about celiac disease, visit our website at www.capitaldigestivecare.com or request a free information kit at info@capitaldigestivecare.com or (240) 485-5207.

Capital Digestive Care has 16 offices conveniently located throughout the Washington Metropolitan Area, including, Montgomer y, Howard, Prince George’s and Frederick counties.

Andrea S. Kohn, CRNP is a Certified Registered Nurse Practitioner specializing in Gastroenterology. She works with her patients to diagnose and treat a broad range of digestive health and liver conditions, including celiac disease. Ms. Kohn is with the Birns, Gloger & Witten, MD division of Capital Digestive Care and sees patients in the Urbana and Rockville offices.

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

SEPTEMBER IS FALLS PREVENTION MONTH! Join GROWS (The Grassroots Organization for the Well-being of Seniors in Montgomery County) and their partners in wiping out falls! Attend one of the FREE programs listed below.

Ingleside at King Farm 270 *;6 5?- $8,4?255.

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

15

Beacon’s 50+Expos coming in October fair of government and nonprofit agencies, arranged with the assistance of Montgomery and Arlington counties.

Hear JC Hayward and Mark Plotkin WUSA9 News anchor JC Hayward will once again be the event’s emcee.

This year’s keynote speaker will be wellknown political commentator Mark Plotkin, formerly of WTOP radio and now a Fox 5 News analyst. Plotkin will discuss the upcoming election, including Virginia’s role as a key battleground state and how Maryland’s redistricting could shake up Congressional races.

Entertainment at both locations will include the Music & Art Traveling Heart Show, which performs upbeat music from be-bop to rock and is known for inviting audience participation.

At Ballston, Linda George, 1st Runner Up at the 2011 Ms. Senior Virginia pageant, will sing with the band. At White Flint, Mary Ann Evangelista, winner of this year’s Maryland Senior Idol contest, will perform.

Free health screenings, including blood pressure and glaucoma tests, will be provided at both locations.

More than 100 local companies and organizations are expected to be exhibiting at the two events — including healthcare

and home care providers, housing communities, legal and financial advisors, travel services, plus many government agencies and nonprofit organizations offering services for older adults and their families.

At White Flint, computer classes will also be offered by the SeniorTech location operated by the Jewish Council for the Aging at the mall. Subjects will include: using social media, digital photography and finding free stuff online.

Many exhibitors will have giveaways at

their booths, and valuable door prizes will be awarded throughout the day to those who register.

Parking and public transportation Parking is available at Ballston Common Mall for $1 on weekends. The mall is located two blocks from the Ballston Metro station on the Orange Line, and is connected to the station via a skywalk from the mall’s See 50+EXPOS, page 17

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Finding Information During Power Outages You can get information about power outages and access restoration estimates in several ways.

We know that you want information if the power goes out and we are committed to keeping you informed as we work to restore your electric service. There are several ways you can get information during a storm.

"!Call 1-877-PEPCO-62 (1-877-737-2662) to report outages and downed wires. Please request a call back so we can verify if individual or small groups of outages still exist.

"!Go online to pepco.com and click “Report/Get Outage Status.” By

entering your phone number and address or your account information, you can get updates, use dynamic outage maps to zoom in and see where outages have occurred, get important contact information, and see estimates for when power will be restored. Outage maps are updated every 10 minutes.

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By Barbara Ruben Jim Morris and his wife Barbara have lived for 50 years in Arlington, Va. And as they’ve gotten older, they have attended the Beacon’s 50+Expo each fall.

“What’s nice about the Expo is there’s information for seniors, caregivers and children of seniors. There’s a lot to do. Different vendors show you what they have and give out information,” Morris said.

“They have great entertainment every year,” he added. “And the guest speakers are always interesting. It’s always worthwhile to sit down and hear what they have to say,” Morris said.

This fall, the Beacon will present its 13th annual community education event — formerly called the InfoExpo, now named the 50+Expo — in both Montgomery County and Northern Virginia.

The free events, geared to people over 50 and those who love them, draw thousands of attendees to hear expert speakers, obtain information from a variety of exhibitors, and enjoy health screenings, computer education, entertainment and giveaways.

On Sunday, Oct. 7 the expo will be held from noon to 4 p.m. at Ballston Common Mall in Arlington, Va. The following Sunday, Oct. 14, the event will take place from noon to 4 p.m. at White Flint in N. Bethesda, Md. Continuing this year will be a resource

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

Revolutionary Emergency Alert Technology…

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This medical alarm may save your life when others can’t

Lifeline with AutoAlert is the only Medical Alarm pendant that can automatically call for help if a fall is detected.

Lifeline with AutoAlert**… for an added layer of protection. Luckily for Arlene, her doctor had recommended Lifeline with AutoAlert. This revolutionary system features the only Medical Alarm pendant that can automatically call Lifeline’s state-of-the-art response center, if it detects your fall. Then if you need help or can’t respond, expert emergency response operators quickly call friends, family or local ambulance, police or firefighters to summon help… quickly and reliably.

Remarkably sophisticated… easy to use. Now, they’ve introduced AutoAlert. All you do is plug the base unit into a power outlet and a phone land

line. Then, you wear the Help when you need it most: AutoAlert – Medical Emergency pendant.

“Good morning.

This is Brenda with If you – Accident Lifeline. Do you need experience – Burglary help Mrs. Jones?” any kind of – Fire emergency, from fires to falls, a break-in or even just shortness of breath, press the button and it calls the Lifeline Emergency Response Center. If you fall and can’t press the button for any reason, AutoAlert with • Free shipping • Free activation advanced fall detection technology can automatically • No equipment cost call for you, even if you can’t. Lifeline Response Center Associates are trained to assess the situation and will summon help quickly.

Don’t wait another minute… call now! firstSTREET is proud to offer Lifeline with AutoAlert at a special introductory price. There’s no equipment to buy, no long-term contract and the setup takes only seconds.

Call now and find out how you or a loved one can get this added layer of protection to help you stay living independently in your home.

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ave you thought about what you would do in case of an emergency in or around your home? You’re not alone. Many people have tried to protect themselves by purchasing PERS, or Personal Emergency Response Systems. That’s a smart move, but only one system offers the extra protection of AutoAlert. That’s what a lucky subscriber named Arlene experienced when she fell in her driveway.* She hit her head and was so dazed that she didn’t think to press the button on her PERS pendant. Suddenly she was amazed to see an ambulance coming up the street. She wondered, “How did they know I fell?”

*Button range may vary based on range test in and around your home. **AutoAlert does not detect 100% of all falls. If able users should always push their button when they need help. Copyright © 2012 by firstSTREET for Boomers and Beyond, Inc. All rights reserved.

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them, from the Web, E-mail, Calendar to Games– you name it… and a new screen opens up. It’s so easy to use you won’t have to ask your children or grandchildren for help.

Until now the very people who could benefit most from E-mail, and the Internet are the ones that have had the hardest time accessing it. Now, thanks to the WOW Computer, countless older Americans are discovering the wonderful world of the Internet every day. Isn’t it time you took part? Call now, and a patient, knowledgeable product expert will tell you how you can try it in your home for 30 days. If you are not totally satisfied, simply return it within 30 days for a refund of the product purchase price.

Call today.

Have you ever said to yourself “I’d love to get a computer, if only I could figure out how to use it.” Well, you’re not alone. Computers were supposed to make our lives simpler, but they’ve gotten so complicated that they are not worth the trouble.

With all of the “pointing and clicking” and “dragging and dropping” you’re lucky if you can figure out

where you are. Plus, you are constantly worrying about viruses, spam and NEW freeze-ups. If this sounds Touch familiar, we have great Screen Technology news for you. There is finally a computer that’s designed for simplicity and ease of use. It’s the WOW Computer, and it was designed with you in mind.

This computer is easy-to-use, worry-free and literally puts the world at your fingertips.

From the moment you open the box, you’ll realize how different the WOW Computer is.

The components are all connected; all you do is plug it into an outlet and your high-speed Internet connection. Then you’ll see the screen. This is a completely new touch screen system, without the cluttered look of the normal computer screen.

The “buttons” on the screen are easy to see and easy to understand. All you do is touch one of

…It’s easy to read. It’s easy to see. It’s even easier to understand and use!

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

17

Why calculate your longevity? And how?

By Eleanor Laise Life span predictions may sound like the stuff of tarot cards and palm readers. But an increasingly sophisticated set of online tools promise to help individuals gain a sense of how long they might live — and retirees, healthcare providers and financial planners are paying attention.

Government agencies, geriatricians, financial-services firms and other groups are now offering free, Web-based longevity calculators.

The tools are gaining popularity as older adults face a host of difficult questions that revolve around life expectancy: Should you start taking Social Security at age 62 or wait and collect a bigger check at 70?

Do the longer-term benefits of various types of cancer screening outweigh the immediate risks of these procedures? Given your current rate of portfolio withdrawals, do you risk outliving your nest egg?

A variety of methods The most basic calculators ask for your gender and birth date. The more complex versions ask dozens of questions about your eating habits, how you handle stress, and even how many friends you’ve made in the past year.

Some will spit out an exact life span estimate and offer suggestions on ways to extend it, while others will show a range of probable life spans or the risk that you’ll die within, say, five years.

Yet there are a number of caveats for seniors who use these calculators to make financial planning or healthcare decisions. Although the results generated by these tools may appear precise, they’re often based on averages for a broad population of people.

50+Expos From page 15 second level.

Parking is free and plentiful at White Flint, located on Rockville Pike about 1.5 miles north of the Beltway (I-495). The mall is about a half mile from the White Flint Metro stop on the Red Line.

The 50+Expo is presented every fall as a community service by the Beacon Newspapers, with the support of sponsors CVS/pharmacy, Comcast, AARP, Holy Cross Hospital, CareFirst Blue Cross/Blue Shield,

“Lots of them only tell you a single number, and it’s really bad to plan based on the average,” said Lyle Ungar, associate professor of computer and information science at the University of Pennsylvania, who helped develop an online life span calculator. “No calculator can be super accurate for you.”

What’s more, as mortality tables and medical research evolve over time, these tools can become outdated if they’re not revised. Dr. Thomas Perls, associate professor of medicine at Boston University School of Medicine and creator of the calculator at www.LivingTo100.com, noted that his tool once recommended vitamin E as a potentially life-prolonging supplement. He later removed the recommendation after studies were published showing possible risks.

• Bathing • Dressing • Lifting • Transferring • Personal Care & Hygiene

sor of geriatrics at the University of CaliSee LONGEVITY, page 18

“Lisa was very up front and organized. She made us feel very comfortable with this whole process” — R.A.

Senior Real Estate Specialist Lisa L. Langlais ABR, SFR, SRES NVAR 2011 Multi-Million Dollar Sales Club, Top Producer

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Risk-benefit analysis Although patients and doctors are sometimes reluctant to discuss the issue, life expectancy can be a key factor in many healthcare decisions. For example, life expectancy may play into an elderly patient’s decision to undergo various types of cancer screening.

Older patients with a relatively short life expectancy — say, five years or less — might consider that potential screening benefits could take many years to materialize, whereas risks could show up right away.

Those risks might include false-positive results that trigger unnecessary follow-up procedures, as well as the identification and treatment of cancers that are unlikely to produce symptoms during your lifetime.

A person with a long life expectancy, however, might focus on long-term benefits more than near-term risks.

Aetna, Ashby Ponds and Greenspring and other local businesses and organizations.

Community partners — including local organizations, communities and businesses — are invited to help publicize the Expos among their members and customers. Volunteers are also needed to help during the Expos for two-hour shifts.

Limited exhibit and sponsorship opportunities are also still available.

Call (301) 949-9766 for more information, to become a community partner or volunteer, or to become an exhibitor or sponsor.

Services for Seniors Activities of Daily Living

“Many of the things we do in medicine impose risks immediately with delayed benefits,” said Dr. Sei Lee, assistant profes-

Support Services • Companionship • Meal Preparation • Medication Reminder • Physical Therapy • Light Housekeeping • Transportation to Appointments

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Learn more today. Call 301-850-1253 for your free brochure and activities calendar.

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Fitness & Health | More at TheBeaconNewspapers.com

Affordable Senior Communities Discover how great senior living is at one of our affordable apartment communities. Many of our communities feature 24-hour emergency maintenance, full activities programs, spacious floor plans, affordable rents, caring and dedicated staff, and much more. We are conveniently located near shopping, including grocery stores and pharmacies. Let us help you live life to the fullest.

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

Longevity From page 17 fornia-San Francisco. Although colonoscopies and mammograms decrease cancer deaths, usually those benefits take five to 10 years to be seen, he said.

Lee, along with several colleagues, this year launched ePrognosis.org — a site that helps healthcare providers get a better handle on those risk-benefit tradeoffs.

The site offers 16 different calculators that estimate mortality risk over specific time periods for various groups of older adults, including those who are hospitalized, in nursing homes, or living at home.

Although the tools are intended for healthcare providers, you can use them by clicking a button stating that you’re a healthcare professional.

The site’s creators emphasize that these tools may be just the starting point for healthcare conversations. Yet “some patients may be surprised they may actually live a very long time and may benefit from certain procedures like cancer screening,” said Dr. Eric Widera, another researcher behind ePrognosis.

LivingTo100.com, Dr. Perls’ calculator, is aimed at individuals and asks dozens of questions about everything from your family’s longevity to your consumption of

red meat. The calculator’s goal, Perls said, “is to be an educational tool and to teach people that their day-to-day health-related behaviors can have a dramatic impact not just on how long they live, but how well they live.”

The site provides users feedback about how their exercise habits, calcium intake, hours worked per week and other behaviors may affect life expectancy.

Planning for a long life A retiree may scratch her head as one calculator estimates her life span at 92 and another at 103. But looking at multiple calculators can be a healthy exercise.

For retirement-planning purposes, “what’s good to look at is the upper bound” of life span estimates, said Doug Carey, founder of financial-planning software firm WealthTrace. Looking at the best-case life span scenario, after all, can help you avoid the worst-case portfolio scenario: outliving your money.

Rather than focusing on a single number, some tools offer users probabilities that they will reach a range of ages.

Ungar’s short calculator, available at http://gosset.wharton.upenn.edu/~foster/mortality, tells a healthy 65-year-old See LONGEVITY, page 19

BEACON BITS

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More at TheBeaconNewspapers.com | Fitness & Health

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

Longevity From page 18 woman that she is expected to live to 88 years old and has a 50 percent chance of dying between 81 and 95.5 years old.

A longer calculator available at the same site shows users how many years they might add to life expectancy by changing their behavior.

Financial-services companies offering annuities, long-term-care insurance and other products are spotting opportunity in the calculators. Northwestern Mutual’s calculator (www.lifespancalc.com), for example, tells a healthy 65-year-old woman she’ll live to an estimated 101 years old — and ends with a link encouraging her to “contact a financial representative.” The tool is “more educational than selling anything,” said Northwestern Mutual spokeswoman Jean Towell.

For seniors deciding when to take Social Security benefits — essentially a gam-

ble on longevity — the variations among life span estimates can be particularly befuddling.

Consider the healthy 65-year-old woman who earns $70,000 a year and is deciding between taking about $1,580 in monthly benefits now vs. $2,420/month starting at age 70. If she waits until age 70, she’ll need to live roughly 9.5 years more to recoup the benefits forgone between now and age 70.

Lifespancalc.com tells her she’ll live to 101, Ungar’s tool tells her she may live to 88, and the Social Security Administration’s own bare-bones calculator at www.ssa.gov tells her she’ll live to 86, based only on her gender and birth date.

None of these tools ask her if she has cancer or a penchant for skydiving. But they’ll likely lead her to hold out for higher benefits at 70 — and despite all life’s uncertainties, that’s a pretty good bet. © 2012, Kiplinger. All rights reserved.

Distributed by Tribune Media Services, Inc.

BEACON BITS

Sept. 24

LEARN ABOUT BREAST CANCER IMAGING

Educate yourself about scintimography, vibro-acoustographym thermography, electrical impedance imaging and other breast imaging tools at this free class for individuals affected by cancer. The class takes place on Monday, Sept. 24 from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at Hope Connections for Cancer Support, 5430 Grosvenor Ln., Suite 100, Bethesda, Md. RSVP required at (301) 493-5002. For more information, call (301) 493-5002 or email info@hopeconnectionsforcancer.org.

Sept. 14+

DANCING WITH MOVEMENT DISORDERS

Individuals with movement disorders can attend free classes at the Madison Community Center to learn improvisational dance while improving their balance and mobility. The program, designed

by Bowen McCauley Dance, is appropriate for people of all levels, including users of wheelchairs and walkers. The class starts on Friday, Sept. 14 at 3:30 p.m. at the Madison Community Center, 3829 N. Stafford St., Arlington, Va. Call (703) 228-4878 to register.

BEACON BITS

Ongoing

HELP PROVIDE GROCERY SHOPPING ASSISTANCE

The Senior Connection is looking for volunteers to escort seniors to grocery stores, help with reading labels, reaching stock, handling carts and putting away groceries or shopping for a homebound senior and putting away groceries. The program fosters a one-on-one relationship that benefits both volunteers and their neighbors. Volunteers should be willing to make a year-long commitment to shop every week or two. To volunteer or for additional information, call Marcia Custer at (301) 962-0820, ext. 14 or go online to www.seniorconnectionmc.org/volunteers/become-a-volunteer.

Sept. 27+

HAVEN OF NOVA OFFERS GRIEF SUPPORT GROUP

Haven of Northern Virginia is holding free bereavement support group meetings beginning on Thursday, Sept. 27 from 7:30 to 9 p.m. Registration is required. For information and registration, call (703) 9417000, go online to www.havenofnova.org, email Haven at havenofnova@verizon.net or visit Haven at 4606 Ravensworth Rd., Annandale, Va.

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20

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

Living Well Series Resumes with Fall Seminars Brooke Grove Retirement Village (BGRV) will resume its Living Well Community Seminar Series in September, according to Director of Marketing Toni Davis.

Designed to help participants navigate a variety of healthcare and personal challenges, each of these free, monthly presentations will be held from 7 to 8:15 p.m. in the terrace level conference room of Brooke Grove Rehabilitation and Nursing Center, located at 18131 Slade School Road on BGRV’s Sandy Spring, Maryland, campus. Each

seminar will be preceded by a complimentary lite supper beginning at 6:30 p.m.

United States Postal Inspector Charles Wickersham, in partnership with Home Instead Senior Care, will kick off the fall seminars with a session on “Minimizing the Risk of Fraud, Scams and Identity Theft” on Wednesday, September 19. Inspector Wickersham was a member of the Amerithrax Task Force that investigated the 2001 anthrax attacks. A certified fraud examiner, he now serves with the Washington Columbia Mail Fraud team, Division’s District of investigating a variety of crimes such as mortgage fraud, counterfeit goods, embezzlement and false lottery and sweepstakes fraud. His seminar presentation will include tips on how to spot foreign lottery scams as well as how to protect yourself from ❒ I would like to know more about Brooke Grove's independent living, mail fraud and identity theft. assisted living, rehabilitative, long-term care or memory support Leta Blank, program services. director of the Senior Health ❒ Reserve my seat for the September 19 "Minimizing the Risk of Fraud, Scams and Identity Theft" seminar.

Insurance Assistance Program, will take the podium on ❒ Reserve my seat for the October 17 "Medicare 2013" seminar.

Wednesday, October 17, to ❒ Reserve my seat for the November 7 "Let Go of Clutter, Let Go of Stress" seminar. discuss “Medicare 2013: What You Need to Know to Name: Get the Best Benefits.”

Address: Discover the answers to City, State, Zip: questions such as: “What do Daytime Phone: WB9/12 Medicare A and B cover? How Please mail this coupon to: Brooke Grove Retirement Village, does Medicare Part D work?

Attn: Community Relations, 18100 Slade School Road, Do I need Part C? What state Sandy Spring, MD 20860 and federal programs am I Phone: 301-260-2320 eligible for? Medicare doesn’t Fax: 301-924-1200. Web: www.bgf.org pay for everything, so what

✃

else do I need?”

On Wednesday, November 7, “Let Go of Clutter, Let Go of Stress” with professional organizer and productivity consultant Marcie Lovett. As the founder of Organized by Marcie™ and the author of “The Clutter Book: When You Can’t Let Go,” Ms. Lovett helps residential and business clients make the tough decisions about what to keep and what to let go.

During this seminar, participants will learn what clutter is, what to keep, what to discard, and how to establish rules to keep organized.

For further information or reservations, contact Ms. Davis at 301-924-2811, option 3, or tdavis@bgf.org by the Monday prior to each seminar.

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

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21

New drug may help stabilize Alzheimer’s

By Marilynn Marchione For the first time, researchers are reporting that a treatment might help stabilize Alzheimer’s disease for as much as three years, although the evidence is weak and found in only four patients.

The drug is Gammagard, made by Baxter International Inc. Doctors say that four patients who have been receiving the highest dose for three years showed no decline on memory and cognition tests. A dozen others on different doses or shorter treatment times didn’t fare as well.

This study was far too small to prove the treatment works, but a more rigorous one involving 400 patients will give results within a year.

Small study, but encouraging Still, the findings from the small study encouraged doctors at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference in Vancouver, British Columbia, where they were presented in July.

“It’s tantalizing. If you were to pick out four people with Alzheimer’s disease, the likelihood that they would perform the same on standardized tests three years later is very, very tiny,” said William Thies, the association’s scientific director.

People typically go from diagnosis to death in about eight years, so to be stable

for three years “is a long time,” he said.

“We shouldn’t get euphoric and we shouldn’t get unreasonable enthusiasm, but this is a positive piece of data.”

The need for an effective treatment is huge: About 35 million people worldwide have dementia, and Alzheimer’s is the most common type. In the U.S., about 5 million have Alzheimer’s. Current medicines such as Aricept and Namenda just temporarily ease symptoms. There is no known cure.

Gammagard is intravenous immune globulin, or IVIG — multiple, natural antibodies culled from donated blood. Half a dozen companies already sell IVIG to treat immune system and blood disorders.

These antibodies may help remove amyloid, the sticky plaque that clogs patients’ brains, sapping memory and ability to think.

Dr. Norman Relkin, head of a memory disorders program at New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center, gave three-year follow-up results on 16 of 24 patients in an earlier study of Gammagard aimed at finding the right dose to use in the larger study. The other eight are no longer being followed, and at least some of them have died.

