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Gazette SENIORS | July 2012
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July 2012 | Gazette SENIORS 3
GAZETTE
MONTGOMERY COUNTRY CLUB
SENIORS
Men ti this on ad!
T POR S S A P to
New Members Joining Now Will Receive A “Passport To Savings” For The Club
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Savings Include • Complimentary Meals • Guest Fees • Lessons • 1 Month of Free Carts and More.
Editors
Kim Bamber, Anna Joyce
Graphic Design
Anna Joyce
Contributing Writers
Karen Finucan Clarkson Mary Wade Burnside Ellen Cohen Jim Mahaffie Archana Pyati
Prepress Manager
John Schmitz
CORPORATE
*offer valid with paid initiation
President and Publisher
James F. Mannarino
Advertising Director
Katrina LaPier
Creative Director
Anna Joyce
Director of Creative Services
Lois Pruitt
Published by The Gazette/Post-Newsweek Media, Inc. Gazette Seniors is produced by The Gazette’s Special Sections, Advertising and Creative Services departments. It does not involve The Gazette’s newsrooms nor editorial departments. Send comments to seniors@gazette.net. COVER PHOTO: Chet and Nancy Wolejsza of Gaithersburg on a glacier trek in Argentina Photos courtesy of the Wolejszas
20908 Golf View Drive • Laytonsville, MD 240-912-9515 • www.MontgomeryCC.com
Free Hearing Tests set for
Montgomery County Area Age 65+
Free electronic hearing tests will be given from Monday, July 30 - Friday, August 3 at select locations in Montgomery County. Tests have been arranged for anyone who suspects they are losing their hearing. Such persons generally say they can hear but cannot understand words. Testing with the latest computerized equipment will indicate if you can be helped. Everyone, especially adults over 65, should have an electronic hearing test at least once a year. If there is a hearing problem, hearing tests may reveal that newly developed methods of correction will help, even for those who have been told in the past that a hearing aid would not help them. If you suspect you have hearing loss, call for a free hearing test appointment. Our licensed specialists are trained in the latest auditory testing methods and will be the first ones to tell you if you don’t need a hearing aid. If you do have a hearing loss, we will explain your results and provide you with a list of options.
1860851
hearing testsMonday,July available only at 30 a location listedAugust below. 3 OneFree Week Only: - Friday, One Week Only: Monday, July 30 - Friday, Aug. 3
Call and mention Reservation Code 122507
Bethesda, MD
Wildwood Medical Center 10401 Old Georgetown Road, Suite 102
(301) 328-1092 1844038
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Gazette SENIORS | July 2012
Silver Spring, MD
Frederick, MD
(301) 850-1527
(301) 703-2707
Connecticut Belair Medical Park 3915 Ferrara Drive
Guilford Professional Center 5950 Frederick Crossing Lane
Benefits of hearing aids vary by type and degree of hearing loss, noise environment, accuracy of hearing evaluation and proper fit. Beltone Hearing Care Centers are independently owned and operated. Participation may vary by locations.
BY JIM MAHAFFIE
M
PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE WOLEJSZAS
ABOVE:
Chet Wolejsza photographs a sunset on the couple’s honeymoon in Kenya in1970. RIGHT:
Chet on a glacier in Argentina last year
ix curiosity, a passion for photography, a subscription to National Geographic and a healthy marriage, and you get inveterate travelers Chet and Nancy Wolejsza. Nancy, 66, and Chet, 68, live in Gaithersburg. Both are still working, but they don’t take one-week summer trips or Bahamas cruises over the holidays. “We’re more eclectic,” said Nancy. “It’s easy to take a long weekend and visit somewhere locally (in the U.S.),” as the couple did on a recent trip to New Orleans. “But when we go abroad, we like to go a little farther, and for at least two to three weeks.” Last year, a trip to Buenos Aires in Argentina included a side trip south to Patagonia. In January, the Wolejszas went with National Geographic and Lindblad Expeditions to Costa Rica and to the Panama Canal. They have also recently photographed polar bears in Canada and toured fjords in Svalbard in Norway. They’re always planning their next trip, said Nancy. A walking tour of Switzerland is coming up in the fall, and then a return trip to Antarctica. Chet was previously sent to McMurdo Station, the U.S. Antarctic research center, for work, and the Wolejszas are going back to see the wildlife in what is summertime in the southern hemisphere. They’ve been to many interesting places, though not all are well-known destinations. Hence, Greece and Spain are on Nancy’s wish list, andYosemite or Yellowstone are on Chet’s. For now, the couple goes where the winds blow them. “Sometimes things just happen and we take advantage of opportunities,” said Nancy. For instance, after her book group read Irving Stone’s “The Agony and the Ecstasy: A Biographical Novel of Michelangelo,” Nancy and two other women SEE TRAVEL, PAGE 28 July 2012 | Gazette SENIORS
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James Smailes, nearest the coxswain, and other members of the Capital Rowing Club’s Seniors and Weekend program head back up the Anacostia River after turning around at the green buoy just beyond the South Capitol Street Bridge in Washington, D.C.
u
Seniors Reap Rowing’s Rewards STORY AND PHOTOS BY KAREN FINUCAN CLARKSON
W Margaret Harrell, left, and Pamela Kramer, focus on their strokes as they row down the Anacostia River toward Nationals Park and the South Capitol Street Bridge.
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Gazette SENIORS | July 2012
hen Mary S. Ellsworth found herself with an empty nest, she turned to rowing. Bill Price discovered the sport after his daughter started rowing in high school. Mike Jenner’s passion for rowing was reignited in 2010, 43 years after taking his last stroke in college. Tess Cappello had taken a basic rowing course, but it wasn’t until a friend invited her out on the river 10 years ago that the 66-year-old Arlington resident “started rowing and never stopped.” While the Capital Rowing Club is home to a few mature, lifelong rowers, many of its senior
members have taken up the sport later in life. “It doesn’t put a big demand on the body,” said Ellsworth, a co-representative for the club’s Seniors and Weekend (SAW) program. “It’s a low-impact, full body exercise.You’re using your arms and legs even though you’re seated, so you’re not pounding your body in any way.” The 61-year-old Takoma Park resident has been rowing for a dozen years. “It’s a nice combination of aerobic and anaerobic exercise,” said Price. “It gets the heart and lungs going but also strengthens the legs, arms and midsection.” Although Price, who began rowing about five years ago when he was in his 50s, was “never very coordinated or much of an athlete,” he had no difficulty learning to
row. Some weeks, in addition to rowing with SAW on Sunday morning, Price will leave his McLean, Va., office to join one of the club’s 6:30 weeknight rows.
