New Horizons April 2017 by Eastern Nebraska Office on Aging

A publication of the Eastern Nebraska Office on Aging

April 2017 VOL. 42 • NO. 4

ENOA 4223 Center Street Omaha, NE 68105-2431

PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE PAID OMAHA NE PERMIT NO. 389

New Horizons ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED

RTBS

Paul Stebbins, a Chicago native who has been blind since birth, began working in radio in 1961. Today he’s the station manger for the Radio Talking Book Service in Omaha, a position he’s held for eight years. Nick Schinker profiles Stebbins beginning on page 10.

Ph.D. Marcia Adler, director of Health Services and the Collegiate Recovery Community at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, recently earned her Ph.D. in gerontology at age 59. See page 20.

What’s inside Cancer conference scheduled for April 22 ...........2 Flyover country recipes in ‘Read it & eat’ ............5 Protecting nursing home residents’ rights ..........5 Pain most likely to hit poor, less educated ..........6 Transferring your homestead exemption .............9 The impact of marriage, divorce on women ......13 The battle against heart disease ........................15 AARP’s Tax Aide program..................................16 Firefighter trains ENOA staff members ..............17 Busy Bees make cards for MoW recipients .......18

Held on UNO campus from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

‘Art of Living With Cancer Conference’ scheduled for April 22 A Time to Heal – an organization dedicated to helping cancer survivors and their families create the best lives possible after cancer – is offering The Art of Living With Cancer Conference on April 22 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Barbara Weitz Community Engagement Center on the University of Nebraska at Omaha campus. The $35 admission includes reserved parking and lunch. The keynote speakers will be: • Richard Deming, MD, founder and director of Above + Beyond Cancer on the courage and confidence cancer survivors acquire during their journey. • Kathy Miller, MD and Komen Scholar, on The Transition to Survivorship. • Brenda Elsagher on Humor and Healing from a Patient’s Perspective. The Art of Living With Cancer Conference will also feature 12 breakout sessions and information on nutrition, exercise, and healthy living.

CEUs will be available for healthcare professionals. For more information, please go to atth.org or call 402401-6083. A Time to Heal also offers: • Twelve-week wellness rehabilitation programs where cancer survivors can learn how to rebuild their health, boost their hope, and manage their fear of cancer recurrence by learning research-based information about exercise, nutrition, resilience, psychological strategies, and more. Participants can sign up for the next session, which begins April 12. • Metastatic or Recurrence Cancer Support Groups that meet twice a month. • A Time to Heal 2, a weekend retreat for people who have graduated from A Time to Heal and want to recommit themselves to living a healthy life. Call 402-401-6083 or log on to atth.org for more information.

Intergeneration Orchestra of Omaha The Intergeneration Orchestra of Omaha, a special project of the Eastern Nebraska Office on Aging, will perform its annual Spring Pops & Pie concert on Sunday, April 9 in the Witherspoon Concert Hall inside the Joslyn Art Museum, 2200 Dodge St. The doors will open at 1 p.m. for the 2 p.m. performance that will feature special guest vocalist Scott Voorhees. A pie reception will follow the concert. Celebrating its 32nd season, IGO is made up musicians under age 25 and age 50 and older. Tickets to the concert and reception – which are $20 – are available through Sunday, April 2 by calling Chris Gillette at 402-444-6536, ext. 221. Concert only tickets are available at the door for $10. Children under age 6 will be admitted for free. For more information, please call Chris Gillette at 402-444-6536, ext. 221.

Book review club to meet on April 18 The Eclectic Book Review Club, founded in 1949, has announced its schedule of book reviews for the next two months. The meetings, which include a noon lunch followed by a book review, are held at the Field Club, 3615 Woolworth Ave. The cost is $13 per person, per month. Reservations, which are due by the Monday prior to the review, can be made by calling Rita at 402-5533147.

Here’s the schedule: • April 18: UNL journalism professor Joe Starita will review his book A Warrior of the People: How Susan La Flesche Overcame Racial & Gender Inequality to Become America’s First Indian Doctor. • May 16: Evelyn McKnight, a Hepatitis C survivor, will review her book A Never Event: Exposing the Largest Outbreak of Hepatitis C in American Healthcare History.

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Things to know as you grow older

s we get older, our needs and desires change. We know what we want, our preferences, dislikes, what makes us feel comfortable, etc. Do other people really know and understand what matters most to us? Do caretakers and family members know the wishes of those closest to them? What is it most people want others to know as they age? Kurt Kazanowski is author of A Son’s Journey: Taking Care of Mom and Dad. He has more than 30 years of experience in older adult and hospice care. He says what someone truly wants later in life can vary from person to person, but in general, there are many similarities he’s noticed from the patients he has worked with. Kurt’s top 10 list of what people want you to know as they get older: • We don’t want you to baby us: While it’s true as we age many of us need some help with things like climbing steps or bending down to pick things up, our independence is very important to us. You don’t need to do every little thing for us. We will ask for help when we need it. • We want you to spend more time with us: We remember what it was like to be young, active, and out exploring the world with friends, but we want you to come visit us frequently and spend time with us, too. We thrive on hearing about your adventures, successes, and failures. Whether we can get out for a short walk or meal, or simply sit and spend time with you, it’s all meaningful and appreciated. • We thrive on memories: We love to recount the good old days. Looking back at old photos and sharing memories touches our hearts, invigorates our spirit, and puts a smile on our face. When you take the time to listen to our stories no matter how many times you’ve heard them before, it makes us feel good. • Please respect our wishes: As we get older and perhaps have to face more medical challenges, please respect our wishes. We’re always open to your thoughts and

opinions, but it’s our life, our body, and we want you to always respect our decisions even if you disagree. • We are not invisible: Occasionally, people act as if we’re not present. Just because our physical ability might be limited in some cases, many of us are as with it as we’ve ever been upstairs. We’re fully aware of what’s going on. We hear what people say. We have not lost our mental abilities. Please include us in things and not separate us from what’s going on. • We want nothing but happiness for you: As we get up there in years, we realize that happiness really is everything. Money, material possessions, and having a highranking job are all superficial. The only thing that matters in this life is being happy as much as you can. • We want you to know that laughter is the best medicine: We don’t like to see you stressed out or upset, and by now, we’ve learned to role with the punches. Sometimes you can’t control the world around you, but you can control your response to it. We want you to stop taking things so seriously and have a good laugh at your own expense from time to time. • We prefer to spend our final days at home: When the end is near, we don’t want to be laid up in a hospital bed hooked up to machines. We are most comfortable in our own home and bed surrounded by the people who are nearest and dearest to us. • We don’t want our passing to sadden you or make things more difficult: Keep us deep in your hearts and honor our memory. Share stories about us with younger generations and pass down the traditions we passed down to you. We don’t want you to fight over inheritance or anything else. • Don’t ever say ‘I wish I had’: Live the life that’s in front of you to the fullest. Regrets and lost opportunities will never reappear. So when the opportunity comes knocking, walk through the door even if you feel scared, intimidated, unsure, and confused by what awaits you.

Joint effort of AARP, American Bar Association

Book will help you prepare for retirement

hether we plan or procrastinate, all of us want to achieve the dream of a comfortable, secure, and exciting retirement. The secret to living the dream is preparation. That’s why AARP, in conjunction with the American Bar Association, is releasing Get the Most Out of Retirement: Checklist for Happiness, Health, Purpose, and Financial Security by Sally Balch Hurme. A lawyer with more than 20 years of experience advocating for people age 50 and older, Hume is a recent retiree and the bestselling author of Checklist for My Family. She packs her latest book with the tools and knowledge needed to not only plan for and transition well into retirement but also how to make the most out of this new life adventure.

In Get the Most Out of Retirement, Hurme creates easy, innovative checklists that can help readers more easily digest the critical topics necessary to prepare for retirement including: • New adventures: You wouldn’t leave your job without another job in place, or take a vacation without reservations and an itinerary. Why should retirement be any different? Discover how to create and evaluate a plan for this next step in life. • Avoiding scams: People think a scam could never happen to them, but it can. No matter how smart or savvy, people fall for scams every day. Hurme, an expert on this issue who has experienced a scam, shares key signs of financial exploitation that will equip readers to spot potential scammers. • Retiring abroad: Ready to live where you always dreamed you would? There’s a lot you need to take into account. Make the dream a reality by using the book’s strategies. • Where did I put it?: How to develop an item/document storing system that works for you and your family so everyone can easily find essential information. • Public benefits: Learn about the public benefits you may be unaware of that can help make the transition all the easier. (Get the Most Out of Retirement: Checklist for Happiness, Health, Purpose, and Financial Security is available at bookstores and online booksellers.)