After the early study ended, some participants were kept on Gammagard and some who had been receiving dummy infusions were switched to Gammagard.

Positive results shown Relkin found: • As a group, the 11 patients started on various doses of Gammagard fared better than the five started on dummy infusions.

• The five given dummy treatments declined more slowly after they were switched to Gammagard.

• All four participants originally given the highest dose and kept on that dose for three years showed no decline in cognition.

“To have all four not progress was very eye-opening,” Relkin said. Even a single patient who doesn’t decline over three years is unusual, he said.

“When I see that in clinical practice, I start to question whether the person has

Alzheimer’s disease,” but all of these study participants were verified by advanced testing to have it, he said.

Jason Marder is among them. The New York City man, who is 70, was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s more than eight years ago and continues to get Gammagard infusions every two weeks from a visiting nurse at home.

“I feel that I haven’t gone down, and that’s good,” he said in a recent interview.

“I feel good. I’m very independent.”

His wife, Karin Marder, said: “He has slowed down, no question about it. His walk is a little slower, but that could also have a lot to do with age. He’s still the Jason that I See ALZHEIMER’S DRUG, page 23

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Health Studies Page

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

THE PLACE TO LOOK FOR INFORMATION ON AREA CLINICAL TRIALS

Can a substance in wine help Alzheimer’s?

By R. Scott Turner, MD, PhD Researchers have found that a compound called resveratrol in red wine and grape juice can help prevent heart disease and possibly diabetes. Now doctors are examining whether resveratrol, found in high levels in the skin of red grapes and some other plant foods, might help those with Alzheimer’s disease.

The gene SIRT1 is implicated in the regulation of aging and may be activated by resveratrol. Levels of resveratrol are higher if the plant is stressed (for example, by

cold weather), suggesting that resveratrol is involved in a protective or restorative function. Human population studies often find health benefits — including a lower risk of dementia — associated with modest daily red wine consumption.

In mouse models in the laboratory, resveratrol treatment delayed and prevented Alzheimer’s disease. It also improved metabolic profiles, resulting in lowered cholesterol levels, lowered fat stores in the liver, and improved muscle endurance.

Likewise, a pilot study of obese men

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Why do some people reach age 80, 90, and older living free of physical and cognitive disease? National Institute on Aging (NIA) researchers on the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging (BLSA) are exploring this question through the IDEAL (Insight into Determinants of Exceptional Aging and Longevity) Study.

Although research exists on the relationship between long life and functional decline, we still know relatively little about why certain individuals have excellent health well into their 80’s while others experience disease and physical decline earlier in life.

showed that resveratrol treatment improved lipid and glucose profiles in the blood. Human studies are underway to evaluate possible risks and benefits of resveratrol in the treatment or prevention of diabetes, heart disease and cancer.

A larger and more definitive study is now being launched by the Alzheimer’s Disease Cooperative Study with funding from the National Institute on Aging. The study, being conducted at Georgetown University, is now recruiting individuals with mild to moderate dementia due to Alzheimer’s.

The study is primarily designed to evaluate the safety and tolerability of long-term treatment with high-dose resveratrol. It will also examine potential treatment benefits in tests of memory and cognition, in Alzheimer’s biomarkers (proteins in cerebrospinal fluid and brain volumes measured by MRI), and in metabolic profile (blood glucose and insulin).

The study is recruiting volunteers (who must be accompanied by a study partner) at 26 academic medical centers across the country, including Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. Participants in the year-long study will be randomly selected to either take resveratrol or a placebo — a pill with an inactive ingredient. Neither the doctors nor the patients will know who is taking the real resveratrol until the end of the study.

For those taking resveratrol, the initial dose will be 500 mg. given by mouth once daily, with scheduled increases at three-

month intervals, ending with a dose of 1,000 mg. twice daily.

Volunteers will be carefully monitored throughout the study to look for possible side effects of high-dose resveratrol treatment. Side effects could include abdominal pain, nausea and diarrhea.

Participants will return to Georgetown University for a total of 10 visits over one year.

During the study, they will undergo two lumbar punctures (spinal tap), three MRIs, and blood and urine tests.

To qualify for the study, participants must have a diagnosis of mild to moderate Alzheimer’s disease and must be age 50 or older. They cannot ingest large quantities of resveratrol-containing foods, including red wine, during the study. While enrolled in the study, participants can have one to two glasses of red wine or red grape juice and one serving of red grapes daily. They cannot take supplements containing resveratrol.

Patients cannot take part in the study if they have non-Alzheimer’s-related dementia, have had evidence of epilepsy, brain lesions, head injury with loss of consciousness, major psychiatric disorders, or alcohol or substance abuse in the last two years. They also cannot have had cancer in the last five years.

For more information, call Daniel Santos at (202) 687-8800 or email ds1238@georgetown.edu.

R. Scott Turner, MD, PhD, is director of the Georgetown University Memory Disorders Program.

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ARE YOU CONCERNED ABOUT ALZHEIMER’S?

IDEAL Study participants can help NIH researchers uncover secrets of healthy aging.

What is the Resveratrol study?

The purpose of the Resveratrol research study is to evaluate the safety, tolerability and effectiveness of Resveratrol when given to people with Alzheimer’s disease (AD).

Participants are 80 years or older and:

We are looking for people who:

Can walk a quarter mile unassisted Have no severe memory problems Have no major medical conditions Does this describe you or someone you know?

Call Toll-Free 1-855-80 IDEAL (1-855-804-3325) or email IDEAL@westat.com www.nia.nih.gov/ideal

• Have a diagnosis of probable mild-to-moderate AD • Are willing and able to undergo clinic assessments, two lumbar punctures, three MRIs, and blood and urine tests • Have a study partner to accompany the participant to ten study visits and have more than two days a week of contact with the participant • Are able to abstain from ingesting large quantities of Resveratrolcontaining foods (including red wine). One to two glasses of red wine or red grape juice daily is acceptable; one serving of red grapes daily is also acceptable • Are able to abstain from ingesting herbal/natural preparations or dietary supplements containing Resveratrol. Resveratrol supplements are exclusionary

For more information, please contact:

Daniel Santos (202) 687-8800 ds1238@georgetown.edu

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23

A variety of foods may reduce stroke risk

By Hara Estroff Marano Canny as it is, the brain deploys a number of ways to preserve its functions over time. Brain cells turn out a variety of homegrown factors to maintain integrity.

Behavioral actions such as intellectual challenges and physical activity keep brains humming, as well. The most significant way to keep brain cells healthy is to assure they get an adequate blood supply.

Unfortunately, interruption of blood flow to the brain by blockage or hemorrhage — known as a stroke — is common among Americans. Stroke is the third leading cause of death (after heart disease and cancer), and each year nearly 800,000 people suffer a stroke. While stroke risk dramati-

cally increases after age 55, nearly a quarter of strokes occur among those under age 65.

High blood pressure and smoking are two of the biggest risk factors. Yet researchers are discovering that diet plays a huge role in keeping the brain and its blood supply in good working order and, in some cases, can even limit the damage to brain cells if stroke occurs.

Fruit boost. No one miracle food can eliminate the risk of stroke, but eating an array of fruits and vegetables confers significant protection.

It’s the variety that’s important, say Swedish scientists, as it provides many different antioxidants that work synergistically to inhibit oxidative stress and inflammation of

Alzheimer’s drug

The other drug is bapineuzumab, by Pfizer Inc. and Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen Alzheimer Immunotherapy unit.

In a recent study, Pfizer said the injected drug didn’t slow mental or functional decline in patients with mild or moderate Alzheimer’s disease. The study included about 1,100 patients who carry a gene called ApoE4, which gives people a higher risk of developing the memory-robbing disorder.

Researchers are still analyzing biomarkers — spinal fluid and brain imaging — to see if bapineuzumab had any effect on clearing amyloid, the sticky plaque that clogs patients’ brains. If so, that might lend support to trying the drug earlier in the course of the disease, before people have so much plaque that it causes symptoms.

For more information on Alzheimer’s disease, see the government’s web page at www.alzheimers.gov, the website of the Alzheimer’s Association at www.alz.org and the information from the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference www.alz.org/aaic/overview.asp.

— AP

From page 21 married. He’s still there. We still have a wonderful relationship together. I’m grateful for every day that he’s independent.”

Larger studies underway Other doctors warned against over-optimism on these early results. Many previous drugs looked good until tested in large, definitive studies.

Relkin’s 400-patient study will end late this year and results are expected early next year. Treating Alzheimer’s with IVIG would cost $2,000 to $5,000 every two weeks, depending on the patient’s weight, he estimated.

“We want to make clear that this is not an approved treatment as yet and we’re not making any sensational claims,” Relkin said.

Two other experimental Alzheimer’s drugs are in late-stage studies that just ended. Results are being analyzed now.

One is solanezumab by Eli Lilly & Co.

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grams — stroke risk fell by 9 percent.

Tea by three. Tea is yet another antioxidant powerhouse, and UCLA physicians find that drinking three cups a day cuts stroke risk by 21 percent. It doesn’t matter whether tea is green or black; both contain the antioxidant epigallocatechin gallate.

Tea is also rich in theanine, an amino acid that crosses the blood-brain barrier and, researchers speculate, displaces glutamate — a neurotransmitter responsible for much nerve cell damage after a stroke.

The effect of tea is linear; the more you drink, the more protection you get.

Milk ilk. Maintaining normal blood pres-

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A research study is currently underway in your area to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of an investigational medication for Type II Diabetes.

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blood vessels — major factors in stroke risk.

In a Karolinska Institute study of over 36,000 women, those with the highest antioxidant intake cut stroke risk 17 percent more than those with the lowest intake.

White knights. Bright color tends to be a good guide to antioxidant content in fruits and vegetables, yet white-flesh fruits such as pears and apples have a particular ability to ward off stroke, Dutch scientists found.

In a 10-year study of over 20,000 hearthealthy adults, those who consumed the most white fruits and veggies — including bananas, cauliflower, and cucumbers — had a 52 percent lower risk of stroke. For every 25-gram increase in consumption of white foods — an apple averages 120

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

Does drinking water help you lose weight?

Q: I’ve read that drinking more water can be a good weight-loss method. Is that right?

A: In some small studies, drinking 16 ounces of water before meals has helped decrease calorie consumption and improved weight loss among middle aged and older adults participating in weight loss programs. It also seemed to help them maintain

their weight loss after the programs ended.

We need more studies to know if this really works. If it does, it’s not clear whether it would be due to reducing hunger or if it has direct effects on metabolism.

You may hear claims that drinking more water will rev up your metabolism so you lose weight by burning more calories.

However, I can find only a couple of con-

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

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

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form), but only up to a point. trolled studies that tested this.

And in a study where men took suppleThese studies show a small increase in ments of 200 micrograms calorie burning after cold water (mcg.) daily, only those who was consumed. This involved a started with low blood levels of bit over 16 ounces of cold water selenium had reduced prostate in adults, and proportionately cancer risk. Those with medismaller, but still substantial, um or higher levels did not. amounts in overweight children.

The recommended Dietary However, in one study, the inReference Intake (DRI) for secrease in metabolic rate was lenium is 55 mcg. for men and minimal; in the other, although women. In the United States, the effect was larger, it was almost everyone gets well shown only briefly. Even if reover the recommended inpeated several times a day, re- NUTRITION take. searchers estimate that it would WISE By Karen Collins, Seafood, meat and grains are result in weight loss of only a the major dietary sources. You couple pounds over a whole MS, RD, CDM get 35 to 75 mcg. in a threeyear.

Other claims that drinking water sup- ounce portion of fish, 23-30 mcg. in a 3-ounce ports weight loss through washing out fat portion of poultry or meat, and 6-19 mcg. in are not founded on research at all. It one-half cup of pasta or rice.

Vegetables and fruits mostly supply only seems more likely that if drinking water small amounts, except for the 9 to 18 mcg. works, it does so by helping you eat less.

Other studies suggest that consuming in a half-cup of cooked mushrooms. For more water-rich foods may be even more ef- that matter, you can get the entire RDA in fective at helping reduce calorie consump- one Brazil nut.

To avoid nerve damage, hair loss and dition. For example, in a study in which people consumed the same amount of water at a gestive disturbances, the maximum total meal as a beverage or in soup, those who ate selenium from food and supplements conthe water-rich soup consumed fewer calories. sidered safe is 400 mcg. per day. Selenium Q: Does selenium reduce risk of intakes too low and too high both pose prostate cancer? How much do we overall cancer risk.

The American Institute for Cancer Reneed, and what foods supply it?

A: Selenium is a mineral and is one of search offers a Nutrition Hotline, 1-800many antioxidants in our food that may help 843-8114, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday lower risk of prostate and other cancers. through Friday. This free service allows you to ask questions about diet, nutrition and However it’s important not to overdo it.

The AICR/WCRF expert report and its cancer. A registered dietitian will return updates found that foods containing seleni- your call, usually within three business days.

Courtesy of the American Institute for um help lower risk for prostate cancer. In addition, a recent analysis of all related Cancer Research. Questions for this column studies confirms that higher body levels of may be sent to “Nutrition Wise,” 1759 R St., selenium are linked with lower risk of NW, Washington, DC 20009. Collins cannot prostate cancer (especially the aggressive respond to questions personally.

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Sept. 11

VA BENEFITS SEMINAR

Learn what Veterans Administration benefits are available and how to qualify for them at a free seminar at the Fairmont Independent Living Community on Tuesday, Sept. 11 at 3 p.m. The community is located at 9852 Fairmont Ave., Manassas, Va. For more information, call (703) 257-7111.

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

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Pair chicken and pears for a simple salad Chicken and pears pair perfectly, producing a wonderful taste in a fresh healthy salad.

Pears, which are actually a member of the rose family, are a great source of fiber, and they add some vitamin C to your diet, too. This fruit has been enjoyed for centuries, and today there are more than 3,000 varieties grown in the world.

The delectable dressing uses honey to balance the tartness of vinegar and lemon.

People have been enjoying this natural sweetener for over two millennia. According to legend, Cupid dipped his arrows in honey before striking unsuspecting lovers.

Mint completes the fresh aromatic quality of this salad. Mint is indigenous to Eu-

rope and the Mediterranean, and has long been regarded as the symbol of hospitality.

The Romans even scattered it about the site of feasts as a welcoming sign.

They also added it to wines and sauces to enhance flavor. The word “mint” derives from the Latin Mentha.

But no matter its name, this salad makes a great entrée for lunch or a satisfying, yet light, dinner. It’s a great way to enjoy chicken and, of course, pears, which are at their peak in early autumn.

Foods & stroke

fish boosts health. Fish oil attenuates the adverse effects of air pollution on the cardiovascular system — a hidden factor in aging.

Researchers gave healthy middle-aged adults 3 grams daily of fish oil supplements, or a similar dose of olive oil, and then subjected them to blasts of air pollution. Those taking fish oil were protected against negative changes in nervous system control of heart function and against increases in blood triglyceride levels.

— Psychology Today Magazine © 2012 Sussex Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved. Distributed by Tribune Media Services, Inc.

From page 23 sure throughout life is critical to cardiovascular health and to minimizing risk of heart disease and stroke. To that end, dairy products are important for optimal blood pressure regulation, at all ages. The calcium content, especially in low-fat milk products, helps tone the smooth muscle that lines arteries.

In a study of 552 Canadian children ages 8 to 10, the highest intake of dairy foods was associated with the lowest levels of blood pressure, but only among normal-weight kids.

Fish riches. A diet well-stocked with fatty

Chicken and Pear Salad 3 firm ripe pears, cut into approximately 1-inch cubes Juice of 1/2 lemon

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Sept. 11

YIDDISH CULTURE CLUB

The Yiddish Culture Club will have its first meeting of the new season on Tuesday, Sept. 11 from 10 a.m. to noon at the Holiday Park Senior Center, 3950 Ferarra Dr., Wheaton, Md. Musical entertainment will be provided by Woody Seyberg. Call (301) 649-7472 for more information.

Senior Nutrition Hotline Wednesdays 9 am - 11 am 240-777-1100

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Speak with a Registered Dietitian about your food, nutrition and diet concerns.

2 cups cooked chicken breast, cut into 1inch cubes 1 cucumber, peeled, sliced thin and coarsely chopped 4 tbsp. finely chopped red onion

Mint Dressing 1/4 cup white vinegar (white wine vinegar works well) 1 tsp. lemon juice 1-2 Tbsp. honey 1/3 cup minced fresh mint 1/8 tsp. salt 1/8 tsp. black pepper 1 tsp. cinnamon 4 large lettuce leaves Drizzle fresh cubed pears with lemon

juice. In large mixing bowl combine pears, chicken, cucumber and onion and set aside.

Blend vinegar, lemon juice, honey, mint and salt and pepper in food processor or blender until smooth.

Drizzle dressing over fruit and chicken mixture and toss gently to coat. If not serving immediately, cover and refrigerate. To serve, re-toss gently, sprinkle with cinnamon and arrange on plates with beds of lettuce.

Makes 4 servings.

Per serving: 231 calories, 3 g. total fat (<1 g. saturated fat), 31 g. carbohydrate, 23 g. protein, 5 g. dietary fiber, 131 mg. sodium.

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

What natural remedies exist for lupus?

Dear Pharmacist: I have lupus, and I’ve been on medicine for 22 years. My symptoms are not well controlled and I have lost the ability to enjoy life due to all the daily complications. Please share your advice to help me regain quality of life.

— J.S. Dear J.S. Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), commonly known as lupus, currently affects an estimated 1.5 million Americans. About 90 percent of those afflicted are women.

Lupus is an autoimmune disease, meaning the body’s immune system attacks itself.

There are a few types of lupus; the whole body or “systemic” type is the most common.

Symptoms can vary tremendously and include a butterfly-shaped rash on the face, headaches, fatigue, swollen joints, iron deficiency anemia, sun-sensitivity, hair loss, and fingers that get so cold they could turn white (Raynaud’s phenomenon).

Physicians manage symptoms with corticosteroids like prednisone or hydrocortisone, immunosuppressants, acetaminophen or ibuprofen and various ointments.

First, consider vitamin D. It’s an immune modulator so it helps keep your system in balance. Take supplements until your serum D levels climb above 50 ng/dl.

Ideally get them between 70 and 80 ng/dl.

Supplements of vitamin D are sold nationwide, and a typical dosage is 2,000 to

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5,000 IU each day. You may need more in centuries as a powerful detoxifier, and can the beginning to get those serum levels up. be applied topically to skin inflammation.

Probiotics are another imThis herb also improves digesmune modulator and are extion when taken orally (as a tea tremely important for people or tincture) and is shown to with autoimmune conditions. have anti-inflammatory effects.

In addition, ask your physiStinging nettle: Known cian about the following herbs botanically as Uritica dioica, which can help manage lupus this offers major immunesymptoms: boosting benefits and is great for painful joints. Being minerPau D’ Arco: This South al-rich, it can help with anemia, American herb can be taken and you can take a tincture, as a supplement or tea. It has DEAR oral supplement or herbal tea. anti-inflammatory properties, PHARMACIST I know all these remedies so is helpful for joint pain. It’s

By Suzy Cohen seem useful. But as tempted as also a powerful anti-bacterial you are, please remember that and anti-viral.

Reishi mushroom: Medicinal mush- herbs are plant-derived medications (and rooms have been used for eons and boost have side effects), so ask your practitioner immune function by warding off bacteria which are right for you.

Finally, eat a well-balanced diet and pass and viruses, and boosting activity of natural killer cells. It may also lower blood on the martinis. Alcohol consumption can pressure. Reishi can be taken as a supple- lead to increased inflammation, which agment or hot water extract. gravates all the symptoms.

Red clover: This wild plant contains This information is opinion only. It is not beneficial isoflavones that reduce skin in- intended to treat, cure or diagnose your conflammations and improve circulation. Red dition. Consult with your doctor before using clover is also a source of many nutrients in- any new drug or supplement. Suzy Cohen is cluding calcium, chromium, magnesium, a registered pharmacist and the author of niacin, potassium and vitamin C. It helps The 24-Hour Pharmacist and Real Soluwith detoxification. tions from Head to Toe. To contact her, visit Burdock: Burdock has been used for www.dearpharmacist.com.

BEACON BITS

Sept. 10

DISABILITIES SERVICES BOARD MEETING

Fairfax County residents are invited to attend the Fairfax Area Disability Board’s next meeting to share their ideas on making the area more accessible to people with disabilities. The meeting takes place on Monday, Sept. 10 from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. at the West Springfield Government Center, 6140 Rolling Rd., Springfield, Va. For more information or questions, call (703) 324-5421, TTY 711; or go to www.fairfaxcounty.gov/dfs/dspd/.

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

More at TheBeaconNewspapers.com | Fitness & Health

27

Look beneath the surface of angry family Dear Solutions: and had expected you to be “one of he Until recently, I thought that my girls,” or she wouldn’t have brought you. daughter and I had a speSo she was embarrassed. cial relationship and that Feeling scared and embarwe were really friends. I’m rassed makes her angry. Her still working, and I’m very solution, she says, is “don’t active and independent, travel with me.” The rest of the and that’s how she always sentence is “because I don’t thinks of me. want to see you that way.”

But a couple of months A strong dose of reality is ago, we traveled together to a needed here. You both need to very different foreign counknow and accept that you are try and stayed with a friend older, and although you and SOLUTIONS of hers who lives there. We she can still be friends, you

By Helen Oxenberg, were in very tiny quarters, in can’t be peers.

MSW, ACSW addition to which I had jet lag Then there’s travel. If it’s imand couldn’t move around or portant to you to travel with get oriented as quickly as the two her, choose your destinations carefully. younger women.

Don’t go to places that are so far away and My daughter got very annoyed and so different that you become disoriented. critical, and we kept arguing. It was as You may get bigger gains out of shorter though the two of them formed an al- mileage. liance, and I was left out.

Dear Solutions: I was very hurt and angry, but I My husband is recovering from rethought it would pass. Now she calls me cent surgery, and we went out to breakand says it means “We can’t travel to- fast with friends. He ordered pancakes, gether anymore.” It feels like I’m shut which came cold and tasteless. out and rejected, and my head hurts.

