55 PLUS CNY

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Challenge: Taking Care of Autistic Grandchildren

55 PLUS

Issue 31 February-March 2011

For Active Adults in Central New York

Our Aging Dog: Bailey, 14, Showing His Age David Zumpano: Does The New Tax Law Affect You? Home Repair Season’s Coming: Beware of Bad Contractors

d e t n e l a t the multi

Meet Karin Franklin-King February / March 2011 - 55 PLUS

Marilyn Pinsky: Meet Three of the Most Interesting People in CNY

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We also guarantee pre-arranged pricing on all funeral contracts.

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February / March 2011

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Health Watch 6-7 Financial Health 8-9 Gardening 10 Golden Years 29 Aging 35 My Turn 37 Druger’s Zoo 39 Consumer’s Corner 47 Last Page 50 SUBSCRIBE TO 55PLUS Only $15. Check to 55PLUS P.O. Box 276 Oswego, NY 13126

26 12 HOME

• As home repair season approaches, experts warn against unscrupulous contractors

14 LIVING

• Learn more about The House at 807 in Liverpool, an alternative facility for seniors

18 HOBBIES

• Syracuse financial planner hooked on ballooning

21 COVER STORY

• Meet the multi-talented Karin Franklin-King, the Central Square resident who’s making a difference

CONTENTS

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31 47 26 PROFILE

• A profile of Bailey, the 14-year old dog

31 LIVING

• When grandparents care for their autistic grandchildren

40 YOUR MONEY

• How the new tax bill will affect you

42 VISITS

• Toronto, Canada’s largest city, has plenty of good things to offer

46 HEARING

• How to choose your next hearing aid February / March 2011 - 55 PLUS

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HEALTH WATCH Medicare’s Preventive Services to Get Better

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tarting Jan. 1, as part of the new health care reform law, everyone with Original Medicare will have access to many preventive health services, and most of them won’t cost you a cent.

No Cost-Sharing — Over the years, Medicare has covered a number of preventive health screenings like mammograms and colonoscopies with varying levels of cost-sharing (that includes deductibles, coinsurance or copayments). Cost-sharing for preventive services typically means that you, the beneficiary, pay 20 percent of the cost of the service (Medicare picks up the other 80 percent), after you’ve met your $155 Part B deductible.

But starting in January, Medicare beneficiaries will no longer have to pay any out-of-pocket costs for most preventive services, including annual wellness visits which are being added to the program to help keep you healthy. Here’s a breakdown of the different preventive services that Medicare will soon be offering that will be completely free.

Wellness Visits — In addition to the one-time “Welcome to Medicare” physical (which new beneficiaries can get but only within their first year of enrollment in Part B), free annual wellness visits with your physician will now be available. These visits will give your doctor the chance to maintain an ongoing personalized prevention plan for improving your health. Each exam will include body and blood pressure measurements, a review of your medical history including any medications you’re taking and care you may be receiving from other health care providers, an assessment of your cognitive condition, and establish an appropriate screening schedule for the next five to 10 years.

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Health Screenings — In addition to the wellness visits, here’s a list of the free health screenings and vaccinations Medicare will be offering its beneficiaries: • Breast cancer screening: Yearly mammograms will be offered to women age 40 and older with Medicare.

• Colorectal cancer screening: This includes the flexible sigmoidoscopy or colonoscopy for all beneficiaries age 50 or older.

• Cervical cancer screening: Pap smear and pelvic exams are available every two years, or once a year for those at high risk.

• Cardiovascular screenings: Free blood test to check cholesterol, lipid and triglyceride levels are offered every five years to all Medicare recipients.

• Diabetes: Twice a year screening for those at risk.

• Medical nutrition therapy: Available to help people manage diabetes or kidney disease.

• Prostate cancer screening: A digital rectal exam and PSA blood test is available to all male beneficiaries aged 50 and older every year. You pay nothing for the PSA test, but you’ll have to pay 20 percent for the doctor’s visit.

• Bone mass measurements: This osteoporosis test is available every two years to those at risk, or more often if medically necessary.

• Abdominal aortic aneurysm screening: To check for bulging blood vessels, this test is for men aged 65 to 75 who have ever smoked.

• HIV screening: Available to those who are at increased risk or who ask for the test.

• Vaccinations: An annual flu shot, a vaccination against pneumococcal pneumonia and the hepatitis B vaccine are all free to all beneficiaries.

55PLUS Editor and Publisher Wagner Dotto

Associate Editor Lou Sorendo

Contributing Writers

Sandra Scott, Aaron Gifford Margaret McCormick Marvin Druger, Mary Beth Roach Ken Little

Columnists

Eva Briggs, M.D., Bruce Frassinelli Marilyn Pinsky, Harold Miller Jim Sollecito, David J. Zumpano

Advertising

Donna J. Kimbrell Marlene Raite Tracy DeCann

Office Manager

Laura J. Beckwith

Layout and Design Chris Crocker

Cover Photo

Chuck Wainwright 55 PLUS –A Magazine for Active Adults in Upstate New York is published six times a year by Local News, Inc., which also publishes In Good Health–CNY’s Healthcare Newspaper.

Health in good

CNY’s Healthcare Newspaper

Published at 185 E. Seneca St. PO Box 276 Oswego, NY 13126.

Subscription: $15 a year © 2011 by 55 PLUS – A Magazine for Active Adults in Upstate New York.

No material may be reproduced in whole or in part from this publication without the express written permission of the publisher.

Third class postage paid at Syracuse, NY. Permit Number: 3071

How to Reach Us P.O. Box 276 Oswego, NY 13126 Phone: (315) 342-1182 Fax: (315) 342-7776 E-mail: Editor@cnyhealth.com

HEALTH WATCH Study: Many Men Between 75-95 Still Sexually Active

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ife for men aged 75 or older doesn’t mean an end to sex, according to an Australian study.

The researchers found that almost a third of these older men were sexually active at least once a year — including about one in 10 men aged 90 to 95.

What’s more, many older men who are sexually active say they’d love to be having more sex. Others are forgoing sex due to health issues, low testosterone levels or simply a lack of partners.

The study, based on a survey of Australian men aged 75-95, most of whom were married or living with a partner, found that younger seniors were busiest of all: 40 percent of those aged 75-79 said they’d had sex in the past 12 months. But even among those aged 90-95, 11 percent reported sexual activity with someone else over the prior year.

“Although many people, including some clinicians, continue to believe that sexual activity is not important to older people, our study shows this is not the case.

Even in the 10th decade of life, one in five men still considered sex important,” said study lead author Zoe Hyde, a researcher at the University of Western Australia.

The findings appear in the Dec. 7 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine.

Several studies in recent years have tried to analyze sexuality in older people, who are sometimes assumed to have little or no interest in sex. The popularity of Viagra and related drugs seems to suggest that’s hardly the case, but solid numbers have been tough to find.

However, one 2007 study in

the New England Journal of Medicine reported that a bit more than half of people surveyed in the U.S. aged 65-74 reported recent sexual activity, as did 26 percent of those aged 74-85.

In the new study, researchers examined the results of a sexuality study of almost 2,800 Australian men who didn’t live in nursing homes or other health-care facilities. Among other things, the researchers asked the men if they’d had sexual activity with a partner — not necessarily intercourse — within the past year.

Overall, close to 49 percent of men aged 75 to 95 considered sex at least “somewhat important,” and just under 31 percent had been sexually active with another person at least once during the previous year.

The study linked a variety of factors to a lack of sexual activity among older men. “Increasing age, lower testosterone levels, a partner’s lack of interest in sex, or physical limitations, osteoporosis, prostate cancer, diabetes, use of depression drugs, and use of some blood pressure drugs (beta-blockers) were associated with absence of sexual activity,” the team wrote.

Overall, Hyde said, the study suggests that health problems are the main reason why some older men aren’t sexually active. “But also lack of a partner and decreased interest in sex for some people are important factors, too,” she said.

The researchers took special note of the connection between lower testosterone levels and less sexual activity. “However,

it would be too early to suggest testosterone therapy to improve sexual interest and activity in older men at this stage,” Hyde stressed.

As for older women, studies have suggested that pain and lack of satisfaction are major issues for them, said Stacy Tessler Lindau, an associate professor who studies sexuality at the University of Chicago. “If men are having sex, they report satisfaction. That’s not necessarily true for women.”

Lindau’s 2007 study found that only 17 percent of women aged 75-85 reported having some sort of sex over the past year, compared to 39 percent of men.

Were older men who were having sexual relations satisfied with how often it was happening?

The new survey showed slightly more than half (56.5 percent) of those who reported having some kind of sex within the previous year said they were happy with how much sex they were getting. But 43 percent of them said they had sex less often than they would like.

It’s not clear if the findings are applicable to the United States, but Hyde said the results are similar to those from other Western countries.

February / March 2011 - 55 PLUS

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financial health

How to Save on LongTerm Care Insurance

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he biggest factor that keeps millions of Americans from purchasing long-term care (LTC) insurance is the high price tag. Depending on your age, you and your wife could be looking at $8,000 a year (if not more) to purchase a comprehensive policy that covers nursing home care, assisted living and in-home care. Fortunately, there are ways to save and still get adequate

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55 PLUS - February / March 2011

How the New tax Bill Will Affect You. See article on page 40. coverage. Here are several costcutting tips you should know.

Buy Young One of the most basic ways a person can lower their LTC insurance premiums is by purchasing a policy at a younger age. For example, a policy that costs a 55-year-old $2,000 a year in premiums could cost a 65-yearold more than $3,000. Health is another fact that can affect costs.

While good health can lower your monthly payments, having a preexisting medical condition can increase your costs, or you may not be able to get insurance at all.

Check Your Employer Some employers offer LTC insurance as an employee benefit that is often 5 to 10 percent less expensive than buying a policy on your own. Or, if you or your wife is a current or retired federal employee, you can get affordable coverage through the Federal LTC Insurance Program (www.ltcfeds.com).

Tweak the Policy The cost of LTC insurance depends greatly on the policy’s previsions. Here are some simple ways to trim your premiums: • Reduce the benefit period: A policy that covers you for two or three years, vs. an unlimited benefit, meets the needs for most people and can cut your premiums in half.

• Lower the daily benefit: You can get a policy that pays $100, $150, $200 per day or more, but the higher the benefit, the higher your premium. To figure out how much coverage to get, check out

the nursing home prices in the area you plan to be. Then figure out how much of the bill you could shoulder yourself, and choose a benefit that makes up the difference.

• Extend the waiting period: Most policies have waiting periods (30, 60, 90 days or more) that require you to pay out-of-pocket before the policy kicks in. The longer you wait the lower your premium.

• Get cheaper inflation protection: Choosing a policy that offers inflation protection linked to the consumer price index is about 20 to 40 percent cheaper than standard policies that use a 5 percent compound inflation factor.

Get State Help Many states today have a LTC partnership program that can help you save. Under these programs, if you buy a LTC policy approved by your state Medicaid agency, you can protect an amount of assets from Medicaid equal to the benefits that your policy pays out. How does it work? Let’s say you buy a policy that provides $200,000 in benefits (multiply your daily benefit by your benefit period). If you use up all the benefits but still need care, you can shield $200,000 of your assets and still have Medicaid pay your remaining nursing home bills.

With this program, you can choose a shorter benefit period, which will lower your premiums. Contact your state insurance department to see if your state offers a program or see www.dehpg.net/ltcpartnership.

Add a Supplement Another option to consider is Uncle Sam’s soon-to-be-established LTC program known as the Community Living Assistance Services and Supports (CLASS) Act — see healthcare.gov.

Starting in 2013, this program will allow workers to set aside money from their paychecks for five years, in order to receive a cash benefit of at least $50 a day to help pay for LTC services when needed. While CLASS won’t cover all your LTC costs, it can work as a nice supplement to a LTC policy allowing you to lower your daily benefit and reduce your premiums.

financial health

55+

By David J. Zumpano

Does The New Tax Law Affect You? The new law provides that each individual can die with $5 million in assets before they will be subject to estate tax

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o n g re s s a n d P re s i d e n t Obama passed a new tax bill in the last week of December 2010. So, what does it mean

to you?

In 2001, President Bush, with Congress, enacted massive tax changes that were set to expire on Dec. 31, 2010.

Literally, on the eve of the 2001 law expiring, President Obama and Congress extended many of the tax laws implemented by President Bush, and in several areas, even expanded them.

If the laws had reverted back to the 2001 levels on Jan. 1, 2011, the top income tax rate would have been 39.6 percent, rather than the current 35 percent, and capital gains could have been taxed as high as 28 percent, rather than the 15 percent maximum in the new law.

Perhaps, the greatest changes in the new law, however, related to estate taxes.

The new law provides that each individual can die with $5 million in assets before they will be subject to estate tax, and if subject to tax, it is at a 35 percent rate.

If the law had expired, the limit would have been only $1 million with a 55 percent maximum tax rate.

In addition, the new law increased an individual’s lifetime gift exemption from $1 million to $5 million.

Essentially, each person can now give up to $5 million away in their lifetime without any gift tax consequence.

Perhaps, the most surprising element in the new law came with the portability of the estate tax to a surviving spouse. Prior to the new law,

if one spouse died, he or she would’ve needed to create trusts at death, to utilize the $5 million exemption provided by the government, or it would’ve been lost.

Under the new law, the use of trusts are no longer required after death to preserve an exemption, but rather, a surviving spouse may elect to assume the unused credit of the deceased spouse. In essence, this may permit a surviving spouse to have up to $10 million of assets at their death, without having to pay an estate tax.

The new tax law virtually eliminates any worry of gift or estate taxes for 99.9 percent of Americans.

But beware: the new law passed in December 2010 is only effective until Dec. 31, 2012.

What happens after that date is anyone’s guess.

So, while you no longer have to worry about the tax law, be careful not to ignore the more relevant elements to planning, such as protection from a spouse’s remarriage, children’s creditors, divorce, and lawsuits, or even the threat of going into a nursing home.

Proper estate planning ensures all issues, including taxes, asset protection, Medicaid, and most importantly, your family, are provided for.

David J. Zumpano is an attorney and a certified public accountant (CPA).

He operates Estate Planning Law Center.

He can be reached at 793-3622.

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ONONDAGA BLVD. APARTMENTS 4624 Onondaga Blvd. Syracuse

Gardening

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Now You See It …

Spruce up your landscaping even in winter

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EQUAL HOUSING OPPORTUNITY

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h e n I w a s g ro w i n g up, you could watch television in any color you wanted, as long as it was black and white.