April 2017

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New Horizons New Horizons is the official publication of the Eastern Nebraska Office on Aging. The paper is distributed free to people over age 60 in Douglas, Sarpy, Dodge, Washington, and Cass counties. Those living outside the 5-county region may subscribe for $5 annually. Address all correspondence to: Jeff Reinhardt, Editor, 4223 Center Street, Omaha, NE 68105-2431. Phone 402-444-6654. FAX 402-444-3076. E-mail: jeff.reinhardt@nebraska.gov Advertisements appearing in New Horizons do not imply endorsement of the advertiser by the Eastern Nebraska Office on Aging. However, complaints about advertisers will be reviewed and, if warranted, their advertising discontinued. Display and insert advertising rates available on request. Open rates are commissionable, with discounts for extended runs. Circulation is 20,000 through direct mail and freehand distribution.

Editor....................................................Jeff Reinhardt Ad Mgr................Mitch Laudenback, 402-444-4148 Contributing Writers......Nick Schinker, Leo Biga, & Lois Friedman ENOA Board of Governors: Mary Ann Borgeson, Douglas County, chairperson; Lisa Kramer, Washington County, vice-chairperson; Gary Osborn, Dodge County, secretary; Brian Zuger, Sarpy County; & Janet McCartney, Cass County. The New Horizons and the Eastern Nebraska Office on Aging provide services without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, marital status, disability, or age.

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Organization questions method for calculating COLA for SS beneficiaries

ocial Security recipients would get a cost of living adjustment (COLA) that’s seven times higher this year if the annual boost were tied to the rise in the “seniors” consumer price index, according to a new analysis by The Senior Citizens League (TSCL). Recent data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor statistics confirms that had the government used the Consumer Price Index for the Elderly (CPI-E) to calculate the annual COLA for 2017 instead of the index currently used, Social Security benefits would be 2.1 percent higher

this year instead of the tiny 0.3 percent that’s being paid.

COLA this year of 0.3 percent, the lowest ever paid. Few beneficiaries will

“Financial resources are at their lowest and healthcare costs are at their highest.”

“That means retirees with average benefits would be getting a boost of about $28 or $29 per month instead of $4 or $5,” says TSCL Social Security policy analyst Mary Johnson. After getting no COLA at all in 2016, Social Security beneficiaries got a small

see any difference. Rising Medicare costs, which are automatically deducted from the benefits of most people, completely offset the tiny increase. Under current law, the annual boost in benefits, which is provided to keep up with inflation, is based

on the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPIW). That index measures cost changes in items typically used by younger working adults. It gives greater weight to costs like gasoline, which has gone down in price in recent years, but doesn’t give as much weight to medical costs and housing which have been rising rapidly and form a bigger share of spending for people age 62 and over. “The difference between the CPI-E and the CPI-W is at its highest level since the experimental CPI-E was started in 1984,” John-

EITC Coalition offering free income tax counseling, e-filing

he EITC Coalition of Omaha is offering free federal and state income tax preparation and free e-filing of income tax returns at three sites in Omaha. To file a tax return, participants must bring Social Security cards or ITINs for themself, their spouse, and their dependents; a photo identification; a copy of the previous year’s tax returns; all W-2 and 1099 forms; child care provider information (provider’s name, address, EIN/ SSN, and amount paid); bank account number and routing

number (for direct deposit); property tax receipts, mortgage interest statements, charitable contributions, prior year’s state refund information for itemizing; education expense receipts; gambling winnings; and verification of health insurance. Where applicable, both spouses need to be present to sign the returns. For more information, please call 2-1-1 or log on to www.OmahaEITC.org. Here is the list of sites: WALK-IN SITES

BY APPOINTMENT ONLY • Through April 18 Monday through Thursday 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Latino Center of the Midlands 4821 S. 24th St. 402-733-2720

• Through April 18 L Monday through Thursday 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday• 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Family Housing Advisory Services 3605 Q St. Call 2-1-1

WALK-IN SITES • Through April 9 Saturday and Sunday 1 to 4 p.m. Metro Community College Fort Omaha campus Building 10 • Room 122 30th and Fort streets Call 2-1-1

son says. “That difference is driven by steeply rising medical and housing costs which aren’t reflected in the COLA that older Americans get,” she adds. The 2.1 percent increase in the CPI-E is the combined rise in that index since the last time a COLA was payable in 2014. “But according to CPI-E data, the seniors’ index would have paid a COLA of 0.6 percent last year, when beneficiaries got nothing at all, and another 1.5 percent in 2017,” Johnson says. A switch to a more appropriate index like the CPI-E to calculate the annual COLA could have a big impact on the adequacy of Social Security benefits over a 20 to 30-year retirement, projections for TSCL indicate. According to a new projection by Johnson, people who retired in 2015 with average benefits of $1,355 would receive about $29,568 more in Social Security income over a 25year period using the CPI-E. The difference compounds over time. By the end of the 25-year period, Johnson estimates monthly benefits would be 8.9 percent higher using the CPI-E. “And this is normally the time when retirees need it the most,” she says. “Financial resources are at their lowest and healthcare costs are at their highest.” According to a recent TSCL survey, 80 percent of older Americans support switching to the CPI-E to calculate COLAs. TSCL is lobbying for legislation that would provide a more fair COLA by tying the calculation to a seniors index like the CPI-E. To learn more and participate in TSCL surveys, visit www.SeniorsLeague.org.

THEOS THEOS, a social organization for singles age 60 and older, meets from 1 to 4 p.m. on the second Monday of each month at New Cassel, 900 N. 90th St. Older men and women are encouraged to meet for a fun afternoon and to sign up for other activities throughout the month. At the April 10 meeting, Tim Yager from OPPD will discuss energy solutions. For more information, please call Dorothy at 402399-0759 or Mary at 402393-3052.

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Read it & eat By Lois Friedman readitandeat@yahoo.com

Recipes from flyover country New Prairie Kitchen By Summer Miller (Agate, $29.95)

iller, an Omaha native, wife, mother of a two young children, and one of six siblings, will be one of the presenters covering an array of cancer topics at the A Time To Heal: The Art of Living with Cancer Conference. The program will be held Saturday, April 22 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the University of Nebraska at Omaha’s Barbara Weitz Community Engagement Center. The A Time To Heal: The Art of Living with Cancer Conference is designed to empower cancer survivors, their caregivers, and healthcare professionals. For more information about this third annual conference, or to register go to www.atth.org. Miller has overcome transitioning from her days as a half marathon runner to a life recovering from crippling back injuries, painkillers, and rehab. Her love for cooking for her family led Miller to write New Prairie Kitchen. Readers will zigzag across the Heartland nibbling on the cheese, apple cake, corn on the cob, tomatoes, cookies, and other goodies that Summer enjoyed as she gathered stories of local and regional artisans, chefs, and farmers. This exciting cookbook, which features more than 50 seasonal recipes and stories, was gathered and photographed by Miller – a talented Midwestern freelance journalist – and fine art photographer Dana Damewood. New Prairie Kitchen examines food as a celebration, as comfort, and as a connection. It also includes the stories of the people Miller met along the way who grow, supply, and produce the ingredients. This recipe pairs well with spinach or the peppery leaves of arugula:

Wild Mulberry Vinaigrette

New rule will add consumer protection rights for older Nebraskans living in nursing homes By Ginalisa Monterroso

ore than 12,000 people in Nebraska live in nursing homes, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation. Staring in 2017, these patients and their families will be better protected under a new federal rule that adds more consumer protection rights. Specifically, this healthcare overhaul will better protect older adults from neglect and abuse. Families will also have more opportunities to shape the care provided for their loved ones. At the same time, nursing homes will have tighter restrictions for staffing and hiring. As CEO and founder of the Medicare & Medicaid Advisory Group, I believe this tighter regulation is good for our aging parents who are forced to live in nursing homes. Here are the most important changes that will better protect families and their loved ones in nursing homes. • Choose your own meals: Residents and their families can now choose their own food and snacks, and receive them outside of standard meal times. It’s little stuff like this that helps make nursing home care less scary and confusing for those involved, and it introduces a bit of familiarity to the experience. • Pick your roommates and have more visitors: Other changes that can help patients is the ability to choose their own roommates, meaning siblings and good friends won’t have to be separated while in a nursing home. Plus, the new rules expand visiting policies to allow residents to receive visitors at the time they please so long as they aren’t disturbing their roommate. • Sue for abuse and neglect: Another change gives patients or caregivers the right

to sue the nursing home in cases of abuse or neglect. In the past, some facilities would force people to wave their right. Now, that right is preserved.