Ask a senior rower what he likes best about the sport and chances are he’ll tell you it’s the river. “I love being on the water,” said Cappello. “It takes me away from everything.” “It’s marvelous to be on the river at 7 a.m.,” said Jenner, a 68-year-old Silver Spring resident. “I used to lie in bed and miss all that—the sun coming up over the river.” “I love being surrounded by the natural environment,” said Ellsworth. “I go down to the river to get refreshed even though I’m working hard. It’s almost a meditative experience.” Her experience is validated by a 2011 study in Environmental Science and Technology. Outdoor exercise is associated with greater feelings of revitalization, increased energy and decreased tension when compared with indoor exercise. And, because participants enjoy being outdoors, they are more inclined to exercise, the study found. At 7 a.m. on Father’s Day, two dozen of the club’s 200 rowers gathered at the Anacostia Community Boathouse in southeast Washington, D.C., for their weekly outing. Coach Bob Brady sorted them into three groups of eight. “Our coaches prepare lineups by looking at height, gender and relative strength and experience,” said 62-year-old
Tess Cappello, second from left, helps her fellow rowers carry the shell back to the Anacostia Boathouse. It is estimated that each rower carries roughly 40 pounds.
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SEE ROWING, PAGE 30
July 2012 | Gazette SENIORS
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MEET THE MASTERS
PHOTO BY ELISE MAHAFFIE
AQUATIC
Triathlete Debbie Kelsey, 63, and teammates share a laugh before a recent Ancient Mariners’ swim practice.
PHOTO BY ELISE MAHAFFIE
Dan Morrow, Margot Pettijohn, Dave Harmon and Marshall Greer of the Montgomery Ancient Mariners swim club
PHOTO COURTESY OF DOTTIE BUCHHAGEN
Ancient Mariners regularly compete in the Chesapeake Bay Swim. Open water swims are a new challenge for many swimmers. BY JIM MAHAFFIE
W PHOTO BY ELISE MAHAFFIE
Ancient Mariner Tom Denes demonstrates stroke technique to his swimmers at a recent practice at a Bethesda pool.
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Gazette SENIORS | July 2012
here do avid swimmers go when the summer swim teams and scholastic sports of their youth are over? Through the Montgomery Ancient Mariners, more than 250 adult swimmers, ranging from their 20s to their 80s, participate in coached masters swimming practices in the county’s indoor and outdoor pools. The Montgomery Ancient Mariners is a U.S. Masters Swimming (USMS) club. USMS is a national organization that provides organized workouts, competitions, clinics and workshops for those 18 and over. Ancient Mariners attend structured workouts and travel to swimming competitions around the country. These include pool events as well as open water swims, such as the 4.4-mile Great Chesapeake Bay Swim. Mariners have also swum the English Channel and competed in triathlons.
Older swimmers have a real enthusiasm for life, said Clay Britt, who coordinates the club program and is one of the coaches for the Ancient Mariners. “They believe that aging is somewhat in their control and that they are not going to sit around and let the aging process control them,” he said. Dorothy L. “Dottie” Buchhagen, 69, joined the Ancient Mariners in 1996. A recreational lap swimmer for many years, she chose her home in Rockville/North Bethesda because it was across the street from a county swim center. A friend urged her to join the Ancient Mariners and she was hooked. “The coached workouts are much more fun than solo swimming,” she said. “I enjoy the practices, the health benefits and meeting a lot of really interesting, nice people who also enjoy swimming.”
Swimming is easy on the body, too. “I did have prior problems with my knees, so the swimming was a
nice, low-impact exercise for me. I branched out into biking, spinning, and continued my general gym workouts,” said Buchhagen. Since joining the Ancient Mariners, she now enjoys open water swims of varying distances in the ocean and in lakes. “Open-water swimming is a challenge in that the conditions are different each year and even during different parts of the same swim,” she said. On June 10, she finished second in her age group (6569) in the one-mile Chesapeake Bay Swim, in which she has completed nine years in a row. Four years ago, she began doing aquabikes, a race comprised of a one-mile swim and 26-mile bike ride. “I will do my first full triathlon in August,” she said, crediting inspiration from other Ancient Mariners for her interest in the event.The Iron Girl in Columbia consists of a 0.62-mile swim, 17.5-mile bike and a 3.3-mile run, which Buchhagen said she will walk. “She never quits,” said Tom Denes, past president of the Ancient Mariners. “She had double knee replacement surgery in November and completed a 2.4-mile ocean swim in May.” During that swim, he said, the kayakers who were patrolling the race told the competitors that there were sharks nearby, but Buchhagen kept right on swimming.
At 70, the club’s Kate Fisken holds national records in the 70-74 age group in freestyle and backstroke. “The coaches probably do give us 65-plus swimmers a little slack when we need it, but we do swim the same set routines as the ‘youngsters,’” she said, “albeit sometimes at a
INTERESTED IN JOINING? Check ancientmariners.org for information on costs, swim schedules and pool locations, which include: n
BETHESDA OUTDOOR POOL
Little Falls Parkway, Bethesda, 301-652-1598 n
EUNICE KENNEDY SHRIVER AND SARGENT SHRIVER AQUATIC CENTER
5900 Executive Blvd., N. Bethesda, 240-777-8070 n
GERMANTOWN INDOOR SWIM CENTER
18000 Central Park Circle, Boyds, 240-777-6830 n
GLENMONT OUTDOOR POOL
12621 Dalewood Drive, Wheaton, 301-929-5460 n
MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. SWIM CENTER
1201 Jackson Road, Silver Spring, 240-777-8066 n
OLNEY SWIM CENTER
16605 Georgia Ave., Olney, 240-777-4995
slower pace and/or in the slower lanes.” For Fisken, swimming is like breathing. “Each of us have our reasons for showing up for practice and pushing ourselves to be better,” she said, noting in a bathing suit, the wrinkles and scars show. “You’ve got to be comfortable in your own skin to push yourself, with your older shape and wet, thinning, gray or dyed hair.”
She joined the Ancient Mariners in 2005 and was impressed by how hard core the team was: even during training when it rained, when no one wanted to leave the pool. Among other events, the Ancient Mariners hosts a popular swim meet every year for amateur adult swimmers called the Albatross Open. This year marked its 20th anniversary—and largest turnout ever. More than 240 swimmers from 20 to over 80 competed March 17 at the Eunice Kennedy Shriver and Sargent Shriver Aquatic Center in North Bethesda. National and world records fall every year at the event, according to Jeff Roddin, club president. This year, his father Hugh Roddin, 70, came from his home in Michigan to break both the 100 and 200 short-course meter national butterfly records for men 70-74. Britt said the Ancient Mariners club accepts anyone who can swim at a minimum speed. It amazes him that, after 25 years of Masters swimming, he sees people who used to seem old to him racing like they’re still in their 20s. “Now that I am that age (51) you realize that it is no big deal.You can keep doing it,” he said. “I look at the 80-plus-year-olds racing and it gives me hope for the future.” PHOTO COURTESY OF KATE FISKEN
Kate Fisken, 70, is a multiple national record holder in several strokes and distances. She was also a multiple medalist at the Maryland Senior Olympics in 2011.
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July 2012 | Gazette SENIORS
9
‘‘
BY JIM MAHAFFIE
B
etween Montgomery and Fairfax counties there are hundreds of players, dozens of leagues, women’s and men’s teams, co-ed teams, tournament travel teams…all playing senior softball in the spring, summer and fall, and all having a blast.