That was the choice, we accepted it, and that was that. When color came onto the scene, it opened up a whole different world. Herman Munster had a green head. Who knew?

I used to feel the same way about the black and white aspect of a winter landscape compared to the full palette the summer offers. Nothing around here will flower until at least March, but the forms and shapes of various plants offer us something neat to study, and appreciate. Weeping Beech or Norway Spruce certainly looks elegant when frosted with some fluffy flakes. Nearby, I love to place some Winterberries with bright red fruit that lasts, well, all winter long to really jazz up a garden. Did I mention that deer don’t like winterberries? That is a huge issue in these times.

The verticality of certain shrubs and trees along with the golden spikes left from ornamental grasses (deerproof plants) can certainly add interest to any landscape and a sharp contrast to the ubiquitous snow. And now is a prime opportunity to take a couple of photographs—even if just mental ones—and see if perhaps you have some areas that could be upgraded.

Consider adding some structure, such as a couple of sections of fence to define a bed edge or background.

How about a trellis against the rear shed, which can always use some improvement. Maybe an arbor over an existing gate, with or without a future vine? This gives us something to look through. In landscape architecture we refer to it as a “view space,” and instantly we have a bonus area of interest.

Combine that with a backdrop of conifers with various shades of green, blue and gold, and we start to get a feel for the colors that will once again reappear as the time of The

Great White disappears. The views from indoors looking outside are definitely more important now, and if what you see doesn’t light your fire, the improvements don’t have to wait until spring.

My personal favorite is to find an old metal chair, bench, or container out in the shed, in my mom’s garage, or an antique mart, and splash it with raspberry, yellow, or even red Rustoleum paint. Might be an old bicycle that nobody rides anymore.

Then I place it outside where I can see it, and watch the contrast with snow (Note: With bicycles, many times I just allow them to rust naturally, or use a brown primer even on the tires).

Against the few colors of winter, any bright color draws the eye. The birds also love to have some structure to preen themselves. If you add a bird feeder, you have a plethora of “flying flowers” adding all kinds of interest.

If I happen upon a neat birdhouse, I’ll first add a bit of paint to a few areas, and then I’ll stick that up on a tree or fence post. I’ll leave out some furniture that can take the weather, or might look better with some weathering.

So don’t look at this time of year as one of little interest, many re-runs and not much to look at. It doesn’t matter what age your landscape is; there is always room for small improvements. Whether on the tube, or outdoors in your yard, with a little creativity, you can improve what you see and how you feel.

Until next time, keep planting until you are planted.

Jim Sollecito is the first lifetime senior certified landscape professional in NYS. He operates Sollecito Landscaping Nursery in Syracuse.

Contact him at 4681142 or by e-mail at jim@sollecito.com.

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home

Home Repair Season Approaching Experts warn consumers to beware of unscrupulous contractors

By Ken Little

S

now may still blanket the ground, but it’s time to start thinking about spring and home improvement projects.

Just be careful and energy conscious, home improvement experts advise Central New York consumers.

“From a common sense point of view, you need to have the work done properly and right. A company should have been in business for a while,” said Robert Tamutus, of New York Homeowners Construction Co. in Syracuse.

Some unqualified people have gone into the home improvement

A Best Business Bureau list of the 10 most complained-about types of businesses in 2010 in Upstate New York, general contractors ranked third and roofing contractors ranked 10th.

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business in recent years, Tamutus said.

“The economy has been bad, so somebody gets laid off. They got a pickup truck and a ladder and they can do some home improvements,” he said. “They are not insured, and later if you’ve got a problem you can’t find them.”

The moral of the story?

“You need to have the job done by somebody with a track record and they are qualified,” Tamutus said. “If you spend the money you want to have it done right. Do business with somebody that’s been around and has credentials.”

The Better Business Bureau o f U p s t a t e N e w Yo r k a d v i s e s homeowners to check references to get a better idea of how a contractor will handle unforeseen problems.

The BBB recommends that consumers verify that a business meets all state and local requirements, including being licensed, insured and bonded.

Additional BBB advice: Ask the business for references from recent jobs and confirm whether or not the roofer will be subcontracting the job or relying on its own employees.

For services like roofing, the BBB recommends getting at least three bids and being wary of lowball estimates “that may potentially balloon or foreshadow shoddy work to come.”

Beware of any contractor who uses high-pressure sales tactics or requires full payment before the work is done, the BBB adds.

Finally, the Better Business Bureau stresses that homeowners make sure

everything is in writing.

“Make sure the full scope of the work is explained in the contract, including cleanup and disposal of waste. All verbal agreements need to be included in the written agreement,” the BBB says. “Pay close attention to the payment terms, estimated price of materials and labor and any warranties or guarantees.”

According to a BBB list of the 10 most complained-about types of businesses in 2010 in Upstate New York, general contractors ranked third and roofing contractors ranked 10th.

“Scammers had a field day even though the economy is showing signs of a mend, targeting struggling families who were looking for work and trying to make ends meet,” said David Polino, Upstate New York BBB president.

“While some of the most popular scams are persistent problems that continue to plague consumers, some new additions to the list are signs of our tough economic times,” Polino said.

Many reputable companies in the Central New York area do good work.

For more information, go to www.bbb. org/us/consumer-tips-home/.

Some, like New York Homeowners Construction Co., emphasize projects that save energy and, ultimately, on heating and air conditioning bills.

“If you are an older person and the temperature’s down, you’re cold and that’s because there are drafts in the home, there’s improper insulation and the heat’s leaking out,” said Tamutus, whose son, David Tatumus, owns New York Homeowners Construction Co.

55+ As a Building Performance Institute-accredited contractor, and in conjunction with the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority, Tamutus said the company can offer a matching subsidy of $5,000 to qualified customers, or a 10 percent cash incentive of up to $3,000.

The company’s website is www. nyhomeownersconst.com/.

The website states that as a BPI-accredited contractor, New York Homeowners Construction Co. can provide customers with a comprehensive report that indicates where energy loss is occurring. Many homes in Central New York are older and in need of energy-saving improvements.

Tatumus said many homes may have inadequate insulation, poor ventilation, aluminum or wood windows that may be rotted, or outdated appliances and heatingcooling systems.

He said by insulating attics and basements and other sections of the home, along with replacing windows, doors and light bulbs, a homeowner can save up to 40 percent in energy costs.

“One of the things that’s so important now is insulation,” Tatumus said.

Money spent on energy-saving home improvements will be partially recovered if an owner sells a home, he said.

Springtime is an opportune time to make energy-saving improvements, Tatumus said.

“You need to do it all the time because air conditioners sometimes use more energy than a furnace,” he said.

According to the Home Improvement Research Institute, American homeowners spent more than $270 billion on remodeling projects in 2010.

“We have hundreds of contractors that have a great BBB rating, who are BBB accredited, stand behind honest ethical standards, and are committed to arbitration if something goes sour” Polino said. “Others don’t fare as well.”

home

Do’s and Don’ts

For Anyone Considering Home Repairs This Year

Do’s:

• Do make a project plan.

Know what you want to tackle and how much you have to spend.

• Do check with the BBB. Look up the contractor’s BBB reliability report at bbb.org. Is the business BBB Accredited? If they are, they have agreed to uphold the highest standards, respond to any concerns and arbitrate if necessary.

• Do ask for help. Ask your friends or family for references or get the job started with BBB Request-a-Quote. It’s a free program, available 24/7 on-line at bbb.org. After completing a simple 1,2,3 step process, consumers will receive bids from qualified BBB Accredited Businesses within a few days.

• Do get a written contract.

New York state law requires that home improvement contracts must be in writing, include a description of the work, and materials used.

You must receive a copy before work begins.

Don’ts:

Don’t fall for common red flags — You can avoid being victimized by illegitimate contractors by knowing common red flags.

• Solicits door-to-door. Be suspicious if a contractor knocks on your door. Legitimate contractors rely on referrals from satisfied customers or word-of-mouth advertising.

• Uses high pressure sales or offer special discounts that only

last on-the-spot or for a few days.

• Uses ploys like they have a special deal from leftover materials, or they use a line about working in your neighborhood.

• Offers special financing deals — if you go to “my lender.”

• Lacks a local business listing or has an out-of-town license plate.

• Don’t pay up front — The BBB recommends the 3-3-3 rule.

One third up front, one third at a half-way milestone mark, and one third at the completion of the work.

• Don’t pay cash — The BBB also recommends paying by check or credit card. Both have more protections with your bank. Once your cash is gone, it’s gone.

• Don’t assume. We all know that old saying and it’s true — most items like knowing whether your contractor has the proper insurance, permits, licenses and confirming that your money is safe in an escrow account are details you should research and verify.

It doesn’t matter whether you are planning a small repair or a big remodeling job — asking lots of questions and doing your research to hire the right contractor can make all the difference. The BBB recommends that consumers obtain two or three estimates for their project, and to keep in mind that the three day cooling off rule applies to most home repair contracts. To check out the business history for a particular company, or to find more information about hiring contractors, visit bbb.org.

February / March 2011 - 55 PLUS

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housing The House at 807

55+

Facility on busy Route 57 in Liverpool offers alternative for ‘well elderly’

By Margaret McCormick

I

magine a roomy, comfortable home in a restored historic mansion in a leafy suburb of Syracuse.

You don’t pay the mortgage, taxes or utilities. And you don’t have to mow the grass, shovel snow or have the roof repaired.

You pay rent, but you don’t have to sign a lease. Healthy, home-cooked meals are provided, and you can even request your favorite dishes. You do your own laundry, or you can partner up and take turns with a friend.

You live on your own. But you’re never alone.

Welcome home to The House at 807, a housing alternative for the “well elderly’’ — seniors in overall good health — in the village of Liverpool.

The house, with rooms for eight, is on a bus line, a few blocks from Onondaga Lake Park and Johnson

Park in the village center.

It’s not a hotel, it’s not a retirement community and it’s not assisted living — though assistance is available in the form of house manager Debra Sacco, who lives on site, and chief cook and shopper Jackie Colasanti, who help residents with their needs, take them on errands and outings and keep the house running smoothly and efficiently.

“Everyone here is very independent,’’ says Colasanti. “The residents like to feel like they’re doing things themselves.’’ At lunch and dinnertime, Colasanti notes, a resident or residents will say: “I can set the table.’’

Norm Andrzejewski, chairman of the House at 807’s volunteer board, says the residence appeals to seniors in good health who desire the atmosphere of a house without the

The facade of The House at 807 in Liverpool, a facility that has been open to seniors since 1997.

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isolation that can come with living alone and without the responsibilities and headaches that accompany home ownership and maintenance. It’s a safe, secure residence with the benefit of companionship and the freedom to come and go. Family members and friends can visit as often as they like.

“The residents don’t have an apartment or house that they have to care for and they don’t have to worry about meals,’’ Andrzejewski says. “They’re with people roughly the same age, and with the same interests.

“From my vantage point,’’ Andrzejewski adds, “I think the companionship is the big advantage.’’

If your travels take you to Liverpool and beyond, you’ve probably driven by House at 807. The large, khaki-colored house with green shutters and orchid front doors is on landscaped grounds, set back from busy Route 57. The house was built in the mid-1800s for Willard Gleason (1823-1883) and his family. Gleason was a supervisor in the Liverpool Salt Yards, according to the Liverpool Historical Society.

In 1994, the house was purchased by the Liverpool Housing Authority, a nonprofit whose mission is to provide housing alternatives in the village for the “independent, well elderly.’’

Prospective residents do not have to live in the village of Liverpool.

House at 807 opened as a residence for seniors in 1997. Renovations and modifications to the house include an open, family-style kitchen for dining and gathering, smoke detectors and sprinkler system and an elevator to the second floor. During the warm weather months, it’s common to see residents relaxing in chairs on the

She loves the location in the village, and her regular walks there and at Onondaga Lake Park.

“I fit right in,’’ Audrey says. “I love it here. I keep busy.’’

“She keeps us all busy,’’ says Vonda, who lived in an apartment at Harborside Manor in Liverpool before deciding to join her friend at House at 807.

Vonda’s room is on the first floor, a short distance from the laundry room and kitchen. “I’m satisfied here,’’ she says. “I was by myself. My family thinks this is the best move I’ve made.’’

House at 807 often has a waiting list for prospective tenants. In early January, one room was available, and a “for rent’’ sign stood outside in the snow.

With referrals from elder care service providers like Loretto and PACE CNY and positive word-ofmouth from residents like Audrey and Vonda, house manager Sacco guessed the room wouldn’t be empty for long.

“It’s just so homey here,’’ Sacco said. “Everyone looks out for each other.’’

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front porch.

As is typical with homes of its age, bedrooms vary in size and closet and storage space is limited. Residents provide their own furnishings and other accents.

For some prospective residents, Sacco says, the thought of downsizing to one room — after a lifetime in a house or many years in an apartment — can be daunting. She says she advises some residents to give the place a trial of several months to see if they like it, placing furniture and other belongings in storage, just in case.

“Once people get here, they love it,’’ Sacco says.

House residents Audrey, in her 70s, and Vonda, 88, support Sacco’s words. The women, who asked that their last names not be used, are sisters-in-law who have known each other more than 50 years.

“I never thought I’d be in here with you,’’ Vonda said to Audrey with a smile on a recent morning.

Audrey lived in Fulton with her niece before moving to House at 807 more than two years ago. She visited three times and gave her transition to new digs careful consideration.

Times change.

Our standards of home care don’t.

Independent@Home

House at 807 manager Debra Sacco (third from left) is shown with a trio of residents in the living room, which is decorated for Christmas. The residents asked not to be identified for this story and photos.

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55 PLUS - February / March 2011

Life Expectancy for Today’s Youth Cut Short

by Obesity Physician says today’s parents will live longer than their children

F

or the first time in history, the next generation will not live longer, or even as long, as their parents.

“Diseases such as Type II diabetes, high blood pressure, heart conditions and joint deterioration — what were once considered ‘adult’ diseases — are regularly being diagnosed in children, due to the prevalence of obesity,” said Jessica Bartfield, internal medicine and medical weight-loss specialist at Gottlieb Memorial Hospital, part of the Loyola University Health System.

“What is particularly tragic is that studies have suggested that obesity in children today may contribute to a two to five year decline in their life expectancy, shorter than that of their parents, due to obesity related diseases that are largely preventable,” said Bartfield, who is part of Gottlieb’s medically supervised weight-loss program involving physicians, nutritionists, exercise physiologists and behavioralists.

She says the causes are “multifactorial, including environment and culture.” Genetics and parental weight status also plays a role.

“If one parent is obese, a child has a 50 percent likelihood of being obese, and if both parents are obese, that skyrockets to 80 percent likelihood,” she said.