• Updated discharge policy: The biggest change to these rules, though, is the adjustments to nursing home discharge policies. I’ve heard countless horror stories from my social workers about nursing home residents who were discharged with no warning because they were in dispute or had yet to receive insurance. Under the new rules, nursing homes can no longer discharge patients who have applied for Medicaid or private insurance, as well as those who are waiting for payments or appealing a claim denial. The Medicare & Medicaid Advisory Group sees a lot of long-term care patients and caregivers without advocates. Finding low-cost care is getting harder as healthcare costs continue to rise. Costs for nursing home care have risen to almost $7,000 a month on average, according to a 2016 GenWorth cost analysis. As baby boomers age, more children will be forced to place their aging parents in long-term care facilities. These new rules are important guidelines to help you know your rights.

Serves 8

1 1/2 cups fresh mulberries (to make about 1/4 cup strained mulberry juice) 3/4 cup canola oil 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar 2 tablespoons honey Pinch salt To obtain the mulberry juice, mechanically extract the mulberry juice in a juicer, or you can manually crush the mulberries in a bowl and strain the juice through a fine-mesh strainer or cheesecloth. Discard the solids. In a blender, combine the ingredients until completely emulsified (until the oil has combined with the liquid). Serve right away. The vinaigrette will separate after a few minutes. Just shake or whisk it vigorously before serving again. NOTES: As with all recipes, adjustments may be necessary. Put more honey if you want it sweeter, less if you like it more tart. If you’re using this dressing for a salad with meat in it, it’s best to dress your greens first and then top with your preferred protein.

Bilingual resource information available through partnership

ilingual information about hospice care, palliative care, helping loved ones with grief and loss, and caregiving is available through the Nebraska Hospice and Palliative Care

Partnership. The number for the Cuidando con Carino Compassionate Care HelpLine is (toll free) 1-877-658-8896. The service is offered weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

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Dora Bingel Senior Center You’re invited to visit the Dora Bingel Senior Center, 923 N. 38th St., this month for the following: • April 3, 10, 17, & 24: Al-Anon meeting @ 7 p.m. • April 5, 7, 13, 15, 19, 21, 26, & 28: Ceramics @ 9 a.m. • April 5: Holy Communion served @10 a.m. • April 10: Book Club @ 10 a.m. • April 19: Music by John Worsham from the Merrymakers @11:30 a.m. Lunch is $3. • April 22: Foot care clinic from 9 a.m. to noon for $10. Call 402-392-1818 to make an appointment. • April 26: Birthday party luncheon @ noon. Eat for free if you have an April birthday. • April 28: Hard of hearing support group @ 10:30 a.m. A nutritious lunch is served on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. A $1 donation is suggested for the meals, other than $3 for Merrymakers. Round-trip transportation is available for $3. Reservations are required 24 hours in advance for all meals. Other activities offered at the facility include: Tuesday: Matinee @ 12:30 and quilting @1 p.m. Wednesday: Devotions @ 10:30, Tai Chi at 11 a.m., Bingo @ 12:30 p.m., and Bible Study at 12:30 p.m. Friday: Joy Club Devotions at 9:30 a.m. and Bingo @ 12:30 p.m. For more information, please call 402-898-5854.

Poorer, less educated older Americans more likely to suffer with chronic pain Poorer and less-educated older Americans are more like to suffer from chronic pain than those with greater wealth and more education. The disparity between the two groups is much greater than previously thought, climbing as high as 370 percent in some categories, according to new research by a University at Buffalo medical sociologist. The results, based on 12 years of data from more than 19,000 subjects ages 51 and over, excluding those diagnosed or treated for cancer, provide several kinds of bad news about chronic pain in the United States, according to Hanna Grol-Prokopczyk, an assistant professor of sociology at UB and the paper’s author, published in a recent issue of the journal Pain. Chronic pain levels are also rising by period and not just by age, meaning people who were in their 60s in 2010 reported more pain than people who were in their 60s in 1998. “There are a lot of pressures right now to reduce opioid prescription,” says GrolProkopczyk. “In part, this study should be a reminder that many people are legitimately suffering from pain. Health care providers shouldn’t assume that someone who shows up in their office complaining of pain is just trying to get an opioid prescription. We have to remember that pain is a legitimate and widespread problem.” The study also serves as an argument for investing more money into research for other treatments. “We don’t have particularly good treatments for chronic pain. If opioids are to some extent being taken off the table, it becomes even more important to find other ways of addressing this big public health problem,” says Grol-Prokopczyk. Tens of millions of American adults experience chronic pain. A 2011 Institute of Medicine report (now the National Academy of Science Health and Medicine Division) noted that chronic pain affects more people and costs the economy more money than heart disease, cancer, and diabetes combined. Yet most research on the condition has asked only whether people had or

did not have chronic pain. Grol-Prokopczyk’s groundbreaking study is among the first to look beyond either the presence or absence of chronic pain to examine instead matters of degree, asking whether the pain was mild, moderate, or severe. Her research, based on the Health and Retirement Study, which asked participants if they were “often troubled with pain,” also follows the same subjects over 12 years, as opposed to most studies that illuminate a particular point in time. “I found that people with lower levels of education and wealth don’t just have more pain, they also have more severe pain,” she says. “I also looked at pain-related disability, meaning that pain is interfering with the ability to do normal work or household activities. And again, people with less wealth and education are more likely to experience this disability.” People with the least education are 80 percent more likely to experience chronic pain than people with the most. Looking exclusively at severe pain, subjects who didn’t finish high school are 370 percent more likely to experience severe chronic pain than those with graduate degrees. “If you’re looking at all pain – mild, moderate, and severe combined – you do see a difference across socioeconomic groups. And other studies have shown that. But if you look at the most severe pain, which happens to be the pain most associated with disability and death, then the socioeconomically disadvantaged are more likely to experience it.” More research needs to be done to understand why pain is so unequally distributed in the population, but Grol-Prokopczyk says it’s critical to keep the high burden of pain in mind in this period of concern over the opioid epidemic. “If we as a society decide that opioid analgesics are often too high risk as a treatment for chronic pain, then we need to invest in other effective treatments for chronic pain, and/or figure out how to prevent it in the first place,” she says. (The University at Buffalo provided this information.)

Vols needed for UNMC osteoporosis study The University of Nebraska Medical Center is recruiting women in the Omaha and Lincoln areas to participate in a study looking for better ways to prevent osteoporosis -- a disease of decreased bone strength and density that causes bones to break and sometimes even results in death. Researchers will recruit 300 women who speak English in the Omaha and Lincoln areas and 60 Spanish-speaking women in Omaha. Women eligible for the 12-month study must be within five years after menopause. A translator will always be on hand throughout the study for the Spanish-speaking women who also will receive Spanish language

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materials. The study is part of a $3.2 million National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant to test interventions for preventing further bone loss and osteoporosis in post-menopausal women with early bone loss. If women are eligible for the study and want to participate, they would be randomly assigned to one of three parts of the study: take calcium and vitamin D supplements every day; take bone-building medication (Risedronate) plus calcium and vitamin D supplements; or take calcium and vitamin D supplements and strengthen bones in a tailored exercise program three times a week at various designated facilities.

Nancy Waltman, Ph.D., professor in the UNMC College of Nursing said after menopause, many women develop weak, fragile bones, and they don’t realize they have bone loss. The concern is that with weak bones they are more likely to break bones. All study treatments are provided at no cost and travel expense compensation is provided. Women who want to be screened to see if they qualify for the study will receive blood draws and an X-ray of the hip and spine to determine if they have early bone loss. Both will be at no cost. For more information about the study, please call 402-552-6819 or send an email to hops@unmc.edu.

