montanaseniornews.com
TAKE ONE!
FREE!
Massage Therapy Is Good for Body, Soul, and Spirit
Massage therapy decreases stress, addresses pain, and develops healthy people. Belle Clark, Great Falls is one of many licensed massage therapists in Montana. [Photo by Bernice Karnop]
By Bernice Karnop I don’t have a lot of pain and I don’t experience much stress. When I had an opportunity to use a massage appointment that my daughter had made and couldn’t keep, my first thought was that I really don’t need this. Still, I knew it would be relaxing and enjoyable, so as a second thought, I decided to go. I lay face up on a warm heating pad and Belle Clark, licensed massage therapist and owner of Rosebay Aromatherapy and Massage in Great Falls, placed her hands under my neck, gently massaging near the base of my skull. It was as if my body turned to wax and I was melting into the table. Almost immediately, I felt like Raggedy Ann. I’m not sure a drug could relax my entire body as quickly and completely. My arms and legs stayed rag-doll-loose for the next hour while I drifted into the wonderful experience of a therapeutic massage. Belle says that a first massage experience is different for everyone. “Some people are alert for the first 15 to 20 minutes, alert to the experience, to the environment, and to the sensations,” she says. She has them lie on their backs with their eyes open so they feel less vulnerable. She gives them the option of whether or not to undress. The person is always covered with a sheet except for the part she is working on. The goal is to help the person rid their body of life’s every day stresses. Our culture is stress-filled. Most people live on the edge of stress all the time. Triggers include major events like grief, loss, and divorce, or everyday events like deadlines, relationships, and even elections! When we feel stressed, our parasympathetic nerve system kicks in. This “fight or flight” response causes blood vessels to constrict, the digestive system to slow down, and the pupils of the eyes to dilate. Heart rate and blood pressure rise and a host of other responses kick in. The body is ready to respond quickly to the threat that causes the stress. The parasympathetic nervous system runs counter to the sympathetic system. This “rest and digest” nervous system is what a massage therapist wants to encourage. It shows up in feelings of well-being, rest, and security. Among a host of other effects, blood flow increases, blood pressure goes down, digestion improves, and the person relaxes. All the nerves exit the cranium in a bundle at the base of the skull. They branch off as they go down the spinal cord. My massage started here at the base of the skull, but Belle says she can start elsewhere, depending on what issues the person wants addressed. She may begin with hands, feet, or back. She also asks about medical conditions and prescriptions the individual is taking and considers how they may affect what she is doing. In addition to the massage, the therapist creates an atmosphere of relaxation with ambient light, a quiet environment, and soft music. Belle also does aromatherapy, which is the use of essential (Continued on page 18)
PAGE 2 MONTANA SENIOR NEWS
DECEMBER 2016/JANUARY 2017
In Montana, some doctors and family members are engaging in assisted suicide. Tell your legislators and governor that you don’t want assisted suicide in Montana.
DECEMBER 2016/JANUARY 2017
MONTANA SENIOR NEWS PAGE 3
Montana Senior News A Barrett-Whitman Publication
P.O. Box 3363 • Great Falls, MT 59403-3363 406-761-0305 or 800-672-8477 FAX 406-761-8358 montanaseniornews.com email: montsrnews@bresnan.net
Abortion Argument
When I hear people say they are for advancement in women’s reproductive health, I cringe. They are saying they want killing babies to be the norm. Yes, we all want good health care but fewer and fewer people want abortion to be expanded. I really do not believe that killing our children advances us in the slightest. Denise Feller, East Helena
Abortion Is Health Care!
Since the 2010 elections swept in a wave of conservative politicians from Washington, D.C. to the Montana statehouse, we have seen the introduction of regressive, dangerous, and bigoted legislation aimed at women’s health and abortion access. In fact, states have enacted nearly 300 laws that target access to safe, legal abortion and other preventive reproductive health services. These plus federal restrictions have had dangerous consequences, blocking coverage for abortion, placing unscientific and onerous regulations on providers, and shutting down health centers entirely. Let’s get one thing straight, abortion is health care. Access to it is not only a constitutionally protected right, it’s one supported by two-thirds of Americans. Yet, extreme politicians are trying to score cheap political victories with reactionary policies that would ban safe, legal abortion for everyone even if they were the victim of rape or incest, and, in some cases, even if their life is at risk. I say enough is enough!
Now we are likely to see more, since it is evident from his rhetoric and prospective appointments to critical positions that President-elect Trump intends on the federal level to continue this onslaught against women’s freedom to choose. It is time to get politicians out of our personal health decisions and stop undercutting access to safe, legal abortion. Fortunately, in Montana, Governor Bullock is a level head who will do his best to protect our right to choose when it comes to our reproductive health. Kathianne Selindh Los Angeles (formerly of Great Falls)
Staying Fit with Pickleball
The featured topic on the front-page last issue is a blast. At 72, even being an old athlete, I am happy to find something both tame and helpful for maintaining balance, coordination, and flexibility. We can serve underhand using a plastic ball with holes in it, so it is not as demanding as tennis. Bozeman has organized pickleball two days a week, Livingston, three. Pickleball however, was not named for the family dog. The daughter, Peggy Pritchard says, “It was not named after the dog, because we didn’t get the dog until years after the game started. The dog was named after the game, not the other way around.” The wife in the family that developed it in the mid sixties claims that it was named after the pickle crew in the sport of rowing. The pickle crew finishes last. Their state of Washington has many water games so it makes sense that they would
The Montana Senior News is published six times each year in February, April, June, August, October and December at 415 3rd Avenue North, Great Falls, MT 59401 and is distributed free to readers throughout the state of Montana. The mail subscription rate is $10.00 per year (6 issues). The Montana Senior News is written to serve the reading interests of mature Montanans of all ages. Readers are encouraged to contribute interesting material. Views expressed in opinion stories, contributions, articles and letters are not necessarily the views of the publisher. The appearance of advertisements for products or services does not constitute an endorsement of the particular product or service. The publisher will not be responsible for mistakes in advertisements unless notified within five days of publication. All copy appearing in the Montana Senior News is protected by copyright and may be reprinted only with the written permission of the publisher. Advertising copy should be received or space reserved by the 5th of the month preceding the month of publication.
Jack W. Love, Jr., Publisher/Editor Colleen Paduano Kathleen McGregor Lisa Gebo Jonathan Rimmel Peter Thornburg Sherrie Smith
Production Supervisor Advertising Sales Advertising Sales Advertising Sales Production Assistant Graphic Designer Distribution Admin/Production Assistant
Contributing Writers Bob Campbell Connie Daugherty Kim Thielman-Ibes Gail Jokerst Bernice Karnop Craig Larcom Liz Larcom Jack McNeel Dianna Troyer © 2016
on
M
New amplified phone lets you hear AND see the conversation.
o ct N tra n o Fee N ly th
Co
Breakthrough technology converts phone calls to captions.
The Captioning Telephone converts phone conversations to easy-to-read captions for individuals with hearing loss.
A simple idea… made possible with sophisticated technology. If you have trouble understanding a call, the Captioning Telephone can change your life. During a phone call the words spoken to you appear on the phone’s screen – similar to closed captioning on TV. So when you make or receive a call, the words spoken to you are not only amplified by the phone, but scroll across the phone so you can listen while reading everything that’s said to you. Each call is routed through a call center, where computer technology – aided by a live representative – generates voice-to-text translations. The captioning is realtime, accurate and readable. Your conversation is private and the captioning service doesn’t cost you a penny. Captioned Telephone Service (CTS) is regulated and funded by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and is designed exclusively for individuals with hearing loss. In order to use CTS in your home, you must have standard telephone service and high-speed Internet connectivity where the phone will be used. Callers do not need special equipment or a captioning phone in order to speak with you.
Finally… a phone you can use again. The Captioning Telephone is also packed with features to help make phone calls easier. The keypad has large, easy to use buttons. You get adjustable volume amplification along with the ability to save captions for review later. It even has an answering machine that provides you with the captions of each message. See for yourself with our exclusive home trial. Try the Captioning Telephone in your own home and if you are not completely amazed, simply return it within 60-days for a refund of the product purchase price. It even comes with a 5-year warranty.
SEE what you’ve been missing!
“For years I avoided phone calls because I couldn’t understand the caller… now I don’t miss a thing!”
Captioning Telephone Call now for our special introductory price! Call now Toll-Free
1-877-670-0738 Please mention promotion code 104470. The Captioning Telephone is intended for use by people with hearing loss. In purchasing a Captioning Telephone, you acknowledge that it will be used by someone who cannot hear well over a traditional phone.
81112
Do you get discouraged when you hear your telephone ring? Do you avoid using your phone because hearing difficulties make it hard to understand the person on the other end of the line? For many Americans the telephone conversation – once an important part of everyday life – has become a thing of the past. Because they can’t understand what is said to them on the phone, they’re often cut off from friends, family, doctors and caregivers. Now, thanks to innovative technology there is finally a better way.
PAGE 4 MONTANA SENIOR NEWS
DECEMBER 2016/JANUARY 2017
come up with a water allusion. That so many, even the top dogs in the game, would not have come across this information is not surprising, considering the limitations of human thinking, and the purposeful disinformation some want us to believe. The brain is puny to begin with so we aging wonders need not get upset if we aren’t as sharp as in earlier life. We have to be open to new information. Myths are made to be exposed, and we have to be honest and direct (and brave) enough to speak up. Only a mechanized man would continue to stride forward and refuse to change his views if new information arises as life unfolds. Daniel R Peterson, Bozeman Erik & Jolene Stenberg
215 Anderson Street, Big Timber
406-932-4687
stenbergfuneralhome.com
When You Are Terminally Ill, Who Should Decide When You Die?
The Montana Legislature convenes again in 2017. Legalizing physician-assisted suicide (PAS) will undoubtedly be a big issue again. So far, we
have dodged that bullet. Thank heavens! Montana has one of the highest suicide rates in the country. We have a Suicide Review Team working to figure out how to remedy that. We don’t want people killing themselves to avoid their problems. Good, right! But there is a push to make it legal – for those who are terminally ill – to kill themselves in order to avoid their problems. Good? What a double standard! Don’t think that teens and young adults won’t get the message that death is an acceptable method of dealing with their fears or avoiding their problems. When PAS became legal in Oregon, the number of suicides among the general population increased, too. Is suicide really okay for some people and not for others? Is death a reasonable method of solving problems? What kind of example are we giving our children and grandchildren? Sandy Wedel, Great Falls MSN
Ideas For Gifts For Readers – Holiday Roundup By Connie Daugherty As one year ends and another begins, as usual I have a stack of books in my office and almost as many on my Kindle. Some are recent releases and others have been around for a while. All are worth sharing with you. There is just something about Montana books by Montana authors that make wonderful reading experiences no matter what you like to read. The story continues as four Montana authors released new editions in a series or saga – B.J. Daniels, Marian Jensen, Susan Adrian, and Craig Lancaster. B.J. Daniels is back with the newest installment in the state of Montana Hamiltons saga as she once again demonstrates the old adage that Montana is really a small town spread out over hundreds of miles. In Honor Bound, the focus is mostly on Ainsley Hamilton, the oldest of the six Hamilton girls.
Call 9 -1-1
IMMEDIATELY at the first sign of a heart attack. Many Montanans don’t survive a heart attack because they don’t get treatment in time. Take action, even if experiencing just one of these symptoms: Cold sweat Chest pain or discomfort Jaw pain Upper body pain or discomfort Shortness of breath Nausea or lightheadedness Thanks to Mission: Lifeline Montana, an initiative from the American Heart Association, new life-saving equipment is available on ambulances throughout the state.
heart.org/montanalives
Montana
DECEMBER 2016/JANUARY 2017
MONTANA SENIOR NEWS PAGE 5
Ainsley is still working for a video production company locating sites for commercial shoots. Though she is half way across the state, her father, Frank, who is running for President, and the local sheriff are worried about her, and about the elusive stalker who seems to have been following her for months. That’s why Frank contacts Sawyer Nash who is recovering from a recent injury and therefore not officially on duty. “A long silence filled the line making Sawyer sit up straighter.” Almost without a second thought Sawyer agreed to look out for Ainsley; it sounded like a simple, straightforward task that he could handle as he continued to heal, and besides it would only be for a couple days, just until the election. But nothing is ever simple or straightforward with the Hamilton family or Daniels’ other Montana family, the Calders, which are again incorporated in this book. And nothing is ever simple or predictable with a B. J. Daniels mystery, Honor Bound is no exception. Even as she reviews details of the previous Hamilton and Calder family stories, Daniels introduces new twists and turns tying previous events with the present. Honor Bound has the familiar B.J. Daniels style that goes way beyond her genre. Fans will be eager for this most recent installment, and new readers will be immediately drawn in. This summer Marian Jensen released another of her Mining City Mysteries, Mortal Wounds. As always, Jensen does an excellent job of mixing Butte’s colorful history with contemporary events. “Butte has always operated in its own orbit, a city in another galaxy in the minds of many.” This time it’s week of July 4, “always a time for celebration shenanigans and surprise fireworks.” But when a young woman falls off the roof of the Finlen Hotel, and a decade old body of a newborn baby is found in the attic of an old home, the atmosphere of the town takes on a decidedly different feel. Then there’s the good-looking Englishman who shows up looking for information about Elsie’s Babies. The local story is that Elsie Seppanen arranged for private adoptions of dozens of babies during Butte’s heyday. Mesa Dawson, like others, was drawn to the story “because of how little actual information there is to substantiate what happened.” Is the story true, or is it a Butte urban legend? Once again, Marian Jensen weaves together several seemingly disconnected threads into a fun, fascinating story with Mesa Dawson, newspaper editor, at the center. Mortal Wounds is another winner for Jensen. In The Dark at the End, Susan Adrian’s sequel to her award-winning young adult fantasy, Tunnel Vision we pick up right where we left off. Jake Lukin is almost there, “all we need is the serum…I’m aching to swallow it in one gulp and finally lose my powers…if it works I could be a normal person.” A normal person who cannot tunnel inside the mind of another person just by touching something belonging to that person. A normal person who is not being hunted by his own government as well as criminals who want to exploit his powers for their own purposes. Then everything goes wrong.
She dreams of finding magic. You dream of enough college savings for her future.
Achieve Montana offers 529 investments for tax benefits now and college savings for the future. Anyone can contribute to a child’s college savings. Plus, through our Ugift® option, it’s safe and easy to help build their savings. Give your grandchildren the chance to explore all they want in life. START AN ACCOUNT TODAY FOR AS LITTLE AS $25. achievemontana.com · 1.877.486.9271 For more information about Achieve Montana, download an Enrollment Kit at achievemontana.com or call 877.486.9271. The Enrollment Kit includes a Program Description that discusses investment objectives, risks, charges, expenses, and other important information; read and consider it carefully before investing. If you are not a Montana taxpayer, consider before investing whether your or the beneficiary’s home state offers any state tax or other benefits that are only available for investments in that state’s qualified tuition program. An Achieve Montana account is not insured by Montana and neither the principal invested nor the investment return is guaranteed by the State of Montana. Ugift is a registered service mark of Ascensus Broker Dealer Services, Inc., an affiliate of Ascensus College Savings Recordkeeping Services, LLC.
PAGE 6 MONTANA SENIOR NEWS
DECEMBER 2016/JANUARY 2017
Our Best...For Less...In a Day BASIC DENTURES (SET)...$295 BASIC CROWN (UNIT).....$495 Family Dentistry • Check Ups Cleanings • Digital X-Rays • Partials Bridges • CareCredit® Financing Delta Dental, MetLife, Guardian & over 200 Others Accepted
DENTAL CENTERS 2 Locations:
MiD-AMERiCA DENTAL & HEARiNg CENTER-HWY.
1050 W. Hayward Drive • Mt. Vernon, MO 65712
1-800-354-1905
MiD-AMERiCA DENTAL & HEARiNg CENTER-LOOP
558 Mt. Vernon Blvd. • Mt. Vernon, MO 65712
1-800-372-4554
Hablamos español!
www.MidAmericaDental.com
Dr. Hildreth & Associates are Missouri licensed General Dentists. They are not licensed in Missouri as specialists in the advertised dental specialty of Prosthetics.
Vladimir, the old Russian who has the serum, is dead and Jake’s mother and sister are kidnapped. Jake is stuck. “I know it’s what I’ve done before, sacrifice myself, and it hasn’t worked out. But maybe I can make it work this time.” Jake knows more about what he is getting into this time, or at least he thinks he does. The Dark at the End is just as engaging and exciting as expected. By telling the story from the perspectives of the different characters (Jake, Rachel, and Myka) at the same time, Adrian allows the reader to jump from one place to another in real time therefore maintaining the breathtaking, page-turning pace. Long anticipated by fans, The Dark at the End does not disappoint. Everyone who fell in love as I did with Craig Lancaster’s Edward Stanton, the Billings man with Asperger’s syndrome, will be happy to know that he is back in Edward Unspooled. Edward is married now with a baby on the way. Each chapter is opened by Edward with a letter to the unborn child and closed by his wife, Shelia with her own perspective. Not only is the technique effective, it is heartwarming and familiar to anyone who has ever experienced the anticipation of raising a child. As usual, Lancaster’s unexpected turns give readers reason for pause and self-reflection. “The time you have is like spooled thread,” Edward says in one letter. “It comes off, little bit by little bit, until there’s nothing left. Your life is unspooled.” Edward Unspooled is another great achievement for Craig Lancaster. The debut novel, The Actor by Beth Hunter McHugh, was a finalist for 2016 High Plains book award and McHugh was selected as a 2016 Best Women writers by High Plains. “For a time we lived in a very nice house... Franny and I were children produced by parents of simpler times.” At least Grace, the narrator, assumes her parent’s life was simple. Her father is an actor who teaches at a university, her mother is a law professor at the same university; they live in a university-supplied house near campus until one hot summer when everything changed. A young student, Ivan, came to stay with them while taking acting classes. Then one day their father left, left without a word. “He called Ivan on Long Island and Ivan answered his call…to embrace him and gather him up and take him to a new home.” Meanwhile, back in Montana feeling abandoned and confused, Grace, Franny, and their mother also move out of the nice house. “We did not have to move to Colt’s Neck; we could have stayed in town, but, I think my mother was desperate for escape and permanence, all at the same time.” The girls learn to cope in their own way. The Actor is truly a literary delight and adventure. Not all Montana authors provide readers escape – some writers like Henry Gonshak, bring us information and make us think about how we view our world. “The average American… generally learns about the Holocaust… through Hollywood portrayals,” Gonshak writes in Hollywood and the Holocaust. “Whatever answers ordinary people find to…vital questions have been determined predominantly by popular culture, with its primary branch being Hollywood, which both shapes and reflects public attitudes in a complex dynamic.” In Hollywood and the Holocaust, Gonshak touches on a wide range of films from Charlie Chaplin’s The Great Dictator, to Schindler’s List,
DECEMBER 2016/JANUARY 2017
as a lens through which to explore the American public’s changing perspective. While extensively researched and documented this scholarly book is also written in a very readable style. Another nonfiction book released in 2016 is Horseback Schoolmarm: Montana 1953-1954. Originally written in 1955 and lost in her files for sixty years, Margot Liberty’s memoir “is the story of a year spent at one country school and of what happened when its seven children came in contact with a recently graduated, inexperienced teacher from back East who knew little about teaching and even less about living by herself…sixty miles from the nearest town, Miles City.” Presented essentially as it was composed in 1955, Horseback Schoolmarm: Montana “occasionally evinces the biases and prejudices of its time – regarding rural versus urban…Indians versus whites…good people versus bad…rather than more modern notions.” Margot Liberty’s memoir, told from the heart, is a delightful read and a glimpse into an unadulterated past. Another, yet different tribute to Montana’s past is, Cass Gilbert in Big Sky Country, His Designs for the Montana Club by historian Patty Dean. Growing up in Helena, I remember the Montana Club – that imposing building tucked away one block off the Main Street of the downtown area – as being something special and exclusive. In conjunction with the 130th anniversary of the building, Dean details the timeline of the design and the completion of the building. Cass Gilbert in Big Sky Country also includes information on Gilbert and his other projects in the west including the train depot in Helena and a Northern Pacific railroad hospital in Missoula. Montana’s “great outdoors” is often touted as one of its best attributes, and in Confessions of a Camo Queen: Living with an Outdoorsman, Kristen Berube tells the rest of the story. “I wrote it because there a lot of women out there who know exactly what it feels like to bounce down a rough, dirt road in a stinky truck full of dog hair while the guy tries to drive and spot deer at the same time…
MONTANA SENIOR NEWS PAGE 7
that’s a fun date.” Berube has even included a Camo Queen Glossary and chapters on Outdoorsman Gifts, Camouflage Lingerie, and Huntin’ n’ Fishin’ Lingo. “Who knew…perfectly intelligent, well-educated guys suddenly go all redneck when the conversation turns to hunting.” Confessions of a Camo Queen is truly, laugh-out-loud funny for any camo queen and her outdoorsman. “Just to be clear, I love the outdoorsman…I would not trade my life as a Camo Queen for anything,” Not all of Montana experiences take place outdoors, and his book, Fifty-Six Counties: A Montana Journey, Russell Rowland explores not only the landscape of Montana, but also the personalities of its communities. Rowland’s two-year road trip in his home state is truly a work of love and that comes through in his writing as he tells both the historic and contemporary story of many Montana’s communities with a sense of familiarity. Fifty-Six Counties, might inspire a road trip of your own. When looking for books by Montana authors, remember there are well-done Montana books for the younger set also. In Tyrannosaurus Rex, Helena’s Ted Rechlin uses the popular graphic novel format to show T. rex as “a living, breathing animal. How it moved and how it behaved.” Rechlin takes his readers back 66 million years to the world the way it was. Recommended for ages 6 and up, Tyrannosaurus Rex is a fun experience for all. Another delightful children’s book is, Camas and Sage: A Story of Bison Life on the Prairie by Dorothy Hinshaw Patent and illustrated by Christina Wald. The story is set in central Montana and follows Camas, a bison calf and his mother, Sage through the seasons. There are several sidebars with interesting facts and the illustrations are beautifully done. Camas and Sage is a great way to introduce children to a majestic animal. In My Wild Garden Zoo by Therese Hutchinson, I am reminded how contemporary “poetry” for children has become mostly Dr. Seuss – which we all enjoy, but sometimes I feel we need something more. In her first book, Hutchinson, artist and
Perfect Choice HD Ultra™ is simple to use, hard to see and easy to afford…
NEW
Invention of the Year
Speak er in ear de sign fo r power and clarity !
PERSONAL SOUND AMPLIFICATION PRODUCT (PSAP)
IT’S NOT A HEARING AID Perfect Choice HD UltraTM is NOT a hearing aid. It is a Personal Sound Amplification Product (PSAP). Hearing aids can only be sold by an audiologist or a licensed hearing instrument specialist following hearing tests and fitting appointments. Once the audiologist had you tested and fitted, you would have to pay as much as $5000 for the product. The designers of the Perfect Choice HD UltraTM have moved the tiny but powerful speaker to the end of the hearing tube, so it is closer to the eardrum, giving you more volume and clarity. It features dual microphones that focus on voices for better conversational listening. It also automatically senses noisy or quiet environments and suppresses background noise, so sounds and conversations are easier to hear and understand.
Now you see it...
on. It’s comfortable and won’t make you feel like you have something stuck in your ear. Try it for yourself with our exclusive home trial. This remarkable product has been designed with the finest micro-digital components on the market today. Thanks to the efforts of a doctor who leads a renowned hearing institute, it’s manufactured in an efficient production process that makes it available at an affordable price. Call now, and you’ll find out why so many satisfied seniors are now enjoying their Perfect Choice HD Ultra, hearing their grandchildren and what the world has to say. Call today, and be sure to ask about our special discounts for Seniors and Military personnel.
The unit is small and lightweight enough to hide behind your ear... only you’ll know you have it
It’s Better Now you don’t
Less than 1 ounce
COMFORT SOUND QUALITY
Excellent: Optimized for speech
FITTING REQUIRED?
No
ONE-ON-ONE SETUP
Free
SENIOR AND MILITARY DISCOUNTS
Yes
Call now toll free for our lowest price ever. Please mention promotional code
104469.
1-866-224-9572 1998 Ruffin Mill Road, Colonial Heights, VA 23834 Perfect Choice HD Ultra is not a hearing aid. If you believe you need a hearing aid, please consult a physician.
81099
Understand what people are saying... the first time
PAGE 8 MONTANA SENIOR NEWS
DECEMBER 2016/JANUARY 2017
graphic designer brings together colorful paintings with fun poetry. My Wild Garden Zoo identifies animals and birds that the children might actually see in their own Montana yards thus creating an interactive experience for young readers. During this “roundup” column, I always like to include coffee table books – those books featuring fantastic photographs of Montana’s landscape. In 2016, we had more than one. Glacier National Park After Dark: Sunset to Sunrise in a Beloved Montana Wilderness by John Ashley is definitely a winner. It is unbelievable nighttime photos and more, including a lesson in astronomy – with accompanying photos of course. Ashley also includes Native American stories about Glacier’s landscape, scientific data about light pollution, and a table of Sky Events happening in Glacier thru 2024. Glacier National Park After Dark would be worth picking up for the information alone even if it weren’t filled with dramatic photos.
Another book of wonderful photos for your coffee table is Lost in Montana compiled by Lost in Montana, LLC and produced by AlphaGraphics of Billings. While Lost in Montana has several pictures of Glacier, it also includes many amazing photos of other parts of the state providing a visual tour of the landscapes that make Montana so special to all of us. Okay, I could go on and on, but I think I have made my point. Montana has something for everyone – adventures on its plains and mountains, rivers and streams – that can be experienced in person or through the pages of your favorite book. Or for some of us both – since books naturally accompany summer camping, and backyard moments, winter skiing, and ice fishing or snow birding escapes. So pick up a Montana book for a gift or for yourself – enjoy! MSN
We’re waving goodbye to 2016 and welcoming 2017. Doors closing, doors opening – as new opportunities beckon ‘round every corner. At this wonderful time of year, we celebrate beautiful gifts and open our hearts to new beginnings and the humanity of the season. What an opportunity to take your optimistic heart and reach out for new friendships – why not send in a personal ad or reply to one below. Who knows, one simple ad or letter could very well change your life in an astonishing way! To respond to any of these personal ads, simply forward your message, address, and phone number, or email address to the department number listed in the particular personal ad, c/o Montana Senior News, P.O. Box 3363, Great Falls, MT 59403. We will forward your response, including the address, phone number, and/or email address that you provide to the person placing the ad. When you respond to an ad in this section, there is no guarantee that you will receive a response. That is up to the person who placed the ad. Please submit your correct address plainly printed so you can promptly receive replies. Respond to the ads in this issue, and also sit down now and prepare your own ad to run in our next issue. There is no charge for this service, and
your ad may lead you down the path of true love and companionship! You may submit your responses to personal ads appearing in the Montana Senior News at any time. However, to place a personal ad in the February/March 2017 issue, the deadline is January 12, 2017.
If you have difficulty understanding words clearly over the phone, just fill out this form! You may qualify for FREE assistive telephone equipment through the Montana Telecommunications Access Program!
The Montana Telecommunications Access Program (MTAP) provides FREE assistive telephone equipment to those who qualify, making it easier to use the phone to do business or keep in touch with family and friends.
Equipment available through MTAP includes: • Amplified telephones • Captioned telephones • Loud bell ringers TTYs • Artificial Larynxes • And much, much more!
Yes, I want to learn more about MTAP!
Return form to: MTAP P. O. Box 4210, Helena, MT 59604
Name: _____________________________________
Address: ___________________________________
City: _______________________________________
State: _____________ Zip Code: _______________
Phone: _____________________________________
For more information just mail us this form or call toll-free 1-800-833-8503
SWF - Mid seventies, Missoula, upbeat, retired, social services worker. Christian, white hair, usually thought to be younger. Hollywood hasn’t called, but I don’t seem to scare babies or small children. Average build, not fat, not skinny. About 5’5”. Above average in creativity, compassion, honesty, and ambition. Love square dancing and other dancing as well, but am out of practice. I am a lifelong non-smoker. I enjoy camping, plays, a rare concert, and am well versed in alternative health and would like a male friend who is also health conscious. If you are a non-smoker, a gentleman, and a gentle man, with a sense of humor, a bible believing man of somewhat similar age, please write and include a photo if possible and phone number. I’ll call all who reply. Reply MSN, Dept. 33201, c/o Montana Senior News, Box 3363, Great Falls, MT 59403. SWF 60, looking for a SWM, 57–63, I was born and raised in a large, Catholic farm family – smaller now with the loss of my mother last spring. I live in a small town in NE Montana and am looking for someone for a friend first and a possible relationship that could blossom from there. I enjoy old music from the 1940s up to the ‘70s – old rock n’ roll, gospel, and country. I like animals, mainly dogs & cats, and have a canary named George. I like to travel, sightsee, go for walks, and do yard work, and attend church weekly. I believe in being honest and truthful and that what’s important
DECEMBER 2016/JANUARY 2017
is what a person is on the inside and not what someone looks like on the outside. I live by myself and am into meditation and keeping in touch with my inner self and peace of mind. I go to church every week. I will answer all that respond. Reply MSN, Dept. 33202, c/o Montana Senior News, Box 3363, Great Falls, MT 59403. SWF, 5’ tall, 60 years old, in good shape. Seeking 55-70 year old male, anywhere in Montana is fine. I am retired living in NW Montana and love the outdoors and travel. I don’t smoke, but might have an occasional glass of wine. I am looking for a partner with whom to do things and will answer all replies. Reply MSN, Dept. 33203, c/o Montana Senior News, Box 3363, Great Falls, MT 59403. I am a SWF, mid 70s, 5’7”, 135lbs and now find myself alone living 50 miles from Bozeman. I love the outdoors – skied earlier in life but now prefer a slower pace of quiet hikes, short or long drives to see whatever one can find. My prefer-
ence is country and ranch life although I enjoy an occasional day in the city – but after a time am ready to leave the busyness and noise and return to the quiet of the country. I grew up among the lakes and woods of the Midwest, but I do love the west and its solitary places where the world of nature provides so much satisfaction to me. Would like to find an honest and trustworthy companion/ friend with whom to spend time – someone who is comfortable discussing feelings, and who is not controlling. Life is best shared at this age, and I believe everyone needs someone who cares. If you feel similarly, please reply. Reply MSN, Dept. 33204, c/o Montana Senior News, Box 3363, Great Falls, MT 59403. I am in my early 70s and am looking for someone in my age range in the Laurel area to do things with. I like to go camping and hunting – but not to kill. Most of all I like music, and I love to dance. I am 5’4” tall, 160 lbs, and in good health. I am a very active person, a
Buying a watch in 1880 – history you probably didn’t know!