Research by the Center for Disease Control found that 80 percent of obese children between the ages of 10–15 continue to be obese at age 25. Furthermore, the earlier obesity develops in children, the more severe it tends to be as an adult.

In addition to health implications, there are psychological and social damages as well.

“In addition to decreasing years of life, obesity decreases the quality of life through social ostracism, bullying,

social isolation, and poor self-esteem which can lead to poor performance in school, in jobs and in life,” she said.

Top Five Ways We Can Reverse The Obesity Trend 1 – Parents take charge. “Focus on getting the family healthy, not putting someone on a diet,” she said. “Monitor and take accountability for what the family is eating. Plan meals, set limits and take the team approach.”

2 – Involve the Kids. “As a family, create a weekly meal plan, look up calorie counts, make a grocery list, read product labels, choose fresh rather than packaged and get everyone’s participation,” said Bartfield. “Everyone has to get on board to be successful.”

3 – Add fresh fruits and vegetables.

“Replace applesauce for oil in baked goods, add carrots, broccoli and kale to soups and omelettes, cut up fresh fruit as a side dish,” said Bartfield.

“Even if it is dipped in low-calorie whipped topping or low-calorie salad dressing (moderately) to make the fruit or vegetable more appealing to kids.”

4 – Cut liquid calories. “Soda, flavored and full fat milk, fruit punches and fruit -flavored beverages are loaded in sugar and empty calories,” says Bartfield. “Substitute 2 percent for whole milk, or skim for 2 percent, and try adding water, seltzer or club soda to juices to cut calories.”

5 – Prioritize breakfast and keep meals consistent. “Eating within the first hour of waking up powers the brain and jump-starts the metabolism for the rest of the day,” said Bartfield.

“Choose protein and fiber in breakfast foods to boost endurance.” Establish set meal times, and calories per meal, and stick to them, with defined healthy options for snacking.

Social Security

Q&A

Q: How much of a difference will it make if I defer retirement benefits until age 70?

A: It can be significant. Let’s say your full retirement age is 66 and your monthly benefit starting at that age is $1,000. If you choose to defer receiving benefits until age 70, you would increase your monthly benefit amount to $1,320.

That’s almost an extra $4,000 each year for the rest of your life. This increase is from delayed retirement credits you get for your decision to postpone receiving benefits past your full retirement age. The benefit amount at age 70, in this example is 32 percent more than you would receive per month if you chose to start getting benefits at full retirement age. And, this higher benefit would continue for as long as you live. You can estimate your future benefits at different ages using our Retirement Estimator at www.socialsecurity.gov/estimator.

Q: I don’t have direct deposit yet so I still get a check in the mail. What do I do if I did not receive my Social Security check?

A: If you still are receiving checks by mail, please wait until three days after the date you normally receive your payment before calling. If you still have not received your payment by then, contact us at 1-800-772-1213. Please consider direct deposit for future payments because you will never have to worry about late or missing payments. Learn more at www. socialsecurity.gov/deposit.

Q: Can my children receive dependent’s benefits because I am on Supplemental Security Income (SSI)?

A: No. SSI benefits are based on the needs of the individual and are paid only to the qualifying person.

You can learn more about SSI by reading the online publication, Supplemental Security Income (SSI) at www.socialsecurity. gov/pubs/11000.html.

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Or visit www.christopher-community.org February / March 2011 - 55 PLUS

17

55+

hobbies

Syracuse Financial Planner Pilots Hot Air Balloon ‘When you are up, it’s one of the most peaceful, relaxing things you can do,” he said. “It is a really nice contrast to my profession’

By Deborah Jeanne Sergeant

L

ife is looking up for Steven Flanders. The 57-year-old investment management consultant with a financial services firm in Syracuse had always been a thrill seeker: motorcycles, snowmobiles, you name it. But as he grew older, he realized some of his reckless hobbies weren’t working out for him physically anymore.

In 2006, a friend gave him a hot air balloon flight for his birthday.

Flanders was hooked on the hobby.

“When you are up, it’s one of the most peaceful, relaxing things you can do,” he said. “It is a really nice contrast to my profession.”

By the following year, Flanders met Dwight Cramer, a commercial pilot from Munnsville, Madison County. Cramer agreed to teach him

to pilot balloons.

After 29 hours of instructional flight and passing the written exam, verbal test and flight test, Flanders earned his private pilot’s license from the FFA by 2008. Flanders also bought his own balloon at that time.

“Your instructor is usually not interested in having you solo in his balloon,” Flanders said. “He flies passengers for money. Just in the event that someone has a problem, it would take his livelihood out of commission.”

A new balloon is about $35,000 to $40,000. Flanders found a fiveyear-old used balloon and trailer for $18,000.

His wife, Cynthia, and his grown son enjoy the hobby as well, but he said a lot of people don’t understand how ballooning works.

The “envelope,” commonly called the balloon, is the colorful part that flies above the basket.

It’s a nylon bag filled with air. Cool air blown by a fan expands the envelope until it forms the familiar bulb shape. To launch the balloon, a burner fueled by liquid propane heats the air inside the balloon. As the air inside the balloon heats, the envelope rises and carries the basket skyward.

“As long as the air inside is warmer than the air outside, that provides lift and it rises,” Flanders Steven Flanders, a 57-year-old investment said. “It’s a feeling of being management consultant, is hooked on in a very slow moving ballooning. elevator. A lot of people who are afraid

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55 PLUS - February / March 2011

of heights eventually realize it’s very different.”

Flanders usually launches from Teugega Country Club in Rome, where he’s a member, and from Munnsville.

“It’s a great area to fly in because it’s mostly rural and they have friendly farmers,” Flanders said. “Having landowners be friendly is extremely important because every time you land, you’re trespassing.”

An even bigger concern are power lines.

“That’s the No. 1 thing you look out for,” Flander said.

He also tries to land in places where his ground crew of two to three friends can easily access. As with any balloon pilot, Flanders depends upon a ground crew that helps him unpack the trailer, launch the craft, and later pack up his balloon in exchange for rides and a free breakfast.

Sometimes, his abrupt landings have caused concern from observers below.

“The first time I took my son up for a flight, I flew over Clinton, N.Y., and the wind died,” he said.

While looking for a spacious backyard, he was flying relatively low over the village. Someone called emergency personnel and soon the local police had arrived. Flanders landed safely as he had planned and the police officers helped him pack up the balloon.

A few times, the crew has helped him walk the balloon close to the ground in wide-open areas to get it back to the trailer, once about half a mile.

But it could be worse.

“Some balloonists have had

55+ multiple day extractions where they have to disassemble everything and carry it out piece by piece,” Flanders said. “That can happen if you fly over an area that’s very wooded and the wind isn’t cooperating. There’s always the remote chance that you can run out of fuel before you find a perfect place to land.”

It’s also important to land before dusk for visibility reasons. Flanders doesn’t fly during the winter because carrying the equipment in the snow is difficult.

Weather permitting, Flanders takes friends and business clients up, up and away. He also enjoys flying in balloon festivals such as in Jamesville and at Wolf Oak Acres in Oneida.

Flanders also enjoys golfing, camping and boating, but admits ballooning is “a lot more expensive than a round of golf.”

The hour to two-hour flights cost about $200 in fuel, replacement parts and buying the crew breakfast. He’s always on the lookout for additional crew members willing to help and join

in his hobby.

“It’s really hard to explain the feeling you get in terms of the quiet and solitude and when you’re flying, you have to focus on what you’re doing,” he said. “It becomes a great

hobbies

escape from the normal push and pull and hustle and bustle of life.

“It’s one of those things that’s almost spiritual. Anyone who’s ever gone for a balloon ride would agree.”

Photos courtesy of Steven Flanders February / March 2011 - 55 PLUS

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Karin Franklin-King 20

55 PLUS - February / March 2011

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cover

A Woman with Many Hats Multi-talented Karin Franklin-King looks to make a difference

By Lou Sorendo

T

e a c h e r. A c t re s s . S i n g e r.

Consultant. Broadcast journalist. Humanitarian.

Volunteer. Motivational speaker.

If you put all that together, what do you get?

Karin Franklin-King.

She is all that. And more.

Franklin-King is certainly a selfmade success story in Central New York. She has carved a niche in the region through her work as an adjunct professor at Syracuse University, her broadcast journalism career, her skills as a stage performer, and her knack for business consulting and motivational speaking.

Franklin is originally from Brooklyn and came to Upstate New York in the late 1960s to attend Onondaga Community College.

She is now a resident of Central Square.

F r a n k l i n - K i n g accomplished much of her major requirements at OCC through its concentrated drama program.

After two years at OCC, she had hoped to transfer back to New York City and attend New York University for theater. “I cried my eyes out when I got my rejection letter,” she recalls. “The next day you couldn’t even see my eyes I was so upset.”

She would go on to apply to SUNY Oswego, where theater then was considered an extra-curricular activity.

From 1969-1971, she was able to do musical comedy and other theater pieces through the State Singers, a group that James Soluri had formed at SUNY Oswego.

“It was a wonderful outlet to be able to do music and theater at the same time while I was there,”

Franklin-King said.

A visiting professor from Cornell University appeared on the scene and was impressed with FranklinKing’s work and performance in a play he had produced and directed.

She was then given an opportunity to become part of the master’s program at Cornell University.

The entertainer When Franklin was at OCC, the first musical she did there was a Syracuse Stage production.

She played opposite one of her theater professors in “No Strings,” which was on Broadway at the time and featured Diahann Carroll and Richard Kiley.

It was one of the first shows to have a black woman and white man in a relationship.

“That was my introduction to the Syracuse community in terms of that ability,” she said.

“I really had to step up my game when playing opposite my theater professor.”

Other memorable roles included “The Taming of the Shrew” at Cornell that had Mexico as its setting.

“I love Spanish. I just love the language and culture,” she said.

She also enjoys opera, and was in the Oswego Opera Theater ’s production of “A Little Night Music” several years ago.

February / March 2011 - 55 PLUS

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cover

This past June, she was part of a two-person performance of “Having Our Say,” which was produced by the local Paul Robeson Performing Arts Company.

“My heart and soul is still in live entertainment and being on stage and performing,” she said. “I love to be on stage and have that live interaction.”

Her top choice is musical comedy, while straight drama comes next.

While in school, Franklin-King participated in auditions while trying to get into touring companies that were featuring off-Broadway shows.

“I didn’t get as far as I wanted to with those and went back to New York City. I just wasn’t making it so I came back to Syracuse, where I could mooch off friends,” she said with smile.

Breakthrough moment At that time, the Urban League tipped Franklin on job opportunities through WCNY public television.

The station was beginning a training program in order to groom staff to be producers, directors and on-air talents.

She learned broadcasting skills through on-the-job training at WCNY and did two shows, one allowing different arts organizations to do excerpts of their shows and the other a public affairs show with a magazinetype format.

She even directed “Bluegrass Ramble” with Bill Knowlton.

Meanwhile, WSYR Channel 9 in

Syracuse had a new show with Mike Price called “Open Line.” The live daily show—extremely popular in the 1970s and early ‘80s—asked the audience at home to call in and talk to guests.

Franklin-King left public television to join the “Open Line” team. At the same time, she was doing shows in the community ranging from musicals to straight drama.

“That was still my roots and I thought at any time I was going to have to abandon the TV stuff to do what I really was meant to do,” she said.

“Through TV, I was still in a way living my theater dreams,” she said.

“At the time I was doing ‘Open Line’ in 1976, Syracuse Stage was forming and bringing in equity actors to do high-level performances.

“Some of the performers from there came onto the ‘Open Line’ show so I had a chance to rub elbows with some of the greats that I’ve admired.”

“Open Line” also featured people who could help others get through difficult times. “That’s something I found a penchant for,” she said.

Phil Donahue was a popular talk show host at the time and was a guest of Channel 9. Franklin-King teamed with him to do a commercial called “Back to Back with Donahue.” His show was presented prior to “Open Line.”

Franklin-King kiddingly says that “Oprah Winfrey stole my stuff”

Meet Karin Franklin-King

K

with young people who are going to shape public opinion and be the ones telling the stories. So when they come up with an idea, it’s important not to be discouraging about it and take time to help them develop it.”

• On interacting with broadcast journalism students: “I love being in an environment

• On today’s television: “There’s not enough on air in terms of entertainment and cultural types of things and not enough for young people and their families.

arin Franklin-King has made an indelible mark on the Syracuse community as an adjunct professor, actress, singer, business consultant and broadcast journalist.

Here are several of her candid viewpoints on her life and career:

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55 PLUS - February / March 2011

because “Open Line” introduced the same kind of concept six years prior to the superstar’s rise to fame.

When “Open Line” was taken off the air, she got into doing more news broadcasting and consumer reports.

After working in radio, Franklin went into the corporate world and worked for Mutual of New York.

“My mother said, ‘You finally have a real job’, because she thought TV and radio was just an extension of theater.”

Franklin-King’s talent as an entertainer extended beyond acting.

She was the lead singer for a local rock ‘n’ roll, rhythm and blues band called Golden Gate in the 1980s and ‘90s. Her husband John King was the drummer.

The co-host Franklin-King also produces and co-hosts a radio show, “Teen Talk.”

She said “Teen Talk” has been on air for almost 30 years. Two therapists founded the show after discovering a need they saw for teens to have someone to talk to.

The spark for the show came when a young man committed suicide following his father’s death because his dad was the only person he could talk to, Franklin-King noted.

The program was presented on radio stations that teens listen to and provided a forum for teens to talk with their peers. Adults were present “so when teens get into unchartered waters, they can help pull them out,” The ones that you do see are those comedies that really are extreme stereotypes of families and kids.” life:

• On why she chose her path in

“I think the good Lord had a better idea of what I needed to be doing than I did.”

• On her role as a talk show host: “I really like being able to do something and make a difference and not just talk.”

55+ Franklin-King said.

The 90-minute show allows teens to call about anything they want, such as bullying or sexual preference, or adults will introduce a topic “just to get the wheels turning,” FranklinKing said.

Franklin-King said each year, the show recruits teens from high schools and trains them to be listeners, to ask open-ended questions, to engage with teen callers, and to learn how to trust and get teens to trust them.

Contact Community Services, a human services agency serving Central New York, began producing “Teen Talk” in 1989. In 2001, it began its association with Hot 107.9.

“We go where the kids are,” she said. The show is featured from 910:30 p.m. Sundays and also offers podcasts on its website.

The broadcast journalist Franklin-King has hosted several live weekly call-in television shows, and now is working in commercials.

