50 Plus News Magazine

Letters to those you love page 4A

aging

Bring more alzheimers

page 18A

Pickleball arrives on local courts page 6B

The Besasies;

November 2013 Vol 26 No. 11

COMPLIMENTARY

Forgotten Geniuses of Auto Design

POMMER:

Ryan shifts gears to be a major contender

page 3A

By Matt Pommer Nemovitz:

Plan a move in the right direction page 16A

MONEY SENSE

By Karen Ellenbecker & Julie Ellenbecker -Lipsky

ELLENBECKER: page 15A

By Bruce Nemovitz

Quilts for Veterans page 1B

T EDITORIALS

By Jack Pearson hroughout history, there are often instances of marvelously skilled artists and craftsmen who should have but never attained fame or fortune during their lifetimes. You’ve probably seen the movies, Moulin Rouge and Lust for Life, in which painters Toulouse Lautrec and Vincent Van Gogh were depicted having to sell their creations for pennies.

Yet today those same paintings command millions of dollars.

Here in Milwaukee, starting in the years before World War II, somewhat the same kind of phenomenon took place. But it didn’t concern impressionist paintings; rather it was about the design and creation of sport cars and aircraft. Those involved were Ray Besasie, and then later two of sons, Joe and Ray Jr. (there was another son, Fred, and a daughter, Joanne.)

EDITORIALS

STATE CAPITOL COMMENT

Watch for End of Year MOVING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION Deadlines

section B

Sports

TRAVEL

the besasies continued on page 12A

SENIOR Obamacare: “A RoseAnswer by any Man other name...”

MONEY SENSE TRAV APRON STRINGS

The Besasie brothers today, Ray Jr., standing, and Joe.

Emma

By Aunt Emma

When Will Shakespeare wrote “a rose by any other name would smell as sweet,” I don’t believe his meaning included politics, at least not 2013 style politics. Take, for example, “Obamacare.” Wouldn’t it be a very

By Karen differentEllenbecker meaning if every time a politician said “We have to repeal, defund, or delay Obamacare,” and instead said “We have to repeal, defund, or delay health care?” I contend that Obamacare by another name (i.e. health & Julie Ellenbecker care or Affordable Care Act) would actually smell sweeter. In fact, Jimmy Kimmel recently conducted a per-Lipsky AGING son-on-the-street interviews and asked the question, “Which do you like best, Obamacare or the Affordable ISSUES Care Act?” Guess what? Almost everyone said they liked the Affordable Care Act better than Obamacare even

By Tom Frazier though they are exactly the same thing. While humorous, this illustrates that the name does make a difference.

IT MAKES ME

CRABBY Frazier continued on page 3A

2A • 50plus • November 2013

5 Things you should know about diabetic eye disease

Diabetes is reaching epidemic levels in the U.S. Chances are you know someone with the disease. If so, take note.

Diabetes does more than affect blood sugar levels. Without proper precautions, it can rob a person of their sight.

"Of the nearly 26 million Americans diagnosed with diabetes, up to 45% have some degree of diabetic retinopathy (damage to the sensitive retina in the back of the eye), which can lead to vision loss and blindness,” reports Dr. Mark Freedman, an eye surgeon who has treated thousands of diabetic patients since 1988. “For some people, when a routine vision check-up uncovers signs of retinopathy, it is their first clue that they even have diabetes.”

How diabetes affects vision With diabetes, high blood sugar levels can weaken blood vessels in the eye, causing them to leak. This causes the retina to swell and form deposits that can lead to vision loss. Blood sugar fluctuations can also promote the growth of new, fragile blood vessels on the retina, which can sometimes leak blood into the vitreous (the clear, jelly-like substance that fills the eyeball). This retinal blood vessel damage, or retinopathy, can blur vision and lead to permanent sight impairment.

What are the symptoms?

Usually, none. Most people don't notice a problem until retinopathy is so far advanced that lost vision can't be restored. That’s why annual dilated eye

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ment with drops) is necessary to best view inside the eye for early signs of retinopathy before noticeable vision loss occurs,” explains Dr. Brett Rhode, an ophthalmologist who has conducted continuing education programs for local diabetes coordinators.

Prevention & Treatment “Diabetes-related sight loss is often preventable with yearly exams and early intervention. But all of our expertise, lasers and treatments are of no use if patients don’t come in for regular eye check-ups,” comments Dr. David Scheidt, optometrist and 18-year member of the Wisconsin Diabetes Advisory Group.

“We have been very pleased with the success of medications that can be painlessly injected directly into the eye to stave off progression of the disease. We typically use Avastin because it is both cost-effective and works to inhibit the growth of the abnormal blood vessels related to diabetic retinopathy,” reports Daniel Ferguson, MD, an eye care specialist who treats thousands of patients each year with diabetes, cataracts, glaucoma, macular degeneration, and other concerns. Daniel Paskowitz, MD, PhD, an ophthalmologist with credentials from Harvard and Johns Hopkins, adds, “We have seen some amazing results with Avastin, including not only stabilization of vision, but in some cases, improvement in sight. However, we must evaluate each patient’s response individually to determine if and when (about every 4-12

4

Many diabetics don’t notice a problem until it’s so far advanced that lost sight can’t be restored. exams are crucial. You should also call your doctor immediately if you notice vision changes in one or both eyes (not associated with fluctuations in blood sugar), numerous floating spots (like spider webs), or a veil over your vision.

How is diabetic retinopathy detected?

“Fluctuations in blood sugar levels can temporarily affect vision, making it difficult to know if a serious problem is developing. Significant retinopathy may also be present and progressing even if a person’s vision appears to be good. That’s why diabetes-related eye damage can only be diagnosed through a comprehensive eye exam. Pupil dilation (enlarge-

3

Life is “shaping up” for retired diabetic patient Soon after being diagnosed with diabetes in 2006, Jacqueline Miller was referred by her primary care physician to ophthalmologist Dr. Mark Freedman of Eye Care Specialists.

“At first, I thought I just needed glasses because my vision was so blurry. But then, once I was diagnosed, and I started insulin and cutting my carbohydrate intake, my vision got better.” Freedman notes, “Ms. Miller is fortunate that she had a doctor who realized the value of getting a baseline eye examination upon diagnosis of diabetes. That way, we have been able to carefully monitor her condition to protect and preserve her vision.”

Retired from working for 36 years as a Programmer Analyst for the City of Milwaukee, Miller is out from behind a desk and busy with her next project. “I have to get this body back into shape!” she exclaims. To do so, Miller has joined a fitness club with her cousin where they enjoy water aerobics and working with a trainer. “We’re on the buddy system,” she chuckles. She is proud to report that, through diet and exercise, she has been able to reduce both her insulin intake

and A1C level (a blood test that reflects blood sugar levels over a period of 2-3 months).

Another part of healthy living for Miller includes regular visits to Freedman. As part of her care, Miller has had 15 Avastin medication injections since 2011 to inhibit progression of diabetes-related damage to her retina. She admits that she was initially apprehensive about the procedure, but is now comfortable with it. In fact, during her last office visit, she found herself answering questions and reassuring a fellow patient who was about to have his first procedure.

Miller also likes to share her new healthy insights with her family. “When I see younger family members eating too much sugar or carbohydrates, I tell them to watch what they eat.

I tell them about everything I’m going through.” Miller is also cooking with a careful eye on labels. “I love to cook!

I’m always trying to find good low-carb recipes.”

“Ms. Miller has the right idea!” says Freedman. “Patients like her who take steps to get healthy make my job a lot easier.”

A little astonished by the fact that she was chosen to help educate the public about diabetic eye disease, Miller says, “I don’t know why you picked me, but if it’s going to help someone, then I have no problem with it. This (diabetic eye disease) is something serious, and people need to take it serious.”

weeks) they should receive injections.”

“Although not all diabetics can have or need it, laser treatment can also be effective in reducing the incidence of severe vision loss, especially if started early enough,” explains Freedman.

Who is most at risk?

"Diabetic eye disease can appear as early as a year after the onset of diabetes.

All diabetics—type 1 or 2, insulin-dependent or not—are at risk, which increases with the number of years you are diabetic.

For example, patients with diabetes for less than five years have about a 15% incidence of retinopathy. This skyrockets, however, to 80% in people with diabetes for 15+ years,” says Dr. Michael Raciti, an ophthalmologist at Eye Care Specialists.

5

n FREE Booklets & Information Call 414-321-7035 for free booklets on AMD, cataracts, glaucoma, diabetes or dry eye disease. Or call an office below to schedule a complete eye exam.

Since 1985, Eye Care Specialists has provided comprehensive care for virtually every eye condition to more than 125,000 Wisconsinites and has made the following achievements: ■ First in state to utilize phacoemulsification (ultrasonic) cataract removal & foldable artificial lenses ■ Forerunners in OCT laser eye scans for diagnosis, tracking & treatment ■ Leaders in AMD, glaucoma & diabetic eye disease treatment (including lasers & Avastin injections) ■ Provide continuing education for optometrists & physicians ■ Accept Medicare & most insurances ■ “Top Doctors”—Milwaukee Magazine

T

EYE CARE SPECIALISTS Mark Freedman, MD Brett Rhode, MD Daniel Ferguson, MD Daniel Paskowitz, MD, PhD Michael Raciti, MD David Scheidt, OD n n n

West Allis

414-321-7520 10150 W. National Ave. Milwaukee 414-298-0099 735 W. Wisconsin Ave. Wauwatosa 414-258-4550 2323 N. Mayfair Rd.

www.eyecarespecialists.net

November 2013 • 50plus

• 3A

Ryan shifts gears as a potential contender U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Janesville, has shifted gears on Medicare while largely staying out of Republican demands to dismantle the Affordable Health Care Act, commonly known as “Obamacare.”

Those actions would seem to place Ryan in a position to be a major contender for the Republican presidential nomination in 2016. At a minimum, his stance eclipses Gov. Scott Walker’s effort to gain attention on the national stage.

Ryan gained national attention as the GOP vice-presidential candidate in 2012, and polling by Marquette University Law School now shows that Republican voters in Wisconsin give him a substantial edge over Walker for national office.

What is remarkable is that Ryan’s stature has grown by staying out of the verbal war over Obamacare. Silence from a politician is something that always should be noted. Veteran party leaders, like U.S. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., flatly say the Affordable Health Care Act won’t be repealed.

The Affordable Health Care Act is expected to provide health-insurance opportunities to 15 percent of Americans who have not reached the age to frazier continued from page 1A Those who are opposed to the Affordable Care Act coined the name “Obamacare” as a pejorative term.

Initially, I thought President Obama’s embracing the term was clever, but when I see how it has such a negative political connotation I now believe it was a mistake to adopt the term. Of course, Shakespeare not withstanding, naming things to hide the real meaning and/or to criticize has been a favorite political trick in this country back to John Adams, if not to George Washington.

Another example is the use of the term “entitlement.” Instead of saying Social Security or Medicare, politicians who want to cut, privatize and means test these programs refer to them as entitlements as if it were something that we are not really entitled to. And, to make it even worse they say “We have to reform enti-

qualify for Medicare. The latter program is important to senior citizens, their families and those who are thinking about their health care after retirement. (Medicare is also available for younger people with disabilities as well as people with end-stage renal MOVING IN THE disease or Lou Gehrig’s RIGHT disease.)

DIRECTION Several years ago Ryan was proBy Bruce Nemovitz moting a shift in Medicare. Under his plan senior citizens would get vouchers to select their own Medicare program from private insurance companies. Ryan would have grandfathered those 55 and older into the existing program.

AGING In retrospect, Ryan’s old MediISSUES care approach sounds similar to

By Tom Frazier Obamacare. Under Obamacare, uninsured citizens get government help to select from a smorgasbord of options from the private sector. It would have been difficult to maintain the voucher

ideas given the right-wing criticism of the Obama approach.

It should be noted that by better than a 2-to-1 margin senior citizens like how Medicare currently operates.

And, traditionally, senior citizens have tended to vote Republican.

President Obama has proposed changes in programs for senior citizens, including how Social Security cost-of-living increases are calculated and a reduction of subsidies for cerMONEY tain Medicare programs used SENSE by many

By Karen Ellenbecker affluent seniors. Ryan seems to be & Julie Ellenbecker -Lipsky supportive of those types of changes.

Ryan is chairman of the House Budget Committee and a proponent of overhauling the Internal Revenue Service tax code. News accounts paint APRON Ryan asEmma the policy guru of the RepubSTRINGS lican majority caucus in the House.

By Aunt Emma The federal budget fight has included a Republican stance against any additional tax revenue for the federal government. That’s fine political rhetoric, but it would make it very difficult to change income-tax rules.

Changing the rules will produce some losers as well as winners.

Nonetheless, any tax-overhaul effort would make Ryan a highly publicized Republican leader. And mod-

tlements.” So entitlements are a bad PLANTING thing coupled with reform which is a TOMORROW’S DREAMS TODAY good thing. Entitlement doesn’t smell

By Brad Olson and quite as sweet as Social Security Medicare. So you have to not only be suspicious of what they call it, you also have to worry about what they want to do to it.

One more example, although I know that you could think of many more. The phrase “Estate Recovery” SPORTS SP Ppretty ORTS OR TSS good makes it sound like aS

By Jack Pearson thing to do. “Recovery” means regaining something lost or taken away.

But, when the issue of taxing estates of very wealthy people comes up, it is called a “death tax.” Estate recovery, on the other hand, is every bit as much a “death tax” as estate taxes, and, I would argue even worse because it only applies to old, sick people, and the tax rate is 100%. In other words, it only applies to people who need longterm health care, and the goal is to “re-

cover” all of the assistance that was provided under Medicaid. Wisconsin has a zero tax rate on estates, regardless of value, but a 100% tax rate on estates of people receiving Medicaid long-term care, now even including the estate of the surviving spouse. The point is that some politicians like recovery, but they don’t like death taxes (even though they are the same thing).

So when it comes to politics, “a rose by any other name” doesn’t smell as sweet if we let politicians who want to destroy Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid get by with disguising the meaning of what they really want to do. And, despite

By Enis Wrightall the rhetoric from politicians about how they love the “middle class,” if we repeal “Obamacare,” “reform Social Security and Medicare” and “recover” 100% of estates tax use, the middle class will be significantly smaller than it already is.

STATE CAPITOL COMMENT

By Matt Pommer

erate Republicans are looking for a presidential candidate who can offer the promise of leadership.

The closing of the federal government over the Affordable Health Care Act has subjected Tea Party Republicans to significant public criticism.

With fewer than 5 percent of citizens believing that Congress is doing its job, the institution is bearing much of the blame for the government shutdown and its ramifications. Ryan’s decision to keep his mouth shut may allow him to help fashion changes.

Some would suggest Republicans will have to turn to incumbent governors for their national ticket because of those polls. Wisconsin’s Gov. Walker may be hoping that will improve his prospects on the national scene.

But there’s room for only one Wisconsin political figure at the national level at a time. Walker’s future in Washington more likely would be running for the U.S. Senate in 2018.