Study: Older adults living in a poor, violent neighborhood at higher risk for depression

lder adults who live in poor and violent urban neighborhoods are at a greater risk for depression, according to a study by researchers from the University of California-Davis, the University of Minnesota, and other institutions published in a recent issue of the journal Health & Place. The research specifically showed that older adults who lived in neighborhoods with more homicide and a higher poverty rate experienced more depressive symptoms. In fact, neighborhood homicide rates accounted for almost a third of the effect of neighborhood poverty on older adult depression. According to the World Health Organization, depression affects 120 million people worldwide. It’s the third leading cause of global disease burden and it’s projected that unipolar depressive disorders will become the leading cause of global disease burden by 2030. While depression is a major issue at any age, it’s a particular concern for older adults, increasing disability and mental decline and reducing quality of life. “Given the shift towards an aging population and the growing rates of depression among older adults, understanding the factors that contribute to depression is critical,” said Spruha Joshi, a doctoral student in epidemiology at the University of Minnesota School of Public Health and first author on the paper. Neighborhoods in which older adults live are an important factor influencing depression and overall mental health, she said. “We wanted to investigate the total effect poverty has on older adult depression, but also look at particular characteristics that might explain that relationship,” said Magdalena Cerda, an associate professor in the UC Davis Health Department of Emergency Medicine and senior author. “Specifically, what is it about poor neighborhoods that make people depressed? This study really highlights the role violence plays in affecting mental health.” While previous studies revealed a link between poverty and depression, few have focused exclusively on older adults. In addition, previous efforts had not addressed the many conditions in poor neighborhoods that could contribute to older adult depression. “Older adults tend to be less mobile and more dependent on the amenities, services, and sources of social support in the neighborhoods where they live,” Joshi said. HorizonAD-2010:HorizonAD-08 2/4/10 8:00 AM For the study, the researchers queried

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data from the New York City Neighborhood and Mental Health in the Elderly Study II (NYCNAMES II), a three-year study of older residents in the nation’s most populous city. Depression was measured using the nine-question Patient Health Questionnaire.

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The team looked at several neighborhood factors that might contribute to depression such as high homicide rates, poor perception of safety, pedestrian and bicyclist injuries, green space, social cohesion, and walkability. The study sample was 61 percent female and 47 percent non-Hispanic white. In addition, 60 percent of respondents had incomes below $40,000. While many factors were examined, violence was the only neighborhood characteristic that substantially contributed to depression in older adults in impoverished, urban communities. “We found that about 30 percent of the relationship between neighborhood poverty and depression was explained by the higher homicide rate,” Cerdá said. These findings could help shape policy to improve quality of life for older adults in urban neighborhoods. “Violence in the pathway between poverty and depression is a critical finding,” Joshi said. “Now we can look at neighborhoods that are not only poor but also have high levels of violence and possibly provide support for older adults in the area.” The study highlights the key role that violence can play in shaping the mental health of local residents. By investing in violence prevention in high-poverty neighborhoods, it’s possible to reduce violence and improve the mental health of vulnerable populations, Cerdá added. More work will need to be done to tease out the relationships between neighborhood conditions and depression for older adults in impoverished neighborhoods. “There are still many pathways through which poor neighborhoods can shape mental health that we don’t yet understand,” Joshi said. “Identifying these pathways will be critical if we want to identify suitable ways to promote mental health in local Page 1 residents.”

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712-366-9596

Quoted prices are per person, double occupancy. For more information about our tours, please call Ward or Kathy Kinney at Fontenelle Tours at the number listed above.

Motorcoach “Boeing-Boeing” at the New Theater. April 22. $149. Join us on a Saturday trip to Kansas City to see a live performance of “Boeing-Boeing” while you enjoy a delicious buffet lunch. This comedy, starring Debra Jo Rupp from “That 70s Show” and “Friends”, is the story of Bernard, a bachelor juggling a very precarious social calendar while he is engaged simultaneously to three different stewardesses. His sophisticated timetable works great until the new double speed Super Boeing changes the schedules of the airlines and the mayhem begins. “The Dixie Swim Club” at the New Theater. June 21. $129 before 4/21. ($139 after 4/21). Join us on a Wednesday trip to Kansas City to see a live performance of “The Dixie Swim Club” while you enjoy a delicious buffet lunch. This play, starring Morgan Fairchild from “Falcon Crest”, “Flamingo Road”, and “Friends”, is the story of five Southern women who became friends on their college swim team. For 33 years they’ve had a weekend reunion every August torecharge those relationships. The Dixie Swim Club focuses on four of those weekends. Nebraska State Parks and Solar Eclipse. August 20 - 25. $849 before 5/19. ($909 after 5/19). Come along to help celebrate Nebraska’s 150th Anniversary of Statehood. Begin the trip with the Total Solar Eclipse in Kearney, which is in the direct path of totality. Experience the beauty of Nebraska nature in several state parks, historical parks, recreation areas, and monuments, including a cookout, guided tours, cabin stays, and special highlights as we make a giant loop around the state. Branson Christmas. November 6 - 9. $699 before 8/6. ($739 after 8/6). Enjoy Daniel O’Donnell at the Welk Theater, Pierce Arrow, The Brett Family, Neal McCoy, Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons hits in “New Jersey Nights”, and either “The Miracle of Christmas” at the Sight and Sound Theater or the SIX Show, and Grand Village shopping. Kansas City Christmas. Dates to be determined after the New Theater announces its new season. Laughlin Laughlin in April. Apri1 10 – 13. $329. Four days – three nights. Includes non-stop, round-trip airfare to Laughlin, Nevada, three nights lodging at the Riverside Resort and Casino on the banks of the Colorado River, and shuttle transportation to and from the airport. It is a very affordable way to get away! In partnership with Collette Vacations Quoted prices are per person, double occupancy, and do include airfare. More destinations available!

Attorneys at Law

America’s Music Cities. October 1 - 8. $3149. New Orleans, Memphis, and Nashville by air. Some highlights include a French Quarter tour and jazz revue, swamp cruise, Gaylord Opryland Hotel stay, Graceland, Country Music Hall of Fame, reserved seats at the Grand Ole Opry, whisky distillery tour, Belle Meade Plantation tour, and a Louisiana cooking demo. Discover Panama. February 22 – March 2, 2018. Details to follow.

William E. Seidler Jr.

Canadian Rockies & Glacier National Park. Mid July 2018. Details to follow.

www.seidler-seidler-law.com

Spotlight London Holiday. December 2018. Details to follow. Iceland’s Magical Northern Lights. Early March 2019. Details to follow.

10050 Regency Circle, Suite 525 Omaha, NE 68114-5705

Watch New Horizons and our website www.fontenelletours.com for our trip schedule.

402-397-3801

Delivering quality legal services since 1957.

11808 Mason Plaza, Omaha, NE 68154

April 2017

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RSVP RSVP is recruiting persons age 55 and older for a variety of opportunities. For more information in Douglas, Sarpy, and Cass counties, please call 402-4446536, ext. 224. In Dodge and Washington counties, please call 402-721-7780. • The Corrigan Senior Center is looking for volunteers. • The Lutheran Thrift Store needs volunteers.

• The VA Medical Center is looking for volunteers for a variety of assignments. • The Low Income Ministry wants volunteers for its food pantry. • The Blair and Fremont Car-Go Program needs volunteers to drive older adults to their appointments once or twice a week.

ENOA recruiting older adults to become Use these space-saving techniques Senior Companions, Foster Grandparents to grow produce, beautiful flowers Men and women age 55 and older who want to earn a tax-free stipend while making an impact in their community are encouraged to join the Senior Companion Program and the Foster Grandparent Program. Sponsored locally by the Eastern Nebraska Office on Aging, the SCP and FGP are national programs of the Corporation for National and Community Service through the Senior Service Corps. Senior Companions help other older adults maintain their independence by visiting them at home to discuss the news, read mail, play cards, run errands, etc. Foster Grandparents serve as positive role models for children who need special attention with education, healthcare, and social development in schools, Head Start programs, and child development centers. SCP and FGP volunteers must meet income guidelines and complete an enrollment process that includes references and background checks. In exchange for volunteering 15 hours or more per week, Foster Grandparents and Senior Companions receive a $2.65 an hour tax-free stipend, mileage reimbursement, an annual physical examination, supplemental accident insurance coverage, and other benefits including an annual recognition luncheon. The stipend does not interfere with rent, disability, Medicaid, or other benefits. For more information on the FGP and SCP, please call 402-444-6536.

