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GAZETTE
SENIORS Editors Graphic Design Contributing Writers
Corporate Advertising Director Creative Director Prepress Manager Special Sections Coordinator
Tiffany Arnold, Anna Joyce Anna Joyce Karen Finucan Clarkson Ellen R. Cohen Katherine Heerbrandt Arlene Karidis Jim Mahaffie Kate McDermott Dennis Wilston Anna Joyce John Schmitz Ashby Rice
PUBLISHED BY THE GAZETTE/POST COMMUNITY MEDIA, LLC 9030 COMPRINT COURT, GAITHERSBURG, MD 20877 | GAZETTE.NET
Gazette Seniors is produced by The Gazette’s Special Sections and Advertising departments. It does not involve The Gazette’s newsrooms. Contact us at Seniors@gazette.net. ON THE COVER: GEORGE AND IRIS WILSON: PHOTO BY TRACEY BROWN PHOTOGRAPHY, COURTESY OF WASHINGTON ADVENTIST HOSPITAL. INSET PHOTO: ERNIE BYLES COURTESY OF ERNIE BYLES
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SIGN ME UP
A SPORT FOR A LIFETIME u Seniors Reap the
Benefits of Pingpong BY KAREN FINUCAN CLARKSON
F
orget sitting on the sidelines. “Watching isn’t for me. I want to participate and create experiences. Table tennis lets me do that,” said Ernie Byles. As the 53-year-old Rockville resident prepares to defend his table tennis titles at the Maryland Senior Olympics in Pikesville this September and the National Senior Games in Minnesota in 2015, he pays homage to a sport that helped give him the courage and stamina to fight cancer and bring balance back to his life. Byles’ prostate cancer diagnosis five years ago forced him to reevaluate his priorities. “When I found out about the diagnosis, I decided I wanted to survive,” said the father of two, “and the key to survival is preparation … I knew my immune system would be compromised and challenged by the cancer and surgery, so I started thinking about what would increase the probability of my surviving and recovering.” Table tennis, a vegetarian diet and stress reduction topped the list. Having watched older adults play at the Potomac Community Recreation Center, Byles knew pingpong was a lifelong sport. “They are 60, 70, 80 and still able to compete. They may walk up to the table with some difficulty but, once there, they are in control of the ball,” he said.“As you get older, yes, you can’t move as well, but you can place the ball more; yes, you don’t have as much power, but you can change up the strategy. So at any age, you can play table tennis.”
And that holds true even for people who have
never played the game, according to Tom Norwood, president of the Northern Virginia Table Tennis Club (NVTTC). “One of my favorite opponents started when he was around 55,” said the McLean resident. Norwood, who played through college, returned to the sport in 2003 when his sons gave him a pingpong table for his birthday. “It rejuvenated my interest,” he said. And it helps him stay in shape. “If you play seriously, not just batting the ball in the basement, you put out a lot of sweat and exercise a whole lot of muscles. And it’s good for those of us who are aging, as there aren’t issues, like with weightlifting, with strains and such.” See PINGPONG, 24
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TOP, PADDLES: JUPITERIMAGES/LIQUIDLIBRARY/THINKSTOCK. ABOVE: COURTESY OF ERNIE BYLES
Table tennis champion Ernie Byles stands on stage during a medal parade at the 2013 National Senior Games in Cleveland. Byles earned gold in men’s singles and mixed doubles and earned a silver medal in the men’s doubles. July 2014 | Gazette SENIORS
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ROCKVILLE SENIOR CENTER
A LOCAL INSTITUTION TOP: The Rockville Senior Center’s bocce team gets pumped up before leaving for a tournament. RIGHT: David Spitzer heads up the center’s wellequipped woodshop.
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STORY AND PHOTOS BY JIM MAHAFFIE
I
t’s a Thursday morning in early summer, and Rockville’s biggest center for senior recreation and social support is waking up to strength training classes, English classes for speakers of other languages, pingpong, a tai chi workout and several gentlemen shooting pool. Raquel Malamud, Karina Dodson and Nancy Fox greet guests at the front desk. Light jazz music is playing throughout the building, and a boisterous group of blue-shirted bocce players is waiting for their bus to a tournament at Riderwood, a senior living community in Silver Spring. “We’re busy all the time,” said Terri Hilton, manager of the Rockville Senior Center.“We run 45 fitness classes a week and dozens of different classes and activities.” Lunch is served weekdays at noon. Besides the activities at the center, said Hilton, there are trips on chartered buses to local attractions, NewYork shows and interesting destinations like Solomon’s Island. The range of activities is broad. For instance, with a growing interest among seniors in social media, the center offers classes in it, as well as classes on how to use a smartphone. There is also an active group of seniors learn-
ing English and there are citizenship classes. “This is in response to Rockville’s growing population of immigrants,” said Marylou Berg, communication manager for the City of Rockville. “One-third of Rockville’s residents were born in another country.” In addition to the exercise, computer, recreation and educational programs, the center offers an outreach program with help in areas such as health insurance counseling, home repair, Medicare/Medicaid, legal assistance, aging-in-place options, senior housing and transportation. Door-to-door bus service is available daily to take residents to and from the center, said Hilton. The center is a City of Rockville facility, managed under the Recreation and Parks department. Converted from a school in the 1980s, it’s tucked into theWoodley Gardens neighborhood between Gude Drive and Interstate 270. The Rockville Senior Center is available to people starting at age 60, said Berg, “which means we must offer programming to a huge span of ages and interests.The fitness center is a good example of that.We want it to appeal to people who are already in shape, who want to get in shape, who want to stay active and who are recovering from an illness or surgery.” Gazette.Net
Tim Chesnutt is the director of Recreation and Parks for the city. He’s worked in similar capacities in other counties in other states and said that Rockville is one of the best such facilities he’s seen.“Ultimately, it’s the people that keep everyone coming back, and these folks here are excellent,” he said. Hilton’s staff includes 23 employees and more than 300 volunteers a year. Rockville’s senior population is expanding fast.According to Chesnutt, the number of seniors in the city will double by 2020. Go to rockvillemd.gov/seniorcenter for more information.You may also pick up a copy of the recreation guide at the senior center or at many city facilities. Rockville Senior Center 1150 Carnation Drive, Rockville 20850 240-314-8800 Open Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Saturday (drop-in use only), 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Fitness room open Monday to Friday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., Saturdays 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: Gebre Kristos is at the center’s gym every day, working out on state-of-the-art equipment. Sisters Karen Baker (left) of Bethesda and Susan Snyder of Rockville work out together three days a week in fitness classes and in the gym. Jim Shaffer, 74, consults with fitness instructor Will Wilt, morning manager in the gym.