WE’RE JUST
KIDS IN
Carmen Campbell is a Marylander
who plays with the Golden Girls, a women’s league based in Oakton,Va., that draws from Maryland and Northern Virginia. After wrecking her knee playing basketball at 19, she bowled, played tennis and raised a family. In 2000, while watching a friend play senior league basketball, she heard about softball. Now 73, she’s been hooked, playing at every level and every age since. She’s played all over the U.S. and in Japan, and serves as commissioner for the women’s 40-plus league. Campbell has wonderful memories: Down five runs to a Canadian team at the Huntsman World Senior Games, the largest senior softball tournament in the world, her team scored once, then loaded the bases for her. She smacked a grand slam over the fence to tie the game.
The Montgomery County Senior Sports Association (MCSSA) is also managing numerous daytime and nighttime leagues this summer. Leagues are separated by age, with a Super Senior league for men 70+ and women 50+, and men’s 60+, 55+ and 50+ leagues. There’s also a CoRec league for men 60+ and women 40+. Games are played on regional fields in Olney,Wheaton and Cabin John. Make no mistake—this is real softball. Players compete as hard as they want to in senior softball, with teams and skill levels of every kind. Teams umpire their own 10
Gazette SENIORS | July 2012
OLDER PEOPLE’S BODIES. -David Scheele
PHOTO BY BOB FRANKS
NVSS National Conference’s Ben Fisher takes a swing while his teammates hang on the fence and hope for the best.
games, and leagues follow Amateur Softball Association slow-pitch rules, with a few exceptions to increase player safety, including substitute runners after a batter reaches first base. “We have players with bad knees and hip replacements,” said Marilyn Mallery, a player, manager, and publicity and community relations coordinator for the Golden Girls. “Running can be a challenge, so we put that rule in. But you still have to be able to get to first.”
Ed Guillette has been commissioner of the Super Senior league in Montgomery County for the last seven years.That league started with three teams. It now has six. “Our league gets better every year in the amount of players and skills,” said Guillette. Once a professional baseball player in his native Panama, he was offered a Minor League Baseball contract with the Washington Senators in the 1950s. More than 50 years later, after a career in the U.S. Air Force, he plays slow-pitch softball and lawn bowling. As commissioner, he sets league schedules, makes sure the fields are in good shape and marked properly, sets and enforces rules, and gets managers together to iron out problems. “I get phone calls every day from people who want to join, asking about fields and times,” he said. Guillette drafts teams, as well, to keep competition fair and balanced. He doesn’t play for one particular team. On game days, he sees who is short a player and fills in.
n MONTGOMERY COUNTY SENIOR SPORTS ASSOCIATION
mc-ssa.org
n GOLDEN GIRLS
www.goldengirls.org
n NORTHERN VIRGINIA SENIOR SOFTBALL
www.nvss.org
“We have several players well over 80 years old,” said Guillette.“I don’t refuse anyone.A couple of our guys have had strokes, and one uses a walker, and we furnish a runner for them. Softball is good therapy for everyone.”
“It’s fun, fitness and friendship, and what more can you want?” said David Scheele, 79, who plays in the Northern Virginia Senior Softball (NVSS) leagues. NVSS has more than 500 members, with 26 teams in three skill levels. A few teams are in draft leagues, where players are chosen for each team every season. “Otherwise, for new players, we assess their skills and assign them to a team in one of three skill-level conferences,” said Scheele. Games are played on fields all over Fairfax County. Fees for MCSSA depend on the league and season. Fall softball in Montgomery County ranges from $50 for the Super Senior Coed Monday mornings draft league to $80 for the 60+Tuesday/Thursday mornings draft league, or $60 for the 50+ draft league on Friday nights—plus $5 a year for an annual MCSSA membership.
PHOTO COURTESY OF CARMEN CAMPBELL
COURTESY OF ED GUILLETTE
A highly competitive women’s softball team, the Golden Girls of Maryland and Northern Virginia regularly travels to play teams and tournaments across the United States.
Ed Guillette has been the commissioner of Montgomery County Senior Sports Association’s softball league since 2006.
Players pay $70 a season in the NVSS, with out-ofcounty players paying $120. According to Scheele, this includes a shirt with your name on it, a hat and use of the fields. “You need your own bat and glove, and we suggest you wear shoes with plastic cleats,” Scheele said.
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July 2012 | Gazette SENIORS
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uA
Treasure Hunt for Links to the Past
STORY AND PHOTOS BY ARCHANA PYATI
A
Coins for sale at Bonanza Coins, a Silver Springbased store owned by renowned coin dealer Julian Leidman GOLD TWENTY DOLLAR US COIN: ISTOCKPHOTO/JOE_POTATO
mong hobbyists, there are generalists and specialists, those for whom, as an organizing principle, breadth outweighs depth or vice versa. Coin collectors, it seems, can be divided into these two camps. Metaphorically speaking, there are as many types of coin collectors as there are granules of sand on the beach, explained Ed Hacke over a glass of lemonade at a downtown Bethesda café. “There’s no ‘should’ in coin collecting. You do what you want to do. You do what makes you happy.” Hacke, pronounced “Hackee,” 82, began his collection more than 40 years ago when, as a high school French teacher, he taught a student who came to class one day with a few samples. Eventually, Hacke narrowed
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Gazette SENIORS | July 2012
1843829
FULL AND WEEKDAY MEMBERSHIPS AVAILABLE!
his focus to French and German coins, acquiring gorgeous specimens like a Louis the XIVth piece from 1690. Coin collecting opens up a vast universe with seemingly endless subcategories, so it’s easy to get lost if you don’t have a guide. “There’s an infinite number of ways to collect coins, and there’s no right way or wrong way,” said Julian Leidman, owner of the Silver Spring-based Bonanza Coins and both a sage and a legend among coin collectors in the region. He urges novice collectors to “keep focusing down…to have a goal,” like collecting from an historical period, a region of the world or a specific type of coin. Dealers and collectors agree that talking to people at a coin club, attending a trade show, or stopping buy a local SEE COIN, PAGE 21
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July 2012 | Gazette SENIORS
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Looking for a cozy place for mom and dad to call home? You just found it. At Kindley Assisted Living at Asbury Methodist Village, there’s room to spread out or nestle in. With a wealth of amenities in a warm and intimate setting, Kindley offers attractive and spacious apartments in a family-friendly environment.
All-inclusive services. No entrance fee. Assistance when needed.