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4A • 50plus • November 2013

By Matt Pommer

EDITORIALS

MOVING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION

By Matt Pommer

you do something to help someone you know. Turn whomever you aid TRAVEL

By By Karen Ellenbecker TRAVEL Karen Ellenbecker Emma & Julie Ellenbecker & Julie Ellenbecker into a trusted confidant if you can. A -Lipsky -Lipsky

By Aunt Emma Answer Man good friend can make your dayMONEY with SENS Veterans’ Day is Nov. 11, but due to, it is what the flag stands for.MOVING TheseIN THE By Karen Ellenbec MOVING IN THE a smile or by saying just the words to the date being a Monday this year, are the soldiers who carry it and who RIGHT DIRECTION & Julie Ellenbeck RIGHT DIRECTION Dear SAM: you need to hear.

When your feelings ByBy Bruce Nemovitz Bruce Nemovitz I feel like the world is passing -Lipsky it may be honored at various other stand behind and/or beneath this flag APRON are at low ebb and you need someone AGING APRON depressed.

I was recenttimes. to preserve our freedom of religion, me by. I amEmma Emma ISSUES STRINGS STRINGS to cheer you up or at least hear you Frazier writings, to a fair trial, to proly rejected for a job I thought I sureBy By Aunt Emma Regardless of the day of celebra- By Tom speech, Aunt Emma Answer Man Answer Man MOVING IN THE ly would get. I do not have sufficient out, that person is a friend. As you can NEY SENSEtion, remember at all times that it is test if necessary and to vote.

RIGHT DIRECTION bring sunshine into someone’s life, he en Ellenbecker money to go see a psychiatrist.

Do not just the flag that you pay respect ie Ellenbecker

By Bruce Nemovitz or she can brighten your day. I know -Lipsky you have any suggestions for me?

AGING that I have friends who at times rely AGING ISSUES ISSUES Searching for help, Emma on me for cheerful advice and I, likeByBy Tom Frazier Tom Frazier Annie Z PLANTING wise, know that being able to confide TOMORROW’S

By Aunt Emma A Legacy Letter is one that youDREAMS planted TODAY in the United States. Did he in this or that person is something that Dear Annie: Olsonwith money? How did he make come PRON will – if you have not already done By Brad My answer is simple and still money can’t buy. so – write to your loved ones. We are his way? When and where did the Do try to always look on the bright RINGSnot referring to a statement you may next generation reside? Who were complex. Simple if you have a good unt Emma friend. But my answer is complex if side as you enjoy the sunshine of life. leave behind at the time of your death they by name? What did they do PLANTING for PLANTING Best wishes and may the harsh TOMORROW’S you really are, as you say, alone in the TOMORROW’S informing everyone that you loved a living? Explain how your grandparDREAMS TODAY AGING winds be ever at your back.

DREAMS TODAY world. If this last is true, I suggest that ByBy Brad Olson Brad Olson them and now even though you are ents affected your life. Then go on to ISSUES Sam SPORTS Ptell ORTS OR TS S your parents. gone to the Great World Beyond, you SSP of

By Tom Frazier wish them well and to try to do suchBy Jack Pearson Try to leave those who will foland such before they follow you into low you withthe real WRIGHT intergenerational Persons planning to leave large bilities of planned gifts are numerous OL eternity. A Legacy Letter is a sort of connections; a link among those who sums of money or valuable properties – money, real estate, jewelry, motor SIDE of T

By Enis Wright inspirational letter in which you not preceded you, your present genera- to a charity might be interested in con- vehicles, pictures, insurance policies er SPORTS SSP PSSP ORTS OR TSSTSS SPORTS POR ORTS only look ahead for those you love, tion and stories of family and advice sulting someone other than a profes- and many other items.

ByBy Jack Pearson Jack Pearson but in which you write of your life as for your children and grandchildren, sional of that particular charity before God bless you for your generosithe WRIGHT Jim McLoone the WRIGHT you lived it crammed with personal their children and so on. It really is an with donating those assets. Knowledgeable ty. By doing it right with advice, you and family stories, the lessons SIDE ofof coun- may even have an enjoyable tax adSIDE MONEY SENSE of life obligation for you to make a written financial advisors and geriatric PLANTING ByBy Enis Wright Enis Wright that you encountered the values effort, or even visual if you wish to selors are always available.

By Karen and Ellenbecker The possi- vantage.

TOMORROW’S & Julie Ellenbecker that you have taken to heart and live provide the necessary links among the -Lipsky DREAMS TODAY by each day. generations in your family. The tradiBy Brad Olson with withJim JimMcLoone McLoone These lessons of life should be tions and influences are important. So E N a family heritage. Not only will you are the unique limbs of your family Congressman Jim Sensenbrenner We recently had tz be explaining how great grandfather tree of which no one wishes to speak. isn’t known for completing any long a bratwurst and beer APRON cameEmma over from the old country, but How well have life’s lessons been passes, but he’s been active on Sun- at Kuhtz’s in Stone Bank. In operation STRINGS why he did so and where it was that learned? What will they hold for the day afternoons during October with since the 1920’s, Kuhtz’s is the only

By Aunt Emma his roots were pulled from and re- future? his town hall meetings. All summer place I know of where you can buy a long, Jim stays in shape by marching beer, a brat and have a caramel apple in parades and waving to constituents. for dessert.

I don’t know if these happenings make vvvvv SPORTS SSP POR ORTS TSS him happier, but they do get him electWouldn’t you believe they’d be

By Jack Pearson r ed time and again. serving something more Dutch at Café There are many things in life that and down the steps to our basement. vvvvv Hollander in Wauwatosa? Sunday can be a bit frustrating, but one thing While keeping a hand near the railht killing time continued on page 23A that does make me crabby is listening ing, I do this every day. This makes to all the guys at morning coffee club me puff a bit, but then I do know it as Writer/Proofreader

By Enis Wright who tell about how horrible it will be an intense workout. The only equipJill Slattery to have to sit around at home all win- ment needed are stairs, legs and deterAdvertising Director ter as it is too cold to golf, and they’re mination. Forget the need for exercise Hartland, WI 53029 S Saran Piehl AY too poor to head to a warmer climate. videos.

262-367-5303 Advertising n Not all of us can afford health As I have told them, there’s no reason Publishers Margo Lehmann not to exercise even if you are home- club or YMCA membership, but if Tom and Maureen Slattery Art Director/Production Manager bound. you don’t like stairs ups and downs, Editor Nicole Hesse As I sit here at home sipping on go to a mall. Walk and enjoy seeing Jim McLoone graphic designer my hot apple cider, I believe I deserve the sights at the site. Don’t just sit www.mymilwaukeelife.com Peggy Duffy this treat as I have just spent about there. Get moving.

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KILLING TIME

Evidence still elusive for Fountain of Youth By: Dr. David Lipschitz One day we may slow aging so much that life expectancy could increase dramatically.

Will we ever find the fountain of youth, prevent aging and prolong life? Technology and scientific breakthroughs in recent years have made this elusive goal more understandable and feasible. Knowledge of the aging process and of mechanisms leading to the common diseases that occur in late life is increasing rapidly. Some scientists believe that someday there will be a discovery offering the promise of prolonging the quality and quantity of our lives.

Recently, a study published in the journal Science showed that resveratrol, an antioxidant in red wine that prolongs life in worms, flies and mice, stimulates the production of a protein called surtuin. This protein prevents disease by speeding up energy production in cells. The research showed that resveratrol stimulates a unique gene that leads to the increased production of surtuin. Dr. David Sinclair, the senior author of the study, stated that this research might result in the development of drugs that can prolong life and prevent disease by increasing the manufacture of surtuin.

Resveratrol is only one of many compounds that prolongs life in animals. A hormone precursor called DHEA prolongs life in mice by stimulating the formation of hormones that prevent aging. These include growth hormones produced in the pituitary, estrogen and progesterone in females and testosterone in males. Antioxidants (of which resveratrol is one) such as Vitamin E and C prevent aging in some animal species as have numer-

ous compounds found in blueberries.

Of all the approaches to prolonging life, the most successful has been calorie restriction. In the nematode, flies, mice, rats and even monkeys, restricting calorie intake by 30 percent prolongs average and maximum life expectancy by as much as 30 percent.

These animals remain healthy, do not suffer from many age-related illnesses and die ultimately from causes simply related to “old age” (in other words, an autopsy fails to find any significant disease).

Scientists have identified a number of so-called “longevity genes.”

Increase the production of these genes and these strains of species have substantially longer life expectancies.

This approach offers the potential of manipulating female eggs or sperm in a way that guarantees longer and more disease-free life.

Of course, each of these breakthroughs in prolonging life has, so far, been confirmed only in animals whose lives are remarkably different from man. They are very inbred, are identical to each other, live in sterile, highly controlled environments at a constant temperature, always eat the same food — every aspect of their existence is rigidly controlled.

Not so for man. We live in the “wild,” as it were.

Our genetic profiles vary significantly, making each of us, from a research point of view, far different from each other. How we age depends on a complex interaction between the individual and his environment over time, but the best predictor of longevity is having long-lived parents. In other words, our genetic composition can predict our life expectancy and sus-

ceptibility to disease.

But this is substantially modified by our diet, the stressors in our lives and our ability to cope, smoking or

November 2013 • 50plus

• 5A

exposure to environmental pollutants, our socioeconomic status, the level of public health programs and sanitation and many other inputs.

In 20 years, the number of Americans affected by age-related vision loss is expected to double.

Don’t let changing vision affect living life to its fullest.

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6A • 50plus • November 2013

Not all cancer screenings are equally effective BY: Dr. David Lipschitz At the European Cancer Congress researchers clearly stated that screening for colorectal and cervical cancer was far more effective at reducing death rates than was screening for either breast or prostate cancer.

Dr. Phillippe Autier, vice president of population studies at the International Prevention Research Institute in France, presented information from a large European survey that began in 1988 and continued through 2010.

He showed that greatest falls in death rates from colorectal cancer occurred in countries where that majority of the population were screened for the cancer by either having tests done to identify blood in the stool or by having an endoscopy that included either a sigmoidoscopy (that examined only the rectum and right side of the colon) or colonoscopy where the rectum and whole colon was examined.

Of the 11 European countries that examined deaths from colorectal cancer, there was a decrease by 78 percent in men and by 82 percent in women.

Not all countries benefited equally.

For example, in Greece, where only 8 percent of males had a screening endoscopy, deaths from colorectal cancer increased by 30 percent. Screening tests were somewhat more common in women, in whom cancer deaths decreased by only 2 percent.

In the United Kingdom, Germany and France, where screening was mandated, decreases in colorectal cancer deaths were the greatest. In those countries (like the United States) where screening depends on the doctor and his patient, reduction in death rates were much lower.

As part of the same study, researchers showed that screening for cervical cancer by doing a pap smear and measuring the Human Papilloma Virus was almost as effective in reducing deaths from the disease as was screening for colorectal cancer.

In screening for colorectal and cervical cancer, the goal is to detect precancerous lesions. In the case of colorectal cancer, it is a premalignant polyp, and in the case of cervical cancer, they are changes in the char-

acteristics of the cervical cells under the microscope that suggest a higher risk of malignant transformation. Removing colon polyps or the uterus and cervix in the case of an abnormal pap smear dramatically save lives.

By contrast, the European cancer screening community questioned the benefits of mammograms to screen for breast cancer, along with the blood test Prostate Specific Antigen, or PSA, to screen for prostate cancer.

The United States Preventative Services Task Force recently stated that the PSA measurements should not be done in males who were not a high risk of developing prostate cancer. The exceptions were those who had a strong family history and African-Americans in whom prostate cancer risk is very high. At the European Cancer Congress, researchers stated, “prostate cancer screening does more harm than good”. The problem is primarily false-positives that lead to millions of biopsies annually in men in whom only 12 percent have cancer.

And of these diagnosed with cancer, most do not require treatment. Biop-

sies lead to a high incidence of infection and bleeding. And the side effects of treating prostate cancer were too common. They included incontinence, impotence, infections and poor quality of life from subsequent medical treatment. The researchers stated that while screening may help a small fraction of men, at a population level, it did more harm than good.

Similarly the benefits of mammograms were questioned because of the very high incidence of false positive or suspicious lesions that on biopsy turned out to be normal. The stress caused by thinking that a cancer was present as well as the needless biopsies were questioned.

For Americans, the message is clear. We are like the Greeks. Too few of us are screened for colorectal cancer. Screening must begin at age 50 and include annual screening for blood in the stool and an endoscopy every 5 to 10 years. (I favor colonoscopy.) We must commit to screening that may well need to be done more frequently if your doctor deems you to screening continued on page 7A

November 2013 • 50plus

Just take a walk By: Charlyn Fargo Worried about breast cancer? Prevention may be as simple as taking a walk.

Research already shows that physical activity reduces the risk of postmenopausal breast cancer. Now a new study attempting to better understand this link has found that walking for an hour a day reduces a woman’s risk, regardless of your weight, estrogen use or other factors linked with increased risk.

The study was published in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention.

As previous research has shown, this study found that more activity offers more protection for postmenopausal breast cancer.

For the study, researchers gathered data from almost 74,000 women who were ages 50 to 74 when they enrolled 19 to 20 years ago. At the start, the women answered questions about their activity habits, weight, hormone use and other risk factors. They updated the information periodically until the study ended in 2009. By that time, 4,760 women were diagnosed with breast cancer.

Almost one of every 10 women reported they were not active at all.

Almost half said walking was their only recreational activity.

Q and A

Is brown spaghetti higher in Q:vitamins and other nutrients

than regular white spaghetti or is this just added coloring? : Whole-grain pasta is naturally darker than white refined pasta due to the bran (the hard, fibrous outer layer of a grain) that it contains. This color difference is not due to added colors. Whole-grain pasta contains a significantly larger amount of fiber than white pas-

A

screening continued from page 6A be at high risk of developing colorectal cancer.

And while the general consensus in the United States is that mammograms save lives, performing the test every year from age 40 may lead to

The authors translated the women’s tennis, jogging and other activities into metabolic equivalent, or METs, a measure for how much energy your body uses for the activity.

Women who were the most active — those with at least 42 MET hours per week — had a 25 percent lower risk for breast cancer compared with the least active, women with less than seven MET hours per week. A woman in the highest MET group would be jogging about an hour a day, for example.

When looking at the women who only walked, walking for seven hours or more per week linked to a 14 percent lower risk for breast cancer, compared with those who walked for three hours or less.

The link to lower risk applied to both estrogen-receptor positive (ER+) and negative (ER-) breast cancers.

The lower risk remained the same among women who were overweight or obese, and those who had gained weight as adults — at least 35 pounds.

AICR’s report found that both of these factors increase postmenopausal breast cancer risk. The link also held among women who had taken postmenopausal hormones, other factors linked with increased risk.

The bottom line is moderate levels of physical activity, avoiding alcohol and staying a healthy weight all lower postmenopausal breast cancer risk. ta (6 grams per serving vs. 2 grams serving). It is also richer in iron and magnesium; however, whole-grain pasta is not typically enriched with B vitamins such as thiamin, niacin, riboflavin and folate, as white pasta is. Those who choose whole grains may obtain these nutrients through a balanced intake of fruits, vegetables, meats and dairy products.