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BEWARE of SCAMS VOLUNTEERS WORK TO KEEP SENIORS SAFE BY KATHERINE HEERBRANDT
S
pring and summer are prime seasons for home improvement scams targeting the senior population. Those who want to stay independent and not burden their families or children with home maintenance projects are especially at risk, according to Lucille Bauer, spokesperson for Montgomery County police. Although elder abuse is a serious concern, seniors are far more likely to be victims of fraud or scams than physical abuse, Bauer said. Adult Protective Services investigations of the financial exploitation of seniors increased by 33 percent between fiscal year 2012 and 2013, according to the Montgomery County Commission on Aging’s 2013 annual report. The most common scams are related to home repair. “They say your driveway needs repair … or your roof needs [to be] fixed,” Bauer said. Seniors may overpay for subpar work, like pouring oil on the driveway and not resurfacing the asphalt. Another prevalent home repair scam is charging exorbitant rates for unnecessary tree trimming work. Police issue press releases when new scams make the rounds and encourage seniors to call 911 when they are targeted. A popular scam that focuses on seniors, but can involve younger adults too, is a phone call claiming that their child or grandchild is in trouble and needs money right away. “They might say their grandchild has been in a traffic collision in Florida, and to wire money to this address. Of course, the grandparents want to do what they can and the perpetrators sound very professional,” Bauer said. Seniors are often likely targets because they may be more trusting and want to believe in the best of people, according to Bauer. One of the latest rip-off schemes happens in grocery stores. A perpetrator will ask questions about preparing a dish,
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ISTOCKPHOTO/STURTI
while a second perpetrator steals the wallet from the senior’s purse or takes the entire purse. Another scenario becoming increasingly problematic takes place in medical services buildings. “A senior is in an elevator, and the perpetrator will say to be on the lookout for a dropped contact lens. While the senior is looking down, someone is picking their pockets,” Bauer said. One of the problems for seniors reporting such crimes is embarrassment and the fear losing their independence, Bauer said. Savvy seniors are always on the lookout for the latest scams and fraud, but those who are not in the know have plenty of resources to educate themselves.
The Maryland Office of the Attorney General (OAG) publishes a free guide for seniors that identifies the most common scams, including sweepstakes, advance fee loan and credit card scams, international lotteries and more. The three key signs of potential fraud, according to the OAG, are: 1.You are contacted by a stranger, 2.You are offered “a great deal,” and 3. You must act right away. Getting the word out is a “continuing process” involving multiple agencies in the state and county, including the OAG, the Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services and the Commission on Aging. Many sponsor presentations, produce free publications
and offer advice to area and regional senior centers. The challenge, Bauer said, is getting to those seniors who are more reticent to reach out for help. For many years, police held monthly senior meetings at the Westfield Montgomery shopping center’s movie theater, attracting an average of 200 seniors. The 15-minute presentations focused on safety and were followed by a free screening of a previously released movie.The meetings went on hiatus in June while the theater undergoes renovation. Another way the police department reaches out to the community’s seniors is through its all-volunteer Keeping Seniors Safe [KSS] program. The handful of volGazette.Net
Free Hearing Tests unteers led by Morton A. Davis of LeisureWorld give lectures and presentations on a variety of safety topics on shopping, driving and telephone scams, fraud and more. If a senior becomes a victim of scam or fraud, Davis, 84, strongly advises it be reported right away. “You can often catch the perpetrator, but the longer you wait to report it, the harder it is to catch them,” Davis said. “A lot of times if they make a mistake, they are afraid their children will hear about it and take over their finances.” KSS volunteers will speak to groups upon request. Holidays are the groups’ most active times. From November through January, in particular, people need to be reminded about keeping alert while shopping. “We tell the men to keep their wallets in a their side pockets, not in the back pockets. Women have a tendency to wait until they get to their cars to look for their keys, or they open the trunk and put their purses in there for anyone to see,” Davis said. KSS also gives lectures on fire safety and consumer protection. “There are so many things they [seniors] don’t know about,” Davis said.
set for
MORE RESOURCES: l
l
For a one-stop view of senior services, visit the Montgomery Senior Site at montgomery countymd.gov/senior, call 240-777-3000 or dial 311. For a consumer guide for seniors, visit www.oag.state.md.us/ Consumer/seniors.pdf or call 888-743-0023.
The fire department, for example, will install smoke alarms free for qualifying seniors. Senior centers will pick people up and drive them home. Utility assistance, a dental clinic and prescription assistance are other resources KSS talks about. “Seniors need the help, and it’s out there,” Davis said. To schedule a Keeping Seniors Safe volunteer to speak to your group, call 240-773-5625.
Montgomery County Area Age 55+ Free electronic hearing tests will be given from Wednesday, July 23rd through Friday, August 1st at select locations in Montgomery County. Tests have been arranged for anyone who suspects they are losing their hearing. Such persons generally say they can hear but cannot understand words. Testing with the latest computerized equipment will indicate if you can be helped. Everyone, especially adults over 55, should have an electronic hearing test at least once a year. If there is a hearing problem, hearing tests may reveal that newly developed methods of correction will help, even for those who have been told in the past that a hearing aid would not help them. If you suspect you have hearing loss, call for a free hearing test appointment. Our licensed specialists are trained in the latest auditory testing methods and will be the first ones to tell you if you don’t need a hearing aid. If you do have hearing loss, we will explain your results and provide you with a list of options.
Wednesday, July 23, 2014 - Friday, August 1, 2014
Call 1-800-701-3573 for an appointment Bethesda, MD Wildwood Medical Center 10401 Old Georgetown Rd, Suite 102
Silver Spring, MD Connecticut Belair Medical Park 3915 Ferrara Drive
Frederick, MD Guilford Professional Ctr 5950 Frederick Crossing Ln. Suite 100
Frederick, MD Sears Hearing Center by Beltone Francis Scott Key Mall 5500 Buckeystown Pike
Gaithersburg, MD Sears Hearing Center by Beltone Lakeforest Mall 701 Russell Ave
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SIGN ME UP
How to get involved • Chesapeake & Ohio Canal
National Historic Park Great Falls Tavern Visitor Center 11710 MacArthur Blvd., Potomac Rebecca Jameson, park ranger, Palisades District 301-491-1479 (mobile) 301-767-3709 (office)
Finding new satisfaction in
VOLUNTEERING
• Food & Friends
219 Riggs Road, NE, Washington, D.C. Main number: 202-269-2277 info@foodandfriends.org Volunteer services: 202-269-6824 volunteer@foodandfriends.org
• Holy Cross Hospital Health Center
7997 Georgia Ave., Silver Spring 301-754-7000
• L’Academie de Cuisine
5021 Wilson Lane, Bethesda Emily Worth, volunteer coordinator 301-986-9490, ext. 303 eworth@lacademie.com or assistants@lacademie.com
• Literacy Council of
Montgomery County 21 Maryland Ave., Rockville Maggie Bruno, workshop coordinator 301-610-0030 www.literacycouncilmcmd.org
• Mobile Medical Care Inc.