He just sat waiting for the waitress — Headache to return. When she didn’t, I stood up Dear Headache: and tried to wave to her. He told me in The reason your head hurts is because an angry tone to sit down. I didn’t, you got it caught in the generation gap. and called to her.

There’s friends and there’s friends. And He got very angry and yelled, “Sit there’s travel and there’s travel. down, you’re not my mother.”

Mother and daughter friendship is wonI’m feeling hurt and confused. I was derful as long as it’s recognized for what it just trying to help so that he wouldn’t do is. It’s not the same as peer friendships. without breakfast. I don’t understand There’s a real gap involved — age gap, val- his reactions. What did I do wrong? ues gap, energy gap, role gap.

— Confused Wife Your daughter has always seen the Dear Confused: strong parent who was her “friend.” SudHe can do without breakfast more easily denly she had to see the “older woman” than he can do without his sense of adultwho was vulnerable and couldn’t keep up. hood, i.e., control. That’s what you were The inner child in her got scared. What taking from him, and he wasn’t willing to happened to strong, indestructible Mommy? trade that for a stack of pancakes!

She also was with a friend her own age You meant well, but try to understand

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that his surgery has probably made him feel vulnerable and a little helpless. He’s trying to compensate for this by insisting on helping himself, even if it doesn’t always work.

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year, but I don’t know the best way to handle this about money. What do you suggest?

— Not Sure Dear Not: Make this strictly lend-lease. You lend, they lease; you write agreement, they repay. As long as you don’t object to their living arrangements and you make this strictly a business arrangement, it should work. Good luck. © Helen Oxenberg, 2012. Questions to be considered for this column may be sent to: The Beacon, P.O. Box 2227, Silver Spring, MD 20915. You may also email the author at helox72@comcast.net. To inquire about reprint rights, call (609) 655-3684.

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28

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

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA OFFICE ON AGING

Spotlight On Aging VOLUME XXVIII, ISSUE 9

A newsletter for D.C. Seniors

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR'S MESSAGE

By Dr. John M. Thompson We dedicate this month’s edition of Spotlight on Aging to “Know Your Options – Decide Your Future.” You may have seen our marketing campaign advertisements on the Metro buses and on the floor of Metro rail stations. Our intention with this campaign is to encourage our seniors, persons with disabilities and family caregivers to contact us so that we can empower them with information on choosing the appropriate services and supports that will allow them to remain in their homes and live productive lives in their communities.

Some of you may have heard me tell the story about my elderly cousin in Fayetteville, N.C., who tripped and fell in her bathroom last year. As a result of her fall, her neck was caught in the hamper, which cut off oxygen to her brain. My cousin received treatment in the intensive care unit of a local hospital until she was stabilized and eventually transferred to a “rehabilitation center.”

As months went by, I learned that my cousin was still in the rehabilitation center, which sounded a little odd to me as I have worked in a major rehabilitation center in the Carolinas and understand that health insurance companies have a cap on the number of days they reimburse for services. As I inquired into my cousin’s situation, I learned that the facility, which included “rehabilitation” in its name, was actually a long-term care or nursing home facility.

As it turned out, this long-term care facility was not giving my cousin the amount of physical therapy and occupational therapy that she could have received in a traditional rehabilitation facility. Unfortunately, my cousin spent months in this nursing home receiving limited therapy and, eventually, was transferred to another nursing home where she remains to this day.

My purpose of sharing this story is to enlighten you about the harsh reality that many like my cousin faced of not “knowing her options.” Consequently, this resulted in healthcare providers “deciding her future,” rather than her being the focal point of the decision making process and informing her providers of her desire to return home to receive home healthcare services. Unfortunately, my cousin’s story is not unique, as I hear how so many vulnerable seniors and persons with disabilities are prematurely admitted into nursing homes.

Thus, with our “Know Your Options – Decide Your Future” Campaign, you are the focal point. Our job is to listen to you, give you options and yield to you in making a decision that will be best suited in accommodating your living situation based on your physical condition.

Don’t hesitate, please contact us at 202-724-5626, and one of my colleagues would be happy to assist you. It is never too early to begin planning your future!

September 2012

American Classic Woman of the Year Congratulations to Tuere Marshall, who was recently crowned American Classic Woman of the Year. She is congratulated by Director Letha M. Blount and Ms. Senior D.C. Mary L. McCoy.

Vote in the Nov. 6 Elections The District of Columbia will hold a general election and a special election on Nov. 6. For administrative reasons, voters will not receive separate ballots for these elections. All contests will appear on one ballot.

General Election • President and Vice President of the United States • Delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives • At-Large Member of the Council • Ward Member of the DC Council for Wards 2, 4, 7 & 8 • At-Large Member of the State Board of Education • Ward Member of the State Board of Education Wards 2, 4, 7 & 8 • U.S. Senator • U.S. Representative • Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner • Proposed Charter Amendment(s)

Special Election • Chairman of the Council Want to update your existing registration? You can change your address

or other information at the polls. If you change your registration at the polls,

you will cast a special ballot that will be counted if we are able to confirm that you are eligible. In most cases, we can update your registration and count your ballot.

Not registered to vote? You can register at the polls on Election Day if you bring one of the following items: • Current and valid government issued photo identification card with your address • Current lease or utility bill with your address • Bank statement with your address • Government issued check with your address • Paycheck/stub with your name and address • Other government issued document that shows your name and address Note: Student voters may also present housing assignment forms and/or tuition or housing bills from District colleges and universities as proof of residence, and homeless residents may present occupancy statements from District homeless shelters.

To report incidents of election misconduct, call the Office of the General Counsel at 202-727-2194.

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

D.C. OFFICE

ON

AGING NEWSLETTER

The Affordable Care Act and Medicare The Affordable Care Act (ACA) takes important steps to improve healthcare for older adults, and strengthens the Medicare program for the long term. Improvements to Medicare under the ACA include the introduction of preventive care services, the closing of the Part D â&#x20AC;&#x153;donut hole,â&#x20AC;? and new measures to improve the quality of care that Medicare beneficiaries receive.

The introduction of free or lowcost preventive care services (e.g., screenings for breast and prostate cancer or diabetes) reduces barriers to medical tests that can improve the prevention, diagnosis or treatment of chronic illnesses. Medicare has traditionally focused on provid-

ing payment for injury or illness, so the introduction of wellness and preventive care is a paradigm shift for how Medicare approaches the health of beneficiaries.

The Affordable Care Act also includes important changes to make your Medicare prescription drug coverage more affordable. Over the next several years, you pay less in the coverage gap until itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s closed in the year 2020, at which time you will pay only 25 percent for covered brand-name and generic drugs during the gap â&#x20AC;&#x201D; the same percentage you pay from the time you meet the deductible (if your plan has one) until you reach the out-of-pocket spending limit (up to $4,700 in 2012).

Get the Shot! Avoid the Flu Free Flu Shots for Senior Citizens

725 24th St. NW

â&#x20AC;˘ Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not too early to get your flu shot! â&#x20AC;˘ Protect yourself and the ones you love. â&#x20AC;˘ Covered by Medicare Part B: Bring your Medicare Card. â&#x20AC;˘ No insurance? No problem: Zero cost flu shots available for those without coverage.

Flu shot clinics will be held at the following locations from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Monday, Sept. 17

Model Cities Senior Wellness Center 1901 Evarts St. NE Tuesday, Sept. 18

Hayes Senior Wellness Center 500 K St. NE Thursday, Sept. 20

Asbury Dwelling Congregate Meal Center and Senior Building 1616 Marion St. NW

Thursday, Sept. 6

Friday, Sept. 21

Bernice Elizabeth Fonteneau Senior Wellness Center 3531 Georgia Ave. NW Friday, Sept. 7

Asian and Pacific Islander Service Center 417 G Pl. NW

Congress Heights Senior Wellness Center 3500 Martin Luther King Jr. Ave. SE Claridge Towers 1221 M St NW Monday, Oct. 1

James Apartment Building 1424 N St NW

Monday, Sept. 10

St. Maryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Court

Office on Aging Grant Opportunities You Will Pay this Percentage for Brand-name Drugs in the Coverage Gap

2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020

50% 47.5% 47.5% 45% 45% 40% 35% 30% 25%

You Will Pay this Percentage for Generic Drugs in the Coverage Gap

86% 79% 72% 65% 58% 51% 44% 37% 25%

For more information on Medicare, contact the D.C. Health Insurance Counseling Project (HICP) at 202-994-6272.

District Changes Delivery to Senior Food Clients The District of Columbia Office on Aging will change the way meals are delivered, with new contract meal awards beginning this month.

Momâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Meals will be providing meals to homebound senior citizens citywide. It will offer seniors a choice of prepared refrigerated meals that will be delivered on a bi-weekly basis and can be heated when desired in the microwave. The meals are approved by the United States Department of Agriculture and can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 14 days. With this change, participants will have greater control over meal consumption and choice of meals.

Homebound meal recipients who have been identified as more frail will continue to receive five meals, three days per week, from Catholic Charities.

This vendor had been providing meals to many homebound clients under a temporary contract. Catholic Charities will also produce meals for participants attending the congregate meal sites located in Wards 2 and 5. Dutch Mill Catering will continue to prepare and deliver midday meals to congregate meal sites in Wards 1, 3, 4, 6, 7 and 8. Both contractors have held temporary contracts to provide meals since June, 2011.

The Office on Aging Senior Service Network nutritionists and social workers will work together to ensure that all participants have a smooth transition during this process. For more information, seniors should contact their lead agency for questions regarding this change.

For general information, contact the D.C. Office on Aging at 202-724-5622.

The D.C. Office on Aging has issued a Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) for a nonprofit or for-profit entity to lead programs and provide services for District residents age 60 and older in Ward 4.

A NOFA was also issued for an entity to operate the Hattie Holmes Senior Wellness Center located at 324 Kennedy

Street, NW. To view the NOFAs and the Request for Applications, visit the DCOA website at www.dcoa.dc. gov. The deadline for submission is September 10. For more information, call Brenda Turner, Program and Grants Manager, at (202) 724-5622.

Our Members Prefer Old-School Classics!

The Office on Aging Ambassador Program is a FREE, interactive, member-based program designed to reach out to older adults and/or their caregivers to help them learn about the services and resources available to them through the D.C. Office on Aging.

If you are interested in expanding your network and educating older adults about the services and resources available to them, join us for our next Ambassador Training Workshop to learn about all of the programs and services that the Office on Aging offers to the community and how you can become an Ambassador.

Upcoming Ambassador Training Workshops: Wednesday, September 12, 2012 Wednesday, October 17, 2012 Wednesday, October 24, 2012 Wednesday, November 14, 2012 Wednesday, December 12, 2012

9:00 a.m. - 12 noon 9:00 a.m. - 12 noon 9:00 a.m. - 12 noon 9:00 a.m. - 12 noon 9:00 a.m. - 12 noon

All workshops are held in the D.C. Office on Aging Headquarters and include: an overview of Office on Aging programs and services, information on how to access resources, and guidance on your role as an advocate.

D.C. Office on Aging . 6WUHHW 1( Â&#x2021;:DVKLQJWRQ ' & To register and for more information, call (202) 724-5622 Government of the District of Columbia Vincent C. Gray, Mayor

30

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

D.C. OFFICE

ON

AGING NEWSLETTER

Community Calendar September events

12th and 19th • 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Grandparents Day is Sept. 9 President Jimmy Carter first declared Grandparents Day a national holiday in 1978. Grandparents Day is recognized to reflect on the impact grandparents have on our own lives — and on society. Happy Grandparents Day to all District of Columbia Grandparents!

20th • 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Register for legal workshops on durable power of attorney and living wills. Participants must attend both workshops. The workshops will be held at the Washington Seniors Wellness Center, 3001 Alabama Ave. SE. To sign up, call 202-581-9335.

18th • 11 a.m.

Get information on falls in a program titled “Standing Together to Prevent Falls” at all Ward 5 senior nutrition sites. For more information, call Vivian Grayton at 202-529-8701.

Attend a Medicare workshop on equipment and supplies at the Washington Seniors Wellness Center, 3001 Alabama Ave. SE. For more information, call 202-581-9335.

22nd • 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The 5th annual Tenant Summit will educate renters about the fundamentals of tenant protections in the District of Columbia. It will be held at Gallaudet University’s Kellogg Conference Center, 800 Florida Ave. NE. Registration is free and can be done online at www.ota.dc.gov or by calling 202719-6560.

19th • 1:30 to 3 p.m.

11th • 11 a.m.

Ask a doctor about hypertension at the Ft. Lincoln I Senior Nutrition site, 2855 Bladensburg Rd. NE. For more information, call Vivian Grayton at 202-529-8701.

Iona Senior Ser vices begins a new series of classes called “Aging in Place and in the Community.” The first class, “Retirement and Beyond,” helps retirees and those planning retirement make choices that reflect their skills and interests. It will be led by Lylie Fisher, a certified life coach and Iona’s director of community engagement. The next class will be held on Oct. 4 and covers health and wellness. The classes will be held at Live and Learn Bethesda, Bethesda-Chevy Chase Regional Services Center, 4805 Edgemoor Lane, 2nd floor, Bethesda, Md. The cost is $10 for each session.

Register at www.liveandlearnbethesda.org or call 301-740-6150.

Have You Faced Housing Discrimination?

In August, the Equal Rights Center, a national nonprofit civil rights organization, filed a suit against a major D.C. management company alleging the company had illegally refused to rent to families using Housing Choice Vouchers.

Many D.C. residents may not know that under the D.C. Human Rights Act, it is illegal to discriminate in the housing market based on “source of income.”

This means that landlords are not

legally allowed to discriminate against rental applicants or renters based on the fact that they receive a voucher, government subsidy, or other form of non-employment income. If you believe that a landlord or management company has refused to rent to you because you have a Housing Choice Voucher, contact Housing Counseling Services, Inc., a nonprofit counseling agency, at 202-667-7006 to file a complaint.

SPOTLIGHT ON AGING Spotlight On Aging is published by the Information Office of the D.C. Office on Aging for D.C. senior residents. Advertising contained in the Beacon is not endorsed by the D.C. Office on Aging or by the publisher.

500 K St., N.E., Washington, D.C. 20002 202-724-5622 • www.dcoa.dc.gov Dr. John M. Thompson, Executive Director Darlene Nowlin, Editor Adrian R. Reed, Photographer The D.C. Office on Aging does not discriminate against anyone based on actual or

perceived: race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, marital status, 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.

Ongoing events Each Wednesday in September, National Preparedness Month, the Ward 5 Senior Nutrition Centers will have information on emergency preparedness. Visit the center nearest you from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Call Vivian Grayton at 202-529-8701 for more information.

The Seabury Ward 5 Aging Services Emergency Food Pantry is open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday at 2900 Newton St. NE. Free food is distributed on a case-by-case basis to Ward 5 residents age 60 and older. Call Vivian Grayton at 202529-8701 for more information.

DCOA Announces Grant Award The Office on Aging (DCOA) has completed the competitive grant application process for the selection of a provider agency to manage the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP) and the Seniors Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program (SFMNP) that provide services to vulnerable populations.

The Capital Area Food Bank (CAFB), which operates a food bank and has a new warehouse, has been selected to manage the CSFP and SFMNP programs. CAFB has demonstrated that it is a leader in combating hunger in the District for many years. More information is provided on the DCOA website at www.dcoa.dc.gov.

Legislation Improves Ombudsman Program The Council of the District of Columbia recently passed the D.C. LongTerm Care Ombudsman Program Amendment Act of 2011. Introduced

by Councilmember Marion Barry, Jr., Ward 8 and Chairperson of the Committee on Aging and Community Affairs. The act allows the Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program to be expanded, granting the Long-Term Care Ombudsman the authority to investigate home health care agencies that operate in the District.

The ombudsman program will be

convening several community education sessions throughout the District over the next few months to ensure persons are aware of services that are available.

Additionally, the general public should be aware that they can report neglect or abuse of the elderly when they observe this activity in facilities and or by home health aides. Complaints can be reported to the D.C .Long-Term Care Ombudsman Lynne Person, at 202-434-2160 (24-hour hotline) or by email dcombudsman@aarp.org.

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

31

More at TheBeaconNewspapers.com

Careers Volunteers &

Did you (or someone you know) change careers, start a business or go back to school after retirement?

Please share your story. Email info@theBeaconNewspapers.com or call Barbara at (301) 949-9766.

Old and young alike volunteer at hospital hardship.

Yet she is modest about her many efforts. “I was very flattered, to tell you the truth,” she said in response to being nominated, “because there’s so many wonderful volunteers down here that I think deserve it.”

One of those volunteers is Emily Paukstitus, who came to the Silver Spring hospital at the recommendation of friends who already worked there, including Squitero.

As a float pool volunteer, Paukstitus, 91, is on call for odd jobs, including showing new volunteers around, posting fliers notifying employees of hospital happenings and stuffing envelopes. If there is a need for a one-time job, float pool volunteers are there to fill in.

Paukstitus enjoys the atmosphere of her workplace. “You don’t see any pokerfaced people around here. The employees are all happy and they talk to you, and that’s what makes a nice job, the atmosphere of working with people,” she said.

Paukstitus is the oldest of Holy Cross’s volunteers, though she “runs circles around the rest of us,” according to November-Moss.

Young volunteers, too Not all volunteers at the hospital are seniors. Younger volunteers are attracted to the hospital by the potential to earn community service hours required for high school graduation.

Senior Living 62+

PHOTO COURTESY OF HOLY CROSS

By Jacob Schaperow When Ann November-Moss learned about the Salute to Senior Service contest honoring volunteers, she had to make a tough decision. With more than 250 volunteers, the Holy Cross Hospital volunteer services director knew that whomever she nominated had to be exceptional.

Her choice paid off when Martie Squitero, who volunteers in the hospital gift shop and fills in at many departments as a float pool volunteer, was selected as the contest’s winner for the state of Maryland.

The contest, sponsored by Home Instead Senior Care, received more than 1,500 entries from all 50 states. Squitero received a plaque in recognition of her volunteer efforts, and is featured on the contest website, at www.salutetoseniorservice.com/senior-heronominations/martha-martie-s.

Squitero, 89, has been volunteering at the hospital for a decade, and plans to continuing doing so for the foreseeable future.

In addition to her many volunteer hours, she is serving her third term as president of the hospital auxiliary, raising money for projects such as the hospital’s low-income health clinics and its new building campaign.

She also charters a monthly seniors’ bus trip to Midway Casino in Delaware, donating proceeds from the participants’ payments to an emergency cash fund for hospital employees experiencing financial

Holy Cross Hospital volunteer Martie Squitero (right) is the Maryland winner of the Salute to Senior Service contest sponsored by Home Instead Senior Care. She is pictured with Emily Paukstitus, the hospital’s oldest volunteer.

The combination of high school students looking to community service commitments and retirees looking to give back to the community makes for a diverse volunteer pool.

Squitero said that the younger volunteers typically aren’t so enthusiastic about the volunteer work at first, seeing volunteering as a way to fulfill a graduation requirement. But they change their view once they’ve been at the hospital awhile.

“Once they come down here, and they see how pleasant it is, they always say, ‘gee, I’m glad I had the opportunity to

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Here every Jew is considered a member and given a reserved seat.

Rosh Hashana Spring into Savings

come down and volunteer,’” she said.

Betel Teka, a student at Northwood High School in Silver Spring, is a patient contact volunteer — a position that requires extra training.

“I like working with the patients. You’re making a difference,” she said. “You could volunteer anywhere to get your hours, but [here, you are] able to help other people,” said Teka.

There is a 100-hour, six-month minimum commitment required to volunteer at

Yom Kippur

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32

Volunteers & Careers | More at TheBeaconNewspapers.com

Plotkin From page 1 recalled. “I think I got in because they had just built a new wing.”

Plotkin came to Washington, D.C. in 1964 to attend George Washington University. After graduating GWU with a degree in American history, he taught elementary school on the south side of Chicago and in Northeast Washington so he could get a deferment from military service.

But he never had a passion for teaching, and when he was no longer in danger of being drafted and sent to Vietnam, Plotkin began plotting his career in politics.

“I worked for a succession of candidates that all have one thing in common: They lost. In fact, I cursed three campaigns in 1972 alone: first Muskie, then McCarthy and finally McGovern,” he said. (Despite

the humorous take, Plotkin confessed that “When you lose an election, it really hurts.”)

Plotkin also worked for presidential candidates Mo Udall in 1976 — “a terrific person, the best person I have worked for” — Ted Kennedy in 1980 and Gary Hart in 1984.

“And then, not pleased with cursing other candidates, I ran myself,” he continued, throwing his hat in the ring for several local offices in the 1980s.

Plotkin served as a two-term advisory neighborhood commissioner and was twice elected to the D.C. Democratic State Committee. However, he was defeated in his two bids for a D.C. City Council seat. In 1986, he lost by only 300 votes.

So he called it quits on running for office, saying, “I ran out of concession speeches,” and turned to radio.

Plotkin worked for public radio station WAMU for 13 years before moving over to

All Pet Crematory, Inc.

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

WTOP in 2002. Last year, Plotkin won the Edward R. Murrow Award for Excellence in Writing for his commentaries for WTOP.

Devoted to D.C. At Fox — with the presidential and congressional campaigns at full throttle and the travails of D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray making frequent headlines — Plotkin has often been called upon for his insights.

Speaking of D.C., Plotkin said, “If someone gets indicted, which seems to be quite frequently, I seem to need to be on.”

Plotkin first met Gray when the two were students at GWU. Gray was a grad student when Plotkin arrived, and was serving as president of the Jewish fraternity on campus, something Plotkin said was “extraordinary for that time.”

As for the Mayor’s current troubles, Plotkin compares him to former Vice President Spiro Agnew, saying he may never be indicted, but may leave office just the same.

“I like Vince Gray. I’ve known him for a

long time.” But Plotkin feels Gray “disliked [Mayor] Fenty so much he might have been willing to look the other way” while his staff engaged in shenanigans to get him elected.

“In the end, I think there will be a special election, and that will be interesting,” Plotkin said.

A D.C. issue looming much larger for Plotkin is its lack of statehood status.

“We’re a colony, and it’s not hyperbole to say that. We don’t have two senators, we don’t have a House member. Every penny we raise can be taken away from us because of our form of government,” he said.

“I don’t consider myself a full citizen in this country. It’s like blacks being denied the vote in Mississippi or Jews not allowed in a country club or Irish need not apply.”