“My broadcasting links have never ended,” she said.

She also is active in the community in terms of doing workshops and emceeing. “I still have the name that people will call on to make things happen in their particular organizations in different ways,” she said.

Franklin-King characterizes her involvement in broadcast journalism nowadays as “more of a dabble.” She sometimes is asked to substitute for • On her experience in radio broadcasting: “I thought it would be a piece of cake, but it was difficult. You have to become the eyes of the listener so I had to talk in a different language.”

• On her personality: “I consider myself as being an optimist. I like to be funny and engaging. I love conversations with people and I love to learn something new.”

• On working from home: “I learned to discipline myself,

color photo get one

cover

a regular show host who may be on vacation or on maternity leave. “I still keep my hands in it,” she said.

“I want to own my own television station,” Franklin-King said. She said the emergence of broadband and greater bandwidths have resulted in more stations. “I still see opportunity for women and minorities to grow in those areas,” said Franklin-King.

Franklin-King said about a decade ago, the Federal Communications Commission mandated stations to run public affairs programs while paying attention to what was going on in their respective communities.

The FCC, however, relaxed that mandate while depending on stations to take on that initiative themselves.

“They didn’t,” Franklin said.

“Stations went to where the money was. I still think there is money to be made and sponsors to be found to do public affairs programs,” she said.

“I think it could be a lot of fun and I think there is really going to be a need for stations in communities to have their signature. I think it is the only way to really make any money because it’s so widespread,” she added.

The consultant Karin Franklin-King in a hallway at S. I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, where she is an adjunct professor. and if that weren’t the case, I’m sure at some point when I’m working I’d switch the TV on and that would be the end of it.”

• On being able to adapt to different situations as a consultant: “I’m incredibly blessed because things that come at me, I’ll reinvent myself to be able to do them. I’ll say, ‘Tell me what you need and let me get back to you.’ I’ll think about it and do some research, and then say, ‘Yeah, I could do that. It may take me a little bit of work.’ I love it. It comes from theater and improvisation.”

Franklin-King has her own consulting business—KFK Consulting.

Her 13 years in a corporate environment solidified her grasp of corporate social policy. At MONY,

• On Tina Turner as her role model: “I’ve always admired her in terms of her grit, her legs, voice, ability to reinvent herself, her stickto-itiveness and just her positive attitude.”

• On her diet regimen: “Broccoli all the time. I believe in broccoli. I don’t eat fried foods or a lot of red meat. I enjoy poultry and fish primarily and lots of water and herbal teas.”

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she was responsible for corporate giving. She worked her way up to human resources director for MONY and mastered being a point person for training personnel.

Not only is her consulting business buoyed by her media background, but she has gained experience in working with mainly nonprofits “in helping them get unstuck,” she said.

“I’ll sometimes be called in to do a workshop or retreat, and depending on what the issue is, will help them design what the retreat might be or what the course of action might be,” she said.

Franklin-King’s duties as a consultant involve taking a look at an organization’s capacity and “assessing everything.”

She also assists in strategic planning for organizations, involving herself in setting up fundraisers and capital campaigns.

She is also skilled at analyzing an organization’s fundamental setup and determining weaknesses that need to be addressed, such as lack of committee structure.

As if her stage, business and media engagements are not enough, Franklin-King also excels as a motivational speaker.

“When I started doing it, it wasn’t anything that I really knew how to do,” she said.

As a speaker, Franklin-King determines what type of outcome she wants and what she wants the audience to walk away with.

“I started to think about what bores me to death when someone is

speaking. What bores me to death is that they don’t let me say anything or talk, talk, talk and don’t recognize that I may be falling asleep or sitting forward and listening.”

A Hall of Famer Franklin-King is a Syracuse Press Club Hall of Fame recipient.

“It really is a great achievement,” she said. “Anytime your peers take the time to recognize and applaud what you’ve done and what you continue to do, that is a milestone achievement.”

F r a n k l i n - K i n g f i n d s g re a t satisfaction in inspiring young people to reach out for their dreams.

“I’m glad when I have the opportunity to be highlighted and to be able to say, ‘Look, I was turned down. I had to beg my way into college. My high school grades were in the toilet because I didn’t think I was going to college, so I didn’t care about certain subjects. Some I excelled in, others I didn’t,” she said.

After being turned down, her guidance counselor convinced her to ask for time with the dean.

“I convinced them and worked especially hard. When I do a speaking engagement or someone asks me about my roots and how I got to where I am, I love to tell those types of stories. Don’t give up just because someone said to. That’s a motivator,” she added. In terms of significant influences, Franklin-King characterizes her late mother Ethel as being an eternal optimist and having a very forgiving nature.

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“I write to her all the time in a journal,” Franklin-King said. “I never realized how those things about her had become so ingrained in me, such as giving back and volunteering all the time.”

“If someone needed something, she would go out of her way to take care of them and find a way,” she said.

Despite her hectic lifestyle, Franklin-King adheres to a diet and exercise regimen to keep in shape.

“I have to be active or I get stressed out,” she said.

Franklin said she reserves a “meditation half hour” in the morning when she prays or reads spiritual books “just to center myself. It kind of starts my day.”

“I don’t turn on the TV until I say, ‘Thank you for allowing me to be here today,’” she said.

Syracuse University Franklin-King is an adjunct professor at Syracuse University’s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, a role she has held for about six years.

She teaches broadcast journalism in the spring and fall semesters.

She came in on the ground level of a program that was primarily designed for graduate students and seniors.

“It involved having them come in and do a half-hour public affairs program, noting that hopefully they had the skills to be able to take on various positions such as producer, videographer, reporter, on-air talent, all of those things,” she said.

“We found that we needed to bring everyone in yet still concentrate primarily on students with greater skills,” she said.

The class airs its show on local TV stations such as WSYR Channel 9, the independent station WXTX and the university’s internal channel.

“I was brought on board primarily because of the work I had done as a talk show host and volunteer work,” Franklin-King said. “I produced public affairs programs for about six years while I was on TV and the same in radio. I know just about everyone in the community.”

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Man’s Best Friend Ages Too As Bailey ages, I notice he’s become set in his ways, a creature of habit, not unlike his human counterparts

By Nancy Haus

M

an has traditionally are neutered at around 6 months, that as soon as we got home. Six months seemed a little young to be neutered c l a i m e d t h e d o g a s didn’t give us much time. his best friend. And We all felt sad that he had to compared to his human counterpart, why not? They define have a surgical procedure and, of but we decided he wasn’t going to unconditional love: a pal, a buddy course, I — the mom — got roped into become a daddy, just our pal.

A yellow Labrador and golden who misses you as much for the taking him to the vet. He stayed for few minutes you go out to get the the day and then it took a few days retriever mix with a lot of creamnewspaper as he does if you’re gone to recuperate. When I picked him colored fur, we chose the perfect name for a week. up, he seemed a little lethargic and immediately. It would be “Bailey,” as He doesn’t get mad or try to get disoriented, just like I do after having in Bailey’s Irish Cream.

We went through the trials back at you if you forget to feed him or a surgical procedure, and he slept and tribulations of raising a if you ignore him, and he’ll newborn but potty training sit at your feet or cuddle was the hardest. We never with you with no need for quite figured out whether he commitment. He smiles and didn’t get it or we didn’t get sometimes looks sad, but he it. It took quite awhile for always loves you. And who him to get the hang of it, and can beat that? he much preferred doing his We knew the moment thing inside — preferably on we saw him that he was the rug — and particularly in the perfect addition to our winter. We had many heart-tofamily and that we had hearts about it. Barking was his to share our home with other (annoying) problem, and him. At 4 or 5 months old, at age 14, he still barks, at times we were truly bringing a for no apparent reason. trembling baby home from As a puppy, Bailey ran the hospital. We took turns through the house with my holding him tightly in the sons chasing after him. With car to help him feel more so much energy, he’d run secure; he seemed confused so fast that he’d slide on the about where he was headed hardwood floors and hit his with this bunch of strangers head on the brick kitchen who’d taken him from his wall. He probably had many crate full of buddies. concussions over the years.

He’d had his shots so As my kids grew and left we didn’t have to put him for college, and my husband through that ordeal. But we left for a new life, it was just quickly decided as a family Bailey and me, and he became that it would be best to have Fourteen-year-old Bailey has been with the author’s my protector. He slept in my him neutered. Since males family since he was 4 or 5 months old.

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55+ room and barked if he heard strange noises. I don’t know what he would’ve done if anything happened because he’s pretty timid; I could only hope that he would’ve protected me.

When I’d tell him that the kids were coming home for a visit, his ears would perk up. He never forgot their names, and when they came home he acted as if they’d never left, snuggling with them and licking their faces. It was a love affair you just can’t explain — unless you’ve had a dog who loves you.

Now that Bailey is 14, his life is changing. Retrievers are prone to hip dysplasia, and Bailey’s symptoms of that condition are slowly worsening.

Getting up off the floor, especially from a tile or wood floor, creates problems. He plods up the stairs now, one step at a time. Sometimes, he needs an extra push from behind and I can see how the years are catching up with him.

A recent visit to the vet for an ear problem revealed a hematoma, which the doctor drained, but it refilled with blood almost immediately. During that visit, I showed the vet what I thought was a cyst on Bailey’s paw.

His reaction was not what I had anticipated. He wanted to do a needle biopsy but said that because the mass, something that’s common in older dogs, was so small, he’d have to do it under general anesthesia.

I felt that since he’d have to put a drain in Bailey’s ear under anesthesia, he might as well do both procedures at the same time. But a lack of veterinary insurance combined with limited finances caused me to delay the surgery until I can afford them.

In the meantime, the hematoma seems to have improved a little, but I’m more worried about the mass.

Bailey acts fine and, even at his age, he runs and plays with the kids, now adults, and he still loves the snow.

He buries his nose in it and digs and runs in it just like he did when he was a pup.

But as he ages, I notice he seeks more attention. He stays right behind me during my daily walk. He’s lost a little hearing or else he has learned the

profile

Patrick Haus, the autor’s son, hugging the family dog. art of ‘selective hearing;’ and he has cataracts. He eats a little less food and drinks a little more water. He’s become set in his ways, a creature of habit, not unlike his human counterparts.

The Washington Post’s Gene Weingarten says, “They can be eccentric, slow afoot, even grouchy.

But dogs live out their final days with a humility and grace we all could learn from.”

Older dogs make it easy for you to love them. They think you’re brilliant, even if you’re not. When a dog gets old, the virtues he’s acquired during his life are demonstrated so clearly. Old dogs may not be as cute as puppies but to anyone who’s ever known an older dog, their flaws are of little consequence. They become vulnerable, show intense gratitude, limitless trust and become funny in new and unexpected ways. Most importantly, they seem at peace.

Old dogs grieve the loss of their friends. They seem to comprehend time’s passage, and, if not death’s meaning, they understand their frailties. They know that what’s gone is gone. Unlike humans, dogs don’t fear death or have a feeling of injustice or entitlement. They don’t see themselves battling against time.

I feel like, even though his muzzle is now graying, he has acquired a certain serenity and he’s even more special than before.

But Bailey does have his health problems and I often think about the life span for retrievers and how I would feel if something happens to him. He is 98 in human years, though he’s in pretty decent shape for an “old man.” He has health issues and health insurance issues, yet his owner doesn’t have the money to take care of the problems.

But Bailey does have a family that loves him — unconditionally — despite the bathroom accidents and chewing things he’s not supposed to.

All in all, the good has far outweighed the bad.

Bailey is part of our family and he has made us smile when we were down. He understands what we’re talking about, especially when he’s the topic of our conversation, and he knows exactly who will and won’t share their food with him.

He’s a smart old man, a forever friend, and I am treasuring the days we have left.

Nancy Haus is a writer who lives in Baldwinsville.

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Don’t Miss a Single Issue “I had cancer.

Cancer never had me.”

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By Harold Miller E-mail: HMillerMOD@aol.com.

Holidays in St. Thomas

A

The Miller clan revisits the Virgin Islands

s our jet touched down at Cyris E. King Airport in Charlotte Amalie (Amoll-yeh) in St. Thomas, my mind went back to our first trip 40 years ago when we taxied ashore on the beach in a 10-passenger seaplane that had skimmed over the waves from Puerto Rico.

What else had changed since we first visited this ruggedly beautiful island thrust in the South Atlantic half way to Africa?

We would soon find out.

While Christopher Columbus was busy searching for a route to India in 1493 he discovered these lush tropical islands, and named them ‘The Virgins’ in reference to the legendary beauty of St. Ursula and her 11,000 virgins (it would

be extremely difficult to find that many virgins in the islands today).

Columbus called the people he encountered ‘Indians.’ In any event, nothing much happened until the Danish West India Company successfully established a settlement at St. Thomas in 1672 consisting of 113 inhabitants. In 1685 the Danish government established a slave trading post and early governors approved of St. Thomas becoming a safe haven for the “Pirates of the Caribbean” (seems as if this would make a good movie — perhaps with several sequels).

Their rationale was that this would benefit the local merchants.

The Virgin Islands remained under Danish rule until the United States purchased part of

them in 1917 for $25 million in gold. Consequently, St. Thomas, St. John, and St. Croix became the U.S. Virgin Islands.

The Virgin Islands chain is mountains that rose from the deep, eons ago. St. Thomas has the most precipitous terrain of all and runs east-west for approximately 15 miles and is approximately four miles at its widest point. The south shore faces the Caribbean and the north shore — which is sparsely developed — faces the Atlantic Ocean.

This little bit of paradise is swept by 1,500 miles of trade winds that originate from the west shore of Africa — the same trade winds that brought explorers from the European Continent, pirates of

Hal literally climbed a mountain to get this shot of the bay of Charlotte Amalie at sunset at St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgins Islands. One of the ships is “Oasis of the Sea” the largest cruise ship in the world (right).

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the Caribbean — and one of the most ideal climates in the world.

Year round temperatures vary from the high 60s to the high 80s and the gentle Caribbean breezes keep the bugs at bay.

Most of the restaurants and other public buildings do not even have exterior walls.

We rented motorcycles during our first trip and enjoyed exploring the remote bays and inlets. We could park our bikes, don our snorkel masks, and enjoy swimming among the most exotic coral reefs, vegetation, and sea life that exists anywhere. Unfortunately 40 years of development and the resultant traffic makes this all but impossible today. Driving your own vehicle is not recommended. The combination of left hand drives with right hand drive vehicles mostly from the U.S. (the worst of both worlds) — narrow curving roads barely wide enough for vehicles to pass each other — and the crazy native drivers all

invite mayhem for the uninitiated.