ISTOCKPHOTO/YORKPHOTO
Can You Afford
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u Majority
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BY KAREN FINUCAN CLARKSON
I
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Gazette SENIORS | July 2012
f you’re over 65, chances are you eventually will need some form of longterm care. For 40 percent of seniors, that care will take the form of a nursing home, according to the National Clearinghouse for LongTerm Care Information. “With the average cost of a nursing home in Frederick County running about $10,000 per month and the average life expectancy of someone in a nursing home being 42 months, that’s $420,000 total,” said David Wingate, an elder care attorney with offices in Frederick and Rockville. Long-term care—nursing home care in particular—is a budget buster for many Americans. “Seventy percent of individuals become impoverished within a year of entering a nursing home—impoverished meaning you have less than $2,000,” the amount Medicaid letsVirginians keep, said Evan H. Farr, an elder law attorney with the Farr Law Firm in Fairfax,Va. Long-term care includes a broad range of services—everything from licensed homemaker services to assisted living to nursing home care. Costs vary by service and locale. Genworth Financial puts the annual cost of a
home health aide at $45,760 in Maryland and $41,756 inVirginia, and a private room in a nursing home at $95,995 and $82,125, respectively. Within states, prices differ. A home health aide in Bethesda, for example, is $49,764 annually and nursing home care is $113,880, according to Genworth. “While I don’t think there’s a neat, single answer for people in terms of long-term care planning, risk transfer is often your best bet,” said Larry Paul, a financial planner with Raymond James Financial Services Inc. in Rockville. “Start early and get a long-term care policy.” “The good thing about long-term care insurance is that you don’t have to spend it on a nursing home,” said Wingate. “If you can’t do activities associated with daily living, it will pay for in-home care or an assisted living facility.” Another type of long-term care insurance is what’s known as a partnership qualified policy. Endorsed by the federal government, these policies differ from state to state.They include something known as an asset disregard, which allows policy holders to keep assets that they otherwise would have to spend to qualify for longterm care under Medicaid.
Because so few seniors have a plan for long-term care, many eventually find themselves in a crisis situation, Farr said. When it comes to government assistance for long-term care, there are three sources of funds—the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Medicare and Medicaid. None of them cover the cost of an assisted living facility. The VA supports a range of home and community-based services—such as home health aides and adult day health care — and nursing home care at select facilities. “These are terrific benefits, but many are unaware of them,” said Elizabeth L. Gray, a certified elder law attorney with Cossa, Gray and O’Reilly PLC in Fairfax,Va. Medicare offers up to 100 days of skilled care in a nursing home when deemed a medical necessity by a physician. “It was never intended to address longterm care.That’s one of the biggest misimpressions out there,” said Paul. “Medicare was intended as health insurance for individuals age 65 and over who lose it when they leave their jobs.”
ISTOCKPHOTO/SILVIAJANSEN
“Seventy percent of individuals become
IMPOVERISHED WITHIN A YEAR of entering a nursing home.” In Maryand impoverished means you have less than $2,500. -Evan H. Farr, elder-law attorney
Once a patient hits 100 days, Medicare stops paying, even if the individual remains ill. “After that, it doesn’t take long for most people to deplete their assets,” according toWingate. As a result, for most, Medicaid is the answer to long-term care. The program, implemented in 1966, is jointly funded by the federal and state governments, so its provisions vary somewhat based on geography. Today the program covers seven of every 10 nursing home residents and finances over 40 percent of nursing home and long-term care spending, according to a report from the Kaiser Family Foundation. While 89 percent of Americans 50 and older want to remain in their homes for as long as possible, the bulk of Medicaid’s funds—74 and 89 percent in Virginia and Maryland, respectively—is spent on institutional care, according to AARP. “Medicaid is not a program for poor people, but for those who qualify. Eligibility requirements say you must meet the criteria either by spending your money or, if you’re smart, by protecting your assets in ways that are both ethical and legal,” said Farr. To qualify for care under Medicaid, an individual must be 65 or over, need skilled care and be unable to perform the activi-
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Between 45 and 62 is a good time to look into a long-term care policy, according to Farr. After that, private policies often become cost prohibitive or unattainable due to pre-existing conditions. “Only about 10 percent of people have [that insurance],” he said. The rest rely on savings—which may include a reverse mortgage on their house— support from family members or government programs.There are ways to reduce costs, according to Paul, but there may be downsides. “If dad needs help, mom can be the primary caregiver, but only for so long before she burns out. It’s an absolute necessity to bring the adult children in for a family summit,” he said. “Look at the possibility of living with friends or relatives. Perhaps an adult child can do an in-law suite attached to his home.That could forestall the need for an assisted living facility or nursing home,” said Paul. Some 600,000 Marylanders and some 910,000 Virginians are providing care to a loved one at home, according to a December 2009 AARP report.This care is valued at $6.6 billion and $9.2 billion respectively. “Consider living in another part of the country, especially if you have friends or family there,” said Paul. The average annual cost of a private room in a nursing home in Oklahoma is $53,597, about $42,000 less than in Maryland, according to Genworth.
SEE CARE, PAGE 17 July 2012 | Gazette SENIORS
15
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Gazette SENIORS | July 2012
CARE, CONTINUED FROM PAGE 15
ties of daily living. For institutional care, he must already be residing in a nursing home, according to Wingate. Assets may not exceed $2,000 for Virginians and $2,500 for Marylanders. In cases involving couples, a spouse living in the community may keep half of the couple’s assets, up to $109,560 in Maryland and $113,640 inVirginia. This can present financial difficulties, according to Gray, especially if the community spouse is younger with a life expectancy of 20 or 30 years. The community spouse also “is entitled to a certain minimum amount of income,” she said. A community spouse may continue to live at home. “Medicaid in Virginia isn’t going to take away your house,” said Gray. “They may place a lien on it and go after it later, but a spouse can stay there until he passes away.” The same holds true in Maryland. Medicaid also allows nursing home residents a monthly personal-needs allowance of $40 in Virginia and $71 in Maryland to cover incidentals.
There are many ways to reduce assets in order to qualify for Medicaid. Too
Unfortunately, when it comes to protecting assets, “it’s easy to make mistakes,” said Gray. “They may transfer the house or give money to their kids. In some cases, they may pay family members to care for them or rent out part of their house, but there’s no contract or lease.These things can count against them.” That’s because Medicaid reviews five years of financial records before certifying eligibility. “Let’s say you’ve gifted $68,000 to charities over the last five years. Medicaid will divide that amount by $6,800—
There are legitimate ways to protect assets when it comes to qualifying for Medicaid.
“YOU CAN PREPAY A FUNERAL OR CREATE AN INCOME STREAM THROUGH AN ANNUITY.” -David Wingate, elder care attorney
ISTOCKPHOTO/BOWDENIMAGES
the average monthly cost of a nursing home in Maryland. Because you gave away 10 times that amount, you would be ineligible for Medicaid for 10 months,” saidWingate. There are legitimate ways to protect assets, said the elder-law attorneys. “You can prepay a funeral or create an income stream through an annuity,” saidWingate.
Farr estimates that it’s possible to protect 100 percent of assets for married couples and as much as 70 percent for individuals who have entered a nursing home. “The days of leaving something for your children are disappearing fast,” said Wingate. “Longer life expectancies mean we’re using more of our resources and, as we move through the continuum of care, many of us are depleting those resources. As the government looks for ways to cut back, we’re left wondering what will be there in the future.”