Information courtesy of Tufts University Health & Nutrition Letter.

too many false positives. Less frequent testing beginning at age 50 may make more sense. And before being tested, men should make sure that they truly understand the benefits and risks of prostate cancer screening.

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8A • 50plus • November 2013

We’re having too much fun spending our reduced Social Security benefits By: Tom Margenau Every single time I write a column in which I discuss Social Security maximizing strategies, as I did for the umpteenth time several weeks ago, my inbox is flooded with emails from readers who are trying to squeeze every last nickel out of their Social Security benefits. Some people (almost always men) send me spreadsheets in which they’ve calculated a dozen different scenarios for various combinations of benefits between themselves and their wives. They ask me to help them pick the optimal option. Others give me all their facts (ages, benefit amounts, life expectancies, etc.) for both spouses and ask me to tell them which maximizing strategy would

work best for them. Still others write to tell me they are worried sick about their potential Social Security benefits. They want me to ease their fears and help them decide what to do.

In other words, many readers ask me to serve as their financial planner.

But here is the rub: I am probably the last person on the planet you should be asking for advice about money matters. (One look at my bank accounts and investment portfolio will prove that.)

To be sure, I know Social Security rules inside and out; I can tell you how Social Security works; and I can explain the various maximizing strategies that are all the rage now among retiring baby boomers. But after ex-

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plaining those rules to you, I can’t tell you what to do.

I am endlessly fascinated, and I must admit, sometimes even a little put off, by some people’s obsession over money. Don’t get me wrong: Money is great, and it’s usually better to have more of it than not enough. But how much is too much? And should you be working yourselves into a tizzy worrying that you might make a decision that nets you a few bucks less from your Social Security account than you might have received had you made a different choice? I sure am not. Let me explain.

My wife and I each took our Social Security benefits at age 62. I can hear financial planners and Social Security maximizing specialists gasping for air as they read that! After all, conventional money-making wisdom these days has it that the longer you delay the start of your Social Security benefits, the better off you will be.

Most so-called “experts” will suggest delaying your benefits until age 70.

Well, my wife is currently pushing age 70. (She’s a few years older than me.) That means she’s been getting Social Security checks every month for almost 8 years now. Let’s say she’s averaged getting $1,200 per month for the last 96 months. That’s $115,200 she has received between age 62 and 70. Had she waited until age 70 to start her benefits, she’d probably be due about $2,100 per month, or $900 more per month than she is getting now. That’s a decent sized chunk of change, no doubt. But it would take her 128 months, or about 11 years, to make up for the money she would have not received between 62 and 70.

In other words, by age 81, she would have won the Social Security “game” had she waited until age 70 to start her Social Security.

My wife comes from a long line of women who’ve lived into their late 80s and early 90s. So chances are she will live well past age 81 and probably would have been better off to wait until age 70 to claim her monthly benefits. But here’s the deal: WE DON’T CARE! We have been having way too much fun these past 8 years spending her (and my) reduced Social Security checks. We’ve taken that $115,200

and traveled all around Europe. We have made many nice trips from one end of this country to the other. We’ve bought several new cars. I don’t want to imply that we are rich. We certainly are not.

But we feel rich in so many other ways. In addition to spending money, we also spend a lot of time riding our bikes around town or sitting on our back porch playing Scrabble. We purposely moved away from a part of the country many people consider a paradise just to be near our grandkids.

We bounce them on our knees almost every day. What we are doing is living life to the fullest and not worrying one little whit about whether or not we made the right Social Security decision. “Stop worrying and start living” is the best advice I can give most of my readers.

And here is one final little story on this subject. I bet many of you get all kinds of invitations in the mail from financial planners to attend seminars about maximizing Social Security benefits. I think I get one or two every week. I usually just pitch them. But a while back, I decided to contact one of the local firms sponsoring such a seminar. I introduced myself and explained my background and told them I’d be willing to participate in their meeting as a Social Security expert who could explain various Social Security rules, including the maximizing strategies. They eagerly accepted my offer.

During the seminar, I gave the audience an overview of Social Security benefits and eligibility requirements. I then went over the maximizing strategies and noticed the financial planners in the back of the room almost salivating over the potential business they hoped to drum up from the folks in the crowd — helping them (for a fee, of course) make the “right” decision about when to take their Social Security benefits.

But I finished my presentation with the same spiel I made in this column: My wife and I took reduced Social Security benefits, have never regretted our decision and have been having the time of our lives in retirement.

November 2013 • 50plus

• 9A

Group issues guidelines for prostate cancer tests By: Dr. David Lipschitz In most men, prostate cancer screening causes more harm than good.

A short while ago, a patient in his mid-70s came to see me, telling me how grateful he was that a biopsy of his prostate to screen for cancer was negative. He indicated that because the Prostatic Specific Antigen (PSA) values in his blood screening for prostate cancer varied, he was having the measurements done every six months.

His numbers had increased from 2.7 to 3.5, and so a biopsy was done.

Even though a value of 3.5 is in the normal range, he was told that any increase was significant, and it was better to be safe than sorry.

Well, fortunately for him, he did not have any adverse effects, but at his age, even the American Urological Association, the oracle for urologists, no longer advises PSA measurements.

And a change in values within the normal range should virtually never be an indication for a biopsy screening for prostate cancer.

Rest assured that the physician who performed the biopsy sincerely believed that the procedure, despite mountains of evidence to the contrary, could identify a cancer and save his life. It remains hard for any dedicated physician to change lifelong habits.

Whether it is screening tests for prostate cancer, routine stress tests to exclude coronary artery disease or annual mammograms and pap smears, years of experience and anecdotal information of lives saved lead to the continued performance of tests and procedures that are not recommended by many experts in the field.

Following recommendations of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, the urological association just issued its guidelines for PSA measurements to screen for prostate cancer.

They recommend against screening in men under 40. They do not encourage screening in men between 40 and 54, in those over 70, or those who have a life expectancy of less than 10 to 15 years.

They encourage men 50 to 69 have a discussion with their physician

about the pros and cons of screening.

If screening is done, the association suggests every two years be considered rather than annually.

Prostate cancer is most dangerous when diagnosed between 50 and 69 and in high-risk populations. These include black men and men with a strong family history of prostate cancer in more than one close family member.

These should consider PSA testing.

So what is the problem with PSA measurements? First, the test is very inaccurate and multiple measurements can vary widely. Thus many values above the normal range are often of no clinical relevance and a rise in value may be purely technical.

Second, it takes a thousand PSA measurements to identify one prostate cancer. Only three prostate cancers are identified for every 12 biopsies performed, and for the majority, there is little evidence that therapy will significantly prolong life expectancy. This particularly applies to finding cancer in men over 70.

To diagnose few prostate cancers, more than 1 million men have biop-

sies annually. Most are unnecessary, and complications are unacceptably high. In recent years, about 4 percent of men having a biopsy developed a serious bacterial infection that can prove fatal. On occasion, significant bleeding can occur, as can difficulties with urination.

There are also concerns about overtreatment of prostate cancer.

Thanks to robotic surgery, more and more patients with prostate cancer are being treated with prostatectomy.

Alternatives are implanted radiation seeds and local radiotherapy. Side effects include erectile dysfunction, urinary incontinence, fecal incontinence, bleeding and urinary infections. Many patients receive therapy to lower testosterone levels, which causes weakness, osteoporosis, fatigue, memory loss and impaired quality of life.

These side effects may well be worth it if the cancer is cured and life prolonged. But here, significant controversy exists among experts as to benefits that most believe are outweighed by the risks.

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10A • 50plus • November 2013

The overwhelming threat of infections for which no treatment is available

By Dr. David Lipschitz The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently issued a report entitled “Antibiotic Resistance — Threats to the United States, 2013.” Infections that are resistant to almost all antibiotics are becoming more frequent and often lead to fatal infections.

Annually, more 2 million Americans are infected with an antibiotic resistant bacteria resulting in 23,000 deaths. Experts in the field maintain that the numbers quoted in the CDC report are conservative and the actual number of deaths may be much higher.

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For a number of infections, the CDC indicates that degree of resistance is most urgent. This includes a bowel infection caused by C. Difficile. When infections are treated with an antibiotic, a negative effect is the eradication of all the normal bacterial fauna that live in the bowel. This creates an opportunity, in the bowel, for overgrowth of C. Difficile that causes severe diarrhea, dehydration, blood loss and even death. Sadly, C. Difficile is becoming more difficult to treat. It causes about 14,000 deaths annually.

The CDC also defines as urgent infections by bacteria called carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE). These infections usually occur in hospitalized patients on a ventilator for breathing problems, and those with indwelling bladder catheters or a pacemaker. These infections are severe and life threatening, and many fail to respond to treatment with any antibiotics.

Just as urgent is a new strain of antibiotic resistant gonorrhea, which is becoming rampant worldwide. This sexually transmitted disease is very difficult to treat and a major cause of infertility.

The CDC identifies a number of bacteria where the threat of total resistance is defined as serious. This includes the well know methicillin resistant Staphylococcus Aureus or MRSA and certain Salmonella bacteria that cause food borne infections.

Although not as yet a widespread health threat, there is growing concern about the progressive resistance and aggression of the so-called flesh-eating bacteria called A. Streptococcus.

Unless action is begun now, we may, in the very near future, be in the so-called “post antibiotic era,” where therapies to prevent and treat infections become non-existent. The deaths and suffering from this scenario is overwhelmingly frightening.

To provide a sense of the overuse of antibiotics, a report published in the Journal of the American Medical Association indicates that physicians are prescribing six times as many antibiotics for sore throats and colds as they should. The researchers showed that between 1997 and 2010, 94 million visits were made to the doctor for sore

throats and bronchitis. Antibiotics were prescribed for 60 percent of sore throats and 78 percent of acute bronchitis. The researchers state that antibiotics should have been prescribed for only 10 percent of sore throats and none of the patients diagnosed with acute bronchitis.

Unless this practice changes, we are likely to be overwhelmed by dangerous untreatable infections in the coming years. The CDC recognizes the potential of an apocalypse and recommends a series of steps to prevent catastrophe.

First, we must prevent infections by avoiding contaminated foods, compulsive hand washing, vaccination and a major effort at public education to increase awareness of how infections can be prevented and to understand that not every illness warrants treatment with an antibiotic.

Second, it recommends a worldwide monitoring program to identify and track the development of resistance organisms. This in turn will allow aggressive intervention to prevent further resistance.

Third and most importantly, the CDC proposes much better antibiotic stewardship. Physicians must be more aware of the needless use of antibiotics and be able to accurately identify infections caused by viruses and those caused by bacteria. Physicians and other health care providers are also guilty of readily prescribing the newest and most powerful antibiotics for minor infections. And the more an antibiotic is used, the quicker bacteria transform and become resistant.

Lastly, in the past 20 years, little emphasis has been placed on discovering new antibiotics. Nor have tests been developed to accurately diagnose the cause and strain of a specific infection. This is needed to assure that treatment is as targeted as possible in order to minimize the risk of further resistance.

The bottom line: Remember most coughs, colds and sore throats are viral. Don’t call you doctor and ask for an antibiotic rather ask if one is indeed necessary.

By: Dr. David Lipschitz Nicotine in cigarettes makes them highly addicting. Despite the fact that everyone knows cigarettes lead to lung cancer, severe lung disease, heart attacks and stroke, a large number of those who do smoke are unable to quit no matter how hard they try.

Tobacco smoke contains more than 7,000 chemicals that are dangerous to your health. These include 60 known carcinogens, including tar, arsenic, benzene, formaldehyde, cadmium and polonium 210, a highly radioactive compound. These compounds cause damage to cells lining the larger airways of the lung. As carcinogens, they cause alterations in the cell’s DNA and other functions leading to a higher risk of malignancy.

Not only does tobacco smoke cause lung cancer (the leading cause of cancer deaths by far), but it also damages the lung leading to chronic bronchitis and chronic obstructive lung disease (COPD). Very early after starting smoking, lung function becomes impaired and worsens inexorably over time. This leads to a chronic cough and shortness of breath and eventually to COPD that afflicts 12 million Americans and an equal number who may have the disease but are unaware of it. COPD is the third leading cause of death in the United States, resulting in crippling shortness of breath that is so severe that walking may become impossible even when using oxygen.

It is nicotine addiction that makes quitting smoking so difficult. Smoke a pack or more daily and stopping will almost always lead to withdrawal symptoms. These include dizziness, depression, anxiety, sleep disturbances, headache, fatigue, increased appetite and weight gain. Many who have tried to quit state they began again either because they were so stressed that they could not cope or because they worried about weight gain.

Because smoking is an addiction, most will require a strong support group in order to succeed. While most smokers who quit gain a modest amount of weight, in the range of four

to 10 pounds, the benefits of no longer smoking far outweigh any potential disadvantages.

Some experts recommend setting a date when you plan to quit and then stop “cold turkey”. Studies show that over 90 percent of smokers will have attempted to quit this way at some point in their lives. Sadly the success rate is only about 5 percent.

Today, many attempt quitting by using nicotine gum, nicotine patches or most recently, e-cigarettes. All provide higher blood levels of nicotine that reduces the craving for cigarettes. These approaches are often successful in stopping smoking and with time the concentration of nicotine is reduced so the addiction gradually fades away.

Currently, the e-cigarette is becoming more and more popular.

These battery-powered devices look like a cigarette and appear to burn as you inhale. The mouthpiece has a cartridge containing a fluid with varying concentrations of nicotine. A battery powers a heating element that turns the nicotine fluid into a vapor as you inhale. A chemical in the vapor makes it look white, just like cigarette smoke. The solution comes in many different flavors, including chocolate, cherry and cola.

While an e-cigarette is certainly safer than cigarettes, there are concerns about potential risks. To date, no long-term studies have been done to determine the harmful effects of inhaling these vapors. More importantly, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recently reported that from 2011 to 2012 the number of teenagers using e-cigarettes doubled from 4.7 to 10 percent. And over 78 percent of these also use real cigarettes. With its sweet flavors, the e-cigarette is particularly appealing to children. Even if the vapor is harmless, the potential of lifelong nicotine addiction and long-term use of conventional cigarettes is a serious concern.

While nicotine products and quitting cold turkey can help stopping smoking, the best approach is to join a support group.

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12A • 50plus • November 2013 the besasies continued from page 1A It started out quite inauspiciously.

Ray Sr. had no college or trade facility education; he quit school after the 10th grade to become an auto mechanic. He eventually earned enough to purchase a home on Van Buren Street in Milwaukee’s east side. Back in those years, the neighborhood was almost entirely of Italian descent. In the rear of his home there was a small

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barn that he converted into a little workshop. There, all by himself, he built, unbelievably, beautiful and drivable automobiles, as well as beautiful flyable airplanes.

Think about that. When you envision the creation of an automobile or an airplane, you naturally suppose it has to involve thousands of people, each working on a separate creative process, and then a huge, automat-

ed factory with an assembly line and even more thousands of people. Can you even imagine all of that accomplished by only one man, in a small, cluttered workshop? Not only did his creations perform to perfection, they were graceful and modernistic to look at as well. It doesn’t seem possible, but that is exactly what Ray Besasie did, alone and with no formal training.