If you were in the market for a watch in 1880, would you know where to get one? You would go to a store, right? Of course you could do that, but if you wanted one that was cheaper and a bit better than most of the store watches, you went to the train station! Sound a bit funny? Well, for about 500 towns across the northern United States, that’s where the best watches were found. Why were the best watches found at the train station? The railroad company wasn’t selling the watches, not at all – the telegraph operator was. Most of the time the telegraph operator was located in the railroad station because the telegraph lines followed the railroad tracks from town to town. It was usually the shortest distance and the right-of-ways had already been secured for the rail line. Most of the station agents were also skilled telegraph operators for railroad communications. And it was the telegraph operator who had the watches. In fact, they sold more of them than almost all the stores combined for a period of about 9 years. This was all arranged by Richard, who was a telegraph operator himself. He was on duty in the North Redwood, Minnesota train station one day when a load of watches arrived from the East. It was a huge crate of pocket watches, but no one ever came to claim them. Richard sent a telegram to the manufacturer and asked what they wanted to do with the watches. The manufacturer didn’t want to pay the freight back, so they wired Richard to see if he could sell them, which Richard did. He sent a wire to every agent in the system asking them if they wanted a cheap, but good, pocket watch, and he sold the entire shipment in just a couple of days at a handsome profit. That started it all. He ordered more watches from the watch company and encouraged the telegraph operators to set up a display case in the station offering high quality watches for a low price to all the travelers. It worked, the word spread, and soon people other than travelers came to the train station to buy watches. Richard became so busy that he had to hire a professional watchmaker, Alvah, to help him with the orders. And the rest is history as they say. The business took off and soon expanded to many other lines of dry goods. Richard and Alvah left the train station and moved their company to Chicago – where it still operates. And to think it all started with watches at the train station and telegraph operator, Richard Sears and his partner Alvah Roebuck. Now that’s history! MSN
Bob’s Parting Sorrow
By Saralee Perel “Honey,” I said to my husband, Bob, “it’s time to say goodbye.” Sniffling, he said, “But I think she has six more months in her.” (Bob refers to our truck as a “she.” He’s actually named it – Connie.) I gently brushed a tear from his cheek. “Yes, but what kind of quality would that life have? She can’t go anywhere without needing to stop every twenty minutes. It’s like driving with your grandmother.” Bob leaned against our fourteen-year-old Chevy truck and tenderly cleaned white-colored heaven-knows-what from the side mirror by using the tee shirt he was wearing. He cooed, “Looking
MONTANA SENIOR NEWS PAGE 9
member of the Lions, and I enjoy helping others. Reply MSN, Dept. 33205, c/o Montana Senior News, Box 3363, Great Falls, MT 59403. I like warm fall weather, fishing, have nice boat, good house, and car. Bozeman, Butte area and all other areas. All ages 25–87. Please send picture if possible. Like outdoors. Some travel, short and long trips. Sightseeing and animals. Like yard work and eating out some, dancing, camping, etc. Like to please the woman and do things she likes. So please write or call. Then we can make plans. Reply MSN, Dept. 33206, c/o Montana Senior News, Box 3363, Great Falls, MT 59403. Active, 5’5”, SWF seeks friendship with gentleman 75-85 who is single and living close to Great Falls. Will answer all replies. Reply MSN, Dept. 33207, c/o Montana Senior News, Box 3363, Great Falls, MT 59403. MSN
REVERSE MORTGAGE
Take a look at Montana’s Reverse Annuity Mortgage. Our Reverse Annuity Morgage is a low-interest loan that can turn your home equity into monthly cash. The loan doesn’t have to be paid back until you sell your home, until you die, or until you permanently move out of your home. • You live in your home. • You retain ownership. • You receive payments for up to 10 years. High heating bills? Rising medical costs? Let a RAM help you live life, NOW! Go to housing.mt.gov for more details.
Live Life. NOW. To be eligible, you must be at least 68 years old. Income limits also apply: 1 person - $23,540 2 person - $31,860 3 person - $40,180
For more information, call:
1-800-761-6264
PAGE 10 MONTANA SENIOR NEWS
DECEMBER 2016/JANUARY 2017
good, Con.” He was in the first stage of grief – denial. I said, “We pay our mechanic as much as our mortgage payments.” I held his hands. “She’s had a long, happy life, sweetheart.” Wistfully, he said, “Remember the camping trips we took?” “Yes, Bob, I remember.” “I was talking to Connie.” “Bob, right now Connie would die with dignity.” Our truck’s windows don’t work. It makes a ba-boop, ba-boop sound nobody can fix. It didn’t pass inspection because, unbeknownst to us, the back lights stay in the flasher mode. The gas gauge is fixed at zero, leaving fill-ups just a random guess. He blocked me from the truck. “You can’t take her. It’s not her time yet.” The second stage of grief – anger. “Do you need some kind of a sign?” Knowing what would happen, I put the driver-side window down – where it stayed – never to go up again. He said, “I want to give her more time. Three months?” The bargaining stage. That night, I found him looking through old photos of the truck (the fourth stage – depression) in which we were 4-wheel driving on the beach, getting stuck in the sand at the beach, being towed at the beach. I sat with him. “It’s her time, Bob.” “I know.” Acceptance stage. “She’ll need a memorial service. We’ll invite her mechanics.” “Then we’ll need to rent the stadium.” Eventually, we wound up leasing a new car and letting go of Connie. When we pulled out of our driveway in the new car, we looked back and saw the truck. Bob was sobbing. Yet he quickly became enthralled with all the gadgets in the new car. He pulled over to grab the six hundred and fortyfive-page manual. He reads that manual like it’s a Robert B. Parker novel. He reads it over breakfast, lunch, and dinner. He reads it while he’s cooking, while he’s in bed, while he’s on the phone. He’d rather read that manual than go on a sunset cruise. He’d rather read that manual than have sex and would read it in a heartbeat during sex. He gets super excited telling me about the gadgets as my eyes glaze over with “I don’t care” disinterest. He spends an insane amount of time on a website: mycardoeswhat.org. And so, the happy ending to letting Connie go? When it comes to men like Bob, gadgets trump old trucks. Award-winning nationally syndicated columnist, Saralee Perel, can be reached at sperel@saraleeperel.com or visit her at saraleeperel.com. MSN
Old Expressions Bring Fond Memories
MONTANA’S OWN With nearly 600 of Montana’s very own employees, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Montana is one of the most loyal employers in town. Since 1940, we’ve been here when our boys came home from the war, when you first got married, when you had your first baby and when you went through a family health crisis. We’ve always been here for you. And we pledge we’re not going anywhere. We’re Montana’s own Real Montanans helping you when you need it most. Through it all.
A division of Health Care Service Corporation, a Mutual Legal Reserve Company, an Independent Licensee of Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association.
Learn More or Enroll Today bcbsmt.com I 1.800.447.7828
By Richard Lederer Do you recognize the expression heavens to Murgatroyd? Lost words from our childhood... words gone as fast as the buggy whip! The other day I heard a not so elderly (65) lady say something to her son about driving a jalopy and he looked at her quizzically and said what the heck is a jalopy? She knew she was older but not that old! Well, I hope you are hunky dory and everything is okey-dokey after you read this and chuckle. About a month ago, I illuminated some old expressions that have become obsolete because of the inexorable march of time and technology. These could include: Don’t touch that dial, carbon copy, you sound like a broken record, and hung out to dry. Back in the olden days, we had a lot of moxie. We’d put on our best bib and tucker to straighten up and fly right. And express wonderment with heavens to Betsy, gee willikers, jumpin’ jehosaphat, and holy moley! We were in like Flynn, living the life of Riley, and even a regular guy couldn’t accuse us of being a knucklehead, a nincompoop, or a pill. Not for all the tea in China! Back in earlier days, life used to be swell. Swell has gone the way of beehives, pageboys, and the D.A. – the same as spats, knickers, fedoras, poodle skirts, saddle shoes, and pedal pushers. Oh, my aching back! Kilroy was here, but he isn’t anymore. We wake up from what surely has been just a short nap and before we can say, well I’ll be a monkey’s uncle, or we’re in a fine kettle of fish! So, see ya later, alligator; real soon baboon (or toodaloo, kangaroo); and after while, crocodile. MSN
DECEMBER 2016/JANUARY 2017
Phyllis McGillis: Growing Up Little Shell on Hill 57
By Bernice Karnop In front of the mobile home where Phyllis lives Phyllis McGillis lives in a neat white mobile today, stands the small house where her parents home on Hill 57. “The Hill has always been my raised ten children. It was crowded, she admits, home. I’ve lived here all my life and I wouldn’t live but fun. Off to one side is the old outhouse. It, any place else,” she says. too, will stay there until the wind blows it away. Hill 57 is an area on the northwest edge of “It’s a relic,” she says with her distinctive giggle. Great Falls that for many years has been home The houses didn’t have painted siding, didn’t to people identified as have running water or indoor toilets. the Little Shell Tribe Residents hauled water in milk cans of the Chippewa Infrom the washhouse, which held the dians of Montana, only pump in the community. Just beshortened to simply cause they didn’t have running water, Little Shell. They are they didn’t deserve the reputation of bealso known as Metis. ing dirty. “My mom was a clean woman,” Hill 57 at one time Phyllis says. “So was my grandma and had the reputation the other families that lived here.” for poverty, run down People called those houses shacks. houses, and kids. That offends Phyllis. “They weren’t Lots of kids. Phyllis, shacks. They were homes. They had who is now 66, was furniture and they had a place to eat one of those kids. and a place to sleep. They might not “We had a good childhave had siding, but they had doors and hood,” she says with windows and heating.” People who say a reflective smile. such things didn’t take the time to go in Phyllis remem- Traditionally Little Shell people lived on and visit residents. They didn’t see the bers that kids played Hill 57 in Great Falls. Phyllis McGillis and inside of their freely outdoors with- people her age and older still call it home. homes. “What out worrying about Young people, however, don’t share that right have they of belonging, according to Phyllis. being run over by sense to judge by the Her children live and work in the white cars. Adults knew world. [Photo by Bernice Karnop] way the house each other and knew was on the all the kids. It was a community. “We didn’t live in outside?” she asks. each other’s pockets but we knew everyone and Phyllis never felt we knew the other Native Americans in town, who hindered by the prejlived on Mount Royal and Wiremill Road.” udice against Native She recalls that the kids intermingled in loud Americans, or by the kid games. Squabbles and feuds erupted and stigma of living on Hill fizzled out. The tangle of cousins, brothers, sis- 57. She says, “You ters, and kids from various tribes played hide and learn to live with it, you seek, baseball, and ring around the rosy. Phyllis’ learn to overlook it.” Her brothers made a three-wheeled scooter from an children know even less old tricycle by turning it upside down and reposi- prejudice. Her parents, tioning the seat. They dragged it half way up the however, told a different hill and came screaming down again and again. story. Her mom also Sure, they tumbled off into the rocks and bushes. grew up on Hill 57 and Phyllis giggles. “What were a few scrapes and went to Franklin school, bruises back then,” she says. In the winter time the big kids built a bonfire at the top of the hill and the rest of the bunch hauled their toboggans up and slid down all afternoon, oblivious of the below zero temperature. At the end of the day, they came home with coats and pant legs frozen stiff. Mom met them at the door, stripped them of the frozen coats, and sent them to crowd around the stove to warm up. “We’d get up the next day and tell mom it was too cold to go to school!” she says.
MONTANA SENIOR NEWS PAGE 11
PAGE 12 MONTANA SENIOR NEWS
DECEMBER 2016/JANUARY 2017
just as Phyllis and her siblings did. In her mom’s day, the Native American kids were segregated into a single classroom away from white children. In her mom’s day, the Little Shell used the side door of the movie house. They sat in a separate section from the majority white race. Phyllis’s dad served in World War II, yet he was not allowed to drink in bars. He grew up in Babb and spoke Cree. They could have enrolled on the Rocky Boys Reservation, but they were Little Shell and refused to identify as anything else to receive benefits. In spite of the open prejudice, Phyllis is a little envious of the parents and grandparents. When the mood struck, they loaded up the horse and buggy and visited “this place and that place,” to be with friends and family. They always came back to Hill 57. “They belonged here. They knew they lived here in Great Falls,” she says. The first job Phyllis remembers doing was picking potatoes. “We didn’t consider it work,” she says. “It was just something we did.” Her dad worked as a laborer and her mom sometimes worked, but every year the whole family took time off to pick potatoes. As soon as they were old enough, the kids traipsed up and down the long rows along with the adults, throwing potatoes into a sack. They were paid about ten cents a bag, Phyllis recalls. When she was in high school, she entered an Opportunities, Inc. program that taught her skills through on-the-job training, like cleaning office buildings and doing clerical work. She accepted assistance when her children were babies. When her youngest started kindergarten, she was hired by Red Cross. She ended the assistance the day she got her first paycheck. Once she started making her own money, and receiving health insurance through her work, she says she didn’t need the help. They sent her forms for months afterward. “It was harder to get off assistance than it was to get on,” she says with a laugh.
to BeeHive Homes of Great Falls Assisted Living
Great Falls has
BeeHive Homes to choose from!
Our BeeHive Homes of Great Falls assisted living services are dedicated to providing a happy and healthy environment for our residents. Our unique approach to assisted living care focuses on creating a family environment in which long lasting relationships can grow and develop. We would love to introduce you to BeeHive Homes of Great Falls assisted living. Please contact us for more information or a home tour.
3 Memory Care Homes!
Trained Staff in Dementia Care | Private Rooms with Showers Courtyard with Fountain, Gazebo & Pergola Our assisted living service includes: • Private Rooms • 24-Hour Staffing • Dietician Approved Home Cooked Meals
• Individual and Group Activities • Daily House Keeping Services • And Much More!
888-727-1900 or Visit us at BeehiveHomes.com
She worked for Red Cross for 34 years, starting as a receptionist, and working up to customer service representative. She loved working with these good people and wonderful volunteers but was happy to retire three years ago. Today, she relishes the joys of not working – sleeping late, staying up late, and doing what she pleases during the day. Phyllis is proud of her grown children. She raised them to be independent and take pride in what they have done with their lives. To be able to say, “I did this.” Single parenting, she believes, was more challenging when they were young, but her parents and family helped her. Today her daughter and husband teach their kids what Phyllis taught her, to think of family, to respect their elders, and to be proud of their Native American heritage. She tells them, “Today you make what you are. It is up to you to decide what you want to be.” Little Shell is different from other Native American tribes that have been recognized and have had government assistance. Phyllis says, “We Little Shell have worked for our homes and everything we have. It gave us pride in what we accomplished because we did have to work for things like health care and educating our children.” Tribal recognition would not make a noticeable difference for her or her children or grandchildren. They have health care through their work and can go to school. She would like to see it for children who do not have the benefits hers do. She remembers her grandparents and parents waiting for recognition. She was at one time active in making it happen, but now is ready for younger people to take up the cause. It didn’t happen in her parents and grandparent’s lifetimes, and Phyllis isn’t sure it will happen in hers. “It would be nice to be recognized, but we have managed and we are proud of it,” she says. MSN
DECEMBER 2016/JANUARY 2017
Val Keaveny Circled The North Pole – Under The Ice
MONTANA SENIOR NEWS PAGE 13
Everything is made fresh!
By Bernice Karnop station appreciated the ice cream. • Suppliments Only rarely does someone explore uncharted A detailed account of the first voyage, and • Gluten Free Baked Goods territory – going where others have not gone and a second trip, done in the Arctic winter the next • Turkey, Veggie, Roast Beef Sandwiches daring to believe they will return, having blazed a year, appeared in a 30-page article in National • Soups & Salads • Chilli & Cornbread (Wednesdays) trail for others to follow. Geographic (July 1959). Neil Armstrong’s Val Keaveny, who now lives in 508 1st Ave N, Great Falls • 460-452-0361 moon landing on in Great Falls with his wife of 53 years, 1969 comes to mind Marge, was part of the Skate’s crew. taking “one small step Val grew up in Missouri and joined for a man.” A decade the Navy in 1954 right after high school. earlier, a group of men Good jobs were scarce, and the Navy shut themselves in a would give him the education he dark, silent submarine, needed. His brother, six years older, sailed quietly into the had captivated him with his tales of lonely waters of the being submariner, so he volunteered Arctic Ocean, and cirfor that elite duty. cled beneath the North “Not everyone is cut out to stay at Pole. They took wasea under the water for long periods of ter samples, recorded time with no sun, no fresh air, no fresh water temperatures, food, and no contact with the outside Optimism is going after and mapped the Arcworld,” Val explains. Moby Dick in a rowboat tic Ocean floor for the Submarine school is challengfirst time. And, they ing and Val graduated near the top and taking the were the first to surface Submarine Veteran Val Keaveny and wife of his class. Nuclear power school is tartar sauce with you! through the polar ice Marge display their love of God, country, even tougher. His prototype school family, and their Irish heritage. Behind cap multiple times. was cut short The U.S.S. Skate, them is an ocean scene painted by a w h e n t h e y one of the Navy’s first friend to make them feel at home in land- needed crew locked Great Falls. [Photo by Bernice nuclear submarines, Karnop] for the Navy’s SPECIALIZING IN DEMENTIA /ALZHEIMER’S CARE glided under the pole in third nuclear August 1958. It surfaced into a small lake at the sub, the spanking new North Pole at Ice Station Alpha where scientists U.S.S. Skate on which Robin Cislo Fleek-Owner/Administrator and Air Force personnel conducted research from Val served from 1957a huddle of huts. The two groups traded ice cream 1960 – patrolling from Sapphire House • Ruby House • Emerald House for fresh polar bear steaks, but didn’t take time 8-10 months a year. In to share a meal. When the ice began to close in fact, of his 21 years in 811 2nd Avenue South, Great Falls the Skate descended into the darkness before the Navy, Val spent 19 @ rfleek@mymtgems.com the ice could crush the vessel. The submariners either on a submarine, had difficulty eating the stinky, oily bear meat, but in a shipyard, or on a mymtgems.com presumably, the men at the North Pole research submarine tender.
MT Gems Assisted Living 406-453-0607
Better care can mean better quality of life. At DaVita, our approach is to treat people, not just their kidney disease.
Better manage your health, your care, and your life with help from our highly trained clinical support teams and a wide range of tools and services. VISIT US AT 3400 10th Ave S Great Falls 406-727-0411 KidneySmart.org learn about your kidney health and treatment options © 2016 DaVita HealthCare Partners Inc. 09099 Denovo
DaVita.com
PAGE 14 MONTANA SENIOR NEWS
Submariners experience constant danger, and at times, sheer terror. Val dealt with equipment failure, flooding, and fire. Three times his ship collided with other vessels. Once, they bounced off a mountain under the sea. During a sea trial, they were to run to the surface at flank speed and then dive. But, while in a full dive, the bow planes malfunctioned causing a 58-degree dive angle. The crew scrambled to correct, but they sped past test depth – as deep as you should safely go without risking a crushed hull. Val recalls, “I was in the engine room watching everything fall apart. A cup flew past my head and shattered into the forward bulkhead. Water and oil were coming from every place. The turbines and reduction gears were bouncing and screaming, and the whole boat was shaking apart.” Finally, they reversed the engines and suddenly the boat was going backward at the same angle. “We came that close to losing the boat and the
DECEMBER 2016/JANUARY 2017
crew,” Val adds. How does a person live with the constant danger? “You trust the Lord and do your job,” Val remarks. According to Val, the danger is part of what creates a lifelong bond among crewmembers. “We rely on each other to do our jobs. Our life and theirs depend on it, as does the safety of the boat,” he says. “We become kind of a family.” When the Keaveny’s moved to Montana, they didn’t expect to find many submariners. One day Marge noticed the distinctive submariner insignia – a submarine on the surface flanked with two dolphins, their heads resting on the bow planes – in the back window of a truck beside hers at Holiday Village mall. She tapped on his window and asked, “Are you a submariner?” He was as thrilled as the Keaveny’s to find a “brother.” They also learned that Montana submariners gather for a reunion twice a year. Last
spring, more than 100 men and wives gathered in Big Timber, and in October, veterans from World War II to the present day gathered again at the VFW in Great Falls. Val says it’s special to get together with others who have lived on a submarine and who know what it takes to qualify for submarine duty, and to share their good, bad, and tragic experiences. All this within the confines of security classifications. A few years ago, Val was invited to tour a modern submarine. “I couldn’t believe my eyes!” he declares. “There is no comparison. It’s like the difference between a Model-T and a new Corvette.” The new equipment works longer, better, and is more reliable. On the Skate, equipment that Val maintained – in cramped spaces with his down in the bilge – like air compressors, pumps, refrigeration units, and air conditioners failed or were unreliable. Today’s submariners have much easier access to the equipment. The food is also better now. After being at sea for weeks, the dehydrated food Val ate tasted like chalk, the butter tasted like Freon, and the eggs ran in the pan like water. Val remembers once when they were at periscope depth and the seas were rough. The beef roasts bounced out of the oven and sloshed all around the galley deck. “‘It’s meal time,’” Val recalls the cook saying. “Then he picked up the roasts, rinsed them under the faucet, and served them.” Wives are associate members of Montana Submarine Veterans, a status that reflects the importance of having a supportive wife. “Marge encouraged me and at the same time guided and loved our two children. She managed everything that is required for a family, depending on the Lord and his guidance and power when I was not there.” Marge acknowledges that she was blessed to have learned to work hard while growing up on the farm. “A farm girl can handle anything,” she says with a deep laugh. Marge collected a large rock from every place they lived while in the Navy. Early in their marriage, they moved four times in three months! She wrote the place and date on each rock. Life as a submariner’s wife is not easy with the frequent moves and long deployments. In fact, she says it’s a bit like riding a roller coaster. “I don’t like roller coasters,” Marge insists, “But I wouldn’t have missed this ride for anything!” To learn more about Montana Submarine Veterans and their activities, call Terry Moore at 406-471-2384. MSN
DECEMBER 2016/JANUARY 2017
Learn History at the Malmstrom Air Force Base Heritage Center and Air Park
MONTANA SENIOR NEWS PAGE 15
Bernice Karnop The Great Falls Army Air base history starts in Trip Advisor lists the Malmstrom Air Force Base 1942 during World War II. Pilots trained here and Heritage Center and Air Park among its top ten the Lend-Lease program spilled over from Gore places to visit in Great Falls. Since few Montan- Hill. Lend-Lease brought around 8,000 planes ans check Trip Advisor before visiting the Electric through Great Falls and flew them to Fairbanks, City, locals may overlook this intriguing museum. Alaska. Pilots from the Soviet Union met them It sits just inside the main gate, so one must stop there and flew them to Russia to fight Hitler. Some at the visitor center just outside the gate to obtain of the planes were flown by Women Air Force a pass. Through December a valid driver’s license Service Pilots or WASPS. Rob tells about the may be used as identification, however in January unsung heroes of the all-volunteer women civil 2017, Real ID goes into effect. Montana visitors service pilots. Thirty-eight women lost their lives, may need a passport or passport card, because some in combat. Hazel Ah Ling Lee, a ChineseMontana’s driver’s license American woman, was the does not yet comply. last to perish, and that was Malmstrom Air Force after a crash on the runway Base Museum director, Rob in Great Falls. Turnbow, has one goal for In 1947, the Soviet Union guests. He wants them to closed land travel into West leave knowing more than Berlin. They allowed the they did when they came. U.S. to fly a narrow corridor He takes visitors through to airlift food and supplies the well-organized space, into the city. “They said they bringing world history to life wouldn’t shoot them down, through tales that come from not that they wouldn’t shoot this base. at them,” says Rob. The base Some visitors are recruits trained hundreds of pilots who are curious about their for the Berlin Air Lift, even new assignment; while othmodifying the area to be like ers arrive having no clue the the challenging runway they base was even here. Personwould have to use in Berlin. nel stationed here in the past Then In 1954, the base’s come back to see their old name was changed after stomping grounds and famColonel Einar Malmstrom Director Rob Turnbow tells stories and answers ily members come to hear questions at the Malmstrom AFB Heritage Cen- died when his T-33 crashed about the mission they took ter. [Photo by Bernice Karnop] near the city. part in. “It’s like taking a pop NORAD, the North Amerquiz every day,” says Rob. He answers questions ican Aerospace Defense Command moved in in from four year olds and from retired folk who have 1957. This air defense mission tracked aircraft and lived this history. maintained radar sites from the Rocky Mountains Interestingly, the first military “boots on the through the Dakotas. The SAGE building that still ground” were actually the moccasins of the Corps stands, housed two of the largest computers of of Discovery. Lewis and Clark’s 1805 portage the day in the 1960s, which was when the missiles around the falls brought them right through what is were installed. now Malmstrom AFB, within a few hundred yards Visitors finish their tour with a walk around of the museum some of the airplanes and that moved in and out The primary mission of Malmstrom Air Force of Malmstrom until Congress closed the runway Base is the building, maintenance, and security of in 1996. the Minuteman Missile systems. Montanans who Winter is a great time for Montana folk to visit have driven past the missile sites for years can the Malmstrom AFB Heritage Center and Air Park. ask all their questions at the museum. A video of Take some time to check it out before the busy a test firing of the long-range missile shows the season begins again. MSN steps crewmembers go through before firing. It then shows the awesome sight of the missile rising through its own cloud. Displays include the differ“Parents don’t want to think about their death...and nobody wants ent parts of the missile, the inside of the capsule, and more. to talk about it. But...parents need to be parents one last time.” The powerful long-range missile system was - Time Magazine, “Who Gets The Stuff” designed as a deterrent in the Cold War, which reached a boiling point shortly before the missiles were installed. In October 1962, the Soviets started building a long-range offensive missile base in Cuba. This created an intense reaction from the U.S. President Kennedy ordered a blockade so the Soviet ships could not get through. On the day after the first Minuteman Missile went on alert, Khrushchev agreed to halt work on a Cuban base. Kennedy famously said, “Of course Mr. Khrushchev knew we had an ace in the hole in our improved strategic response forces.” Ace in the Hole has been a motto for the missiles ever since. “The base is like an apartment house with tenants who move in and out,” says John Turner, from the Public Affairs office, about the different missions that have come and gone. Here are some Pre-Planning is important. Call today to learn more. of the missions the museum highlights.
The greatest patriotism is to tell your country when it is behaving dishonorably. - Julian Barnes
Croxford Funeral Home & Crematory
1307 Central Ave, Great Falls ~ 406.453.0315 ~ croxfordfuneralhome.com
PAGE 16 MONTANA SENIOR NEWS
DECEMBER 2016/JANUARY 2017
Ice Fishing Snags Fish, Friends, and a Whole Lot of Fun Article & Photo By Bernice Karnop Great Falls resident Ron Reis, 72, loves ice fishing. He has all the gear, including an icehouse and an ATV to pull it on the ice. He has jigs, lines, power baits, and power grubs. He could not, would not, fish without his FL-22 Vexilar Ice Pro Flasher Fishfinder, which alerts him to when the fish swim close to the bait and tells him when they are not in the vicinity. He wears cleats on his shoes and bought an ice-fishing suit from Scheels that actually floats. Yep, he tried it out, accidentally, that is. He stepped into someone else’s oversized hole and went down. “It just popped me right back out,” he says with a grin. While he has almost everything in the line of gear, he has his eye on new stuff he’d like to try too. “There really is no end to places to go and stuff to buy,” he says. “It’s just a matter of what you can afford to go and do.” Gear, however, isn’t what drew Ron to the sport of ice fishing in the early 1970s. The only gear he and a young friend used when they pulled perch from a hole in the ice of Holter Lake was the fiberglass poles they fished with all summer, and a hand ice auger. Bait was mostly worms, marshmallows, and corn. In the past four decades, technology changed many things, even reaching to this most ancient and
Advancing Care for All
Stroke ... heart attack ... car wreck ... ... whatever the sudden turn for the worse for you or a loved one, the highly trained physicians and nurses in Northcentral Montana’s Regional Trauma Center at Benefis Health System are there for you, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. But now they are asking for your help. The existing Benefis Emergency Department took care of 24,000 patients a year when it opened nearly two decades ago. That number is now more than 34,000. A proposed remodeling and expansion project would more than double the space dedicated to the ED, but it needs community support to make it happen.
Please consider making a gift today to this important project. You will be helping ensure the future of world-class, life-saving emergency care for our region for years to come. You may give securely online at benefisfoundation.org or mail your gift to: Benefis Foundation PO Box 7008 Great Falls, MT 59406-7008 For more information, please call: 406.455.5840
elemental pastime. The only way Ron changed over the decades was to become even more passionate about ice fishing as he added gear and became more adept at the sport. Ron came to Montana with the military in 1964. He loved it here, even though during his deployment the elements were notably inhospitable. The city and much of north central Montana experienced a disastrous flood that year. In the middle of the monumentally cold winter of 1968-69, he loaded up his U-Haul as the temperature hunkered at 40 below. It took them five days to get back to Ohio. “I was glad to get out of here,” he admits. On the other hand he loves hunting, fishing, and gabbing with those who share his passion. “I’m an outdoor person and Montana is right up my alley.” Ron says. “I was glad to get back.” He worked for the city of Great Falls as a heavy equipment operator until he retired. Ron is also a big summertime angler – fishing at least once each week, and often spending a week in his fifth-wheel trailer. He fishes everywhere, Fort Peck, Lake Frances, Fresno, and Tiber. He catches “fantastic” salmon in Washington and Idaho. His favorite fish to eat is walleye, but he’s also fond of perch and crappie. He finds catfish caught through the ice on Fort Peck reservoir especially tasty, but trout are lower on his favorites list. Ice anglers have to be super careful because there are dangers to avoid. First, the ice must be a minimum of six inches in depth. Ron stays away from pressure ridges, big cracks, and humps. He always goes around, not over them. And just because there are people on the ice, he doesn’t assume it’s safe. He personally “reads the ice” every time. Ron takes his icehouse, but spends his time outside. The dogs lay claim to the house with the heater. It’s nice to have the house and a thermos of hot coffee for when he needs a break from the brisk air. Fish school up in tight groups in the winter and stay put – especially the perch and walleye. Ron goes out in the late fall in his boat to find a school of perch. They will often be right there in the same spot after the lake freezes over. When the ice breaks up, they move out. Perch favor the bays. He looks for walleye in the late afternoon when they come up from the bottom and feed. He fishes where the water depth under the ice is over two feet all the way up to 90 feet of water under the ice. He doesn’t stay in one spot. “If the fish aren’t
Enjoy Senior Living
at its Finest Located in beautiful Great Falls, we pair fine comfort and hospitality with exceptional service and accommodations. See for yourself why our community is such an exceptional place to live. CALL (406) 727-0447
Brookdale Great Falls Independent Living 1104 Sixth Avenue North Great Falls, MT 59401 24557-P1-1015-ROP KS
brookdale.com
BROOKDALE® is a trademark of Brookdale Senior Living Inc., Nashville, TN, USA 06/15
there, you have got to move,” he says, often just 20 or 30 feet. Ron admits to being more careful today than when he was younger. Still, he walks the dogs a couple miles each day, “so they won’t drive me crazy.” A lifetime of being outdoors has kept him in good shape and he insists that there’s plenty of life left in him yet. The day after hunting with young friends this fall, he climbed back up the hills to
DECEMBER 2016/JANUARY 2017
MONTANA SENIOR NEWS PAGE 17
where they were the day before. His young friends didn’t have the energy to go with him. Ron Reis says he is a fortunate man. He has recovered from an accident that had him hobbling with a cane a few years ago. But mostly he’s fortunate to have a cadre of good friends that share his passions. The Walleye Club meets every third Thursday
at the VFW Club on the east end of Great Falls, and Ron says they’re one big happy family. He also finds that camaraderie out on the lakes, and no matter whom you talk to, he says you always learn something new. “You can’t believe how many nice people you run in to. It’s just awesome, and it’s a whole lot of fun.” MSN
Add A Visit the Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge To Your Bucket List
By Bernice Karnop The 1.1 million acres that constitute the Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge surrounding Fort Peck Lake, includes eroded cliffs and gullies, buttes and benches, bottomlands and prairie lands, and other features that defy description. This rough and spectacular area is perfect, however, for what it’s been set aside for – wildlife. Humans who brave its coulees and draws find it uniquely beautiful as they describe startling sunsets and sunrises and dramatic thunderstorms. One of Montana’s favorite writers, Joseph Kinsey Howard, in Montana: High, Wide and Handsome, says the Missouri badlands of central Montana remain, with the exception of uninhabitable deserts, “one of the loneliest areas in the United States.” He continues, “Here are cliffs so sudden and precipitate that cattle, reaching for tempting clumps of grass, have tumbled hundreds of feet to death; here are hundreds of thousands of acres untenanted by man or domestic animal, and scores of townships without a town, or even a house.” President Franklin D. Roosevelt established the Fort Peck Game Range, December 11, 1936, by executive order for, “the conservation and development of natural wildlife resources and the protection and improvement of public grazing and natural forage resources.” Since those two things are not exactly compatible in many minds, the area has had its conflicts over the past 80 years.