Our group of 19 was picked up at the airport by a taxi driver, who would become our chauffeur, historian and confidant. Oniel Mullaly is descended from slaves, as are most of the native inhabitants of the islands today.

I asked him how he came to be named Oniel — he retorted, “Oh mon, I guess my mama just felt Irish that day.” He showed us the original West India Company building, long abandoned, as our van twisted and turned through miles of mountain roads that led to our rented condos. This was just a dirt road during our first visit.

Bolongo Bay is but one of dozens and dozens of bays and inlets that dot the perimeter of St. Thomas.

The family-operated Bolongo Bay Resort offers all the activities that our active group (which encompasses three generations) all love to do. We scuba-dived to explore an ancient shipwreck, went

on a deep sea fishing venture (one of our young bucks almost snagged a shark), snorkeled in waters so clear you could see a pearl in 30 feet of water, hiked in mountain terrain, and just relaxed on the pristine white sand beaches.

The Miller clan started these bi-annual trips to exotic places a decade ago with the first “MilleRennium” in Jamaica, at the turn of the 21st century. St. Thomas would be our fifth “MilleReunion.”

We spent the last night together at the top of a mountain, accessible by cable car. Paradise Point is a funky restaurant and night club that overlooks the bay of Charlotte Amalie. Watching the sun go down and listening to the steel drum band and the native’s boogying down with rhythm and fluid movement just put a cap on our wonderful vacation.

All agreed that St. Thomas was our best vacation – yet – but it won’t be our last.

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When Grandparents Care for Autistic Children They are learning new lessons, and working hard to abandon their old trusted notions about parenting

By Aaron Gifford

S

ophia Tamilia was just 17 months old when the signs of trouble began. She screamed for hours on end after receiving her first flu shot. She wouldn’t eat and eventually stopped interacting with others.

A few months later, Sophia was diagnosed with autism. The devastating news meant major changes to the family’s schedule and lifestyle. Sophia would need professional help, a special diet and almost constant attention from family.

It was a monumental challenge for her working parents, so her grandparents were tapped to fill in the gaps.

Problem was, grandmother Teri Geariety, 67, knew very little about the condition. When she was younger, children with mental disabilities were essentially warehoused and schooled together in one classroom, regardless of age or condition.

“The special ed kids, the only time you saw them is when the teachers took them to the playground, and we weren’t allowed to talk to them,” Geariety said. “They were just kept separate.”

Attitudes over those with disabilities have changed in recent decades, and one of the first things Geariety learned was that autistic children are not necessarily less intelligent than typical children.

Thanks to a team effort by educators in early intervention programs, speech therapists and Sophia’s family, the 8year-old girl is highly functioning now and mainstreamed into a classroom with typical children.

“The journey along the way was just so difficult, especially at my age,”

Sophia Tamilia’s parents realized she had autism when she was 17 months old. Her grandmother, Teri Geariety of Kirkville, helps care for her. said Geariety, who regularly watches her granddaughter overnight at her Kirkville home. “It’s hard when they can’t tell you what’s wrong. But through spending so much time with her, I began to understand what she was trying to tell us.”

Geariety recalls a weekend hay

ride event a few years ago, when Sophia was a toddler. The first ride, she and her grandparents sat in the back of a mostly empty wagon, and all had a great time. But the second time, they sat in the front in a more crowded wagon. The girl had a tantrum as she tried to tell her grandparents that they weren’t sitting where they were supposed to.

Geariety said through such episodes, and with the guidance of professionals, she learned that autistic children are more comfortable with routines.

Throughout Central New York, other grandparents of autistic children are learning the same lessons, and working hard to abandon their old trusted notions about parenting as they learn new things from their own children and much younger professionals. It’s not always easy.

Henry Roane, a psychiatrist who heads Upstate Medical University’s family behavioral analysis clinic in Syracuse, said the first key point to communicate with older caregivers is that autistic children are not mentally retarded and that they can learn.

Secondly, he said, they should learn about the autism community — either by visiting Web pages or contacting local support groups — and engage with their peers.

“One of the first things they learn is that it’s important to be consistent with your interaction with the child,” Roane said. “Routines are very important, and there must be some predictability in what activities the child will do with their grandparents and what kind of food will be served.

When grandparents watch a kid, February / March 2011 - 55 PLUS

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things get a little laxed. It’s true that grandparents love to spoil the kids.

But that can make it difficult for the grandparents and even the parents when they get the autistic child back.”

According to the Centers for Disease Control, one in 100 children is diagnosed as being autistic, though the term encompasses a broad spectrum ranging from severely autistic where the child doesn’t speak, to high-functioning where the child engages in repetitive mannerisms or idiosyncrasies or struggles with certain social behaviors. About one in 50 children show some signs of autistic behavior but aren’t necessarily diagnosed.

John Conti, of Hamilton, was working as a rehabilitation counselor in the 1970s when the deinstitutionalization movement to move mentally disabled citizens out of large facilities and into small group homes. He probably knows more about mental impairments than most senior citizens, but even he

had to embrace a new way of thinking after his grandson, Max, now 5, was diagnosed with autism.

“You have to take the lead from the child’s parents. Don’t be set in your ways. There’s still a feeling of helplessness.

Yo u w a n t t o apply new ideas — and I find myself reading Grandma Fran Conti with 5-year-old grandson, Max. about everything — but never impose anything until encourage grandparents to support you run it by your kids first,” Conti the family in any way possible, said. Having an autistic grandchild whether it’s physically, emotionally or forces older caregivers to be more even financially. If an older caregiver resourceful. Many find themselves is not up to watching the autistic using the Internet on a regular basis child, then they can help by watching when they would otherwise avoid the child’s non-autistic sibling so the brother or sister gets a little break and newer technology.

P a t r i c i a Vi o l a , the parents can have some one-on-one a 74-year-old widow time with their autistic child.

Parents of autistic children incur and grandmother of three autistic boys, said many out-of-pocket expenses for she was reluctant to therapists, educators and special diets. accept the computer Grandparents can help by picking up that was given to her a some of the special food items, such few years ago, but now as gluten-free products, during their she couldn’t imagine shopping trips.

Moreover, those who are 55 and living without one.

She’s since learned up can volunteer to assist with respite about gluten-free diets care, Teri Geariety suggested, adding for the boys and shares that inquiries should be directed to her experiences with the The Autism Society of America Central New York Chapter. her peers.

As an older parent of an autistic “I’m online at least three times a week child, 51-year-old Marilyn Jeffrey, of doing research,” said Manlius, can attest to the challenges Viola, who lives in spouses face when trying to get a little a rural corner of the break from parenting. Her elderly Adirondacks. “There’s parents are physically unable to care a lot to share with for her autistic 9-year-old son, Brett, others. I’ve built up a and her other son, Ryan, is too young lot of patience over the to watch his brother for more than a years and I had five couple hours at a time.

“As a couple and a family, children. I think of the things I let my kids do you get through this by being very that I wouldn’t let my committed,” Jeffrey said, adding that Patricia Viola with one of her three autistic Brett is considered high-functioning grandkids do.” grandkids, all boys.

S u p p o r t g ro u p s and has made tremendous progress

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55+ in school and with socializing with other children. “It can be exhausting when you’re an older parent. We don’t always manage not to get irritated with each other, but we really work hard on our relationship. This is where breaks are so important. It’s a team effort.”

Jeffrey also said she grew up in an era when people didn’t doubt a doctor ’s advice and alternative medicine was rarely accepted.

And yet, she supports alternative ideas like treating autism through better nutrition and avoiding or delaying some of the early childhood vaccinations, which many parents believe do more harm to autistic children than good.

“The best advice by far has come from other parents,” Jeffrey said. “I think doctors, at least in the past, didn’t take a close enough look at the things autistic children are sensitive to.”

Joan Kicak, 73, of North Syracuse, cared for her autistic grandsons, Matthew (5) and Dave (4) when they were toddlers, but now she’s physically unable to keep up with them. Although she no longer babysits them, she still supports the family in other ways. Sometimes, it’s as simple as being there to listen to her daughter (Tanya Lafave) vent after a hard day, or to remind her that she’s a great parent no matter how much the boys have tried her patience.

“It was hard watching them change from happy little babies to the point where they wouldn’t make eye contact anymore,” Kicak said, “so I too feel the hurt that my daughter deals with every day. My advice to grandparents is to give as much support as possible.”

Caring for an autistic child can also be an enormous challenge for non-traditional families. Doreen Mossow, 48, of Baldwinsville, watches

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living

her two autistic grandchildren every other weekend and has custody of two other grandchildren who are not autistic. Although she’s not yet 50, she is showing signs of slowing down but manages to keep up with the kids.

Austin, the older of the two boys, does not speak and uses a keyboard to communicate with others. He started having seizures last year, so Mossow is especially careful with him when they’re playing in the swimming pool or on the swings. The biggest challenge is keeping the two boys in close proximity so Grandma can get to either one quickly if there’s a problem.

“It keeps me young and fit — that’s for sure,” Mossow said. “You just have to stay positive and look at any time you have with your grandchildren as being special. They are still intelligent human beings. If you have that bond with them, it’s a rewarding experience. “

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Beware the ‘Silver Tsunami’ — the Boomers Turn 65 in 2011

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he start of the new year marks yet another milestone for America’s baby boom generation, one they are not likely to welcome. The first of the baby boomers turn 65 in 2011. The boomers are getting old.

And the rest of the 76 million Americans born between 1946 and 1964 are charging hard after this first batch. It has been dubbed the Silver Tsunami. The number of people age 65 and older will double between 2010 and 2050, with the number of those 85 and older increasing four fold. The question is, will the country be ready to meet the extraordinary medical and social needs that the boomers will require?

The answer, according to geriatric experts at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, is no.

As time passes and the boomers continue to age, they will need specialized geriatric care from specialized health care professionals in specialized facilities.

“National estimates cite approximately 7,000 geriatricians currently certified to care for the rapidly growing boomer population,” said Dr. Richard Allman, professor and director of the UAB division of gerontology, geriatrics and palliative care.

“Yet our society will need more than 20,000 geriatricians to accommodate the increasing demand for specialized care.”

And it’s not just doctors.

Allman says the need for specialized caregivers for geriatrics extends beyond physicians to include nurses, therapists, dietitians, social workers and community caregivers.

“Doctors alone don’t deliver geriatric care,” Allman says.

“You’ve got to have a team to optimize the quality of life for older people. We’re recruiting students who are dentists, physical and occupational therapists, nurses, optometrists, psychologists and a number of other disciplines.”

aging

By Marilyn L. Pinsky

Interesting People

I

love meeting interesting, active people for whom age is just a number. The three people in this article, the first of a two-part series, each has a passion for what they do that keeps them ageless and relevant and can give all of us ideas for living a full life.

Part One

The first example of a life welllived is Lillian Slutzker. Many readers might know Lillian Slutzker and her late husband, Manny, from their many years as owners of “Manny’s,” a fixture on the Syracuse University campus for almost 50 years.

She worked all of her adult life in the store, taking over when Manny became ill. Ten years ago, she endowed the Syracuse University “Lillian and Emanuel Slutzker Center for International Services” and she recently received the Global Citizens Award from the International Center of Syracuse.

“I never thought the center would become such a big deal,” said Slutzker.

“It just was important to me personally to do this for other people. I came to Syracuse as a refugee, having lost my

whole family in the Holocaust. My mother and I had moved to Berlin from Hungary when I was 13 and at 21, I left Germany for England with a youth group; six months later the war broke out.

“I had to start my life over twice, once in England and then in America,” Slutzker said. “When I came to Syracuse, there was no one who reached out to me, and it was isolating and scary. In the hospital when I was having my son, the nurses couldn’t believe there was no one who came to visit me.”

She explained some of the reasons for starting the center at SU. “I knew how important it was for other people new to our country to have a place to go to talk with others and, particularly, that it should be a nice place to congregate,” she said. “Ever since I was a little girl, it was my dream to go to university.

Because of Hitler, even though I qualified, I couldn’t go. So another thing I do is speak to different groups and individuals about the Holocaust because so many people just don’t know about it.”

An all-around supporter of the

university, she also funds scholarships for the men’s lacrosse program.

Not content to be “just” a b e n e f a c t o r, S l u t z k e r t a u g h t conversational English at the center to international students to help ease their transition. She still goes there to meet with students and staff. A woman of action, her empathy for animals led to her being a founder of the Humane Society of Central New York.

She speaks three languages — Hungarian, German and English — and has a passion for travel that has taken her all over the world.

She is perhaps most proud of her son, Craig, a Yale graduate with a master’s degree from SU. Of his mother, Craig says, “She’s a gourmet cook and a connoisseur of cars. She loves fashion, gardens with an artists’ eye for flowers and landscaping, and is skilled at interior decorating. But with all her talents and accomplishments, she is still a very modest person.”

I met Slutzker at the gym and asked if she had always kept in shape?

“Yes, all my life. My mother was very keen that I exercise; when

Lillian Slutzker

Lionel Logan

Marie Felice

Lillian Slutzker

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younger I was a long-distance runner and used to run in the woods. I still keep in shape and go to the gym twice a week,” she said.

Her secret indulgences are “French face creams and cooking, but because I do love to eat, I make it a healthy diet,” said Slutzker.

Lionel Logan At the Dunbar Center, I caught up with Lionel Logan. Among his many civic activities, he works in the political arena for candidates in which he believes.

“I volunteer for Organizing for America in their phone bank. It is the organization that was at the heart of the Obama campaign,” explained Logan. “I also work with Citizen Action of New York, an organization that conducts voter training.”

Logan said he feels strongly that everyone should be more politically involved.“The decision makers in power look at the people who vote, and if you don’t vote, you have no voice. It’s a question of ‘If you didn’t put me here, I don’t need to worry about you’, “ he said.

Another lifelong passion is education. “About 15 years ago, I started driving a legally blind teacher who taught [students with multiple handicaps] and had to visit three or four schools in one day,” he said. “I would go into the schools with her, and when I would see a student sitting in the office, I’d ask ‘What are you learning in the office, and why are you here?’ When children see that you are interested, they are mostly honest.

When I would ask them if they would behave if I could get them back in class, the answer was always yes, so I would try.” If the teacher had two or more students at a school, Logan said he would volunteer to tutor and then he became a mentor.

“I discovered that city schools really don’t teach students about voting, even in civics or government classes. I called the [Syracuse City School District] Board of Education and told them I was with the NAACP and got permission to go into high schools yearly and register students to vote.”