Plotkin has long used his bully pulpit to advocate for statehood in a number of ways.

For example, years ago a listener to one of his WAMU radio shows first suggested See PLOTKIN, page 33

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Last year, the auxiliary raised $150,000 for the hospital, through fundraising programs such as the hospital gift shop, a hospital talent show and Christmas tree decorating. The money raised goes toward projects such as the hospital’s new building in Silver Spring and a new hospital being built in Germantown.

Those interested in doing volunteer work at Holy Cross hospital may fill out an online application at www.holycrosshealth.org/volunteering. Prospective volunteers may also contact November-Moss, the volunteer director, at (301) 754-7305.

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

Plotkin From page 32 adding “Taxation without representation” to D.C. license plates. Plotkin took the idea and ran with it, playing a large role in its becoming reality. He said he had to fight a number of political players in the District to do so.

And when Washington was bringing back baseball, he pushed to name the team the Nationals, rather than restore its historic moniker the Senators, a name he felt was ironic given D.C.’s status.

In the 1990s, when the Environmental Protection Agency announced plans to move into three of the five floors of the District’s historic Wilson Building — home to the D.C. Mayor’s office and City Council — Plotkin rallied successfully to reroute the agency to another location, seeing the initial plan as another example of the federal government usurping local jurisdiction.

His newest cause is getting the District recognized in the U.S. Capitol’s National Statuary Hall Collection, which includes two statues of notable people from each

state — but none from Washington, D.C. because it is not a state.

Though he’s a diehard Democrat, Plotkin even holds the issue of D.C. statehood against President Obama, saying the president has done nothing to advocate for self-governance for the District of Columbia or representation in Congress. “[President Obama] uses Washington, D.C. as a convenient backdrop. He’s not spoken to the issue of voting rights or statehood. He’s totally taken us for granted.” So much so, Plotkin said, that he could understand a Democrat in D.C. not voting for the president and instead “taking a pass” in the upcoming election.

Election year punditry Today, Plotkin lives in the Glover Park neighborhood of Washington, D.C. and is single.

“I’m not opposed to marriage. But I just have not inflicted myself on any woman.

There are women who would have married me. I don’t know if we would have stayed married,” he said.

More at TheBeaconNewspapers.com | Volunteers & Careers

But in a way, Plotkin is wed to politics, particularly thriving in presidential elections years such as this one. He’s not making any predictions as to the winner, saying that as in all elections, the results will depend on voter turnout — particularly which constituencies vote in large numbers.

U.S. demographics have changed significantly in the last 20 years. Twenty years ago, 90 percent of the voters were white; now about 72 percent are, he said.

“The demographics favor the Democrats, but the economy is in trouble,” Plotkin said. “Obama has to do well in Northern Virginia, where there is a lot of the African American population, along with Hampton Roads.

“The outer suburbs, Loudoun and Prince William Counties, where he did well in 2008, will in some ways be a litmus test for the election.”

33

As for seniors, they are not necessarily Obama fans, Plotkin noted. “Older voters are not thrilled about the new healthcare law even though they’re covered by Medicare.

“Seniors, especially prosperous seniors, backed McCain over Obama in 2008, and today are supporting Romney.

“Historically, Democrats have done very well with [older voters]. That’s a target group Obama is not in good shape with. I think it’s worries about the economy. That’s what it’s going to come down to.”

To hear more of Plotkin’s insights into November’s election, attend one of the Beacon’s 50+ Expos in October, where he will be the keynote speaker.

Plotkin will be speaking at 1:30 p.m. at both Ballston Common Mall in Arlington, Va. on Oct. 7, and at White Flint mall in N. Bethesda, Md. on Oct. 14. For more information, call the Beacon at (301) 949-9766.

Federal workers may phase-in retirement Federal employees will soon have the option to ease into retirement toward the end of their careers by switching to parttime service while earning a partial annuity.

As part of the process, these “phased retirees” will be required to mentor new employees and continue to provide their expertise and skills in support of their agency’s mission.

While we do not know all of the details on how the new law will be implemented — the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) will develop regulations for implementing the law — here is what we do know now: • Participation in phased retirement is voluntary and requires the consent of both the employee and his or her agency.

• The individual must be eligible for an immediate annuity and have worked full time for the three years immediately preceding phased retirement.

• Retirement-eligible federal employees will be allowed to reduce their hours to between 20 and 80 percent of their full-time schedule. However, only half-time schedules will be offered initially.

• A phased retirement annuity will be computed by calculating the full annuity and then reducing it to the proportion of the part-time service.

• At least 20 percent of the phased re-

tiree’s hours worked must be used for mentoring.

• A phased retiree may not be employed in more than one position, but may transfer to another.

• The Federal Employees Retirement System Annuity Supplement will not be paid during the phased retirement period.

• No unused sick leave will be used in the computation of the phased retirement annuity.

• Federal Employee’s Group Life Insurance and Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHBP) will stay with the agency, and the FEHBP government contribution will be the same for the phased retiree as for the full-time employee.

• Phased retirement annuities will not be reduced to provide a survivor benefit. If the phased retirement individual dies during the period of phased retirement, benefits will be paid in the same way as they are for an employee who dies in service.

• If the agency agrees, a phased retiree can return to a full-time position. The phased annuity would terminate.

This article is reprinted from the September 2012 issue of NARFE Magazine, published by the National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association. For more information about NARFE, call 1-800-6273394 or go to www.narfe.org.

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Money Law &

MEET THE GINNIE MAES Ginnie Mae funds, which invest in insured mortgages, offer safety and good returns THE ABCs OF ANNUITIES Annuities provide guaranteed income for life, but it’s important to understand how they work before you invest GOING FOR BROKE Understand the pros and cons of personal bankruptcy and which type is best for you prior to filing

Starbucks shares expected to perk up

By Jennifer Schonberger The normally caffeinated shares of Starbucks (symbol SBUX) have lost some of their buzz lately. That gives investors a chance to take a stake in this premier growth company at a price that improves their chances for robust returns in the years ahead.

Starbucks shares are hardly dirt-cheap.

At a recent price of $49, they trade at nearly 25 times estimated earnings for the next four quarters. That figure might seem high, but it isn’t compared with analysts’ estimates of Starbucks’s earnings growth rate over the next three to five years.

“Starbucks is at the beginning of a new growth phase,” said Brian Sozzi, chief stock strategist for NBG Productions, an independent research firm.

Packaged coffee takes off One reason for anticipated earnings acceleration is Starbucks’s effort to expand its packaged-coffee business. “We fully intend to become a global consumer-packaged-goods company, with all of it centered around coffee,” said Troy Alstead, Starbucks’s chief financial officer.

Grocery sales currently account for only 7 percent of Starbucks’s business. But, said Alstead, “over time, the consumer packaged business has the chance to be equal in size to our retail-store business.”

That would mean going well beyond beans and instant coffee to new lines of food and juices, he said. Last November, Starbucks bought Evolution Fresh, a company that sells fresh fruit and vegetable juices, and it is developing a chain of juice bars.

And Starbucks still has numerous ways

to boost its profits from coffee. In a bold move in 2010, the company took back control of its packaged-coffee distribution from Kraft, enabling it to demand better shelf space and push more sales of its products.

Brewing up new deals Starbucks also struck a deal to license its coffee and Tazo-brand tea to Green Mountain Coffee Roasters for use in Green Mountain’s Keurig single-cup coffee makers.

In just the first five months, Starbucks shipped more than 230 million K-Cups, enough to gain a 21-percent share of the single-cup business. And this fall, Starbucks will roll out a premium espresso machine for home use.

Beyond grocery-store sales, Starbucks is expanding into fast-growing emerging markets. The company has been in China since

1999 and plans to triple the number of its shops there, to 1,500, by 2015. Sales at existing stores, a key indicator of success, have increased at an annual clip of more than 20 percent over the past two years in China.

Then there’s Brazil, one of the world’s most avid coffee-consuming countries.

Starbucks has fewer than 50 stores there now, but Alstead said the firm plans to open “hundreds of stores.” Moreover, Starbucks’ first stores in India are due to open shortly. All told, Starbucks now books 22 percent of its sales abroad, a testament to the universal appeal of coffee.

Jennifer Schonberger is a contributing editor at Kiplinger’s Personal Finance magazine.

Send your questions and comments to moneypower@kiplinger.com. And for more on this and similar money topics, visit www.Kiplinger.com. © 2012 Kiplinger’s Personal Finance

Bonds lure investors to emerging markets

By Mark Jewell Investors continue to pour their money into bonds. And those willing to accept a bit more risk in the bond market are finding that they are being appropriately rewarded. Emerging market bond mutual funds are among the top performers so far this year.

Over the last 10 years, they have posted an average annualized return of nearly 12 percent. That’s more than double the return of the Standard & Poor’s 500 index, as well as a broad index of the U.S. bond market.

These funds buy bonds issued by governments and companies in a group of about 20 fast-growing nations including Brazil, Russia, India and China. Investors can choose from a dozen mutual funds whose 10-year returns eclipse that of the JPMorgan Emerging Market bond index.

Overall, government finances in the emerging markets are in better shape than in developed nations, including the U.S. Growth has recently slowed in countries such as China and India, but it’s important to keep perspective. Their economies continue to expand at a much faster clip than the U.S. What’s more, demographic trends in emerging market nations generally are more favorable than in the U.S., with its aging population.

Changing investment landscape Renowned bond investor Michael Hasenstab has far more of his fund’s portfolio in emerging nations, such as Indonesia and Mexico, than in larger bond markets in the U.S., Japan, Germany and France. Hasenstab’s fund, Templeton Global Bond (TPINX), can invest across the globe, but he’s largely avoiding developed nations.

“The tables have completely turned. The countries that were the biggest credit risks now have some of the best credit,” Hasenstab said. In the U.S. and many other developed countries, “no one has very strong growth...and fiscal policy is a mess.”

The brighter outlook in developing nations is a key reason why emerging markets bond funds have posted an average return of nearly 8 percent this year. While U.S Treasury yields are near all-time lows, emerging market bond fund yields have held steady at around 6 percent since 2009. That’s about four times the current yield of a 10-year U.S. Treasury bond.

Before investing in emerging market bonds, however, be aware of three areas of risk that can affect your decision.

1. Interest rate risk T. Rowe Price Emerging Markets Bond (PREMX) has generated an average annualized return of 12 percent ever since Mike

Conelius began as manager in 1994. But he acknowledges that several factors came together over the past dozen years, creating what he calls “a nice perfect storm.” Those include rapid economic growth in emerging markets, a global bond market rally, and rising commodity prices that have benefited many foreign producers of oil and minerals.

One key risk that Conelius sees for bond investors in general is the prospect that currently ultra-low interest rates will rise. When interest rates rise, bond prices decline because investors can purchase newly issued bonds paying higher interest than those issued previously. That could lead to smaller investment returns or even losses for diversified bond fund shareholders and for investors in individual bonds who don’t hold them until they mature.

2. Volatility and exchange rate risks Emerging market bonds are more likely to deliver sharp ups and downs than most domestic bonds. Reasons include the political and economic instability common in many developing nations.

An additional layer of risk comes from currency exchange rates. A rapid shift in rates can have a big impact on short-term investment performance.

That’s a key reason why emerging markets funds were the top-performing bond

fund category in the first quarter, averaging a 6.9 percent return. But emerging market funds finished the second quarter with a 0.07 percent loss as the dollar strengthened against most currencies while Europe struggled to contain its debt crisis.

Furthermore, when governments in emerging markets began issuing debt in the 1990s, the bonds were primarily issued in U.S. dollars to attract foreign investors.

But as the marketplace matured, some governments began issuing bonds in their own currencies. That can create exchange rate risks and opportunities for U.S. investors.

A savvy fund manager can navigate the currency markets to maximize returns, but not all the time. To see how much currency risk a manager is taking on, check fund disclosures to learn how much of the portfolio is in dollar-denominated bonds versus local currency bonds. The higher the percentage in local currency, the greater the risk.

3. Understand what you’re investing in Most emerging markets bond funds invest primarily in so-called sovereign bonds issued by governments. But a growing number invest primarily in corporate debt, or in both types of bonds.

What’s more, many funds don’t limit See BONDS, page 36

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

More at TheBeaconNewspapers.com | Law & Money

35

Life insurance proceeds present a choice

By Eleanor Laise If you’re the beneficiary of a life insurance policy, you might be expecting to receive a check in the mail. But the insurance company may have another idea.

Many insurers automatically move death benefits into retained-asset accounts unless a beneficiary specifically requests a lump sum or other payout option. Insurers tout these accounts as prudent places to stash death benefits. But critics say they pay paltry interest rates, place restrictions on survivors’ access to funds, and don’t provide the same protections as bank accounts.

Retained-asset accounts have been around since the early 1980s, but they have received scrutiny in recent years as federal employees and others were commonly defaulted into the accounts. The Office of Personnel Management, which administers the Federal Employees’ Group Life Insurance program, responded to concerns last year by requiring that most beneficiaries choose a payout option.

How the accounts work If your benefits are placed in a retainedasset account, you’ll typically receive a book of “drafts,” which resemble checks and allow you to draw money from the account. If you don’t want the account, you can write a draft for the full benefit amount and transfer the money to a bank or investment account.

When weighing a lump-sum payout against a retained-asset account, compare the interest rate on the account versus available bank products and investment vehicles. MetLife, for example, is paying 0.5 percent on its retained-asset accounts.

The highest-yielding money market deposit accounts, however, recently yielded roughly 0.9 percent.

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More drawbacks The drafts that allow beneficiaries to tap their money may look like checks, but, unlike checks, drafts require the insurer’s permission before the money can move where the beneficiary directs it. Retailers don’t always accept drafts, and there are often minimum withdrawal amounts.

Retained-asset accounts may not be fully protected if a life insurer goes belly up. The accounts are protected by state guaranty associations, which in most states provide coverage for death benefits only up to $300,000. A beneficiary who took a lump sum and stashed $1 million in accounts at four different banks, however, could have Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. protection on the full amount, because the FDIC covers up to $250,000 per depositor at each institution.

Retained-asset accounts may still be

valuable for some beneficiaries, particularly those who are dealing with an unexpected death and may be overwhelmed by receiving a large lump sum.

Yet insurance experts warn against leaving large sums in the relatively low-yielding accounts for a sustained period. Gener-

ally, says Jeffrey Stempel, insurance law professor at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, “the better thing is just to get control of the money as soon as you can.”

Eleanor Laise is associate editor of Kiplinger’s Retirement Report. © 2012 Kiplinger’s Personal Finance

36

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

Ginnie Maes offer safety and good returns

By Mark Jewell Investors continue to place an unusually high premium on safety. How else to explain the record low yields they’re willing to accept for lending to Uncle Sam? The rate on the 10-year Treasury note sank as low as 1.39 percent in late July, although it bounced up a quarter of a percentage point in August. That’s still paltry payback for locking up their money for a decade.

Investors can earn significantly more by taking on just a bit more risk. Yields of mutual funds that specialize in governmentbacked mortgage bonds known as Ginnie Maes are currently more than double those of Treasurys maturing over a similar number of years.

funds can be a great option,” said Jeff Tjornehoj, a bond fund analyst with Lipper Inc. It’s decent income for risk-averse investors who may appreciate the monthly cash distributions they can elect to receive from their fund’s investment returns.

The 15 funds specializing in Ginnie Maes — most bearing the abbreviation “GNMA” — have posted an average total return of 5 percent over the last 12 months. Returns have ranged as high as 7.1 percent for Payden GNMA (PYGWX) to as low as 3 percent.

Learn more before you invest The category’s recent solid performance doesn’t necessarily mean that Ginnie Mae funds will be a good addition to any portfolio. Here are five key considerations: 1. Steady returns Expect smoother returns than you’ll get from higher-risk segments of the bond market. For example, in 2008, the Vanguard GNMA fund (VFIIX) returned 7 percent, as Ginnie Maes offered safety during the financial crisis. Compare that with the 2008 losses averaging 26 percent for funds specializing in high-yield corporate bonds.

Invest in mortgages These funds invest in pools of home mortgages that carry the explicit guarantee of the Government National Mortgage Association, or Ginnie Mae. Investors in Ginnie Mae bonds are ensured full and timely payment of principal and interest, regardless of whether borrowers make payments.

“If you’re conservative, and looking for that steady diet of payments, Ginnie Mae

2. Not all are alike These funds are required to invest at least 80 percent of fund assets in Ginnie Mae bonds. But managers have leeway with the other 20 percent. Non-GNMA mortgage investments can be found in their portfolios, as well as other government bonds such as Treasurys. So returns can vary significantly from fund to fund.

Some bearing “Government” in their name but not “GNMA” invest in Ginnie Maes as well, but don’t focus on them. Although those funds’ broader investment mandates can sometimes result in stronger returns, risks are typically lower at a fund that largely sticks with the agency’s guaranteed bonds.

3. Prepayment risk One unique aspect of Ginnie Maes makes them slightly riskier than other governmentguaranteed bonds. Declining interest rates means many homeowners are trying to refinance to less expensive mortgages, creating “prepayment risk” for Ginnie Mae funds.

When refinancing activity spikes, some of the higher-rate mortgages in Ginnie Mae funds are replaced by lower-rate mortgages. That squeezes the interest payments that a fund’s bond portfolio earns, and fund returns can be reduced. Typically, fund managers discuss their strategies for dealing with prepayment risk in quarterly commentaries sent to investors.

4. Rate risk Just like those owning other types of

bonds, Ginnie Mae investors could see returns shrink if interest rates rise. Market values for mortgage investments bought when rates were lower would drop as investors seek higher returns from newer mortgages paying higher rates.

Investors wishing to protect against this risk should check disclosures listing a fund’s duration — a measure of vulnerability to rising rates. Most Ginnie Mae funds currently have durations of 2.5 to 4.5. The bigger the number, the more risk an investor faces from a potential rate increase.

However, that risk isn’t imminent. The Federal Reserve doesn’t expect to raise its benchmark rate until late 2014, at the earliest.

5. Costs count Ginnie Maes typically generate modest returns, and fund expenses can eat up much of what investors earn if they’re not careful. So pay close attention to fees. Vanguard’s Ginnie Mae fund charges the lowest among the group, with an expense ratio of 0.21 percent.

Even without considering costs, Tjornehoj, the Lipper analyst, said there’s plenty to like about these funds. For starters, there’s Ginnie Maes’ current yield advantage over Treasurys: “They stack up pretty well, given the low rate environment we’re in, and how richly priced the safest assets like Treasurys have become.”

— AP

Bonds

oped countries offer the prospect of higher returns, but with greater risks.

Check fund disclosures to see what proportion of a portfolio is invested in such countries, and assess whether it seems appropriate for your risk tolerance.

— AP

From page 34 themselves to the 20 or so countries generally defined as emerging markets. Some also invest in frontier markets, such as Bangladesh and Latvia. These less-devel-

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Contact DDOE at 311 to apply

To learn more about the Lifeline program, visit www.lifelinesupport.org.

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

More at TheBeaconNewspapers.com | Law & Money

37

The ABCs of fixed and deferred annuities Guaranteed income for life, especially in The concept of trading a lump sum of the aftermath of a deep recession and fi- money for a stream of income is easy to unnancial crisis, sounds wonderderstand, but annuities come ful. That must be why insurin lots of flavors, which can ance companies are ramping make them confusing. The two up their marketing of annubig categories of annuities are ities. “immediate” and “deferred.”

Due to the complexity of In an immediate annuity, annuities, I’ll cover the basics payments begin immediately this month, and then in the or within one year of the polinext issue, I will set forth the cy’s issue. These contracts pros and cons. are also referred to as “single An annuity is a financial premium immediate annuRETIRE SMART contract issued by a life insurities” or SPIAs because they

By Jill Schlesinger ance company that offers taxare usually purchased with a deferred savings and a choice of payout single payment. SPIAs can help you manoptions (income for life, income for a cer- age the risk of outliving your money, tain period of time or lump sum) to meet which is known as “longevity risk.” your needs in retirement. Because the contract enjoys tax-deferred treatment, the Deferred annuities IRS may impose a 10 percent early withA deferred annuity has two phases: the drawal penalty for some distributions if accumulation phase, during which you make regular payments and your money they are taken before age 59 1/2.

BEACON BITS

Oct. 17

PASSION TO PROFIT ENTREPRENEURSHIP PANEL

Join a panel of local entrepreneurs and discuss how to turn your next great idea into a successful business. Seth Goldman, the founder of Honest Tea, will be the panel moderator at the event, on Wednesday, Oct. 17 at 7 p.m.

The program takes place at the Sixth & I Historic Synagogue, 600 I St., N.W., Washington, D.C. and will be followed by a networking event. Cost is $6 in advance, $8 at the door. Register online at sixthandi.org.

Sept. 29

RETIREMENT INFO FAIR

Planning on retiring? The Langston-Brown Senior Center is hosting a retirement information fair on Saturday, Sept. 29 from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. The fair will feature demonstrations, food and resource information. Free. The senior center is located at 2121 N. Culpeper St., Arlington, Va. For more information, call (703) 228-6300.

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grows on a tax-deferred basis; and the payout phase, during which you begin to receive scheduled payments. There are several types of deferred annuities to consider: • Fixed annuity: Insurance companies guarantee a fixed interest rate for a certain period of time. At the end of this period, the company will declare a renewal interest rate and another guarantee period.

Most guarantee a minimum interest rate for the life of the contract.

• Variable annuity: For investors who

want access to more investment options, variable annuities offer “sub-accounts,” which look like mutual funds inside of an insurance policy.

• Equity index annuity: A blend between a fixed and a variable, where the insurance company invests in a mix of bonds and stocks designed to return a targeted percentage of a particular index (e.g., S&P 500). The owner does not control the inSee ANNUITIES, page 38

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Call us today at 240-403-4300 For a Free Initial Consultation or your complementary copy of “e Absolutely Basic Guide to Public Benefits” or “How to Pick a Lawyer.”