9309 Old Georgetown Road, Bethesda 301-493-2400 Send an email to volunteer@mobile medicalcare.org to start the application process.
• Smithsonian Associates
Jenna Jones, volunteer coordinator 202-633-8596
• Suburban Hospital
8600 Old Georgetown Road, Bethesda Pam Fogan, director of volunteer services 301-896-3092
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Gazette SENIORS | July 2014
COURTESY OF ELLEN COHEN
Writer Ellen Cohen, seated at right, said a whole new world opened up for her when she became a volunteer at L’Academie de Cuisine, a recreational cooking program that offers classes in Bethesda. Participants and staff posed for this photo during a cooking session. From top left: Emily Worth, Dan Simons, Sharron Brossi, Namita Kothary and Bev Simons.
BY ELLEN R. COHEN
A
fter retiring from jobs or careers, many seniors look for meaningful activities. For example, my husband Harvey Cohen and I, both enthusiastic cooks, have taken many cooking classes.We love watching demonstrations and creating gourmet dishes from take-home recipes. Several years ago, we discovered the recreational cooking program at L’Academie de Cuisine (LADC), in Bethesda, known as a place where “good cooks become great.” While the professional branch of the school trains chefs in Gaithersburg,the recreational branch in Bethesda attracts people like us who enjoy home
cooking.When our grown children began giving us LADC gift certificates for birthdays and anniversaries, Harvey and I happily enrolled in nine classes between 2000 and 2013.There was a note on the recipe packet from the last class:“Would you like to be a volunteer?” I did, and a new world opened to me. Since March 2013, I have volunteered about twice a month at LADC, enjoying my new knowledge. “Volunteers come from Montgomery and Fairfax counties,” said Emily Worth, volunteer coordinator. Each class lasts three hours and has three assistants who arrive an hour early and stay an hour late.We prep before class, measuring the ingredients students will need for their dishes.We assist during demonstrations, answer questions and help students
“What I do is needed and appreciated by the staff, and I really enjoy working here.” -Judy Ritz, Suburban Hospital volunteer
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“I have always been fascinated by language and appalled by statistics of how much illiteracy there is in affluent Montgomery County.” -Martin Shargel, Literacy Council volunteer
with equipment and supplies. After class, we dry and put away utensils, wipe counters, sweep floors and prepare the class area for the next group. Assistants earn points used for discounts on future classes and are often invited to enjoy lunch or dessert “final exams” made by the professional school students—truly worth every calorie. My husband, who still works three days a week seeing orthopedic patients at the Veterans Administration Hospital in Baltimore, volunteers monthly at Holy Cross Hospital Health Center in Silver Spring and at Mobile Medical Care Inc. (MobileMed), a Bethesda-based organization that provides orthopedic consultations to uninsured patients in Montgomery County.
There is quite an array of volunteer
opportunities available to those who are interested. Sometimes a group seeks volunteers who would benefit from learning new skills and who are willing to work for free—which benefits the group. “I have always been fascinated by language and appalled by statistics of how much illiteracy there is in affluent Montgomery County,” said Martin Shargel, a retired physician. Board-certified in internal and geriatric medicine, Shargel has been involved with the Literary Council of Montgomery County for the past year. He works with a student once or twice a week, meeting at
public places such as libraries, and working to perfect his student’s reading and writing skills. “She works hard,” said Shargel about his current student, a woman from Ethiopia who has recently achieved citizenship and wants to improve her competency in English. “This is rewarding work,” said Shargel, “and I feel good doing it.” Carolyn Shargel, who is Martin Shargel’s wife, volunteers at a totally different venue: the White House Office of Presidential Correspondence (OPC). Now in her fourth year with OPC, Carolyn Shargel reads emails sent to the president and forwards them for appropriate attention. If someone needs help with an issue, the response includes a link to a website, or perhaps a letter will then be written by a staff person to address the issue. “I have known about this office for years and always wanted to work here,” said Carolyn Shargel, who volunteers once a week for four to six hours. In existence since the early 1900s, the OPC originally dealt with letters addressed to theWhite House. Now emails are included, as are other types of communications to the president, such as gifts to the first family and calls coming into the White House.Volunteers may also handle requests for milestone birthdays to be acknowledged. About 480 volunteers from Maryland, Virginia and the District work in OPC departments.
“This is totally different from every other part of my life and I love it,” Carolyn Shargel said.
Elihu Leifer, a retired attorney, has been a volunteer with Food & Friends for about five
years. This nonprofit organization, founded in 1988, distributes meals to people with HIV and AIDS, cancer and other serious illnesses. Approximately once a month, Leifer and a colleague pick up food from designated locations and make deliveries to addresses provided by Food & Friends. Based inWashington, D.C., Food & Friends’ service area includes more than 5,300 miles—as far north as Hagerstown, Md., and as far south as Fredericksburg, Va., according to the nonprofit’s website, foodandfriends.org. There is no economic qualification for recipients. “These people depend on us, and I enjoy chatting with them,” said Leifer.