“My daughter ’s a teacher and when I went to her school one day, I ended up answering students’ questions for an hour. You never 36

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know what you may say that could change a child’s life. To this day, if I see children on a corner hanging out, I always ask why they’re not in school.

If possible, I will try to get them back in, Logan said.”

Logan and his wife raised six children of their own and were foster parents to others. He worked for the federal government in military computerized communications, so he is a fan of computers and even has a Facebook page.

“I have grandkids and great grandkids, and they won’t let me not get into [Facebook]. But then again, I’m interested in just about everything.

I’ve always been like that and I think that keeps me young.”

I asked what advice he had for other retirees? “Don’t be a couch potato. Find something that will get you up in the morning. People in nursing homes would love to have visitors,” he said. “You don’t have to worry about what to discuss with them; they just want to impart their knowledge to you and they often have no one else to talk to.”

What about diet and exercise?

“I’m reasonable about what I eat, even though I have no medical problems that would keep me on a strict diet. I do exercise, generally, some light weights along with aerobic exercise. But the most fun I have is golfing and bowling. I started bowling in my 20s and playing golf in my 50s. It’s the participation sports that I like.”

And his secret indulgence?

“I watch very little TV, mostly news and political shows, but I joined Netflix because it forces me to watch movies that I had always wanted to watch.”

Marie Felice I have known Marie Felice for years, and she is so busy that it was almost impossible to tie her down for an interview.

As the wardrobe steward for IATSE (International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees) Local 9, she does every professional show that comes into Syracuse.

“I call and arrange the wardrobe group of men and women needed for the shows. There are hairdressers, seamstresses, dressers, people who steam and iron, and people who work

on shoes,” she explained.

“Many of the people who work for wardrobe have themselves been on stage, so they know how to treat the cast properly,” she said. “For instance, for Legally Blonde they needed eight dressers, two hair people and one laundry person.”

Felice just finished a modern dance group and is now off to do a musical in the Famous Artists Series. In December, she did “The Nutcracker,” and in January, she did “Disney on Ice.” I viewed the pages of spreadsheet notes that Felice uses to keep track of each show, and it was overwhelming.

“I [am] the treasurer of Festa Italiana, and I also hire the entertainment. I love working with all the people who work on the Festa and when it all comes together, it is just a great feeling,” she said.

She’s also a bookkeeper for two clients.“My passions are theater and my grandchildren,” she said. “I started in theater with Father Charles Borgognoni when I was 18, and I learned so much from him. He gave me the love for theater.”

Felice goes to sleep around 12:30 or 1 a.m. and gets up at 7:30 a.m. Other than that, she rarely stops moving.

“I have to work even when I watch TV,” she said. “I have to be busy. I cook for myself every day, and I make healthy food. My exercise is touching my toes when I get up in the morning and stretching to get the kinks out of my back [that were] caused by an accident years ago. I also run up and down the stairs all day long because my computer is downstairs.”

So what provides the most fun in her life?

“Cooking and baking, theater, my grandchildren and my kids,” she said.

A neat and well-organized person, Felice has every show bill from every production she’s ever worked on.

“My daughters are trying to make me throw out my check registers that I still have from when they were in college and my Mary Ann comes over every week to go through boxes and makes me throw things out,” she said.

Her secret indulgence?

Chocolate, of any kind!

my turn

By Bruce Frassinelli

The Santa Claus Scam

I

Waiting for grandkids to pop the question: ‘Is Santa Claus real?’

have survived another Christmas without being confronted with questions about the existence of Santa Claus.

With nine grandchildren, I live in mortal fear that one of the younger believers will ask with wide-eyed innocence, “Grandpop, my friend told me there is no Santa Claus; is that true?”

The simple way around this is to vehemently deny the friend’s hard-hearted revelation, but I have made a promise: Never lie to my grandchildren.

“You’re not really lying,” says my wife, Marie, but I disagree. “But it’s a lie for a good cause,” she counters.

Te a c h i n g a c o u r s e i n communication ethics for SUNY Oswego, I am constantly prodding my students to think about lying as unethical behavior. We have frequently discussed whether the so-called “little white lies” should be in a different category.

For example, do you tell your wife the truth — that the new dress she just bought makes her look dumpy — or do you avoid confrontation and, perhaps, the silent treatment that will likely follow, and lie for a good cause?

If my 8-year-old granddaughter, Andrea, confronts me with the dreaded Santa Claus question, I probably will refer her to her parents. Let them be the bearers of bad news or let them get off the hook as best they can.

I admit to being ultra-sensitive to this issue because of the hare-brained, unthinking sin I committed when I was 10. I had stopped believing in Santa Claus a year earlier when I questioned the improbability that one man could visit every house in the world during one night’s hours of darkness — with flying reindeer

no less.

When I approached my mother with my suspicions, she at first tried to lead me in a different direction. When it became apparent I was not going to be dissuaded to drop the subject, she finally admitted that it was she and pop who provided the Christmas Day goodies. She quickly added, however, that while the spirit of Christmas was not an actual real live person, it was a strong force in the lives of all of us.

Now armed with the truth, I was prepared to confront the believers with my newly acquired knowledge and debunk this whole Santa Claus scam. The first opportunity came when we were visiting my mother’s friend in Bethlehem, Pa. The friend’s 7-year-old granddaughter was there, too.

We were playing a game when the topic of Santa came up. She was going on about what she wanted Santa to bring her for Christmas. I told her straight out: “You’re a fool; there is no Santa Claus.”

I saw a look come over her face that was not unlike the terror one experiences when learning of the loss of a loved one or a pet. Seconds later, she screamed and began sobbing uncontrollably. Her mother and my mother ran to find out what had happened. She told them what I had said.

My mother flashed me a look which, translated, meant, “You’re in big trouble when we get home, mister.” The girl’s mother tried as best she could to undo the damage.

My mother did punish me when we got home. I was thoroughly confused: I was being punished for telling the truth. Where’s the fairness?

Didn’t mom always admonish me: Never lie?

My mother tried to explain that I

had no business to be the one to break such crushing news to a 7-year-old believer. The girl’s mother reported several days later that her daughter had had recurring nightmares about my disclosure and she, too, was really angry with my insensitivity.

Chastened by this long-ago episode, I now want to make sure I don’t compound my error by mishandling a direct question from one of my grandkids.

I have rehearsed several responses just in case one of grandkids ambushes me with the question. One of my favorites is a quote from the famous “Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus” response to a letter from 8-year-old Virginia O’Hanlon to the editor of the New York Sun in 1897: “He exists as certainly as love, generosity and devotion exist,” the editor had written.

My 45-year-old son recently reminded me of something I had forgotten. When he approached me with his skepticism of Santa Claus, I told him Kris Kringle had been a real person, and even if the toys were delivered by loved ones, the spirit of Christmas walks the face of the earth, and that is the really important message.

I keep reminding myself, however, that all I want for Christmas next December is to be spared the question in the first place. That’s probably why when these grandkids are around and the topic of Christmas and Santa come up, I quickly excuse myself and leave the room.

Bruce Frassinelli is the former publisher and editor of The Palladium-Times in Oswego and an online adjunct instructor for SUNY Oswego. You may write to him at bfrassinelli@ptd.net.

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Champions Fitness: Many Services Under One Roof Business offers variety of services, including aquatics and physical therapy

By Suzanne M. Ellis

W

hen Champions Fitness Center opened 22 years ago, like similar businesses of that era, its primary focus was 20- and 30- somethings interested in body building.

“We catered to a young clientele when we opened in 1990,” said Champions’ owner and president David Ferguson. “It was a weight club … there were a lot of young people and we were young ourselves, so we did what we loved, we trained hard and grew the business from there.”

But as the baby boom generation — those born between 1946 and 1964 — has aged and become much more aware of health and fitness, Champions has adapted.

Its focus today is wellness, and it’s a full-service facility offering an array of programs for an older generation, including a heated pool, hot tub, dry sauna, steam rooms, arthritic and cardio classes.

Ferguson managed Champions for 13 years and then became a partner with James W. Sutor in 2004. Sutor died in July of 2010, and Ferguson then became sole owner.

“It’s important that people realize that we are not the [gym] or weight club of the past,” Ferguson said.

“We are no longer what some might perceive us to be.”

The center, at 7687 Frontage Road in Cicero, offers chiropractic, massage, aquatic and physical therapy — all under the same roof.

“It’s been an evolution over the past 20 years,” Ferguson said. “We’ve grown the pool program enormously; back then [in the early days] we had a pool but it didn’t get used a lot. Now it’s one of the essential core elements of our facility, and it’s what separates us from the competition.”

Another thing that separates Champions from some of the others, 38

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John Fowler, 63, of Central Square, works out on one of the weight machines at Champions Fitness Center and Onondaga Physical Therapy in Cicero. Fowler has been a member there for about eight years and tries to work out three times a week. He said he has a bulging disc in his spine and lifting weights helps stretch out his back.

Ferguson said, is that the center manages its population.

“The commercial clubs of today are all about just packing them in … the more the better, and they are crowded,” he said. “We maintain a manageable level of population so we don’t deal with that issue, and it’s a much better experience for the user.”

On-site physical therapy, provided b y t h e r a p i s t s f ro m O n o n d a g a Physical Therapy, is a relatively new offering at Champions, having been introduced in June of 2009, according to Onondaga Physical Therapy owner Lauris Rigdon.

Rigdon leases private physicaltherapy space at the Champions facility, he said, and also has access to the pool, for aquatic therapy, the

center’s locker rooms and all of its exercise equipment.

“It’s a unique relationship, and it’s working well,” Rigdon said.

In addition to working together on health education and marketing the fitness center-physical therapy affiliation, it is a win-win for patients and clients, both men said.

“When our physical therapy patients are healthy and feeling better, it’s a logical transition for them to continue on at the fitness center,” Rigdon said. “And if members of the fitness center get hurt and need therapy, they already know us because they’ve seen us there.”

“It’s just a perfect fit,” Ferguson said. “And it’s working out really well.”

druger’s zoo

By Marvin Druger

Discount Anyone?

I

One of the great benefits of old age is the senior discount

love any kind of discount, whether it is for seniors or not. Sometimes, the discount seems to be too good to be true. I often wonder if the actual price is deliberately doubled, so that the discount sounds better.

My favorite discount is “Buy one, get one free.”

I often use this discount, even though I have absolutely no interest in or use for the product. I am always suspicious of the word “free.” Even the air processed by the air conditioner and the water we drink from the tap are not “free.” Is anything really “free?”

One of the great benefits of old age is the senior discount. I thoroughly enjoy going almost anyplace, and getting a senior discount. The world owes it to us for our past contributions to society and for living so long. In many instances, senior discounts are available but are not advertised. No matter what, I always ask for a senior discount.

Sometimes a senior discount is synonymous with “less.” If you’d like to lose weight, less food for the senior meal is a good thing. In one restaurant, the senior drink cost less, but was half the size of the regular drink. However, there were free refills.

I can’t figure that one out.

Some stores offer senior discounts on specific days. I couldn’t wait until Tuesdays. All week, I thought of the many items I could buy on Tuesday.

After a while, the thrill of shopping only on Tuesdays became boring. And I was even willing to pay full price on Wednesdays and Fridays.

Variety is the spice of life...even if it costs more.

How old must you be to merit senior discounts? Gray hair is not a good index of age. Nowadays, it

seems that gray hair is a mark of distinction, even for younger people.

Gray hair is trendy. Health and vigor are also not good criteria for senior citizen designation.

My wife, Pat, and I went on a hike with a group of elderly people. The leader told us to car pool to the place where the hike started. Fearful of an elderly driver having an accident, I immediately said, “I’ll drive.” Pat sat next to me in the car, and two elderly men sat in the back. Pat turned to them and announced, “Marvin didn’t really want to go on this hike. He doesn’t like to be with old people.”

I laughed, but the old men didn’t.

The hike was rather vigorous.

While I was puffing and panting during the hike, one of the old men came over to me and said, “What do you think of old people now?” Lesson learned.

Pat also reminded me to be nice to old people, since I’m now one of them. If you are old enough to join AARP, that’s the true criterion for senior citizenship.

Sometimes, I think that saving 15 cents may not be worth my aggressive pursuit of a senior discount, but it’s the principle of the thing.

Once, I forgot to ask for the discount at a movie. Before leaving, I said, “I forgot to ask for the senior discount.” The ticket agent’s response was, “I already gave it to you” — I didn’t think I looked that old.

In another instance, I was with my beautiful wife. Pat and I were buying tickets for a show. As usual, I requested my senior discount. The agent gave me the discount and remarked, “I’m not giving her one.”

Sometimes, store clerks are not even sure of my age. I asked for a

senior discount at McDonald’s, and the manager said, “You don’t look old enough to get a senior discount.”

I was so flattered, that I paid the full price for my hamburger. I was also flattered when I was buying some beer in Wegmans and they asked me for proof of age. Who are they kidding?

I was driving with Pat into a state park when I noticed a sign, “Admission $7. Seniors admitted free on weekdays.” My daughter was following us in a van with her children. When we neared the ticket booth, I told Pat, “Get out of the car and drive Lauren’s car so that she won’t have to pay.”

After resisting my suggestion, Pat finally got out of our car and into the driver’s seat in my daughter’s van.

When I got to the ticket booth, I said, “That lady who’s driving the van behind me doesn’t have her driver’s license with her, but she looks much older than she is.” My intent was to say, “She is much older than she looks.” When I told Pat about my slip of the tongue, she didn’t think it was funny.

The entrance to the Merry Go Round Theater in Auburn has a sign that says, “$2 parking, seniors free.”

I am thrilled every time we enter that parking lot. It’s a great feeling to wave to the attendant as we cruise by her into the parking lot.

It’s important not to forget to ask for a senior discount, even if it seems unlikely.

There’s no harm in trying. As we get older, we are bound to get something that we don’t want. The senior discount is something that we do want.

Keep this in mind the next time you buy anything or do anything in life.

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55+

your money

How the New Tax Bill Will Affect Us

By Ken Little

R

ecent federal tax bill is mostly good news for seniors and older taxpayers, several local CPAs said. The bill, signed in December by President Obama, extends breaks put in place under former President George W. Bush.

It represents “a substantial victory for middle-class families across the country,” Obama said when the time the bill was signed.

Wealthy taxpayers will also benefit.

The bill stopped taxes from automatically going up on Jan. 1.

It remains in effect for two years.

Many older Americans continue working to make ends meet in the current economy. The $658 billion package includes a 2 percent reduction in the Social Security payroll tax.

Workers who pay Social Security payroll taxes will see them reduced to 4.2 percent from the current 6.2 percent. The maximum tax break would be a little over $2,000, and the cut would expire after one year.