In 1963, it was re-named for Montana’s beloved artist, Charles M. Russell. That’s fitting because he championed unspoiled land and left a legacy of drawings and paintings that celebrate them. The land satisfies an amazingly diverse list of interests. Rich fossil beds stock museums with dinosaur remains, including MORT, the Museum of the Rockies triceratops. Tyrannosaurus rex shook the ground and left his bones to fossilize here as well. Paleontologists learn from plant fossils, and marvel over the ancient paddlefish, which forgot to go extinct. Still available to anglers, this relic of the past can live up to 20 years and weigh an average of 80 pounds for females and nearly 40 for males. Native people were drawn to the inhospitable terrain by the abundance of wildlife. They filled their grocery carts at ancient bison kill sites and scattered silent tepee rings on the ground. The mighty Missouri shaped and carved the badlands and nourished its cottonwood groves and bottomland. The river was the transportation superhighway to Montana from prehistory until the railroads came. Lewis and Clark’s Corps of Discovery pulled their boats through the CMR in 1805. Riverboat passengers from the 1860s, we are told, took to the land at the famous UL Bend. They walked the little more than a mile stretch to meet their boat after it looped 12 miles around the bend. Since much of what they saw was flooded by Fort Peck Dam, one can only imagine the raw
scenery as it was back then. The deep, inhospitable canyons and badlands with stunted ponderosa and juniper, provided cover for horse thieves and desperados. Some died at the hands of a vigilance committee called Stewart’s Stranglers. Granville Stewart, who ranched near Gilt Edge, lent his name to those extra-legal, but otherwise honorable, comrades. Of course, most people who visit the C.M.R. today do so for reasons other than paleontology, archeology, and history – they come to hunt trophy elk, deer, or bighorn sheep. In September and early October, visit the Slippery Ann Elk Viewing area where bull elk gather their harems of cows and compete for breeding privileges. The area, which is closed to hunting, fills with hundreds of elk as their unique bugling echoes over the landscape. In the spring, birders come to see the equally ancient and lusty ritual of dancing and drumming
Never lose you.
Keep your dignity and your independence.
Community | Stability | Independence 1801 9th Street South | Great Falls, MT 59405 Phone: 406-771-7440 | www.genesishcc.com
DECEMBER, 2016
Christmas specials throughout December Elna Machine Promotion Day • Call for details JANUARY, 2017
Star Quilt Class • Call for details Taught by Blackfeet artist, Lisa Longtime Sleeping
Call us for a complete list of upcoming classes
FEBRUARY 5, 2017
Super “Sew” Sunday
*Watch for our new website launch!*
325 Main • Shelby • 406-434-7106 • 800-377-0145
PAGE 18 MONTANA SENIOR NEWS
DECEMBER 2016/JANUARY 2017
sharp-tail grouse. The wildlife refuge includes hundreds of different bird species, dozens of different mammals, reptiles, amphibians, and fish. Most of the wildlife refuge is roadless, but to get to the Slippery Ann Elk Viewing area, take Highway 191 north from Lewistown through Roy to the Fred Robinson Bridge. On the north side of the bridge take the first right and head east on a gravel road. Watch for the wildlife viewing sign. From here, one may take the 25-mile auto tour. The road continues along the river, then turns north and eventually comes back to Highway 191.
The Knox Ridge Road from Winifred to the Fred Robinson Bridge goes through a few miles of ranchland, then drops into the breaks and ends at Highway 191 at the Fred Robinson Bridge. From there one may loop back to Lewistown, or cross the bridge and follow the auto tour route. For more information, call the Refuge headquarters in Lewistown at 406 538-8706. Drivers must be aware that these roads are good when dry, but when it rains, they quickly turn into dangerous, slippery, and largely impassable gumbo. MSN
Belle Clark – Massage Therapist (Continued from page 1) oils derived from plants. The essential oils assist the body in relaxation and wellness. About half of Belle’s clients are over the age of 50. The friendships that develop with regular clients are among the things that make the job rewarding. People much younger than her 57 years call her a friend, and people much older do the same. One older couple inspires her with their enduring love for each other and for how they have chosen to live and navigate life. They exude a vision that is an example of how Belle wants to live and finish strong. “I benefit from knowing them and they don’t even know it,” she says. Massage holds special value to an individual who no longer has someone touching or holding them. A deceased spouse and dispersed children and grandchildren may have left them alone. But the body benefits from touch as blood pressure goes down aches and pains are soothed away. Some
G N Eagles Manor I T A R B
E L E C
S R YEA
Retirement Community
0 5 “Caring for Others With Compassion”
Affordable Retirement Living at its best:
Daily Meals, Housekeeping & Maintenance Services, Activities & Events & Much More
Call for more information! 406-453-6521 1615 9th St S, Great Falls eaglescommunities.com
These Really Are Funny... Submitted by Julie Brantley 1. I wondered why the baseball was getting bigger. Then it hit me. 2. Police were called to a day care, where a three-year-old was resisting a rest. 3. Did you hear about the guy whose whole left side was cut off? He’s all right now. 4. The roundest knight at King Arthur’s round table was Sir Cumference. 5. To write with a broken pencil is pointless. 6. When fish are in schools they sometimes take debate. 7. The short fortuneteller who escaped from prison was a small medium at large. 8. A thief who stole a calendar… got twelve months. 9. A thief fell and broke his leg in wet cement. He became a hardened criminal. 10. Thieves who steal corn from a garden could be charged with stalking. 11. When the smog lifts in Los Angeles, U. C. L. A. MSN
Lee S. Hudson, DC, DABCO Chiropractic Orthopedist Certified Sports Physician Warm Wishes for a Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!
NEW Location! 1301 12th Ave. S. Great Falls • (406) 315-3037 • leehudsondc.com
Full-Service Retreat & Conference Centre Meeting Rooms & Accommodations Full-Service Dining Facility Facilities for Weddings, Parties, Family & Class Reunions Gymnasium & Auditorium Rentals Preschool & Aftercare Program
Spiritual, Retreat & Conference Centre 2300 Central Avenue Great Falls, MT 59401 (406) 452-8585 www.ursulinecentre.com
people just enjoy talking to the therapist. “A massage is nurturing to the soul as well as the body,” Belle says. Belle became interested in massage therapy when she lived in Alaska and saw a chiropractor on a regular basis for her scoliosis. He recommended massage, saying that it would work well with what he was doing. Chiropractic addresses structural issues in the body and a massage addresses the soft tissues. She followed his advice and it helped her so much she continued receiving massage therapy. She started her training at age 49, expecting to be the “odd duck” because of her age, but found that most of the class was over 40. Being a massage therapist involves physical work that sometimes challenges her own body. The cure is to schedule a massage for herself. It’s not something that you can do for yourself. “We were made to rely on others to provide healthy, healing touch,” she says. MSN
DECEMBER 2016/JANUARY 2017
MONTANA SENIOR NEWS PAGE 19
PAGE 20 MONTANA SENIOR NEWS
DECEMBER 2016/JANUARY 2017
Lewistown Welcomes You In Winter And Throughout The Year By Bernice Karnop Some readers will remember driving over a snowy Bozeman Pass to the Montana Winter Fair. It originated in Bozeman in 1946 and continued in Gallatin County until 2002. Since 2002, it’s been in Lewistown, the heart of Montana, half a day’s drive or less from almost anywhere in the state. It was organized to promote and improve agriculture, and continues to feature agriculture education and enjoyment in the chill of January. More than two dozen events and competitions enliven the fairgrounds and Lewistown – a center for farming, all things outdoors, and a perfect location for the Winter Fair January 27–29, 2017. “It’s the greatest event in the state because of the variety of things you can do,” says Chris Cooler, Chair of the Montana Winter Fair. She points out that it’s a perfect antidote to cabin fever, that dreaded epidemic that hits the state each winter. Fair highlights include YAHOO! Wylie Gustafson, the worldfamous “yodeling voice of Yahoo” performing Friday, January 27 with $20-tickets available at montanawinterfair.com and at Don’s Store in Lewistown; various baking competitions; Old McDonald’s Barn and the Farm Forum; the State Open Fiddle Contest; the
Trade Show; and more events to entertain adults and grandchildren alike. To register or for detailed event information visit montanawinterfair.com or call 406-538-2200. Same day event registration is permitted. “We encourage people not only to come, but to come and participate,” says Chris. “It’s open to people all over the state and out of state.” Individuals from Wyoming, Washington, and North and South Dakota have competed as well as Montanans. They expect 3,000-4,000 people, so don’t wait to make your hotel reservations. The Montana Winter Fair is only one of the events that draw visitors to Lewistown. In fact, Lewistown’s a place for all seasons. Readers will be glad to “come and participate” in their unique and creative celebrations that showcase the place and the people who have traipsed through its special history. Lewistown history starts with the short-lived military post on Spring Creek called Camp Lewis. Major W. H. Lewis set his camp here to guard the Carroll wagon road. This road was used in the 1870s for the rumbling bull trains, which picked up freight at the long-defunct riverbank town of Carroll, 75 miles northeast of
DECEMBER 2016/JANUARY 2017
Lewistown, and delivered it to gold miners in Helena and soldiers at Fort Shaw and Fort Ellis. In 1879, Francis Janeaux opened a trading post on his ranch on Spring Creek. Four years later Janeaux sold it to T.C. Powers, who enlarged it to serve the early cattlemen in the area. Over the years since, Lewistown has continued to serve the needs of ranchers, homesteaders, gold miners, oilmen, missile crews, hunters, anglers, and passers-by. In addition to the outdoor recreation in the Judith and Big Snowy Mountains, C.M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge, and Spring Creek, Lewistown boasts a parade of events that draw visitors. They light up the holiday season with Christmas light tours, a Christmas Stroll, and other galas and events. The very special North Pole Adventure ride on the Charlie Russell Choo Chew adds excitement to the season, but this popular Christmas ride sells out quickly. If you want to treat your grandchildren, put it on the calendar for October 2017, when next year’s tickets go on sale. In February and March Lewistown hosts Walleye and Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation banquets. On Mother’s Day, the Charlie Russell Chew Choo Train opens its season with a special run. Check the schedule for rides through the beginning of October.
MONTANA SENIOR NEWS PAGE 21
The Fourth of July in Lewistown pops with community breakfast, a parade, and fireworks. Later in the month is the Central Montana Fair. August draws crowds to the Montana Cowboy Poetry Gathering and Western Rendezvous. Also, rodeo fans gather to watch young cowboys and girls at the High School Rodeo. September brings the Metis Celebration on Labor Day. This powwow features native singers, dancers, fiddlers, and crafters. September also brings the family-friendly, multi-event Chokecherry Festival. Fun runs, culinary competitions, and pit spitting allow everyone to let their hair down for some old-timey fun. Visitors may piggy-back the Chokecherry Festival with What the Hay?, a tour of the Montana Bale Trail, with its oh-so-amazing hay sculptures just a few miles west of here between Winifred and Hobson. One does not want to miss the stores, restaurants, and hotels. The Lewistown Art Center is the place to go to purchase Made in Montana art from more than 150 Montana artists. With this bird’s eye view of some highlights, readers will know that there’s plenty going on in Lewistown. For more information, contact the Lewistown Area Chamber of Commerce at 406-5355436 or email at lewchamb@midrivers.com. You can also find information on the web at EnjoyLewistown.com. MSN
PAGE 22 MONTANA SENIOR NEWS
DECEMBER 2016/JANUARY 2017
Check Out These Events For December & Into The New Year Although we have not listed all of the many events featured during the holiday season, below is a small sampling of fun things that will pique your interests, and with a little searching on the web, you can fill in the gaps. To start, we would suggest readers contact visitmt.com; visitbillings.com; discoverkalispell.com; glaciermt.com; visitbigskymt.com; centralmontana.com; virginiacity.com; southeastmontana.com; southwestmt.com; and visityellowstonecountry.com. These are just a few of the regional and community resources that you can consult in order to add enjoyable events to these crisp winter days and into the spring, and early summer! Many of the events listed run on multiple days, but we have listed just the first day of the event, so please call the listed phone number or visit the website for more details. Start Date Dec 1
Location Event Anaconda Copper Village: Painting Exhibits
Dec 1
Bozeman
Dec Dec Dec Dec Dec Jan Jan Dec Dec Dec Dec
Helena Grandstreet Theatre: The Lion King Jr Billings Studio Theatre: Forever Plaid Tidings Great Falls Downtown: Luminaria Trolley Tours Billings Alberta Bair: Broadway Christmas Pablo People’s Center: Christmas Bazaar Hot Springs Christmas at the Symes Bazaar Hot Springs Sellmer Gospel Singers Billings Theatre: The Velocity of Autumn Helena Grandstreet: It’s A Wonderful Life Billings Billings Symphony: Holiday Pops Spearfish High Plains Center: Gordy Pratt
1 1 1 7 9 11 11 14 14 17 17
The Villas of Oplontis near Pompeii
Dec 17 Hot Springs Solstice Celebration Dec 19 Missoula Sr Center: Dinner & City Light Tour Dec Dec Dec Jan Jan Jan Jan Jan Jan Jan Jan Jan Feb Feb Feb Feb Feb Feb Feb Feb Feb Mar Mar Mar Mar
20 22 31 1 12 12 13 13 19 21 25 26 1 3 4 7 14 17 17 24 24 3 11 11 15
Billings Alberta Bair Theater: The Ten Tenors Hot Springs Christmas Dinner/Tribal Nurition Cntr Hot Springs New Year’s Eve Celebration Hot Springs Chinese New Year’s Parade Spearfish Opera House: The Ennis Sisters Billings Billings Studio Theatre: Honk! Jr Billings Alberta Bair: The Ennis Sisters Helena Theatre: Always...Patsy Cline Charlo Ninepipes Museum Black Tie Dinner Spearfish Opera House: Tommy Bluegrass Opry Helena MT Rep: Barefoot in the Park Lewistown Montana Winter Fair Billings Alberta Bair Theater: Amy Grant Billings Studio Theatre: Dixie Swim Club Billings Billings Symphony: Northern Lights Billings Alberta Bair: Barefoot in the Park Billings Alberta Bair: The Sleeping Beauty Billings Alberta Bair Theater: The Irish Rovers Missoula Big Sky Documentary Film Festival Helena Grandstreet Theatre: The Giver Helena Jayme Stone’s Lomax Project Billings Studio Theatre: Sugar Billings Studio Theatre: Arsenic and Old Lace Helena Niyaz featuring Azam Ali Helena Saturday Night Live in MT
Phone Web Address 406-563-2422 coppervillageartcenter. com 406-994-2251 museumoftherockies. org 406-447-1574 grandstreettheatre.com 406-248-1141 billingsstudiotheatre.com 406-453-6151 downtowngreatfalls.net 406-256-6052 albertabairtheater.org 406-675-0160 thepeoplescenter.org 888-305-3106 symeshotsprings.com 888-305-3106 symeshotsprings.com 406-248-1141 billingsstudiotheatre.com 406-447-1574 grandstreettheatre.com 406-252-3610 billingssymphony.org 605-642-9378 westernheritagecenter. com 888-305-3106 symeshotsprings.com 406-543-7154 themissoulaseniorcenter. org 406-256-6052 albertabairtheater.org 888-305-3106 symeshotsprings.com 888-305-3106 symeshotsprings.com 88-305-3106 symeshotspringts.com 605-642-7973 matthewsopera.com 406-248-1141 billingsstudiotheatre.com 406-256-6052 albertabairtheater.org 406-447-1574 grandstreettheatre.com 406-644-3435 ninepipesmuseum.org 605-642-7973 matthewsopera.com 406-443-0287 myrnaloycenter.com 406-538-2200 montanawinterfair.com 406-256-6052 albertabairtheater.org 406-248-1141 billingsstudiotheatre.com 406-252-3610 billingssymphony.org 406-256-6052 albertabairtheater.org 406-256-6052 albertabairtheater.org 406-256-6052 albertabairtheater.org 406-541-3456 bigskyfilmfest.org 406-447-1574 grandstreettheatre.com 406-443-0287 myrnaloycenter.com 406-248-1141 billingsstudiotheatre.com 406-248-1141 billingsstudiotheatre.com 406-443-0287 myrnaloycenter.com 406-443-0287 myrnaloycenter.com
GREAT FALLS COMMUNITY CONCERT ASSOCIATION Continuing Our 87th Season
VINCE & MINDI
Western Stars Thursday, Jan. 14, 2016 A special pre-rodeo performance with special price ($27.00) for rodeo attendees. Just show your rodeo tickets at the MansÞeld Box OfÞce when you purchase your tickets. Regular ticket Sat., Feb. 4, 2017 Sat., Mar. 4, 2017 price is $32.00, GFCCA members $22.00.
A Band Called Honalee
Mon., Apr. 3, 2017
Thu., May 4, 2017
Adult Season Tickets $79.00 ¥ Student Season Tickets $40.00 ¥ Student Season Ticket with Each Adult $20.00 ¥ Single shows $30.00 Tickets available at the MansÞeld Box OfÞce, Great Falls Civic Center, at 455-8514 or online at ticketing.greatfallsmt.net All shows at the MansÞeld Theater, Great Falls Civic Center, at 7:30 pm
DECEMBER 2016/JANUARY 2017
Mar Apr Apr Apr Apr Apr Jun Jun Jun
27 6 6 20 28 28 9 9 15
Spearfish Billings Helena Billings Helena Helena Helena Billings Helena
Matthews Opera House: Mother King Alberta Bair Theater: Garrison Keillor Blackie Nelson: Blackie’s Songbook Studio Theatre: The Foreigner Grandstreet Theatre: My Fair Lady Richter Uzur Duo Theatre: Once Upon a Mattress Billings Studio Theatre: Ruthless! Grandstreet Theatre: Buyer & Cellar
605-642-7973 406-256-6052 406-443-0287 406-248-1141 406-447-1574 406-443-0287 406-447-1574 406-248-1141 406-447-1574
matthewsopera.com albertabairtheater.org myrnaloycenter.com billingsstudiotheatre.com grandstreettheatre.com myrnaloycenter.com grandstreettheatre.com billingsstudiotheatre.com grandstreettheatre.com
MONTANA SENIOR NEWS PAGE 23
It is the curse
of the competent not to be called upon. - Robert Priest
Preserve Our Window Into Montana’s History Founded in 1975, the Historical Museum at Fort Missoula interprets the rich history of Western Montana with a special focus on Fort Missoula History, Missoula County History, the Forest Products Industry, and the WWII Era Alien Detention Center that housed 2,200 Italian and Japanese internees. Set on 32 park-like acres, the Historical Museum encompasses over fifteen historic structures along with a Shay Type locomotive, a 1912 Interurban street car, and a 1940s era tipi burner. Annually, nearly 45,000 people visit the museum’s grounds. Paired with the Historical Museum is the non-profit Friends of the Historical Museum at Fort Missoula. A 501(c)(3) non-profit, Friends works to raise
funds for preservation, educational programs, and publications designed to raise awareness of Montana’s rich and diverse history. To accomplish its mission, Friends hosts fundraisers and promotes charitable giving through membership, donations, and planned giving. Those interested in supporting Friends can contact Development Associate Jessie Rogers at 406-728-3476 ext. 5 or developmentdirector@montana.com. Please consider supporting Friends of the Historical Museum as it works to keep Montana’s history alive and maintain and promote a legacy for our children, grandchildren, and generations beyond. MSN
Oh, the Stories They Have To Tell At High Plains Women’s Museum
At High Plains Women’s Museum, our focus for the past 10 years has been to capture and give voice to Montana’s diverse women before Montana’s untold history slips away with the passing of the generation of women who lived it. It is urgent that we capture, preserve, share, and celebrate these stories! What are their stories? Are their legacies, skills, hobbies, music, fashions, foods, vocabulary, values, traditions, and experiences reflected in our lives today? Our passion is to share the answers through family festivities, personal storytelling, vintage fashion shows, ethnic exhibits, Indian powwows with live drumming and dancing, Mexican and Hawaiian music and dancers, Asian hands-on crafts, and skill-building activities that highlight diverse racial groups. In collaboration with Rocky Mountain College History Professor, Tim Lehman, and John Pulasky, TV/Radio/Media professional, we have launched an oral history project worthy of class credit to expose youth to the mosaic of cultures represented in our area and to help them develop respect and appreciation for cultures other than their own, thus promoting good citizenship in the community.
Boomers Make the Arts World Go Round By Krys Holmes, Executive Director We often hear that Millennials are shaking up the country, but nationwide it is the Boomers who support, attend, and may even best understand the arts. Boomers donate most faithfully, buy the most tickets to arts events, and are most likely to schedule around a cultural activity. Millennials value entertainment, but it is the Boomers who have the deepest vocabulary to discuss art or to engage with challenging performances and exhibits. Maybe it takes depth of experience to appreciate a complex play or work of music beyond its entertainment value. Maybe it’s because many of us grew up singing hymns, folk tunes, and cowboy songs, and did not just listen on our iPods. Here at Helena’s Myrna Loy Center for Performing and Media Arts, we love over-50s (I’m one of them). Boomers know that volunteering builds community, donating creates legacies, and showing up to an event – even if you are not sure you will like it – helps make us better company and more interesting people. Thank you for supporting the arts, wherever you live! If you’re in Helena, please come enjoy your Myrna Loy Center. For more information, visit myrnaloycenter.com or call 406-443-0287. MSN
Propaganda is a truly terrible weapon in the hands of an expert. – Adolf Hitler
May we be of service to you by preserving the story of someone you know – perhaps a family member? For more information, call 406-861-4602, visit montanasculturaltreasures.com/directory/item/ high-plains-womens-museum or visit us in Billings at 207 N. Broadway, Valley Building Suite 120. MSN
PAGE 24 MONTANA SENIOR NEWS
DECEMBER 2016/JANUARY 2017
Volunteering To Make A Difference: The Power of a Good Idea Bernice Karnop Dan Bennett, 69, hikes the Rocky Mountain Front and has since he came to Great Falls in 1984. “There’s always something amazing out there no matter what hike you take,” he says, speaking of the land that stretches down the backbone of the continent from Glacier National Park to Highway 200.
MYRNA LOY CENTER
STELLAR PERFORMANCES WORLD-CLASS CONCERTS FIRST-RUN INDEPENDENT FILMS in a UNIQUE, HISTORIC ATMOSPHERE
quite possibly the most fun you’ve ever had in jail
ATTEND
VOLUNTEER SUPPORT
443-0287 MYRNALOYCENTER.COM
But if you ask what his favorite hike is, he purpose of life was to take whatever you could doesn’t hesitate. It’s an off-trail trek to Muddy Creek from the earth. Falls. According to Dan, there’s no place like it on Today, it’s hard to imagine that attitude. No one the front. It ends at a waterfall tumbling from the wants to destroy the Rocky Mountain Front. By the cliffs, “through a little teapot hole in the top,” into a time the ruling was given, there was virtually no pristine little pool below. local opposition. It had all been overcome. “It was Dan doesn’t take this amazingly beautiful just a good idea,” Dan says. wild place for granted. He remembers when they This stretch was the last undeveloped part of planned to drill for gas and oil the Rocky Mountain Front in right here at Muddy Creek. Canada or the U.S. In contrast, He remembers the weeks of Dan hiked the Front in Colopouring over legal informarado a few years ago. Out in tion to show that what they the middle of nowhere, they were doing was illegal. He came to a sign instructing them is still blown away by the to park and wait for the shuttle. unprecedented decision to When they finally got to the protect the entire 400,000 trail, it felt like walking the mall acres of the Rocky Mountain at Christmas time, there were Front from oil and gas drillso many people. ing, mineral exploration, and “It was a sobering experioff-road motor vehicles. ence. That is what has hapAt the time when then pened to the Rocky Mountain Forest Supervisor Gloria Front everywhere else,” Dan Flora put the entire Rocky says. Mountain Front off-limits to Dan developed his love further development, it was of the outdoors when he was unprecedented. The most young. His mom loved to walk protection any area had re- Dan Bennett takes a break during a hike in the and his dad “had a camping ceived up to that time was Volcano Reef area along the Rocky Mountain fetish.” They were out every Front. [Photo by Lisa Gebo] about five percent. weekend camping in the forDan calls it the most amazing moment in his ests of western Minnesota. “It was great to get out life. “It’s a miracle, I tell you,” he says. Like many into the ‘wild’”, he says, with a laugh. The camps, miracles, it required “lots and lots of people working however, were about 20 feet apart and the campreally, really hard for years and years.” grounds like little cities. They still had a wonderful According to the culture of the day, the federal time and it was a great way to learn. Back then, agencies would issue permits when the requests he says, “We didn’t know Montana existed.” came in, without considering any other values or He came to Montana as a paralegal and started even visiting the sites. Most federal agencies would hiking on his days off, even before he knew anyone not protect federal lands like the Rocky Mountain else who hiked. When one of the attorneys in his Front, because of the potential for oil and gas. No office invited him to come to a meeting to start a one even heard about the permits. It was a cultural chapter of the Montana Wilderness Association carried over from earlier times when the whole (MWA), he went.
DECEMBER 2016/JANUARY 2017
“When I got out here I had no clue about anything,” he says. “I couldn’t tell the Forest Service from the Bureau of Land Management.” He quickly became involved with the concern of the moment: saving the Blackleaf area west of Bynum from oil and gas drilling. Muddy Creek is right in the middle of the Blackleaf. The man who volunteered to head it up was sidelined because of family issues, and if Dan didn’t do it, it might not get done. The most effective way to convince people of the value of this land was to get them out there to see for themselves. Dan has volunteered to lead hundreds of Wilderness Walks. He even took BLM folks who had no idea where the proposed drill sites actually were. All people had to do was take one look at the amazingly beautiful places that were slated for drilling and they would be forever against it. The MWA sponsored hikes to everywhere on the Rocky Mountain Front they could get people to go. There are risks when you hike into the wilderness. Dan’s groups have walked up on a bear a couple of times. They simply turned around and tiptoed out. The bear density on the east side of the divide is low and most of the time when you see one it is running away. Seeing a bear is a treat, more than a danger. He jokes that if a bear threatens, hikers should make a tight circle around the leader and wait for further instructions. The wind can also pose a risk. It can knock a person down, especially when concentrated in a narrow canyon. However, most days on the Rocky Mountain Front are just great, according to this frequent hiker. Leading Wilderness Walks continues to be one of Dan’s favorite activities, in both summer and winter. It’s a joyful experience, he maintains, especially for those going for the first time. There is no downside to it. “To take wonderful people to a wonderful place – that makes for a really nice day,” he says. “No bad people come on Wilderness Walks.” The MWA honored Dan Bennett with its 2016 Founder’s Award for his work of championing wilderness, promoting quiet trails, and advocating for responsible management of public lands. He is the current chair of the MWA State Council’s litigation committee and has led many campaigns to legally preserve and protect our land. MSN
Tires Grow Old Too! By Bill Siuru Most people don’t drive their vehicles anywhere as much as they did when younger – maybe only a few thousand miles a year or less. They also keep their vehicles longer, sometimes for decades. This means mechanical parts like engines, transmissions, brakes, etc. see minimal wear, but this is not the case for tires that have limited life. Tires can degrade over time because of chemical reactions within the rubber components, cyclic fatigue, neglected maintenance, and road hazards. Cracks in the sidewalls and inside the tire can develop over time that can eventually result in the steel belts separating from the rest of the tire. While anti-ozinant chemical compounds added to rubber can slow aging, nothing totally stops the effects of
MONTANA SENIOR NEWS PAGE 25
PAGE 26 MONTANA SENIOR NEWS
DECEMBER 2016/JANUARY 2017
time on tire life. There is no consensus among automakers, tire manufacturers, and even the National Highway Safety Traffic Administration (NHTSA) as to the lifespan of a tire. Best estimates range from six to ten years. Since the typical motorist drives about 12,000-15,000 miles annually, tires will have to be replaced in three to four years, long before aging takes its toll. However, if you only drive a couple of thousand miles yearly, this time could be 10 to 15 years, and becomes a problem. There are many factors that affect life. Heavily loaded tires stored outdoors in sunny, hot climates and only driven occasionally see the most severe service conditions and potentially have the shortest calendar lifespan. Motorhomes are a good example. Lightly loaded tires on vehicles parked in garages and driven daily in moderate climates can have the longest life. Those living in California or Florida should be especially concerned because research shows that tires age more rapidly in warmer climates especially when exposed to sunlight. Coastal climates can also speed the aging process. Since the NHSTA has found higher-speed rated tires lose the least capability with increasing age, you might consider buying them rather than those that originally came on your vehicle if you live in a hot climate. Other factors include maintenance, or actually lack of it. Proper inflation and proper wheel alignment are very important and regular cleaning to remove road grime and brake dust can help. Punctures, cuts, hitting potholes, curbs, and other road hazards reduce useful life.
You can determine the age of a tire by the DOT four-digit number on the sidewall amongst the many letters and numbers here. Referring to the picture, the first two numbers represent the week in which the tire was made. The second two represent the year. For example, the DOT Code 5107 mean the tire was made in the 51st week of 2007. Incidentally, this tire is pretty near the end of its life, even if there is still plenty of tread left. Since this coding system has been in use since 2000, if you find a different DOT code, the tire is probably only good for a tree swing. Sometimes the DOT code is on the inner sidewall so you might have to jack up the vehicle to see it. However, the NHTSA now requires all the information numbers, including date of manufacture, be on both sides of the tire. When checking the age of tire, also visually check its condition. Look for any signs of aging like tread distortion and small and large cracks in the sidewall. If you experience vibration while driving, it could be a sign of tire aging. Don’t forget the spare. If you have a full size spare, include it when rotating tires. Not only will this prevent the spare tire from sitting idle, it will extend the time before tires have to be replaced. A spare tire sitting a hot trunk can actually age faster even though it is never used. Spares mounted under a truck or SUV are exposed to dirt and other hazards that can decrease life. When buying new tires, check to make sure that they don’t have a reduced life because they sat in the warehouse for a few years. A tire on a store shelve will age, maybe just a bit slower. Especially look for the date on tires for limited production vehicles that are only manufactured periodically. Also check dates on tires being sold at a deep discount. The manufacturer or dealer might be trying to clear out its inventory of old or discontinued tires. These are probably okay for high-mileage use, but not for vehicles that aren’t driven much. MSN
DECEMBER 2016/JANUARY 2017
5 mi. South of BIG SKY HWY 191
42895 Gallatin Rd. Gallatin Gateway
Bar | Steakhouse | Motel
Forget the fruitcake and bring the gift of handmade, fresh breads and treats. Show them how much you care with a locally made, perfectly delicious gift. From the farm to their table, from you!