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

BEACON BITS

Annuities

Sept. 19

From page 37

SPOTTING SCAMS

United States Postal Inspector Charles Wickersham will present a seminar titled “Minimizing the Risk of Fraud, Scams and Identity Theft.” Learn how to spot foreign lottery scams and to protect yourself from mail fraud and identity theft. The free presentation takes place Wednesday, Sept. 19 from 7 to 8:15 p.m. in the Brooke Grove Rehabilitation and Nursing Center terrace level conference room, 18100 Slade School Rd., Sandy Spring, Md. Light supper will be served at 6:30. For more info and reservations, call Lynelle Smit at (301) 9242811, option 3 or send an email to lsmith@bgf.org before Monday, September 17.

Sept. 21+

MULTICULTURAL FESTIVAL VOLUNTEERS NEEDED

Volunteers of all ages are needed to help with set up and break down, assist with children’s activities, direct parking, collect surveys and assist with concessions at the Reston Community Center’s 2012 Multicultural Festival. The festival takes place at Lake Anne Plaza, 11402 Washington Plaza W., Reston, Va., on Saturday, Sept. 22, but volunteers are also needed on Sept. 21 and Sept 23. Call (703) 435-7986 or email habrock@reston.org for information about shift times and to enlist as a volunteer. For more information about the festival, visit www.restoncommunitycenter.com.

For Your Personalized Estate Planning Needs WILLS • TRUSTS • POWERS OF ATTORNEY LIVING WILLS • ADVANCE DIRECTIVES • PROBATE GUARDIANSHIPS • CONSERVATORSHIPS

HOME VISITS • HOSPITAL VISITS • FREE CONSULTATIONS

vestment selection but can participate to a degree in stock market gains during a rising market. Conversely, if markets fall, the contract guarantees a minimum return, typically 3 percent.

Ask these questions When an insurance salesman, a financial adviser or a broker broaches the topic of annuities with you, here are six questions that you should immediately ask: 1. What type of annuity is this, and why do you recommend it for me?

2. Exactly how much will I pay in the first year of the contract, and then how much in subsequent years?

3. What will be your first-year commission on the contract, and what will you earn in subsequent years? Annuities are notoriously expensive (more on the fees in next month’s column), so you will want to understand the total costs, which include mortality and expense charges (“M&E”), administrative fees, underlying fund expenses, charges for special features, and

the salesperson’s commission.

4. Have I already maxed out other taxdeferred vehicles? One of the big selling points of annuities is that they offer tax deferral. That’s great, but make sure that you are maximizing your 401(k) or IRA accounts first before investing in an annuity, because chances are, those are cheaper tax-deferred vehicles.

5. Should I tie up my money with this contract? Once you sign up for an annuity, it’s hard to get your hands on that money, and it can be expensive to do so. Make sure you have ample liquidity outside of the annuity before taking the plunge.

6. How is this insurer rated by AM Best, S&P, Moody’s and Fitch? Before the financial crisis, this question seemed silly, but now we know that insurance companies can go broke. Since the success of an annuity is predicated on the survival of the insurance company, it’s important that the company be highly rated.

Jill Schlesinger, CFP, is the Editor-atLarge for www.CBSMoneyWatch.com. She welcomes comments and questions at askjill@moneywatch.com. © 2012 Tribune Media Services, Inc.

BEACON BITS

Nov 13

ADMINISTER MEMORY EXAMS The Village at Rockville is seeking qualified healthcare profes-

Attorney Michelle Lanchester

sionals to administer memory screenings at the continuing care retirement com-

THE LANCHESTER LAW FIRM

munity’s free Alzheimer’s memory screening event being held on Tuesday, Nov. 13

202-220-3000 • www.LanchesterLaw.com

from 1 to 4 p.m. at 9701 Veirs Dr., Rockville, Md. Call (301) 354-8447 for more

E-mail: michelle@lanchesterlaw.com

information.

601 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Suite 900, South Building, Washington, DC 20004

Faces of Friendship

Sept. 10+

TWO-DAY JOB SEARCH BOOT CAMP Become an expert in finding a job through the Jewish Social Service Agency’s job search training program. Call (301) 610-8380,

email careerinfo@jssa.org or go online to www.jssa.org for more information and

!"#$%&"'(&")*'$+$'$&,")-."'(&"#/*)'$/-0'()'1," +&23"$45/2')-'6"7&12&",/"*#/,&"'/"&+&23'($-89:

to register. Fee is $50. The program takes place on Monday, Sept. 10 and Tuesday, Sept. 11, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 200 Wood Hill Rd., Rockville, Md.

!"#$%#$#!"#$&'()*+,-) !"#$%&#'(!$%')#!*++,

Ongoing Call today for a tour! 202-244-7400 (TRS 711)

HELP WITH RED CROSS BLOOD DRIVES The American Red Cross Greater Chesapeake & Potomac Blood Services Region is looking for volunteers to assist blood collec-

tions staff at drives in Maryland, Washington, D.C. and Northern Virginia. Responsibilities include greeting donors and offering refreshments. Volunteers need to provide own transportation and attend an hour-long orientation session offered at Red Cross offices throughout the area. For more information and to register, con-

4201 Butterworth Place, NW • Washington, DC www.friendshipterrace.com

How 1 Need: Got Potholes

2 Call: 311 or

tact Terry Ann Karloff at 1-800-272-0094 or terryann.karloff@redcross.org.

Works

Contact MC311 for Montgomery County Government Information and Services

3 Visit: mc311.com

4 Done: Check it off your list

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

More at TheBeaconNewspapers.com | Law & Money

: 5 # p i T g n i z i s Right ay. d g n i v o

r m u o y r o eady f r g a b rvival u s a e Hav tuck s e b ant to w t â&#x20AC;&#x2122; n with o y a d You d f the o d n e n e ed u o at the y stuff e h t es and x o all b y in a w a d es, a i r t e l i packe k to c a P ks, c . s a k n s c u tr thes, o l c f o bag e g a n a n ch o ns i i t a c i ed you m h t i d w n a keep n a c ou that y cess! c a y s for ea

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40

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

Pros and cons of personal bankruptcy In my 12 years as a certified countycourt mediator in Florida, one of the most common questions I’ve heard defendants ask is, “Should I file for bankruptcy?” It is a good question, but one that should be directed to an experienced bankruptcy attorney, who will be able to explain the process, eligibility, costs and available options in greater detail.

With so many individuals being sued because of large outstanding debts for credit cards, mortgages, car loans, etc., it is important for people to consult with expert counsel to better grasp the advantages and disadvantages of bankruptcy.

Two types of filing There are two forms of personal bank-

ruptcy: Chapter 13 and Chapter 7.

Chapter 13 is for individuals who have significant equity in property that they want to keep. Such individuals typically have regular income, but are behind on payments because of debt. Chapter 13 allows individuals to maintain their property while catching up with their debt obligations over three to five years through a court-approved repayment plan.

Chapter 7 is for individuals who have little property other than necessities, and who have such high debt that they cannot meet basic expenses. A “means test” determines whether an individual’s income is low enough to be eligible for Chapter 7 after applicable expenses.

The process is relatively quick — it may

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take only a few months — and creditors can have an impact on your ability to borcannot contact you during an “automatic row, although some creditors may feel that you will be in a better posistay” (a court order that protion to handle debt than you tects you from creditors) or were before. after your debts are disThe legal fees of an expericharged. After you file the paenced bankruptcy attorney perwork and obtain the autocan be substantial. For a matic stay, creditors cannot Chapter 7 filing, administragarnish wages, repossess tive and filing fees are around autos or institute foreclosures. $300, with additional attorOne of the most significant ney fees likely to be between advantages of Chapter 7 is that $1,500 and $2,000. most of your unsecured debt Total expenses for Chapter gets discharged. Exceptions THE SAVINGS 13 will be more expensive. include debts owed to the IRS, GAME Most fees will have to be paid student loans, loans on proper- By Elliot Raphaelson up front. In addition, according ty in which the creditor has a to the National Association of Consumer lien, and spousal and child support.

Individuals in severe debt should con- Bankruptcy Attorneys, there will be additionsider bankruptcy because it can protect al costs for requisite pre-bankruptcy credit property from unsecured creditors. It can counseling and a credit education course.

Keep in mind that a previous bankruptprovide protection for your home, car and cy affects the eligibility for a new filing. personal property.

A bankruptcy attorney will be able to ex- You cannot file for Chapter 7 if you have plain other exemptions, which vary by previously done so within the past eight state and often include insurance, pen- years, or the past six years for Chapter 13.

If you do consider filing, make sure to sions and wages. No employer can fire you use an experienced bankruptcy attorney. because you file for bankruptcy.

While bankruptcy normally prevents Your regular attorney may have a recomthe garnishment of wages, it is possible mendation, and you can also ask the local under some circumstances (as determined bar association.

An excellent resource is The New Bankby state law) for creditors to garnish the wages of individuals without the ability to ruptcy: Will it Work for You? (NOLO), by Stephen Elias. Nolo.com contains a nationrepay.

Also, a bankruptcy filing will not elimi- wide lawyer directory with associated pronate liens on property previously owned. files.

In the current economy, many people (However, in Chapter 13, many types of liens can be reduced or eliminated be- are facing substantial debt problems because of provisions in the bankruptcy code cause of job losses, health expenses, etc., that allow filers to retain property they and bankruptcy is certainly an option to consider. would otherwise lose.)

Elliot Raphaelson welcomes your questions and comments at elliotraph@gmail.com.

Bankruptcy disadvantages © 2012 Elliot Raphaelson. Distributed by Bankruptcy filings will remain on your credit history for 10 years. Naturally, this Tribune Media Services, Inc.

Please tell our advertisers, “I saw you in the Beacon!”

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41

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

A Special Supplement to The Beacon newspaper

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Game Onâ&#x20AC;?

Bringing our plans to life Page 4-5

September 2012/No. 26

Meet a man for all operas

Opera baritone and Ring House resident David Beckwith

by Emily Tipermas

Seated in the lobby of Ring House, resident David Beckwith leans back comfortably to share tales from his most remarkable stage career.

A professional baritone who appeared in 53 classical operatic roles with worldclass opera companies, Dr. Beckwith reminisces about singing the national anthem at the White House during four administrations, appearing as guest soloist with symphony orchestras, including the National Symphony Orchestra, traveling throughout the U.S. to perform in Broadway musicals, and much more. Asked to name his favorite parts, he responds: the valet Figaro in The Marriage of Figaro, the cheeky beggar Hajj in Kismet, and Emil in South Pacific. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s also interesting to learn that he has served as cantorial soloist at Adas Israel, Temple Sinai and Washington Hebrew Congregation.

All quite amazing for someone who grew up on a farm in New Jersey!

Born into a musically gifted family in 1934, Dr. Beckwith was attracted to the piano at age four. By age seven, he was ready for advanced instruction with his

talented Aunt Ruth, requiring a weekly subway ride from New Jersey to her Brooklyn apartment. After graduating in 1956 from Rutgers University with a degree in applied music, Dr. Beckwith joined the American baritone Mack Harrell, considered one of the foremost concert singers of his time, in helping to establish the performing arts school at Southern Methodist University; simultaneously he earned his M.A. at SMU in music.

Degree in hand, Dr. Beckwith enlisted in the U.S. Army where he enjoyed a threeyear stint singing with the Army Chorus and Band. After completing his service, he studied under Todd Duncan, the original Porgy in Porgy and Bess, Darius Milhaud, renowned French composer, and James Levine, later head of the Metropolitan Opera Company; Mr. Levine coached him

for performances at the Aspen Music Festival.

Sights now set on furthering a career in vocal performance, Dr. Beckwith set off for Europe, where he signed on to perform with the Flensburg Company in Germany. From there he secured contracts with the LĂźbeck and later with the Wuppertal Opera Companies. Eventually returning to America, he performed in operas, Broadway shows and as soloist in major symphony halls. In addition, he earned a doctorate in Musical Arts from Catholic University.

Today Dr. Beckwith, 78, acknowledges the limitations imposed upon him by Parkinsonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s disease, but he says, as actor Michael J. Fox would concur, life does go on, and so he participates in activities offered at Ring House as much as possible. And, not surprisingly, heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the first one to sign up for outings to Strathmore and the Kennedy Center. â&#x2013;

HEBREW HOME OF GREATER WASHINGTON â&#x20AC;˘ SMITH-KOGOD & WASSERMAN RESIDENCES COHEN-ROSEN HOUSE â&#x20AC;˘ HIRSH HEALTH CENTER â&#x20AC;˘ LANDOW HOUSE â&#x20AC;˘ REVITZ HOUSE â&#x20AC;˘ RING HOUSE

Three free seminars

Page 3

A gift from the heart

Page 6 and 8

White House executive pastry chef Page 7

42

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

Meet our residents on Facebook Visit us on Facebook – www.facebook.com/ceslc – to catch daily posts about the amazing people who live, work, and volunteer here, health highlights, fun stuff, and more! Be sure to Like us…and Share.

This photo of Rosalie Sobel at the Hebrew Home Prom was well “liked” on Facebook.

Generation to Generation Can Reusable Grocery Bags Make You Sick?

Initiatives

Here’s the take-away lesson: Yes, those reusable bags can make you sick, quite easily in fact, because they’re often contaminated with microscopic bacteria from food items or even non-food items—like gym clothes or diapers—that you might happen to jam into the bag. So, it pays to be a bit fanatic about clean bags.

Food Service Director David Parker oversees kitchen protocol at the Hebrew Home of Greater Washington. Based on his training and experience, and supported

by FDA and USDA guidelines, he strictly enforces the following practices to prevent food-borne illness: • In shopping, storing and preparing food, remember to separate, don’t contaminate.

Eco-Friendly Trend With today’s steady switch from plastic or paper to reusable bags, there’s a feel-good sense that we’re doing something productive to save our planet, and perhaps save on bag tax as well. The downside, however, is that illness-causing agents (think E. coli or Listeria) from uncooked meats or unwashed produce can travel to a reusable bag’s surface and live there for weeks. As health writer Hanna Brooks Olsen observes, “Often left in cool, dark spaces (like the drawer that you keep them in between shopping trips) after exposure to bacteria, canvas and other cloth fibers are easy breeding grounds for germs that could potentially make you sick.”

Cleaning – a must!

Notes Los Angeles Times editor Tami Dennis, “Reusable” doesn’t mean “self-cleaning.” She adds that one study shows that only three percent of people surveyed say they regularly wash their bags. Big mistake!

Here are tips, many suggested by Olsen, to avoid a gastric crisis: 1. Regard your bags like dish towels: throw them in with your regular laundry or wash separately with bleach. Dry on high heat if fabric permits.

Page 2 | September 2012

• Never store raw meats on top of cooked food.

David Parker, Food Service Director

2. Bags made of composite man-made fibers should be hand washed or laundered on the gentle cycle. Turn inside out and remove debris nestled in the seams. Allow to air dry.

3. If your bags aren’t machine washable, hand wash them frequently with hot soapy water. You can also create your own strong solution of vinegar and a little water in a spray bottle. Spray bags thoroughly, let them dry, and then wipe with a clean cloth.

4. Never leave unwashed bags in your car. The heat will cause bacteria to multiply.

5. Use grocery bags for food only—not for gym clothes, diapers, cleaning or gardening supplies.

6. If, as you begin shopping, you realize you forgot to wash a bag, use a Lysol or other disinfecting wipe set out for cart cleaning. ■ www.smithlifecommunities.org

• Clean and sanitize all food preparation areas.

• If a cutting board appears excessively worn or develops hard-to-clean grooves, consider replacing it.

• Store all dried food six inches above the floor.

• Refrigerate food at 40° or below.

• Keep eggs in their original carton and store in the main compartment of the refrigerator—not the door.

• Always thaw foods in the refrigerator.

Mr. Parker has worked at the Hebrew Home for 16 years.

Perspectives Academic researchers recently tested 84 reusable grocery bags from shoppers in California and Arizona: More than half the bags contained some sort of coliform bacteria, a category that includes Escherichia coli.

— Whitney Blair Wyckoff, NPR

LifeTimes

43

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

Show your affection for a Hebrew Home resident with a gift of colorful flowers.

Flowers also lend a cheerful touch to Shabbat and the High Holidays. For information and to order an arrangement, contact the Hebrew Home’s Volunteer Department at 301.770.8333.

If a shiny new car is in your future, how about donating your used one to the Hebrew Home? Proceeds benefit our elderly residents.

For details call

301.770.8329

Card players Lucille Kligerman (left) and Muriel Shpritz (above) enjoy a lively new bridge group at the Hebrew Home.

Retired prized racer and now a pet, Mesa, a sleek greyhound owned by Recreation Therapist Michelle Carruthers, pays twice-monthly visits to Hebrew Home residents.

It’s a win-win therapeutic exercise: residents love stroking his sleek fur, and Mesa laps up the attention!

Remember This A series of three seminars on dementia and memory care is being presented in conjunction with the opening of the new Cohen-Rosen House in late 2012. The “Remember This” series provides professional and family caregivers, social workers, eldercare attorneys, admissions staff and case managers with answers to especially challenging aspects of memory care. All sessions offer continuing education credits and take place in the Landow House Theater, 1799 East Jefferson Street in Rockville.

Jennifer Lubaczewski FitzPatrick kicks off the series on Thursday, September 6, at 5 pm. Founder of Jenerations Health Education, Inc., adjunct instructor at Johns Hopkins University and educational consultant for the Alzheimer’s Association, she will address “Behaviors as Communication?” guiding attendees on understanding and managing the difficult behaviors that often accompany memory loss. A complimentary supper will be served.

On October 18 at 5 pm, Dr. Allan Anderson, a widelypublished expert and frequent lecturer, will speak about “Pain Management and Dementia,” identifying signs and symptoms of pain and discussing treatment approaches.

Supper will be served.

On Sunday, November 4, at 2 pm, Patricia Hagen will lead a lively interactive session on “Active with Dementia,” demonstrating how caregivers can help a person with dementia feel calmer and more successful through programs that successfully fill the day.

This expert series is sponsored by the Hurwitz Lecture Fund at Charles E. Smith Life Communities.

Contact Jill Berkman at 301.816.5052. Reservations can also be made online at www.cohen-rosen.org. ■ LifeTimes

When the Folger Theatre came for a visit, Revitz House residents Miriam Ratner, Morris Cohen, Ann Carroad and, at right, Patrice Thomas, daughterin-law of residents Helen and Harold Rheingold, experienced what 16th-century actors endured in multi-layered, buttoned, full-collared Elizabethan costumes.

This issue marks the 40th anniversary of our quarterly newsletter to the community.

Originally named the Home Front, the paper was renamed LifeTimes in July 2006 when our residences and senior services came together under the name Charles E. Smith Life Communities.

Marilyn Feldman, director of public relations, holds Issue #1 from September 1972, edited by Helen Abel.

www.smithlifecommunities.org

September 2012 | Page 3

44

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

It takes a community: Outstanding Rehab & Recovery................Hebrew Home ....................301.770.8476 Independent Living with a New Look........Ring House ........................301.816.5012 Affordable Independence ........................Revitz House ......................301.770.8450 Personalized Assisted Living ....................Landow House ....................301.816.5050 Respectful Long-Term Care ......................Hebrew Home ....................301.770.8476 New Memory Care Residence ..................Cohen-Rosen House ..........301.816.5052

FirstPerson Bringing our plans to life About a year ago, our residents donned hard hats and posed with construction tools and architectural renderings to illustrate our “Blueprint for our Second Century.” Today, we are surrounded by the signs and sounds of those plans coming to life. Join me on these pages for a tour of two new programs on our campus, the spectacular new Elsie and Marvin Dekelboum Therapy Center in our Wasserman Residence, and the new Cohen-Rosen Warren R. Slavin, House for memory care assisted President/CEO living, rapidly taking form behind Ring House on East Jefferson Street.

This is an exciting time to be at the helm of this vibrant organization. Not only are the visible signs of progress everywhere around us as we transform our environment, but there are other major initiatives underway as well, perhaps not so visible at first glance.

Our Drive for Excellence initiative is steadily improving the quality of our care and caring, including infusing our services with the Jewish values that are at our core; stressing recruitment, leadership education, performance and quality enhancement, and making use of enhanced technology. The Centennial Campaign, the largest in our history, is funding much of the construction progress taking place, and is also helping to build our endowment and to support resident care.

As I mark my 18th anniversary with the Hebrew Home and Charles E. Smith Life Communities, I invite you to stay tuned for more progress reports in the coming months.

With my very best wishes to you and your family for a happy, healthy and peaceful new year in 5773.

COHEN-ROSEN HOUSE NEARS COMPLETION Imagine a whole program of memory care built around Mom or Dad: a home where a craving for a toasted bagel is satisfied at any hour, a design for living that helps your loved one connect to others and live safely, knowing there are people who care, even when you are not there. In 102 years of providing care, we’ve learned a lot from our residents and their families. We’ve paired this depth of experience with outstanding new models for assisted living memory care. Discover how much private accommodations, creative programming and loving staff can accomplish.

The 18-unit residence is rapidly taking shape behind Ring House. To learn more about this newest residence on our campus, call 301.816.5052. ■ “GAME ON: Bringing our Plans to Life” is the title of our latest annual report. This lively report, featuring engaging photos of residents in sports gear, is available online as an interactive flip book at www.hebrew-home.org, Newsroom page. Check out our good sports and our outstanding progress. ■ Construction of the Cohen-Rosen House

Warren R. Slavin, President/CEO Charles E. Smith Life Communities

Page 4 | September 2012

www.smithlifecommunities.org

LifeTimes

45

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

Thanks to intensive rehab therapy at the Hebrew Home, Dr. George Chacko, 83, defied a grim prognosis about his ability to walk again.

Today he walks two miles a day – unassisted. He wrote an inspiring book about his experience: Miraculous Power Overcoming Hopeless Adversity (Balboa Press). Read about Dr. Chacko’s remarkable path to recovery in the March 2012 LifeTimes, posted at www.hebrew-home.org, Newsroom page – LifeTimes archives. Help someone you know to recover – call 301.770.8476.

Rutstein Café (left) and three views of the new therapy center.

“It’s beautifully done; the therapists are more ebullient,” notes patient Sandra Schwartz. “I really think it’s great.

It gets you going; I’d recommend it,” says Rosemarie Djabadary.

DEKELBOUM THERAPY CENTER OPENS In an amazing transformation and expansion, the heart of the Hebrew Home’s renowned rehabilitation institute has a spectacular new space in which patients can experience personalized therapy sessions and the most advanced rehabilitation equipment, all in an environment that outdoes many spas and gyms.