“You have got to be working (to receive it), so it really kind of left us where we were in 2010.

Most 55-plus people should see a lower tax than they otherwise would have,” said Thomas Riley, a tax partner at Testone Marshall & Dicenza LLP in Syracuse.

Art Pearson, principal at Burdick and Pearson, CPAs, in Oswego, said the tax bill is generally positive for all Americans, including those 55 and over.

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“The tax rates are going to stay the same for at least two years,” Pearson said. “You will notice that your payroll taxes collected on Social Security taxes will be less.”

The estate tax provision in the Obama compromise package has received a lot of publicity, primarily for what is perceived to be breaks given to those in high income brackets.

Obama and Republicans struck a deal that reinstates the estate tax at 35 percent and to exempt estates worth as much as $5 million per individual.

“Most people are not going to pay the estate tax, but a lot of people got excited about it,” Riley said.

That’s on a federal level.

“New York state is a problem because our taxes are high and our estate tax kicks in at $1 million,” Riley said. “With proper planning, most people can save most of their money. You’re not going to see that many people in Central New York affected.”

Pearson said New York will likely “decouple” from the federal adjustments, “so for New York

state, a $1 million tax exemption is still in place.”

The estate tax “allows portability between spouses,” Pearson said.

“Although you have no federal estate tax, there is going to be an opportunity even if you passed away in 2010 to apply the estate tax at the 35 percent, $5 million level and by doing that the value of the assets will get a step up in basis,” Pearson said.

“What the step up in basis does, it allows you to use your estate best value for when your heirs sell one day. Heirs will have less tax when they sell their assets.

“If you have a good estate plan in place, you’re able to shelter up to $10 million in estate taxes.

Generally you have an exclusion of $5 million (per person),” he said.

The 2009 estate tax limit was $3.5 million. There was no federal estate tax in 2010, and if the provision had not been included in the federal tax package, rates would have reverted to 2001 levels -- $1 million for an individual or $2 million for a couple.

‘It would have been the last year of favorable tax provisions at the federal level,” Pearson said.

Individual tax rates will remain intact for 2011. Another benefit of the tax package is that capital gains and qualified dividends will have “the favorable (15 percent) tax rates most taxpayers have enjoyed since 2001”, Pearson said.

“If they want to sell stocks or receive dividends they’ll enjoy the tax rate they have enjoyed for the past nine years,” he said.

For the upcoming tax year, things will remain pretty much as they were, Riley said.

“Now it’s kind of status quo.

You have a lot of the same (practices) you did the year before,” he said.

Older Americans need to take a comprehensive look at their financial picture at tax time, Riley said.

“It all ties together. A lot of things don’t stand on their own,” he said.

Deductions are one area to look at.

“You would be quite surprised how many people don’t itemize,” he said. Many older Americans opt for short forms or electronic filing and don’t take advantage of deductions they could use, he said.

Seniors need to reassess health care options, Riley added.

“They need to look at health care and things like that. Costs are going up,” Riley said. “A lot of people don’t understand how expensive health insurance is.”

Another word of advice: “People need to look at their wills to make sure they are set up properly,” Riley said.

“There are a lot of things you need to take into account, but overall, I would say it’s status quo.”

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Toronto is Terrific

Largest Canadian city has museums, historic sites, theatrical presentations, sports venues, shopping galore and diverse dining options

By Sandra Scott

T

oronto is a world-class city closer to Central New York than New York City with just as much to offer. Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario, Canada’s largest city, and one of the world’s most diverse cities. There are museums, historic sites, theatrical presentations, sports venues, shopping galore, and diverse dining options.

Toronto has an excellent transit system with money-saving day or week passes but the best way to get an overview of the city is on one of the bus tours. There are several

Get acquainted on the Hippo Tour.

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fun ways to learn about the city.

The Sightseeing Toronto and the Grayline offer hop-on bus tours with commentary while Hippo Tours offers land and water tours of Toronto. The 40-passenger Hippo splashes down into Lake Ontario with great views of the city and Ontario Place from the water. The hop-on tours stop at CN Tower where the view of the city is expansive. There are several guided walking tours that explore the ethnic neighborhoods, parks, architecture and art but for a personalized tour check out TAP into TO. The free

greeter program pairs visitors with like-minded Torontonians. Public transportation is included. Greeter programs are a wonderful way to create a personal connection with a city.

World-class museums The most unique museum in Toronto is the Bata Shoe Museum. One does not have to have a shoe fetish to enjoy the museum. The history of footwear starts more than 4,500 years ago with replicas of the Ice Man’s shoes, which are the oldest shoes associated with the museum and follows the evolution of shoes through the years as they were adapted to changes in culture, environment and uses. Ancient funerary shoes, chestnut-crushing clogs, and celebrity footwear are all part of their extensive collection.

Nearby is the Royal Ontario Museum with its Michael Lee-Chin Crystal addition. The crystal is composed of five interlocking, selfsupporting prismatic structures that co-exist but are not attached to the original ROM building, except for the bridges that link them. The inside is just as spectacular. Explore world cultures from the early Canadians to the ancient Chinese. Naturalist will love the Bat Cave with animatronics and atmospheric sounds. Discover the real stories behind these mysterious creatures of the night.

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Another do-not-miss museum is the Ontario Science Centre where the learning starts before visitors enter the Front Yard. Learn about the urban landscape and play music on a water fountain. Inside there is something for everyone and every age with their newest exhibit, “Nature Unleashed,” that explores the dynamics of earthquakes, volcanoes, hurricanes, tornadoes and other natural forces.

Besides the big three museums visitors can step into the past at Black Creek Pioneer Village, an authentically re-created 1860s Ontario country village and tour Casa Loma, the Edwardian Castle home of Canadian financier Sir Henry Pellatt. The Art Gallery of Ontario is home to over 73,000 works of art,

Show time Toronto is considered second only to New York City in North America when it comes to theatrical performances. The Entertainment District is home to theater, symphony, ballet and opera. Attending a production at The Royal Alexandra Theatre is a treat in itself. The Beauxarts building has survived more than 100 year in beautiful shape. The Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts was built specifically for ballet and opera. Broadway shows are always popular with some opening in Toronto before they do in New York City. For sidesplitting laughs check out the Second City, the venue that inspired Saturday Night Live. Step into the 11th century at the Medieval Times Dinner and Tournament, which combines dinner and a show. Cheer for your brave knights as they engage in a tournament of sword fighting and daring-do on horseback. It is just one of many dinner theater presentations.

Neighborhoods Toronto is a vibrant city made up of eclectic, vibrant neighborhoods.

The ethnic diversity means there is great food and fun festivals that include the Corso Italian Festival and the annual Chinatown Festival. Try spanakopita in Greektown, handmade pirogies in Little Poland and dim sum in Chinatown. At the Sultan’s

Take the elevator to the viewing area of the CN Tower

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Tent diners can experience dining in a tent and belly dancing while enjoying Moroccan food. Try some of their Toronto street treats including hot dogs, healthy choices, and ethnic foods served by sidewalk vendors in a variety of locations. Take a trip around the world of food without ever leaving Toronto.

More fun No matter how long the stay, it is impossible to experience all that Toronto has to offer. Take in a sports event at the Sky Dome or Air Canada Centre. Toronto is the undisputed Hockey Town.

Toronto may be a cosmopolitan city but it is easy to escape to the outdoors and still be in the city. Parks and city trails make biking, hiking, jogging and skating fun, and don’t forget the islands, which are only a 20-minute ferry ride to any of the three islands.

Those who find shopping a mustdo activity will be spoiled for choice.

Not to miss are the trendy shops of Yorkville, the famed Eaton Center with over 300 shops, and Honest Ed’s, which sports the sign “There’s no place like this place, anyplace!” There is nothing like Kensington Market, a maze of narrow streets lined with Victorian houses with goods from around the world. The Hudson Bay Company is uniquely Canadian but there is more — antiques, paintings, bargains shops — truly something for every shopper.

Michael Lee-Chin Crystal façade toThe ROM.

More information Adults need to have a passport or an enhanced driver’s license in order to enter Canada. Wolfe Island is part of Canada. Children traveling with both parents do not need a passport but if they are traveling with one parent or someone else they should have a letter of permission from their parent. Visitors planning to visit several museums should check out Toronto CityPass, which offers substantial reduction to the area’s major attractions and can avoid standing in long ticket lines.

For more information check www. seetorontonow.com or call 800-4992514.

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Hockey Hall of Fame.

More than 1 in 5 Hospital Patients Are Over 75 Years Old

T

wenty-two percent of all admissions to U.S. hospitals in 2008 were for patients born the year that Franklin D. Roosevelt was first inaugurated President of the United States or

earlier, according to the latest News and Numbers from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

Those who ranged in age from 75 to 84 years accounted for almost 14 percent of the 40 million admissions to U.S. hospitals that year, while patients age 85 and over made up another 8 percent.

The federal agency also found that in U.S. hospitals in 2008: • Treating patients aged 75

and older cost hospitals more than $92 billion, compared with $65 billion for patients ages 65 to 74.

• People aged 85 and older were more than twice as likely to be hospitalized as 65-to -74-yearolds (577 vs. 264 stays per 1,000 population). They were also nearly three times more likely to require nursing home or other type of longterm care after leaving the hospital.

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hearing Top 10 List for Hearing Aid Buyers 55+

B

uying new hearing aids is an important decision with the potential to greatly enhance your quality of life. Keep in mind these important considerations as you compare hearing aids types and styles, and find the best solution for your hearing problem.

Hearing-Aid. com and the National Council for Better Hearing offer this top 10 list of tips for anyone planning to buy new hearing aids.

Buying new hearing aids is an important decision with the potential to greatly enhance your quality of life. Keep in mind these important considerations as you compare hearing aids types and styles, and find the best solution for your hearing problem.

Hearing-Aid.com and the National Council for Better Hearing offer this top 10 list of tips for anyone planning to buy new hearing aids.

1

Choose a qualified hearing professional — Several types of hearing professionals including audiologists; hearing aid specialists; and ear, nose and throat (ENT) doctors can provide information about, and help with hearing aids.

Hearing professionals with strong qualifications such as appropriate education, license or certification, experience and a good reputation in the community are generally a wise choice.

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2

Research hearing aids types — Learn about hearing aids types and hearing technology to gain a basic understanding of the many choices available.

3

Undergo a hearing test and complete hearing evaluation — A comprehensive hearing test and evaluation is the first step toward identifying hearing loss and finding the right hearing aid for a specific hearing problem. An online hearing test is a good way to get started, but it is essential to visit a hearing professional for a comprehensive hearing evaluation.

4

Honestly identify hearing needs — Some hearing aids are well suited for noisy situations; others are not. Some hearing aids types are perfect for an active lifestyle, while others are better suited for quiet activities such as watching television or listening to music. Features, controls — even color — may be important factors to consider when choosing a hearing aid.

5

Understand hearing aid prices — Hearing aids are a major purchase and as such, the buyer should receive a written contract which includes the cost of the hearing aids, as well as any services provided by the hearing professional. These services may include fitting, training and follow up appointments. Insurance coverage and financing may also be available to help make hearing aids affordable.

6

Get a comfortable fit — Custom earmolds ensure the best fit when purchasing new hearing aids. New hearing aids require a

period of adjustment, and any level of discomfort could make the transition difficult.

7

Follow up — Adjusting to new hearing aids takes time as the brain learns to hear again in a new way. Follow up appointments with a hearing aid specialist are imperative to get the most out of new hearing aids.

8

Ask about the return policy — Most hearing professionals will offer a trial period for new hearing aids. Some may charge a fee if the hearing aids are returned; others may offer the opportunity to try a different hearing aid style.

9

Understand the warranty — As with any major purchase, hearing aids may come with a warranty to cover repairs or replacement. An extended warranty may be available to protect in the event of loss or damage to hearing aids after the initial warranty has expired.

10

Consider using hearing aids with other assistive listening devices — Many hearing aids are designed to work well with phones and audio equipment.

New wireless hearing aids may be the ultimate in convenience for the hard of hearing. A hearing professional can answer questions about the compatibility of hearing aids with assistive listening devices.

For more information on hearing loss and hearing aids, visit HearingAid.com, sponsored by the National Council for Better Hearing.

consumers corner

By Eva Briggs

Something Old, Something New New year: Two new drugs, two recently discontinued old drugs, and some miscellaneous medical rumors.

Dabigatran The first new drug is dabigatran, brand name Pradaxa. It’s an oral anticoagulant, a blood thinner that can be taken by mouth. It treats atrial fibrillation, a common heart rhythm abnormality that predisposes patients to strokes. Most atrial fibrillation patients take warfarin (brand name Coumadin) for this purpose.

Dabigatran prevents strokes as well as, or better than, warfarin, with about the same risk of unwanted bleeding. And it doesn’t require blood test monitoring. Warfarin patients must have blood drawn at least every month and more often when starting the medicine, changing the dose, sick, changing other medicines, etc. So dabigatran can be a boon for people who have trouble maintaining correct warfarin levels or trouble complying with the recommended testing.

Alas, dabigatran is no panacea. It must be taken every 12 hours rather than once daily for warfarin. It’s expensive, costing twice as much as warfarin even factoring in the required blood tests. Warfarin can be reversed with the injection of vitamin K, but there is no antidote if a patient develops excessive bleeding on dabigatran.

Patients with serious bleeding on dabigatran need transfusion of fresh frozen plasma. Also, dabigatran is sensitive to moisture and must be used within 30 days of when the bottle is opened.

Denosumab Another new drug approved in the past year is denosumab (brand name Prolia), an injection for the treatment of osteoporosis in postmenopausal women. It’s a monoclonal antibody: an actual specific human antibody produced in the laboratory. It’s given

as an injection every six months delivered in the doctor’s office.

Our bones are always remodeling: old bone is reabsorbed and new bone formed. After menopause, bone breakdown often exceeds new bone production, leading to the bone thinning and structural changes of osteoporosis. Denusomab binds to a chemical called RANK ligand, a substance involved in bone breakdown. Denusomab slows both bone breakdown and overall bone remodeling.

In the three-year study leading to the drug’s approval, women taking denusomab had fewer fractures and higher bone density than controls.

The medication is approved in special situations, such as women who have failed other osteoporosis treatments, or who have been unable to tolerate other medications.

Because the drug is new, the incidence of serious side effects remains unknown. Scientists don’t yet know whether denusomab will cause the same serious problems over time that were discovered in other osteoporosis drugs. These problems include osteonecrosis of the jaw, atypical thighbone fractures, or delayed healing of fractures. Known side effects include back, muscle, and bone pain, elevated cholesterol, and bladder infections. Because denusomab’s target, the RANK ligand, is also involved in the immune process, women taking Prolia have an increased risk of infection.