Bread. The way it ought to be. 907 Poly Drive in BILLINGS 3133 Central Ave. #5 in BILLINGS 1803 Harrison Ave. in BUTTE 1113 Helena Ave. in HELENA
• • • •
GreatHarvestBillings.com GreatHarvestBillings.com GreatHarvestButte.com GreatHarvestHelena.com
CorralBar.com
888-995-4249
MONTANA SENIOR NEWS PAGE 27
PAGE 28 MONTANA SENIOR NEWS
DECEMBER 2016/JANUARY 2017
Whether You Dine Out Or Prepare It At Home, Here Is Some Dish About Soup
By Ellen Scolnic and Joyce Eisenberg It will soon be freezing with snow – perhaps a lot of snow, but lucky for us, January is National Soup Month. It only took a few clicks to learn that the word soup comes from the word sop, which referred to the piece of bread or toast that was soaked in broth and then eaten. You know, as in “sop up the broth.” Soup was one of the first fast foods. As early as 600 BCE, the Greeks sold soup on the street with peas, beans, and lentils as main ingredients. Soup was revolutionized in America when Dr. John Dorrance, a chemist, figured out how to reduce the water in soup. It was his idea to sell a small can of condensed soup for a dime. His invention made his family millionaires and changed the fortunes of the Campbell’s Soup Company, too. Every culture has its favorite soup. This past weekend, Joyce cooked up a batch of split pea soup with ham, her husband’s favorite. Ellen made ribollita, the Tuscan bean soup her husband fell in love with on a trip to Italy. Ribollita means “reboiled,” because this is a soup that improves with age. The more times you reheat it, the more the flavors meld and intensify. Classic ribollita uses white beans and is vegetarian, but Italian grandmothers have many variations; some include pancetta or ham, others add Swiss chard or Tuscan kale. If you have a Jewish grandmother, chances are you have some chicken soup memories. Joyce is happy to have her grandmother’s vintage aluminum stockpot, which is so tall it doesn’t fit in a kitchen cabinet. But even using a vintage pot, it’s hard to reproduce the soup of memories. Our friend Stephanie believes the deep, rich yellow color of the chicken soup she loved came from the chicken feet that were crucial to her family’s recipe. Although she loved that soup, Stephanie has yet to ask for chicken feet at the local Acme. While some bubbies never wrote down their recipes, Joyce’s Aunt Ruth did. Her cooking skills live on, thanks to a website she created to preserve her family recipes for her grandchildren. In between recipes for mandelbrot and macaroons, you can find her chicken soup recipe. Here’s the link – playalong.tripod.com/cook.html.
#4 5TH ST S. | GREAT FALLS 406-315-1747 WED–SAT | 7:30AM–4PM OR UNTIL SOLD OUT!
DECEMBER 2016/JANUARY 2017
MONTANA SENIOR NEWS PAGE 29
Photo credits: Foter.com / CC BY
As a child, Jill went to her grandparents’ house every weekend. “I lived for my Nan’s chicken soup. It was so good, but how do you describe wonderful soup?” Jill remembers that it was a clear broth – no carrots or celery afloat – and she was thrilled that she got to pick whether fine or wide noodles, rice, bowties, or alphabet noodles (her favorite) went into the soup. “I can still picture my grandmother in her kitchen stirring her big pot of soup,” Jill remembers. Others reminisce about chicken soup with kreplach (Jewish wontons) or matzoh (sometimes spelled matzah) balls. The Yiddish word for matzoh ball dumplings is knaidlach, as in “Don’t be stingy, give the boy more knaidlach.” Just the mention of matzoh balls can start a heated discussion of whether your grandmother’s or mother’s were “sinkers” (heavy and compact) or “floaters” (lighter and more fluffy). Everyone has a preference and a favorite way to make them. Do you add seltzer to the egg mix to make them lighter? Do you boil the matzoh balls in plain water first, or does that rob them of any flavor? Do you cover the stockpot tightly and resist the urge to peek, thus ensuring fluffy, thoroughly cooked orbs? In some Jewish families, dinner isn’t dinner without chicken soup. Even on an American holiday before the turkey and sweet potatoes, the senior Scolnics have been known to ask, “Do you want one matzoh ball or two in your soup?” When you have a cold or flu, there’s nothing like a bowl of chicken soup. We’ve all heard the expression that chicken soup is Jewish penicillin. Bubbies for generations have been telling us that drinking the hot soup and breathing in the steam will give us nourishment and make us feel better. Their theories were proven true by doctors who published a study in the medical journal Chest, concluding that “chicken soup will stimulate nasal clearing and may improve the upper respiratory tract symptoms.” So when the waitperson takes your order – be sure to add some soup – there are three more months left of winter. Ellen Scolnic and Joyce Eisenberg, authors of the Dictionary of Jewish Words, write together as The Word Mavens. You can follow their blog at TheWordMavens.wordpress.com. MSN
only $39.99! 4 Course Prime Rib Dinner for Two!
PRIME R
DI N N E
IB
R DE A L
•Appetizer to Share •House Salad for Each •8oz Prime Rib Dinner for Each •Dessert to Share
520 Hansen Lane
(next to Albertson’s in the heights)
406-252-0243 Billings
PAGE 30 MONTANA SENIOR NEWS
DECEMBER 2016/JANUARY 2017
Want To Optimize Those 10,000 (Or Fewer) Steps? Walk Faster; Sit Less
As Unique as
the People We Treat No matter your age, gender, or interests, there’s a primary care provider who’s right for you.
CALL 406-683-1188 TO SCHEDULE AN APPOINTMENT. FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT BARRETTHOSPITAL.ORG 600 MT HWY 91 S • DILLON
By Steve Lundeberg That popular daily target of 10,000 steps is a worthwhile goal, but a new study at Oregon State University suggests that if you find that unattainable, don’t despair – a smaller number, especially at moderate or greater intensity, can lead to health benefits too. It’s especially helpful if 3,000 of the steps come at a brisk pace, and limiting sedentary time also plays a role in healthy readings for cholesterol and other risk factors. The average American takes between 5,000 and 7,000 steps per day, researchers say. “Some physical activity is better than none, and typically more is better than less,” said John Schuna Jr., assistant professor of kinesiology in OSU’s College of Public Health. “When it comes to steps, more is better than fewer, and steps at higher cadences for a significant amount of time are beneficial. A good target for healthy adults is 150 minutes per week spent at 100 or more steps per minute. And in terms of time spent sedentary, less is better – you want to spend as little time not moving as possible.” Schuna, lead author Catrine Tudor-Locke of the University of Massachusetts, and six other researchers analyzed data from 3,388 participants age 20 and older in a National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Their findings were recently published in the journal Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise. The research builds on earlier studies, many of which relied on self-reported estimates of activity levels or accelerometer data using proprietary output measures (e.g., activity counts/minute), and also failed to take cadence – steps per minute – into account. A cadence of 100 steps per minute or greater is widely accepted as the threshold for moderate-intensity activity in adults. In addition to minute-by-minute step data, the researchers looked at relationships between
step-defined physical activity and various cardiometabolic risk factors for the survey participants – such as waist circumference, blood pressure, fasting glucose, insulin, and cholesterol levels, as well as body mass index. Among male participants, only the top onefifth – had a median of more than 10,000 steps per day, checking in at 12,334. Among women, the top quintile’s median was 9,824. Beyond just total step counts, the research looked at daily “peak 30-minute cadence” – the average number of steps in a participant’s most vigorous 30 minutes, which weren’t necessarily consecutive minutes. To measure sedentary time, researchers used the percentage of accelerometer time per day that showed no step-movement. Among all survey participants, only the top quintile had a median peak cadence – 96 steps per minute – that was in line with accepted physical activity guidelines of 30 minutes a day at 100 steps per minute. Nevertheless, analysis across all quintiles showed a strong relationship between higher cadences – walking more briskly as opposed to less briskly – and favorable numbers in the cardiometabolic risk categories. The same held true for number of steps, whether above or below the 10,000-step threshold. And higher percentages of sedentary time were linked to less-favorable values in several risk factors. While FitBit, Garmin, and other fitness trackers might be responsible for the current 10,000-step fixation, Schuna notes that the magic number’s roots trace to 1960s Japan. From a fitness craze inspired by the 1964 Olympics sprang the first commercial pedometer, the manpo-kei. In Japanese, manpo-kei literally means, “10,000 steps meter.” “One of the questions has always been, what if one person with 10,000 steps per day accumulates nearly all of them in a two-hour time block, and another stretches them over 15 hours – does it matter in terms of health effects?” Schuna said. “This is a big debate in the field, with a couple of intertwined questions. Current evidence does suggest that moderate to vigorous activity and sedentary time have a certain amount of independence from each other in terms of health effects. But if you’re getting two or three hours of moderate to vigorous activity every day, even if you’re relatively sedentary the rest of the time, it’s hard to imagine the sedentary time would completely wipe out the health benefits
Take a ride on our easy to access buses with convenient schedules.
The Line is my
freedom (406) 721-3333 www.mountainline.com
DECEMBER 2016/JANUARY 2017
associated with that level of activity.” A person who averages 10,000 or more steps/ day typically accumulates at least 150 minutes a week of moderate to vigorous activity, Schuna said. “Now there is an additional caveat regarding the manner in which physical activity is accumulated to meet current physical activity guidelines, which states that aerobic activity should be accumulated in bouts of at least 10 minutes in duration.,” he said. “If we take this into consideration, it becomes more difficult to determine whether or not someone is meeting the physical activity guidelines using step counts alone. That aside, averaging 10,000 or more steps/day puts you in the top 15
percent of adults in terms of step-defined activity.” Schuna envisions a future in which wearable fitness trackers will feature apps that make minuteby-minute data available to the user, as researchgrade accelerometers now do to scientists. “That’s along this paradigm of personalized medicine,” he said. “In the future, everyone will have his or her genome sequenced, and from that we’ll be looking for specific markers that predispose people to higher risks for certain conditions. The physical activity and sleep data we collect from wearable devices will be used to track compliance to individualized behavior prescriptions while attempting to optimize each individual’s health.” MSN
MONTANA SENIOR NEWS PAGE 31
Quality care, close to home.
New device stops a cold before it starts
USA — New research shows you can stop a Users wrote things like, “It stopped my cold cold in its tracks if you take one simple step with a right away,” and “Is it supposed to work that fast?” new device when you first feel a cold coming on. “What a wonderful thing,” wrote Physician’s Colds start when cold viruses get in your nose. Assistant Julie. “Now I have this little magic wand, Viruses multiply fast. If you don’t stop them early, no more colds for me!” they spread all through your airways and cause Pat McAllister, age 70, received one for Christmisery. mas and called it “one of the best presents ever. But scientists have found a quick way to kill a This little jewel really works.” virus - touch it with copper. Researchers at labs People have used CopperZap preventively, and universities worldwide all agree - copper is too, before cold signs appear. Karen Gauci, who “antimicrobial.” It kills microbes, such as viruses flies often for her job, used to get colds after and bacteria, just by touch. crowded flights. Though skeptical, she tried it That’s why the ancient Greeks and Egyptians several times a day on travel days for 2 months. used copper to purify water and heal wounds. They “Sixteen flights and not a sniffle!” she exclaimed. didn’t know about viBusiness owner ruses and bacteria, Rosaleen says when but now we do. people are sick Researchers say around her she uses microbe cells have CopperZap morning an internal electric and night. “It saved charge which copme last holidays,” she per’s high conducsaid. “The kids had tance short-circuits. colds going round This destroys the cell and round, but not in seconds. me.” Tests by the EnviUsers report it ronmental Protection also helps with sinusAgency (EPA) show New research: Copper stops colds if used early. es. Attorney Donna germs die fast on copBlight had a 2-day per. So some hospitals switched to copper touch sinus headache. When her CopperZap arrived, surfaces, like faucets and doorknobs. This cut the she tried it. “I am shocked!” she said. “My head hospital spread of MRSA and other illnesses by cleared, no more headache, no more congestion.” over half, and saved lives. Some users say copper stops nighttime stuffiThe strong scientific evidence gave inventor ness if they use it just before bed. One man said, Doug Cornell an idea. When he felt a cold com- “Best sleep I’ve had in years.” ing on he fashioned a smooth copper probe and The handle is sculpted to fit the hand and imrubbed it gently in his nose for 60 seconds. prove copper contact. Tests show it kills germs on “It worked!” he exclaimed. “The cold went away fingers to help you stay well and not spread illness completely.” It worked again every time he felt a to your family. cold coming on. He reports he has never had a Copper can even help stop a flu if used early cold since. and for several days. In a lab test, scientists placed He asked relatives and friends to try it. They 25 million live flu viruses on a CopperZap. No visaid it worked for them, too, every time. So he ruses were found still alive soon after. patented CopperZap™ and put it on the market. The EPA says the natural color change of copSoon hundreds of people had tried it. More per does not reduce its ability to kill germs. than 99 percent of their feedback said the copper CopperZap is made in the U.S. of pure Ameristopped their colds if used within 3 hours after the can copper. It is $47, with a full 90-day money first sign. Even up to 2 days, if they still got the back guarantee, at CopperZap.com or toll-free at cold it was milder than usual and they felt better. 1-888-411-6114. MSN
Henry Piñango, MD has joined Livingston HealthCare as an Internal Medicine family practice physician who specializes in geriatrics. Piñango also serves as Medical Director for LHC Hospice.
Livingston, Montana We are a Top 20 in the nation Critical Access Hospital. Multispecialty Provider Clinic Orthopedics Oncology and Infusion General Surgery Rehabilitation Psychiatry Home Health Imaging Hospice Sleep Center Visiting Specialists Diabetes Support and Education
LivingstonHealthCare.org 406.222.3541
Harness the Power of Your Body to Heal and Accelerate Regeneration • Restore Damaged or Aged Skin • Restore hair Growth • Scar Reduction • Chronic Neck, Spine or Joint Pain
• Eliminate or Reduce Neuropathy Pain • Reduce Migraine Pain & Occurrence • Restless Leg Syndrome • Fibromyalgia Up to 87% of patients report a marked improvement in their quality of life.
FREE CONSULTATION 406-952-4762 • ipmcweb.com
406-206-5200 neurogenx.com/greatfalls
PAGE 32 MONTANA SENIOR NEWS
DECEMBER 2016/JANUARY 2017
Is Your Loved One Drinking Too Much? By Amy Abbott The opioid epidemic is, no doubt, the health topic of the year, if not the century. The increased abuse of prescription drugs is a serious and devastating problem. Another more familiar addiction demon wreaks havoc with families, and especially with seniors. That demon is alcohol. However, none of us wants a lecture about our socially acceptable drinking habits. We are all used to our evening cocktail, and no one bats an eye. We consider it a social ritual. Moreover, we’re blasted with conflicting information. A little red wine is good for us. A little red wine is bad for us. Let’s hoist a jug of red wine, a rasher of bacon, and multiple, evil carbs and have a huge picnic in spite of all the data. Hear me out – there are other considerations. The UK Institute of Alcohol Studies and the U.S. National Council on Alcohol and Drug Dependence (NCADD) offered these caveats. • While older adults consume less alcohol than younger drinkers do, seniors are more likely to drink daily. • Alcohol-related hospital admissions in the UK are rising among those age 65 and older. The NCADD notes 6-11% of U.S. hospital admissions result from alcohol or drug problems. • Death of a spouse and loss of our longtime home or severe illness may lead to isolation or loneliness, which may up consumption. U.S. widowers over 75 have the highest rate of alcoholism. Lifestyle changes are difficult at any age. • A traditional belief that liquor is medicinal – from the “hot toddy” school of thinking – may offer comfort. We read these facts, shake our heads, and move on. It is not we or anyone we know. It is the other person. I was blissfully unaware until a job took me to many retirement centers. I learned that upon admission many patients ask if alcohol is allowed. Many skilled nursing facilities need a doctor’s order that states, “Rodney may have two beers a day.”
Serving Helena from Helena’s Westside
FOOD STORE OPEN 24 HRS
Celebrate with Care
406-442-8645
LUNDY CENTER
YOUR LOCALLY OWNED FULL SERVICE STORE
Other retirement centers, with assisted or independent living, feature bars and evening cocktail hours. My dad’s facility has a bar aptly named “The Pub.” However, I am making a point here. Every population group has a percentage of people who cannot handle alcohol. Upping our awareness may help us encourage a loved one to slow it down or stop drinking. Who is at risk? The UK study identified three types of senior drinkers: 1. Survivors are lifelong drinkers. Studies tell us that survivors may have a life cut short 10-15 years by their heavy drinking. We all know individuals whose livers have gone kaput before their will to drink ended. 2. Reactors are people who did not start drinking until later in life. These individuals may have suffered significant loss, illness, and pain, or an unwanted retirement. 3. Binge drinkers may not use alcohol every day but drink to excess when overindulging. The National Institute of Health explained that as we age the amount of water in our bodies decreases. When older adults imbibe alcohol, less water present means less dilution of alcohol. This ups the blood alcohol content (BAC). Younger people can consume the same amount of alcohol and have a lower BAC. Reactors and binge-drinkers, according to the study, have the best opportunity to curb alcohol use with appropriate treatment. What are the signs that may identify that drinking has become a problem in our loved one? The National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence offered these warning signs: secretive drinking, drinking rituals, loss of interest in hobbies, ignoring warning labels on prescription drugs, slurred speech, change in appearance, chronic and unidentifiable health complaints, hostility or depression, and confusion or memory loss. A genuinely sad aspect is that these signs may be hidden among other aspects of aging. We become blind to what we do not want to recognize. We may toss off these symptoms to the usual process of growing older. When we can identify these problems, treatment abounds. The good news is that there are
DECEMBER 2016/JANUARY 2017
multiple treatment and rehab programs, focusing on the specific physical and emotional needs of seniors. Addiction and support groups, including Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous, offer help in most areas specific to gender and population. Medicare plans generally pay for treatment – so please check your specific plan.
MONTANA SENIOR NEWS PAGE 33
Your loved one, of course, must consent to treatment. Now armed with reasons that lowered or no alcohol use may be best, the real battle is within the individual. Encouragement from family or friends may be a start. MSN
Important Steps To Rehabilitating Your Back Muscles are rather like sponges and they when they are “cold,” they don’t have much blood in them. With some warm-ups and stretching before using the back in exercise or chores, however, the muscles become “well oiled,” substantially reducing the likelihood of an injury. When Should I Seek Medical Help? Pay attention if you have back pain that is significantly different from what you have experienced before. It could be overworked muscles, but it could be more serious. It’s important to convey accurate information, so write down symptoms and report them clearly to your healthcare professional. Be clear on the nature of the pain – sharp? constant? intermittent? – and what makes it worse or better. How Should I Treat a Sore Back? It used to be that people with back pain were routinely sent to bed, but no more, says Nelson. In fact, she adds, a sedentary lifestyle is a strong predictor of back pain. Instead, she recommends gentle activity within 24-48 hours of the onset of back pain. “Movement,” she continues, “is nourishing to the spine. It pumps fluid into the discs that cushion the vertebrae and increases strength and flexibility of all the supporting muscles in the trunk
– the abdomen as well as the back.” Experiment with heat or ice packs – or both alternately applied for 10-20 minutes every couple of hours – although heat is generally not used within the first 48 hours because inflammation is often involved. Anti-inflammatory drugs can also help to reduce both pain and inflammation. What Can I Do to Prevent Problems? First, try to pinpoint the cause. It may be easy to identify the moment of an injury, but other situations take detective work. Notice the times your back hurts – at work, following a tense encounter, after a long drive, in the middle of the night? When you find a pattern, seek the trigger. A mushy mattress? An awkward office chair? Poorly adjusted car seat? Anxiety or tension? Are you sitting too long without a break or using an ill-placed computer? Your monitor should be directly in front of you and between 20 and 40 inches away. Your chair should support your entire back – especially the lower lumbar region – your feet should be flat on the floor and your hips just a little higher than your knees. If you must stand for long periods, elevate one foot on a footrest. “I can’t stress enough that
Be careful this winter. Improve your balance with physical therapy!
GET A FREE CONSULTATION! ptflathead.com
By Lynn Pribus Lower back pain is one of the most frequent causes for people to miss work and play. In fact, 60-90% of us experience back pain at one time or another. Men and women experience back pain about equally, partly because of aging, but also because of sedentary life styles and the lack of a fitness program. Miriam Nelson, Ph.D., Director of the John Hancock Research Center on Physical Activity, Nutrition, and Obesity Prevention and author of the useful book Strong Women, Strong Backs (G.P.Putnam’s Sons, 2006), cites three primary reasons for back pain. (See more about Dr. Nelson at strongwomen.com.) First are causes within your control, especially improper lifting or repetitive physical work. Other factors are poor posture, poor mattress, poor physical condition, smoking, remaining motionless for long periods, and being overweight. Second are physical things beyond your control such as age, a sports injury, a fall, degenerative or herniated discs, compression fractures, infections, and arthritis. Third, says Nelson, “It is now well known that stress and depression heighten back pain.” The reasons are not clearly understood, but poor sleep and constant muscle tension are likely culprits as well as diminished coping ability and a feeling of lack of control over one’s life. Why Is the Back So Vulnerable? Think of the lower back as a hinge in the middle of the body, subject to all sorts of mechanical forces such as being asked to twist and bend and sometimes at the same time. When the lower back isn’t strong – that is, if the spine-supporting core muscles are weak – it’s an invitation to problems.
Bigfork | 8111 MT-35, Inside Fit24 | 420-2350 Columbia Falls | 1850 9th St W | 892-7999 Kalispell | 1234 Whitefish Stage Rd | 756-7878 Kalispell | Flathead Health & Fitness | 257-5610 Lakeside | 306 Stoner Loop, #3 | 844-0744 Polson | 103 Whitewater Suite D | 883-8101 Whitefish | The Wave, 1250 Baker Ave | 862-5033
With more than
40 YEARS OF SERVICE we’re here to help you turn wear and tear I N TO R E COV E RY A N D R E J U V E N AT I O N .
Because you’re still booming
AND SO ARE WE.
Our history is our promise.
OUR STORY IS YOURS. 406.496.3400 | MontanaOrthopedics.com | Butte, Montana B L A V AT S K Y
BUEHLER
DIGIOVINE
GALL AG H E R
RUSSO
PAGE 34 MONTANA SENIOR NEWS
DECEMBER 2016/JANUARY 2017
whether you sit or stand, it is important to change positions regularly and take frequent breaks,” emphasizes Nelson. When lifting things: tighten your abs, visualize a forklift (straight back, bent knees) rather than a crane (bending at the waist), hold the load close to your body, and keep breathing. “If you have to hold your breath to lift something, it is too heavy and you shouldn’t be lifting it,” Nelson says. Exercise Is a Preventative The latest research, Nelson continues, shows quite clearly that progressive strength training decreases pain in people with chronic back discomfort. And why wait, when strengthening your muscles can forestall back problems? Specifically,” Nelson advises, “target the scaffolding of the back – that is, the muscles in the chest, the abdomen, the shoulders and the lower, mid, and upper back.” Before beginning any exercise program, get an okay from your healthcare provider. If you have access to a personal trainer or physical therapist, that person can ensure that you do exercises properly. If you
CBD (Hemp Oil) PRODUCTS Directly from our Montana Warehouse YOU CAN PURCHASE OUR CBD PRODUCTS AT WHOLESALE PRICING! Pack ag e
• 100% organic, lab tested • CBD is non-psychoactive
(meaning it doesn’t make you feel high)
• CBD is legal in all 50 states • No special card is needed to purchase CBD has been featured on:
d
tana Mon in
A simple internet search will show the overwhelming benefits of CBD.
CBD-rich Hemp provides a legal alternative to medical marijuana, allowing you the benefit without the risk of getting high or testing positive on a standard drug test.
ONLINE: MONTANADIRECTBUY.COM EMAIL: INFO@MONTANADIRECTBUY.COM CALL: 406.270.3774 In business since 1996!
EAST WEST HEALTH PARK CITY
DO YOU SUFFFER FROM... • Knee Pain • Low Back Pain • Shoulder Pain • Neuropathy • Joint Pain
• Plantar Fascitis • Osteoarthritis of the Knee • Neck Pain • Tennis Elbow
Find out if Surgery-Free, stem cell treatments can help relieve your joint pain and get your life back!
CALL TODAY! FREE CONSULTATION AND E-BOOK FOR 1ST 10 CALLERS
435-640-1353 www.acueastwest.com
presented by
E A S T W E S T
H E A L T H Your Utah Partner for Stem Cell Regenerative Therapy
don’t have in-person help, the Internet is a good resource. Various websites offer line drawings, photos, and videos of basic back exercises with explanations, pointers, and cautions. If stress might be a factor, consider “mindbody” exercises that can target the back via the brain as well as directly. These include meditation, Tai chi, yoga, Nia, and Pilates. Other approaches include massage, guided imagery, self-hypnosis, and practice of the Relaxation Response. When Is Surgery Indicated? You can’t undo back surgery and there is always a risk so it’s smart to pursue non-surgical options first. Always work through your diagnosis in a systematic way. Consult with a neurologist or rehabilitation physician for a second opinion if surgery is suggested. Useful Links include: bigbackpain.com; nismat. org/orthocor/programs/lowback/backex.html; and mayoclinic.com/health/back-pain/LB00001_D, which is a well-explained slideshow of basic back exercises. Lynn Pribus, a frequent contributor on wellness topics, is very faithful about her exercises after repeated bouts of back pain. MSN
Osteoporosis – Your Body’s House By Dr. Holly Carling Among the many health challenges we face today is osteoporosis – our bones are becoming increasingly brittle, thinner, and poorer in quality. Two factors reflect bone health, bone density (which seems to be all we pay attention to in this country) and bone quality. Bone density quantifies the amount of mineralization in the bone (bone mineral density or BMD). It accounts for both peak bone mass and bone loss. Bone quality refers to the architecture of the bone matrix, turnover and damage accumulation, as well as mineralization. Bone is a living tissue that must be replaced continually throughout adulthood. Bone cells called osteoclasts resorb old bone and other cells called osteoblasts create new bone. This remodeling is vital to prevent old bone from becoming brittle. Osteoporosis does not occur if only mineralization of the bone is impaired, but it does occur when both mineralization and the bone matrix are affected. As an example, people of Japanese descent have half the bone density that Caucasians have, but only a fraction of the fractures. The difference is better bone quality. So what makes good bone quality? In order to build good bone, you must start with good materials just as you would if building a house. Straight wood, sheetrock, steel, nuts, bolts, screws, wiring, quality roofing, concrete, etc. will make a sturdier home than mud, grasses, cardboard, tin, and scrap materials will. The body is no different. If you feed it poor nutrients – processed foods, fast foods, and junk foods – you would get a weak structure for a skeleton. The body cannot make something out of nothing. The body needs a variety of quality raw materials to make a strong structural foundation. These include minerals (not just calcium and phosphorus), raw proteins, essential fatty acids, enzymes, vitamins, and carbohydrates. It needs these on a daily basis. On days when these vital nutrients are missing, poor quality bone cells are being made. Just as important is the ability to transport nutrients into the tissues and into the bones. Good digestion is imperative to breaking down the nutrients necessary to build strong bone. If you have heartburn, reflux, IBS, or any number of digestive challenges, and especially if you are taking acid reducing medication, your ability to breakdown and absorb the nutrients will be impaired. Other factors that can diminish bone production include hormonal imbalances, drinking soda pop, coffee, steroid medications, Vitamin D deficiency, and a number of other medications. The best approach to improving bone health is with healthy behaviors such as weight bearing exercise and eating a healthy diet. Dr. Holly Carling is a Doctor of Oriental Medicine, Licensed Acupuncturist, Doctor of Naturopathy, Clinical Nutritionist, and Master Herbologist with four decades of experience. Dr. Carling offers natural health services and whole food supplements in her Coeur d’ Alene clinic. Visit vitalhealthcda. com or 208-765-1994. MSN
DECEMBER 2016/JANUARY 2017
It’s Not Too Late To Get Your Flu Shot Provided by Centers for Disease Control Influenza is a serious disease that can lead to hospitalization and sometimes even death. Every flu season is different, and influenza infection can affect people differently. Even healthy people can get very sick from the flu and spread it to others. Over a period of 31 seasons between 1976 and 2007, estimates of flu-associated deaths in the United States range from a low of about 3,000 to a high of about 49,000 people. During recent flu seasons, between 80% and 90% of flu related deaths have occurred in people 65 years and older. “Flu season” in the United States can begin as early as October and last as late as May. During this time, flu viruses are circulating at higher levels in the U.S. population. An annual seasonal flu vaccine is the best way to reduce the chances that you will get seasonal flu and spread it to others. When more people are vaccinated against the flu, less flu can spread through that community. Everyone 6 months of age and older should get a flu vaccine every season. This recommendation has been in place since February 24, 2010 when a CDC advisory committee voted for
“universal” flu vaccination in the United States to expand protection. Vaccination to prevent influenza is particularly important for people who are at high risk of serious complications from influenza. Flu vaccination should begin soon after vaccine becomes available, if possible by October. However, as long as flu viruses are circulating, vaccination should continue to be offered throughout the flu season, even in January or later. While seasonal influenza outbreaks can happen as early as October, during most seasons influenza activity peaks in January or later. Since it takes about two weeks after vaccination for antibodies to develop in the body that protect against influenza virus infection, it is best that people get vaccinated so they are protected before influenza begins spreading in their community. Flu vaccine is produced by private manufacturers, and the timing of availability depends on when production is completed. Shipments began in August and will continue throughout October and November until all vaccine is distributed. For additional information visit cdc.gov/flu/ protect/keyfacts.htm. MSN
Half of Those with Glaucoma Don’t Know It; Are You At Risk?