The Elsie and Marvin Dekelboum Therapy Center offers spa-like private treatment areas, a daily lifestyle apartment, and a life skills center – all designed to return patients to their homes as quickly as possible.

The lifestyle apartment (below) provides a realistic setting for therapy.

The main area of the gym (top right) offers modalities to help residents recover from joint replacement surgery, strokes, heart attacks, accidents and other medical issues.

LifeTimes

Patients and guests can enjoy coffee and Wi-Fi in the new Rutstein Café.

The Biodex Gait Trainer helps residents regain their ability to walk. Other specialized equipment includes a car simulator and a VitalStim® device to help patients regain the ability to swallow.

Area health care professionals gave the new Dekelboum Therapy Center rave reviews at an open house in July.

About 1,000 patients come through our rehabilitation program each year. Call 301.770.8476. ■

www.smithlifecommunities.org

September 2012 | Page 5

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

Pastoral Interns Karen Scrivo, Reverend Elizabeth Ewing, George Wong and Deb Calhoun are clinical pastoral interns at the Hebrew Home under the guidance of Rabbi James Michaels. Internship sessions, offered twice each year, are open to ordained clergy and to lay people interested in chaplaincy. For more information, contact jmichaels@hebrew-home.org.

Harold Schneiberg received an award for five years of valued volunteer service at the Hebrew Home. He and Arnold Hammer lead the popular Men's Schmooze Group, held every Wednesday in both Home residences. Coincidentally, his wife's grandmother, Bessie Dinowitz Diener, earned a similar volunteer award from the Home 50 years ago, which Harold brought to the recognition luncheon. Talk about a family tradition of caring for others!

LifeLines

<

Volunteer interns in bright blue T-shirts – 140 of them -- brought energy, vitality and helping hands to the Hebrew Home this summer. One ninth grade photographer with a good eye for composition snapped shots (including the one below) that were featured on our Facebook page, another student wrote resident portraits for our website, and summer intern Jen Chen wrote: As time passed, I settled down and I looked forward to my volunteer visits at the Home. I was the one who asked my mom, “Can I go volunteer today?”

I didn’t think about the fruitful student service learning hours I would be getting. Instead, thoughts crossed my mind about the satisfaction I receive in helping. As Rebecca Israel, age 17, a long-term volunteer at the Home said to me, “I feel gratified because no matter how small my contribution is, I know I’ve made a difference in someone’s world.” I can’t agree more with that sentence. I escorted a resident down a hallway to play Bingo, and when I got her there, she said very gaily, “Thank you, darling, you’ve made my day!” But really, in reality, she made my day.

To volunteer call 301.770.8332. ■

<

Satisfaction. Inspiration.

The Hebrew Home has it all.

Ivan Silverman received the Home’s top honor, the Hymen Goldman Award, at the 102nd Annual Meeting. Ivan, who served as Chair from 2003 to 2005, is pictured with his wife Arlene at a reception prior to the meeting.

In Our Mailbox Dear Mr. Slavin, I wish to commend Diane Stern and the staff of the Revitz House for their support to the residents (including my parents, ages 94 and 92) during the recent storm and multi-day power outage. Needless to say, the record-breaking heat only magnified the challenges they dealt with. Although the majority of the outage occurred over a weekend, it was all hands on deck as they provided three meals a day (instead of just the usual dinner), encouragement and good cheer, ongoing communication, and as much entertainment or other diversions as possible. When it was over, every apartment kitchen was inspected to ensure that there would be no food safety issues.

I live in Northern Virginia, where we experienced an even longer power outage, so I was not able to provide much more relief than taking my parents someplace cool for a few hours. It was a great comfort to me and my family that their well-being was being maintained to the maximum extent possible at Revitz House.

Sincerely, Mrs. Alison Rosenberg

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 © 2012 by The Hebrew Home of Greater Washington 6121 Montrose Road, Rockville, MD 20852-4856, 301.881.0300

Page 6 | September 2012

Editor’s note: The campus continued to support our residents as power returned, not only helping to clean residents’ personal refrigerators, but also presenting each Revitz House resident with a $25 Giant gift card to replenish their food supplies. This gift truly reflected the Jewish values that guide our care. Revitz House is federally-subsidized and offers apartments at belowmarket rates to eligible individuals. Read local media coverage at www.smithlifecommunities.org, on the Newsroom page. ■

www.smithlifecommunities.org

LifeTimes

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S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 2 — 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: Elana F. Lippa, Director of Gift Planning Charles E. Smith Life Communities 6121 Montrose Road, Rockville MD 20852

Please send me “Planning Your Legacy” 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 9/12

Participate in a tradition of caring

EventMakers We're proud to introduce Elana Lippa, our new director of Gift Planning. With over 10 years of success working for Montgomery College, the National Foundation for Cancer Research, and the Smithsonian Institution, Elana brings expertise, fresh insights and a forward approach to the vital role she'll now be playing for our organization. Learn more about gift planning at www.hebrew-home.org. ■

Photo by John De amond

Meet Elana

Need an excuse to buy some new running gear?

Registration is now open for the annual Home Run 10k/5k and fun run, Sunday morning, September 30 at Federal Plaza on East Jefferson Street in Rockville, MD. Through the generous donation of Angela and Joel Glazer, we are giving the first 400 registrants an authentic Manchester United FC jersey. This special gift to race participants is available at packet pickup and on race day!

What are we most proud of about our race? In addition to these great shirts, we have a moon bounce and DJ for kids, lots of free parking, delicious food and more at our post-race party.

Need help training? New this year – we are teaming up with Fleet Feet Sports, Gaithersburg. Check out their website at www.fleetfeetgaithersburg.com for their 10K training program designed to get you in shape by race day. Packet pick up will take place at their store on Kentlands Boulevard where you will find free parking and a great selection of running gear!

The event is chaired by Marc Schlesinger. Register online now and find prize information at www.hebrew-home.org/homerun. ■ Featured Starlight entertainer Sara Bareilles zoomed into the spotlight in 2007 with her internationally successful #1 hit, “Love Song,” selling over 1 million copies and earning three Grammy nominations including Song of the Year. Bareilles’ critically acclaimed second album Kaleidoscope Heart included platinum single “King of Anything.” She sat on the judges’ panel on the NBC show “The Sing-Off.” Join us December 13.

LifeTimes

For over 50 years, donations to the Hebrew Home’s annual Guardian Campaign have made it possible for us to reassure families of the elderly and infirm in our community that there is a place where their loved one will be cared for in a warm, Jewish environment.

With the help of a community that values caring for our elderly, the Hebrew Home is here for hundreds of residents, the majority of whom can no longer pay for their care. Over 70 percent of our residents depend on Medicaid to cover the cost of their care. Yet Medicaid reimbursement falls short by $51 per day per resident. (That’s a shortfall of more than $18,000 per resident per year.)

Guardian Campaign Chairs Jeffrey Distenfeld and Jeffrey Pargament and their committee of dedicated volunteers are seeking to raise at least $950,000 this year to help the Hebrew Home give residents the thoughtful, personalized attention they need and so richly deserve. With your support, the Home: • Offers 24-hour skilled nursing care and full-time on-staff physicians.

• Enriches the mind and body with book clubs, gardening programs and trips to the cherry blossoms.

• Sustains spiritual needs with a fulltime rabbi and religious services.

• Provides peace-of-mind to the Roland Mesnier families of our residents.

Two special events express our gratitude to donors: On Sunday, November 11, we thank current Benefactor and President’s Circle Guardian Campaign donors and Major Gift donors with a special treat: an evening with White House Executive Pastry Chef Roland Mesnier at the elegant Anderson House on Massachusetts Avenue, home of the Society of the Cincinnati. Chef Mesnier served five presidents in his 26-year tenure at the White House, and he will delight guests with delectable tidbits on First Families from Carter to Bush and with a delicious White House dessert. This evening is generously hosted by Bruce and Paula Robinson and by Ober|Kaler, Attorneys at Law. On Thursday, December 13, we will be thanking Guardian Campaign donors of $750 or more ($500 for firsttime attendees) at the Starlight Lounge at the Bethesda North Marriott Hotel and Conference Center. Carolyn and David Ruben will chair this special evening featuring Sara Bareilles.

For more information about the Guardian Campaign, contact Lisa Friedman at friedman@hebrew-home.org or 301.770.8328. Make your gift at www.hebrew-home.org. ■

www.smithlifecommunities.org

September 2012 | Page 7

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

Save the dates

Ring House resident Mollee Kruger, whose popular column “Unholy Writ” appeared in Jewish publications including The Jewish Week from the late 1960s to the 1980s, penned this holiday humor back in 1970.

Enjoy!

ber 30 m e t p e S , y Sunda n 10k/5k/Fun Run Home Ru a, Rockville Federal Plaz line at Register on w-home.org www.hebre

Yom Kippur Our fathers learned To shed their tzorres: They whirled a fowl, Shluggen kappores.

er 11 b m e v h y, No le Event wit a d n irc Su nt’s C hef e C Presid ite House h W esnier ti M d n Rola cinna he Cin

For yearly sins They made amends, They cast them on Their feathered friends.

Best wishes

DC of t ngton ociety i S h s e a h T ,W House n o 328 s r e 770.8 .

And 1 0 3 Call

from Charles E. Smith Life Communities for a healthy, happy, and productive New Year.

May the warmth of tradition infuse your High

Thursday, December 13

Holiday celebration! Check our Facebook page

Starlight 2012

(www.facebook.com/ceslc) on Fridays for

Bethesda North Marriott

recipes to break the fast deliciously.

To lose OUR sins This way is tough, An ostrich is Not big enough.

Oh send to us A future when Our sins won’t fill A Cornish hen.

Our Other Special Events “Remember This” – Free seminars on the most-requested topics in memory care Thursday, September 6, 5 pm Behaviors as Communication?

Thursday, October 18, 5 pm Pain Management and Dementia Sunday, November 4, 2 pm Active with Dementia

For Goldie H. Nadkarni and fellow Revitz House residents, when the summer’s mega-storm knocked out power on our campus, Charles E. Smith Life Communities eased the challenge of having to replace refrigerated food with $25 Giant gift cards.

Read one family member’s letter of thanks on page 6.

RSVP: 301.816.5052 or online at www.cohen-rosen.org First Sunday of each month Jewish War Veterans, 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

✓ check 8111 or for CFC ■ ✓ check 49705.

Support the Hebrew Home through your gift to United Way ■ While the Hebrew Home partners with the Jewish Federation of Greater Washington on community issues, we are not a beneficiary agency and do not receive any of its funding.

How to reach us...

■

Hebrew Home 301.770.8476 Rehab and Long Term www.hebrew-home.org

Page 8 | September 2012

■

Cohen-Rosen House 301.816.5052 www.cohen-rosen.org

■

Hirsh Health Center 301.816.5004

■

Landow House 301.816.5050 www.landowhouse.org

www.smithlifecommunities.org

■

Revitz House 301.770.8450 www.revitzhouse.org

■

Ring House 301.816.5012 www.ringhouse.org

LifeTimes

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

More at TheBeaconNewspapers.com

Travel

49

Leisure &

The famous Frommers host a weekly radio show on travel. See story on page 50.

Comparing costs, hassles in five cities DREAMSTIME.COM

well when it came to inexpensive, authentic, easily procured food. Breakfast was cafe con leche with medialunas (crescent rolls). Lunch was a classic Argentine choripan sausage with lettuce and tomato in a freshly baked baguette, with a soft drink, $7, followed by a second afternoon indulgence of apparently irresistible empanadas, three for $2.25. Dinner took two hours in keeping with the Argentine tradition of a late, leisurely meal and was a mere $17 for red wine, soup and prime beef.

DREAMSTIME.COM

Skyline views In Dubai, the ticket for the Burj Khalifa was the most expensive single item on that city’s itinerary, at $29 ($6 more than the Empire State Building and $10 more than the Eiffel Tower). But with a ticket bought in advance, the wait to get to the top of the Burj was a mere 12 minutes.

Compare that to an hour at the Empire State Building in New York and three hours at the Eiffel Tower in Paris, where the elevator was broken the day our reporter went.

At one point during the interminable wait in Paris, our poor correspondent declared that he had “lost the will to live,” but the typical wait at the Eiffel Tower when the lifts are running properly is said to be less than a half-hour.

Sensoji Temple in Tokyo

seemed clean, safe and relatively free of aggressive vendors and panhandlers.

Some frustrations

DREAMSTIME.COM

There were frustrations, of course.

Good luck finding a skyline view in Buenos Aires, where the Obelisco, a storied landmark, is closed for renovation, and the rooftop cafe at the PanAmerican Hotel is only open to hotel guests.

Our reporter was also unable to find Peron’s tomb in the cemetery at the Recoleta church. A guard at the gate gave directions, but after 15 minutes of wandering with no sign of the promised gravestone, our correspondent gave up.

Buenos Aires was also tied with New York for longest time getting in from the airport — a one hour, 15 minute ride in the Argentine capital, with the same torturous length of time from Kennedy Airport into Manhattan once you combine the wait for the cab with the trip. Another annoyance in New York: the promised flat fare of a $45 cab ride turned out to be more like $58 with tolls and a 15 percent tip.

Plaza de Mayo in Buenos Aires But Buenos Aires did

DREAMSTIME.COM

The Associated Press sent reporters on a typical tourist’s itinerary one weekday in June in five cities around the world — New York, Paris, Tokyo, Dubai and Buenos Aires — to compare prices and hassles, and they came away united in one conclusion: A tourist’s life is exhausting.

But there were some pleasant surprises.

One was just how hassle-free and affordable it is to be a tourist in Dubai, which is perceived as one of the world’s most expensive cities. A day in Dubai ran about $80, including three meals, a $14 taxi from the airport that took just 10 minutes, a museum visit, and a ticket to see the view from the world’s tallest building, the Burj Khalifa.

Only Buenos Aires was cheaper for the day’s itinerary, at just over $60. New York and Tokyo were about the same, just under $135, while Paris proved most expensive, at $164.

Dubai and Buenos Aires proved cheapest for hotel prices as well, with three-star hotels found through Priceline.com for a weeknight in June charging $39 to $181 in Dubai and $58 to $210 in Buenos Aires.

Tokyo’s three-star hotels priced through Priceline.com for a weeknight in June also turned out to be cheaper than one might expect, at $80 to $295, while New York and Paris tied for most expensive hotels, $145 to $409 for Manhattan and $118 to $705 for Paris.

Other good news: Decent food could be had for reasonable prices in all five cities, with breakfast at about $5 and dinner under $30, even in places tourists frequent (though a waiter in Paris lived up to that city’s reputation for rude service when he refused to repeat the wine options).

And tourist areas in all five cities

Burj Khalifa in Dubai

Eiffel Tower in Paris

Hassle-free Tokyo The Tokyo tourist experience also seemed more affordable than the perception of an expensive city might suggest, if you subtract the astronomical cab fare ($82) from the airport. (Our reporter took a taxi from Haneda Airport, which serves a growing number of international tourists, but the fare from Narita International Airport is even higher at $300.)

The day in Japan’s capital also seemed remarkably free of hassles, perhaps in keeping with the Japanese reputation for efficiency (and as long as you don’t brave the city’s packed subways at rush hour).

That cab ride from the airport might have been pricey, but it took only 20 minutes; there was no wait to get up to the top of the Tokyo Tower, and the ticket was only $10; admission to Sensoji Temple, an important cultural site, was free, and a walk in Ueno Park was pleasant.

Lunch, an eel bowl with rice plus tea, was $8, and dinner at a popular sushi chain just outside Japan’s biggest fish market in Tsukiji, one of Tokyo’s most popular tourist destinations, was $25.

And nothing beats free in any city. At no charge, our reporters enjoyed Central Park in New York; Ueno Park in Tokyo; Tuileries Gardens in Paris; the Plaza de Mayo in See COMPARING COSTS, page 50

50

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

Famous Frommers take to the air(waves)

By Beth J. Harpaz She likes Venice as a side trip from Rome; he said do Florence instead. She likes traveling with kids; he said he doesn’t — even though he took her along when she was young.

But the occasional difference of opinion is part of the charm when you listen to the call-in radio show hosted by an unusual father-daughter team with a famous last name: travel gurus Arthur and Pauline Frommer.

“It was quite a shock to have my daughter disagree with me the first time it happened, but the people at the station said it was great radio,” said Arthur Frommer, 83, as they prepared on a recent Sunday for “The Travel Show with Arthur and Pauline Frommer.”

“He said when we disagree, it’s like 50 years of his life mean nothing,” said Pauline, 46, with a laugh.

It was actually more than 50 years ago when the elder Frommer self-published his first guidebook, Europe on 5 Dollars a Day in 1957, using material he gathered while stationed in Germany with the U.S. Army.

That book launched a guidebook company that has become one of the world’s most recognized travel brands. Pauline is carrying on the family tradition with her own line of guidebooks and as founding editor of Frommers.com.

They also bring their travel expertise to the air each Sunday, broadcasting live from WOR-AM studios in New York beginning at noon. The show is carried on 115 stations, reaching every U.S. state but Alaska. Although the show isn’t carried in the Washington area, it can be heard live online at www.wor710.com. Archives of the show are also available online.

There’s hardly a place in the world they haven’t been, and their off-the-cuff knowledge is astounding as they effortlessly field callers asking about everything from what to do in Denmark to the best outfitters for African safaris.

Only rarely does a question stump them (“Jewish sites in Morocco? I haven’t a clue!” said Pauline during a commercial break). And any questioners they don’t have time for — including those sending in by email or Twitter — Pauline emails back during the week.

A daring duo Father-daughter chemistry is what makes the show so much fun to listen to.

Sometimes they both chime in to answer; other times, they divide the topics based on their experiences.

Arthur took a question about river cruis-

es in Austria and Germany, while Pauline spoke from experience about RV road trips. An email query on visiting concentration camps in Europe was shared: “You know how to go to Auschwitz,” said Arthur, “I know how to go to Dachau.”

It’s a testament to their reputation that travelers still look to them when so much is available online. Pauline said they offer clarity amid the information overload; Arthur said “people have learned to trust our judgment because we have no commercial interests to push.” Pauline adds that the occasional disagreements bolster their credibility: “It shows we’re not in anyone’s pay.”

The friction also adds to the fun. “People tell us it reminds them of their relationships with their fathers,” Pauline said. “We hear that from a lot of people who work in family businesses.”

When a caller who hates crowds asks if See FROMMERS, page 51

Comparing costs From page 49 Buenos Aires, which is often filled with protesters and is a hub of political life since the 1810 revolution that led to Argentina’s independence from Spain; and the Dubai Waterway, which leads to the old souk or marketplace, filled with winding alleys, glittering gold shops, merchants selling spices, incense, carpets, textiles and pots and pans, and an endless number of vendors hawking watches.

— Thomas Adamson in Paris, Mari Yamaguchi in Tokyo, Adam Schreck in Dubai, Roger Dwarika in Buenos Aires and Beth J. Harpaz in New York collaborated on this report from the Associated Press.

OPENING O ENING AUGUST AU UST 3 31

703-790-0123/TTY: 711 McLean Community Center

More at TheBeaconNewspapers.com | Leisure & Travel

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

books should have been called Europe on Five Diapers a Day.

From page 50 Versailles is worth it, Pauline said it’s “insanely crowded,” has a “big problem with pickpockets” and suggests the palace at Fontainebleau instead. Then Arthur jumps in: “Pauline, I couldn’t disagree with you more!”

A call about Venice versus Florence results in a similar divergence: “I prefer Venice,” said Pauline, followed by Arthur: “Venice is impossible in the summer months — it’s like Times Square!”

“I’m sorry,” Pauline said to the caller, “you’ve sparked an argument between the Frommers.”

Off the air, she said their “biggest arguments are about whether to travel with children.” She loves taking her two young daughters to other parts of the world, even if that means going to the park instead of a museum.

“That time spent in playgrounds with the kids is magical,” she said. “You meet other parents, find the best restaurants.

Besides, if you want to travel, what other choice do parents have aside from taking their kids?”

Arthur’s take on travel with children is more succinct: “I feel it destroys the trip.”

Still, he recalls taking Pauline on her first voyage, with her mother Hope, in 1965 when she was 4 months old, leading to a family joke that the original guide-

Weekly family time Chitchat before the show includes not just going over the program but also catching up on family news. Pauline mentions her husband’s upcoming bike race and asks what the doctor said about her dad’s cough. He mentions a trip he’s planning to England to take a course on Virginia Woolf at Oxford, and prompts her to retell a story about ziplining with her family in Belize.

Then the show begins. They start with a script they’ve prepared with recent travel news — this week, how the debt crisis in Greece is affecting tourism, and the dramatic drop in prices for Mediterranean cruises.

Arthur occasionally rails against things that pique his ire — a $100 baggage fee on Spirit Airlines, the construction of a “phony port city” in the Dominican Republic that he said will line the cruise company’s coffers while keeping visitors from ever having “any contact with a real person.”

Next, they go to the phone lines, with a few questions coming by email or Twitter.

The show’s second hour is carried by some, but not all, stations, when they usually host an interview or two with experts on subjects ranging from medical tourism to wine trails.

Pauline said she’s always been close to her dad — she’s an only child — “but

Travel with us 4X & get the 5th ride FREE!

*

AP PHOTO/SETH WENIG

Frommers

51

working like this added a new depth and respect to our relationship. It’s not always smooth, our working relationship, but it’s deeply satisfying in a way that is hard to put words to.

“It’s wonderful to have a working partner whose mind is a steel trap, and who doesn’t just have smarts, but wisdom.”

She also said they’re in complete agreement on the philosophy that made Arthur’s original books so famous: “We’ve always been proudly low-budget.”

Back on the show, Mary from Queens is calling in to ask for a tour group recommenArthur Frommer and his daughter, Pauline Frommer host dation for her 30-yeara live weekly call-in radio show called “The Travel Show,” old daughter, who’s on WOR-AM, which is carried on 115 radio stations going to Italy for the across the U.S. and online. first time. Pauline tries To learn more about the show and listen to talk her out of a tour, noting that she’ll see a lot more and meet more locals if to shows online, go to www.wor710.com/ she’s not confined to a bus filled with arthur-frommer. Live questions can be called in to 1-800-544-7070 or emailed to tourists.

As Pauline talks, Arthur nods. “For Frommertravelshow@yahoo.com.