By Melinda Myers

hether in the ground or on a balcony or deck, there’s always room to grow your own garden-fresh produce and beautiful flowers. Space saving gardening techniques and products can help you increase productivity in any available space. Consider elevated gardens and planter carts that not only save space, but make gardens more accessible. Movable carts like the Demeter Mobile Planter Cart allow you to grow flowers and produce in narrow spaces, store garden accessories, and move the garden into the sunlight or out of the way of guests as needed. Save more space by going vertical. Look for containers and raised garden beds with built-in trellises and plant supports. Plant your pole beans, peas, cucumbers, or tomatoes and attach them to the supports as they grow. Support the large fruit of squash and melons with cloth or macramé slings. Cradle the fruit in the sling and secure it to the trellis. You’ll not only save space, but also reduce disease problems and make harvesting a breeze. Double your planting space by growing shade tolerant greens under cucumbers growing on a cucumber or an Aframe trellis. Set the trellis in place and plant the greens in early spring as soon as the soil is workable. Plant your cucumbers next to the trellis as soon as the soil warms. As your cucumbers grow they shade the greens below keeping them a bit cooler and extending the harvest season. Just make sure you can reach the greens beneath the supports for planting, weeding, and harvesting. Extend the growing season with a year round kitchen garden. Grow greens and herbs under lights attached to a raised bed on wheels. When the outdoor planting season arrives, remove the lights and roll your garden onto the patio or deck. Continue planting and harvesting outdoors until it’s time to roll it back inside to start your indoor garden. Top your raised bed and containers with frost protective coverings. Many have built-in frames to support greenhouse covers, allowing you to plant earlier and harvest later in the season. Once the weather warms switch out the cover for an insect-protective fabric or mesh. These fabric coverings prevent insects like cabbage worms from damaging cabbage, broccoli, and Brussels sprouts and keep root maggots off radishes. Select planters that complement your landscape design and gardening style. Wood, metal, and colorful raised beds and containers add beauty, durability, and growing space. Galvanized planters, cedar raised beds, and those in eyecatching colors make your raised bed a beautiful focal point in the garden. Fill your planters with tall grasses, cannas, elephant ears, and other plants to create an attractive screen. Look for multi-purpose furnishings and accessories to maximize your space and enjoyment. Fire pits that become a table or bench can double as a cooler, making relaxing and entertaining in small gardens a real possibility. Consider investing in planters with built-in hidden storage. You’ll enjoy the convenience of having your garden tools handy, yet out of sight. Use these space saving ideas to help increase the beauty, productivity, and enjoyment your garden can provide. With the right combination of growing techniques and garden accessories you, your family, and guests will create beautiful memories throughout the gardening season. (Melinda Myers is the author of more than 20 gardening books.) Law Offices of Charles E. Dorwart 35 years of legal experience • Wills • Living Trusts • Probate • Healthcare and Financial Powers of Attorney • In-home consultations • Free Initial consultation 6790 Grover Street • Suite 100 Omaha, NE 68106 Office: (402) 558-1404 • Fax: (402) 779-7498 cdorwartjd@dorwartlaw.com

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Eligible older Nebraska homeowners can take their homestead exemptions with them to their new homes

lice is a 68-year-old widow who owns and lives in her own home. For the last several years, she’s been getting a full property tax exemption on her home because she’s enrolled in the Nebraska Homestead Exemption program. The homestead program allows up to a 100 percent exemption from property taxes on the principal residence of eligible Nebraskans. (For more information on the Nebraska Homestead Exemption program, please see page 12.) Alice decided to downsize and bought a townhome for a little less than the value of her current home and moved in during June. Fast forward to December of the same year. Alice receives a property tax bill for her new home because, although she applied for and was granted a homestead exemption on

Elder Access Line Legal Aid of Nebraska operates a free telephone access line for Nebraskans age 60 and older. Information is offered to help the state’s older men and women with questions on topics like bankruptcy, homestead exemptions, collections, powers of attorney, Medicare, Medicaid, grandparent rights, and Section 8 housing. The telephone number for the Elder Access Line is 402-827-5656 in Omaha and 1-800-527-7249 statewide. This service is available to Nebraskans age 60 and older regardless of income, race, or ethnicity. For more information, log on the Internet to http:// www.legalaidofnebraska. com/EAL.

her prior residence, she didn’t apply to transfer her homestead exemption to her newly purchased townhome. This resulted in her loss of a homestead exemption for the year because she neither lived in her previous home long enough to qualify during the year, nor did she apply to transfer the homestead exemption to her new home. Alice didn’t know she needed to transfer her exemption and, in fact, her real estate agent told her she’d get a letter from the Nebraska Department of Revenue about her property taxes and the homestead exemption for her new home. The result for Alice, who is single, over 65, with an annual net income that would qualify her for 100 percent homestead exemption, is sad because she has a property tax bill she hadn’t anticipated. Here’s the scoop—homestead exemptions can be transferred. To qualify for a homestead exemption, the person seeking it must own and occupy the residence or mobile home from Jan. 1 through Aug. 15 each year. If not owned and occupied during that time, the homestead exemption, by state law, will be disallowed for the entire year. There’s an annual requirement the owner file an application for the homestead exemption along with an income statement, on or before June 30. However, the homestead exemption is transferable if certain conditions are met. If the owner acquires and occupies a new homestead prior to Aug. 15, he or she must file, in addition to the annual application and income statement for the original homestead, an Application for Transfer (Form 458T) with the assessor’s office in the county in which the new homestead is located on or before Aug. 15. To transfer a homestead exemption to a newly-purchased home, several things need to happen. First, Alice must have filed a homestead exemption application (and income statement) for the first house with her assessor’s office. She can file that application between Feb. 1 and June 30. Second, if the new townhome was purchased and occupied prior to Aug. 15, Alice needs to file an Application for Transfer (Form 458T) with the assessor’s office on or before Aug. 15. If Alice had completed those filings, she would have received the homestead exemption on the new home. Her old home, however, will no longer receive a property-tax exemption and will be taxable. We know the importance of the Homestead Exemption program. And we know moving brings with it a long list of things to do. Be sure your homestead exemption goes with you to your new home by filing the application on the old house and then filing the transfer statement for the new residence. You can find the homestead exemption forms at www.dcassessor.org. Click on the box for “Homestead Exemption”. If you have any questions about the homestead program, please feel free to contact the Douglas County Assessor/ Register of Deeds office at 402-444-7060. Choose Option 2 for homestead exemption. (The Douglas County Assessor/Register of Deeds office provided this information.)

Alzheimer’s support groups The Alzheimer’s Association Nebraska Chapter offers several caregiver support groups and specialty support groups each month in Cass, Dodge, Douglas, and Sarpy counties. These support groups offer valuable space and educational opportunities for families impacted by Alzheimer’s disease or a related form of dementia to engage and learn. For more information about any of the groups listed below, please call (toll free) 800-272-3900. CASS COUNTY • PLATTSMOUTH Second Tuesday @ 6 p.m. First Lutheran Church (chapel) 1025 Ave. D DODGE COUNTY • FREMONT Second Tuesday @ 5:30 p.m. Shalimar Gardens (second floor community room) 749 E. 29th St. DOUGLAS COUNTY • OMAHA

Third Tuesday @ 6 p.m. Temple Israel (media room) 13111 Sterling Ridge Dr. Caring for Your Parents Second or third Saturday @ 11 a.m. Call Teri @ 402-393-0434 for locations Spanish Language Support Group Second Tuesday @ 4 p.m. Intercultural Community Center 3010 R St. SARPY COUNTY

Second Thursday @ 10 a.m. Country House Residences 5030 S. 155th St. FREE on site adult day services are provided. Every other Monday @ 7 p.m. Brighton Gardens 9220 Western Ave. First & third Monday @ 1:30 p.m. New Cassel’s Franciscan Centre 900 N. 90th St. FREE on-site adult day services are provided.