Ray Sr. died in 1995, bereft of the fame and honors he deserved. A few of his and his sons’ sports cars and one of the planes he built appear here.

They were as stunning as any ever introduced by major corporations such as Ford or General Motors or even by Milwaukee design guru Brooks Stevens.

Ray actually worked with Stevens for years, and then later, both Joe and Ray Jr. did as well. Many of Stevens’ most famous creations, such as the world famed Excaliber automobile, had a good deal of input from all the Besasies.

Ray Besasie Sr. was a most remarkable man in many ways. For example, concerning those planes he built: He also flew them. He didn’t learn how to fly in the service or at any flying academy: he taught himself, just as he taught himself to design and build cars.

Before his death, Ray Sr., passed on his love of beautiful sports cars -and his skills in crating them – to Joe and Ray Jr. Joe specialized in design, Ray Jr. in engineering and also became a winning sports car race driver. While he was still in his teens Joe designed

his first car, carving an exact mock-up out of wood. He went into the Army then, as the Korean War had just begun. While in the service, he designed his second model.

In the years following Joe’s discharge, he and his father and brother worked together to design and build a number of innovative autos, all different, all sleek and futuristic looking.

Mario Ziino, who later became a media relations director for the Milwaukee Brewers, also grew up in that east side neighborhood. “It was in the early ‘60s, as I recall,” he said. “I was just a youngster, and we lived a half a block or so away from the Besasies. We used to sneak over and hide under the bushes and watch them going at it in their garage workshop. It was fascinating, especially when they’d come driving out with whatever model car they had been working on. Their creations looked like something out of a Flash Gordon comic strip. I always wanted to ask Mr. Besasie for a ride, but never did.”

Four of the models they built were called, simply, the X-1, the X-2, the X-3 and the X-4. They contained many bold and different features, such as a steering wheel in the center of the front seat, instead of on the left side.

With the driver in the center, if there were two passengers they sat on either side of him. Some models had huge fins at the rear of the car, supposedly to stabilize the cars when driving at high speeds (they reportedly attained speeds of 140 to 150 miles an hour). the besasies continued on page 13A

November 2013 • 50plus

the besasies continued from page 12A Those fins also gave the cars the appearance of a plane, about to take off into the blue. That may or may not have been the reason, but a number of the Besasie models were displayed at the annual EAA Fly-ins. Some models had no doors. Instead there were recessed steps built into the sides of the cars that enabled the driver and the passengers to place their feet into and step over and into the interior. (All the models were convertibles and thus this was possible. How they got in when the tops were up was another matter.)

One of the models, the X-2, was featured in Motor Life Magazine and was named as one of the “Top custom Cars of the year.”

Those “X” models and many others came into being before and during the Besasies association with Brooks Stevens. By the late ‘80s, however, they had decided to form their own company, and to create their own automobile. They called their new firm “The Besasie Automotive Company, Inc.” The acronym for that, if you haven’t figured it out, is “BACI,” which they named their new sports car. Something else you probably have also figured out, baci in Italian means “kiss.”

The BACI was an elegant, twoseat convertible. You can see what they looked like in the photos on these pages. Here is copy from the sales brochure the Besasies offered to prospective buyers. “The 1994 BACI is the culmination of the efforts of an experienced team of craftsmen dedicated to build the most exciting motor car of the nineties. It is designed to recreate the classic roadsters of an era when personal automobiles projected an image of success, power and speed. Note the elegance of BACI’s long, graceful lines and luxurious interiors. “Bellissimo!”

All of the BACI models the Besasies built were quickly sold. Unfortunately, none of the buyers were from this area, and none of the cars remain in Wisconsin.

“We knew we were facing some long odds,” Joe recalled in our recent interview. “Obtaining adequate financing to support us and our families during the long creative process, and to pay for all the materials and everything else was the key. We raised about

• 13A

The Besasies, brothers Joe and Ray Jr., and Ray Sr. in the sunglasses, out for a spin in their X-2 model, back in the early 1960s.

A pair of BACI roadsters, one with the top up, the other with it down. Only 14 were ever made. $200,000, and thought and prayed that it would be enough. How wrong we were.”

In the years 1991 through 1995, they built 14 absolutely gorgeous BACI models, and sold all for just over $60,000 each. “That sounds like a lot of money, doesn’t it?” Joe said, “And that we had succeeded.” Except after we had sold our last car, we had an audit performed. We discovered that it had cost us about $93,000 each to build the cars. You can’t win spending that much to build something that you sell for only two thirds of it.

That’s a recipe for disaster.

“We might have been creative and innovative artistically, but we also were lousy businessmen,” Joe said.

“We were woefully undercapitalized.

“That $200,000 that we felt would be enough to get started was way off. We had needed ten times that or more. If we had more to work with, we could have built more units, which would have greatly lowered our per unit costs. If we could have built, say 50 BACIs, instead of just 14, we could have made it.”

“Another big stumbling block,” Ray Jr. added, “were our ages. By the time we had started the BACI enterprise, we were already senior citizens.

We didn’t have the drive and enthusiasm we had 20 or 30 years earlier. I think had we still been in our 30s, or even or 40s, instead of approaching 60, we might have found ways to come up with the financing. There was nothing wrong with the BACI automobile. It was a wonderful sports car. Everyone who bought one loved it.”

Looking a bit wistful, Joe continued. “Sad to say, we were broke. Our hearts were broken, too. When dad died in 1995, and, as Ray pointed out, the two of us were already in our 60s, we decided to give it up. We retired.”

Joe, now 81, and Ray Jr., now 80, still live in the area, Joe in Shorewood and Ray on Milwaukee’s south side. Both keep a low profile. You can find them occasionally in the Italian Community Center’s restaurant, Café La Scala. There, they and some of their old cronies, all in their 70s, 80s, and 90s, meet for lunch, usually on Wednesdays. The group always sits at the same round table off in a corner,

talking, laughing, and eating - happy to be alive.

The subject of their failed automotive endeavors has never been one the brothers like to discuss, which somewhat explains why they have been all but forgotten by the media and the general public. I learned about the Besasies and their creations through Bob Trotalli, an old friend from college days and who is one of that group who meets for lunch at the ICC. Bob thought the Besasie story should be told, and talked to me about it.

What ifs and coulda beens are a dime a dozen, but still . . . With all of their incredible skills and creativeness, if Joe and Ray Jr. had found some adequate financial backing back then, they might have found the will and energy to continue, and BACI sports cars today might be as popular and prevalent as Corvettes and Thunderbirds.

And both brothers might have become millionaires. Had that happened, of course, this little story about forgotten geniuses never would have been written.

14A • 50plus • November 2013

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EDITORIALS

November 2013 • 50plus

• 15A

MoneySTATEsense means more dollar and cents CAPITOL COMMENT Are there any important “End of By Matt Pommer Year” deadlines I need to be aware of?

One of the most important deadlines that investors need to be aware of is for their Required Minimum Distribution (RMD). Once you attain age 70½, the IRS mandates that you start taking distributions from your MOVING IN THE tax-deferred retirement accounts.

RIGHT DIRECTIONThe amount that you are to take is Byrequired Bruce Nemovitz determined by your account value as of the previous year end, and your age.

This amount must be removed from your account by December 31. This is a costly deadline to miss—failure to take your RMD will result in a 50% penalty on the amount that should AGING have been taken.

ISSUES Although both Roth and TradiBy Tom Frazier tional IRA contributions have an April 15 deadline, if you decide to convert from a Traditional IRA to a Roth IRA, the deadline to finalize this transaction is December 31.

If you fund college savings accounts for your children or grandchildren and are eligible toPLANTING receive a tax TOMORROW’S DREAMS TODAY

By Brad Olson

MONEY SENSE

By Karen Ellenbecker & Julie Ellenbecker -Lipsky

deduction, you must do so by December 31 to receive the deduction for the current calendar year.

In addition, if you plan on doing APRON any tax-loss Emma selling or want to cash in STRINGS some stocks at the 2013 capital gains Aunt Emma rates, these sales mustBytake place before the end of the year to be filed on your 2013 tax return.

Your first distribution is required when you turn age 70½. For the first year, you have until April 1 following the year you turn 70½ to take your distribution. All other subsequent years the deadline is December 31.

SENIOR Answer Man

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By Jack Pearson

Questions about your situation?

Call 262-691-3200 to schedule a complimentary consultation, or send your questions to dawn@ellenbecker.com and they may be answered in a future column.

Ellenbecker Investment Group in Pewaukee (ellenbecker.com) provides comprehensive financial planning services. EIG has an A+ BBB rating and has twice been awarded the Wisconsin BBB Torch Award for Business Ethics and Integrity.

Securities and advisory services offered through SII Investments, Inc. Member FINRA/SIPC & Registered Investment Advisor. Ellenbecker Investment Group, Inc. & SII Investments are separate companies. SII does not provide tax or legal advice.

Watch Karen Ellenbecker most Tuesdays on The Morning Blend on TODAY’S TMJ4. Hear her Money Sense radio show on WISN AM 1130 Sundays at 2 p.m. & Saturdays at noon. Go to MoneySenseRadio.com to listen to shows and learn about guests.

TRAVEL

IT MAKES ME

When will I be required to take a Required Minimum Distribution (RMD) and from which accounts?

we listen

before we invest,

For most investors, we do not recommend waiting until April for your first distribution because of tax implications. Consider taking the distribution prior to December 31 in the year you turn 70½. If you wait until the following year, you will be required to take two RMDs in one tax year (one for age 70½ and one for age 71), which will increase your taxable income in the given year.

The accounts that are subject to the RMD rules include Traditional IRAs (including SIMPLE IRAs and SEP IRAs); 401(k)s—both Roth and Traditional; 403(b)s—both Roth and Traditional; and TSAs. You are not required take an RMD from a Roth IRA, but you are required to take a distribution from your Roth 401(k) or 403(b).

If you want to avoid this distribution, consider rolling your Roth 401(k) or 403(b) to a Roth IRA after you retire.

Your RMD can also be delayed until after you retire if you work past age 70½ and contribute to a 401(k) or 403(b).

call for a complimentary consultation!

the WRIGHT SIDE of

By Enis Wright

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KILLING TIME with Jim McLoone

We would like to

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YOU What would

like to know?

Email questions to dawn@ellenbecker.com or call 262-691-3200 and say you are calling regarding 50 Plus column ideas.

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Securities and advisory services offered through SII Investments, Inc. Member FINRA/SIPC & Registered Investment Advisor.

Ellenbecker Investment Group, Inc. and SII Investments are separate companies.

subject to space

16A • 50plus • November 2013

STATE CAPITOL COMMENT

By Matt Pommer

State of the real estate market depends on your views the future. However, there are still too ample of choosing the best upgrades When talking about the health of

our local real estate market, one size does not fit all! As we slowly leave the ‘great recession’ behind, the housing recovery is showing positive signs but also lingering effects from the past downturn. Some locations are almost back to 2006 prices, which was the peak of the market, and other areas not showing signs of recovery. It all comes down to location, location, location! Young buyers today are very cautious after watching their cohorts lose homes to foreclosure and short sales. They look at several homes when considering purchasing. These ‘millennials’ or ‘echo boomers’ are conservative and guarding their pocketbook. Their monthly payment must be affordable in their limited budgets.

Therefore, tax rates are crucial as to values rising or falling. As an example, Waukesha and Ozaukee Counties tax rates are significantly lower than Milwaukee County’s rates. Therefore purchasing power is greater where taxes are more affordable. That is why we are seeing home values move up to pre-recession prices in communities

MOVING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION

By Bruce Nemovitz

such as Mequon, Grafton, Cedarburg, Brookfield, New Berlin, Muskego, and Menomonee Falls.

Milwaukee County’s higher tax rate has slowed the increase of home values due to higher payments for AGING buyers. However some areas of Milwaukee County are doingISSUES better than

By Tom Frazier others. This is dependent on perception of safety and rising values. City workers such as teachers are somewhat uncertain as to the future of residency requirements. The stock market or any other market reacts badly to uncertainty. As information becomes PLANTING more available as to the future of these TOMORROW’S residency requirements, stability DREAMS TODAYin prices in Milwaukee will ForeByfollow.

Brad Olson closures and short sales numbers are shrinking which is a positive sign for

many on the market and until they fall MONEY SENSE to pre-recession numbers, home pricBy Karen Ellenbecker & Julie Ellenbecker es in areas that have high foreclosure -Lipsky rates will stay stagnant.

Condition continues to be critical as to the final sales price. The new buyer does not want to spend money or time on remodeling. Therefore sellAPRON ing a home in as is condition, needEmma STRINGS ing paint, carpet and flooring will see

By Aunt Emma significant discounts in sale price. A home that is in need of repair may sell for 50% less than a home that is completely updated with new baths, kitchen, flooring and paint. Therefore if you are getting your home ready for sale in the future, consider updating your home’s condition now so that you can enjoy the new carpet, paint and kitchen. Remember that you can’t have it both ways. You may be in a great location but the cosmetics are crucial to the final sales price being satisfying or disappointing. I would recommend having a Senior Real Estate Specialist visit your home so that you know its value as well as what upgrades will bring the greatest return. An ex-

TRAVEL

SENIOR Answer Man

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By Jack Pearson

for highest return would be replacing old carpet and painting in contemporary colors versus new windows. Yes it is a selling point to have those new windows but if the interior is tired and cluttered they will walk out the door before they view your upgraded windows! Spending your money for upgrades in the best areas for today’s new buyer is crucial to your success in selling your home.

The market this year has been a series of starts and stops. We had a very slow spring market as buyers and sellers were holding off their moves to see what the recovery would produce.

Buyers were not convinced prices would increase and sellers were waiting to recover equity lost from the last 7 years of negative values. As interest rates remain low, and the buyer index highest or the greatest purchasing power in many years (the buyer index is based on median income to buy a median priced home), buyers began committing to purchasing homes in May, June and July. Therefore closing numbers were excellent in June, July

the WRIGHT SIDE of

By Enis Wright

ENTERTAINMEN Nemovitz continued on page 23A

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60

KILLING TIME with Jim McLoone

November 2013 • 50plus

• 17A

Is history repeating itself?

By: Tom Margenau Here is a quote from a speech given by a leading Republican about a recently passed federal law that introduced a major new government program. “It [the new program] is a glaring example of the bungling and waste that have characterized this administration’s attempts to fulfill its benevolent purposes. In my own judgment — and I have examined it most carefully — this law is unjust, unworkable, stupidly drafted and wastefully financed.”

Was this House Majority Leader John Boehner denouncing the Affordable Care Act? Was it Senator Ted Cruz slamming the same act, better known as “Obamacare,” during his recent filibuster charade?

No and no. The quote comes from a speech given by Governor Alf Landon in September 1936 following the passage of the Social Security Act. Landon, the Republican nominee for President that year, who would go on to be defeated in a landslide to Franklin Delano Roosevelt, was leading the charge of Republican politicians who were bound and determined to repeal Social Security — a program they thought was a misguided intrusion of the federal government into the lives of American citizens.