When Paula and Arthur Post moved here from Long Island, N.Y., Paula Post was ready to do something different. She had retired from Chase Manhattan Bank as an industrial/organizational psychologist. Now, 15 years later, she is involved in a variety of volunteer activities. The Posts usher at Arena Stage, Signature Theatre See VOLUNTEER, 26
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LIVING
KENTLANDS MANOR
where the
FUN never ends
Maria Lenk (left) and Sarah Allnut (bottom left) at a craft day Bottom right: Bob Blazo, Jessie Brown, Eugene Blacher
BY ARLENE KARIDIS
R
ose and Ron Mahan received brochures from about a dozen retirement communities in Maryland when they retired in n 2003. But the search stopped when they saw an apartment at Kentlands ands Manor in Gaithersburg. “We knew it was where we wanted to be,” said Rose Mahan.“It .“It was big and bright and beautiful and looked out on Main Street with the shops and young people walking up and down.” Kentlands Manor offers independent living to seniors who like to stay connected in the community beyond their apartment building, ding, but who also want to have ample activities, friends and conveniencnces right at home. “It’s basically an apartment building where people live com-pletely on their own, but in a place that is geared toward seniors,” said Sharon Drinkard Hawkshawe, regional property PHOTOS COURTESY OF KENTLANDS MANOR
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manager forThe Donaldson Group, which manages Kentlands Manor. Kentlands Manor has 219 one- and two-bedroom units with full kitchens, washers and dryers. Each of the two buildings has a billiard room, card room, library, arts and crafts room, several party rooms, a fitness center and theater room. The décor is classic and elegant with a modern twist. When you walk into the lobby your eyes will likely go to the self-playing piano that runs much of the time. Above, a large chandelier is encircled by three smaller ones. The fireplace room is past the lobby. “Residents especially love this room, with French doors and big, comfortable armchairs that are easy to get in and out of,” said Hawkshawe. “The card room is another favorite.” The Mahans moved to Kentlands Manor from Hickory, N.C., in order to be closer to their daughter in Bethesda. Rose Mahan said she feels safe and secure at Kentlands Manor. “I feel like everything that is not directly in my control will be taken care of,” she said. “Maintenance is dependable and done quickly and well.” Gazette.Net
Silver Spring/Colesville: 301-384-4245 32 Vital Way Rockville/Gaithersburg: 301-977-8695 404 King Farm Blvd. #140 North Bethesda: 301-365-6270 11621 Nebel St
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Mahan said she enjoys the stores, restaurants and her nearby church, but she stays at least as active in the building. “All I have to do is go down the steps, and I’m at the gym,” Mahan said. “And I don’t have to pay extra for that.” While Mahan said she enjoys playing cards and bingo, she says one of her favorite activities is attending the parties. “There are DJs who play music. There’s food, dancing, decorations, and it’s just fun,” said Mahan. Hawkshawe said residents were still talking about a 1950s-themed sock hop that was held a while back. “The women came dressed in their poodle skirts and the men in their knickers,” Hawkshawe said. “They were saving seats for each other.They were eating and dancing together. Even people in wheelchairs were spinning their wheelchairs around. They were reminiscing, asking, each other, ‘Do you remember this dance?’” Most of the social events are free, as is the case with some health-related services, such as the monitoring of vital signs and a home service coordinator who checks on homebound residents. Also at no cost See KENTLANDS, 26
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LIVING
HAPPIEST BIRTHDAYS!
Gazette Seniors asked local folks what their most memorable birthday was. Here’s what they had to say: AS TOLD TO KAREN FINUCAN CLARKSON PHOTOS COURTESY OF INTERVIEWEES; BALLOONS: STOCKBYTE/THINKSTOCK
Ruthie Swain
Alan Rosenthal
Sheldon and Roberta Hochberg
RUTHIE SWAIN, 91 Asbury Methodist Village, Gaithersburg I was flying home on Southwest Airlines from Phoenix, where my family had given me a 90th birthday party. My daughter whispered in a flight attendant’s ear that it was my actual birthday. I was so surprised when the whole plane sang “Happy Birthday” and two flight attendants presented me with a cake made from a roll of toilet tissue. They used coffee stirrers as candles and empty peanut wrappers for flames. … The cake said, “Happy birthday, love Southwest Airlines” and included the flight number.They also made a crown for me.When we landed, my daughter and I, who were seated in the third row, waited to take a picture with all three flight attendants. That meant everyone had to file past. They all kept saying, “Happy birthday,” and “You don’t look 90 years old.” On the way home, we stopped for dinner at Panera Bread, where my daughter told everyone about the special birthday cake. It was a glorious day and my happiest recollection of a birthday. I still have [the cake and crown] in a bag. I can’t bear to throw them away.
and Farms. It was something we had done that precise week almost every year since 1972. The day before our week came to an end, I was asked on some pretext to proceed to an open area some distance from the main building.When I arrived, I found gathered—with quantities of food and drink on hand—my two sons, and their families, and my daughter from Texas. In attendance as well was a large number of invitees whom Helen and I had gotten to know and to like immensely over the years as fellow first-week-in-August Capon Springs guests. In a word, it was a surprise party arranged to celebrate, albeit almost two months early, my 80th birthday. Helen is now gone and unhappily I no longer get to Capon Springs. But the memories of that surprise party are still vivid almost eight years later and will remain so for whatever time I have left.
made with a picture of me in front of the White House saying, “What would the world be like if Roberta was president?”… Even more of a surprise was Sheldon’s gift. He had asked my daughter and son what kind of jewelry I’d like and both said, “Dad, mom doesn’t want jewelry, what she wants is a car. When Sheldon came home, he called me out to the driveway where he stood beside a car covered in balloons. It took me a while to get it, as it was the last thing I imagined he would do. The brunch for mom also was memorable, as she was totally lucid. At one point, she turned to me and said, “I’m having such a great time.” It was the last good event she had.
ALAN ROSENTHAL, 87 Ingleside at King Farm, Rockville In 2006, my wife Helen and I spent the first week of August at a West Virginia resort called Capon Springs 14
Gazette SENIORS | July 2014
ROBERTA & SHELDON HOCHBERG, 71 Bethesda ROBERTA: My mother and I were born 30 years apart. We were having a 90th birthday brunch for her, so family had arrived from out of state. For my 60th, I told Sheldon that a family dinner would be nice.We went to Beducci in Dupont Circle. As we entered, there were about 50 people—all of whom, I eventually realized, I knew! Because I had been very involved in politics, they had a poster
SHELDON: Growing up, we didn’t celebrate birthdays much. I did get gifts, but parties were not a big thing in my family. It was the same through high school, college, law school and into marriage. Until I turned 40. Roberta had invited all my friends and bought Groucho Marx masks and kazoos for them. We were sitting in the family room when they assembled on the lawn and started blowing the kazoos, which sounded like bees. I opened the door to this amazing sight. The party, my first ever, was wonderful. I have a picture hanging in our family room of Roberta, me and the two kids after the party when I’m completely worn out. It’s a very cute picture that I keep because it is so significant. Gazette.Net
Paul F. Love
PAUL F. LOVE, 64 Bethesda My grandparents, Jews who escaped persecution in Russia, came to this country around 1909…. and my grandfather opened a shoe store in Washington, D.C. When it burned, he relocated to H Street, NE, home to a tight-knit Jewish community. In 1945, my uncle and father set up shop on the same block. During the ’50s, this is where I and my brothers and sisters and cousins grew up. I have fond memories of my grandmother’s cooking and celebrating the holidays in their apartment above the store. While H St. went into decline after the 1968 riots, in the last seven or eight years it has become a happening place. Just before I turned 60, my cousin mentioned that 1355 H St. was being turned into a German beer garden.When Kathy, my sweet wife, asked what I wanted to do for my birthday, I said, “Why don’t we go to H Street to celebrate?” While the Biergarten Haus wasn’t in any condition for a party, that didn’t stop Kathy. The food was prepped elsewhere. The beer was cold and the drinks were great. Because the streetcar line was under
Marcy Pekar
construction, Kathy rented a bus for the guests. When my two aunts—one almost 90 and one 87—got off the bus, the memories of all the great things that happened at 1355 came flowing back. They kept saying, “Oh, my God. Oh, my God.” That was the best birthday present.