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often, people spend their savings on nursing home care rather than protecting it, according to Farr. While many think of asset protection in terms of inheritances, Farr views it as a way “to help improve the situation of elders…by protecting their dignity and quality of life.” Medicaid only covers the basics and the personal needs allowance doesn’t go far. By preserving assets, “you can replace lost or broken hearing aids or glasses; pay for transportation to a grandchild’s graduation or family reunion or wedding; even cover the cost of [someone] who can provide mom with some companionship, read to her if she’s blind or help her to the bathroom every two hours so she doesn’t wind up in diapers,” said Farr.
July 2012 | Gazette SENIORS
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Jean Emory and her companion Collette share a playful moment at home. INSET: Patches, 6 1/2, takes a break from his daily walks through the Animal Welfare League of Montgomery County’s open spaces.
Seniors for Seniors Pairing Older Cats with Older Owners STORY AND PHOTOS BY ARCHANA PYATI
C
ollette jumps toward Jean Emory’s hand, hoping for a strong caress against her whiskers and furry cheeks. The calico rubs against her owner’s legs, displaying affection while marking her territory. “Mine,” she purrs in contentment, standing like a sentinel as Emory explains how the energetic Collette came into her life. Originally, Emory wanted a kitten, as do most people who enter the AnimalWelfare League of Montgomery County’s nocage, no-kill shelter in Gaithersburg. But there was something about Collette, whose
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tricolor coat and playful nature captured Emory’s heart. “She was so friendly and very affectionate,” said Emory. “I thought, ‘she’s the one for me.’” Watching Collette chase a laser light around Emory’s carpeted living room, it’s hard to believe this feline is 8. She is one of about a dozen cats adopted each year through the shelter’s Seniors for Seniors program, which matches older cats with senior adults. The program hasn’t really taken off despite best efforts by the shelter’s all-volunteer staff, according to volunteer Francine Pivinski. She and others have taken older cats to senior events, PetSmart, and to retirement communities like Asbury
HELP WANTED Missy, 8, naps on a cat tree at the Animal Welfare League of Montgomery County’s no-kill, no-cage shelter.
Methodist Village in Gaithersburg—home of Emory and Collette—but “it hasn’t led to a lot of adoptions.” Asbury recently allowed its residents to keep pets, she said, which may lead to more interest. Yet the virtues of an older cat—one that is at least 6—shouldn’t be underestimated, Pivinski said. Unlike kittens, older cats have usually been trained by a previous owner to use scratching posts instead of furniture. They tend to be mellower and more in sync with an owner’s needs and moods. They’re more peers in search of companionship and less babies who need round-the-clock care. “We know a lot about these cats,” said the shelter’s president, Maureen Williams. “Whereas with a kitten, it’s like opening up a box of chocolates.You don’t know what you’re going to get!You know where you stand with older cat.The cat has formed its personality.” The staff also encourages senior adults to foster an older cat if adopting feels overwhelming at first. Williams and other volunteers also gently remind seniors who wish to adopt kittens that the lifespan of a cat is 20 years. All senior adopters must list a back-up guardian in case they’re no longer able to care for their cat. The Animal Welfare League runs a pretty selective program, declining to accept cats with chronic illnesses like diabetes and cancer. Every cat has to pass an intake process where a volunteer assesses its personality and determines if it’s a good fit with the dozen or so cats staying at the shelter at any given time. The circumstances that lead a senior cat to the shelter are often heartbreaking.Take Patches, a spotted and rangy 6 1/2-year-old who roams the shelter’s open spaces as if they were the Serengeti. His former owner lost her home and her business due to financial problems. And while Patches doesn’t show signs of depression, other senior cats do after losing an owner to death or
illness. “Cats mourn,”Williams said. Aside from a case of the blues, older cats can sometimes have dental or dietary problems that come with age. An ideal owner, said Williams, should be mobile, able to bend down and financially stable enough to pay for visits to the vet and special food. Previous experience with cats is a plus, too. If adopted, senior cats can live the rest of their lives in a safe environment with plenty of food, water and shelter. Owners can benefit from the cat’s unequivocal love, companionship and calming presence. A 2008 University of Minnesota study suggested a link between cat ownership and the reduction of stress and anxiety, two risk factors for heart disease. Lois Christensen, 61, can’t remember a time when she didn’t have a cat—and she usually opts for two instead of one. She met Rudy, an 8-year-old orange tabby, at the shelter in February, and like Emory, fell in love instantly. She adopted him the day they met. “Cats really do pick their owners,” she theorized. “The cats sense there’s something peaceful and loving about you.” Rudy has been a mentor of sorts to Dude, Christensen’s other cat, teaching him how to bury his excrement in the litter box. “He’s the best cat I ever had, and I’ve had over a dozen cats. He literally hugs you,” she said of Rudy’s tendency to embrace her neck with his paws and place them on her chest. Christensen suffered a stroke in April. Since then, just looking at her cats gaze out the window can be therapeutic: “Even if they don’t sit on your lap, petting them actually relaxes you. I’ve had quite a few health problems, so it’s nice to have a cat nudge you.They don’t require a lot.”
• Contribute your skills and wisdom to help students from Pre-K to High School improve academically, socially, & emotionally • Choose from literacy programs, intercultural groups, math clubs, discussion circles, and more • Surround yourself with other like-minded senior volunteers who believe well-educated students enhance the entire community
To learn more, contact the Heyman Interages® Center 301-949-3551 * twilson@AccessJCA.org Interages® is a program of JCA® - JEWISH COUNCIL FOR THE AGING – a partner with The Jewish Federation, and affiliated with CFC and the United Way. JCA proudly serves people of all faiths, ethnicities, & income levels. 1860866
For more information on the Seniors for Seniors program, contact the Animal Welfare League of Montgomery County at 301-740-2511. Online: awlmc.org. 1843835
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Time to Downsize?
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Richard and Bonnie Kramer of Brookeville with their pets Dexter (now deceased), a miniature labradoodle, and Zeke, a large labradoodle who is 13. Bonnie said the dogs really enjoyed outings in the golf cart.
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Gazette SENIORS | July 2012
COIN, CONTINUED FROM PAGE 12
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Ed Hacke, a local collector of European coins, shows two items from his collection, including this 1690 Louis the XIVth coin in his left hand. TOP RIGHT: The U.S. Coin Red Book
coin shop are great places to begin. Publications like “A Guide Book of United States Coins”—more commonly referred to as The U.S. Coin Red Book, the Standard Catalog of World Coins—usually called the Krause catalog, and Coin World magazine are well-known, reliable sources. Consider avoiding general auction websites until you’ve had some experience and education since coins aren’t always in the condition they’re advertised on such sites, said Leidman. “If you talk to dealers, they can tell you how available certain coins are,” said Simcha Kuritzky, treasurer of the Montgomery County Coin Club. “They’re going to know what’s out there, and how much money it’s going to run.”