Just as today’s Republicans are convinced that Americans don’t need help getting health insurance, the Republicans in the 1930s were sure that people didn’t need the government’s help to set aside money for their old age. They thought people should and would provide their own retirement nest eggs. Of course, the fact that most Americans were not doing that was a point they glossed over. And that fact that almost half of all senior citizens were living below the poverty level was an issue that didn’t seem to bother Landon.

I bring this up because as I am writing this, the federal government is into the early stages of a foolhardy and totally avoidable shutdown. This action was prompted by the Republican-dominated House of Representative’s insistance on tying the passage of government funding bills to a delay in implementing the Affordable Care Act, which is just the first step in their

campaign to repeal the same act.

I am going to stay out of the politics of this issue, except to ask these questions. Were the Republicans wrong in 1936 to try to repeal the Social Security Act? Are the Republicans wrong in 2013 to try to repeal the Affordable Care Act? You can be the judge for now. But I think history has provided the answer to the first question. And time and history will provide the answer to the second.

In the meantime, the shutdown looms over our country. As most people know, a government shutdown will not impact the payment of Social Security benefits. Nor will it totally shutdown local Social Security offices. People will still be able to file new Social Security and Medicare claims or ask for appeals of claims that were previously denied. These are considered essential government services.

By the way, about 20 years ago during the last government shutdown fiasco, I was a decidedly non-essential employee of the Social Security Administration. At the time, I was serving as the speechwriter to the Commissioner of Social Security. She certainly didn’t need me putting words into her mouth during the shutdown period so I, along with thousands of other employees, was sent home on an “unpaid furlough.” However, when I was finally recalled back to work, I learned that I would be paid for the entire length of the furlough period.

So were all other federal employees.

This further demonstrates the folly and waste of a government shutdown.

Millions of government workers essentially got a paid vacation!

This time around, the biggest service that SSA provides that is considered non-essential is the replacement of lost or damaged Social Security and Medicare cards. So if you need a new SSN or Medicare card, you will just have to wait until the government (and SSA) is back up and running at full strength. This latter point leads me to include this question in today’s column. : I recently had the need to go to my local Social Security office to turn in my birth certificate for a claim for retirement benefits that I had filed earlier in the week on the In-

Q

ternet. And I was absolutely shocked by what I saw. There were probably 50 people in the waiting room, but there were only a handful of senior citizens. The room was packed with mostly young people and a lot of kids.

I thought I was in a welfare office. If you ask me, this is a glaring example of what is wrong with Social Security. What was supposed to be a program only for retirees has turned into a giveaway for vagrants, tramps and ne’er-do-wells. : What you and many visitors to Social Security offices do not realize is that the vast majority of customers you will encounter are not there to file for Social Security

A

Allied Senior Services Insurance & Investments LTD INC

benefits. They are there to replace lost or stolen Social Security cards, or to get new cards for young children. My educated guess is that 80 percent of the folks you see in a Social Security office waiting room are there to do just that.

In addition, those people unkindly referred to as “vagrants” and “tramps” were probably down-on-their-luck folks there to file for Supplemental Security Income, or SSI, benefits. As I’ve pointed out hundreds of times in this column, SSI is a federal welfare program that SSA runs for the government. But SSI is funded by general tax revenues, not Social Security taxes.

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18A • 50plus • November 2013

Alzheimer’s disease Aging America means a progressive increase By: Dr. David Lipschitz As America grows older, the prevalence of Alzheimer’s disease will increase significantly. According to the Alzheimer’s Association, the disease is currently the sixth-leading cause of death, afflicting 1 in 8 Americans and costing our health care system $200 billion annually.

The disease is slowly progressive, and in the early stages, it is no more than a mild disability. Though short-term memory may be lost, other intellectual functions are retained, and with protection and support from family members and the community, a person with the disease can have many years of productive, high-quality life.

This requires making the diagnosis as soon as possible.

Sadly, too many patients receive no more than a pill as treatment; an accurate diagnosis is often not made; and potentially treatable causes of de-

mentia are missed. To ensure the best quality of life, it is essential, if memory loss is suspected, that the patient be evaluated and treated by specialists who are skilled at making a diagnosis. A skilled team -- including neuropsychologists, social workers and pharmacists -- is needed to provide day-to-day care and education. Community resources are needed to ensure the best possible quality of life for the patient and family members who bear the burden of caregiving, which gets progressively more difficult.

The initial step in care is an evaluation by a physician who performs a detailed history and examination and then develops a plan of care, the least important component of which is the prescription of medications currently approved to help treat Alzheimer’s and other conditions leading to memory loss.

The first step is to determine whether the patient does indeed have significant loss of intellectual function.

As people grow older, many experience difficulty remembering names, seem less astute at math and become concerned that their memory is failing.

Unless the patient has an impaired ability to function in the community (work, shop, manage finances) or interact with others, the problem is nothing more than benign forgetfulness. Memory loss is likely if the patient repeats himself frequently, gets lost while driving and forgets appointments.

Usually, talking to the patient and family members will strongly suggest a problem. This is confirmed by screening memory testing and more extensive testing of every aspect of intellectual function by a trained neuropsychologist.

Once memory loss has been identified, an accurate diagnosis must be made. Though Alzheimer’s is the most common cause, other diseases, some of which are correctable, also affect memory. In addition to memory testing, blood tests and imaging studies of the brain are frequently required.

Memory loss can be caused by mini-strokes and other degenerative diseases of the brain. In 12 percent of cases, a potentially correctable cause is identified. These include depression, vitamin B-12 deficiency, elevations in serum calcium and a condition called normal pressure hydrocephalus.

In this disease, swelling of the brain results in memory loss, problems with gait and balance, and loss of bowel and bladder continence. This diagnosis should never be missed, as surgery often leads to cure.

Once Alzheimer’s has been diagnosed, every coexisting medical aging continued on page 19A

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November 2013 • 50plus

• 19A

Alzheimer’s; stressful, but not necessarily overwhelming Finding out that a loved one has Alzheimer’s disease can be stressful, frightening, and overwhelming. As you begin to take stock of the situation, here are some tips that may help: Ask the doctor any questions you have about Alzheimer’s disease. Find out what treatments might work best to alleviate symptoms or address behavioral problems.

Contact organizations such as the Alzheimer’s Association and the Alzheimer’s Disease Education and Referral (ADEAR) Center for more information about the disease, treatment options, and caregiving resources. Some community groups may

offer classes to teach caregiving, problem-solving, and management skills.

See “For More Information” below to contact the ADEAR Center and a variety of other helpful organizations.

Find a support group where you can share your feelings and concerns.

Members of support groups often have helpful ideas or know of useful resources based on their own experiences. Online support groups make it possible for caregivers to receive support without having to leave home.

Study your day to see if you can develop a routine that makes things go more smoothly. If there are times of day when the person with Alzhei-

mer’s disease is less confused or more cooperative, plan your routine to make the most of those moments. Keep in mind that the way the person functions may change from day to day, so try to be flexible and adapt your routine as needed.

Consider using adult day care or respite services to ease the day-to-day demands of caregiving. These services allow you to have a break while knowing that the person with Alzheimer’s disease is being well cared for.

Begin to plan for the future. This may include getting financial and legal documents in order, investigating long-term care options, and deter-

mining what services are covered by health insurance and Medicare.

Communication Trying to communicate with a person who has Alzheimer’s disease can be a challenge. Both understanding and being understood may be difficult.

Choose simple words and short sentences and use a gentle, calm tone of voice.

Avoid talking to the person with Alzheimer’s disease like a baby or talking about the person as if he or she weren’t there.

Minimize distractions and noise—

aging continued from page 18A

unaware of the resources available to provide needed help. Here support groups, counseling and education about the disease are invaluable and help ensure the best quality of life for the patient and his family.

Though the benefits are small, medications are available that may

slow the rate of progression of memory loss and provide a few additional years of independent life. Sadly, the hope of a cure is nothing more than a distant dream. However, ongoing research will almost certainly lead to breakthroughs that hold the promise of eradication of the disease, if not in our

lifetime, then in our children’s. As with children, “it takes a village” to care for a patient with memory loss. A highly trained team of health care professionals and community support groups are needed to provide the care and support for the patient and the family dealing with this difficult illness.

problem must be treated relentlessly, as they all can make symptoms worse.

Examples include depression, high blood pressure and diabetes.

An assessment of the health and welfare of the caregiver is essential.

Most are stressed, prone to illness and

alzheimer’s continued on page 20A

20A • 50plus • November 2013 such as the television or radio—to help the person focus on what you are saying.

Call the person by name, making sure you have his or her attention before speaking.

Allow enough time for a response.

Be careful not to interrupt.

If the person with Alzheimer’s disease is struggling to find a word or communicate a thought, gently try to provide the word he or she is looking for Try to frame questions and in-

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structions in a positive way Bathing While some people with Alzheimer’s disease don’t mind bathing, for others it is a frightening, confusing experience. Advance planning can help make bath time better for both of you.

Respect the fact that bathing is scary and uncomfortable for some people with Alzheimer’s disease. Be gentle and respectful. Be patient and calm.

Tell the person what you are going to do, step by step, and allow him or her to do as much as possible.

Prepare in advance. Make sure you have everything you need ready and in the bathroom before beginning.

Draw the bath ahead of time.

Try a sponge bath. Bathing may not be necessary every day. A sponge bath can be effective between showers or baths.

Dressing For someone who has Alzheimer’s disease, getting dressed presents a series of challenges: choosing what to wear, getting some clothes off and other clothes on, and struggling with buttons and zippers. Minimizing the challenges may make a difference.

Encourage the person to dress himself or herself to whatever degree possible. Plan to allow extra time so there is no pressure or rush.

Allow the person to choose from a limited selection of outfits. If he or she has a favorite outfit, consider buying several identical sets.

Arrange the clothes in the order they are to be put on to help the person

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alzheimer’s continued on page 21A

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move through the process.

Eating Eating can be a challenge. Some people with Alzheimer’s disease want to eat all the time, while others have to be encouraged to maintain a good diet.

Aim for a quiet, calm, reassuring mealtime atmosphere by limiting noise and other distractions. Allow plenty of time.

Give the person food choices, but limit the number of choices. Try to offer appealing foods that have familiar flavors, varied textures, and different colors.

Choose dishes and eating tools that promote independence. If the person has trouble using utensils, use a bowl instead of a plate, or offer utensils with large or built-up handles. Use straws or cups with lids to make drinking easier. Try finger foods if utensils are not used.

Encourage the person to drink plenty of fluids throughout the day to avoid dehydration.

Activities What to do all day? Finding activities that the person with Alzheimer’s disease can do and is interested in can be a challenge. Building on current skills generally works better than trying to teach something new.

Don’t expect too much. Example: Did the person enjoy setting the table rather than was it set correctly?

Help the person get started on an activity. Break the activity down into small steps and praise the person for each step he or she completes.

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November 2013 • 50plus

Try to include the person with Alzheimer’s disease in the entire activity process. For instance, at mealtimes, encourage the person to help prepare the food, set the table, pull out the chairs, or put away the dishes. This can help maintain functional skills, enhance feelings of personal control, and make good use of time.

Exercise Incorporating exercise into the daily routine has benefits for both the person with Alzheimer’s disease and the caregiver. Not only can it improve health, but it also can provide a meaningful activity for both of you to share.

Think about what kind of physical activities you both enjoy, perhaps walking, swimming, tennis, dancing, or gardening.

Be realistic in your expectations.

Build slowly, perhaps just starting with a short walk around the yard, for example, before progressing to a walk around the block.

See what kinds of exercise programs are available in your area. Senior centers may have group programs for people who enjoy exercising with

others. Local malls often have walking clubs and provide a place to exercise when the weather is bad.

Incontinence As the disease progresses, many people with Alzheimer’s disease begin to experience incontinence, or the inability to control their bladder and/ or bowels. Incontinence can be upsetting to the person and difficult for the caregiver. Sometimes incontinence is due to physical illness, so be sure to discuss it with the person’s doctor.

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• 21A

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22A • 50plus • November 2013

Holiday retirement!

Q

By: Doug Mayberry : At this time of year, our family begins thinking how we will spend our holidays.

We have loved it. My husband and I always host the major celebrations in our home. But we’ve realized we need to retire and give up that responsibility. Should we put the family on alert now, and hope another family member will take over? : YES! Sometimes we learn the family prefers to change but are reluctant to voice their opinions. Now, it is your choice to move on.

Call a family conference. Some may decide to change their routine and prefer holiday activities such as hiking

A

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• Air Conditioning • Secured Entrance • Cable TV hook-ups • Exercise Room • Pet friendly • Garages available

or a cruise. Others may offer to host.

Ongoing changes are a given. Our priority is to love each other. It’s time to remember the good times, take time to look at family photos and focus positively on the future. That’s the real deal! You’ve earned it! : My wife and I are in our late 70s, and we know that we will need help and support in our future. We have a little money. Neither we, nor many of our friends, have revealed or have discussed their financial assets, gift distribution plans or other aspects of their personal financial lives yet.

Why not? In our case, we have procrastinated; we’re not certain how to split our assets among our three

Q

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grown up children. We fear that learning our decision could cause jealousies and might prefer they work it out themselves. We also suspect one of our sons will divorce soon.

Should we open our mouths now? : It appears timely. In many families, asset information is never detailed until the parents are gone. I believe that this is a mistake because winding up an estate is complicated, takes time, and sometimes the executor is not even qualified to fulfill his or her duty.

After death happens and the stress, grief and shock have subsided, disagreements may result. Inadvertently, this could cause a major loss of your assets. Distributions can also cause a

A

major family breakup.

Include items such as listing their health history, names of doctors, their banks, hospital location, choice of their medical treatment, legacy wishes, insurance, assets, accountant, pharmacy, friendly neighbors and how to take care of their pets.

To encourage them to make the list, remind them that it will be very important if and when they lose their partner.

Doug Mayberry makes the most of life in a Southern California Retirement community. Contact him at deardoug@msn.com.

On quickly, November Fruit is picked, flowers dead, leaves gone, so are many birds.

These are but a few things gone we could describe via words.

We sit here now munching apples from granny’s favored tree.

Tomatoes and corn are eaten, but zucchinis still number three.

Yes, we still savor fragrances of summer’s sweetest and best.

We’ve kept a few dried flowers, dumping into compost the rest.

We should know as we advance in age, we often must choose.

If we wish life’s best, we must put forth effort to win it or lose.

To like November, you must work to find its worth so very deep.

As chills fill the household in evenings, warming fires people keep.

Of course, as we’ve said, crops are harvested and in the bin.

Due to weather, farmers this year did not get a great win.

Of course we did our duty at the polls at election time.

For some sadness, others gladness, these were easy to rhyme.

Too often, in campaigns we saw way too much guile.

Let us hope we receive more than a great dental smile.

Yes, sport team, too, struggled, lacking pitching and hits.

When next year comes, will they be worth as two-bits?

We love it as brisk autumn’s sports on TV are free to see.

Sometimes, on weekends, we still see Tiger on the tee.

Squirrels everywhere are busily clawing husks from walnuts.

Barking neighborhood dogs, to these, are bothersome mutts.

On Nov. 11, we so proudly our veterans will heartily cheer.

In battles and too many wars, they defended us without fear.

Bang, bang! What’s that? It is again be deer hunting season.