MARCY PEKAR, 74 Bethesda In 1991, my husband and I visited my mother in Richland, Mo. She had moved there years before, when my stepfather retired. I knew that her china, given to her on her wedding in 1934 to my own father, who died in World War II, was in the garage. We were preparing to leave the next day when mother asked me what I wanted for my birthday. I told her that I’d love a piece or two of her wedding china. My husband got the barrel out of the garage. In the horrible heat—there was no shade—we began to go through it. Pieces, such as a miniature pitcher that belonged to my mother’s grandmother, surfaced, as did plates that belonged to her mother.
Roberta Teitelbaum
She told me stories about each piece and I wrote them down. It took all day in the hot sun. I am so grateful to have captured those stories while she was alive. Mother died a year ago March at 103.
ROBERTA TEITELBAUM, 72 Leisure World, Silver Spring It was my 13th birthday and I was daddy’s little girl. So, he wanted to do something special. We didn’t have a lot of money in 1955, but he arranged to take me and three girlfriends to lunch. For some reason, perhaps it was a money issue, my mother didn’t join us. There was a little restaurant on Main Street in our small town called theTea Room. It was the place for businessmen in Greenburg, Pa., to go to lunch. My father reserved a table right in the middle of the restaurant and treated us to a wonderful meal. Because my birthday was around St. Patrick’s Day, he bought carnations for the table and had them dyed green, which was pretty special at that time.
Services Include: Three meals a day • Daily activity programs • Weekly excursions to local merchants & restaurants Weekly housekeeping & laundry service • Assistance with personal services as needed
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LIVING
Building an
ACCESSIBLE BATH BY JOHN BYRD
E
sther Ahn raised four children in the sturdy brick rambler her husband Larry Ahn built in Kensington in the early 1950s, and continued living in the familiar family home after he died in 2009.With frequent visits from her children, her day-to-day situation was appreciably comfortable, secure and normalized. But after falling several times, two surgeries and an extensive stay in a rehab facility, doctors said Ahn would probably need wheelchair assistance for the foreseeable future.
Since Ahn would be busy with rehab for several months, the children decided to have a completely wheelchairfriendly bathroom waiting for her when she returned. It was while Ahn was in rehab that her daughter Linda Nishioka and the other children recognized the need to retrofit the house—and particularly the bathroom—to accommodate the wheelchair. “We thought it would be easier when she was out of the house to educate ourselves on what was needed,” Nishioka said. “We decided to all pitch in and make it happen. It was a family project.” Certainly the timing was right. Ahn’s bathing routine—which had consisted of moving from the wheelchair to the existing tub via a transfer bench— was becoming increasingly difficult. Despite the bathroom’s compact 7.6-feet-by-7.4-feet footprint, the siblings thought a new roll-in shower would make bathing easier. Since Ahn would be busy with rehab for several months, the children de16
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PHOTO BY STACY ZARIN GOLDBERG, COURTESY OF JOHN BYRD
Linda Nishioka (right) and her three siblings surprised their mother Esther Ahn (left) with a wheelchair-accessible bathroom on her 94th birthday. The small space solution by Glickman Design Build includes a curbless shower.
cided to have a completely wheelchairfriendly bathroom waiting for her when she returned home—hopefully by midJune, when she would be celebrating her 94th birthday. Researching local resources, Nishioka contacted aging-in-place specialist Russ Glickman, president of Glickman Design Build in North Potomac, who showed up the following day with his design consultant,Wayne Shorter.
“I began to get a lot of clarity right away on what we could accomplish,” Nishioka said. “Among other concerns, I expected we would need to allocate extra space for the roll-in shower and assumed we would have to eliminate some useful storage spaces in the room adjacent to the master bath.” In relatively short order, however, Shorter presented a space plan that could be executed without removing walls.
“The layout is very precise,” Nishioka said of the 72-square-foot bathroom. “It meets all of mom’s needs while preserving rooms still needed for other uses. Frankly, we didn’t think this kind of focused solution was even possible.” Better yet, by eliminating the costs associated with moving walls (from $3,000 to $5,000), Nishioka found that the budget See BATH, 23 Gazette.Net
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TRAVEL
PHOTO BY ROBERT J. DEVERS
Enid Hyde, a 58-year resident of Bethesda, far left, and Leslie Hyde, her daughter and co-founder of the Amalfi Coast Music & Arts Festival, far right, overlooking the magnificent Amalfi Coast
Celebrating
A R T & MU S I C u Locals
head to Italy’s Amalfi coast
BY JIM MAHAFFIE
A
PHOTO BY ROBERT J. DEVERS
ABOVE: A tour of the beautiful Villa Rufolo in Ravello, Italy RIGHT: Michael and Nancy-Jean Daniels of Bethesda spent the last few summers at the festival. PHOTO COURTESY OF MICHAEL DANIELS
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malfi is an especially beautiful area of southern Italy on the Gulf of Salerno. A popular holiday destination, it’s also a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)World Heritage site. Among other attractions, it’s the home of the Amalfi Coast Music & Arts Festival every July, which has powerful local connections to our area. Ellen Pechman of Bethesda just celebrated her 70th birthday while she was there. Michael Daniels, 84, of Bethesda attended as well. Helen Schwartz, 71, of Chevy Chase was there in 2012. Leslie Hyde is executive director of the festival, which she co-founded with her husband, Sasha Katsnelson. She grew up in Bethesda and lives in the area today. While working in Rome she met Katsnelson, a Russian violinist working
in Italy. “Sasha also had a regular gig at a small festival on the Amalfi Coast, which is how we started spending our summers there 25 years ago,” said Hyde. The couple started the festival in 1996 along with other key players, including Dr.Thomas Mastroianni of Silver Spring, who is professor emeritus of piano at the BenjaminT. Rome School of Music atThe Catholic University of America.“We’ve had many key faculty and guest artists and many students over the years from Catholic,” said Hyde. “The vision has always been to create a community of musicians and music aficionados, artists and art lovers of all ages amidst the splendid cultural riches and beauty of the Amalfi coast,” Hyde said. “It has grown ever since.” “I went back to Amalfi after seven years,” said Pechman. “I really missed it.” Among other activities, Pechman is taking a tile-making course at the festival offered by Robert Devers, a Corcoran Gazette.Net
COURTESY OF ELLEN PECHMAN
One of visual arts excursions for guests of the festival was a trip to the renowned Ceramica Solimene in Salerno.