— AP once,” he said, “I agree with you!”

Blackwater Falls, WV Tuesday-Thursday, October 9-11, 2012

Splendid autumn vistas await you, starting with the view from the Blackwater Lodge. You will visit the National Radio Astronomy Observatory in Green Bank, where the world’s largest fully steerable single-aperture antenna operates. You will ride the rails on the Cheat Mountain Salamander through some of the most beautiful landscape in the East. In addition, you’ll see a show at the American Mountain Theater and (weather permitting) experience the starlit splendor of the some of the darkest nighttime skies in the U.S. This is a trip that you’ll never forget. $499 per person, double occupancy

Other Upcoming Trips (See our website or call us for details): “American Icons” at the American Music Theatre on September 22 “The Color Purple” at Toby’s Dinner Theatre in Columbia on October 21 “The 39 Steps” at Allenberry Inn and Playhouse on November 10

“A Swingin’ Christmas” at Dutch Apple Dinner Theatre on December 10

Free parking convenient to Beltway (I-495) and ICC (MD 200).

Call us for details about these and our other fun-filled trips.

Travel with Louise, Ltd. 3 0t r a1v e-l w5i t9h l 8o u-i s0e . 7c o 5m 7

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

Your rights when airline schedules change Airlines often change schedules; some Although you may view the schedule as by a few minutes, some by hours or even an inherent part of what you buy when you days; some voluntarily, some buy a ticket, the airlines say, forced by circumstances.

“Not really.” Clearly, in this Other than in the isolated matter as in others, airlines are cases covered by government challenging the banks to see regulations, your “rights” in a who can employ the most oneschedule change are govsided consumer contracts. erned by the contract you Last-minute changes. have with an airline, which is You’re most likely to encalled a “contract of carriage.” counter schedule changes in And most lines’ contracts are the context of a delay or daysurprisingly vague and impre- TRAVEL TIPS of-departure cancellation. Alcise about schedule changes. By Ed Perkins though all lines promise “best Not part of the contract. efforts” to get you to your desYou might be surprised to find that most air- tination as soon as possible, “best efforts” line contracts specifically state that the is an elusive concept. schedule is not part of the contract, or they If a different airline can get you to your contain an equivalent statement that the air- destination sooner than your original line, line is not liable for failure to operate ac- Alaska, Allegiant, Frontier, Hawaiian and cording to schedule, or both.

JetBlue say they’ll transfer you to that line,

as long as that line has (1) available seats and (2) an interline agreement with the original line. However, you have to ask; the airline seldom volunteers it, and a transfer may be contingent on a minimum delay of up to three hours.

American, Delta, United, US Airways and Virgin America say they can transfer you to another line, but only at their sole discretion.

In effect, you can ask, but you can’t demand.

Southwest and Spirit promise only to put you on another of their own flights.

The refund option. If you don’t like your airline’s solution, most contracts offer you the alternative of a refund, with no refund penalty even on a nonrefundable ticket.

At the start of the trip, the refund is for the full amount. After you’ve started, the typical refund is for the “unused portion” of your ticket. Of the contracts I checked, only Spirit’s does not specify any refund option.

Your New Lifestyle Begins Here

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Other assistance. Typically, when a schedule change is an airline’s fault, most contracts obligate the airline to provide various forms of assistance — meals, accommodations and such, as appropriate.

In the event of weather or other cancellations not under the airline’s control, however, all you get is a new flight or a refund.

If you decide to abort. Typically, you will prefer to accept the best deal you can get to complete your trip with as little disruption as possible. Occasionally, however, even your airline’s best alternative will no longer suit your purpose: If the delay or cancellation would cause you to miss an important meeting, connecting flight or some other firm date, you may no longer want to complete your trip at all. At your original departure point, the full refund option obviously applies.

But if you’re stalled at a connecting point, you might just want to go home without continuing. Alaska is the only airline whose contract provides a refund of the entire ticket rather than just the unused portion in this situation.

Also, some airlines set a minimum qualifying time for delay-based refunds: 60 minutes on Alaska, 90 minutes on Delta, and an undefined “significant” delay on Allegiant.

Advance cancellation. If you learn of a schedule change before your departure date, you might want out, with no penalty, so that you could find a better deal on some other line. I found no specific contract language about such advance cancellations.

As far as I can tell, most lines treat them in the same way as they treat departure-day cancellations, but that’s a matter of practice, not contract. Typically, what you get is what the agent you deal with says you get. © 2012 Tribune Media Services, Inc.

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

How to avoid ID theft when on vacation

By Kimberly Lankford It can be easy to let down your guard when you’re away on vacation. Here are six ways to protect yourself against ID theft while traveling.

1. Notify your bank and credit card company that you’ll be traveling. Financial institutions have become a lot more vigilant about watching for suspicious activity and may put a hold on your account if they see numerous unusual transactions and can’t get in touch with you. Also be sure to provide updated contact information, including your cell phone number.

2. Be careful about what you throw away in hotel trash cans. Papers such as your airline boarding pass, flight itinerary and car-rental receipts could include your driver’s license number, address, name,

credit card number and other personal information. Shred the papers or take them home with you.

3. Don’t conduct financial business on a public Wi-Fi. Use a private network, a protected network at a hotel, or 3G or 4G on your smart phone or iPad. If you do use a hotel network, make sure that it really belongs to the hotel. Scam artists sometimes set up a Wi-Fi name that looks very similar to the hotel’s name.

Also avoid entering personal information on hotel computers, which could have software that logs keystrokes and records your passwords and account numbers. And don’t announce on Facebook or other social-networking sites that you are traveling.

4. Avoid stand-alone ATMs. Thieves have been known to install software that

records your bank-account information and PIN number (called skimming). Stick with bank ATMs because the security is likely to be better.

5. Watch your wallet. Take out all unneeded credit card and personal information from your wallet before you leave home. Make copies of all of your important documents, such as your passport, driver’s license, health insurance card and travel tickets, so you’ll have access to the information if your wallet is stolen.

Leave the copies with a family member or scan them into an encrypted file on your computer. Also keep a list of contact numbers for your credit-card company and

bank with you or in the hotel safe. That way, it will be easy to call if your wallet is stolen or you have any trouble with your account.

6. Check your credit card and bank statements frequently for unusual small charges. Charges for $10 or less could be a sign that thieves are testing your account number.

Kimberly Lankford is a contributing editor to Kiplinger’s Personal Finance magazine and the author of Ask Kim for Money Smart Solutions (Kaplan, $18.95). Send your questions and comments to moneypower@kiplinger.com. © 2012 Kiplinger’s Personal Finance

BEACON BITS

Ongoing

NEW BUS FOR 55+ TRIPS

Arlington County’s 55+ program is running 15 trips this September, making use of its purchase of a new coach bus this summer, including a day trip to Rehoboth Beach, a tour of the Frederick Douglass House and a ride to the Maryland Live! casino. A full list of trips with details is available at www.arlingtonva.us/portals/topics/documents/file86708.pdf. To travel with Arlington County, individuals must possess a 55+ Pass, or be a firsttime guest. 55+ Passes are available to Arlington residents for $20 a year; $45 for non-residents, with household rates available. To register for a program or to get a 55+ Pass, call (703) 228-4744, visit any Arlington senior center, or go online at www.arlingtonva.us, and enter “55+ Pass” in the search box.

May ‘13

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CRUISE TO BERMUDA

Want to go cruise to Bermuda with Fun and Fitness Travel next year? Now’s the time to start planning. The Explorer of the Seas departs Bayonne, N.J. on Saturday, May 11, 2013, and returns on Wednesday, May 16, stopping overnight in Bermuda halfway through the cruise.

Prices start at $719 per person. Call 1-800-955-9942 to make a refundable $150 deposit. You may cancel up to Feb. 4, 2013 without penalty. See the Fun and Fitness Travel Club’s website, http://www.fun-fitness.com/cruises/Bermudacruise-may-2013.html, for complete details.

Oct. 17+

FALL FOLIAGE BY RAIL

Board a vintage train in Cumberland, Md. and travel through the Allegheny Mountains to enjoy the fall leaves. You’ll also have time in Cumberland for lunch and to enjoy the sights. The trip, sponsored by Montgomery County’s Senior Outdoor Adventures in Recreation (SOAR), has two dates. Leave at 7:45 a.m. and return at 6 p.m. on either Wednesday, Oct. 17 or Thursday, Oct. 18. The fee is $67. For more information, call (240) 777-6870.

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You’re on top of your medications.

But we make a good back up.

You know it’s important to stay on your medications exactly as prescribed.

However, if you miss a dose, want a lower-cost alternative, or experience any side effects, we can answer any questions. Speak to your local CVS Pharmacist to learn more.

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

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

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Arts &

Woody Harrelson and friend Frankie Hyman wrote an off-Broadway play about their friendship. See story on page 57.

Molly Ivins, wit and without her essence

Kathleen Turner portrays the late political journalist Molly Ivins in Arena Stageâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s production of Red Hot Patriot: The Kick-Ass Wit of Molly Ivins. Ivins was known for her strong political opinions and barbed tongue.

ness. And her work here, directed by Broadwayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s David Esbjornson, is subtle and nuanced enough to allow us a glimpse of the innate humor behind her giving George W. Bush the nickname â&#x20AC;&#x153;Shrub.â&#x20AC;?

Or saying that a fiery speech by 1992

Republican presidential contender Patrick Buchanan â&#x20AC;&#x153;sounded better in the original German.â&#x20AC;? Or her writing of a Texas legislator, â&#x20AC;&#x153;If his IQ slips any lower, weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll have to See MOLLY IVINS, page 56

They fought for freedom abroad ... and at home.

In search of the real Ivins What they have not given us is much sense of the woman herself, and Ivins was a woman with a very textured life. A self-

Turnerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s star turn Turner successfully channels Ivinsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; bluff and semi-caustic mannerisms, her direct-

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described bleeding-heart populist in an increasingly right-wing Texas, a woman in a rough boysâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; club, and a person who struggled with personal tragedy, bouts with the bottle, and breast cancer (to which she finally succumbed in 2007), Ivins had plenty of life to delve into.

But you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t get any closer to Ivins here than you would from reading one of her columns, or watching one of her appearances on CBSâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; â&#x20AC;&#x153;60 Minutes.â&#x20AC;? The Engels are hampered by a reporterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s restraint, cobbling together a who-whatwhere-and-when monologue for Turner, but leaving out most of the why.

We get only two clues to the woman behind the typewriter. She had an overbearing, authoritarian father, and her one and only true love was killed in Vietnam.

For 75 minutes, Turner holds us in rapt attention as she hop-scotches through Ivinsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; writings and touches on the resume points of her career. Except for several silent walk-ons by a low-level newsroom gopher, Turner is alone onstage â&#x20AC;&#x201D; alone with Ivinsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; ghost and with an audience hanging on every word, waiting and hoping for her to open the recesses of that brave heart and quick mind.

How did the combination of personal sorrow, good humor and rapier wit form? How did Ivins live with a prodigious talent in an era when editors â&#x20AC;&#x201D; whom she called â&#x20AC;&#x153;mice, training to be ratsâ&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x201D;regularly defanged her work? Did Ivins have close friends, or was she a loner, content with passing acquaintances in the intermingled worlds of politics and journalism? We get hardly a clue here.

PHOTO BY MARK GARVIN

By Michael Toscano The timing couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be better: the eve of a hot national election.

The venue couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be better: Arena Stageâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Kogod Cradle, large enough to hold the outsized energy of the playâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s subject but intimate enough to maintain a human dimension.

And that subject? Couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be better, either, as it is the late crusading political journalist Molly Ivins. The production, Red Hot Patriot: The Kick-Ass Wit of Molly Ivins, unfortunately, could be better.

Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not the fault of its formidable star, the esteemed and still steamy Kathleen Turner â&#x20AC;&#x201D; an Academy Award, Tony and Golden Globe nominee (and Golden Globe winner for Prizziâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Honor, co-starring with Jack Nicholson). Turnerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s work in the contemporary film noir classic Body Heat in 1981 is enough all by itself to earn her a permanent place in Hollywood history, not to mention my all-time list of favorites.

Now edging closer to 60, the voluptuous figure filled out and that smoky voice reaching into the lowest baritone registers, she seems a gathering force of energy that should allow her to fully explore the real-life ball-of-fire that was Texasâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; own Molly Ivins.

The one-woman play was written by real-life twins Margaret Engel, a one-time reporter for the Washington Post, and Allison Engel, former reporter and political speechwriter. What they have given us is 75-minutes of zingers, one-liners and pithy observations taken from Ivinsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; writings, interviews and speeches.

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Arts & Style | More at TheBeaconNewspapers.com

Mollly Ivins From page 55 water him twice a day.”

Referring to her occasional challenges with drinking she quipped, “Alcohol may lead nowhere, but it sure is the scenic route.” So we know there’s an interesting woman behind the typewriter, and I regret not really meeting her here.

The play is elegiac, starting with Ivins struggling to write a column about her father, who is near death. The set is stark, an open, white space with a battered metal desk crowned with an ancient manual typewriter and a life-sized armadillo.

At the rear, in front of a floor-to-ceiling projection screen, a few desk and chairs are piled up, ready to be moved out and signaling this is a life drawing to a close.

An old-fashioned AP teletype machine, which occasionally spits out a news dispatch, is off to a side.

She begins by describing a traditional 1940s and 50s family life, a seemingly happy enough childhood in spite of her fa-

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

ther’s demanding nature. (She calls him “the general.”) Later, she mentions that all her sass is directed at him.

Wearing jeans, red cowboy boots and a light blue workshirt, Turner briskly sketches an itinerant reporter’s wanderings from Houston to Minneapolis, to Ivins’ years at the Texas Observer, where she was finally allowed to blossom, and then on to talent-restraining stints with the New York Times and CBS before returning to her beloved Texas and ultimately finding success as a nationally syndicated columnist.

It’s a connect-the-dots script, but Turner skillfully negotiates the segues from humor to poignancy.

Ivins and Ann Richards Photographs of the actual Molly Ivins and some of her subjects and associates are occasionally flashed on the screen, including a brief glimpse of her comrade-inarms, the late Texas Governor Ann Richards.

It is interesting that a similar production about Richards played last year at the

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Kennedy Center — a wonderful onewoman show called Ann, starring the incomparable Holland Taylor.

Ivins and Richards shared sharp tongues and strong minds, faced personal and professional battles in a male-dominated culture, and occupied the same time and place.

But the Richards play took us behind the hairdo and the accent for a fully-realized portrait. It may be unfair, but I could not help thinking of Ann and finding this effort pale in comparison.

Some of the career points lightly touched on here might make for compelling storytelling if only we were allowed to linger. Would we not get a more fully realized portrait of the human being behind the quips if we could explore, say, her time covering the Texas legislature?

Ivins came into regular contact with a colorful roster of characters there, a veritable rogues’ gallery it seems. The overall themes of her life could be put into sharper focus with a look at how she formed relationships and struggled against an entrenched culture of men, money and mischief.

Or perhaps her fish-out-of-water years working for the New York Times could have been explored for 75 minutes, providing a more dimensional look at the woman as well as her times and the great issues then at play. It seems as though a number of the brief chapters glossed over here are ripe for expansion.

Should fans of Molly Ivins, of which I

am one, see this production? Yes, of course. It’s much like re-reading a favorite column or seeing one of those old “60 Minutes” face-offs. You will enjoy it. And many of her political barbs are relevant today, drawing laughs and applause from the Washington audience.

So while you won’t leave knowing Molly Ivins the person any better when you leave, you will appreciate once again these words Ivins speaks through Turner: “My legacy will be helping people be a pain in the ass to those in power.”

Red Hot Patriot: The Kick-Ass Wit of Molly Ivins continues through Oct. 28 at Arena Stage’s Arlene and Robert Kogod Cradle, part of the Mead Center for American Theater, located at 1101 6th St. SW, Washington, D.C. Performances are Sunday, Tuesday and Wednesday at 7:30 p.m.; Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday matinees at 2 p.m. A matinee is scheduled for Tuesday, Oct. 16 at noon. A panel discussion will follow the Sunday matinee performance on Oct. 7.

Ticket prices range from $46 to $94.

There are no discounts for seniors. Halfprice HOTTIX go on sale 30 minutes before curtain and are sold at the box office until they sell out. Limit of two per person.

Tickets may be purchased online at www.arenastage.org, by telephone at (202) 488-3300 or at the theater’s sales office, Tuesday through Sunday, noon to 8 p.m.

BEACON BITS

Sept. 30

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AUTUMN PIANO CONCERT AND RECEPTION

The Piano Society of Greater Washington’s first concert of the season will feature solo works by Debussy, Bach and Schumann, as well as piano-violin works by Brahms. A reception follows the concert, which is on Sunday, Sept. 30 at 3 p.m. at Calvary Lutheran Church, 9545 Georgia Ave., Silver Spring, Md. The concert is free; donations are appreciated. You can learn more about the Piano Society by visiting its website, www.pianosocietyofgreaterwashington.org or calling (301) 793-1863.

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57

Harrelson’s new play about an old friend his lost friend, with no luck. Harrelson would lay awake at night and wonder how he could find Frankie.

“I’m not losing him,” he’d vow.

Frankie Hyman was indeed untraceable. Things weren’t going as well with him as they were for Harrelson.

“The reason he couldn’t find me is because I’m back in New York,” said Hyman.

“I’m in Harlem, but I’m in the sublevels of Harlem. I’m into addiction. I’m in the darker layers. I don’t have a Social Security card active. I was buried pretty deep.”

Hyman said he had cheered Harrelson’s career with a measure of pride. He’d tell his disbelieving brother that he’d once been pals with the movie star. In the meantime, he said he battled demons and was once photographed for the cover of the New York Daily News — in handcuffs.

Jay Leno helps out A summer to remember That sweltering summer saw both men woo girlfriends and meet a lot of interesting characters. Hyman was the second black man Harrelson had ever met, and Harrelson was the second white man Hyman had ever met. So they talked about race, sex and history.

Harrelson said he knew that summer could somehow be captured in art: “My head was always about, ‘This could be a great play. It could be a funny play. The characters are all there.’”

And then, like a summer romance, it all ended.

Texas-born, Ohio-raised Harrelson made his way to New York that fall, where he eventually landed his first professional job, as an understudy on Broadway in Biloxi Blues.

From there, he became a bartender on “Cheers,” and built an Academy Awardnominated film career with credits such as The Messenger, Natural Born Killers and The People vs. Larry Flynt.

Though Harrelson lost touch with Hyman, he found himself constantly thinking back to that summer. He even paid a private investigator to try to track down

Then one night in 1993, Hyman’s brother was watching TV when he swore he heard Harrelson, a guest on “The Tonight Show,” tell Jay Leno that he really wanted to reconnect with Hyman.

Harrelson now said he just blurt it out.

“Once I got to be famous, I guess it was only a matter of time that it dawned on me, ‘Well, hey, I could just go on a talk show and ask for him,’” said Harrelson with a laugh.

Within 24 hours, the two men were in touch again. Harrelson put his friend on a plane and flew him to the West Coast to help him get sober. “That was the beginning of him actually getting his hands on me and pulling me out of a very dark place,” said Hyman.

Soon they began co-writing a play — naturally, about that summer in 1983.

Hyman, who had kicked drugs because of his old friend, now had another reason to thank him.

“I’ve always been a storyteller and I’ve always been able to write. But to think for a minute that I could become a professional writer? No way,” Hyman said during a See HARRELSON, page 59

AP PHOTO/THE O AND M CO., JENNY ANDERSON

By Mark Kennedy In the summer of 1983, the Police were on top of the charts with “Every Breath You Take,” James Bond was sipping martinis in Octopussy, and Woody Harrelson was meeting a man who would change his life.

Harrelson, the then-22-year-old soon to be a star of the TV series “Cheers,” was working construction in Houston when he met Frankie Hyman, an older New Yorker with a bunch of funny stories. The two became roommates, spending hours talking, debating and bonding over beers and reefers.

“He just helped open my eyes to a lot of things,” said Harrelson, now 51. “He’d seen a lot of the world. I always felt like he was one of the wisest people I’d ever met and I still do. He really had a huge impact on me.”

Bullet for Adolf, co-written by actor Woody Harrelson, left, and friend Frankie Hyman, has a semi-autobiographical plot that sprang from events and unusual people the pair encountered while construction workers in the summer of 1983. The play, directed by Harrelson, is being performed off-Broadway through Oct. 21.

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

GAETANO DONIZETTI

WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART

ANNA BOLENA DONGIOVANNI In Italian with English supertitles

In Italian with English supertitles, WNO Revival

A queen falls from grace as her unfaithful king plots to bring his mistress to the throne. In her role debut, American soprano Sondra Radvanovsky portrays the wronged Queen Anne in a striking production directed by Stephen Lawless and conducted by Antonello Allemandi.

With more than two thousand seductions behind him, Don Giovanni becomes increasingly reckless as he descends into immorality. Ildar Abdrazakov takes on the title role in John Pascoe’s darkly passionate production, conducted by WNO Music Director Philippe Auguin.

Sep. 15–Oct. 6, 2012 Kennedy Center Opera House

Sep. 20–Oct. 13, 2012 Kennedy Center Opera House

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Photo of Ildar Abdrazakov by Karin Cooper

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David and Alice Rubenstein are the Presenting Underwriters of WNO. Generous support for WNO Italian opera is provided by Daniel and Gayle D’Aniello.

General Dynamics is the proud sponsor of Anna Bolena.

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

TTY (202) 416-8524

Groups (202) 416-8400

FREE SIMULCAST OF DON GIOVANNI AT NATIONALS PARK Saturday, Sep. 29 at 7 p.m.

Gates open at 5 p.m.

Register online at OperaintheOutfield.org M&M’s® Opera in the Outfield is sponsored by Mars, Inc. M&M’s® Opera in the Outfield is presented in partnership with the Washington Nationals.

The Kennedy Center welcomes patrons with disabilities.

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

Harrelson From page 57 joint interview in Harrelson’s Upper West Side apartment, a space sweltering due to Harrelson’s dislike of air conditioners.

“And not only that: I’ve also developed the confidence and now the passion. He put me on that track.”

Edgy script The result of their collaboration — Bullet for Adolf — had its world premiere this spring at the Hart House Theatre in Toronto and opened off-Broadway in August at New World Stages. Harrelson also directs.