Sane men become again boys, shooting guns is the reason.

Our next express stop will be for Thanksgiving Day. There’ll be turkey and a gathering of family in a nice way.

For those who indulge, do forget what you might weigh.

What we desperately need now is for some pre-winter hustle.

You don’t wish to rustle your bustle in a snow or ice tussle.

Cheers for November, it has its place on the calendar.

We do know in the past 10 months we have traveled far.

November 2013 • 50plus

killing time continued from page 4A

morning breakfast favorites are a Belgian quiche and a Dutch, no, Belgian waffle. The Bloody Mary’s are American. vvvvv The Waukesha County Fall Fun Guide was full of great things to do.

The finale was on the last page: Randle, Dable, Brisk where we could enjoy a nice funeral, cremation or preplanning service. vvvvv This should brighten your day a bit. Daylight Saving Time ends the first Sunday in this month. Daylight will slide into darkness an hour earlier than usual. Set your clocks backward an hour, not ahead. vvvvv If you cannot give people a shoulder to lean on, you could at least give them a pat on the back. vvvvv A neighbor, who often times seems to be a bit too important, obviously always wanted to be someone greater than he is. vvvvv The Badger may be the Wisconsin mascot. Tell me, how many Badgers have you seen in recent years? vvvvv Veterans’ Day will be November 11. It perhaps will be a dark day with remembrance of the many soldiers who have died to uphold our ideals and some, regrettably, in wars that we should have avoided. When we went to Korea many didn’t know where it was. As for Vietnam, we knew where it was, but couldn’t get out there quickly enough to save thousands of lives. Make a reservation at Wisconsin

Nemovitz continued from page 16A

and August (it usually takes about a month from accepted offer to closing).

In mid-August, a slowdown began.

The number of accepted offers lessened and buyers went back to a wait and see posture. September was very slow, and now due to the government shut down buyers are more cautious than ever to make their purchase. In time when the country is more settled with health care, and the brinksmanship of our politicians ends, buyers will again move forward with the purchase of their new home.

Due to uncertainty in the market it has become harder to predict selling

Lutheran High School to be treated as an appreciated veteran that day. vvvvv Wisconsin has not always been first and foremost among the states to enact good programs for its citizens.

In 191l, Wisconsin was the 39th state to give financial consideration to its roads. vvvvv Does your family tree have a few loose limbs or bad apples? vvvvv Parents may have to take away the cell phones and shut off the TV sets to get today’s kids outside soon to enjoy such activities as downhill sledding and skating. vvvvv What person has had the greatest influence on your life? If you know what’s good for you, you’d better say, “My spouse.” vvvvv Could it be because of our age that we believe “old friends are our best friends? Are today’s kids really technological intellectuals or are they geniuses at video games, tweeting and watching outer world movies. Work may be a four letter word that too many don’t know the meaning of. vvvvv Whatever happened to the grand scheme of Pres. Jimmy Carter when, in 1978, he proclaimed the Sunday after Labor Day as Grandparents’ Day? Not even Mr. Hallmark could make this a day of great remembrance. This day goes mostly unnoticed. It was a great idea, Pres. Carter, but like too many other programs, it is hardly worth a bag of Georgia peanuts. seasons. We as Realtors could plan our budgets based on the typical starts and stops of the market. However in the new market we are busy in months that were traditionally slow and slow in months that were always busy. So timing the sale of your home has become more difficult. I would suggest consulting with your agent before putting that sign on your lawn. We as Realtors have a much better sense of the starts and stops of the market as we are talking and writing offers with buyers in real time. The media is usually a month or two off in their reporting on sales as they typically look at ‘closing’ numbers and not when offers

• 23A

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are actually written as there is a month to 45 day delay from accepted offer to closing.

My advice is not to time the market and make your move when a change is needed. If you want to downsize or move to a home that better suits your needs, begin the preparation now.

Don’t wait for that moment when you wake up and decide that now is the time to move. Fix any defects such as basement, roof, electrical or plumbing. If you have the funds, have a Realtor and a stager over to offer ideas as to what improvements will bring back the greatest returns. If you decide you will be selling ‘as is’ then understand

Happy Thanksgiving from all of us at

50Plus

that you will be discounting for condition and repairs needed and extending selling time. You can sell a home in any market and any condition. Just get the right information and stay in touch with the market and its fickle changes.

Information is always king when making important decisions. Be proactive and not reactive!

Bruce Nemovitz is a Senior Real Estate Specialist, as well as Certified Senior Advisor. Bruce has sold residential homes in the four county Milwaukee-Metro areas for 35 years. Please feel free to call Bruce or Jeanne (his wife) with any real estate questions you may have at 262-242-6177.

24A • 50plus • November 2013

November 2013 Section B

Quilts for Veterans

Q

uilting is uniting pieces of cloth via sewn stitching with a layer of padding in between the pieces of cloth. The large finished piece usually is to be used as a coverlet and mostly placed on beds and utilized for warmth as well as beauty and style.

But quilting is definitely much more than this for two South Side ladies in their early 80’s. It is their way of befriending ex-service personnel with a spirit of dedication and loyalty acknowledging what these mostly aging military veterans did for their country.

Paula Bialk and LaVerne Koel, who first met at an Amvets’ Auxiliary meeting years ago, immediately formed a bond that as the years passed has kept them in needles and stitches. While neither Paula nor LaVerne was in military services, their Amvets’ husbands served their country, Paul Bialk as a Marine and Arthur Koel in the U.S. Army.

While Paula and LaVerne sew separately and mostly, if you can believe it, as forms of relaxation, they sew together for veterans in need. They’re not joined at the hip, but at the sewing machine as they meet every Wednesday to do quilting for veterans. They deviate with their intentions only to make baby quilts, about 40 so far, that they give to the homeless shelters for needy moms with children in Milwaukee County.

With the numbers of quilts given to various veterans’ hospitals and homes at well over 200 (Paula and La-

Parade Honors Veterans

Verne just quilt; they don’t count their donations or the time and fabrics that go into them), they’re greatly appreciated at the veterans hospital at Wood and at the veterans’ facilities at King and Union Grove. The quilts make great wrap-around comforters for the many aging vets who are wheelchair-bound.

A dental hygienist in her pre-married and early married life, Paula always loved to sew. Before Marquette, she graduated from what then was Pulaski.

LaVerne, a Teamsters’ Union office worker until her retirement at age 62, learned to sew as a child and never tired of it. Early-on, it was a definite money saving pastime.

At one time, husband Arthur Koel may have enjoyed a pool game or two with buddies in the lower level rec room. We’re not sure he can still do this as (at least the day of this interview) the pool table, with a special cover, was home to a quilt in the making at the Koel residence.

Paula and LaVerne are always prepared for the call to assist another and do so mostly via their sewing skills. They modestly do not live in fame or wish any. They respect what so many others have done to keep their freedom. They don’t march down any dusty trails, wave banners to support or protest this or that. They’re quietly busy with their sewing machines, needles and threads as they honor all veterans with their warming service to the needy. They especially thank all those who have done their part in pro-

EDITORIALS STATE CAPITOL COMMENT

By Matt Pommer

TRAVEL

MONEY SENSE

By Karen Ellenbecker & Julie Ellenbecker -Lipsky

MOVING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION

By Bruce Nemovitz

APRON STRINGS

Emma

By Aunt Emma

SENIOR Answer Man

IT MAKES ME

AGING ISSUES

By Tom Frazier

PLANTING TOMORROW’S DREAMS TODAY

By Brad Olson

HERMAN WHITE WRITES ARTS

SPORTS SSP POR ORTS TSS

By Jack Pearson

CRABBY

the WRIGHT SIDE of

By Enis Wright

ENTERTAINMENT

calendar

60

KILLING TIME with Jim McLoone

Helping Veterans: LaVerne Koels, left, and Paula Bialk have donated over 300 handmade quilts to various charities, nursing homes and vererans’ organizations. viding quilting fabrics as these women sew for the benefit of others.

Follow the example of Paula and LaVerne, with their quilts draped across the old soldiers’ shoulders: give a veteran a pat on the back or at

The 50th anniversary parade honoring all veterans will kick off at 10:45 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 9, in downtown Milwaukee. With 110 total units, the parade will go from 4th and Kilbourn east to Plankinton. south on Wells and then east on Wells going to the Mason St. Bridge and from there to Prospect Ave, past the War Memorial Center and end in Veterans Park.

Mary Ann D’Acquisto, in charge of parade arrangements, said among those honored in the pa-

least say “thank you for your service.”

Why should Veterans Day come only once a year?

rade will be the Grand Marshal Naomi Horwitz, a retired WAC, who at age 97 will be honored in absentia as she presently is ill. Plans are for Naomi to wave to the crowds from a computer screen.

Also to be honored, among many, are Gary Wetzel, a Medal of Honor recipient, and Mike Malloy, the Veteran of the Year.

The parade is expected to wind down after 1 p.m. in Veterans’ Park.

2B • 50plus • November 2013

The joy of volunteering By: Doug Mayberry : As a newly retired widow, I had always thought that volunteering was not for me. However, in a recent chat I had with my neighbor, who volunteers every week, she encouraged me to do so. She said when she volunteers it is the highlight of her week because of the benefits she gets in return. I am feeling lonely and not very productive. Should I do it? : Yes. Experience is always the best teacher. If you do not like it, you can quit.

One reader told me volunteering had become her primary source for recreation, socializing and happiness.

In her volunteer cashiering position, she said she meets the entire gamut of society. Customers become excited when they find an item they could never afford at retail.

She also shops for herself. She buys books, decorative items and clothing for her family and friends.

She has discovered she enjoys meeting people. It gives her something to do, and she learned that when she talks with others about their problems, she is better able to cope with her own.

Give volunteering a try. It may turn out to be one of your best decisions ever! : My father died when I was 8.

My mother was left with three kids. We made it because of my mom’s love and positive outlook for us. We had a happy childhood. I believe I was lucky because we had few choices. We learned to take responsibility and to cope with whatever happened.

At 72, Mom continues to face health issues, rarely complains and walks 15 minutes every day. She takes her meds and attributes her happiness to having a caring and loving family

Q

A

Q

and a positive outlook on life.

Because of our financial success, luck and fortune, she is concerned we are spoiling her grandchildren because we always give them what they want. This comes as a wake-up call, and we realize she knows better. Is it too late to fix it? : It is never too late to try. Giving children things we never had does not allow them to become more responsible. Just giving does not instill a work ethic, teach the value of a dollar. Help them become grateful for what they already have, or show them how to use common sense in dealing with life’s pitfalls.

Receiving and not needing to make an effort to get things done does not build self-esteem. Instilling a work ethic, teaching them the value of a dollar, showing them how to be grateful, and learning life’s lessons should be your priorities for your children. Finding their passion and purpose in life is an ongoing process.

Circumstances change and are not always what we would like. Learning to be prepared to cope and using past experiences to judge what is right and wrong are important traits. Choosing to have a positive attitude, being resilient, learning to have faith, and having good luck should be always on the surface.

Reminding your children how your lives have played out, how happy you have been, and loving and caring for them will help them mature.

Learning to say “No” is a challenge but not a whining technique.

Love is the key. Working out the details is the hard part!

Doug Mayberry makes the most of life in a Southern California Retirement community. Contact him at deardoug@msn.com.

A

Grieving through the Holidays The loss off a special person in our lives can make the celebrations of Thanksgiving and Christmas very difficult. All who are grieving a loss of a loved one are invited to attend a presentation of “Grieving Through the Holidays”.

The presentation by Cathy Labinski, retired hospice chaplain, will be on November 16, St. Joan of Arc Education Center, 120 Nashotah Rd from 10 a.m. – noon. Coffee, juice and bakery will be served. RSVP to 262646-8078 if you plan to attend.

TRAVELNovember 2013 • 50plus • 3B We’re hoping for real warm sunshine for the Packers MONEY SENSE

By Karen Ellenbecker & Julie Ellenbecker -Lipsky

IN be THEtime My Henry says itMOVING soon will RIGHT DIRECTION for slipping and sliding as the snows

By Bruce Nemovitz may hit us before winter actually sets in. Generally, isn’t that what happens?

While Henry says this slipping and sliding is kind of like going down a slippery slope, he is proud of the sliding the mechanisms do on his machine at the factory. He keeps a welloiled machine. In expounding AGINGabout his almost perfect performances ISSUES at the factory, Henry says a fellow

By Tomworker Frazier (if you can really call him that) Linus is often a too well-oiled machine. Words don’t even rightly slip-off of his tongue. But the union boss has yet to have him removed from his machine despite a few molten metal machine squirts.

PLANTING But what I reallyTOMORROW’S wish to write DREAMS TODAY about this month is that tailgating By Brad Olson thing. As I told you last month, Henry and I were tailgaters at Lambeau Field for a game last month. If a man walking past me had not stumbled against my chair leg and then spilled beer all over me, it could have been rememberable. As it turned out, it wasn’t bad.

We were told to get there early and SPORTS SSP POR ORTS S with we did. The party was all set TS up By Jack Pearson plastic utensils, 12 oz. cups and plates of plastic. Gosh, what did we ever do for activities like picnics or tailgating before plastic was invented? We certainly could not use paper knives, forks, and spoons. Just what did the folks do in the olden days for tailgating or even for sitting around a bonfire and doing more than just roasting marshmallows? Do you even recall those days or nights? They seem so far back in history. We think of tailgating as not just eating, but as a type of gourmet meal that we cater for ourselves in less than comfortable surroundings.

But really who cares? It is the fun of the occasion.

Not being a big fan of football, but being an avid (whatever that really means) Packer backer, I suggested to Henry after the recent poor showing on the field of the Packers that we might invite Coach McCarthy to the cleanup part of our party. After all, he certainly is accustomed to trying to clean up the messes left on more than a few occasions by his team this season. He needs a heavy duty trash bag to toss those inept – or non-working

Emma

APRON STRINGS

By Aunt Emma

plays in. Perhaps the coach, as Henry suggests, should invent a type of insect repellent that would keep opposing tacklers away from appropriately sprayed running backs. He claims that he’s disappointed in the way that their game kind of smells now.

I am sure you don’t need anyone to tell you about the vittles, the necessary things for tailgating like beer, brats, buns. Personally, I prefer shredded hot beef, but I do hope they are cooking up something even better than that for the remaining games. I read early in the pre-season that the Packers, despite all the local bally-hoo, would finish 10-6 for the season. I suspect I’d surely settle for that record now. We’re going to be game-ready at our next tailgate outing. Did I tell you that we so much enjoyed our first tailgating at Lambeau that we – a few of us – now take turns being the host for pre-game tailgating parties in our own driveways. It is convenient, fun and there’s no concern about using those port-o-potties. We just move the TV set outside and hook

By Enis Wright it up to the garage outlet.

Forget the meat for a minute. Be sure you have a hand sanitizer and as it becomes cooler, you might want to think about gloves or at least those hand warmers that you can stuff into jacket pockets.

Friend Nancy suggested that we bring a meat thermometer. Henry seemed almost dazed by that request.

He said that those things can be useful to some modern day cooks, but no grill chef in his family ever used one.

What he didn’t say was that either they couldn’t afford one or they hadn’t been invented yet.