Learn the risk factors for blinding eye disease Provided by the American Academy of Ophthalmology Approximately 2.7 million Americans have the potentially blinding eye disease glaucoma, but only half are aware of it. Meanwhile, glaucoma incidence is on the rise. Researchers predict that glaucoma will affect as many as 6.3 million Americas by 2050. Glaucoma is a group of eye diseases that damage the optic nerve that links the eyes to the brain. It is most commonly associated with elevated pressure inside the eye, known as intraocular pressure, or IOP. Without treatment, glaucoma can cause irreversible vision loss in a person’s side vision, then in his or her central vision. With early diagnosis and treatment, sight can be preserved. However, glaucoma has no noticeable symptoms in its early stages, so it is imperative that people know the risk factors. Certain factors can increase an individual’s risk of developing glaucoma, including: • Family History: Individuals with a parent or
sibling with glaucoma have a nine times higher risk of developing the disease, according to one study. • Older Age: As people age, their risk for glaucoma increases. Because this is the case for several eye diseases, the Academy recommends that adults start getting regular comprehensive eye exams at age 40. This is the age when early signs of eye disease and changes in vision may first occur, even if you have seemingly perfect vision. It is important to get comprehensive eye exams from an ophthalmologist, a physician specializing in medical and surgical eye care. • African, Hispanic, or Asian Heritage: People of African and Hispanic heritage are three times more likely to have the most common form of glaucoma than Caucasians. Glaucoma-related blindness is at least six times more prevalent in African Americans than in Caucasian Americans. Additionally, people of Asian heritage are at an increased risk of a sudden and acute form of glaucoma known as angle-closure glaucoma. • Nearsightedness: Nearsighted people are
MONTANA SENIOR NEWS PAGE 35
PAGE 36 MONTANA SENIOR NEWS
DECEMBER 2016/JANUARY 2017
How can I prevent cervical cancer? Preventing, screening, and detecting cervical cancer early can help you fight it. • See your doctor regularly for a Pap test that can find cervical precancers. • Follow up with your doctor, if your Pap test results are not normal. • Don’t smoke.
more likely to have glaucoma. One study even found that the more severe the nearsightedness, the higher the risk of glaucoma. • Type 2 Diabetes: Having type 2 diabetes increases risk of glaucoma. The longer a person has lived with diabetes, the greater their risk for glaucoma becomes. Additionally, when the cornea – the clear, round dome on the front of the eye that covers the iris and pupil – is abnormally thin, IOP readings may be falsely low. This puts patients at increased risk for undiagnosed glaucoma. This is common among those who have had refractive surgery, such as LASIK or photorefractive keratectomy. Another risk factor associated with glaucoma is a history of eye trauma. “Many of my patients are surprised to learn that one or more of these factors put them at an increased risk,” said Andrew Iwach, M.D., a clinical spokesperson for the American Academy of Ophthalmology and glaucoma specialist. “Being aware of your personal risk of glaucoma is the first step to saving your sight. If you are at risk, get an exam – the sooner you do, the better we can protect you from vision loss.” Glaucoma treatment ranges from medicated eye drops to a variety of surgeries that can help reduce high IOP. This may involve procedures that make small changes in the eye to help fluid drain more easily. In some cases, small devices known as shunts or stents are inserted in the eye to increase the flow of the eye’s fluid. People age 65 or older and concerned about their eye disease risk may be eligible for a medical eye exam at no out-of-pocket cost through EyeCare America™. In addition, those who are at an increased risk for glaucoma may also qualify for a glaucoma exam through EyeCare America. This public service program from the Foundation of the American Academy of Ophthalmology matches volunteer ophthalmologists with eligible patients in need across the United States. To see if you, your friends, or family members are eligible, visit www.eyecareamerica.org. To learn more about glaucoma, its risk factors, and its treatment, visit www.geteyesmart.org. MSN
Want to Stay Young? Stay Busy! Staying “young” mentally is something you work at by keeping busy and active, and that work pays off, says Dr. Noelle Nelson, author of the new book Happy Healthy…Dead: Why What You Think You Know About Aging Is Wrong and How To Get It Right (MindLab Publishing). “What if ‘busyness’ is kind of like a fountain of youth?” asks Nelson. “What if being busy, staying very active is a way to stay young?” A groundbreaking study from The Dallas Lifespan Brain Study of 300 older individuals between the ages of 50 and 89, found that the brains of people who were busy, worked better – regardless of their age. “Busier people tend to have better cognition, especially episodic memory. Our findings offer encouragement to maintain active, busy lifestyles throughout middle and late adulthood.” The study noted that busier people could reason better, had better working memory, better vocabulary, and had better ability to remember specific events from the past. “Since mental decline is something many of us fear as we go from 50 to 60 to 70 and beyond, this is extremely valuable information,” says Nelson. “Get busy, and you can keep those brains humming along just fine.” In practical terms, Nelson says to take a second look at retirement. “Maybe the fantasy of sitting on a beach sipping pina coladas for those 20 to 40 years post-retirement isn’t all it’s cracked up to be,” suggests Nelson. “Maybe you’d be better off sipping a pina colada on an occasional Friday evening after work.” If your job is not so pleasant and you can afford to opt out of the working world, Nelson suggests taking on a volunteer role. “There are volunteer organizations to fit every conceivable interest. There are even online volunteer matching organizations that help you find the best volunteer fit for you. And of course, there are hobbies you never had time for, physical activity to keep your body healthy, and time even to start a second career. “The Dallas Lifespan Brain Study points out that the more opportunities to learn and the more we are in contact with different people and situations, the more we stimulate our brains,” says Nelson. “A mix of activities – some creative, some physical, some giving back, some just plain fun – can be a wonderful approach to a busy, meaningful, and rewarding long life.” MSN
Eight Things You Should Know About Cervical Cancer
cancer.mt.gov
(NAPSI) 1. All women are at risk. Each year, just over 30 Montana women get cervical cancer. Although this number is low, it is important to get regular screenings. Unless you have had your cervix removed for noncancerous conditions (like fibroids), you can develop cervical cancer, which is caused by abnormal cell growth. 2. Black women with cervical cancer die at a higher rate. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, black women have more than twice the mortality rate of white women. Unfortunately, most of these deaths occur in women who have never been screened or have not been screened in the past five years. It is important to understand that when found early, cervical cancer is curable. 3. Your Pap test screens for cervical cancer. The Pap test is the most effective way to find and prevent cervical cancer. In addition to screening for cervical cancer, the Pap test looks for cell changes (pre-cancers) that can be treated before escalating to cancer. Your health and peace of mind will
DECEMBER 2016/JANUARY 2017
more than make up for the minor effort it takes to be tested. 4. HPV is usually the cause. The human papillomavirus (HPV) has over 150 strains and is transmitted by skin-to-skin contact – usually through sex. HPV can infect cells, causing genital warts and even cervical cancer. If you are found to have HPV, do not panic. HPV is actually quite common – most women (and men) will have it at some point. Usually, HPV is nonthreatening and goes away on its own; however, it can cause cervical and other types of cancers. Your doctor can test for HPV during your exam. 5. There is an HPV vaccine but... Vaccines have been developed to prevent infection with some of the HPV types associated with cervical cancer. Currently available vaccines are intended to produce immunity to HPV types 16 and 18, so that women who are exposed to these viruses will not develop infections. Vaccines are also being developed to prevent infection with some of the other HPV types that also cause cancer. Studies are being done to see how well these vaccines will reduce the risk of cervical cancer. Some experimental vaccines are also being studied for women with established HPV infections, to help their immune systems destroy the virus and cure the infection before a cancer develops. Still other vaccines are meant to help women who already have advanced cervical cancer that has recurred or metastasized. These vaccines attempt to produce an immune reaction to the parts of the virus (E6 and E7 proteins) that make the cervical cancer cells grow abnormally. It is hoped that this
immunity will kill the cancer cells or stop them from growing. Remember, even if you have been vaccinated, you should still see your doctor for routine Pap tests. 6. You may not have symptoms. Women with cervical cancer may not show any signs early on. In more advanced stages, cervical cancer can cause abnormal bleeding or discharge from the vagina, such as bleeding after sex. If you have any of these symptoms, you should see your doctor. 7. Smokers have a higher risk. Women who smoke cigarettes are more susceptible to developing cervical cancer. 8. Drug treatment of pre-cancers. Standard treatment of cervical pre-cancer (such as cervical intraepithelial neoplasia; CIN) includes cryotherapy, laser treatment, and conization. Recent studies to see if medicines can be used instead have had some promising results. In one study, patients with CIN2 or CIN3 took a drug called diindolylmethane (DIM) for 12 weeks. Follow-up testing showed improvement -- in some women, the CIN went away completely. In another study, CIN was treated by applying an anti-viral drug called cidofovir to the cervix. In more than half of the treated women, the CIN resolved completely. More studies are needed before this can become a standard treatment. Another anti-viral drug, imiquimod, has also shown promising results in treating cervical precancers. For more information, visit cancer.org. MSN
How to Reduce Your Medication Costs Dear Savvy Senior, Can you recommend any tips to help me save on my medication costs? I currently take five different prescription medications that are very expensive even with insurance. Searching Susan Dear Susan, There is actually a variety of ways you can reduce your out-of-pocket medication expenses without sacrificing quality. Here are a few strategies that can help. Know your insurance formulary rules: Most drug plans today have formularies that place drugs into different “tiers.” Drugs in each tier have a different cost. A drug in a lower tier will cost you less than a drug in a higher tier, and higher tier drugs may require you to get permission or try another medication first before you can use it. To get a copy of your plan’s formulary, visit your drug plan’s website or call the 800 number on the back of your card. Once you have this information, share it with your doctor so, if possible, he or she can prescribe you medications in the lower-cost tiers. Or, they can help you get coverage approval from your insurer if you need a more expensive drug. You also need to find out if your drug plan offers preferred pharmacies or offers a mail-order service. Buying your meds from these sources can save you some money too. Switch to generics: Ask your doctor or pharmacist if the medications you’re taking are available in a generic form or a less expensive brand-name drug. About 75 percent of all premium drugs on the market today have
a lower-cost alternative. Switching could save you between 20 and 90 percent. Pay for generics yourself: Most generic medications cost less if you don’t use your insurance. For example, chains like Target and Wal-Mart offer discount-drug programs (these programs will not work in conjunction with your insurance) that sell generics for as little as $4 for a 30-day supply and $10 for a 90-day supply, while some insurance companies charge a $10 copayment for a 30-day supply. Ask your pharmacy if they offer a discountdrug program and compare costs with your insurance. You can also
MONTANA SENIOR NEWS PAGE 37
Patients are our priority! At Advanced Care Hospital of Montana, we are passionate about patient care and are committed to providing the highest level of long-term acute and critical care to patients recovering from serious illnesses or injuries, such as: • Trauma • Infectious diseases • Wound healing • Cardiovascular disease • Stroke • Amputation • Ventilator weaning • And more... Where you receive care matters! Learn more at ACHM.ernesthealth.com.
ACHM.ERNESTHEALTH.COM 3528 Gabel Road • Billings, MT 59102 • 406.373.8000
Follow Us
Left to right: Megan Petersen, MD, and Kate Harris, MD
Joining the largest team of gynecologic cancer experts in the Northern Rockies Dr. Megan Petersen diagnoses and provides excellent care for women with gynecologic cancer, including survivorship, which addresses emotional well being and healthy lifestyles. Her husband, Dr. Barr Petersen, joined Billings Clinic Internal Medical Residency program as a faculty member. Together with their three children, they moved back to the mountain states to be closer to their families.
Dr. Kate Harris delivers comprehensive care to women with gynecologic cancer through both advanced surgery and chemotherapy. She has a special interest in symptom management and palliative care. Prior to medical school, she was a Peace Corps volunteer in Africa where she cultivated her love of caring for others. Dr. Harris and her husband are thrilled to return to Montana to raise their family.
For more information, visit billingsclinic.com/doctors or call the registered nurses at HealthLine at (406) 255-8400 or 1-800-252-1246.
PAGE 38 MONTANA SENIOR NEWS
find free drug discount cards online at sites like NeedyMeds.org, which can be used at most U.S. pharmacies. Split your pills: Ask your doctor if the pills you’re taking can be cut in half. Pill splitting allows you to get two months worth of medicine for the price of one. If you do this, you’ll need to get a prescription from your doctor for twice the dosage you need. Try over-the-counter drugs: Ask your doctor if a nonprescription could work as effectively as a more
DECEMBER 2016/JANUARY 2017
expensive prescription. Many over-the-counter drugs for common conditions such as pain-relievers, allergy medications, anti-fungals, and coldand-cough medicines were once prescription only. But be aware that if you have a flexible spending account or a health savings account, you’ll need to get a doctor’s prescription for the over-the-counter drugs (except insulin) to be reimbursed. Search for drug assistance programs: If your income is limited, you can probably get help through drug assistance programs offered through pharmaceutical companies, government agencies, and charitable organizations. To find these types of programs use BenefitsCheckUp.org, a comprehensive website that lets you locate the programs you’re eligible for, and will show you how to apply. Send your senior questions to Savvy Senior, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070, or visit SavvySenior.org. Jim Miller is a contributor to the NBC Today show and author of The Savvy Senior book. MSN
The Business Of Aging As America grows older, the business of aging grows bigger, according to the Association of Mature American Citizens. Pharmaceutical companies are now among the biggest advertisers on television. Shop-at-home medical suppliers offering everything from canes to reading glasses and catheters are racking up big sales, nationwide. Meanwhile, the at-home senior care sector has joined the ranks of the fastest growing industries in America. MSN
Centenarian Sets New World Record
Ida Keeling, the 100-year-old sprinter who set a new world record for the hundred-meter dash at the Penn Relays in Philadelphia recently, had advice for seniors as she accepted her trophy according to the Association of Mature American Citizens. She stated, “Love yourself. Do what you have to do, not what you want to do. Eat for nutrition and not for taste. And exercise at least once a day.” Keeling ran the 100 meters in 1 minute, 17.33 seconds. MSN
Piggy’s Day Out
Submitted by Julie Brantley A farmer and his pig were driving down the road when an officer pulled him over and asked, “Didn’t you know it is against the law to ride with a pig in the front of your truck?” “No, I didn’t,” replied the farmer. “Where are you going?” “To Billings,” said the farmer. “I will let you off the hook this time if you promise to take the pig to the zoo when you get to Billings.” So the farmer promised he would. Several days later the officer spotted the farmer with the pig driving down the road, so pulled him over again. “I thought I told you to take this pig to the zoo when you got to Billings.” The farmer replied, “I did, and we had so much fun, I’m taking him to Glacier Park now!” MSN
DECEMBER 2016/JANUARY 2017
MONTANA SENIOR NEWS PAGE 39
PAGE 40 MONTANA SENIOR NEWS
DECEMBER 2016/JANUARY 2017
Another Quick Sell Trick? No Way, Please!
B U Y IN G o r SE L L IN G
R E A L E S TAT E ? I’m Here to Help!
10 Don Dallas • 406-443-51 a len 112 Willow Ave • He dallas-land.com
By Patricia M. Johnson Selling your house? Me too. I have written before on all the “quick-sell” techniques we see in television advertising. Some of these tips are among my pet peeves. Like many, your head may be spinning and you don’t know what to believe. Smile, don’t fret, I’m here to help. I especially love the one recently seen on television. “You won’t sell this house unless you keep every single kitchen counter top clear except for one appliance only!” Apparently, they have never been married, never had children, nor pets, company, relatives, or cooked. I doubt if these people even eat in their kitchen! Now what appliance would you choose? I need the microwave and the coffee maker, toaster, hot water pot, and electric can opener. If I choose the microwave, I can throw out the dishes to make room in the cabinets for the remaining objects. If I decide to keep the coffee maker out all day, I can use the others and when finished with them, run and hide them. That darn ol’ microwave is so heavy I’m exhausted just thinking about having to hide it elsewhere. I think what really bothers me is that compa-
nies are being formed stating they are consultants or “home staging” experts at preparing homes for a quick sale! We have some in our neighborhood that have vans proclaiming just that. Most are not designers, not realtors, in fact, not experts at all in selling homes. Beware when one tells you they will return with staff to tear up your carpet and replace it with hardwood flooring. Even your new kitchen vinyl that cost you $1,500 must be removed and replaced by their hardwood flooring. Did they care that you are a senior who put the vinyl down with the cushy under-padding because it’s easy on the legs and feet at our age? No, there’s money to be made by ripping it all up. You see, nobody wants a kitchen today without granite counter tops and ceramic tile flooring. Hmmmm. Whom are they kidding? I recently had two different people from these consultant companies visit and tell us what we should be doing. They did not know I’m a retired interior designer. One told me wallpaper would never come back. The best model homes show beautiful wall coverings, so perhaps they don’t know this either. Another told me all walls must be repainted light gray or white. They must have not been visiting model homes again. When we were told a home without a Jacuzzi or walk-in shower for four will never sell, I nearly cried. One actually used the tactic of: “You don’t want your neighbors embarrassed, do you?” Here’s a fun one. We were told to remove all family photos, beautifully framed, of grandchildren, children, and us. They claim nobody wants to see family photos on the wall; walls must be almost bare to sell this house. It took years to convince five children to update us with professional family photos. When I asked my daughter if she minded that we put all these photos between the mattress and box spring and look at them when we turn the mattress, she said, “Mother, be nice to your children as we may someday need to choose your senior convalescent home.” Watch out when consultants want to bring in a window designer. Whoa... this is a big expense as we all know. Then someone will ask you, “The window treatments do go with the house, don’t they?” We live in the woods and don’t use many window coverings. We love the outdoor view; so few windows have treatment other than the English Tudor custom-crossed window inserts. I believe in letting the light and air in, and hanging any treatment on the sides of the window if a drape is desired. I’ve met several women who have told me they have spent over $5,000, if not $50,000, on these renovations with a near promise that their house will sell oh so quickly for a fantastic amount of money on the resell. After renovations, these
women told their husbands they would like to stay in the house. Now they are tired of all the renovations, tired of all the promises, and tired of hiding and storing all their prized possessions and memories of their life. Do remember that in order to sell a house (in time), look for inexpensive ways to enhance your current home. If you have a garage, repaint the walls, refinish the garage floor if it’s cracked or discolored. Recoat a driveway if needed. Give the front door a fresh coat of paint. If it’s seasonal, add a few potted flowering plants. Freshen up the house, keep it repaired, keep it clean, and above all, don’t be afraid to live in it. Remember, most buyers will want to decorate and/or remodel to suit their own tastes. They are not looking at your
DECEMBER 2016/JANUARY 2017
MONTANA SENIOR NEWS PAGE 41
house’s furniture, wall art, or family photos. They will either admire or hate it all. Decide if you should just plain sell the house “as is” and use the renovation monies in the downsized home you would like to buy. In any event, check out any designers and renovation experts with the organizations they should belong to. Make sure they are truly professionals and not friends of an agent who has agreed to do this renovation project quickly. Check out your real estate agency, please, and make sure they are a member of a reputable association. Tips That Help: • Check for a reputable realtor through the National Association of Realtors (NAR) at realtor. org or 800-874-6500.
• Contact the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) at asid.org or 202-546-3480. They can direct you to reputable designers. • Contact the National Kitchen and Bath Association (NKBA) at nkba.org or 1-800-843-6522. They can refer these professionals to fit your need. MSN
How to Create a Safe “Aging-in-Place” Home By Jim Miller Dear Savvy Senior, My husband and I are thinking about making some modifications to our home so we can remain living there for as long as possible. Can you recommend some good resources that can help us with aging in place ideas? Staying Put Dear Staying, Many retirees, like you and your husband, want to stay living in their own house for as long as possible. But being able to do so will depend on how easy it is to maneuver your home as you get older. Here are some helpful resources you can turn to, to get an idea of the different types of features and improvements you can make that will make your house safer and more convenient as you grow older. Home Evaluation A good first step in making your home more age-friendly is to do an assessment. Go through your house, room-by-room, looking for problem areas like potential tripping or slipping hazards, as well as areas that are hard to access and difficult
to maintain. To help with this, there are several organizations that have aging-in-place checklists that point out potential problems in each area of the home, along with modifications and solutions. Rebuild Together, for example, has a two-page Safe at Home Checklist that’s created in partnership with the Administration on Aging and the American Occupational Therapy Association. Go to AOTA.org and search for Rebuilding Together Safe at Home Checklist. The National Association of Home Builders also has an Aging-in-Place Remodeling Checklist that offers more than 100 suggestions to help homeowners age 50-plus live safely, independently, and comfortably. Go to NAHB.org and search for Aging in Place Remodeling Checklist. Also check out AARP’s excellent resource called the HomeFit Guide that’s filled with 28-pages of tips and diagrams to make your entire home safe and easier to live in as you age. You can access it at AARP.org – search for HomeFit, or call 888687-2277 and ask them to mail you a free copy. Personalized Advice If you want more personalized help, consider getting a professional in-
PAGE 42 MONTANA SENIOR NEWS
DECEMBER 2016/JANUARY 2017
home assessment with an occupational therapist. An occupational therapist (OT) can evaluate the challenges and shortcomings of your home for aging in place, recommend design and modification solutions, and introduce you to products and services to help you make improvements. To find an OT in your area, check with your physician, health insurance provider, or local hospital, or seek recommendations from family and friends. Many health insurance providers, including Medicare, will pay for a home assessment by an OT if prescribed by your doctor. However, they will not cover the physical upgrades to the home.
Another option is to contact a builder who’s a Certified Aging in Place Specialist (CAPS). CAPS are home remodelers and design-build professionals that are knowledgeable about aging in place home modifications, and can suggest ways to modify or remodel your home that will fit your needs and budget. CAPS are generally paid by the hour or receive a flat fee per visit or project. To find a CAPS in your area visit the National Association of Home Builders website at NAHB.org/capsdirectory where you can search by state and city. Send your senior questions to Savvy Senior, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070, or visit SavvySenior.org. Jim Miller is a contributor to the NBC Today show and author of The Savvy Senior book. MSN
Mortgage Relief Scams Are Everywhere
4800 Spaulding Bridge Rd, Belgrade PEDEandAssociates.com
By Teresa Ambord Although the economy has improved and fewer people are facing foreclosure, there is still no shortage of schemes and scams to separate you from your money using twisted transactions with your real estate. In some areas, you can’t stop at a red light without seeing a poster tacked to a pole offering “help” to save your home. Thieves are shameless when it comes to preying on desperation. They know anyone who is facing the loss of a home is probably terrified and willing to grasp at any straw. If you or someone you know is in danger of foreclosure, be on guard against offers to help you. It is true there are some new government programs that can help, but there are a lot more scams. You need to know the difference. The Federal Trade Commission (ftc.gov), which is the U.S. consumer protection agency, says scam artists deal in half-truths, if not outright lies. They promise relief and will be your best, most sympathetic friend, for now. Often, by the time they are done, they leave their customers far worse off than before. They may: • Claim most of their customers successfully save their homes from foreclosure, and may say they offer a money-back guarantee. • Tell you they are affiliated with the government or your own lender. • Promise the help of attorneys or real estate professionals as part of their service. No Help No Pay In an attempt to protect us from scam artists, the FTC put in place the Mortgage Assistance Relief Services Rule, which makes it illegal for companies to collect any fees until you, the homeowner, have received and accepted a bona fide offer of relief from your lender. In other words, even if you have agreed to accept help from a company, if the results you get are not Bill Davis Sandy Lee, Broker what you wanted, you do 406.489.2311 406.570.1541 406.570.5496 not have to pay. Let Us represent You...Buying or Selling! If you have been We Know All Types of Real Estate! contacted by a company that promises relief from the threat of losing your home, the FTC wants you to be aware of some typical language scam artists use, on flyers, bus stops, business cards: “Stop foreclosure now!” “Get a loan modification!” “Over 90% of our customers get results.”
DECEMBER 2016/JANUARY 2017
MONTANA SENIOR NEWS PAGE 43
“We have special relationships with banks that can speed up the approval process.” “100% Money Back Guarantee.” “Keep Your Home. We know your home is scheduled to be sold. No Problem!” The FTC warns thieves will go to great lengths to appear legitimate in order to win your trust. Thieves would have you believe they have no selfinterest and are thinking only of you, when in reality they have a great deal to gain and you have everything to lose. Here are some of the schemes the FTC has run across: Offers of Counseling or Other Help: For a fee, they say, they will help you negotiate with the lender to lower your payments and save your home. A few tip offs to this scam are: they may claim to be attorneys, tell you not to contact your lender or other adviser, they may tell you the help begins when you pay a fee, and they may instruct you to pay your mortgage payments directly to them. If you are contacted by someone like this, don’t walk away… run! Offer to Audit: Another scam involves an offer to have experts review your mortgage documents to ensure the lender complied with the law. The idea is to help you avoid foreclosure, reduce your mortgage, or even cancel your loan. The FTC says there is no evidence this kind of “help” will provide any relief. Rent-to-Buy Scheme: This is a scam where thieves try to convince you to surrender your home’s title as part of a deal where you then rent your home from them and you presumably will buy it back later. In reality, the “deal” generally becomes so expensive you cannot possibly regain the title to your home, and you lose it. They walk away with all the money you put into the house, then the new “owners” default and you are evicted. Again, don’t walk away, run, run, run! This scam has other variations, such as renting your home to you but they neglect to say they will raise the rent until you can no longer afford it and you are evicted. Don’t Pay a Fee Unless…: Again, the FTC reminds you there is no obligation to pay any money until the company delivers the results you want. The company is acting illegally if they charge you any fee before they have given you a written offer regarding the changes to your loan or loan relief and you have accepted the offer and been provided with documents regarding the agreement, including a clear statement of all fees. MSN
Little Nell Is No Longer Out With The Smokers
Buying or Selling a Home...
By Bill Hall Sometimes cats, like people, shed their worst habits as they grow older. Nellie is no exception. Some people quit smoking. Some cats kick mice. And I don’t mean cats play mouse soccer. I mean they kick the mouse habit as surely as I finally burned out on cigarettes some years ago. It dawned on me one recent fall morning that our little tabby Nellie hasn’t brought a mouse, or part of one, inside in more than a year. That’s something new under the fading fall sun when living with Nellie. It used to be that the mouse catching grew worse this time of year – or better from Nellie’s perspective. It depends on whether you’re a cat or a cat keeper. In that respect, Nellie is like some deer hunters I know. BRIDGER PEAKS VILLAGE Affordable Senior Living
1 & 2 Bedroom Apartments
406-994-0100 1483 N 15th Ave, Bozeman
managed by Sparrow Management
... we will be wagging our tails to get it done!
McHatton Makes It Happen! Call or Text: Marie McHatton
406-672-8532
Email: marie@floberg.com
Experienced REALTOR®
A member of the franchise system of BHH Affiliates, LLC
Brenda Rankin REALTOR ®
THINKING OF CHANGING YOUR LIVING SITUATION? Being a baby boomer, my real estate specialty is working with boomers and seniors. I have received the designation of Senior Real Estate Specialist by the National Association of Realtors. I have a 5 Step Transition Program to assist you, beginning to end, with any move you wish to make. I would be honored and privileged to work with you as your life heads in a new, exciting direction.
(406) 360-4401 745 Henesta Place Billings, MT 59102
www.bjrankin.com Brenda@bjrankin.com
Each Office is Independently Owned and Operated
PAGE 44 MONTANA SENIOR NEWS
Don’t Dump or Abandon Pets CALL A RESCUE OR A SHELTER 4 Paws Rescue is an all volunteer non-profit pet rescue. Misty Hammerbacker 439-1405 Bonny White 581-7693 P.O. Box 13 Cardwell, MT 59721 Volunteers, Members, & Donations Happily Accepted.
DECEMBER 2016/JANUARY 2017
The dead deer that is a triumph to the hunter can mean the heartache of venison to the family that has to consume one of the worst flavored wild meats in creation. But if somebody doesn’t pretend that venison is edible, the deer hunter can’t go hunting again. Similarly, I always had the feeling that Nellie didn’t actually care much for mice as a meal. The older she got, the less inclined she seemed to actually eat the mice she caught. For instance, she would bring dead mice, all wet with cat slobber, and leave them on the floor on my wife’s side of the bed, the classic cat compliment to someone the cat likes. That had its downside for both my wife and me. She would get out of bed in the morning, stepping with a bare foot onto a dead, wet, furry thing. And I would awaken abruptly to the sound of shrieking. But the point is that Nellie stopped eating the mice, kind of like a cigar smoker halfway toward kicking the habit that stops lighting up and just chews all day on one of those ropes. The uneaten mice were something of an improvement. In the beginning, Nellie had been like a tobacco user back in the era before society ran all the smokers outside. She would eat most of the mice, all except their little rear ends. Like an untrained smoker, she would leave rear remnants of her scruffy habit all over the house. Then she stopped eating them. She just brought their little corpses inside. Next, she stopped killing them. She brought them inside still alive and let them get away. Some people have cats to rid a house of mice. We had a cat who supplied the house with mice. And it was my job to catch them. I become the family mouser. Autumn was the worst. Nellie became more
active and efficient at catching mice. I think it was partly that the colder weather slowed the mice a bit. Nellie would come out of a heated house with her muscles already warm. But the cool fall weather made the mice sluggish. It gave her an unfair advantage. And of course, some of it may have been the tendency of so many mammals, including humans, to stock up going into the winter. Nellie may have brought more live mice inside in the fall in an attempt to create a mouse herd to see her through the winter. I see the same tendency with my wife this time of year. She instinctively buys more food in the fall, more large sacks, and boxes of staples to see us through the cold months, even though there are stores nearby that will be open 24 hours a day throughout the winter. But my wife’s fall habit probably makes sense to Nellie. However, Nellie now seems to have given up mice. She never brings them in the house any more – alive or dead. She has quit the habit. It’s probably because I used to make such a fuss about it, throwing her and the mice outside and closing the cat door for a while until the meal was over. Just as you now see people, sad outcasts, standing outside public buildings in cold weather smoking cigarettes in the only place this society has left to them, I made Nellie go outside to practice her unpleasant habit. The whole gory business finally just became too humiliating to her, a habit more trouble than it was worth. And now Nellie, the former mouser, and I, the former smoker, no longer leave little butts all over the house. Hall may be contacted at wilberth@cableone.net or at 1012 Prospect Ave., Lewiston, ID 83501. MSN
DECEMBER 2016/JANUARY 2017
Music on Phones, Identifying Favorite Songs, and a Podcast Primer
By Bob DeLaurentis Q. I have used an iPod for years, but now that I carry a smartphone, I’d like to use it for music. What is the best way to do that? A. Any smartphone can replace an iPod. To get started, try installing the music you already own onto your phone using the same connection formerly used for the iPod. Moving from an iPod to an iPhone is very simple, since everything is managed via iTunes. Moving from an iPod to Android may require a new app, but generally, it can be done. Where smartphones surpass the iPod is their ability to use streaming music services. These services deliver music catalogs with tens of millions of different songs, turning your smartphone into a universal jukebox. The three big streaming music services are Apple Music, Spotify, and Pandora. Each has different strengths, but they all deliver first class experiences. All three offer generous free trials to let you explore their options in depth. Apple (apple.com/music/) tends to be the easiest to use, so I would start there if you are already an Apple customer. Spotify (spotify.com) is a step up and works on both iPhone and Android. They have a larger catalog, and more options for sharing playlists with your friends. Pandora (pandora.com) does not have a giant catalog, but they generate excellent playlists. If you love music as much as I do, I recommend trying these services. Q. Sometimes I hear a song that I would like to add to my music collection. What is the best way to find a song’s name? A. The time-honored answer is a Google search. Choose a lyric phrase of at least three or four words. Nearly any short phrase will work. To help Google find the best answer, enter the phrase inside quote marks, then the word lyrics, exactly like this: “walk right through my shoes” lyrics. The quote marks tell Google to find the exact phrase, so spelling counts. Adding the word lyrics (or an artist’s name) will focus the search. This works nearly every time. Most modern smartphones can find songs with voice commands. There are subtle differences depending on the smartphone model, but the basics are the same. Both Siri on Apple and Google Assistant on Android will try to find a song by listening to it for a few seconds. Tell Siri, “Hey Siri, Shazam this song,” or tell Google Assistant, “Okay Google, Shazam this song.” The phone will listen for a few seconds and then tell you the name of the song. Shazam, which is also available as a standalone app, is a service that delivers this capability. I have tried this countless times, sometimes in very noisy places, and it works about 90 percent of the time. Practice with songs you already know. Next time you will know what to do when you hear that perfect song. Q. I would like to add some variety to the things I listen to while driving. I enjoy music, but I like stories as well. I have heard about podcasts, but do not know what they are. Can you help? A. Most podcasts are spoken word audio programs that are produced on a regular schedule and automatically delivered to your computer
Christmas Questions Submitted by Julie Brantley Q: What do you call an elf who sings? A: A wrapper! Q: Why is Christmas just like your job? A: You do all the work and the fat guy with the suit gets all the credit. Q: What’s the difference between the Christmas alphabet and the ordinary alphabet? A: The Christmas alphabet has Noel. Q: What do you call people who are afraid of Santa Claus? A: Claustrophobic. MSN
or smartphone. Podcasts have been around for well over a decade, but the smartphone and a few successful programs have helped them find a broader audience in the last few years. In many ways, podcasts are similar to the way traditional radio sounded in its early days. Advertising is minimal, quality varies, and yet good podcasts still deliver a personal, satisfying listening experience. We are in the middle of a golden age of podcasts. You do not have to have a smartphone in order to get started, but podcasts and smartphones are natural together. If you have an iPhone, start with the standard built-in app Podcasts. On Android, my favorite is an app called Pocket Casts. If you are on a personal computer, the best place to start on Mac or Windows is iTunes. Each of these programs offers a catalog of shows that you can subscribe to, all free. I will share a few of my personal favorites in the next section.