A coin’s value is hard to predict since supply and demand dictates it. Collectors do purchase coins that are missing from their collections instead of waiting for chance encounters. What’s most important is to a have a clear sense of your own finances and what you can afford. “Sometimes people buy coins they’re convinced will go up in value and they’ll just sit there,” said Kuritzky. “You need to pick a collecting interest that fits within your budget.” Which brings up a point enthusiasts make repeatedly: collect coins because you find it pleasurable, not because you’re looking for an investment. “People who are the most successful, they’re collecting what they really enjoy,” said Matt Lerner, owner of Frederick Coin Exchange. Part of their joy comes from the thrill of the chase. Don Messersmith, 83, stumbled upon his father’s coin collection when he was clearing out the attic of his childhood home in Toledo, Ohio. The collection, which his father began duringWorldWar II, was in one old box, which Messersmith tried to move but couldn’t.The collection’s theme is American coins issued by date from every U.S. Mint
that produced them, dating back to the Civil War. It’s been a massive undertaking, which Messersmith said is near completion. “I’ve tried to fill in the spaces,” said the Silver Spring resident. “It’s like a treasure hunt.” Nowadays, Messersmith, a retired professor of entomology and ornithology at the University of Maryland, has moved on from coins and spends more of his time bird-watching. Messersmith’s collection allowed him to carry on a tradition started by his father.That kind of personal connection can sometimes be the perfect jumping-off point, said David Most, owner of Maryland Stamps and Coins in Bethesda. “You can narrow down from your own life experience,” he said, recalling customers who followed their interest in Civil War or World War II coins because of a family member’s service. Most also suggested visiting Smithsonian Institution Building, also known as the Castle, and the National Postal Museum in Washington, D.C., for an introduction to coins. For more, visit the American Numismatic Association at money.org.
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WILLOW MANOR AT FAIR HILL FARM
‘Apartments Don’t Stay Empty Long’ BY ELLEN R. COHEN
O
pened in 2005 and managed by Habitat America,Willow Manor at Fair Hill Farm in Olney features 101 apartments in four-story buildings with elevators. Floor plans include one and two bedrooms with one bath, and two-bedroom apartments with two baths. Each apartment has a full kitchen with a refrigerator, an electric range, a dishwasher, a garbage disposal and a washer/dryer hookup. Residents may rent a stackable washer and dryer, bring their own, or use the terrace-level laundry room.Willow Manor also has accessible apartments with lower countertops, higher electric outlets and modified bathroom configurations.
PHOTOS COURTESY OF WILLOW MANOR
Just past Route 108 in Olney, Willow Manor at Fair Hill Farm offers independent living in one- and two-bedroom apartments. Some residents still work; many are retired and enjoying the community’s social activities and maintenance-free lifestyle.
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PHARMACIST OWNED & OPERATED
“Our eldest resident, a 97-year-old lady, still lives independently, but the average age is about 70. Many residents drive. Some are still working; many are retired,” said Lethea Williams, manager of this independent-living rental community. While residents have elected to give up running a house and dealing with maintenance issues, most are in good health and physically able to do what they like.
Small pets (one or two dogs or cats) are welcomed.The rear of the community overlooks a woodland conservation area, a good place to enjoy nature and walk a dog. Pearl—Betty and Fred Robinson’sWestie— relishes walks through these grounds. Born in Pittsburgh, the Robinsons lived in Iowa before moving to Willow Manor in 2005 to be closer to their son in Laurel and other family in Silver Spring. Betty retired from the United Way of Central Iowa. She now assists Willow Manor’s support staff, spending a few hours two to three days a week opening the mail, answering the phone and ordering supplies. “Going to work is easy,” she said. “I get on the elevator.There’s no driving and no commute.” She likes the Mother’s Day luncheons, the annual ‘Backyard Picnic’ and the community’s many other social events. “Willow Manor is ideal for us.We liked the apartment and the location.” The hospitality suite, available at no charge for visitors for up to seven days, is quite popular. It features a small refrigerator, two beds, a table and chairs, and private bathroom to make spending time with loved ones more comfortable. The library/business/computer center offers books and magazines, computers, a printer and copier and fliers announcing day trips.The lounge/game/activity area on the terrace level has a fireplace, a piano, game, billiard, arts and crafts tables, and even a kitchen for residents’ parties. A large
theater room is used for Saturday movie nights, television watching with friends and exercise programs. Beautician Faye Lopez does men’s and women’s hair in the beauty shop.The fitness center is equipped with a television, and at the wellness center, podiatrist Janet Postal, M.D., and visiting oncall ophthalmologists see patients.
Roy Des Groseilliers has lived atWillow Manor for almost four years.A resident of New York state for many years, he worked for an air-conditioning company for 25 years before buying his own business, an apartment building with 34 units. Des Groseilliers moved to Willow Manor to be near his daughter in Glen Burnie, but he stayed even after she relocated. Single, he said he loves the community and the people, enjoys sitting on the porch and chatting and appreciates the use of the hospitality suite for visitors. His favorite activities are reading, watching sports and attendingWillow Manor socials. Mobility challenges make him appreciate his “clean, organized, tidy apartment.” He also praises the minibus driver, Jimmy Peterson Jr., as “a man who does more than his resume. He does everything for you.” Peggie Darden, aWashington, D.C., native, lived in Silver Spring after she lost her husband and moved out of her large home. At Willow Manor for almost four years now, she drives to a number of bridge clubs in D.C., but takes the minibus to unfamiliar areas. “I tell everyone who comes in that this is a great place,” she said. “Apartments don’t stay empty long. I just wish I could get more bridge players out here.” Willow Manor at Fair Hills Farm 18301 Georgia Ave. Olney 20832 301-260-7620 manager424@habitatamerica.com WillowManorApts.com
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The Newports still
Rock the classics BY KAREN FINUCAN CLARKSON
“T
he best known band out of Montgomery County in the ’60s,” The Newports re-emerged in the 21st century with a rock ‘n’ roll sound as authentic as the original, said electric guitarist Blaine Smith. “My sense is the band has been improving in the past years. If that ever stops happening, we’ll hang it up.” Once regulars on the CYO (CatholicYouth Organization) circuit, at University of Maryland fraternity events and in clubs from Georgetown to Bethesda,The Newports today brings its rendition of classic rock ‘n’ roll to restaurants and community events in the area. “What we play is pretty much what you would’ve heard on the radio in 1962. Today we call them oldies—Elvis Presley, Chuck Berry, Motown, and rhythm-and-blues music,” said Smith, a 66year-old Damascus resident. A member of the original band, founded in late 1960, Smith recalls rehearsals at his parents’ Chevy Chase home, and producing several 45s—“the biggest of those was a song called ‘Little Heart,’ which was released in 1965 and
24
PHOTO COURTESY OF THE NEWPORTS
ABOVE: The original Newports in 1964. Clockwise
from back left: Bill White (bass), Tom Willett (singer), Chuck Willett (singer), John Hurd (organ), Don Williamson (drums) and Blaine Smith (guitar).
became a local hit, making the top 10 onWPGC”—as well as record hops at the Silver Spring Armory.The Newports were also the house band at Glen Echo Amusement Park in 1962. It wasn’t long after Smith left the band in 1966 to form a gospel group that the original Newports disbanded.A trio continued under The Newports’ name until the end of the ’70s. “It was lucrative but, after a while, unsatisfactory musically as there weren’t enough players to interact with,” said Mike Henley of Garrett Park. Henley grew up during rock and roll’s heyday. “Every rock musician my age is such because he wanted to be just like Elvis,” he said. But, unlike The King, Henley’s primary instrument was the keyboard.