College of Art + Design associate professor in Washington, D.C., and a ceramics teacher atVisArts at Rockville. “You can attend lectures, take master classes, go to various rehearsals and see how singers are trained,” said Daniels. “They put on operas and opera scenes, and you can be part of it as a spectator.” Daniels first attended the festival after losing his wife of 44 years in 2009. “I didn’t know what to do with myself and thought this would be a good way to get away from it all,” he said of his first trip. “I met so many friends and met so many nice people. I love opera and the music was great.” He raved about the gorgeous Amalfi Coast, too. He met his wife Nancy-Jean Daniels, 75, at a similar event and has taken her along the past few years. “You learn a lot and have so much fun, and you meet a lot of very talented people.” Enid Hyde, Leslie Hyde’s mother, is a 58-year resident of Westmoreland Hills in Bethesda. She has brought groups of senior art-history lovers to the festival over the years and coordinated the seniors group this year, too. A retired art history teacher, Enid Hyde has led overseas art history tours for decades for Gazette.Net
the Corcoran College of Art + Design, among other organizations. Schwartz, 71, of Chevy Chase, attended the festival in 2012 and vowed to return. A retired English professor, she heard about the event from the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute. “It’s fairly open in terms of scheduling. If you’re a watcher or listener, you can tour during the day, have dinner with festival people and then go for a concert. But you can also attend rehearsals during the day, and you really learn a lot by watching these performers and their coaching.” The Amalfi Coast Music & Arts Festival is produced by the Center of Musical Studies ofWashington, D.C., in conjunction with the Accademia Jacopo Napoli of Salerno, Italy, and Artis International. Based in Maiori, Italy, the event features a month of concerts and music and arts programs each summer.Visitors can also enjoy the Amalfi Coast; just a few of the attractions include the excavations of Pompeii, the seaside town of Positano, the town of Ravello and the Greek temples at Paestum. For more information about the festival, visit amalfi-festival.org.
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HEALTH
DURING A STROKE
‘MINUTES ARE
PRECIOUS’
Due to the quick action of his wife, Iris Wilson, George Wilson promptly got the treatment he needed to recover from a stroke two years ago.
B
BY KA KATE MCDERMOTT
PHOTO BY TRACEY BROWN PHOTOGRAPHY, COURTESY OF WASHINGTON ADVENTIST HOSPITAL
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y the th he time ti you finish readingg thi this article, nine people in America Am A will have had a st trroke and at least one of stroke th hem will die as a result. them T The American Heart Ass Association reports that st strokes will kill more th than 129,000 people th this year, making burst oor blocked blood vesssels in the brain the fo fourth leading cause of death in the United Sta S States. Although stroke death rates have dropped de nearly 36 percent over the last decade, decad the sobering fact remains that aalmost 800,000 people will have a str stroke before the year is over and many of those who survive disabled by the interruptwill be left disa ed blood supp supply to their brains. Given tho those statistics, George Wilson of Hya Hyattsville knows he’s incredibly lucky to be alive following his stroke in December D 2012.Thanks to the quick decision d by his wife, Iris Wilson, to call 911 immediately after he collapsed, he received essential medical treatm treatment within the critical first few hour hours after his stroke.That treatment not only saved his life, but also markedly reduced r lasting damage to his brain.To brain.Today, GeorgeWilson has no significant physical impairments other than som some slight speech impairment that he ccontinues to overcome through therap therapy. Amir Zang Zangiabadi, M.D., a neurologist atWashington Adventist Hos-
pital in Takoma Park, was waiting for GeorgeWilson when he arrived in the emergency room. Zangiabadi immediately evaluated Wilson’s condition and ordered a CT scan to determine the location and type of blood vessel injury in his brain. The scan revealed Wilson had a blocked vessel, so Zangiabadi administered a drug known as recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) to try to break up the clot that was causing the stroke. “The use of tPA has become more popular over the last 10 years, but timing is everything,” Zangiabadi explained. “It must be administered within four to four and half hours following stroke symptoms’ onset, and sooner for diabetics and those who have suffered stroke before.” Zangiabadi also cautions that tPA is not appropriate for everyone who has a stroke. “There is only a 40 percent to 45 percent chance the medicine will work,” he said, noting that patients whose strokes are due to burst blood vessels (hemorrhagic stroke) are not candidates for tPA. Even those whose CT scans reveal blockages are not guaranteed its use either, since factors such as the location of the clot and its thickness play significant roles in how effective tPA will be. The best thing anyone can do to help a stroke victim is to act FAST (see box). “If you suspect someone is having a stroke, you should not try to transport them to the hospital yourself,” Zangiabadi said. “Call 911 immediately because if they come by ambulance, they will be seen right away [in the ER] since the paramedGazette.Net
HOW TO IDENTIFY A STROKE If you notice symptoms such as weakness in extremities, numbness on one side of the body, excruciating headache, sudden dimness or loss of sight or inability to speak, the National Stroke Association says you need to act FAST by asking these questions:
F A S T
FACE – Does the smile droop on one side? ARMS – Is the person unable to raise both arms? SPEECH – Is the speech slurred? TIME – If the answer to any of these is yes, call 911 immediately.
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those people. A vegetarian for most of his life, he exercised regularly and was in very good health prior to his stroke. But a genetic predisposition for high blood pressure was a risk factor he couldn’t avoid. He is also African-American, which almost doubles his risk of stroke as compared to whites. Atrial fibrillation (irregular heartbeat) also increases the risk of stroke, especially in those over 75, because it can produce what Zangiabadi called “micro-clots” that, although small, can do significant damage. These tiny clots form in the upper chambers of the heart and can travel throughout the body, including to the brain where they can block blood vessels and cause stroke. Zangiabadi encourages all older patients to maintain a regular relationship with their health care providers—and he encourages those providers to communicate with each other as to the best course of treatment for their patients. “I especially urge dentists to speak to the patient’s primary care doctor at least three days before performing any treatment,” Zangiabadi said. He has seen several patients who, under the advice of their dentists, stopped taking their blood pressure and cholesterol medications prior to their dental procedures and subsequently suffered strokes. Today,Wilson is working hard to return to the radio talk show he has hosted on Sirius XM Radio for many years.And although Iris Wilson doesn’t take to the airwaves like her husband, she is making sure that she broadcasts to anyone who will listen the importance of acting quickly when dealing with stroke. “Time counts,” she said. “Minutes are precious.”