Wander the Web
In Our Time – Science, Religion, History, and Culture In Our Time is one of my favorite podcasts. Some podcasts are downloadable versions of radio broadcasts, and this is an excellent example of how moving online can be an improvement. The website includes access to over 500 back episodes, and on-demand access makes your smartphone or computer act like a TiVo for radio. I am sorry for the cryptic URL; it is the only one available. Visit bbc.co.uk/programmes/ b006qykl Podcasts with a Focus on Tech Podcast topics range far beyond tech, but this is a tech column, so I am compelled to point out two of the best collections of tech-related podcasts, Relay and 5by5. Noteworthy programs include Clockwise and The Critical Path. Visit relay.fm and 5by5.tv. Is This Thing On? isitdownrightnow.com is the first site to check if you suspect that while your internet connection is working, your favorite site is offline. It lists most of the major sites on its home page, and it will search and report on any specific site by request. Visit isitdownrightnow.com or iidrn. com. MSN
MONTANA SENIOR NEWS PAGE 45
PAGE 46 MONTANA SENIOR NEWS
DECEMBER 2016/JANUARY 2017
Solutions for Lower Income People Who Owe Taxes By Eric Olsen Many lower income people retire owing past due taxes they simply can’t afford to pay. They read articles and seek advice on the internet, even advice from accountants and tax preparers. The advice they often receive is like teaching someone how to play cards, without telling them about the four aces. The cards that beat every other card in the deck. You can’t teach cards and not talk about the aces. There are laws that provide solutions for those who owe past due state and federal income taxes. You need to be aware of these laws – the four aces – so you can stop worrying and preserve your income for your personal needs. First the Ace of Spades. As a practical matter, the IRS never garnishes pensions or retirement JOHNSON GLOSCHAT Funeral Home & Crematory income for past due taxes owed. Although there are reports of the IRS’s garnishing 15% of a perErik Fisher Family Services • Advanced Planning son’s social security, it very rarely happens and can usually be prevented. 406-261-3607 If you are of a lower income, you can be placed 2659 U.S. Hwy 93 North on uncollectable status with the IRS and pay nothP.O. Box 457 Kalispell, Montana 59903 ing simply by applying over the phone or online. First to visit these IRS websites that provide budget Kalispell • Columbia Falls • Whitefish • Glacier Memorial Gardens guidelines: irs.gov/businesses/small-businessesself-employed/nationalstandards-food-clothing-and-other-items and irs.gov/businesses/ small-businesses-selfemployed/local-standards-housing-and-utilities. These IRS websites provide budget guidelines to qualify for JD, CLU, ChFC,RHU uncollectable status, budget numbers the IRS For over 27 years we have been explaining Medicare won’t volunteer. If you insurance options available to clients in and beyond the say you can pay someGallatin Valley. We represent multiple carriers and offer a thing, the IRS will gladly variety of products. We are ready to help! take your money. But do not underestimate your McLeod Insurance & Financial Services, Inc. needs or you could end 2055 N 22nd, Suite 2A • Bozeman, MT 59718 up paying some amount 406-586-4367 • mike@mcleodinsuranceservices.com when according to IRS Insurance • Employee Benefits • Consulting budget guidelines, you
Confused about Medicare?
Mike McLeod
needn’t pay anything. If you are already being garnished 15% of your social security, it is possible to be placed on uncollectable status and stop the garnishment. Second, the Ace of Clubs. Social security, pensions, VA benefits, and other forms of retirement income are protected by federal law. This money cannot be taken for past due state income taxes. Even bank account deposits that are traceable to social security and pension income do not lose their exempt status. Unfortunately, state taxing agencies will never tell you. If the bank account is garnished, most people do nothing, not knowing they can file a claim of exemption and have the money returned. Many states will not offer uncollectable status to persons with lower income that is protected. They prefer to badger and intimidate in order to collect from those who don’t know their rights, forcing some into utter poverty. If a state tax collector calls, simply advise him or her that this income is federally protected social security, pension, VA benefits, or disability and that you can’t afford to pay the tax. You can pay voluntarily if you choose, but this money can’t be taken and the state tax collector knows it. Third, the Ace of Hearts. This is knowledge about tax liens. A state or IRS tax lien may strike unnecessary terror into your heart. Language in the lien notice can make you worry that you are going to lose your home, car, or other possessions. Tax collectors are not in the business of selling people’s homes. It just doesn’t happen in real life. They file the lien and count on being paid when the home is sold. Tax collectors will not go after personal possessions making a lien where there is no home meaningless. So in most instances, tax liens are not a practical concern. Finally, the Ace of Diamonds. Bankruptcy is generally unnecessary for lower income folks because their income is protected. However, taxes can be eliminated through bankruptcy. The general rule is that the tax must be over three years old and have been assessed for at least two years in order to be wiped out in bankruptcy. If there is a lien, it is the practice of the IRS to remove the lien at some point after the bankruptcy discharge even
if there is equity in the home. Certainly, we should all strive to perform our civic duty and pay our taxes. However, laws and procedures are in place protecting lower income and poor seniors so they can provide for their
DECEMBER 2016/JANUARY 2017
MONTANA SENIOR NEWS PAGE 47
needs. America wants you to have the food and medicines you need, so if your circumstances warrant, these taxes do not have to be paid when you qualify for uncollectable status with the IRS. Homes and possessions are not going to be taken
and sold. Finally, a tax lien is usually an edgeless sword that will have no real effect. Eric Olsen is Executive Director and an attorney with HELPS Nonprofit Law Firm helpsishere. org. MSN
Some Seniors Get an Extra Year for Medical Tax Break By Teresa Ambord If you’re 65 or older before the end of this year, you might have a little bit more of a tax break on your 2016 tax return, depending on your details. That is, if you claim a medical expense deduction on your income tax Schedule A. For most people the deduction has shrunk, and will soon shrink for everyone. Here are the details, based on an article by Bill Bischoff, licensed CPA and tax specialist, in Marketwatch. Prior to 2013, you could claim an itemized deduction for your medical expenses as well as those of your spouse and dependents. The amount you could claim was the amount that exceeded 7.5% your adjusted gross income (AGI). AGI is your taxable income (from all sources) minus certain write-offs. So let’s say your AGI was $100,000. To claim a medical expense deduction, you’d first have to add up your medical expenses and subtract $7,500 (which is 7.5% of your AGI) from the total. Let’s say your medical expenses totaled $12,500. The math looks like this: $12,500 - $7,500 = $5,000 which is the amount of medical expenses you can write off for that year, by entering this amount on your tax Schedule A. Affordable Care Act Costs You More Ironically, the Affordable Care Act changed all that. It raised the 7.5% threshold to 10% and therefore shrinks the amount taxpayers can write off for medical expenses. There was an exception, however. Anyone who turned 65 before the end of the year could still use the 7.5% figure, for a while. The new law said that beginning in 2016 all taxpayers, regardless of age, would have to use the 10% figure. Here’s how that changes the bottom line. Using the same AGI of $100,000, and medical expenses of $12,500, you must subtract 10% of your AGI, which is $10,000. $12,500 - $10,000 = $2,500, which is the amount of medical expenses you can write off for that year (down from $5,000 before the Affordable Care Act). Reprieve! For Now One year of relief has been granted to anyone who is at least 65 before the end of 2016. If this describes you, for this year you will be able to
use the lower figure of 7.5%. In other words, if you are 65 or older in 2016, you will still be able to use the 7.5% threshold. For people with significant medical expenses, this should save a lot in taxes. However, be prepared. Beginning in 2017, all taxpayers will have to use the 10% threshold, regardless of age. What can you do? If you have been putting off certain medical/dental expenses, for example, an elective surgery or expensive medical equipment, eyeglasses or dentures, consider moving them into 2016 if possible. In later years, bunching your medical expenses (when possible) may help; otherwise, your medical expenses deduction will be smaller. Talk it over with your tax advisor. MSN
Do You Have Questions About Medicare? Contact the experts at the Roger L. Daniel Insurance Agency We represent multiple carriers and products.
Roger L. Daniel
You Have Questions... We Have Answers Roger L. Daniel Insurance Agency Inc. 4 YEARS
2047 Broadwater Ave • Billings 406-252-3411 • rdaniel@famersagent.com
MEDICARE SOLUTIONS
Insurance can be the simplest decision you make today!
DARNIELLE INSURANCE AGENCY
AUTO • HOME • BUISINESS
1320 28th St. West Billings, MT 59102
406•652•4180 www.darnielle.com
ANGIE STILLER • 406-294-8226 • 2646 GRAND AVE #9, BILLINGS
Need answers at tax time?
The Montana Department of Revenue can help you.
Need help deciding which tax form to use? Need information on how to electronically file your tax return? Wonder if you qualify for the Elderly Homeowner/Renter Credit worth up to $1,000?
Call us toll-free at (866) 859-2254 (in Helena, 444-6900) or visit us at revenue.mt.gov
PAGE 48 MONTANA SENIOR NEWS
DECEMBER 2016/JANUARY 2017
Montana Taxation of Social Security Benefits
Montana taxes Social Security benefits in the same manner as the Federal government, but adjusts the calculation to account for state specific additions and subtractions to income. As a result of these state specific adjustments, Social Security benefits taxable on the Montana return may be more or less than the benefits taxable on the Federal return. Here is a quick way to find out if you must pay taxes on your Social Security benefits:
• Add one-half of your Social Security to all your other income, including tax-exempt interest. • Then compare the total to the base amount for your filing status. 1. $25,000 – if you are single, head of household, qualifying widow, or widower with a dependent child or married filing separately living apart from your spouse. 2. $32,000 – if you are married filing jointly
Article & Photo By Bernice Karnop Randy Gray, a retired lawyer and Nora Flaherty Gray, a retired teacher, were born and raised in Great Falls and have supported civic organizations from the City Commission to Campfire Boys and Girls. Randy served three terms as mayor of Great Falls. They serve on various boards, volunteer their time, and support many causes. They both have parents that were active in the community and who passed that legacy of giving on to their children. “The idea is service, thinking that there is
something bigger than ourselves,” says Randy. The ways this couple finds that giving is powerful can help readers see how giving can benefit them, as well as the causes they love. 1. It’s fun. “The joy of giving is a powerful thing,” states Randy Gray. “Selfishly, it’s just plain fun!” 2. Giving one’s time, talent, or treasure makes a difference in causes you care about. Both Randy and Nora care about a host of things, and many of them relate to nature and conserva-
3. $16,000 – if you are married filing separately and lived with your spouse at any time during the year. • If your total is more than the base amount, some of your benefits may be taxable. For more information about taxation of Social Security benefits, call the Montana Department of Revenue toll-free at 866-859-2254 or visit revenue. mt.gov. MSN
Nine Ways That Giving is Powerful: Charitable Giving with Randy and Nora Flaherty Gray
"It's the little things that make a difference when you have nothing." Tumbleweed helps connect youth to a better future. • Drop-In Center provides safety, shelter, food, clothing & hygiene. • Emergency services for youth & families during times of crisis. • School Crisis Counselors • Individual & Family Counseling • Transitional Living Program • Human Trafficking Program
M-F, 8am-5pm: (406) 259-2558 24 hr Crisis Line: (888) 816-4702 505 N 24th St, Billings MT, 59101
tumbleweedprogram.org
Saddle Up! Become a member of the Montana Historical Society and join us on a great adventure into the past!
÷ Unlimited Admission to Montana’s Museum
and the Original Governor’s Mansion ÷ Subscription to the award-winning quarterly
Montana The Magazine of Western History ÷ 15% Discount on most store, catalog, and
online merchandise ÷ Additional Benefits including MHS
calendar, Research Center assistance, Society Star newsletter, invitations to special events, and more.
225 N. Roberts St., P. O. Box 201201 Helena, MT 59620-1201 Email: rbaumann@mt.gov (800) 243-9900 (406) 444-2918
Winter 2015
tion. “Those things are lasting. They will be here for generations to come,” says Randy. The American Prairie Reserve, for example, conserves a prairie wildlife habitat in a pristine area north of the C.M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge near Fort Peck Reservoir. “There is precious little unbroken prairie in the world. It used to be the predominant ecosystem of North America,” he explains. The Grays introduce others to the prairie by hosting field trips so people can see for themselves why it should be protected. After ten years, they see progress. One thousand genetically pure bison roam free on the reserve, sharing it with an amazing diversity of other wildlife, plants, insects, and birds. Other conservations groups they are involved with include Montana Wilderness Association, of which Randy’s dad was a founding member. 3. You learn new things. Nora is the compiler for the Audubon Christmas bird count, an opportunity for ordinary people to participate in a citizen’s science program that has been going on for more than 100 years. In looking back at the first Christmas bird count, she discovered a connection to her volunteer work as a docent at the Russell Museum. The very first bird count was done by a friend of Russell, who also corresponded with Russell. “Charlie Russell was really way before his time on conservation, the importance of habitat, and a supporter of the rights of indigenous people,” she
DECEMBER 2016/JANUARY 2017
MONTANA SENIOR NEWS PAGE 49
says. Nora realizes she is a part of a long line of wonderful folk who care about the good of the land. 4. You make new friends. Volunteering is powerful because you meet people who share your passions and help you reach a common goal. Nora explains that there are things that you can’t accomplish alone. “It’s so much more effective and so much more rewarding to work together because it’s working with and growing your community,” she says. In addition to the work done, you get to know like-minded people and develop life-long friendships. 5. You bring the next generation along. One of the delights of volunteering for Nora is introducing young people to the joys of giving. Her campfire group learned the rewards of visiting people in nursing homes, and planning and buying food for the food bank. Young people found out it was fun to participate in a call-a-thon to raise money for the Library Foundation. Nora helped set up youth docents at the Russell Museum. “When kids see older adults involved in this kind of thing, it becomes part of their lives as well,” say the Grays. It’s a never-ending process of educating the next generation because there always has to be a voice for whatever the cause might be. 6. The state and federal government reward you. Government recognizes the value of organizations and people who help others. They reward such efforts with state and federal tax deductions for charitable gifts. “Giving the right gift in the right way at the right time can save a person up to 40 percent on taxes,” Randy says. He says it’s worth it to hire an accountant or lawyer who will help you structure your giving in a way that results the best benefit for the giver. A savvy advisor will show you how gifts can be used to offset capital gains or how they may be split between two tax years to the giver’s advantage. As the year comes to the end, it is a good time to consider assets like insurance policies, appreciated stocks, or rental property. One may even directly donate money from an IRA that needs to be drawn down. A lawyer, stockbroker, or insurance agent can help you understand the advantages of donating the asset instead of cash. 7. A legacy gift assures that your name will be remembered. A person may consider endowing a chair for the Great Falls Symphony, a directorship for the McLaughlin Research Center, or a professorship or scholarship for a university. These kinds of gifts may carry one’s name, and can make a difference in perpetuity for that entity. Identify your passions and see what you might do to help. 8. Giving’s the right thing to do but be sure to do it right. Do your research on any entity before writing the check. Randy recommends people look at Charity Navigator, (charitynavigator.org) the largest independent charity evaluator. This site shows if the charity is legitimate and tells how much of its budget is spent on administration and fund raising. Giving is powerful only if you know your gift will be well stewarded and well used. 9. “Ultimately, giving makes the world a better place to be,” says Randy. What more can we say? MSN
Christmas Questions
Submitted by Julie Brantley Q: Why can’t the Christmas tree stand up? A: It doesn’t have legs. Q: What do you call an obnoxious reindeer? A: RUDEolph. Q: Why was Santa’s little helper depressed? A: Because he had low elf esteem. Q: What nationality is Santa Claus? A: North Polish. Q: What do you call a kid who doesn’t believe in Santa? A: A rebel without a Claus. Q: What do you call Santa’s helpers? A: Subordinate clauses. MSN
IMPACT
Make a Legacy Gift to Museum of the Rockies Did you know that it is possible to save on your taxes and give to an organization that you already hold dear? If you are age 70½ or older, you can make tax-free contributions from your Individual Retirement Accounts directly to qualified charities such as Museum of the Rockies. Many of our supporters have already passed along their annual Required Minimum Distributions to us, allowing them to reduce their taxable income and help us bring more exciting exhibits and programs to the Museum. For more information about how gifts from your IRA can help both you and the Museum, please call 406-994-4973 or email Kathryn.Hohmann@montana.edu.
Thank you! 600 W. Kagy Blvd., Bozeman, MT 59717 | 406.994.2251 | museumoftherockies.org
PAGE 50 MONTANA SENIOR NEWS
Your Generosity Can Help Empower At-risk Youth And Their Families
Giving to Tumbleweed Program makes a difference in youths’ lives as reflected in the thoughts of three of our clients. A Transitional Living teenage high school female says after two years of bouncing from one friend’s couch to the next, “I was actually able to put my stuff in my own room. I didn’t have to worry where I was going to sleep that night, or where I was supposed to take a shower and what I was going to eat. That wasn’t a burden on me anymore.” And, she remains in school! One Drop-In Center male client declares, “[Tumbleweed] helps to keep me sober, and out of trouble. The staff here is very supportive....” A Counseling high school male student relates, “I’m able to get food for my family now. I don’t have to worry and stress about them going hungry. Tumbleweed takes such a huge load off of me, off my shoulders, that I can focus on my studies....” For 40 years, Tumbleweed has served at-risk, runaway, and homeless youth (ages 10-24 years) and their families in Yellowstone County. Particularly in time of conflict and crisis, Tumbleweed provides comprehensive programs including our Drop-In Center, Transitional Living, Counseling, and Human Trafficking. For information and to learn how you can support our mission, call 406259-2558 or visit tumbleweedprogram.org. MSN
DECEMBER 2016/JANUARY 2017
Start Planning Now For Your Grandchild’s Future College Costs
Higher education is the key to helping children move toward their future dreams and goals. With the rising costs of tuition and the burden of student loan debt weighing on today’s youth, it is incredibly important to start planning now to save for tomorrow’s college costs. Grandparents can inspire endless possibilities that come with a higher degree by starting an education savings account for their grandchildren. A Section 529 qualified tuition program (529 Plan) is an affordable and simple tax-advantaged program designed to help save for college. Montana’s 529 Plan, Achieve Montana, offers investments that have immediate tax benefits making the last few weeks of 2016 the perfect time to open an account for loved ones before the tax year-ends. The assets in an Achieve Montana account can help to pay for your grandchild’s tuition, fees, books, as well as certain room and board costs. Legislation was recently passed making certain equipment like a computer, printer, scanner, education-related software, and the cost of internet access eligible expenses for tax-free withdrawals. The funds from an Achieve Montana account can be used at eligible two- and four-year schools, trade and technical institutes, and even graduate schools not only in Montana but at eligible schools anywhere around the country. Plus, there are no time or age restrictions on
when the money can be used to pay for qualified higher education expenses. Achieve Montana does not require the beneficiary to attend college immediately after graduating high school. Achieve Montana has generous contribution limits and attractive investment options. Earnings grow tax-deferred, qualified withdrawals are tax free, and there is a special tax benefit for Montana taxpayers. An Achieve Montana account can be opened with as little as $25 with additional contributions as low as $15 with payroll deduction. Grandparents and other family members can also contribute to Achieve Montana accounts through Ugift®, an easy-to-use online service that allows anyone to celebrate holidays, birthdays, or other milestones with the gift of college savings. What better gift for children than money towards their education? An Achieve Montana college savings account may be one of the most meaningful gifts your grandchild ever receives. As you plan for your year-end donations, consider investing in a college savings program so your grandchild will have the chance to explore all they want in life. Signing up for an Achieve Montana account is easy, and there are specialists to help provide expertise and more information regarding tax requirements. Visit achievemontana.com today, or call 877486-9271, and take the first steps towards your grandchild’s dreams. MSN
DECEMBER 2016/JANUARY 2017
MONTANA SENIOR NEWS PAGE 51
Incentive Trusts Can Motivate Your Heirs
By Jim Miller Dear Savvy Senior, What can you tell me about incentive trusts? I have two adult children that are financial disasters. Before I die, I want to put some type of requirements in place that they will need to follow in order to receive their portion of my estate. Otherwise, they’ll blow it all in the first year. Troubled Parent Dear Parent, If you want to influence your family members even after you’re gone, an incentive trust is definitely an option to consider. Here’s how it works, along with some tips to help you create one. Incentive Trust? An incentive trust is an estate-planning tool designed to help prod your heirs in a direction you desire when you’re no longer around. Some or all of your assets are passed to your trust when you die rather than directly to your heirs. Your trustee is empowered to distribute funds from the trust only when your beneficiaries do whatever it is you have specified in the trust. For example, an incentive trust might encourage a beneficiary to graduate from college, enter a particular profession, get married, or even have children. It could also reward beneficiaries who do charitable work, or supplement the incomes of those who choose low-paying, yet meaningful careers like teaching or social work. Or, it could penalize beneficiaries who don’t work by cutting off or decreasing distributions, or placing restrictions on heirs with addictions by requiring that payments go directly to rehab centers. But be aware that these types of trusts can also have drawbacks. A poorly constructed incentive trust can have a high risk of unintended consequences. For example, if your trust provides a financial incentive for your children to be employed full-time, but one of them gets sick or seriously injured in a car accident and can’t work, they could be punished unfairly. You also need to know that incentive trusts aren’t cheap, and you can expect to pay an attorney $2,500 to $5,000 to draft one. There are also legal limits on what you can do with an incentive trust. While state laws vary, incentive trusts that encourage a beneficiary to join or leave a particular religion, or leave a spouse or not marry at all, can be challenged in court and possibly struck down. How To Make One To create a solid incentive trust that accomplishes what you envision, tell your estateplanning attorney that you want to include precise instructions that clearly spell out your wishes, but you also want to include language granting your trustee the right to use his or her discretion and that the trustee’s decisions should be final and binding. This allows your trustee to make common sense rulings, which will reduce or eliminate the chances of unintended and unfair consequences.
“We wanted to leave our children comfortable, but when we did our estate planning, we also wanted to leave a legacy with organizations whose work we love. Neighborworks has made such a big impact in Great Falls. We named NeighborWorks in our will and we also make an annual gift, so their good work can continue far into the future.”
It also makes it very difficult for beneficiaries to challenge successfully the trust or trustee in court. When a trust grants final decision-making authority to its trustee, it becomes almost impossible for beneficiaries to argue that this trustee is not correctly implementing the trust’s terms. The key is to select a trustee who’s smart enough to interpret your intent and has sufficient backbone to stand up to beneficiaries when necessary. You also need to select a successor trustee too if your first choice can no longer Serving our area’s individuals with serve. Fees paid to a intellectual and developmental disabilities. trustee vary widely depending on the state’s fee schedules, the size and complexity of the trust, and conditions laid out in the trust. Send your senior Bring in this ad for a questions to Savvy Senior, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070, or visit Discount SavvySenior.org. Jim Ronan Polson Miller is a contributor to the NBC Today show 229 Main St. SW • Ronan • 406-676-2727 417 Main ST • Polson • 406-883-3443 and author of The Open Mon–Fri, 9am–6pm, Sat 9am–5pm Open Mon–Sat, 9am–6pm Savvy Senior book. MSN
Mission Mountain Enterprises
20%
Twice But Nice
Nifty Thrifty
Donations to the stores are always appreciated! Call for large donation pickups.
Montana’s Future is in Your Hands.
Learn how planned giving can help you, your loved ones and the charities you care about. Also, save up to $10,000 on your taxes with the Montana Endowment Tax Credit.
www.mtcf.org
•
www.mtcf.org 406.443.8313
•
406.443.8313
As you plan your year-end gifts and complete your estate planning, please consider the NeighborWorks Great Falls Endowment. Planned gifts are eligible for the Montana State Endowment Tax Credit. Donate in any of these ways: • Bequest in your will • Cash Contribution • IRA Beneficiary or Charitable Rollover • Charitable Gift Annuity
• Gift of Real Estate • Gift of Stock • Life Insurance Policy Beneficiary
509 1st Avenue South, Great Falls, Montana 59401 406-761-5861 • 866-587-2244 • www.nwgf.org
PAGE 52 MONTANA SENIOR NEWS
ANACONDA
DECEMBER 2016/JANUARY 2017
BUTTE
Mike King 118 Cherry Anaconda, MT 59711 406-563-2991
Jim Lynch 600 Dewey Boulevard Butte, MT 59701 406-494-3300
BILLINGS
15 West Legion Whitehall, MT 59759 406-287-3907
Brian Nearpass 751 S 24th St W Billings, MT 59102 406-248-2193
BOZEMAN
Dan Rust 1805 W Dickerson Bldg 2, Suite 1 Bozeman, MT 59715 406-587-8287
DEER LODGE
Karen Flynn 712 Main Deer Lodge, MT 59722 406-846-1111
DILLON
Ted Ori 24 South Idaho Dillon, MT 59725 406-683-2472
GREAT FALLS
Pam Hansen Alfred 2817 10th Ave South Great Falls, MT 59405 406-453-6010 Gary T. Fosse 222 15th Street S Great Falls, MT 59405 406-452-6446 Greg Franczyk 17 2nd St S Great Falls, MT 59401 406-770-3040 Aaron Hamilton 1900 4th St NE Great Falls, MT 59404 406-761-7601
KALISPELL
Brandon Pope 175 Hutton Ranch Rd Ste 113 Kalispell, MT 59901 406-752-3515
LIVINGSTON
Dean Hendrickson 224 West Lewis St Livingston, MT 59047 406-222-2250 125 McLeod Street Big Timber, MT 59011 406-932-5321 Sarah Skofield 125 E Callender St Livingston, MT 59047 406-222-1000
SHELBY
Mark Olson 111 1st St S Shelby, MT 59474 406-434-5342 30 S Central Cut Bank, MT 59425 406-873-5021
DECEMBER 2016/JANUARY 2017
MONTANA SENIOR NEWS PAGE 53
PAGE 54 MONTANA SENIOR NEWS
DECEMBER 2016/JANUARY 2017
It’s Time to...
SHOP
GreatFallsCarpetCleaning.com
STAY
WINTER SPECIAL!
99.00
$
CARPET CLEANING SPECIAL UP TO 300 SQ FT. MAXIMUM
Chem-Dry of Cascade County
We Clean For Your Health Like No One Else
Independently Owned & Operated.
Chem-Dry Removes:*
98%
of allergens from carpets and upholstery
89%
of airborne bacteria, improving indoor air quality
*Based on studies conducted by independent laboratories of Chem-Dry’s HCE (Hot Carbonating Extraction), P.U.R.T. (Pet Urine Removal Treatment), Granite Countertop Renewal, and Tile, Stone & Grout cleaning processes. Allergens tested were dog and cat dander and dust mite allergen. Pet odor results based on testing with the most common odor sources found in dog and cat urine. Pet urine bacteria results based on Chem-Dry’s HCE cleaning process and a sanitizer, combined with P.U.R.T. All bacteria results include use of sanitizer. Figures are an average across multiple tests.
CALL TODAY TO SCHEDULE!
Seniors and Military/Veterans
10% Discount Chem-Dry’s proprietary Hot Carbonating Extraction (HCE) cleaning process provides a deeper, longer lasting clean for a healthier home.
GREAT FALLS & SURROUNDING AREAS
Stairs are an additional charge. Limit 1 coupon per customer. Not valid with any other offers. Must present coupon. Expires 2/28/17 HTV
WINTER SAVINGS!
123.50
$
CARPET CLEANING SPECIAL UP TO 400 SQ FT. MAXIMUM
Stairs are an additional charge. Limit one coupon per customer. Not valid with any other offers. Must present coupon. Expires 2/28/17 HTV
406-454-2500
PLAY
DECEMBER 2016/JANUARY 2017
MONTANA SENIOR NEWS PAGE 55
Christmas at Grandma’s House
By Betty Mroz Watching the corn-stubbled fields glazed with ice crystals reflecting the full moon pass too quickly, I peered through the frosted windows of my uncle’s car. Occasionally, a yard light pierced the darkness, shadowing the barns and sheds in an eerie glow that made my youthful imagination look for spirits. Maybe they were the spirits of Christmas. Maybe they were Santa’s helpers. I tried to sit very still and soon fell asleep snuggled against my mother’s warm fur coat. In what seemed a brief moment, we were turning into the driveway at my grandparents’ farm. I shivered in the cold, clear air, running to the warmth of my grandmother’s embrace. Many
times, my brother and I had spent summers on the farm, but we had never experienced winter there before. The family farm had been inhabited by our ancestors for over 100 years. Its stately white house with pillars holding the beckoning overhead porch framed in white pickets, was always a temptation for my brother and me; we longed to climb out the bedroom windows onto the tempting overhang just to observe the far-flung empty fields. But not tonight! Grandma said we had to lug our suitcases up the stairs to choose our bedrooms: north room, south room or middle room. I usually chose the middle room with its fluffy feather mattress where I could sink into heaven for happy dreams. My
PAGE 56 MONTANA SENIOR NEWS
SHOP
DECEMBER 2016/JANUARY 2017
STAY
PLAY
24hr Pool
Pet Friendly Fresh Baked Cookies Extended Continental Breakfast Cloud Nine Bedding
1-406-549-1800 4805 N Reserve, Missoula missoula.hamptoninn.com
DECEMBER 2016/JANUARY 2017
brother chose the north room to sleep beside the uncle he so emulated. My parents chose the south room because it was considered the desired room for guests with its tiny-flowered wallpaper, crisp organdy curtains, and newly laundered outdoorsy sheets. The other room on this floor was “the attic” as Grandma called it. We played in there when the weather was too soggy or inclement for us to be outdoors. It did not take us long to settle in, and soon in cuddly pajamas, we were out. It stormed during the night, and the whistling wind had swirled the snow into huge waves of crystal white. It was beautiful. As we climbed on chairs to peek out the kitchen windows, we noticed the huge red barns wore their snow coats. We did not see any animals. When I inquired, my uncle said they fed the animals inside the barns in the frigid winter, and their bodies embracing each other and their young ones kept them warm. Soon he would wade through the snow to make sure they were fed and watered. We begged to go along. Bundled in warm coats, swathed in colorful wool scarves, and with our woolen leggings tucked in heavy boots, we almost forgot our warm mittens. We climbed snow mountains, launched snowballs, laughed, and played; we forgot about helping to feed
MONTANA SENIOR NEWS PAGE 57
the animals, but our uncle knew and relived our fascination with the pure crystalline world that engulfed us. Back at the house, Grandma constructed a huge farm breakfast: recently laid eggs, thick bacon strips, and pancakes crisped all around with a crunchy crust that we smothered with homemade butter and sweet maple syrup. What a treat after our romp in the cold, wet snow! (Continued on page 59)
Come in as Guests & Leave as Family Bed and Breakfast Deal*
Starting at $149 plus tax for 2. Restrictions apply etc. • • • • •
DELUXE ACCOMMODATIONS EXCLUSIVE SELF-ADJUSTABLE BED KEURIG COFFEE MAKER REFRIGERATOR AND MICROWAVE PRIME SHOPPING LOCATION
Enjoy our Bed n’ Breakfast Deal which includes breakfast for each adult staying in the same room, plus kids 12 and under are complimentary.
THE MULLAN ROAD
Start off the day right with eggs cooked the way you want them, omelets, French toast, hash browns, bacon, sausage… the works! And on weekends, enjoy our extended breakfast service until 11:00 a.m.
Twelve western historians have collaborated on this examination of Mullan’s famed 624-mile military wagon road, built to provide a route through the western wilderness, from Fort Benton in the future state of Montana to Fort Walla Walla in Washington Territory.