• BELLEVUE Third Monday @ 7 p.m. Bellevue Senior Center 109 W. 22nd Ave. First Wednesday @ 1 p.m. Eastern Nebraska Vets Home (Vets and non-vets welcome) 12505 S. 40th St. • PAPILLION Fourth Thursday @ 6 p.m. Hillcrest Grand Lodge 6021 Grand Lodge Ave.

Third Tuesday @ 5 p.m. Immanuel Fontenelle 6809 N 68th Plz.

The Eastern Nebraska Office on Aging has been providing programs and services for older adults in Douglas, Sarpy, Dodge, Cass, and Washington counties since 1975.

Immanuel Affordable Communities Immanuel Communities offers beautiful affordable independent apartment homes for seniors who are on a fixed income.

Florence Home Rehabilitation

Call today to schedule a personal visit.

Rehab, renew, return home More than 350 individuals have safely transitioned to their home.

Income guidelines apply

Immanuel Courtyard 6757 Newport Avenue Omaha, NE 68152 402-829-2912

Call 402-827-6000

www.omahaseniorcare.org

Assisted Living at Immanuel Courtyard 6759 Newport Avenue Omaha, NE 68152 402-829-2990

Trinity Courtyard 620 West Lincoln Street Papillion, NE 68046 402-614-1900

Affilated with the Nebraska Synod, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America

April 2017

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www.immanuel.com

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Stebbins uses his insight, intuition as station manager for RTBS By Nick Schinker Contributing Writer

lind since a medical incident that saved his life as a premature newborn but also robbed him of his sight, Paul Stebbins has a valuable sense that many other people lack. He has insight, and with that intuitive quality, Stebbins sees opportunities where many of us would see obstacles. At 67 years old, Stebbins’ faithfilled, positive approach to life is both refreshing and inspiring to his family, friends, and the blind and visually-impaired community that benefits directly from his eight years as station manager at the Radio Talking Book Service in Omaha. “My connection with radio actually goes back to when I was an infant,” he says, smiling during an interview at the Radio Talking Book studio near CHI Health Immanuel Medical Center. “My mom had me crawl to a radio. I couldn’t see it, but I could hear the sound, and because it was an old tube radio, I could feel the warmth.” Although the humming transistors and glowing tubes have been replaced today by computerized sound boards and other technologies, Stebbins relies on experience as he moves confidently between the electronic devices in the studio, adeptly weaving together the live voice and the automated segments that make up the station’s 24/7 programming. “I love radio,” he says as an automated recording of the Council Bluffs Nonpareil newspaper kicks off the noon hour. “I had better love it, because I’ve been doing it the past 55 years of my life.”

aul Stebbins was born 14 weeks premature. “They gave me a 10 percent chance to survive that first night,” he says.

Raised in Illinois, Stebbins worked in Denver and San Francisco before coming to Omaha. “They put me in an incubator, but they gave me too much oxygen and it destroyed the retinas in both eyes. It’s a condition called retinopathy of prematurity. But I’m very glad to be alive. The oxygen did help my brain, and I’ve been blessed with what I would say is reasonable intelligence.” Growing up in Skokie, Ill., with his brother, John, and sister, Marcia, Stebbins attended Dawes Elementary School in nearby Evanston, where he studied and learned alongside sighted children. His mother, Mary Earlene (Sutton) Stebbins, grew up in West Frankfurt, Ill. Her parents were farmers. Stebbins recalls taking the train to visit the farm when he was young. “That was where I first got to touch a cow and a pig,” he says. His father, Russ Stebbins, was director of sales for NBC Radio and Television in Chicago. “We were the first people on the block with a color TV, back in 1957,” Stebbins

says. “We had to have one because of my father’s work. They would tell me about the shows that were on. I enjoyed Sea Hunt with Lloyd Bridges, and Paladin – Have Gun Will Travel. And I listened to the Huntley-Brinkley news report. “I remember The Wizard of Oz was one of the first broadcasts in color. We invited the kids in the neighborhood over to watch, and mom made popcorn.” Stebbins was 9 years old when his father died. “He went to see the doctor for a case of strep throat, and the doctor prescribed an antibiotic,” Stebbins recalls. “But my dad was allergic, and after three and a half weeks, it had destroyed his bone marrow. They didn’t do bone marrow transplants back then, and he died of aplastic anemia.” It was his father’s dream to start a radio station. “He had applied for a license, but it wasn’t approved by the time he died,” Stebbins says. “Mom finished the process, ob-

tained the license, and put a radio station on the air.” Throughout his youth, Stebbins’ mother told him she wasn’t about to let him feel sorry for himself or be bitter about his blindness. “That’s why she started our radio station,” he says. With that radio station, she presented her son a world that was geared to the ears, not the eyes. “She had a Quonset hut built at the base of the tower and it went live Aug. 18, 1961. I was 12, and because I was coming home from summer camp, I actually missed the first night it was on the air. “The next day, she turned on the radio in the kitchen and said, ‘I want you to listen to something.’ It was one of the best experiences of my life. It was all radio; all live and it sounded fantastic. I still get chills.” On a subsequent visit to the station, the announcer asked Stebbins --Please turn to page 11.

Your home. Your care. Your pace. Our program provides a complete system of health care. The service is called PACE, which stands for: Program of All-inclusive Care for the Elderly. We provide primary and hospital care as well as prescription drugs, transportation and so much more to our participants. Services are provided in the home, at the PACE Center and in the community. PACE participants may be fully and personally liable for the costs of unauthorized or out-of-PACE program services. Emergency services are covered. Participants may disenroll at any time. For complete program details and benefits, please call 402-991-0330 or visit www.immanuel.com.

Serving Nebraska in the Counties of Douglas and Sarpy 5755 Sorensen Parkway | Omaha, NE 68152 | 402-991-0990

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BLUEBARN Theatre The 28th season of performances continues at the BLUEBARN Theatre, 1106 S. 10th St., as Silent Sky by Lauren Gunderson runs through April 15. 0Show times are Thursday through Saturday at 7:30 p.m., Sunday, April 2 at 6 p.m., and Sunday, April 9 at 2 and 6 p.m. Silent Sky is about Henrietta Swan Leavitt and the real women “computers” working at the Harvard University Observatory. The story is about a young woman mapping her passage through a society unaccustomed to strong women. 0Tickets are $30 for adults and $25 for students, adults age 65+, TAG members, and groups of 10 or more. 0For more information, call 402-345-1576.

Paul’s parents built a radio station to create a world for his ears --Continued from page 10. if he’d like to cue a record, and taught him how to do it properly on the large turntable; how to gently place the needle down, spin the record just until it begins to play, then back it up so when it went on the air live it would be precisely at the start of the song. “Ever since then, I was hooked,” he says. “But I didn’t want to be the announcer. I wanted to be the engineering person.”

tebbins didn’t learn to use a cane until he had to navigate among the 4,000 students at Evanston Township High School. “I’ve never had a service dog, but I’ve had pets,” he says. “They like to have you walk a mile and a half a day with a service dog, and being here at the station, I just don’t walk that much.” Enamored with the engineering side of broadcasting, Stebbins attended technical college and went on to work for radio stations in Denver and San Francisco. He also worked briefly in television, for a time on the game show Wheel of Fortune, where the director told him that for the first three days he didn’t realize Stebbins was blind. Stebbins was at his mother’s bedside after she became ill with cancer and in 1999 when she suffered a stroke. “She was in a nursing facility for a time,” he says. “I slept on the floor, or on a cot when they had one. We had a very deep love for each other. She died in February 2000, and was buried on Valentine’s Day.”