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ics will call us in advance to let us know the situation.” Zangiabadi said that while waiting for the ambulance to arrive, those tending to a stroke victim should help the person lie down. Do not offer medicine, food or liquid, since they may aspirate given their inability to swallow correctly. Do not give aspirin since it might cause additional bleeding in those whose strokes are caused by a burst blood vessel. Zangiabadi said the odds of surviving a stroke and avoiding permanent disability are improving thanks to advances in both public awareness of what to do if stroke is suspected, as well as medical interventions. Aggressive public education campaigns about the risk factors for stroke are also making a difference. He encouraged Americans to follow the Heart Association’s “Life’s Simple 7” steps to reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke: • Manage your blood pressure • Control cholesterol • Reduce blood sugar • Lose weight • Stop smoking • Eat better • Get active But he also added an eighth step: Reduce alcohol use since some studies indicate that having more than two drinks per day may increase stroke risk by as much as 50 percent. Although only a small portion of the population is at a higher risk for stroke because of specific genetic diseases, many, many Americans have a genetic tendency for risk factors such as high cholesterol or high blood pressure that put them at higher risk of stroke.Wilson is one of
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FINANCES
VIATICAL SETTLEMENTS SHOULD YOU SELL YOUR LIFE INSURANCE POLICY? BY KRISTEN CASTILLO
If
you’re terminally ill and need cash, you might consider a viatical settlement, which is selling your life insurance policy to a third-party investor. “The life policy owner receives cash today in return for transferring the face amount of the policy due on his death to the investor,” said Ed Grebeck, CEO of Tempus Advisors. “The cash settlement today is the face amount of the life policy, discounted over the years of the policyholder’s expected death.” The buyer becomes the beneficiary and has to pay the premiums or else loses some of the investment. After the original policy owner dies, the buyer collects the face value of the policy. “A viatical settlement typically means the client has less than one year to live, and the value of their policy increases dramatically, sometimes as high as 80 percent of the face amount,” explained Barry Waxler of Universal Financial Consultants.
SETTLEMENT HISTORY Viatical settlements rose to popularity during the 1980s, when the AIDS epidemic surged. Many AIDS patients, who didn’t have traditional beneficiaries such as wives and children, had short life expectancies and wanted to cash in on their life insurance policies. “In principle, policyholder sellers and investors are in conflict,” said Grebeck. “As life expectancies of AIDS and other terminally ill patients increased due to advances in medicine, viatical settlement investor returns declined.” PROS AND CONS The good thing about viatical settlements is the tax-free cash, what Waxler said is considered an advance or a loan against the ultimate death benefit. “They can use that cash for anything they want or need,with no restrictions,”he said. The downside? Sellers and investors pay commissions on the transactions. Plus, when you opt for a viatical, you’re selling your policy at a deep discount. “Many firms that buy viaticals prey on the terminally ill, and as such, see a desperate need for cash,” saidWaxler. He suggested holding out for the death benefit, if possible, or asking friends or family to loan you money, using the policy as collateral. “This is done by using the carrier’s collateral assignment forms, and the loan is paid at death at far more reasonable terms than the viatical institution will pay for them,” he said. 22
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TOP LEFT: HEMERA TECHNOLOGIES/ABLESTOCK.COM/THINKSTOCK; ABOVE: COMSTOCK/STOCKBYTE/THINKSTOCK
ALTERNATIVES Viatical settlements can be risky deals and are not necessarily the only option. One of Waxler’s clients recently contacted him about selling her life insurance policy and using the money to pay for medical care not covered by her health insurance.When he reviewed the policy,Waxler found an “accelerated death benefit” rider, which entitled the client to “an advance on the death benefit of 25 percent of the face amount.” The client was able to get $250,000 of tax-free benefits to use right away, while she was still alive. “Most people sell their policies while in a terminal state because of financial hardship,” saidWaxler.“If you check the accelerated benefits riders that most policies come with, you may find a better solution.” BLESSING OR CURSE? Viatical settlements may seem morbid, but they’re often a viable option for seniors in need of cash.
“All in all, a viatical can be a blessing to a family in need, or it can be a curse, hinged on what the client needs today,” said Waxler. “A terminally ill patient, or their family, should always consult a financial planner to see all of the options available.” The Federal Trade Commission offers consumers the following advice: l Contact several viatical companies to make sure you’re getting the best value. l Don’t be lured by high-pressure sales tactics. l Check with your state’s insurance regulators to make sure your viatical company meets state licensing requirements. l Confirm your viatical company isn’t planning to sell your policy to a third party. l Make sure the company will protect your privacy. l Consult with your attorney about probate and estate implications. -Creators.com Gazette.Net
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PHOTO BY STACY ZARIN GOLDBERG, COURTESY OF JOHN BYRD
To accommodate a wheelchair in this bathroom remodel, the traditional vanity sink was replaced with a wall-hung sink.
BATH, continued from 16 available for upgrades and finishes was larger than she had anticipated. Overall, the project came in at $32,000, below earlier projections. According to Glickman, the plan addressed two considerations critical to the bathing needs of people with mobility challenges like Ahn’s. First, the makeover provided easy wheelchair access to the bathroom:The existing 24-inch door jamb was widened to 28 inches and fitted with a pair of pocket doors on hidden rollers. Second, to facilitate bathing, the tub was replaced with a curbless roll-in shower. This allows Ahn to switch from her primary wheelchair to a shower chair on wheels and handle bathing on her own. Grab bars installed at appropriate locations make it easy for Ahn to move around in the shower, Nishioka said. An easy-to-reach shower head attached to a hose facilitates rinsing. Soap dishes and a recessed niche for toiletries are all also within reach. To accommodate a wheelchair, the traditional vanity sink was replaced with a wall-hung sink. A tilted mirror mountGazette.Net
ed just above allows Ahn to check her hair or makeup while remaining seated. The sink was moved slightly closer to the toilet to allow space for a new shelf and medicine cabinet. Nishioka said there’s even room for a linen closet next to the shower. Nishioka said that Shorter was instrumental in helping her make informed choices on amenities and finishwork, escorting her to the appropriate suppliers and advising her on everything from adjustable nozzles to colors and textures. “The interior design challenge was finding the best ways to match the previous color scheme,” Nishioka said. “I didn’t want to make any choices that would seem too jarringly different to my mother, yet it’s a much more presentable room than before, and very easy for her to use.We are all very pleased we moved forward on this. It was a perfect birthday present.” Glickman Design Build periodically offers workshops on accessibility solutions for seniors. For information, go to glickmandesignbuild.com or call 301-444-4663.
Nationally Known Hearing Aid Expert, Tim Huynh will be available at our special event
-AT NO CHARGE!