CARVING A PASSAGE THROUGH THE FRONTIER NORTHWEST , 1859–62
EDITED BY
PAUL D. MCDERMOTT, ET. AL.
Hilton Garden Inn Billings 2465 Grant Road, Billings, MT 59102 406-655-8800 1-877-STAY-HGI www.billings.hgi.com *Terms and conditions: Subject to availability at participating hotels. Availability and rate will be confirmed at time of booking and will vary by property, length of stay, date and are based on occupancy per room. Rate does not include resort/service fees, taxes, incidental charges or gratuities. Rate includes breakfast for up to two adults and two children 12 years old and younger registered in the same room Breakfast does not include gratuities or alcoholic beverages. Other restrictions may apply.
For a FREE catalog contact:
Mountain Press P U B L I S H I N G CO M PA N Y P.O. Box 2399 • Missoula, MT 59806 • 406-728-1900 800-234-5308 • info @mtnpress.com www.mountain-press.com
296 pages 9.5 x 9.5 $38.00, paper
PAGE 58 MONTANA SENIOR NEWS
SHOP
DECEMBER 2016/JANUARY 2017
STAY
PLAY Rocky Mountain Rug Gallery
CUSTOM FR AMING & GI FTS
406-265-3125
220 3rd Avenue #401 - Upper Level Atrium • Havre hpg@highplainsgallery.com
DECEMBER 2016/JANUARY 2017
After our outdoor clothes dried, we were off with our grandfather, Dad, and uncle to find just the right tree in the timber for our Christmas tree. It would hold its stately place in the living room. Home again, while our uncle and Dad situated the chosen tree in the living room, we prepared ornaments out of tin foil, clothes pins, and scraps of material. Our dad was a pro stringing colored lights, and with our ornaments, this sticky fir tree became our special tree for Christmas. Soon our cousins arrived from town, delayed by the snowy roads they had to maneuver and increasing our concern, worry, and impatience. With whoops and hollers, we welcomed them. Since we had to be out of the “Christmas room” to prepare for Santa’s coming, I led my younger brother and cousins in originating a Christmas play complete with the carols we knew. Yes, while we were so busy, Santa came, bringing new
MONTANA SENIOR NEWS PAGE 59
clothes for our dolls, new clothes to wear to Midnight Mass, and toy trucks and Tinkertoys for my brother and boy cousins. Our meal was delightful with our cousins sharing our “kids’” table. I do not remember what we ate; only that it was special, prepared by my grandmother, mother, and aunt. The women worked together, clad in their big aprons and chatting family gossip. While we waited to go to midnight Mass, we dozed in the glow and warmth of the Christmas room. I remember trudging through the snow, the glow of colored lights, and the warmth of candles as we sat huddled together in our heavy wool coats. I guess we slumbered through much of the service and were soon glad to be on our way back to the feather beds and full sleep. Our cousins got to stay overnight, so there were many giggles and tickles before we finally gave up. It was one of the grandest Christmases ever! MSN
rigtaetse Dend In A
ONLY
ld of
The wor
5500
$
n Harmo By Tom
plus $7 shipping
r
are s P. She Thoma raphy by Photog
Enjoy the Beauty of Dendrites & Rainbows in Agate
Get Your Copy Today! Order Online At: harmons.net godspaintingsinstone.com
Also Available At: The Agate Shop Savage, Montana 406-776-2373
HARMON’S AGATE & SILVER, INC. PO BOX 21 • CRANE • 406-798-3624
PAGE 60 MONTANA SENIOR NEWS
DECEMBER 2016/JANUARY 2017
EDGEWOOD MEMORY CARE Belgrade
Missoula
406.388.9439 1011 Cardinal Drive
406.549.9660 2815 Palmer
Billings
Kalispell
406.256.5398 1225 Wicks Lane
406.755.3240 141 Interstate Lane
DECEMBER 2016/JANUARY 2017
MONTANA SENIOR NEWS PAGE 61
Color Me Cautious … or Color Me DEAD! For many, a visit to Yellowstone National Park is the vacation of a lifetime. Where else can you stare into the depths of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, watch in wonder as Old Faithful erupts on cue, come face-to-face with a lumbering bison – or be boiled alive in a thermal pool? Perhaps you’d prefer to be torn apart by a grizzly bear during a peaceful morning hike? In Yellowstone National Park: A Cautionary Coloring Book, you’ll find facts about the park, advice on its many animals (peaceful and otherwise), and tips to help you stay alive during what hopefully isn’t your last trip to the nation’s first national park. “Yellowstone National Park offers its visitors more spectacular natural wonders – and as many ways to die while enjoying those wonders – than anywhere on the planet,” says Andy Robbins, author and illustrator of the alternative coloring book geared towards mature colorists. “I wanted to make a coloring book about dying in Yellowstone National Park that would be educational, funny, and unflinchingly gory,” Robbins explains. “Being eaten by a grizzly bear or falling into a thermal pool isn’t traditional coloring book fare, but to make the point that Yellowstone can be hazardous, I tried to depict these incidents in ways that are horrific, but also comical.”
“When we hear about a park visitor getting gored by a bison while trying to take a selfie with the animal, or falling off an overlook or into a hot spring despite numerous warning signs, we shake our heads and think, ‘How could someone be so stupid?’ In reality though, this could be any of us, dying on vacation because we stopped paying attention or thought that the rules applied to someone else.” “So my coloring book speaks about this sense of entitlement while reminding readers that Yellowstone is not a theme park or a petting zoo. At the edge of the boardwalk, the real Yellowstone begins, and it’s a very wild place,” concludes Robbins. “This, of course, is what makes Yellowstone so special.” Yellowstone National Park: A Cautionary Coloring Book (9780692747254, $8.95, Caput Mortuum Books) is available at local bookstores and gift shops, through online retailers, or from Farcountry Press at 800-821-3874, farcountrypress.com. Author/Illustrator Andrew Robbins works as a professional artist from his home in northern Wyoming, where he produces mysterious paintings, non-therapeutic coloring books, and other projects of questionable taste. MSN
Premier Affordable Senior Housing Quality, Rent Subsidized Housing for Seniors Ages 62+
Four Montana Locations: Van Ee Apartments
Bozeman Great Falls Helena Kalispell
Summer Wood Apartments The Portage Aspen Village Van Ee Apartments
Features and Ammenities
CAPITAL TRANSIT M–F Except Holidays Office Hours: 8am–12pm & 1pm–5pm Origin to Destination: 6:30am–5:30pm
EAST VALLEY
7am–11am 1pm–5pm
HELENA CHECK POINT ROUTE
7am–6pm
1415 NORTH MONTANA AVE | 406.447.8080 WHEEL CHAIR ACCESSIBLE
Summer Wood
• One-bedroom apartments • Spacious kitchens & large bathrooms • Controlled access entry & lobbies • Large multipurpose community rooms • Elevator service & on-site laundry • Outdoor patios & grass grills (at select buildings) • Activity rooms & tub rooms (at select buildings) • 30% gross adjusted monthly income based rent Short Waiting List • Call Today!
CALL 800-466-7722
|
TTY/TDD 800-627-3529
www.accessiblespace.org
PAGE 62 MONTANA SENIOR NEWS
DECEMBER 2016/JANUARY 2017
Caregiving Tips for Long-Distance Caregivers By Jim Miller Dear Savvy Senior, Can you recommend any long-distance caregiving tips that can help me with my elderly father who lives in another state? He has physically declined over the past year, but is determined to stay living in his own house. Worried Daughter Dear Worried, Providing care and support for an aging parent who lives far away can be very difficult and stressful. Here are some tips and resources that can help. When it comes to monitoring and caring for an aging parent from afar, you have a couple options. You can either hire a professional to oversee your dad’s needs, or you can manage things yourself by building a support system, tapping into available resources, and utilizing technology devices that can help you keep tabs on him. Professional Help – If your dad needs a lot of help, you should consider hiring an “aging life care professional” who will give him a thorough assessment to identify his needs, and will set up and manage all aspects of his care. These professionals typically charge between $100 and $200 per hour, and are not covered by Medicare. To find a professional in your dad’s area, ask his doctor for a referral or visit the Aging Life Care Association website at AgingLifeCare. org. Do-It-Yourself – If your dad only needs occasional help, or if you can’t afford to use a care manager, here are some things you can do yourself to help him. Assemble a sup-
Aging has enough difficulties.
Getting the care you need shouldn’t be one of them. Highgate Senior Living offers full care for all, no matter what your age or ailment. Our team of compassionate professionals can handle almost anything, including complex medical issues and post-acute hospital care. In fact, we specialize in services normally provided in skilled nursing, such as diabetic care and oxygen management, injectable medications, wound care, feeding tubes, catheter monitoring, two-person transfers, and hospice. Just call any of our three Assisted Living/Memory Care communities in Montana, and we’ll make sure your move into Highgate is one of the easiest things in your life right now. Highgate at Billings 406-651-4833
Highgate at Bozeman 406-587-5100
Highgate at Great Falls 406-454-0991
port system: Put together a network of people (nearby friends or family, neighbors, clergy, etc.) who can check on your dad regularly, and whom you can call on from time to time for occasional help. Also put together a list of reliable services you can call for household needs like lawn care, handyman services, plumber, etc. Tap local resources: Most communities offer a range of free or subsidized services that can help seniors with basic needs such as home delivered meals, transportation, senior companion services, and more. Contact the Area Aging Agency near your dad – call 800-677-1116 for contact information – to find out what’s available. Use financial aids: If your dad needs help with his financial chores, arrange for direct deposit for his income sources, and set up automatic payments for his utilities and other routine bills. You may also want to set up your dad’s online banking service, so you can pay bills and monitor his account anytime. Or, if you need help, hire a daily money manager (aadmm.com) to do it for you. They charge between $25 and $100 per hour. Benefitscheckup.org is another excellent resource to look for financial assistance programs that may help your dad, particularly if he’s lowerincome. Hire in-home help: Depending on your dad’s needs, you may need to hire a part-time homecare aide that can help with things like preparing meals, housekeeping, or personal care. Costs can run anywhere from $12 up to $25 per hour. To find someone, ask for referrals through your dad’s doctor or area hospital discharge planners, or try websites like Care.com, CareLinx. com, CareFamily.com, or CareSpotter.com. Utilize technology: To help you monitor your dad and manage his care from afar, various technologies can help. For example, there are motion sensors (like Silver Mother - sen.se/silvermother) and video cameras (nest.com/camera) that can help you make sure he is moving around the house normally; computerized pillboxes (medminder.com) that will notify you if he forgets to take his medication; simplified computer tablets (grandpad.net)
Once you’re here, you’re home. Come discover the many comforts of our caring community. When you join our family, you can feel secure knowing that we’re here for you every step of the way. Whatever the future holds, our communities are designed to care for your needs through all the stages of life.
For more information, tion, call (406) 587-4570. Brookdale Springmeadows Assisted Living 3175 Graf Street Bozeman, Montana 59715 24101-P4-0716-ROP CB
©2016 Brookdale Senior Living, Inc. All rights reserved. BROOKDALE SENIOR LIVING and BRINGING NEW LIFE TO SENIOR LIVING are the registered trademarks of Brookdale Senior Living, Inc.
Bringing New Life to Senior Living™
Merry Christmas Happy New Year & from Home means family. Home means safety. Home means feeling restored. At Genesis HealthCareSM Whitefish Center, home also means thriving—physically, emotionally and socially. We provide professional medical services such as skilled nursing and rehabiliation therapy in a quality, caring environment. Welcome home. Transportation to Doctor Appointments • Tracheostomy Care • Wound Care
brookdale.com
TM
(406) 862-3557
1305 E. 7th St, Whitefish
DECEMBER 2016/JANUARY 2017
that provide important face-to-face video calls; and a variety of websites that can help you coordinate care (lotsahelpinghands.com) and medical information (reunioncare.com) with other family members. For more tips, call the National Institute on Aging at 800-222-2225 and order its free booklet Long-Distance Caregiving: Twenty Questions and Answers. Send your senior questions to Savvy Senior, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070, or visit SavvySenior.org. Jim Miller is a contributor to the NBC Today show and author of The Savvy Senior book. MSN
MONTANA SENIOR NEWS PAGE 63
Caring for someone with Alzheimer’s isn’t easy. Reaching us is.
Helping Seniors Live With Independence And Dignity The non-profit Fergus County Council on Aging (FCCOA) provides a wide variety of programs and services to seniors and those with disabilities so they may live happy, healthy lives with independence, dignity, and respect. Although the FCCOA does receive some federal and state grants, donations, fundraisers, and community support provide the bulk of funds needed to maintain our programs. For those over 60, the Council on Aging’s nutrition program consists of a free congregate meal and for those who are home bound, free Meals on Wheels deliveries. FCCOA’s Central Montana Shuttle is an on-demand local transportation system for all public needs, and it is free for those with disabilities or over 60. The Central Montana Shuttle also makes weekly trips out of town to the larger cities of Billings and Great Falls. Our staff is trained and certified to provide information and assistance with many health and financial concerns such as Medicare, Medicaid, the State Health Insurance Program, and tax help. The Council on Aging also provides other services, including homemaking and respite care for seniors and those with disabilities, Ombudsman advocacy, foot clinic, an exercise program, and call reassurance. For additional information contact the Fergus County Council on Aging at 406-535-7486 or visit fccoa.net. MSN
What is the definition of “Old?”
Submitted by Jim Meade I very quietly confided to my best friend that I was having an affair. She turned to me and asked, “Are you having it catered?” And that, my friend, is the sad definition of “old”!
A reporter interviewing a 104-year-old woman asked, “And what do you think is the best thing about being 104?” She simply replied, “No peer pressure.” An elderly woman decided to prepare her will and told her preacher she had two final requests. First, she wanted to be cremated, and second, she wanted her ashes scattered over Wal-Mart. “Wal-Mart?” the preacher exclaimed. “Why Wal-Mart?” “Then I’ll be sure my daughters visit me twice a week.” MSN
If you care for someone with Alzheimer’s disease, memory loss or dementia, you are not alone. We’re here day or night — whenever you need us — offering reliable information and support. Free 24/7 Helpline: 800.272.3900 Alzheimer’s and Dementia Caregiver Center: alz.org/care
Whatcha Haulin’? Submitted by Julie Brantley A farmer was driving along the road with a load of fertilizer. A little boy, playing in front of his house, saw him and called, “What’ve you got in your truck?” “Fertilizer,” the farmer replied. “What are you going to do with it?” asked the little boy “Put it on strawberries,” answered the farmer. “You ought to live here,” the little boy advised. “We put sugar and cream on ours.” MSN
Cottages I Independent & Assisted Living I Memory Care
Wind Beneath Your Wings Light-hearted Living
Freedom from budgeting, home maintenance—and the stove. A built-in social calendar. And birds of a feather everywhere you look.
Seasonal Lift
Ask about Pick-a-Perk For those taking financial possession by year-end
Come see our newly remodeled memory care
406.652.9303
4001 Bell Ave | MorningStarSeniorLiving.com
PAGE 64 MONTANA SENIOR NEWS
DECEMBER 2016/JANUARY 2017
Plan Ahead For Medical Appointments By Lisa M. Petsche When the relative you are caring for must attend a medical appointment, planning is crucial, especially if they have special healthcare needs. You need to be prepared not only for the appointment itself, but also for the travel and wait time involved. Follow the tips below to minimize stress and maximize success. Before You Go • If accessible transportation is required, book it well in advance. • Don’t schedule anything else on the appointment day. • If you are driving to an unfamiliar location, call in advance to get directions and information about parking options. Also inquire about the accessibility of the premises in terms of parking, entrances, and washrooms, and whether transport chairs are available. • Complete any forms received at a previous appointment or by mail, for example, questionnaires or pre-op paperwork. • Review any literature received in advance regarding how to prepare for the appointment and what to expect. • Ensure your relative wears loose-fitting, breathable clothing and comfortable walking shoes. Layer garments to make it easy to adapt to warm or cool temperatures. • If the weather is inclement or you are anxious about parking, plan to take a taxi so you and your relative can be dropped off and picked up at the medical building’s entrance. • Make a list of everything to bring along. What to Bring • Tickets for accessible transportation, disabled parking permit, parking pass or sufficient
money for parking lot fees. • Mobility aids. • Nourishment. Snacks are especially important if you or your relative is diabetic. If your appointment is near lunchtime, pack a sandwich and drink for both of you. If your relative resides in a care facility, request a bag lunch a day in advance. Bring an apron or towel to protect their clothing while they eat, and wet wipes for cleaning up afterwards. • Sufficient prescription and over-the-counter medications to cover the time you expect to be away. Bring an extra dose in case the wait is unusually long. • Extra incontinence pad or brief. • Change of clothes and a plastic bag for soiled garments. • Facial tissues. • Hand sanitizer. • Medical insurance information. • List of all health conditions and medications, including dosages and frequency of use. • List of questions and concerns. • Note pad and pen to record information and instructions. • Cell phone that is sufficiently charged in touch with someone. • Reading material or other diversionary items like crossword puzzles or personal music players to keep your relative pleasantly occupied during waiting periods. Bring something for yourself, too. When You Arrive • Make use of hand sanitizers. • If it’s your first time in the building, orient yourself. Consult any layout plans or directories, typically found by main entrances. Find out where washrooms are located, and whether there is a
cafeteria, coffee stand, or snack shop for purchasing drinks and snacks. The latter is good to know for future visits. • Have health insurance information ready when you check in at the office or clinic. Let the receptionist know of any special needs your relative may have like behavioral issues that may be exacerbated by noise or a long wait or if your relative has another appointment in the building or elsewhere. Before You Leave • If your relative resides in a care facility, ask the healthcare provider to make a brief note regarding any findings, recommendations, and plans. This is important information for you to take back for the charge nurse and the physician overseeing your relative’s care. Also inform staff of any tests or follow-up appointments that are scheduled or require booking. • If a referral is being made to another healthcare professional, ensure you are clear about their name, area of expertise, location, and the purpose of the consultation. • If your relative is being booked for a test, inquire about the typical amount of time involved and whether special preparation is required. When You Get Home • Note any consultations or tests on your calendar right away. Attach appointment cards with a paper clip, so you have phone numbers handy if you have any questions or need to reschedule. • Keep any forms or information sheets you’ve been given in a labeled file folder, for easy access. Lisa M. Petsche is a medical social worker and a freelance writer specializing in boomer and senior health matters. MSN
MontanaSeniorNews.com Respite Is A Must For Caregivers – Take A Break From Caregiving And Do It Often By Lisa M. Petsche If you are providing care to a chronically ill or infirm family member, you may be aware of the importance of taking a break from caregiving duties and have arrangements in place that allow for this. If not, this article is for you. Although caregiving can be quite rewarding, it can also be very stressful due to the physical toll of hands-on helping and the mental and emotional strain of dealing with the illness of a loved one, especially if he or she poses behavioral challenges. That’s why it’s important for caregivers to have respite, ideally on a regular basis. Healthcare professionals encourage caregivers to take breaks in order to attend to things on their “to-do” list they have been putting off, but especially to take care of their personal needs and maintain their individuality. This break time can involve a wide variety of activities, from performing necessary household management tasks, to running errands, to engaging in self-care (catching up on sleep, getting a haircut, attending a support group), to enjoying some recreation and leisure time (pursuing a hobby, visiting friends, attending a cultural event, taking a vacation).
WONDERFUL COMMON AREAS
Club/Billiard Room w/Fireplace, Beauty/Barber Shop, Fitness Room, Coffee Bar, Movie Theater, Den/Library, and Beautiful Courtyard
LARGE UNITS
4 Floor Plans, Living Area, Kitchen, Private Bathrooms w/Walk-In Showers, Bedrooms w/Walk-In Closets, and Private Patio 24hr Caring & Professional Staff, Affordable Rates, & Utilities Included
Columbia Falls 406-892-3400 | Havre 406-265-3111 www.timbercreekvillagecommunity.com
DECEMBER 2016/JANUARY 2017
Benefits The goal of respite is to refresh caregivers physically, mentally, and spiritually and provide a change of pace – and often environment – to renew their energy and restore their perspective. When practiced regularly, respite helps keep the stresses of caregiving manageable, prevents burnout – a common phenomenon among caregivers that’s manifested by physical health problems or emotional symptoms such as frequent irritation by small annoyances and feeling overwhelmed. The benefits of respite extend to care receivers as well: they receive a fresh approach to care and perhaps more individualized attention from the alternate caregiver. If respite takes place in the community, it provides a stimulating change of environment and a chance to socialize as well as participate in new or previously enjoyed activities. In addition, regular breaks can serve to reduce any tension that may exist between caregiver and care receiver because of constant togetherness and, in some cases, personality differences. Respite also expands each person’s world, opening them up to new relationships and opportunities and providing interesting topics for conversation when they are together. This serves to enrich the relationship between the caregiver and care receiver. Care Options In-home respite may be provided by a healthcare aide employed by a government agency or hired directly by the caregiver through a home healthcare agency; by an individual with or without formal training hired under a private arrangement (often located via word of mouth or newspaper classified ad); by a trained volunteer (for example, from the Alzheimer’s Association); or by a relative or friend. Community-based respite options include caregiver support groups that offer concurrent care; adult day care centers that provide social and recreational programming and often include a midday meal; and residential care facilities that have a short-stay program. Selection Factors Some caregivers are fortunate to have friends or relatives nearby who are able and willing to provide regular or occasional respite. Some may
MONTANA SENIOR NEWS PAGE 65
offer to help, while others might need to be asked but are glad to be of assistance. Other caregivers, however, may not have any local relatives, or none who are in a position to help (due to their own health problems or other obligations, for example), and must rely on formal help instead. The following factors need to be considered when choosing a respite service. • Type of assistance needed – companionship, supervision, housekeeping, personal care, or medical monitoring and intervention. This will determine the type of caregiver qualifications required. • Special medical or behavioral needs, communication challenges, and any eccentricities of the care receiver. • Time involved – length and frequency of desired breaks. • Setting – consider transportation issues as well as the care receiver’s energy level, personality (for example, shy versus outgoing), and any preferences he or she may have. • Cost, including whether a subsidy or insurance coverage is available. Be aware that some agencies may charge a time minimum per visit for homemaking, personal support, and companion services. If you decide to seek private in-home help, arrange to meet with the potential helper in your home after performing a telephone screening. Prepare a list of questions in advance, to help you determine the person’s qualifications and
Independent & Assisted Living
tudios, one or two bedroom S apartments available for seniors. For more info please contact us at: 406-228-2208 or visit us on the web: prairieridgevillage.com • Glasgow
Visit montanaseniornews.com
for quality products and services from these online advertisers. Accountants/CPAs Books Caregiving Entertainment Funeral Health Home Insurance Lodging Monuments Real Estate Restaurant Retirement Living Social Services Travel Travel
Anderson-Zurmuehlen Harmon’s Agate & Silver Highgate Senior Living Tri-State Museum Smith Funeral Chapels Barrett Hospital & Healthcare 4G Plumbing & Heating Intermountain Heating & A/C Harp Insurance Agency High Plains Health Plan Chateau Rouge Goose Ridge Monuments Be Smart Property Management Cindy Stevick Clark Fork Realty Peking Gardens West Perkins Timber Creek Village Alzheimer’s Association Billings Food Bank CapeAir Satrom Travel & Tour
azworld.com harmons.net highgateseniorliving.com bellefourche.org smithfuneralchapels.com barretthospital.org 4gplumbing.com intermountainheating.com harp.agency 406-866-0122 chateaurouge.com gooseridgemonuments.com besmartpm.com jackhamlin.com/cindy.php clarkforkrealty.com pekinggardenswest.com perkinsrestaurants.com timbercreekvillagecommunity.com alz.org/care billingsfoodbank.com capeair.com satromtravel.com MSN
PAGE 66 MONTANA SENIOR NEWS
DECEMBER 2016/JANUARY 2017
suitability, and provide a comprehensive description of your relative’s needs and your expectations. Pay close attention to how the candidate interacts with your relative. Ask for and check references, both educational and employment-related, and do a police check on anyone you wish to hire. If you decide to pursue care in an adult day care center or residential care facility, take some tours and talk with staff and clients. Involve your
relative in this process as well, if feasible. Otherwise, bring along a family member or friend for a second opinion. Lisa M. Petsche is a medical social worker and a freelance writer specializing in boomer and senior health matters. She has personal and professional experience with elder care. MSN
After a long day outdoors camping at the lake or alongside a river, who is not ready for some Van Camps pork and beans heated in a pan and spooned over buttered white bread to go with those wieners just pulled off a stick out of the fire? Or how about climbing from that tent in the morning, shivering with steamy breath as you pump up the fuel tank, turn the valve, let the white gas spit as you light it with a match, and wait a minute for the roar as the blue flame intensifies and begins to heat the old coffee pot? Or how about warming that pot of water for washing those kids’ faces streaked with dirt and the remnants of s’mores? Oh, the memories of camping! This issue’s Remember When winner is Alanna Ober of Kalispell and her story about the evolution of the ubiquitous Coleman stove, an indispensible companion on any camping trip. Thank you, Alanna for your contribution, The Coleman Stove. Remember When contains our readers’ personal reflections, contributions describing fictional or non-fictional accounts from the “Good ol’ Days”
or reflections on life in general. Contributions may be stories, letters, artwork, poetry, etc. Photos may be included. Each issue of the Montana Senior News features the contribution(s) deemed best by our staff. The contributor of the winning entry receives a $25 cash prize. We look forward to receiving your contributions for our February/March 2017 issue. Mail your correspondence to Montana Senior News, P.O. Box 3363, Great Falls, MT 59403; email to montsrnews@bresnan.net; or call 1-800-672-8477 or 406-761-0305. Also, visit us online at montanaseniornews. com.
The Coleman Stove
By Alanna Ober, Kalispell Although one doesn’t normally consider camping as a thought provoking experience, over the years it has expanded my interests and therefore knowledge of many things, including the Coleman stove. Recently, I was panning our campsite and wondering what to sketch and paint, as this is my way of journaling, when my gaze stopped at the stove. This little stove has never let us down and it sits there on the picnic table proud and pretty as anything so… here is a little story about the Coleman stove. W. C. Coleman originally sold typewriters but became captivated by a new type of lamplight displayed in a drugstore window in Brockton, Alabama. It produced a steady white light and was fueled by gasoline. By 1905, Coleman had invented a gas lamp that he demonstrated at the first night football game west of the Mississippi. Obviously, it was successful technology. At the turn of the century, electric service was not an option that reached into rural America. When the sun went down, darkness reigned and work ended. This facilitated the advancement of Coleman’s portable lamp made for home use, which was followed five years later by a 300 candlepower lantern able to light up large spaces such as barns. This forever changed the work potential in rural America.
DECEMBER 2016/JANUARY 2017
The Coleman stove was born out of the World War II effort as troops were in dire need of a compact stove that could operate under a wide range of conditions. The Army contracted for 5,000 stoves to be built to very particular specifications. Coleman manufactured them and they were delivered to North Africa. Journalist Ernie Pyle devoted 15 articles to the Coleman Pocket Stove and considered it one of the most important pieces of non-combat equipment born out of the war effort, the other being the jeep. After the war and the resulting victory for the allied countries of the west, the American middle class was growing in numbers and wealth. Cars were affordable for many families and this newfound mobility encouraged the urge to travel and explore. Car camping was all a rage and National Parks were points of destination. The model of stove we most identify with today is the fold-up two-burner camp stove that was billed as a “Keen cooker and a quick seller” in corporate language.
“USS Pondera Launched Today!”
By Sue Carlbom It may seem implausible for a county nearly 1,000 miles from any ocean to have a Navy transport vessel bear its name. However, not only was Pondera County honored by having a ship named after it in 1944, the county was honored again when the remains of the USS Pondera were “docked” in Conrad in 1989. The USS Pondera, the fifth AP-5 transport, was launched from the Vancouver shipyard in August of 1944. The honor was given to Pondera County because of its outstanding sales of War Bonds during WWII. In 1942, the War Bond quota for Montana was a bit over $2,000,000. Of that, Pondera County’s share was $22,000. The County far exceeded its goal by contributing over $150,000. Quite an accomplishment since the County’s population at that time was 6,712! All income earners during that time were expected to buy bonds equal to 10% of their income. In all eight war-bond drives, Pondera County exceeded expectations. According to an article in the Conrad Independent Observer in August of 1989, those efforts led to the naming of USS Pondera whose keel was laid in April of 1944. The Haskell Attack Transports were nicknamed the “Ugly Ducklings” of the fleet and often referred to as floating coffins because they were built quickly and cheaply. They didn’t need to be beautiful as their main purpose was to transport troops to and from the combat areas. After the peace treaty with Japan, the Pondera’s main job was to bring servicemen back to the United States. When the Pondera was decommissioned, all that remained was brought to Conrad by Col. Lawrence Kloess, Jr. In a formal ceremony at the Moose Lodge in August of 1989, Kloess presented County Commissioners Dale Sheldon, Don McClain, and Ken Duncan, and librarians Peggy Floerchinger (Conrad) and Duane Sheble (Valier) with the plaque and flag from the ship. The memorabilia along with a model of the ship and a photo are among the many military items on display at the Conrad Transportation and Historical Museum. Next time you go to a fundraiser and are amazed and proud of the “home town” spirit and remarkable ways folks from small town America pitch in where there is a need, just remember… it’s our history! Note: Special thanks to Peggy Floerchinger and Harold Olson for help in finding the hidden nuggets from the Pondera County News (August 3, 1944) and Independent Observer (August 31, 1989). MSN
MONTANA SENIOR NEWS PAGE 67
When I look at this little stove of red and green, I am reminded of American ingenuity sparked by individual skill and determination. I also believe there was a fundamental desire to make the world a better, easier place. That motivation was not hamstrung by greed, but propelled by duty and focus. Have we lost some of that character and are we living in a world with different values? I’m reminded every time a new Apple product is available. How many more ways can we spend time talking, texting, retexting, posting, storing, soaring, clouding, checking… checking… checking? I look forward to spending more time with my green and red camping companion. These moments I have affectionately called “empty head moments” but they are very productive times that can elevate the human spirit and result in small accomplishments like writing this essay about something The Jefferson County Museum I formerly knew nothing about aside from its name and use. Of course, I had plenty of time since there was no cell service and therefore few distractions. MSN
NEW!