I suggested that we could warm up a bit with soup. I mentioned alphabet soup. Henry jokingly said, “No way.

Some of the guys coming might be frustrated as they’re somewhat illiterate.”

My grandparents brought many nice traditions with them when they came across from the old country.

They warmed our lives with their stories; some of these brought tears to our eyes and they had not even become Green Bay Packer fans at that time.

May the Packers bring a little ex-

SENIOR Answer Man

IT MAKES ME

tra sunlight into our live next Sunday, even as daylight seems to turn to dark more quickly?

Even if the Packers lose again, our friends can help us get through it.

CRABBY

HERMAN WHITE WRITES

ARTS

the WRIGHT SIDE of

ENTERTAINMENT

calendar

60

KILLING TIME with Jim McLoone

4B • 50plus • November 2013

We Saw You At . . . . The Senior Celebration at the Zoo

By Margaret Pearson Free health and wellness activities for seniors, entertainment and presentations by 30 exhibitors were features of the event at the Milwaukee County Zoo. Some of the seniors and their families included: Steeple View Deluxe Apartment Homes For Seniors 55 & Better 12455 W. Janesville Road New Berlin, WI 414.525.5500  www.steepleview.org Office hours: Monday – Friday: 8:00 am - Noon Secure, Carefree Independent Living for Active Seniors in a Supportive Christian Atmosphere Spacious 1, 2 and 2 bedroom plus den apartments homes  Heated Parking/Car Wash  In-Unit Washer/Dryer

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Darlene Baerenwald and Janet Pethmann, both of West Bend.

November 2013 • 50plus

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• 5B

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6B • 50plus • November 2013

Pickleball; Oddly named game’s popularity is sweeping the country

By Jack Pearson Has there ever been a sport with as quirky a name as pickleball? Ask someone who has never heard of it if they’d like to play a game and he or she will probably look at you as if you were off your rocker. How can you play with a pickle? They’re not to play with, they’re to eat, to munch on or put into a salad.

Truth be told, pickleball is an actual sport, and is one of the fastest growing in the country and one that is played and enjoyed by all ages.

For example, it is now one of the 22 competitive sports played in the recent Wisconsin Senior Olympics.

Recreation Departments in cities such as Milwaukee and Waukesha now have extensive pickleball programs with more and more participants being added every year. The majority of those participants are seniors, 50 and older, women as well as men. At the other end of the age spectrum, it is now also offered in many elementary and secondary schools. In some states, such as Utah, it is now offered in all schools. And finally, to set another matter straight, pickleball has nothing to do with pickles or any other vegetable.

Pickleball is basically a scaled down version of tennis, sort of a combination of that sport and ping pong.

It’s played on either an indoor or outdoor court, about a third of the size of a regular tennis court.

The game was invented in 1965, not by anyone from the world of sports but rather by a trio of US Congressmen passing the time in one of their back yards one evening. The three were Joel Pritchard, William Bell and Barney McCollum. Not too many congressmen are top athletes.

Bill Bradley in basketball and Jim Bunning in baseball were, and a few others, but that’s about it. So racket sports such as tennis, badminton, racquetball and squash were a bit fast for them, as they were seniors. In an interview afterwards, the trio said that all they were trying to do was to come up with a game that the three of them, and perhaps their wives and their children, could play together.

They started out by modifying the equipment, replacing the tightly strung rackets with smaller, wooden paddles, and the regular tennis balls with larger, less bouncy whiffle balls, both of which cut down on the speed and power to compete, but not on the fun and enjoyment involved.

As they experimented, they would sometimes whack the ball out of their yard, whereupon a small dog named Pickles that belonged to one of the congressmen would chase after it and bring it back. So when they finally came up with a plan for their new game, they named it after the little dog. Thus pickleball was born. In the beginning, their game was just for them and their families. Soon some of the neighbors saw them at play, asked

A pickleball paddle, somewhat larger than a ping-pong paddle, but much smaller than a tennis racket, with the whiffle ball it hits. if they could join in, and did. Our trio of congressmen never dreamed that their own family game would grow and spread all over the country.

People began playing the game not only in their back yards, but in residential streets and driveways. As it gained in popularity, rules were devised which included the size of the playing court and the height of the net.

The game is now played in thousands of elementary and secondary schools, in recreation and senior centers and, as noted, in such organizations as the Senior Olympics. The only major change in recent years has been with the paddles, which were

originally made of wood but now of a fiberglass composite.

Pickleball is an ideal game for seniors who still have a love of sports and competition, but whose athletic skills have lessened. Because the court playing area is smaller, there is less running involved. Since the ball is a plastic whiffle ball, which does not have the bounce of a tennis ball, and is hit with a paddle, rather than a strung racket, a ball that has been struck is easier to see and return. But even with these changes, the game is still similar to tennis and squash. You hit the ball over a net, your opponent (or oppickleball continued on page 7B

November 2013 • 50plus

pickleball continued on page 6B

ponents) attempt to hit it back and so on. Whenever a return is missed after a serve, a point is awarded to the opponent.

Play during actual matches is also less intense and more informal. For example, during the doubles play I watched at the Banting Park courts in Waukesha, the two doubles partners did not stay together during the entire match. Substitutes continually replaced the starters. The emphasis was on playing and enjoying the game, rather than on winning and losing.

It seemed to me that the similarities between pickleball and tennis were somewhat like the similarities between slow pitch softball and fast pitch - basically the same games, but with different rules and different skill requirements.

So let’s take a look at the growth of the game here in Wisconsin.

We’ll start with Pete and Diana Giljohann of Brookfield, a couple who are very well known and active in the sport. Both of them love the game and play it three or four times a week, year round, here and elsewhere in the country. Before this year, Pete served as the Pickleball coordinator for the Wisconsin Senior Olympics.

Near Tucson, where they spend their winters, pickleball is even more popular than it is here, and both Pete and Diana volunteer their time teaching the sport in clinics. Throughout the US there is a rating system for pickleball players, much as there is for polo and tennis players. Beginners come in at 2.5, and the highest rating is a 5. Here in Wisconsin only three players have attained a ranking as high as 4.5; Pete and Diana are two of them and Carol Fosdick of Waukesha is the third. Pete, by the way, is 60, Diana 59 and Carol 55.

“Pickleball is a wonderful game and especially so for seniors,” said Pat Grulke, the Recreation Service Manager for the City of Waukesha Parks and Recreation Department.

“We added pickleball to our slate of sports activities three years ago. The first year we had about 50 sign up; last year about 80, and this year our membership is up to around 120. More and more people are taking up the sport, and they love it. Of that total of 120,” she added, “about 110 are seniors.”

• 7B

The oldest player in that Banting School Courts group is Bernie Kubale of Merton, who is 85.

“That’s the beauty of the game,” Pete noted. “Youngsters of four, five and six can learn to play and enjoy the sport, on through seniors well into their 80s and beyond. Unlike the sports of our youth, such as football and basketball, you can play pickleball virtually as long as you live.

“Many pickleball players today were involved in some racket sport when they were50 Plus younger, such as tenOctober 2013 nis or squash or racketball. But there are many who 4.75 x 7.3 never did. They took up pickleball from scratch. Diana and Run Date: October 2013 I have taught hundreds of people to A few pickleball players, from left to right - Diana Giljohann ( Brookfield), Carol Fosdick Deadline: 9-13-13 play, and almost all of them were play- (Waukesha), Donna Chimino (Illinois), Mary Woodley (Illinois), Carlene Harasha (Waukeing adequately after only one lesson.” sha), Jan Dudzek (Milwaukee).

It’s no problem to find good instruction. For example, lessons are offered by the Waukesha Recreation DepartQuality, Comfort & Convenience ment (262-524-3737) and many other city recreation departments in the Live the Highlands Life Today! area.

Most of the Waukesha Rec’s programs in pickleball are held on the courts in Banting Park during the summer months and in the Schuetze Recreation Center during the winter.

At the picturesque and popular Village Club in Greendale, the sport of pickleball was introduced only last year. The club, in a residential and Call today for more information wooded area just off the Root River and to schedule a private showing: Parkway, has been combination tennis and swimming facility for 55 years. It Brookfield: 262-798-9898 has more than 350 families as memNew Berlin: 262-821-5106 bers, which brings its total memberFranklin: 414-425-6611 ship up well over a thousand. Mike Menomonee Falls: Patneaude has been the club’s resident 262-251-9000 tennis coach and director for the past 262-251-9999 25 of those years.

Mequon: He gave me a tour of the grounds, with its 10 full-size tennis courts and 262-243-8888 two more smaller ones for youngsters to learn the game on and the huge Join us at our Holiday Craft Fairs & Shopping Bazaars and beautiful swimming pool, largForesthill Highlands in Franklin er than most municipal pools. “You Friday, October 25th 10am - 3pm mentioned that pickleball was a good sport for seniors,” he said, “and it is.

Wildwood Highlands in Menomonee Falls But would you believe that we added Wednesday, November 13th 12:30pm - 3:30pm pickleball largely because of requests Brookfield Highlands in Brookfield from teenagers?” Several of the sons Thursday, November 21st 9am - 3pm and daughters of members attend nearby Greendale and Franklin High Call today for details and more information!

Schools, he said, where pickleball is offered in PE classes. “A few of them came to me last year and suggested HighlandsCommunities.com pickleball continued on page 8B

8B • 50plus • November 2013 pickleball continued on page 7B

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that we add the sport,” Mike said, “and we did, and I’m happy that we did.”

Lines for pickleball court have been added to one of the club’s tennis courts, and a lower net also put up.

“We have about two dozen playing pickleball now, and more keep coming in. If that trend continues,” he said, “I’m going to put in a request that the club add an actual pickleball court, not one merely on a tennis court.”

Mike explained why pickleball was so well received by the young people at the club. “In almost all sports,” he said, there are separate programs and leagues for boys and girls. Boys are usually better athletically, taller, stronger and faster. So the girls can’t compete on an equal level with the boys. That’s not so in pickleball, where the differences in ability are minimized. Here, the girls hold their own, playing with and against the boys, and are also completely accepted by the boys as equals. That, to me, is a step forward.”

Getting back to the subject of seniors, I asked Mike who was the club’s oldest pickleball player. “Oh, that would be my mother, Nancy Patneaude,” he said with a laugh. “She never mentions her age, but I can tell you it’s in the mid 70s.”

One of the more enthusiastic advocates of pickleball in the Milwaukee Public Schools system is Gary DePerry, the Physical Education Chair at Reagan High School. Gary has been involved in teaching and coaching in MPS for more than 25 years, coaching football, baseball, basketball, tennis and more. He was on the basketball coaching staff at Vincent High School from ’96 through ’98 when they were

state champs.

“Pickleball has been a good addition to our program,” he said. “First of all, it’s a sport that any youngster can learn and play; it doesn’t take a super athlete. It’s also very easy to teach.

And, something else that is very important in today’s world of budget constraints, it’s quite inexpensive. We bought a dozen or so paddles when we added the sport a few years back for about $10 apiece, and a bunch of whiffle balls, also which didn’t cost very much, and we still have almost all of them. They’re virtually indestructible.”

He added another aspect of the sport that sets it apart. “The kids prefer playing doubles rather than singles,” he said, “and when they do, it’s often a boy and a girl as partners, rather than boy-boy or girl-girl. I don’t recall seeing that in any other sport.”

There are, of course, many more organizations and clubs where pickleball is now played than have been mentioned here. For example, it is played in the Parks and Recreation Departments of cities such as Milwaukee, and the many YMCAs and senior centers. And the list is growing all the time.

This column started by poking a little fun at the name, “Pickleball.”

In reality, it’s a great name, and one which has inadvertently contributed to the growth of the game. It’s a name that sparks interest, and is most certainly one that isn’t easily forgotten.

Compare it to names which might have been used, such as “Paddle ball,” or “Whiffle ball” or “Slow Tennis.”

It’s a good thing that little dog Pickles was there when the game was being devised, because as it has turned out, “Pickleball” as a name is perfect.

More pickleball play. Check the yellow lines marking the size of the pickleball courts, well within the white lines for tennis play.

November 2013 • 50plus

Aging in place needs The number of homeowners between the ages of 55 and 74 will increase by 10.2 million from now until 2020 and 90 percent of those 65 and over prefer to stay in their home as long as possible.

Milwaukee/NARI aging in place specialists suggest these tips for making homes more user-friendly: Cabinet hardware: As you get older, you lose dexterity. Utilize hardware that gives you an easy grip to pull out and push back.

Multi-level countertops: A standard 36” countertop is essential for the average homeowner, but for a family member who needs to either use a wheelchair or be seated when doing kitchen tasks, consider at least one section to be 34” with no barriers underneath.

Dishwasher options: Elevate the dishwasher a foot off the ground for easier loading. The lift can be concealed with a wood or stainless panel to match other kitchen décor.

Lighting: LED, clean and bright, lasts 10 times longer than a traditional bulb. Install easy to use dimmer switches, undercabinet lighting, and pendant lights to keep lighting at the right level.

Light switches: Motion sensor lighting in hallways and bathrooms turn on as you enter and shut off after you leave. Instead of a toggle, use a panel or rocker-style switch.

Widen hallways: Houses are built with a minimum 36” wide hallway. Widening it to 42” makes it eas-

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Drawers: Existing cabinets can be modified so drawers or shelving extends fully, adjust for different levels, and are equipped with lazy Susans and pull-out trays.

Grab bars: Available in many styles and colors, not only for the bathroom, but good to have when stepping up or down into a garage or deck.

Comfort-height toilets: Designed to be standard chair height making it easier to sit-down and stand-up.

“More people will appreciate aging in place remodeling to stay in their own homes because it’s comfortable and secure for them,” said Klappa.

“Studies have proved people lead a longer life by living in a familiar environment.”

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10B • 50plus • November 2013

YEARS s

O

I OVID NG UN PR

CT, AND PE PE A ES

s 70

F

CE

PLANTING TOMORROW’S DREAMS TODAY

By Brad Olson

HERMAN WHITE WRITES ARTS

SPORTS SSP POR ORTS TSS

By Jack Pearson

ENTERTAINMENT

calendar

60

November 2 Free Day at Milwaukee County Zoo All visitors receive free zoo adBy Enis Wright mission, but the parking fee remains in effect, sponsored by North Shore Bank and Fox 6.

the WRIGHT SIDE of

field Rd., Muskego Regency, W181 S8540 Lodge Blvd., and New Berlin Regency, 13750 National Ave. Drop off new unwrapped toys at any of our Regency campus for the toy drive. Call for details at Brookfield Regency, 262-780-0321, Muskego Regency, 262-679-0888 and New Berlin Regency, 262-789-1699.

NDING STA ,R ER D

KILLING TIME with Jim McLoone November 5 – December 10 Living Well with Chronic Conditions New Berlin Regency, 13750 W. National Ave., New Berlin Registration required for this six part series from 1:30 – 4 p.m. Call 262-928-2745.

November 7 Milwaukee Art Museum Admission is free for individuals and families (excluding groups) on the first Thursday of each month, compliments of Target. For details visit mam.org/visit or call 414-2717588.