A medical accident cost Stebbins his sight as a newborn. At the time, Stebbins had been doing work for a recording company. “My job was mainly quality control. I would listen for flaws. But it wasn’t fulltime, and it wasn’t satisfying.” Following his mother’s death, he searched the country for a job in radio. “I tried for several, but usually once they’d find out I’m blind, it didn’t matter what experience I had,” he says. After placing his resume with several radio stations in Nebraska and not hearing back, Stebbins met with Dick Zlab, a blind man who was one of the founders of the Radio Talking Book Service in Omaha. Zlab was with the station for 34 years. “He met me at Mr. C’s restaurant and we had a nice dinner,” he says. “I started here Aug. 6, 2007.”

adio Talking Book Service Inc. (RTBS) was founded in 1974 as the nation’s sixth reading service for the blind and vi-

sually impaired. Since then, RTBS has remained Nebraska’s only audio and information reading service. RTBS houses two programs: the Radio Talking Book Network (RTBN) and Listening Link. The programming is available through a special radio receiver, provided free of charge for those who are blind or visually impaired. Engaged twice but never married, Stebbins spends considerable time with Ann Pelikan, whom he met at an Omaha Association of the Blind meeting in 2009. “She came up and said, ‘I’m chair of the American Council of the Blind Nebraska convention. Would you consider speaking at our convention?’ I told her that I’m pretty terrified of public speaking. She gave me a hug and my heart melted.” Pelikan, who has 20 percent sight in only one eye and is legally blind, works at Radio Talking Book part time in a variety of roles including hosting the program Saturday Night at the Movies, during

which an audio-described movie is played on the radio. “The last one we had was John Wayne in Chisolm,” Stebbins says. “It has all the dialogue and music just as it is in the movie, but when the action pauses, the narrator describes what is happening on the screen.” Together, the couple enjoys gourmet food and Ann’s cooking. “She makes a very good Southern fried chicken,” Stebbins says, smiling. “And I really like her biscuits and gravy.” They also like listening to music. “I took her to Loretta Lynn’s concert at the Holland Center,” he says. “That was amazing.” Though his life has been productive and fulfilling, being blind, there are things that Stebbins wonders about. “I’m kind of a scientific person,” he says. “I wish my brain could tell me what colors are really like. I understand the idea behind a color spectrum, and people will describe red as warm, or blue as bright or cheerful. But that doesn’t tell me what a color is. There really aren’t words for that. “My mother once said, ‘I hope one day you get to see a rainbow.’” There are a few things Stebbins can’t do that he says he would try if he had sight. “I’d like to fly an airplane, and maybe be a photographer,” he says. “But I’m not unhappy being blind. I’m used to it. I have adapted.” Thanks to the gift of insight, Stebbins is able to see the good in the world the rest of us too often take for granted.

Walnut Grove Retirement Community Walnut Grove − a world of wishes at your command Live-in managers, resort-style meals, valet parking, and room service – and that’s just for starters. Want to live in a wonderful independent living community that’s thought of everything? Then call to schedule a tour.

It’s like finding the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.

402-281-3111 4901 S. 153rd Street



Omaha, NE 68137



April 2017

WalnutGroveRetirement.com

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Camelot Friendship Center

Return Homestead Exemption applications by June 30

You’re invited to visit the Camelot Friendship Center inside the Camelot Community Center, 9270 Cady Ave., for the following: • April 3: Foot clinic. • April 4: Montclair volleyball tournament. • April 7 & 21: Visit by Methodist Nursing College students. • April 12: Birthday bash. • April 13: Book Club @ 10:15 a.m. and music by Tim Javorsky from the Merrymakers @ 11:45 a.m. • April 20: Jackpot bingo @ 12:15 p.m. • April 24: Chair volleyball @ 10:30 a.m. • April 28: Movie day @ 12:15 p.m. 0Other activities include Tai Chi (Tuesday and Friday @ 10:15 a.m.), Bingo, pinochle, card games, other games, crafts, candy making, and scrapbooking. The Camelot Friendship Center is open weekdays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Lunch is served at 11:30 a.m. A $3.50 contribution is suggested for the meal. Reservations are due by noon the business day prior to the lunch you wish to enjoy. For reservations or more information, please call Amy at 402-444-3091.

Fremont Friendship Center 0 ou’re invited to visit the Fremont Friendship Center, Y 1730 W. 16th St. (Christensen Field), for the following: 0• April 3: Staying healthy with Dr. Dalton @ 10 a.m. 0• April 5: Home care tips @ 10:30 a.m. Music with Amanda Coker @ 11:30 a.m. 0• April 6: Law clinic (pre-registration is required). 0• April 7: Presentation on ENOA by Kay Snelling. 0• April 11: Center closes @ 1:30 p.m. Casino trip from 10:15 a.m. to 3:15 p.m. 0• April 12: Entertainment by The Tri-tones @ 10:30 a.m. 0• April 18: Skin care presentation. 0• April 19: News with Nye. 0• April 20: Presentation on incontinence. 0• April 21: Presentation on senior fraud. 0• April 26: Music by Julie Couch @ 10:30 a.m. 0• April 27: Sister Rita on positive thinking @ 10 a.m. 0• April 28: Q & A on housing with Lottie Mitchell @ 11:15 a.m. 0The annual garage sale will be May 25 from 1 to 7 p.m. and May 26 from 8 a.m. to noon. The Fremont Friendship Center is open Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Friday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Lunch is served at 11:30 a.m. A $3.50 contribution is suggested for lunch. Reservations must be made by noon the business day prior to the meal you wish to enjoy. 0For meal reservations and more information, please call Laurie at 402-727-2815.

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MODELS NOW OPEN

When you visit Skyline Independent Living, no other community compares to the value and caliber of amenities we offer. It’s more than just our beautiful apartments and common areas. More than delightful dining and activities. It’s devoted attention, outstanding caring staff, and simply the best Residents who choose to call us home.

Call for a tour TODAY!

Independent Living Residences 7300 Graceland Drive • Omaha, NE 68134

402-557-6637 Sorry NO pets • SkylineRC.com

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annual tax break. When determining household income, applicants must include Social Security and Railroad Retirement benefits plus any income for which they receive a Form 1099. The homestead exemption amount is based on the homeowner’s marital status and income level (see below). Maximum exemptions are based on the average assessed value for residential property in each Nebraska county.

he Douglas County Assessor/Register of Deeds’ office (1819 Farnam St.) is sending volunteers into the community to help older adults complete the application form. The volunteers will be located at sites throughout the county. A list of these locations will be included with your application. Assistance is also available by calling Volunteers Assisting Seniors at 402-4446617. Here are the numbers for the local assessor’s offices: Douglas: 402-444-7060, option #2; Sarpy: 402-593-2122; Dodge: 402-727-3915; Cass: 402-296-9310; and Washington: 402-426-6800.

Household income table Over age 65 married income

Over age 65 single income

Exemption %

0 - $32,500.99 $32,501 - $34,200.99 $34,201 - $36,000.99 $36,001 - $37,700.99 $37,701 - $39,400.99 $39,401 - $41,200.99 $41,201 - $42,900.99 $42,901 - $44,700.99 $44,701 - $46,400.99 $46,401 - $48,200.99 $48, 201 and over

0 to $27,600.99 $27,601 - $29,100.99 $29,101 - $30,500.99 $30,501 - $31,900.99 $31,901 - $33,400.99 $33,401 - $34,800.99 $34,801 - $36,300.99 $36,301 - $37,700.99 $37,701 - $39,100.99 $39,101 - $40,600.99 $40,601 and over

100 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0

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pplicants whose names are on file in the assessor’s office in Douglas, Sarpy, Dodge, Cass, and Washington counties should have a homestead exemption form mailed to them by early March. New applicants must contact their county assessor’s office to receive the application. The 2017 forms and a household income statement must be completed and returned to the county assessor’s office by June 30, 2017. A homestead exemption provides property tax relief by exempting all or part of the homestead’s valuation from taxation. The state of Nebraska reimburses the counties and other government subdivisions for the lost tax revenue. To qualify for a homestead exemption, a Nebraska homeowner must be age 65 by Jan. 1, 2017, the home’s owner/occupant through Aug. 15, 2017, and fall within the income guidelines shown below. Certain homeowners who have a disability, are developmentally disabled, are totally disabled war veterans, or the widow(er) of a totally disabled war veteran – including those who have remarried after age 57 – may also be eligible for this

You!

enoa.org

The Eastern Nebraska Office on Aging’s Web site includes information about: • • • • • • • • • • •

Bath aides Care management Chore services Community education Durable medical equipment Emergency food pantry Emergency response systems ENOA facts and figures ENOA Library ENOA senior centers

24 hours a day, • Homemakers 7 days a week!