AMERICAN BISON EXHIBIT
These Noble Brutes
45 Framed Vintage Engravings of the American Bison 1749–1909
January 27–May 27, 2017
This exhibit explores the natural history of the bison, its centrality to many Native American tribes, and its near extermination in the late 19th century. Grand Opening Party Jan 27, 2017, Saturday | 1–6pm Refreshments will be served Admission Free, Donations Accepted
Open Fri 12-4pm & Sat 1–5pm
For Info, Speakers & Special Tours
406-933-5528 | 406-933-5861
11 miles S of Helena between Montana City & Jefferson City
sites.google.com/site/jeffersoncountymuseum
PAGE 68 MONTANA SENIOR NEWS
DECEMBER 2016/JANUARY 2017
Royal Contest in Louisiana’s Cajun Country
If an opportunity doesn’t knock, build a door. - Milton Berle
making south Louisiana one of the most distinctive Story by Andrea Gross; photos by Irv Green Challenging the Queen of England isn’t a job regions in the usually homogenous United States. Using Lafayette as our hub, my husband for the average attorney, yet Warren Perrin speaks and I begin our of it casually, as if waging a legal immersion into war against the British crown is Cajun culture no big deal. In fact, it was a very by exploring the big deal – not only for Perrin, but surroundings also for the half million people he that greeted the represents: the Cajuns of South new arrivals. To Louisiana. do this, we tour The Louisiana litigator the swamps with claimed the Crown owed the Bryan ChamCajuns an apology for deporting pagne, whose their French-speaking ancestors flat-bottomed from Canada back in 1755. When boat can slide the Acadians (French colonists) Bryan Champagne, owner of Cajun Swamp Tours, has over logs, weave refused to bow to the British king, been navigating Louisiana swamps since he was a child. through tunnels they were separated from their of moss-draped families, pushed onto small boats, and forced cypress trees, and carve paths that take us past out to sea. More than one third lost their lives, egret nests and snoozing gators. How different others were dispersed throughout the American colonies, and some eventually made it to south this environment must have seemed to folks who Louisiana, where they were used to Canadian winters! Within a few short years, the Cajuns were buildwere welcomed by a ing sturdy homes on dry ground. We see a typical largely French-speaking Cajun community at Vermilionville, a heritage and populace. But as the saying goes, folk life park that depicts Acadian life between 1765 one man’s misfortune is and 1890. There’s a school, boat shed, forge, and another man’s good luck. church as well as a variety of homes. One is a Having lost so much, the trapper’s hut, another replicates a native American Acadians, whose name dwelling and some are like those that belonged to evolved into Cajun, were Cajun and Creole families. But Vermilionville is about more than the distant determined to hang on to what they had left. past. The costumed interpreters, who give demos Today, more than 260 of crafts such as violin making, quilting, and blackyears later, many of their smithing, generally grew up in the area and their traditions remain intact, discussions – as well as some of the exhibits – tell
YOU DESERVE TO MAKE TRAVEL MEMORIES!
Choose from these great hosted 2017 trips! Cuba Cruise
Feb. 2-10
Australia-New Zealand
Jan. 30-Feb. 19
Panama Canal Cruise
Feb. 27-Mar. 15
Rhine River & Tulip Time River Cruise
April 18-28
Norwegian Coastal Voyage & Scandinavian Capitals
July 6-20
Alaska Land & Sea
July 6-20
Martin Luther Reformation
July 19-29
Portugal & Spain
Sept. 9-20
Blue Danube River Cruise
Sept. 11-21
Normandy/WWII & Paris
Oct. 3-10
Italian Highlights
Oct. 13-22
Contact us for free color brochures & our Wish List! 1-800-833-8787
Missoula
Senior Center 2016 2017
ANNUAL CHRISTMAS DINNER & LIGHT TOUR
TRIPS & TRAVEL
THE MYSTERY OF EDWIN DROOD & DINNER
December 19 | Price TBA
February 19 | Hamilton Playhouse & Dinner at the Victor Steak House
CENTER HOURS: Monday thru Friday 8:00am–4:00pm
info@satromtravel.com
705 South Higgins | Missoula | 406-543-7154
DECEMBER 2016/JANUARY 2017
us about Cajun life in more recent times as well. We enter L’École, a reproduction of a mid twentieth-century schoolhouse. Up front is a giant U.S. flag with 48 stars. Below, on the blackboard, is an edict that the children were forced to copy during daily lessons: “I will not speak French on the school grounds.” A ninety-plus year old gentleman is on hand to tell visitors how difficult that made life for the Cajuns. “We spoke Cajun at home, yet from 1916 until 1968 we couldn’t even speak French among ourselves on the playground,” he says. “Without a common language, it was hard to pass down our traditions.” But the Cajuns managed. People eat crawfish in restaurants filled with traditional music, and they dance to age-old tunes at weekly jamfests. We return to Vermilionville on Saturday afternoon to find approximately two dozen
MONTANA SENIOR NEWS PAGE 69
folks playing fiddles, guitars, and accordions before an audience composed mostly of friends and neighbors. A man next to me invites me to dance. I have two left feet, but the music is so inviting that I give it a try. Finally, in order to enrich our minds while stuffing our stomachs, we sign up for a 3.5-hour tour that stops at six eateries, where people feed us Cajun stories along with Cajun food. According to the Legend of the Shriveling Lobsters, when the Acadians were forced out of Canada, the unhappy lobsters followed the castaways to Louisiana. There, unaccustomed to Southern heat, the poor crustaceans shrunk until voilà, they became crawfish. Continued on page 74
Plan a Vacation to Remember... Call your Travel Agent Today! SATROM TRAVEL & TOUR 561 South 7th Street Bismarck, ND 58504 800-833-8787
A&B TOURS PO Box 2176 Minot, ND 58702 701-852-8144 800-440-2690
DECEMBER 2016 8–12 New York City Theatre Tour Satrom Travel & Tour
CAPEAIR 406-698-4359 DAROLD REINER 406-890-1149
APRIL 2017 18–28 Rhine River & Tulip Cruise Satrom Travel & Tour 4/26- Biblical Tour Israel & 5/7 Jordan Darold Reiner
19 Annual Christmas Dinner & Light Tour Missoula Senior Center
JUNE 2017 6–20 Norwegian & Scandinavian Cruise Satrom Travel & Tour
JANUARY 2017 1/22- Ride the Rio 2/6 A&B Tours
ESCAPE TOURS P.O. BOX 3833 Missoula, MT 59806 406-240-8687
MISSOULA SENIOR CENTER 705 S. Higgins Missoula, MT 59801 406-543-7154
19–29 Martin Luther Reformation Satrom Travel & Tour
12–17 Roll’n on the River A&B Tours
SEPTEMBER 2017 3–11 New Orleans to Memphis River Cruise Missoula Senior Center
OCTOBER 2017 3–10 Normandy/WWII & Paris Satrom Travel & Tour
9–20 Portugal & Spain Satrom Travel & Tour
13–22 Italian Highlights Satrom Travel & Tour
11–21 Blue Danube River Cruise Satrom Travel & Tour
11–17 Door Country & More A&B Tours
1/28- NCL Hawaii Cruise 2/4 Satrom Travel & Tour 1/30- Australia & New Zealand 2/19 Tour Satrom Travel & Tour
JULY 2017 1–2Phantom of the Opera Escape Tours
FEBRUARY 2017 2–10 Cuba Cruise Satrom Travel & Tour 19 The Mystery of Edwin Drood & Dinner Missoula Senior Center
6–20 Alaska Cruise Tour
2/27- Panama Canal Cruise 3/15 Satrom Travel & Tour
Satrom Travel & Tour
Easier there. Easier back. Whether for medical appointments or visits with the grandkids, hopping on a fast, affordable flight is so much easier than hours behind the wheel. Take the worry out of travel for you and your family, and enjoy the ride.
49
$
MOTORCOACH TOURS Ride the Rio
*
each way
from
Jan 22–Feb 6
It’s all about Texas & all about you! Saddle up early to save!
MOTORCOACH TOURS Door Country & More June 11–17
A delightful escape! A hidden gem! Great sights, step on guides, unique food experiences! Join us!
Havre
Glasgow
Sidney
Roll’n on the River Sept 12–17
Glendive
Experience 2 full days on the Mississippi with all meals included. Add the JD Factory & more! Early sign ups SAVE $$
More tours & details available online or by following us on Facebook
2017
800-440-2690
Wolf Point
Enjoy the ride.
Billings
capeair.com
800-CAPE-AIR
abtoursonline.com *Including all taxes and fees. Fares are subject to availability and other conditions. Fares may change without notice, and are not guaranteed until ticketed.
PAGE 70 MONTANA SENIOR NEWS
DECEMBER 2016/JANUARY 2017
It is the Christmas/holiday season and the music of the season can be heard on downtown streets, at shopping malls, on the radio, during TV specials, on the stereo at home – virtually everywhere. These familiar songs will soon be playing in our heads even when our ears are turned off! And we know the words of most of the songs by heart since we have sung them so many times since first learning them so many years ago. But where did they come from? In fact, most of us don’t know the writer/composer of many of these songs we know and love at this time of year. With Christmas songs as the theme, we hope you enjoy this month’s quiz submitted by Myrtle Gamroth of Butte who is challenging your knowledge of who wrote/composed the songs of the season. Thank you, Myrtle, winner of this month’s $25 prize. Thank you to all who participated in our Where Did They Come From – Moving Sports Franchises
quiz in the October/November 2016 issue. The winner of the $25 prize for submitting the correct answers is Terri Ferster of Absarokee. Congratulations, Terri! Two $25 cash prizes are awarded from the “Contest Corner” in each issue of the Montana Senior News. One prize goes to the person who submits the winning answers to the featured quiz from the previous issue. The second prize goes to the person who submits the entry that our staff selects as the featured quiz or puzzle in the “Contest Corner” for this issue. Be creative and send us some good, fun, and interesting puzzles! Please mail your entries to all contests to the Montana Senior News, P.O. Box 3363, Great Falls, MT 59403, or email to montsrnews@bresnan.net by January 15, 2017 for our February/March 2017 edition. Be sure to work the crossword puzzle on our website at montanaseniornews.com.
Submitted by Myrtle Gamroth, Butte Below are a numbered list of popular Christmas songs and an alphabetical list of songwriters and composers. On a numbered sheet of paper or via email, match the letter of the writer/composer to the numbered song. In researching this quiz, we discovered a couple of disputed circumstances regarding authorship – one based on murky historical facts and another based on legal claims. In both cases, we have provided writer/composer names that we believe are likely more accurate. It is okay to use the internet to find the answers. Good luck. We look forward to your entries. Christmas Songs 1. Away In a Manger 2. White Christmas 3. Hark the Angels Sing 4. O Come All Ye Faithful 5. Winter Wonderland 6. Little Saint Nick 7. Joy to the World 8. All I Want for Christmas
9. Mistletoe 10. Snoopy’s Christmas 11. Little Drummer Boy 12. Santa Claus is Coming to Town 13. Silent Night 14. Let it Snow, Let it Snow 15. Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer 16. I’ll be Home for Christmas 17. Silver Bells 18. Rockin’ Round the Christmas Tree 19. Blue Christmas 20. Jingle Bells 21. Frosty the Snowman 22. Here Comes Santa Claus 23. Sleigh Ride 24. I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus 25. A Holly Jolly Christmas 26. Jolly Old Saint Nicholas
How Well Do You Know Your Christmas Songs
Writer/Composer A. Katherine Davis/Harry Simone B. Brian Wilson/Mike Love C. John Wade D. George Weiss/Hugo & Luigi
DECEMBER 2016/JANUARY 2017
E. Johnny Marks F. Billy Hays/Jay Johnson G. Tommie Connor H. Walter Kent/Kim Gannon I. Irving Berlin J. Johnny Marks
K. Martin Luther L. Mariah Carey/Walter Afanasieff M. Robert May/Johnny Marks N. Jack Rollins/Steve Nelson O. James Piermont P. Charles Wesley
Q. Leroy Anderson R. Sammy Cahn/Jule Styne S. Gene Autry/Oakley Haldeman T. Fred Coots/Haven Gillespie U. Emily Miller
ACROSS
Contest Answers and Crossword Answers On Page 74
MONTANA SENIOR NEWS PAGE 71
V. Felix Bernard/Richard Smith W. Jay Livingston/Ray Evans X. Justin Bieber Y. Isaac Watts Z. Joseph Mohr MSN
57. *”Wuthering ____” (E. Brontë) 1. Rooster to a farmer 61. *Dreiser’s “Sister ____” 6. “Law & Order” character 64. Matter of debate 9. Wild feline 65. *”On ____ Majesty’s 13. Bipolar disorder phase Secret Service” 14. Santa ____, CA (Ian Fleming) 15. Like a Druid, e.g. 16. Mountain climber’s spike 67. *”For Whom the Bell ____” (E. Hemingway) 17. Roulette bet 69. Tossed starter 18. “Bravo! Bravo!” 70. E in BCE 19. *”A Tale of Two ____” 71. *”Germinal” author 21. *E. L. Doctorow novel ____ Zola 23. Feeling blue 72. Litigant 24. Bona fide 73. Dreaming stage of sleep 25. “Big Brother” network 74. Comedy Central’s 28. Rubik’s puzzle public humiliation 30. Real life “Citizen Kane” DOWN 35. At the end of one’s what? 1. Band aid 37. Wine container 2. Nonclerical 39. Charted record 40. Beauty salon straightener 3. Naysayer’s favorite prefix 4. Civil unrest, Pl. 41. Like unspoken 5. *Newbery Medal winner “ agreement ____ Magee” 43. Evening purse 6. New Mexico art colony 44. *”All Quiet on the 7. *”Howards ____” Western Front” by (E. M. Forster) Erich ____ Remarque 8. Core of personnel 46. Low-cal 9. Deal with the devil, e.g. 47. Surfer’s stop 10. Tangerine grapefruit 48. Outdoor stone seating hybrid 50. They got their revenge? 11. “Howdy, ____!” 52. Dunce 12. Casino chip 53. Gunk 15. Long John Silver’s 55. Public Enemy’s music appendage
20. Something concluded 22. Pleasurable interjection 24. Officially cancel 25. *Reason for punishment (F. Dostoyevsky) 26. Laundry booster 27. Mushroom’s reproductive structure 29. Canaanite deity 31. Mars, to the Greeks 32. Fraction, e.g. 33. Plural of sputum 34. *”The Book ____” (M. Zusak) 36. *”The Famous Five” author ____ Blyton 38. *”The ____ Runner” (K. Hosseini) 42. ____ incognita, a.k.a. unknown land 45. Curved like a foot 49. Creation of the right side of the brain 51. One who darts 54. Theater guide 56. Movie trailer, e.g. 57. Snake’s warning 58. Biblical twin 59. ____ of Man 60. ____ gum, food additive 61. Pack like sardines 62. Pelvic parts 63. Corner pieces 66. Old-fashioned “before” 68. Position MSN
auto � oans RATES AS LOW AS 2.49%
Call us today! (406) 443-5400 thecu4u.org Annual Percentage Rate Applies to new loans and those refinanced from another financial institution. Based on credit approval. Some restrictions apply.
Federally Insured by NCUA. Equal Housing Opportunity.
PAGE 72 MONTANA SENIOR NEWS
DECEMBER 2016/JANUARY 2017
Three Unique Vacation Destinations in Northern Arizona Article By Jack McNeel Photos By Jackie McNeel The cold of winter sends many folks from the northwest toward the warmer climes of southern Arizona, and if you can extend into the spring and fall shoulder seasons consider spending additional days in the region between Flagstaff and Phoenix. You’ll find some fun areas and exciting things to do which you may have been bypassing in years past. Let’s take a brief look at three communities with very different and distinct personalities. Sedona Heading south from Flagstaff the highway
8 Hotels in the heart of the Canadian Rockies
BANFF HOTEL ROOMS SUITES CONDOS 1-800-563-8764 www.bestofbanff.com
twists and turns as it drops into Oak Creek Canyon before emerging at Sedona, The Most Beautiful Place on Earth in So Many Ways, its Chamber advertises. That rating actually came from a USA Weekend survey that rated Sedona #1 in America. It is beautiful with fantastic reddish rock spires, mountains in all directions, and the wooded Oak Creek flowing through the bottoms. Photographers have a heyday trying to capture the color and grandeur of the countryside and shoppers enjoy equal enthusiasm at the many shops and galleries. For a town of just over 10,000 the number and variety of shopping establishments are incredible. The town is built for tourism as its nearly 5 million annual visitors can attest. With a variety of tours available from pink jeeps to helicopters, rock climbing, trail rides, hot air balloons, and the list goes on. Or you may wish to just relax along Oak Creek. There is something else seldom noted elsewhere: vortex tours. These locations reportedly give people beneficial sources of energy. I can’t vouch for that but others swear to it. Cottonwood Cottonwood lies half an hour southwest of Sedona in the heart of the Verde Valley. Its population is comparable to Sedona, but there the similarities end. Cottonwood is more laid back, has a much smaller business district, and is less expensive while still offering great vacation opportunities. The Verde Valley has come into its own as a wine producing district. It has the rocky soils, sunshine, and heat characteristic of grape growing regions worldwide, but wine production came to this area only 10 years ago. The Verde Valley Wine Trail consists of six wineries. A day of visiting all six is a wonderful exploration for wine aficionados. Attracting many visitors is the Verde Canyon Railroad and its four hour train ride “into wilderness country and thousands of years back in time.” It’s a comfortable ride with climate-controlled seating and private restrooms. Visitors are provided with wine or cider to toast the ride and appetizers are provided during the trip through
beautiful scenery and some locations where How the West Was Won was shot. Guests are kept informed of many sights along the trip including a glimpse of Sinagua cliff dwellings in the cliffs above the track. A bald eagle nest sits in a tree alongside the tracks and an adult eagle is often seen nearby. The Verde River and its streamside vegetation contrast with the cliffs above. The train crosses spans as high as 150 feet above the stream below. The Blazin’M Ranch Dinner & Show provides an evening of western hospitality at the highest level and a fun venue for the grandkids. There’s a shooting gallery with a Colt revolver using wax bullets. Or you can try roping a stationary steer with a couple of cowboys standing by to give a hand. Or take a ride aboard a trailer being pulled by a vintage tractor. There’s a real saloon if you
want something a bit stronger before dinner – the Prickly Pear Margarita is a winner if you want to try something new. The dinner of barbecued pork and chicken and all the fixings is outstanding – and seconds are allowed – but save room for dessert! Then it’s time to sit back for the harmony and comedy of the Blazin’M Cowboys or Vegas-famous Kevin Barnes and his top flight magic show. Prescott Prescott, the original Territorial Capital, was more of a cowboy town and is recognized as the home of the World’s Oldest Rodeo founded in 1888. That cowboy atmosphere still lingers but as Don Prince, Director of Tourism for Prescott,
Ground Level Independent
SENIOR LIVING
• Custom Designed Units
• Dinner Buffet w/Fresh Fruit & Salads Daily
• Luxurious 1 & 2 Bd Floor Plans • Garages Available • Ground-Level Private Patios • Comfortable & Quiet • Close to hospitals & shopping
Call for Details & a Tour
509-928-9197
1309 N. Evergreen Rd. Spokane Valley www.courtlandplacespokane.com
SPOKANE VALLEY’S ELITE COMMUNITY
DECEMBER 2016/JANUARY 2017
MONTANA SENIOR NEWS PAGE 73
explains, “Lately the emphasis has been more on outdoor recreation,” reflected in the area’s 450 miles of trails and the beautiful lakes. “We’ve not forgotten the historical angle and the arts and culture, but the recreational opportunities have been our focus for awhile.” A 54-mile trail now circles town and is used for an ultra-marathon, and they also host a mountain bike race that attracts top international riders. With free entertainment in the courthouse plaza and frequent weekend festivals, Prince explains, “It’s become a big deal with the racing and community concerts and has created a new industry for us. There’s always something going on here, usually a lot happening.” Watson Lake and its adjoining park have become known for its unique boulders called Granite Dells. These huge, rather lumpy boulders are unusual in this region noted more for reddish sandstone and attract increasing numbers of rock climbers. Don’t overlook the Downtown Historic District around the courthouse and Whiskey Row. Little has changed in the past hundred years and many buildings are on the National Register of Historic Places. Whiskey Row still has the old time saloons and restaurants, places that were frequented by the likes of Doc Holliday and the Earp brothers. Prescott has changed but that early western feeling still remains in this part of town. MSN
Alberta Winter Festivals
Provided by travelalberta.com When the hectic Christmas season ends and the festivities of the New Year are over, there’s a tendency to feel there’s nothing left to celebrate, but in Alberta, the party is just getting started. Snow, ice, fun, and games are the common denominators for these winter festivals, guaranteed to banish those post-holiday blues. Jasper in January – One of the best times to experience Jasper National Park in winter is during the annual two-week Jasper in January festival when hotels, restaurants and attractions offer reduced rates and there are special programs, celebrations and events to enjoy. Festival goers can choose from a range of activities including sporting competitions, live musical performances, a chili cook-off, wine tastings, dog sledding, ice skating, special workshops, an ice bar, and a huge street party with live performers and fireworks. Marmot Basin Ski Area gets in on the fun with discounted lift tickets, live music on weekends and entertaining events including the Dual Slalom Race. New this year: A fat-bike racing series through the snow. Carve out some romance – In Banff National Park, brawn meets beauty at the Lake Louise Ice Magic Festival. Over three days in late January, watch professional carvers compete in a test of brute strength, artistry and precision – creating delicate sculptures from 136 kg (300 lb) blocks of ice. Just being in this glittering winter wonderland inspires romance. So, woo your sweetheart with ice-skating on Lake Louise or a horse-drawn sleigh ride along the shore. Afterwards, keep that fire burning with an alpine fondue dinner for two at the fairy tale Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise. Your happily ever after awaits in Banff National Park. Snow Party – Celebrate ice, snow, and all things frosty at the SnowDays festival in Banff National Park. This tribute to winter sports launches in mid-January with an alpine bash of epic proportions. The kick-off street party in Banff features iceskating, ice carving, live music, and beer gardens, complete with a bar made out of ice. There’s even an ice fire pit. Be sure to check out the coolest playground in town where you can get lost – and found – in the ice maze, fly down an ice slide, and glide around the skating rink. All the festivities lead up to The Big Bear ski and rail event. Chill out to cool beats while watching pro boarders destroy the Bear’s custom designed ramps and rails. Hot tunes, cool moves, and bragging rights – are you ready to party? All things icy – Over two weekends at the end of January and beginning of February, the Ice on Whyte Festival takes over a park in Edmonton’s Old Strathcona district. Somewhere around 68,000 kg (150,000 pounds) of ice is trucked in to make giant ice slides, skating surfaces, and great blocks of it are carved up by the pros at the International Ice Carving Competition. Try it at a carving workshop. Skate or dance the night away. Don’t miss the fire and ice extravaganza on the last night. MSN
SENIOR SKI & STAY CANADA’S HIDDEN GEM STARTING AT
CAD *$285 +TAX
Located 1hr from US/Canadian border
Enjoy a relaxing two nights stay at Days Inn Cranbrook in a room with 1 King Bed or 2 Queens. With our complimentary signature Days Inn Breakfast each morning. Cruise all day with 2 senior full-day lift tickets at Kimberley Alpine Resort!
Book by calling the hotel direct at: 250-426-6683 daysinn.ca
600 Cranbrook Street North, Cranbrook, BC, Canada
* approx $220 USD. Based on double occupancy and availablility at time of booking.
PAGE 74 MONTANA SENIOR NEWS
DECEMBER 2016/JANUARY 2017
Answers to Where Have They Been – Moving Sports Franchises Are Like Whack A Mole 1. N 2. E 3. J 4. W 5. S
6. T 7. R 8. H 9. K 10. L
Submitted by Gary Bores 11. G 16. V 12. X 17. B 13. M 18. U 14. Q 19. I 15. A 20. Y
21. F 22. O 23. D 24. P 25. C
Louisiana’s Cajun Country - continued from page 69 Today crawfish are a staple in Cajun cooking and are often used in gumbo, jambalaya, bisque, boulettes, etouffée, maque choux, rice dressing, and even cornbread. But the most authentic way to eat them is whole – a multi-step twist-suck-and-crack operation that tangles my fingers as it tempts my taste buds. Fortunately, practicing is a lot of fun! Meanwhile, Warren Perrin was successful in winning his royal battle. In 2003, Queen Elizabeth II issued a proclamation decreeing July 28 as an annual “Day of Commemoration of the Acadian Deportation.” It wasn’t exactly an apology, but at least it was an acknowledgement that the Acadians had indeed been expelled against their will and suffered greatly as a result. Now – thanks in large part to Perrin – French, albeit with a Parisian rather than a Cajun accent, is being offered in all Louisiana schools. Laissez les bons temps rouler! (Let the good times roll!) For more information visit lafayettetravel.com and traveltizers.com for more on Lafayette and Cajun culture. For helpful tips on travel in Louisiana, see the section titled Napkin Notes. MSN
Haven’t Heard My Name Yet... By Lynn Gendusa I was born into a family that believed one should never sit down, never be lazy, and never give up until they called your name from way up yonder! After 43 years in the physical job of an interior designer, I decided to retire. I was the type of designer that did it all myself. Climbed the lad-
ders, hung the pictures, cleaned the shelves, and moved the furniture. Yes, it was physical. My clients thought I would never sit down. They all figured I would just fall off the ladder one day and be gone. In the back of my mind, I figured they were probably right. My friend, Ricki, once said, “You will know when it is time to put the hammer down.” “How?” I retorted. She grinned, “You will just know.” Last September I put the hammer down. I knew. I had moved the last baby grand. I had pushed the last sofa. I had climbed the last ladder and dusted the last shelf. It was over. In my mind, I went to the cemetery and placed a beautiful headstone with this inscription: “Here’s to a career I have dedicated so much of my life to. I am grateful for the pleasure of its work.” I left a
flower and walked away. The first reaction was sheer freedom. I wanted to run, not walk, to all the doors that were now open. And, I was so darn grateful that I could. A renewed level of life seeped into my soul. I realized that the senior years were meant not to give up but to give back. Zest for living is the key to living well with a thirst to stay young, not in looks or in physical abilities, but in the spirit of our souls. My friend, Deborah, and I go to the gym 4-5 days a week. We always have exercised. Is my body like a teen? Heck no! We exercise to be the best we can be. Just that simple. We keep moving so that we can keep giving back. Deborah, a retired social worker, volunteers at the nursing home and never misses a beat when it comes to aid.
DECEMBER 2016/JANUARY 2017
MONTANA SENIOR NEWS PAGE 75
My friend Michele is a retired IBM executive who is now a certified, court appointed advocate to help children of abuse and neglect. All volunteer work. Ricki, a retired guidance counselor with 11 grandchildren, works with her church. She helps with the children and does jumping jacks to keep up. Tom, a retired engineer, is constantly working on repairs in our neighborhood to keep our subdivision in order. A lady up the street who is now crippled knits blankets for babies and shawls for the elderly. Gives them all away. Her hands keep moving and her spirit keeps soaring. To avoid being a grumpy old person, stay a gleeful young person. Who told any of us it was okay to retire from life? Who told any of us to stop giving? I have a friend that I graduated from high school with that retired about the same time as I did. He told me he might wear pajamas all day long. In my mind, I have a picture of him walking around the house and on his beloved golf course in PJs. Many Sunday mornings I find myself in my pajamas writing an article. Every time I do, I think about what he said and I laugh. How youthful and crazy we still are! All my high school buddies are the same. God love them. John Wade is my age and is about as happy as a clam. He is not retired but full of smiles and thankful for grandbabies coming and joy filling his family. Yes, some of us aren’t yet retired and may never do so. If you are still working, then show coworkers what you are made of and that your wisdom is of extreme value, because it is. Life is always handing us gifts like pajamas, babies, friends, laughter, and miracles. Thank God. Another high school friend has just completed grueling months fighting cancer. Our class of ‘65 has collectively held our breaths and given our prayers up for this beloved person. He is on his way back to life. His quote, “If I ever frown again, “Death with dignity” really means assisted suicide and euthanasia. Proponents of I told my wife to slap me!” Perfect! assisted suicide (which historically always leads to euthanasia) claim legalization Life is precious. Perhaps we do need to be gives you a “choice.” But do you really have a choice? slapped when we think of ourselves as old and finished. If we are capable of moving, then move with gusto. If something aches afterwards, take In Oregon’s and Washington’s assisted suicide laws, not all family members are an aspirin. Don’t give up. required to be contacted. A single predatory heir is allowed to initiate and We need to give back all that we have learned. execute the lethal process without witness. Everyone involved in the lethal Give away all the gifts that we have been given process gets immediate immunity. No confirmation of the dose or if it was indeed – our talents, our joy, our faith, our love. For our self-administered is required. And if someone changed his or her mind, who lives are not measured by what we obtain, but would know? by what we give away. If we are able to help this world with the time Legal assisted suicide empowers other people, the heath care system, and the we have left, then don’t waste time. government to suggest, pressure, or abuse individuals to cut their lives short! In We need to be brave, be bold, be young in Oregon for example, the state health plan encourages suicide. The plan will not spirit, and be of value until they call our name necessarily cover treatment for cure or to extend life. The plan will cover the from way up yonder. I haven’t heard my name “treatment” of suicide. yet. MSN
THANKFULLY, PHYSICIAN ASSISTED SUICIDE REMAINS A HOMICIDE IN MONTANA
Quotes From George Burns Submitted by Julie Brantley 1. First you forget names, and then you forget faces. Next you forget to pull your zipper up and finally, you forget to pull it down. 2. I love to sing, and I love to drink scotch. Most people would rather hear me drink scotch. 3. Bridge is a game that separates the men from the boys. It also separates husbands and wives. 4. Smartness runs in my family. When I went to school, I was so smart my teacher was in my class for five years. 5. I can’t understand why I flunked American history. When I was a kid there was so little of it. 6. When I was young, I was called a rugged individualist. When I was in my fifties, I was considered eccentric. Here I am doing and saying the same things I did then and I’m labeled senile.” 7. If you live to the age of 100 you have it made because very few people die past the age of a hundred. 8. By the time you’re eighty years old you’ve learned everything. You only have to remember it. 9. Too bad that all the people who know how to run the country are busy driving taxicabs and cutting hair. 10. When Jack Benny has a party, you not only bring your own scotch, you bring your own rocks. MSN
Additionally, these laws prohibit investigations or public inquires into such deaths, leaving no recourse for surviving family members who were not contacted. Does this sound like good public policy? This policy allows for the exploitation of elders and people with disabilities of all ages. The 2015 Montana legislature rejected for the third time, legislation that would have legalized non-voluntary euthanasia. Which would trample individual’s rights. This careful and responsible legislative action needs to be appreciated and continued in the 2017 legislature.
SAY NO TO COVERT, FORCED EUTHANASIA IN MONTANA! Help fight against legalizing assisted suicide/euthanasia in the 2017 legislature. Stand in protest at the January hearing. Get a green sticker and fill the Capitol’s hallways! Contact legislators and pray, pray, pray! Send in this form or call to receive more information. Name: Address: Phone: Email: Montanans Against Assisted Suicide 610 North 1st St., Suite 5-285 • Hamilton, MT 59840 406-531-0937
Donations Appreciated! Bradley D. Williams - President bradley@MTAAS.org www.MTAAS.org
Right to Life of Montana Catholics for Life
Lutherans for Life
PAGE 76 MONTANA SENIOR NEWS
DECEMBER 2016/JANUARY 2017
The Newest Development In The Newest Part Of Town!
SIMPLIFY BILLS. ELIMINATE CHORES. PRIORITIZE LIFE. Call Now For A Tour! Accepting Reservations!
Photography: Aaron Jacobs; Terry Underwood; James Conway; Brett Kennedy; Jackson Reynolds; Andrew Marbles; John Sullivan; Bridgette Williams
Enjoy the charm of small town life, Mission Mountain views, and reap the benefits from the services we offer! What Is Independent Senior Living?
All Units Include
This retirement community is open to anyone 55 and older. Independent senior living differs from assisted living in that it does not offer health care. The Peaks gives residents the freedom to hire their own home health care providers if they so choose. If a resident is interested in learning more about Ronan’s home health care options, we would be happy to provide references to those we have found reputable in our own experience.
• Upscale Private Home • Washer/Dryer • 1 Car Garage • 1.5 Baths • Full Size Premium Kitchen • Master Bath (includes tiled walk-in shower) • Private Front & Back Porches
406-676-PEAK (7325)
• Paid Property Taxes • Basic Phone Service • Basic Cable TV • WiFi • All Utilities • Housekeeping • Lawn Care & Snow Removal • Meals • Plus More!
575 Eisenhower St SE | PO Box 435 | Ronan, MT thepeaksronan.com | sage@thepeaksronan.com