PHOTO BY EVIE SMITH
The modern-day Newports pose at the outta the way café in Derwood last year. Band members include, clockwise from back left: Rob Dyer, Blaine Smith, Debbie Halverson, Mike Henley, Cal Linley, Arlene Jaye, Becky Briggs and Mike DeGraba.
“It was very primitive music back then and you didn’t have to be a schooled musician. I evolved as the music evolved,” he said. Henley, who began performing at 17, is still doing so 50 years later. “There’s a satisfaction and excitement that SEE NEWPORTS, PAGE 26
PHOTO BY EVIE SMITH
PHOTO BY EVIE SMITH
PHOTO BY EVIE SMITH
Rob Dyer plays the drums at the outta the way café in Derwood in May 2011.
Mike DeGraba on bass. The Newports play once or twice a month, mostly at area restaurants.
Blaine Smith plays electric guitar. If The Newports ever stop improving, they’ll hang it up, he said.
Gazette SENIORS | July 2012
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NEWPORTS, CONTINUED FROM PAGE 24
PHOTO BY EVIE SMITH
Lead singer Cal Linley performs with Debbie Halverson at La Mexicana in Germantown in June.
comes from performing in front of people….There’s little better than taking a bunch of self-conscious, uptight people and working magic on them so a few hours later they’re up there doing the Funky Chicken.” Over the years, members of The Newports remained in touch. “We had annual Newports reunions and got together for fun from time to time during the ’80s and ’90s,” said Smith.Then, in 2001, Cal Linthicum— known professionally as Cal Linley— “approached me, asking if we could form a revival, a new incarnation of The Newports.” Linthicum, the original lead singer, Henley and Smith went in search of other top musicians to join them. It is the musicianship and level of professionalism that continues to setThe Newports apart from other bands, according to Gary D. Garvin, a Laurel resident who remembers hearing the group play in the mid-1960s at the BethesdaYouth Center and Leland Junior High School in Bethesda. “They’re good, polished musicians…who take their craft seriously and play very well,” he said. The addition of three female vocalists has allowed The Newports to expand its repertoire beyond that of the original group.
“They’re not stuck in the ’50s or ’60s,” said Garvin. “They have songs that go through the ’80s and ’90s.”Among Garvin’s favorite Newports songs are “Mercy, Mercy, Mercy” by The Buckinghams and “(Don’t You Ever) Mess Around,” a 1962 Newports original. He’s also fond of the group’s version of “Fields of Gold,” Sting’s 1993 song as covered by Eva Cassidy of Prince George’s County. Still, the bulk of The Newports music
“is from the era I grew up in.The current band does a lot of pre-Beatles as well as some from the British invasion,” said Smith. It is the “gospel feel” to a song called “Higher and Higher,” recorded by Jackie Wilson in 1967, that makes it one of Smith’s and the audience’s favorites. A major audience attraction is Smith himself, according to Debbie Halverson, a 59-year-old singer with The Newports. “Blaine was an outstanding guitarist in the
’60s and has only gotten better in the 21st century,” she said. “A lot of people come just to hear him play.” Henley concurred. “Blaine is a brilliant player.” The Newports play once or twice a month, mostly at area restaurants, such as La Mexicana in Germantown and outta the way cafe in Derwood. Henley appreciates the more intimate venues. “You don’t have to attract hundreds of people to make it feel like a party,” he said. Garvin likes the smaller locales as well. Band members “can go out and talk to the crowd during breaks, thank people for coming, and sell themselves a bit,” he said. “They’re a fun group to watch,” said Garvin. “Fun is the operative word. They have fun and the audience has fun. I wouldn’t be at all surprised if they kept going until they can’t lug the equipment around anymore,” he said, noting that “a bass amp weighs 80 pounds.” Smith agreed.“Everybody feels we want to keep doing this as long as God gives us the strength and ability.”
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Gazette SENIORS | July 2012
SHINGLES:
The VACCINE older adults might not know they need
BY MARY WADE BURNSIDE
S ISTOCKPHOTO/ALEXRATHS
Shingles, a painful rash that usually presents only on one side of the body, is caused by the same virus that causes chicken pox. The vaccine for it is recommended for those 60 or older.
ara Vazer, M.D., once had a patient in his 40s who presented with shingles, a painful rash that creates blisters usually only on one side of the body. In this case, it was on the man’s chest. “He couldn’t put his shirt on,” said Vazer, a primary care physician at Adventist Medical Group in Gaithersburg. “Clothes, bed sheets, anything that touched his skin was hurting…” The patient put off going to the doctor, who put him on antiviral antibiotics when he finally did see her. The rash went away, but the pain continued for a year,Vazer recalled. That patient’s ordeal was not uncommon with shingles, which is why Vazer recommends the shingles vaccine, Zostavax, available to older adults. Shingles is caused
by the varicella-zoster virus, the same virus that causes chicken pox. After a person has had chicken pox, the virus becomes dormant in certain nerves and can reactivate years later to produce shingles. The risk of getting shingles increases as a person ages because immunity weakens, which is why the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends the vaccine for those 60 or older. In May 2006, Zostavax was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for shingles prevention in those 60 or older, and five months later, the CDC issued the same recommendation. Last year, the FDA approved it for those 50 to 59, noting that shingles affects 200,000 otherwise healthy people in that age group each year. But the CDC declined to mirror that recommendation, saying in part that
data is limited on the long-term effectiveness of the vaccine. According to the CDC, in a clinical trial conducted with 1,000 people 60 and older, Zostavax reduced the risk of shingles by 51 percent and the instance of postherpetic neuralgia—the lingering pain after the rash disappears—by 67 percent. The vaccine, a one-time injection covered by most insurance, according toVazer, was most effective for people between 60 and 69, but still provided protection for older individuals, the CDC reported. Zostavax differs from Varivax, the vaccine for chicken pox, in that it is more highly concentrated.The shingles vaccine, not for use in children, cannot be used in place of the chicken pox vaccine, and vice versa. SEE SHINGLES, PAGE 29
Join us for Sunday Concerts at ‘the Park’ August 5: Silver Creek Band August 12: Kent Stacks Dixie Land Quintet August 19: Old Dominion Jazz Band RSVP to Barbara Duncan 301-946-7700
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TRAVEL, CONTINUED FROM PAGE 5
from the group were inspired to plan a trip to Italy. Nancy also went on a threeweek trip in 2008 with a friend who lived in Saigon in Vietnam in the 1970s and always wanted to revisit.