BEYOND GLORY The Story of 8 Men of Incredible Valor: Medal of Honor Winners All

This Veterans Day, award winning playwright and stage and screen star, Stephen Lang, brings the stories of eight different men to the stage in a one-man show that will reach into your very soul and keep you thoroughly spellbound. Beyond Glory presents the stories of eight veterans from World War II, Korea and Vietnam, rendering first hand accounts of valor which resulted in the nation’s highest military award... The Medal of Honor.

Tickets Start at $45 A portion of all tickets purchased will be donated to the Milwaukee Homeless Veterans Initiative. neverhomeless.org

November 11 • 7:30 PM • Marcus Center 414.273.7206 • MarcusCenter.org • Ticketmaster.com Discount for groups of 10 or more call 414.273.7121 Ext.210

November 9 Veterans Day Parade Downtown Milwaukee The parade starts off at 11 a.m. from 4th and Kilbourn and then heads east to the War Memorial via Wells Street with a memorial service immediately following at the War Memorial.

November 15 Delafield Tree Lighting Bring the family to the traditional tree lighting downtown Delafield at 5:30p.m.

November 16 Annual Holiday Fair Muskego Regency, W181 S8540 Lodge Blvd., Muskego Fair is open from 9 a.m. – 1 p.m., 262-679-0888.

November 17 – December 6 Annual Toy Drive Regency Senior Communities, Brookfield Regency, 777 N. Brook-

November 21 Milwaukee Holiday Lights Pere Marquette Park The Holiday Lights Festival kicks-off with free hot cocoa and cookies. After the show, take in all the sights aboard the Jingle Bus, free on kick-off night.

November 22 – December 29 Les Miserables Cabot Theater, Milwaukee Music by Claude-Michel Schonberg, lyrics by Herbert Kretzmer. Enjoy this opera focusing on freedom and revolution. Set in the midst of the revolution in 19th century France, it follows Jean Valijean on his quest for redemption after being jailed for stealing a loaf of bread. For tickets, call 414-291-7800.

November 23 Annual Holiday Fair Brookfield Regency, 777 N. Brookfield Rd., Brookfield The annual fair is open from 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. For details, call 262780-0321.

November 26 – December 1 White Christmas Marcus Center for the Performing Arts Discover a delightful new show that’s as fresh as newly fallen snow!

The classic holiday tradition White Christmas comes to the stage at last, as a brand new Irving Berlin musical. Don’t miss this show that’s full of dancing, laughter and some of the greatest songs ever written. It’s wonderful entertainment for the whole

November 2013 • 50plus

family. Visit the website at marcuscenter.org or call for tickets at 414273-7206.

November 29 – December 29 The Best Christmas Pageant Ever Todd Wehr Theater, Marcus Center for the Performing Arts The rowdy Herdman kids are back in this annual Christmas pageant. Enjoy this spirited performance of the season to make it the best ever Christmas pageant! Visit marcuscenter.org or call 414-273-7206 for tickets.

November 30 Annual Holiday Fair New Berlin Regency, 13750 W. National Ave., New Berlin The annual fair is open from 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. For details, call 262789-1699.

Future Events December 11 & 12 John Tesh Big Band Christmas Northern Lights Theater, Potawatomi Bingo Casino Jazz, big band and swing styles are all in the key of Christmas. Don’t miss this opportunity for a great show! For details, call 414-847-7922, ticketmaster.com 1-800-745-3000.

On-Going Alzheimer’s Support Group Cedar Bay West, Fellowship Hall, 5595 County Road Z, West Bend Meets the second Wednesday of each month from 1 - 3 p.m. For details, call (262) 306-4230.

Alzheimer’s Support Group Jackson Crossing Lakeshore Building N168 W22026 Main St., Jackson Support group held the third Wednesday of each month; 6 p.m. Respite care is available. Please call for reservations at (262) 993-2838.

Afternoon Dance American Legion Post #449 3245 N. 124th St., Brookfield Everyone Welcome! Second Monday of every month, 1:30 - 3:30 p.m., Big Band dance, $3. • • • • •

Charles Horwitz Planetarium S14 W28167 Madison St., Waukesha For more information on upcoming programs visit - www.waukeshaschools.com/planet. • • • • • Milwaukee Art Museum 700 N. Art Museum Dr. Open 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. Tuesday Sunday. Call (414) 224-3200 or go to www.mam.org. • • • • • Milwaukee County RSVP – Interfaith Older Adult Programs, Inc. Contact Eddie at (414) 220-8655 to be a volunteer. • • • • • Milwaukee Dancing Grannies Interested in becoming one of Milwaukee dancing grannies, contact us at (414) 630-4493. • • • • • Museum of Wisconsin Art 300 South Sixth Ave., West Bend Public hours, Wednesday – Saturday 10 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. and Sunday 1 - 4:30 p.m. (262) 334-9638/ www. wisconsinart.org. • • • • •  O.A.S.I.S. 2414 West Mitchell Street For seniors Fifty-Five Plus Travel Club meets monthly, second Friday of the month 8:30 a.m. Website: milwaukeerecreation.net/travel. • • • • •  Potawatomi Bingo Casino Senior Day is every Tuesday of the month. That means more chances for you to win! • • • • •  Schlitz Audubon Nature Center 1111 E. Brown Deer Rd., Milwaukee Call for information at (414) 352-2880 Ext. 0. • • • • • SC Johnson Tours Golden Rondelle Theater 1525 Howe St., Racine Reservations are required; admission is free, open all year on Fridays only. Offering three tour programs that run from 1 to 3.5 hours. Visit website to schedule a tour at scjohnson.com and for tours of 20 or more call (262) 260-2154. • • • • •

• 11B

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12B • 50plus • November 2013

Holiday gift guide

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A Nov. 9 Comedy With Impact show will raise funds for the benefit of the Fisher House and the Milwaukee Homeless Veterans Initiative.

The show will be held at the Epikos Church, which is housed in the former Paradise Theater at 6229 W. Greenfield Ave. in West Allis.

Comedy With Impact is said to be a hilarious show put on by squeaky clean Milwaukee comedians.

For further information about the 7 p.m. show, prospective attendees are asked to call 1-800-294-4705. The comedy group’s email is info@comedywithimpact.com.

Wisconsin Lutheran breakfast for vets

CEDARBURG DELAFIELD 262-376-4534 262-646-4534

MADISON 414-273-4534

MILWAUKEE WAUKESHA 414-273-4534 262-549-4534

WAUWATOSA 414-258-4534

The November 11th free breakfast for veterans will be served for the 20th straight year at Wisconsin Lutheran High School in Wauwatosa.

Each year, the school’s student council generously hosts about 300 veterans as well as 600 students at this event. The breakfast is served at 7:30 a.m. This is followed by an 8:30 a.m. chapel service with a veteran or active military guest speaker.

Veterans are requested to call 414-543-4567 if they will attend this free event.

Lieblang 2013.indd 1

10/14/13 8:15 AM

ǂ – Enjoy free Milwaukee County Zoo admission for a full year. New Zoo Pass gifts include a plush-toy animal (while supplies last).

ǂ Ƶ OR ǨƩǨǦǦ Ƭ Snow leopard package includes an 11-inch plush-toy snow leopard (while supplies last).

ǂ ¢ featuring Zoo animals – This year’s ornament features Onassis, the Amazon River turtle. ǂ – Purchase a certificate that can be used for a Zoo Pass, Zoological Society events, or education classes and camps.

Zoological Society of Milwaukee County 10005 W. Bluemound Rd. Milwaukee, WI 53226-4383 A Zoological Society and Milwaukee County Zoo Partnership

Purchase any of these gifts at www.milwzoogifts.com or call (414) 258-2333.

November 2013 • 50plus

Pull up A chair in your neighborhood

ARTDEMOS E E MAKE YOUR MARK FR

JOIN

On Thursday, November 7, Emcee Mark Baden, WISN-12 Chief Meteorologist, and Auctioneer Steve “The Homer” True, show host on 540 ESPN, will greet guests at the Chairity luncheon – Pull Up A Chair In Your Neighborhood; benefiting the Neighborhood Outreach Program of Interfaith Older Adult Programs, Inc. Since 1973, Interfaith has connected Milwaukee County’s older adults with our valuable neighborhood outreach program. There are 1` Interfaith neighborhood sites throughout Milwaukee County that provide informal services to older adults (60+) to help them maintain their independence and remain at home. We provide services at no charge with the help of volunteers. The types of services provided include: transportation to medical appointments, banking, grocery shopping, friendly visiting, telephone visits, home chores, advocacy, and information & referral. The 11 programs receive support from sponsoring congregations, area businesses, the United Way of Greater Milwaukee, the Milwaukee County Dept. on Aging, in addition to personal donations and gifts. Pull Up A Chair is aimed to support these efforts and this valuable community resource.

5th Annual “Pull Up a Chair in Your Neighborhood” fund raiser luncheon 11 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. at the Clarion Hotel Airport, 5311 S. Howell Avenue, Milwaukee.

Highlights of the luncheon include: a live auction featuring hand-painted chairs; silent auction, wine pull, Christmas ornaments, holiday gifts and a basket drawing. Photos of the painted chairs can be seen at our website, www.interfaithmilw.org (past painted chairs may be viewed on Interfaith’s Facebook page – pictures).

For More Event Information: Contact Mary Steinke; 414-220-8648

R US FO

SAT NOV 9 11:00 TO 3PM

8 ARTISTS DEMONSTRATING NEW PRODUCTS & TECHNIQUES ı IDEAS FOR THE HOLIDAYS AND MORE DON'T MISS THIS TWICE A YEAR ART EVENT

• 13B

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14B • 50plus • November 2013

Terese Powers; at 98, still helps others Terese Powers is a giver. It’s been a part of who she is since the Great Depression.

Though her family had next to nothing when Powers was a little girl, what they did have was shared with neighbors. Powers has had an unwavering dedication to helping those in need ever since. Even at 98, volunteering is a personal calling, and she

answers it at the Ronald McDonald House in Wauwatosa.

“I just feel everyone needs help at sometime or other, regardless how little it is,” Powers said. “If everyone could do a kind act every day, it would be a good thing.”

Ronald McDonald House Charities provides a home away from home for families of seriously ill or injured

children. Not only do the home and its volunteers provide meals, transportation and other living expenses for free, it offers opportunities for families to find comfort and support. Since the Wauwatosa location opened in 1984, RMH has helped 33,000 families and its 38 guest rooms are always at full occupancy. No one is turned away for inability to pay.

“I just feel everyone needs help at sometime or other, regardless how little it is,” Powers said.

“If everyone could do a kind act every day, it would be a good thing.”

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There are 500 volunteers who assist in one way, shape or form at the Ronald McDonald House. Many give an hour here and there. The majority stop in once every other week. A bi-weekly time commitment was never enough for Powers, who has taken on housekeeping tasks at RMH since it opened. She still volunteers every Monday for as many hours as it takes to complete her work.

“I don’t know anything that I could do that gives me more joy than to do what I’m doing,” Powers said. “I just have to do something for people.

It helps me a lot.”

The job is as important to her as it is to the families and staff at the house.

“She comes every week, which is not typical for a volunteer, usually our volunteers come every other week for three hours,” said Jacquelyn Wahlberg, marketing and public relations coordinator for Ronald McDonald House Charities of Eastern Wisconsin. “She puts together the folders we powers continued on page 15B

November 2013 • 50plus

“I don’t know anything that I could do that gives me more joy than to do what I’m doing,” Powers said. “I just have to do something for people. It helps me a lot.” powers continued from page 14B

use to check in and check out the families and it is really important because it has to be right.”

Many families are scared and emotional when they come to RMH in order to be close to their hospitalized sick or injured children.

“All the information that we’ve provided (families) to get them comfortable is prepared by Terese,” RMH Communications Director Pam Buckley said.

Though the joy she gets from helping people was instilled in her as a child, her resolve was strengthened in 1968. In that year, her husband and mother passed away one week apart.

“That was tough, so I made up my mind to continue to do what my parents did, and they were always so giving and that’s why I’m here,” Powers said.

In addition to volunteering at RMH, she does so at Christ Child Society, an organization dedicated to helping children in need. The society donated the funds to build the playroom at RMH. Despite overcoming cancer and battling arthritis, Powers said, she vowed to herself she would make it to 100 and volunteer every step of the way. She turned 98 in October.

For the staff at RMH, Powers is irreplaceable.

“For everyone in the house that has had the opportunity to know Terese, she is obviously very inspirational to us - so kind, so thoughtful and a great sense of humor,” Buckley said.

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• 15B

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Burnham Village

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The team consisted of Al Alt-Waukesha (MVP and all tournament player), Gary Blaschkemanager of Brookfield, Ron Bruce of Butler (all tournament player, Rod Wilterdink of Grafton (all tournament player), Mike Michalek of Darien (all tournament player),Greg Hudack of West Bend,Bert Hempler of Oconomowoc(all tournament player), Pastor Mike Ernst of Waterford, Dave Christiansen of Greenfield, Dennis Ermi of West Allis, Eddie Carlson field manager, of Waukesha, and John Litzenberger of Mt. Pleasant. Sponsors of our team are Michaels Restaurant of West Allis, Reggies Entertainment and Krause Funeral Home

Las Vegas/SSUSA World Masters Championships The Michaels team 65 and older playing in the AAA division won the prestigious Las Vegas/SSUSA World Masters Championship. There were a

total of 480 teams playing in the tournament with 24 teams in the division.

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PROFESSIONAL SERVICE • Church and Chapel Funeral Services provides dignified funeral services in your church, cemetery chapel, our funeral home chapels, or the chapel of your choosing with savings of more than $2,000 are common.

• For example, we provide the service in your church, or beautiful cemetery chapels are available when final disposition is made there.

• We make personal service arrangements in the comfort and privacy of your home, church, our arrangement office, or any of our funeral home locations.

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Ritter-Larsen Chapel 1875 N. Calhoun Rd.

Waukesha/Pewaukee

Rudolph, Larsen Bros. Chapel Bluemound Rd. at Hwy. J 4 Blocks South of I-94

• We display monuments, caskets, vaults, and urns making Church and Chapel your one stop planning center.

• Pre-planning Centers are open Monday through Saturday or by appointment. Stop by and browse at your leisure and receive free no-obligation information. Should you wish, we can meet in the comfort and privacy of your own home.

• Dignified Services with less expensive fees compared to other fine funeral homes.

• All cremation service options are available utilizing on-site crematory.

PRE-PLANNING CENTERS • 92nd & Bluemound • Bluemound Rd @ Hwy J With Church and Chapel Funeral Service...

Savings of $2,000 are common

South

Ryczek Chapel 1910 W. Becher St.

New Berlin

Ritter, Larsen Bros. Chapel 15250 W. National Ave.

Northwest

Bistricky-Irsch-Grosse Chapel 6709 W. Capitol Dr.

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Ryczek , Larsen Bros. Chapel 3774 E. Underwood Ave.

West Allis

Skubal-Slattery-Koelsch, Larsen Bros. Chapel 7626 W. Greenfield Ave.

-Gordon Hinkley

www.churchandchapel.com Gordon Hinkley is the spokesperson for Church & Chapel and is not a funeral director.