Propoxyphene Propoxyphene (brand names Darvon, Darvocet) has been discontinued. It’s a weak pain reliever, no more effective than acetaminophen.

It can cause abnormal heart rhythms,

even in patients without known heart disease. Regular users of propoxyphene should taper off the drug to avoid withdrawal, rather than stopping cold turkey.

Meridia Abbott laboratories withdrew its popular weight loss drug Meridia from the market several months ago.

The FDA recommended discontinuing Meridia because its modest effects for weight loss were not worth its increased risk of heart disease.

Super Glue, Ear Wax The website that I used to research the above turned out to have a section that I hadn’t noticed before, called “Truth vs. Rumor.” It looks at the evidence supporting various medical rumors. I thought I’d share some knowledge gained from browsing that information.

Can superglue be used to repair skin wounds? I learned that the cyanoacrylate chemical used in household super glue is similar to, chemically different from the chemicals used in medical tissue glue.

It’s probably safe to use household superglue for tiny wounds like cracked fingertips or paper cuts. Don’t use super glue on chronic wounds or larger wounds that require closure. Medical adhesives degrade more slowly than household superglue, lasting longer and causing less toxicity.

Can sodium docussate, an overthe-counter stool softener, help soften earwax? There aren’t any studies that show superiority of any one of various substances that have been tried to soften ear wax: commercial wax softeners, hydrogen peroxide, sodium bicarbonate, olive oil, or sodium docussate. But it’s safe and painless, so go ahead and try if desired.

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Got a Question?

Check with ‘Ask Us 24/7’ Libraries making easy for seniors to do online searches

By Aaron Gifford

D

uring the Internet’s early days, many seniors were reluctant to embrace the revolutionary new technology. Even as the World Wide Web widened and became more accessible to everyone, older people were still overwhelmed with the vast amount of resources at their fingertips.

So who better than librarians to help guide their elders into the information age?

“Because the Internet is so vast, people have trouble navigating to where they need to go,” said Peg Elliot, electronic resources librarian and supervisor for the Onondaga County Public Library system. “It’s amazing how difficult it is to navigate library websites. Sometimes you don’t even know where to begin.”

That’s where Elliot and several of her counterparts in English-speaking nations around the world come in. As part of the Ask Us 24/7 initiative that is free to the public, the local library system is linked to libraries across the state, nation and the United Kingdom and Australia. Twenty-four hours a day, users can chat online with trained librarians or research assistants to obtain information about finding books, reserving a conference room at their neighborhood library or locating services in their community. And the wealth of information is not limited to the topics of libraries and books.

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or night, users may be chatting online with library workers in England or Australia who have information about Onondaga County libraries at their fingertips.

“This started a couple years ago,” Elliot said, “but it morphed a couple of times and has really taken off lately.

Seniors seem to be warming up to it.

It’s amazing — when we’re all asleep, patrons can access libraries on the other side of the world.”

Likewise, during the daytime hours here, Onondaga County Library employees can answer questions from library users in the eastern hemisphere. The staff contributes 14 monitoring hours a week, and the employees’ interaction with others is always live.

Elliot, 57, said the task of helping library users in other countries can be very challenging. But so far, she’s enjoying the job.

“It really stretches our research skills and requires us to really think,” she said. “The variety of questions is amazing. We may have college students who need help with an assignment or senior citizens looking to help a relative in another state.”

She said seniors have embraced the initiative because they are made aware that someone is alongside them every step of the way. The computer screen displays the live chat dialog on one half of the screen, and the desk top on the other half.

“They [seniors] didn’t grow

up with computers, and they’re less savvy,” Elliot said. “They need someone to guide them. With this, they’re getting the best level of guidance you can get without actually going to the library.”

Here’s a sample of questions from senior users compiled by Ask Us 24/7 researchers across New York state. Users access the service anonymously: “I’m a senior trying to learn about all the new ways to use the library.

When should a use a keyword search vs. a subject search?”

“This is now my 4th. chat with NYPL (New York Public Library).

And I am about ready to tear my hair out. Please understand, I am a senior citizen. It is very difficult for me to get around. Therefore, I need accurate and full info regarding my online holds so that I know when to pick books up. I have already told you several times that my holds that are ready to pick up are supposedly on the shelf. However, the deadline for pick up is missing online. This has happened before and St. Agnes fixed it immediately. But this time they refuse and told me to call you people. The last chat I had I was assured the problem was fixed that was at about four- thirty today. THE PROBLEM IS NOT FIXED...”

“Will seniors get a property tax rebate for the new 2011 budget?”

The nonprofit Western New York Library Resources Council launched the free Ask Us 24/7 program in March 2003. Onondaga County’s library system joined in 2007. Currently, nearly 50 libraries across the state are linked to it, and subsequently to a national 24/7 data base that is also linked to libraries overseas.

All told, Ask Us 24/7 researchers and librarians have handles more than 81,000 inquiries since the program’s 2003 inception.

According to the state Ask Us 24/7 website, trained librarians often refer questions to experts for follow-up. It’s a cheaper alternative to Google Scholar, which often sends users to a page where they are asked to pay for an article. For example, an Ask Us 24/7 researcher may access a

55+ newspaper article that was archived at the library, as opposed to pulling it from the newspapers Website where users are charged for old articles.

Elliot added that free Internet service is available at Onondaga County Libraries. There are public computers there, or users can access the free Wi-Fi service with their own laptops. This can be a huge help to seniors who are on a fixed income and cannot afford to pay for monthly Internet service. Moreover, library staff members are well-trained in showing new computers users how to access the Internet and set up e-mail accounts. Elliot said she knows some regular patrons who, after a brief set of instructions, have become computer savvy enough to publish a church newsletter.

Onondaga County Public Library also has a new collection of E-books that patrons can use in their electronic reader devices. Elliot expects that this program and the use of electronic readers will take off with seniors because the devices allow user to enlarge the print, and they are much lighter than actual books and more user-friendly for those who suffer from arthritis.

“You’re seeing a lot of people over the age of 58 or so getting them,” Elliot said. “A lot of 30-year-olds are buying them for their parents. Older people travel and they have more free time.

The electronic readers are great for their lifestyles.”

Elaine Cost, 83, of Camillus, received an E-reader device for Christmas in 2009. She calls the device a “God Send,” noting that macular degeneration has caused her eyesight to decline, and reading smaller print in many books had become increasingly difficult. With the ability to select print size, Cost is now reading several hours a day. She purchased many of the classics and most of her favorite novels, spending hundreds of dollars in the process.

She was thrilled to hear about the opportunity to borrow e-books from the library free of charge.

“I use the thing all the time. I love it,” she said. “Getting books this way

from the library would be wonderful for me, because I don’t usually read many books more than once.”

Area libraries have also made audio books available in the form of mp3 files. That program, called “Overdrive,” has been around for about four years now. Elliot said Overdrive patrons still tend to be younger patrons.

“The older folks still prefer books on tape or CD,” she said.

“Historically libraries have focused on children’s programs,” Elliot said. “But as the population has

learning

shifted, we’re seeing more programs for those who are retired.”

“The library offers reference in a variety of ways in order to meet the needs of individual patrons - in person, by phone, by text, by live chat and by email,” Elliot concluded. “It depends on the nature of the question and how quickly they need a response as well as the patron’s comfort level with technologies which method might work best for them. Some patrons use all of these ways to contact the library.”

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By Pat Malin

John Briant, 81 Retired Cop to Launch Seventh Book

J

ohn Briant retired from the New York State Police in 1982 following a distinguished 28year career, including 10 years as a uniformed officer, four years as a station commander and the last 14 years as a BCI Investigator.

Thanks to his second calling as an author, however, it’s almost as if he never hung up his uniform.

He now lives vicariously through his alter-ego “Jason Black,” a retired trooper whose dogged pursuit of the criminal element in the Adirondacks has led Briant to pen six novels in the Adirondack Detective series. His next book is due in the spring.

Q.What prompted you to become an author?

A.I always had a desire to write. When I was a kid, I used to write little poems and short stories.

When I was still on the force, I wrote some short stories and they were published. One was about an escapee I helped apprehend in Lake Placid. I had my poems and short stories included in 12 anthologies even after I retired.

Q.How did you get started?

A.It had entered my mind a few years before I retired. My first book was called, “One Cop’s Story: A Life Remembered” and it was my autobiography. It was first published in 1995 and reprinted four times.

Q.Were you surprised by the reaction to your first book?

A.I was very pleased. My friend, Dick Case [columnist for the Syracuse Post-Standard] wrote a story about it when it first came out. It’s still available, but it won’t be reprinted. I saw it listed for sale on one website for $260.

Apparently, I had autographed the book. It might have been the first edition, and the seller claimed 50

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I had written a letter to him.

Q.Why do all your books take place in the Adirondacks?

A. I try to have my storyline within the Blue Line [the park’s boundaries]. My wife [Marge] and I decided to retire here.

The next one will also take place in the Adirondacks.

Q.Where are you from originally?

A.I was born in Theresa, outside of Watertown. In 1937, my brother, sister and I and my parents moved to Westvale in Syracuse.

Later, we lived in Throopsville, outside Auburn. My father did a lot of things, running a gas station in Watertown; a salesman for Nabisco, and he operated a restaurant called the Suburban in Watertown. We also lived in Carthage. Then when my father moved to Syracuse, he worked for the government at the naval base.

Q.Did you always want a career in law enforcement?

A.No, I didn’t plan it. I graduated in 1948 from Port Byron Central School and then attended Auburn Business School. At that time, I wanted to be a teacher. I was about 17 when I first considered becoming a trooper. When I was a junior in high school, I joined the 27th Infantry Division-108th Infantry in Auburn. I trained for three summers at Camp Drum from 1947-49. I went out to Kansas City and enrolled in a radio and TV school, but I was not successful in getting a job. I enlisted in the U.S. Air Force in 1950 and assigned to food service and radio. From September 1951 to September 1952, I was stationed in Keflavik, Iceland.

I was a mess sergeant, but my training was equivalent to that of an executive chef. I was honorably discharged in August 1953. Then I

went home to Auburn and my father told me about the upcoming exams for the state troopers. I remember that there were 5,000 applicants and only 125 were considered. I was one of the 50 who was hired.

Q.Where were you stationed as a trooper?

A.I reported to Division Headquarters in Albany, and then on Dec. 16, 1953, I was assigned to Troop D Headquarters in Oneida, and my starting salary was $1,600.

We got an additional $4.25 a day for meals. I also worked in Pulaski, Ovid, Waterloo and Herkimer. I was the station commander at the Lafayette barracks from 1960-63.

From 1953 till 1960 we all lived in the barracks. I also patrolled the Dewitt and Elbridge areas. In 1973 I transferred voluntarily to Malone and Massena. In 1976, I transferred to Lowville and spent a year there before going to Syracuse. I also trained 13 troopers during their training phase as a senior trooper. In addition, I was a speaker at many community functions. I retired in 1982 at the age of 52.

Q.What types of cases does Jason Black handle? Where do you get your ideas for the plots?

A.Jason’s investigations are very similar to the cases I worked on.

The

AMH Maternity Unit delivered 406 babies in 2010.

Other AMH Facilities

Laboratory Service Centers

The Finger Lakes Center for Living 20 Park Avenue, Auburn, (315-255-7188), adjacent to the hospital, is an 80-bed skilled nursing facility which provides a wide range of rehabilitation services as well as long-term nursing care.

Auburn Memorial Hospital 17 Lansing Street, Auburn (315) 255-7023 Monday - Friday 7:30 am - 5:00 pm Saturday 8:00 am - 12:00 pm

The Finger Lakes Medical Care Center 303 Grant Avenue, Auburn, (315-258-7100), offers seven-day per week care of illnesses and injuries not requiring emergency room care.

Urgent Medical Care of Skaneateles 803 West Genesee Street (Rte 20), Skaneateles, (315-685-WELL), offers seven-day per week care of illnesses and injuries not requiring emergency room care.

AMH Essential Diagnostics Center 615 North Seward Avenue, Auburn (315) 252-3013 Monday - Friday 8:00 am - 5:00 pm

The V.A. Clinic (315-255-7002), located at the hospital, provides primary and preventative care to veterans, as well as mental health services.

AMH Lab Service Center 399 Grant Avenue, Auburn (315) 252-1241 Monday - Friday 8:00 am - 5:00 pm

Special Services

AMH Lab Service Center 143 North Street, Auburn (315) 252-0178 Monday - Friday 7:30 am - 4:30 pm (closed 12:00 - 1:00 pm for lunch)

Hospitalist Program (315) 255-7438 Hospitalists are physicians who work full-time within the hospital, giving inpatients access to a physician at all times.

Finger Lakes Medical Care Center 303 Grant Avenue, Auburn (315) 258-7100 Monday - Friday 9:00 am - 6:00 pm Saturday 8:00 am - 1:00 pm

Fingerlakes Weight Loss Program (315) 255-7544 Fingerlakes Weight Loss Program features surgical management of obesity and LAP-BAND速 adjustable gastric banding system.

Skaneateles Urgent Care Center 803 West Genesee Street, Skaneateles (315) 685-9355 Monday - Friday 9:00 am - 4:00 pm Saturday 8:00 am - 1:00 pm

Sleep Disorders Center (315) 255-7341 CT Scans (315) 252-3013 Digital Mammography (315) 252-3013 Magnetic Resonance Imaging (315) 252-3013 Wound Treatment Center (315) 255-7139

More than 8,200 operating room procedures were performed in 2010; 6,900 through Outpatient Surgery The AMH team is made up of more than 875 employees and 268 medical-dental practitioners, representing most specialties.

The hospital offers a full range of inpatient and outpatient services, including

state-of-the-art medical, surgical, and rehabilitation technologies.

AMH also provides services through approximately 110 volunteers, who offer an extra dimension of care.

Auburn Memorial Hospital 17 Lansing Street, Auburn NY 13021

(315) 255-7011 February / March 2011 - 55 PLUS

auburnhospital.org

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An exclusive discount for New OASIS Members only.

OASIS Coupon $10.00 Off

Any Class at OASIS Syracuse in the Winter Spring 2011 Trimester* *Valid for New OASIS Members only on or after 2/1/11.

To become an OASIS Member and receive information on registering for classes, contact OASIS at 315-464-6555.

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OASIS 6333 State Route 298 East Syracuse, NY 13057 55 PLUS - February / March 2011 www.oasisnet.org