ABOVE: The Wolejszas photographed this monkey during a recent camera safari in Costa Rica. RIGHT: On a visit to the Great Wall of China
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Gazette SENIORS | July 2012
An aunt gave Nancy a subscription to National Geographic magazine in 1963, which is still a constant source of travel ideas for her. “Things just keep coming up, and the list just keeps getting longer,” said Nancy. “Everything we do seems to open up something or somewhere else.” As a child, Chet had only ever visited upstate New York for family trips. But, a
little over a year after they were married in 1968, the couple took a meaningful trip to Africa. On a train ride from Kampala, Uganda to Nairobi, Kenya, Chet got very sick. Nancy got the same bug a few days later in Morocco. “Here we were all by ourselves, far away from home, and we only had each other. That did a lot to prove we were a good couple,” said Chet. They’ve traveled by virtually every means possible—rental cars in Africa, Australia and New Zealand; U.S. road trips via car; railroads in Japan; tour groups in Europe and South America; a raft on the Colorado River; and in ships both large and small. Travel by water is popular with the Wolejszas, said Chet, because it lets them see so much. They have gone on small group tours with Overseas Adventure Travel and Viking River Cruises. Small-boat, scenic river cruises in Europe have led the Wolejszas from Amsterdam to Budapest, Budapest to Bucharest, along Russian canals, and around the Baltic Sea. They also took a short trip on the Columbia River in Oregon. “Unlike big cruise ships, on river
Nancy Wolejsza photographed these sea lions on a trip through the Beagle Channel in the Tierra del Fuego archipelago at the southern tip of South America.
cruises, there’s always something to see and somewhere to stop,” said Nancy. Photography is a love they also share. After a 1968 honeymoon in the Virgin Islands, their camera was stolen. Buying a nice new one in New York, they asked the salesman what an f-stop was. “I was fascinated,” said Nancy. “We joined a camera club, and got hooked.” Monthly club competitions and experts taught them more, and now photography trips keep the passion alive.
Languages also fascinate Nancy.
She often learns a few words of a language before visiting a country because she said it’s a great way to connect with local people. “In Hungary once, a lady in a local shop was so surprised when I spoke to her in Magyar,” said Nancy. “The smile on her face was precious. I think people look at you differently
when you at least try to say ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ and know a few numbers.”
Why do they love travel so much? “It’s more than a collection of experiences, photographs and souvenirs,” said Nancy. “I think it changes your perspective of the world and other cultures.You understand that most people want the same thing from life—useful work, a secure environment in which to raise their families and respect for who they are.” On Nancy’s future travel list is the archaeological city of Petra in Jordan, and she’d love to go back to Africa. Chet said he could get lost in the South Pacific anytime, and would always go back to New Zealand. “Lots of people who travel set time limits on themselves,” said Nancy. “But we can always keep going.” “At least ‘til the money runs out,” added Chet.
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SHINGLES, CONTINUED FROM PAGE 27
Older adults who have not had chicken pox and wonder which vaccine to get should have a blood test, said Lynette H. Posorske, M.D., a partner at Montgomery Infectious Disease Associates in Silver Spring who practices at Holy Cross Hospital. “If varicella antibodies are positive for past infection, then I recommend the shingles vaccine. If they are negative, then the chicken pox vaccine. It’s a higher dose and primary chicken pox infection in adults tends to be more severe, with a higher risk of varicella pneumonia, a nasty pneumonia that can land you in the hospital.” According to Posorske, the shingles vaccine might not be a good fit for anyone who has any immune deficiency, including HIV, has lymphoma/leukemia, takes highdose steroids, or has the potential to become pregnant.The CDC advises cancer patients undergoing radiation or chemotherapy to avoid the shingles vaccine. Although shingles can sometimes be difficult to treat with complete effective-
ISTOCKPHOTO/ROSICASABOTANOVA
ness, it is usually easy to identify, Posorske said. “The shingles rash is one that we can often diagnose from across the room. It’s the only rash that stops, dead center, at the midline of the body.” Posorske said interest in the vaccine among her patients is “moderate,” but like many doctors and government health agencies, she believes it is important. “Both of my now-deceased parents, and both my in-laws, now in their late 80s, have had shingles, so I’ve had more than enough opportunity to observe that this can be painful and sometimes produce long-lasting consequences, so I feel strongly about it.”
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ROWING, CONTINUED FROM PAGE 7
James Smailes, SAW program co-representative. “We want people who are approximately the same height to row as pairs. Pairs should have the same power and length of stroke as possible.” Some are experienced rowers, while others are novices.Two women joined the SAW group for the first time on Father’s Day, having just graduated from the club’s learn-to-row program.The program, which costs $300, consists of 10 classes on five consecutive weekends from 9 a.m. to noon. Two learn-to-row sessions remain in 2012—one beginning Aug. 11, the other Sept. 23.
With boat assignments in hand, rowers entered the boathouse to retrieve their shells and carry them down to the dock. “You must be able to help your team carry the boat,” said Ellsworth. “About 40 pounds is what they figure you’re carrying overhead.” “Bringing the boat out is not as hard as bringing it back in after you’ve been out on the water for a while,” said Cappello. Another challenge for seniors “is getting in and out of the boats, especially if you’ve had knee or hip replacement surgery.”
James Smailes, the Capital Rowing Club’s Seniors and Weekend program co-representative, helps prepare the shell for the morning’s row on the Anacostia River.
After placing the shell in the water, the rowers retrieved their oars and set them in the oarlocks, alternating blades between port and starboard. Then they kicked off their shoes, placing their feet in the plastic shoes embedded in the boat, and positioned themselves in the sliding seat before pushing away from the dock. The coxswain, who sat in the boat’s stern, called to get the rowing underway. The cox, the only one who can see what lies ahead, served as navigator and in-boat coach, running drills throughout the 100-
Coach Ted Leslie uses a megaphone to offer stroke improvement suggestions.
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minute session.Two coaches, each in separate launches, used megaphones to call out constructive criticism designed to improve each rower’s stroke. “We all work together; there’s an exceptional amount of coordination among the rowers,” said Price. “There are no prima donnas in a boat. Everybody’s for the team.” While the morning was clear and a mild 66 degrees, it didn’t take long for most rowers to break a sweat. All were comfortably attired. “What we wear this time of year is almost like a cyclist’s outfit,” said Ellsworth. “Well-fitting shorts, not baggy ones, are essential so that the material doesn’t catch in the seat as you roll. AT-shirt or spandex top works well and most people wear a hat or cap.There’s not a big commitment to gear.” As the boats glided down the Anacostia toward the Potomac River, Washington’s past and present were on display. From the USS Barry, a 2,780-ton de-
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stroyer berthed at the Washington Navy Yard, to Poplar Point, an urban waterfront development, to the 1903 Old Capitol Pump House, to Nationals Park, the river is replete with eye-catching natural and man-made features. “The Anacostia is only just beginning to recover from decades of pollution and neglect,” said Ellsworth. “I love that our club is part of the effort to bring people to the river.” Cappello concurs. “Sometimes when the water is flat, I’ll go down the channel or, if I’m sculling, upriver and lose myself in my surroundings. It’s hard to believe I’m anywhere near the District.” That, combined with the exercise and camaraderie, is what keeps Cappello coming back week after week and year after year. “I’m going to do it until I physically can’t do it anymore. I just love it.”
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