The eight-character comedy is, as the creators like to say, 7 percent true and 93 percent fiction. A key decision was to plop a real story Harrelson heard about a gun once used in an attempt to kill Adolf Hitler into the tale of unlikely friends bonding in Houston in 1983.

“I kept wondering how that story factored into this play. I kept thinking, ‘There’s got to be a way.’ Sure enough, it gave us our plot. Because prior to that we kind of lacked a plot. We just had an amalgam of scenes,” said Harrelson.

They’ve written a racy, edgy script. The N-word is tossed around a lot, gross stuff is eaten, pedophilia is joked about, and there’s even a reference to the crematorium ovens used in the Holocaust.

“We didn’t want to pull any punches

writing this thing,” said Harrelson. “I think it’s good to be able to talk about some of these topics and hopefully laugh. That is the first avenue toward a real discussion.”

Some lines are purely provocative — “Poverty and justification goes together like cream and coffee,” one character says — while other exchanges are just silly, as when one character says, “I like a woman who can beat me up” and another replies: “Then why don’t you like my mother?”

“That’s the way we talk to each other all the time. We try to ride the edge, wouldn’t you say, Frankie?” Harrelson asks his friend.

“We do. We do,” Hyman responds, smiling.

The play has gotten mixed reviews, with the New York Times calling the play “muddled” and loud, while the Associated Press said it is “an engaging, high-energy comedy that will surely entertain more than it offends.” The run has been extended from Sept. 7 to a new closing date of Oct. 21.

Whatever theater critics think, Bullet for Adolf is about the origin of something real: a deep friendship.

The writers even make a gentle nod to it when they have the character named Frankie say to the character based on Harrelson: “I don’t think either of us knows the give and take of friendship.”

In the apartment, Hyman looks over at his friend of almost 30 years, a man who helped him transition from drugs to art.

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“Today, we’ve done the give and take until we’ve built this strong friendship,” he said.

They’re even tinkering with another

59

play. This one is set in 1993 and is about two estranged friends who find each other again.

— AP

BEACON BITS

Sept. 15

BIG BAND CONCERT IN OLNEY

Olney Big Band’s “Salute to Count Basie and the Big Bang Era” show will take place at the Olney Theatre on Saturday, Sept. 15 from 1:30 to 4 p.m. Tickets are $25, $20 for seniors (62+) and can be purchased online at www.olneytheatre.org, under special events; over the phone, at (301) 9243400; or at the Olney Theatre Box Office, 2001 Olney-Sandy Spring Road, Olney, Md., during business hours. For more information, contact the Olney Big Band at (301) 774-9133, theolneybigband@gmail.com or www.olneybigband.org.

Ongoing

SING WITH NORTHERN VA. WOMEN’S SHOW CHOIR

Singers are wanted for Celebration Singers, a women’s show choir performing at community sites in Northern Virginia. Practice is held in Burke, Va. during the day, on Wednesdays, starting in September. To express interest, or for more information, contact Gayle Parsons at (703) 644-4485 or gparsons3@cox.net.

Delicious Kosher,* Fresh, Pre-Packaged Meals Salads • Sandwiches • Entrees • Desserts Available at locations throughout the DC area

For details or locations, visit www.wrap2go.com Or call (301) 328-1418 *certified Kosher by the Rabbinical Council of Greater Washington

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

Why do men refuse to see they’re aging?

They say that any time the phone rings We checked in by phone across the next before 8 a.m., it’s guaranteed to be bad few hours. Bruce, she was glad to report, news. One recent Friday at would be fine — after some dawn, they were right.

X-rays, some surgery and “Bob, it’s Carole,” said the lots of physical therapy. That woman with whom I had was a great relief. planned a day’s worth of meetLess of a relief: The arguings. “I’m afraid I can’t get toment that Carole said she gether today. It’s Bruce.” had been having all day with Her husband had been Bruce. “He refuses to let me showering at their hotel a few get grab bars in our shower minutes earlier. He slipped at home,” she wailed to me. and fell, shattering his wrist in HOW I SEE IT “He’s 60 years old and he several places. thinks he’s still 18.”

By Bob Levey Instead of a day listening to To my friend Carole, I lob my unquestioned brilliance, Carole was two wishes: That she will keep smiling, now going to spend the day cooling her and that she keep reminding Bruce that 18 heels in an emergency room. was a long time ago.

To my friend Bruce, I lob two more wishes: Listen to your wife, and listen to the calendar.

Of course, Bruce is not the first aging male to need this advice or to think that he can deny his way to eternal youth.

The woods are full of guys who play pickup basketball when they’re 55, who refuse to see doctors when they are 65, and who eat sirloins and ice cream when they are 75. Hospitals and graveyards are full of these guys, too.

The woman who cuts my hair told me a story the other day about a client who had just left. He’s male, he’s 70 and he’s denying up a storm.

“Make me look like the young guys,” this man instructed the hair-snipper. And how was she supposed to do that? The guy has a bald spot approximately the size of Wichita.

When she pointed this out, the guy instructed her to try anyway. His denial reflex is clearly the size of Topeka and Kansas City combined.

What is it going to take for men to recognize and act their age? I put this question to a jury of my peers — all of them 60 or above, all sane, all possessed of very good judgment. And all possessed of female bodies.

“Hopeless,” said Female One. “In fact, it’s

even more hopeless when a wife or a sister or a mother-in-law is the one doing the suggesting. Older guys think that it’s an admission of defeat to listen to a woman, even when the woman is clearly right.”

“The male ego is so enormous that it could light up a third-world country,” said Female Two. “I think older guys really believe that they will stay young as long as they don’t admit that they’re old. As if age is some sort of creeping mold they can keep away from their door, just by hoping real hard.”

“Older guys are much more alert to impending death than women are,” said Female Three. “They want to pack every second, because who knows when the seconds are going to stop arriving? I understand this, but it certainly makes for a lot of silly situations.”

“Women simply have better judgment,” said Female Four. “I think if you look into the history of grab bars, you’ll find that a woman invented them.”

I’ve tried to research this, Female Four, and I’ve come up empty. Still, I suspect F-4 is right. Men are too busy inventing jet skis, bungee cords and 1,200-calorie whoppers to come up with something that actually preserves, protects and defends.

See BOB LEVEY, page 61

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

Bob Levey

ONE BIG HAPPY By Rick Detorie

From page 60 But like those men — and like whoever invented grab bars — I smell a business opportunity. What if a long-married man and woman created a company called Aging and Arguing Gracefully?

The business would run a series of psychodramas. Any couple could attend.

A Carole and a Bruce would sit on stage, describe a recent conflict (or broken wrist), argue till the cows come home about how to resolve it — and fail to agree.

Then the audience would vote — with those hand-held devices they use to measure how well political candidates are doing during TV debates.

Votes would be tabulated by gender. If most women saw the dispute one way — and I double-guarantee you that they would — the men in the house would have to agree to listen to their female partners whenever a tie needs to be broken.

The couples in the audience would take home a lesson in how to disagree, and how not to let disagreements last forever.

Men would accept their advancing age.

They would smile as they did so. They might even accept their bald spots.

Of course, on the way home, the couples would have to let the woman find the way.

No man ever stops to ask for directions.

Bob Levey is a national award-winning columnist.

Letters to editor From page 2 Dear Editor: We frequently complain about big government, but sometimes it can be very helpful. The following represents a case where the Maryland State government was very helpful to me.

During the month of March, I had a nationally known company perform repair work on my home. Unfortunately, the work was performed in an unsatisfactory way, and after months of dealing with the company we could not reach a resolution.

I felt the company was not negotiating in good faith, so I contacted the Maryland Home Improvement Commission for assistance. I provided them with the contract information and proof of the shoddy workmanship. They contacted the company, and within days I was contacted by the

company. An acceptable result was negotiated almost immediately.

I would like to thank the people at the Home Improvement Commission for their intervention and assistance. I recommend that others having a similar problem contact the commission for help. The commission’s phone number is (410) 230-6309 and its email address is mhic@dllr.state.md.us John O’ Hara Bowie, Md.

ANSWERS TO SCRABBLE

ANSWERS TO CROSSWORD A B A B

H A L L

I N T O W

M O N D O

A N T I U N I T E R

O G L E

P R E Y

P A V E

From page 63.

S C I S S O R S T R O B E S

B O S F A F T O S E L H E O C R T S E

S A T U R N

A N I L

M E S S L O E T O L A P P O X Y O P V E R Y H E U N I T T O N I A D O S H E S

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C H I M E R A W E E K D A Y

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

CAVEAT EMPTOR! The Beacon does not knowingly accept obscene, offensive, harmful, or fraudulent advertising. However, we do not investigate any advertisers or their products and cannot accept responsibility for the integrity of either.

Respondents to classified advertising should always use caution and their best judgment.

EMPLOYMENT & REAL ESTATE ADS: We will not knowingly or intentionally accept advertising in violation of federal, state, and local laws prohibiting discrimination based on race, color, national origin, sex, familial status or handicap in connection with employment or the sale or rental of real estate.

Business & Employment Opportunities OFFICE ASSISTANT NEEDED for Solo Foggy Bottom Psychotherapy Practice (one block from Foggy Bottom Metro). Looking for intelligent, flexible, dependable, quick-to-learn individual. JOB REQUIREMENTS: great organizational and (ideally) computer skills. Time commitment 10 hours (+/-) per week. Rate of pay $10/hr. Hours are almost entirely flexible; can be worked around your schedule. Minimum of 12 month commitment desired. Necessary weekly meeting (for one hour or less) with employer; preferably Friday afternoons. Mail resume (preferred) to: Office Manager, 908 New Hampshire Ave NW Suite 603, Washington, DC 20037 or email rosalynviolet@gmail.com.

Caregivers COMPANION GHA/HH AIDE AVAILABLE NOW Live-in or out day or night. With excellent references. Very reliable and punctual. Own transportation. Please call 301-956-7567.

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.

SITUATION WANTED Certified nursing assistance, 20 years experience. Good references. I am available to work Monday thru Friday PT, 8am to 12n or 1pm. Caring for sick or elderly 301-442-9324.

UCARE AGENCY – A licensed health care agency providing reliable certified caregivers – personal assistance – all ages – homes – hospitals – nursing homes – 4 to 24 hour shifts. Telephone: 240-632-9420.

ELDERLY CARE – Female provider, English speaking with car. I’m Experienced in caring for people with Parkinson’s, MS, Alzheimer’s and other health problems. I cook, clean and take to appointments. Excellent references. 301-275-7283.

HOME ASSISTANT for the elderly. Experienced with personal care, cooking, errands, groceries, etc. Good references. Please email me at lisadavisjohnson@yahoo.com.

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

Caregivers LOOKING FOR A JOB as a live-in companion. Own transportation. Excellent references.

Kathy 646-319-8300.

Computer Services PROBLEM WITH YOUR PC/MAC OR NETWORK? Computer Systems Engineer will come to you with help. Call: D. Guisset at 301-6424526.

TECH/COMPUTER TUTOR/TROUBLESHOOTER, Consumer Electronics consultant with 17 years experience making house calls. PC, Mac, iOS, Android, networks. Call Claude 202-630-5016 or visit kerno.biz.

Entertainment PUT THE MUSIC YOU LOVE BACK IN YOUR LIFE! Enjoy live jazz and swing on the first Friday of the month at Hollywood East Café, Westfield Wheaton Shopping Mall, 7 to 10 p.m. Listen to the Night & Day Combo perform the classic standard songs of the 30s, 40s and 50s, from Cole Porter, Gershwin, et al. Great music, great food, no cover charge! http://nightanddaymusic.com/clubpage.html.

For Sale/Rent: Real Estate 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 40. Contact me: 301-580-5556, SueHeyman@aol.com, www.SueHeyman.com, Weichert, Realtors.

RENT OR OPTION: Home in the Kettering area of Upper Marlboro, MD. Call 301-209-0457.

LEISURE WORLD® - $375,000. 2BR 2FB “G” in Creekside. Table space kitchen, separate laundry room, enclosed balcony, garage space. 1325 sq ft...

Stan Moffson, Weichert Realtors, 301-928-3463.

LEISURE WORLD® - $59,500. 2BR 1FB “Carlyle” model coop. 1035 sq ft. Stan Moffson, Weichert, Realtors 301-928-3463.

LEISURE WORLD® - $195,000. Spacious 1BR 1-1/2BA “A” in “The Overlook”. Rarely available, table space kitchen, enclosed balcony separate dining room. Golf Course View. 930 sq ft. Stan Moffson, Weichert, Realtors 301-928-3463.

LEISURE WORLD® - $129,000. 2BR 2FB “Bristol” model patio home, new paint, close to parking. 1059 sq ft., Stan Moffson, Weichert Realtors, 301-928-3463.

COMING SOON - 3BR 2FB “L” model in the “Greens” with garage, 1610 sq ft. 3BR 2-1/2BA “N” in the Greens - 1615 sq ft. 2BR 2-1/2BA “Berkeley” - 1600 Sq Ft. Stan Moffson, Weichert Realtors, 301-928-3463.

PARTIALLY FURNISHED RENTAL, great condition -2nd floor unit in high-rise at Leisure World (55+gated community) in Silver Spring, MD -2 bedrooms/ 2 baths, enclosed sunroom. No smoking/ no pets. Year lease required -11-year-old building with recently remodeled lobby and Activities Room. Full use of Leisure World community amenities. Contact Carole for more details or to schedule an appointment at 301-404-5282.

FOR RENT: LEISURE WORLD – Turnberry Courts. 1BR/1BA Condo, garage parking/storage, 4th floor near elevator, eat in kitchen, enclosed sunroom, closet space galore, spacious, beautiful views. Available September 2012.

Must pay utilities. No smoking/No pets. Call 301-460-1717.

For Sale

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, or place a personal ad. Each ad is $15 for 25 words, 25 cents for each additional word.

Business Text Ads: For parties engaged in an ongoing business enterprise. Each ad is $35 for 25 words, 50 cents for each additional word.

Note: Each real estate listing counts as one business text ad.

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

The Beacon, D.C. Classified Dept.

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

For Sale

Wanted

2 SALVADOR DALI woodblock prints from Dante’s Divine Comedy. Signed and framed.

Asking $900 for the pair. Can email pictures if desired. Call Steve 410-913-1653.

CASH FOR ESTATES, Gold, Silver, Coins, Costume Jewelry, Antiques/Collectibles, Etc. Will travel 301-520-0755.

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

Home/Handyman Services 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.

Personal Services WILL TYPE YOUR MEMOIRS, manuscripts, etc. For info and rates, call 703-671-1854.

VAN MAN – For your driving needs. Shopping, appointments, pick-up and deliver – airport van.

Call Mike 301-565-4051.

VETS AT WORK TELECOM technicians provide high quality Telephone, Data, and video wiring services. Flat Screen TV Installation, Cellular and Wi-Fi reception enhancements. All available at reasonable prices. Licensed, bonded and Insured. Email vetsatwork@gmail.com or call for free estimates. 703-232-5233.

MISSION: TRANSITION.NET, Seniors and Estates, 301-332-5585. Plan Your Work, Then Work Your Plan! Call Laurie Zook Today! Personalized & Effective, Time & Money Saving!

Downsizing, Stay in Place Organization & Complete Transitions Management, Property Clean Out & Personal Property “Tag” Sales, XLNT References, Woman Owned/Operated.

NO-Cost Consultation, 10% OFF, SINCE 1999.

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.

FINE ANTIQUES, PAINTINGS AND QUALITY VINTAGE FURNISHINGS wanted by a serious, capable buyer. I am very well educated [law degree], knowledgeable [over 40 years in the antique business] and have the finances and wherewithal to handle virtually any situation. If you have a special item, collection or important estate, I would like to hear from you. I pay great prices for great things in all categories from Oriental rugs to Tiffany objects, from rare clocks to firearms, from silver and gold to classic cars. If it is wonderful, I am interested. No phony promises or messy consignments. References gladly furnished. Please call Jake Lenihan 301-279-8834. Thank you.

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 240-476-3441. Thank you.

MOTHER WILL DRIVE you to your appointments, church, shopping and assist you. Honest, reliable, References. DC & Maryland. Bee 301949-4873.

ALWAYS BUYING STERLING SILVERWARE, flatware, holloware (any condition), all jewelry – any condition (including old costume), coins, stamps, old magazines. Call Richard today: 571-426-5363. DC/Balt. Area.

LEARN AMERICAN SIGN LANGUAGE, or Signed English, or Baby Sign Language lessons.

Hire a Certified Sign Language Interpreter for your event. Please call 410-526-6111.

WANTED: OLDER VIOLINS, GUITARS, BANJOS, MANDOLINS, ETC. Musician/collector will pay cash for older string instruments.

Jack (301) 279-2158.

Personals

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.

SWM 6’0” 172lbs. Senior, romantic, fit, many interests. Seeks similar lady, 5065 for friendship, possibly more. BOX 764, Burtonsville, MD 20866. Cell phone 240-483-2099.

COMPANION I will grocery shop, will do laundry, housekeeping, prepare meals. Available Monday – Thursday, 4PM or 5PM, 4 or 5 hours.

References. 240-893-0119 or 240-839-7984.

2 GRAVE SITES AND VAULTS for sale at Fort Lincoln Cemetery. 301-371-6579. $6,500.00 Garden of the Good Shepherd.

Vacation Opportunities

COMPASSIONATE CAREGIVER - Companion available to care for Elderly or Adult with disabilities. Very reliable, experienced, own car with excellent references/background check available.

CPR/First Aid/Hospice/Mental Health Aide certified. I can provide respite care, concierge, plus more services for your loved one. Please call 240426-3548, kindly leave a message.

1) “INVACARE” TRACER EX2 New rolls wheelchair with owner’s manual. 2) “PRAIRIE VIEW” New multifold portable ramps 6x30 (short) & 7x30 (long). Brochure is attached. 3) Used electric power wheelchair “MERITS” with parts of tail lights (switch, fuses & wires)/ Need to replace a battery. Information book is attached. Price is negotiable. Call 301-942-7000.

CUSTOMIZED TOUR TO INDIA and Sicily and everywhere else. You choose the places, date, time and your pace to fit your budget with English speaking guides. Choose any combination: Flight (any class), type of hotel, ground transportation, airport pickup and cell phone. JK International, Inc., 6241 Executive Blvd, Rockville, MD 20852.

301-984-7050. jki.4.travel@gmail.com

CASH FOR JEWELRY: Buying jewelry, diamonds, gold, platinum, silver, watches, coins, flatware, etc. We make house calls. Ask for Tom. Call anytime 301-654-8678 or 301-654-0838.

Classifieds continued on page 63.

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

Puzzle Page

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Crossword Puzzle Daily crosswords can be found on our website: www.TheBeaconNewspapers.com Click on Puzzles Plus Fortified

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HIGHEST PRICE PAID FOR ANTIQUES & COLLECTIBLES! Compare my estimate before you sell... Antique and quality modern furniture, paintings, pottery, rugs, clocks, gold, silver, costume jewelry, silver flatware, watches, military items, guns, swords, daggers, helmets, fishing, toys, sports memorabilia, American tools. One piece or an entire collection.

I AM an established dealer with 25 years experience, with 2 locations, Silver Spring [Hillandale] & Bowie.

Please call Chris KELLER for prompt professional service. 301-262-1299.

Thank You.

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

STERLING SILVER. Will pay top dollar for your silver marked “Sterling”, “925”, “800”. Please no silver plate.

Want flatware, bowls, plates, candlesticks, etc. Richard, 301-646-0101.

BUYING MILITARY MEMORABILIA WW2, WW1, Civil War uniforms, weapons, photos and items associated with US, German, Japanese or items of other Military History.

DAVE 240-464-0958.

Thanks for reading!

BEACON BITS

Ongoing

JOIN ARLINGTON LONG-TERM CARE COMMISSION

Enhance the quality of care and the quality of life in Arlington’s long-term care residences, advise public officials about long-term care needs, and support access, availability and affordability in residences by joining the Arlington Commission on Long-Term Care Residences. Members are appointed by the county board and must live or work in Arlington. For information or for an application, go to www.arlingtonva.us/aging, or contact Agency on Aging Director Carolyn Ferguson at (703) 228-1700, TTY (703) 228-1788 or arlaaa@arlingtonva.us.

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1. Epiphany sounds 5. Uncle with a big hat 8. Playbill list 12. French bench 13. Cause of misery 14. The only woman with more French Open championships than Steffi 15. High prefix 16. Word inside many elevators 17. Gaucho’s rope 18. Fortified rest 21. Part-time B-52 crewmen 22. COMET’s core 23. Fortified modesty 30. Dark films 31. It vanishes every time you stand up 32. Giant Felipe, Matty, or Jesus 33. 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (more commonly) 34. Adhesive 36. Abbrevs. for Illinois and Israel 37. Keats’ feats 39. Take an axe to 40. Sit in the hot seat 42. Fortified value 46. Mythical bird 47. “___ Johnny!”

48. Fortified visitation 55. Goes for the gusto 56. Tennille, to the Captain 57. Droopy watch painter 58. American Pie destination 59. Big commotions 60. “I agree!”

61. Looks at suspiciously 62. ___ So Fine (The Chiffons’ first hit) 63. Safecracker 1. Rhyme sequence

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Scrabble answers on p. 61.

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2. Dealer, on a classic game show 3. Divisive politician 4. A real kick, to Michael Phelps 5. NASA appraises its rings 6. Blue dye 7. Predicament 8. Hybrid monster 9. ___ League (Cairo-based org.)

10. World Wide Web locale 11. Autocrat 13. Daily Variety adjective 14. Mouse’s portion 19. Teens’ terrors 20. Bonkers 23. Along with 24. Gargantuan 25. Elude the caterers 26. Pay check subtraction 27. Mork or E.T. 28. Disputed Mideast region 29. Blustery 34. Opt for 35. Technique where the aud. sees what the char. sees 38. Disco lights 40. Lively 41. When school is in session 43. It usually precedes the cart 44. Horned herbivores 45. Bigfoot’s cooler cousins 48. Look up and down 49. Carnivore’s target 50. Cover with tar 51. State two borders away from Canada, and two away from Mexico 52. Lymph locale 53. Designer Cassini 54. “Deer ___”

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