AUGUST 4, 5 & 6
Offer expires 8/8/14
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COURTESY OF ERNIE BYLES
Byles and his wife Woan-Yi Byles
PINGPONG, continued from 5
The Maryland Senior Olympics came
to Byles’ attention a year after his cancer diagnosis. “It’s really hard to maintain While anyone can join NVTCC, the the discipline of exercising unless you membership is predominantly made up of have something you’re working toward. I older adults.The club sponsors five weekthought the games would be something ly drop-in practice sessions—Monday cool to aim for and train for,” he said. As through Thursday from 5 to 8:45 p.m.; he trained, however, Byles realized that his and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Arvision presented a problem. Due to eye lington’s Madison Community Center & surgery in his youth, it now took several Park—and newcomers are welcome.“We hours after awakening for his sight to stadon’t have formal coaching, but we have bilize.While competing at the National Sesome members who enjoy helping people nior Games, Byles would wake at 4 a.m. so learn the game,” Norwood said. that his vision would Each weekday be stable enough to at 9 a.m., a group “WHAT I REALIZED IS THAT play by 9 a.m.“What of men gathers at the James Lee Se- YOU HAVE TO ACKNOWLEDGE I realized is that you have to acknowledge nior Center in Falls YOUR LIMITATIONS your limitations but Church, Va., to play not accept that you pingpong. “There are limited by them are various ages and … So I began to lisskill levels, but they ten to the bounce of make it work. And the ball instead of foit gives them an opcusing on just seeing portunity to socialthe ball.That helped my timing.” ize.That’s one of the biggest draws—the Pingpong has been a game changer ability to socialize,” said Greg Williams, throughout Byles’ life. He and his three the center’s director. As Fairfax County’s brothers began playing as kids at the representative on the Northern Virginia YMCA in Kingston, Jamaica. “My Senior Olympics Committee, Williams mom wanted to keep us busy and off the encourages the players at his center to join streets,” he said. By 1973, when pingpong the competition. “Last year we had five diplomacy found its way to the Caribbean guys sign up, and they came back amazed, island, Byles had honed his skills to the saying, ‘Wow, we really can compete.’” point that he was one of 20 selected for This year’s table tennis competition is the national team.The work was hard—he Sept. 18 at the Charles Houston Recretrained four hours a day for four years— ation Center in Alexandria,Va.
BUT NOT ACCEPT THAT YOU ARE LIMITED BY THEM.”
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Pingpong: Places to Play Many community and senior centers throughout Montgomery and Fairfax counties offer recreational pingpong programs. In addition, several private groups (listed below) offer practice sessions or instruction. MONTGOMERY COUNTY CLUB JOOLA ROCKVILLE 4931 Wyaconda Road, Rockville 301-881-3401 clubjoola.com MARYLAND TABLE TENNIS CENTER 18761 N. Frederick Ave., Gaithersburg 301-519-8580 mdttc.com POTOMAC COUNTRY TABLE TENNIS CLUB Plays in two locations: Clara Barton Neighborhood Recreation Center 7425 MacArthur Blvd., Cabin John Potomac Community Recreation Center 11315 Falls Road, Potomac pcttc.net
FAIRFAX COUNTY NORTHERN VIRGINIA TABLE TENNIS CENTER 4264-C Entre Court, Chantilly 571-354-5667 novattc.com NORTHERN VIRGINIA TABLE TENNIS CLUB Plays at the Madison Community Center & Park 3829 N. Stafford St., Arlington nvttc.org
but it paid dividends. “In Jamaica, it was difficult to go from one social class to another,” Byles said. “One of the ways was through sports. Representing your country in table tennis enabled you to have opportunities you wouldn’t otherwise have.” After immigrating to the U.S. with his family in 1979, Byles continued to train and play in world-class tournaments while working and going to college.That changed when he married. “At 32, I decided to focus all of my energies and the discipline I had gained from table tennis on this new phase in my life—being a father and husband,” he said. Still, he didn’t abandon the sport. “Someone told me if you love something, don’t give it up comGazette.Net
pletely,” he said. “So, for 19 years I played every Sunday night for two hours.” Then came his cancer diagnosis. And, if that wasn’t enough, Byles’ National Senior Games travel partner, his dad, developed a brain tumor. In the course of treating that tumor, which was benign, doctors uncovered a lump in his father’s lung, which was cancerous. “The bad news was that he couldn’t go with me to Ohio.The good news was that he was able to survive,” said Byles. “Sometimes bad things happen that turn out to be good. Even with my own cancer, the long-term effect might be good if I can tell my story and, as a result, people make different choices.”
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Kentlands Manor residents celebrate Veterans Day.
KENTLANDS, continued from 13 is a weekly Lunch and Learn event where local doctors give residents information on health care. Transportation is provided for banking, errands, and scheduled recreation and leisure.There are some services and amenities provided for an additional fee, including housekeeping and nursing care. Outside parking is free, but there is a fee for garage parking. This time of year residents enjoy the outdoors, as well.The grounds flow into a wooded area and are carpeted in emerald green grass. There are flower and vegetable gardens, a short walking trail, benches, and there is a gazebo between the two buildings.
VOLUNTEER, continued from 11
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and for the Shakespeare Theatre Co., which performs at Sidney Harman Hall and Lansburgh Theatre in Washington, D.C. Programs are listed on the theaters’ websites, and volunteers choose the show and date they prefer. “We get to see some excellent shows for free,” said Paula Post, who is also a volunteer for Smithsonian Associates programs. Smithsonian Associates volunteers perform a variety of tasks, including selling tickets, taking tickets at the door and accompanying groups on walking tours. Paula Post said she also volunteers at the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historic Park because she likes nature and being outdoors. She answers questions and points out wildlife to visitors and gets the opportunity to enjoy the beauty of the
Hawkshawe said Kentlands Manor has a way of making seniors feel at home quickly. She said residents on the welcoming committee give newcomers the lay of the land. “They know where in town to get senior discounts. They know what restaurants have the best Italian food,” she said, adding that the welcome committee also acclimates new residents in and around the building.As they escort them to events and introduce them to their neighbors, friendships start to form. Kentlands Manor 217 Booth St., Gaithersburg 301-926-6424 seniorlivingapartmentrentals.com
C&O Canal area. “There are many opportunities for hiking, walking and interacting with people,” she said.
When Judy Ritz retired from the
federal government in December 2001, she wanted to give back to the community by doing some volunteer work that did not involve sitting at a desk for hours. For the past 12 years, she has worked two days a week at Suburban Hospital in Bethesda, picking up and delivering mail to the hospital offices. She also does clerical work in the emergency room administrative office. “What I do is needed and appreciated by the staff, and I really enjoy working here,” said Ritz, noting that the hospital recognizes volunteers’ efforts at an annual special luncheon. “I put in about four hours a week and hope to continue as long as I can,” she said. Gazette.Net
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