• Information & assistance telephone lines • Intergeneration Orchestra of Omaha • Legal services • Meals on Wheels • Medicaid Waiver • New Horizons Grandparent Resource Center • Nutrition counseling

April 2017

• • • • • •

Ombudsman advocates Respite care Respite Resource Center Rural transportation Senior Care Options Support of adult day facilities • Volunteer opportunities

How divorce, marriage impact the life, health of older women A study led by University of Arizona researchers suggests for women who marry later in life, a few extra pounds may accompany their nuptials. On the other hand, older women who go through a divorce or separation may lose weight and see some positive changes in their health, according to the research in a recent issue of the Journal of Women’s Health. “Earlier studies on marriage and divorce have shown marriage is usually associated with a longer lifespan and fewer health problems, while divorce is associated with higher mortality,” said the study’s lead author, Dr. Randa Kutob, an associate professor of family and community medicine and director in the UA College of Medicine’s Office of Continuing Medical Education. “The interesting thing we found in our study is with divorce in postmenopausal women, it’s not all negative, at least not in the short term,” she said. Since many studies on marriage focus on younger women, Kutob and her collaborators were interested in the effects of marital transitions on older women who are more susceptible to chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Using data from the national Women’s Health Initiative, researchers looked at postmenopausal women ages 50 to 79 over a three-year period. The women fell into one of three groups: those who went from single to married or in a self-defined marriage-like relationship over the course of three years; those who started out married but went through a separation or divorce; and those whose marital status did not change over the three-year period (they either started out and remained married or started out and remained unmarried). Researchers looked at a number of health measures including weight, waist circumference, and blood pressure, as well as health indicators such as diet, exercise, smoking, and alcohol consumption. All of the women who started the study unmarried (had never been married, were divorced, or widowed) saw some weight gain over the three-year period, which is not uncommon for women as they age, Kutob said. However, those who went from unmarried to married gained slightly more weight than those who remained single — on the order of two or more additional pounds than their unmarried counterparts. While the reason for the extra weight gain is not entirely clear, one theory on marriage-related weight gain at any age is that it may come from couples sitting down more often together for regular, sometimes larger, meals, Kutob said.

Florence AARP Chapter 2269 AARP’s Florence Chapter 2269 meets monthly at Mount View Presbyterian Church, 5308 Hartman Ave. The meetings feature a noon lunch for $8 followed by a program at 12:45 p.m. Transportation is available by calling 402-453-4825 or 402-455-8401. • April 17 Former Omaha World-Herald reporter Robert Dorr

“Potentially it’s portion size, because it doesn’t seem to be related to their food choices,” she said. Both groups of women – those who remained single and those who married – saw a decrease in diastolic blood pressure, but the decrease was greater for women who remained unmarried. The unmarried women also drank less alcohol than those who wed. There were no significant differences in smoking or physical activity between the two groups. When researchers compared women who stayed married throughout the duration of the study to those who went from married to divorced or separated, they found diFremont Friendship vorce was associated with weight loss and an increase in physical activity. Women who stayed married gained about two pounds and saw a slight increase in their waistline over the three-year study period, while women who divorced lost a modest amount of weight and went down some in inches. The married women also saw a decline in physical activity, while divorced women’s physical activity increased. Alcohol consumption remained about the same between the two groups. The researchers controlled for women’s self-reported emotional well-being and found the divorced women’s weight loss did not appear to be related to depression. That is, women weren’t simply eating less and losing weight as an emotional response. With regard to dietary quality, all women in the study showed improvements in the ratio of healthy to unhealthy food consumed. However, women who went from married to divorced had the most improved diets. “It does seem that these women are consciously engaging in healthier behaviors after divorce,” Kutob said. The one area in which divorced women lagged was smoking. Women who went from married to divorced were the most likely group to start smoking. However, it’s important to note those who picked up the habit were typically former smokers, not first-time tobacco users, Kutob said. While the study’s results don’t challenge existing research on the long-term health benefits of marriage, they offer new insight into some of the more immediate health effects of late-life marital transitions, and this could have important implications for postmenopausal women and their healthcare providers, Kutob said. “As a health provider, my takeaway is that I should be thinking about marital transitions, and when people get married, say congratulations but also give them some advice and tools for their health, and encourage all women as they age to continue being physically active,” she said. “With divorce, some women take that moment to focus more on their own health, as it would appear from our results. As a health provider, I should be encouraging them in those efforts so that those efforts aren’t short-term but become lifelong,” Kutob said. “Even a pretty devastating life event like a divorce can have some positive outcomes, and if we can encourage the positive it will probably help those people cope as well.” (The University of Arizona provided this information.)

April 2017

Corrigan Senior Center You’re invited to visit the Corrigan Senior Center, 3819 X St., this month for: • April 3: Presentation by Outlook Nebraska @ 11 a.m. Learn about living with limited vision, vision loss, and changes in vision as we age. • April 5, 12, 19, & 26: Crafts & social @ 10:30 a.m. We’ll make Easter baskets and spring flowers this month. • April 10: Humor Day with Gil Hill, Omaha’s “Dancing Preacher” @ 11:30 a.m. • April 11: Lunch & Learn: Updates in Heart Healthy Living by Mandy from the Visiting Nurse Association @ 11 a.m. Stay for a noon lunch of chicken and dumplings. • April 17: Volunteer Appreciation Day. What’s in Your Bag? @ 11 a.m. Roast pork lunch and the volunteer recognition @ noon followed by bingo.

Center

• April 18: Spa Day from 10 a.m. to noon. The cost is $10. Reserve your spot by signing up early. Free blood pressure checks and balance screenings. The noon lunch is a soft taco. • April 20: Special Dinner & Spring Style Show @ 11 a.m. See your friends walk the red carpet wearing the latest sping fashions. The reservation deadline is Friday, April 14. • April 24: Jazzy Birthday Party with saxophone music by Tim Javorsky @ 11 a.m. followed by a noon lunch and bingo. • April 27: Talk on Protecting Yourself From Scams by Tim Lenaghan from Legal Aid of Nebraska @ 11 a.m. Swiss steak lunch @ noon with bingo to follow. Everyone, including new players, is welcome to play chair volleyball every Tuesday and Thursday @ 11 a.m. A noon lunch will follow. Join us for Tai Chi – a relaxing and fun activity that’s proven to improve your balance – Tuesdays and Thursdays at 10 a.m. in our spacious gym. Bingo, ceramics, exercise, woodcarving, and loads of fun are also available. The Corrigan Senior Center is open weekdays from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Lunch is served at noon. A $3.50 contribution is normally suggested for the meal. Reservations are normally due by noon the business day prior to the meal you wish to enjoy. For meal reservations or more information, please call Lynnette at 402-731-7210.

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402-339-9080

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Hearing loss group to meet April 11 at Dundee Presbyterian

he Omaha Area Hearing Loss Association of America, a support group for hard of hearing adults, will next meet on Tuesday, April 11 at Dundee Presbyterian Church, 5312 Underwood Ave. Participants are asked to enter the church on the Happy Hollow Blvd. (east) side. The 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. meeting will feature social time and a speaker. The Omaha Area Hearing Loss Association of America meets the second Tuesday of the month from September through December and from March through August. You’re encouraged to like the Omaha Area Hearing Loss Association of America on Facebook. For more information, please contact Beth Ellsworth at ellsworth.beth@ cox.net or Verla Hamilton at 402-558-6449.

The New Horizons is brought to you each month by the Eastern Nebraska Office on Aging.

r u o y d e e n e W

! t r o p sup

Traditional funding sources are making it more difficult for ENOA to fulfill its mission. Partnership opportunities are available to businesses and individuals wanting to help us. These opportunities include volunteering, memorials, honorariums, gift annuities, and other contributions.

I would like to become a partner with the Eastern Nebraska Office on Aging, and help fulfill your mission with older adults.

ENOA

*Donations go to support ENOA services. You may designate your donation to go to the ENOA General Fund or to a specific service. ENOA General Fund In Home Services (Bath Aide, Homemaker, Personal Emergency Response System, etc.) Nutrition Services ( Senior Centers, etc.) Meals on Wheels Volunteer Services ( Senior Companion, Foster Grandparent, RSVP, SeniorHelp, etc.) CHOICES (Care Management, Caregiver Support, Medicaid Waiver) Other: __________________________________________________________________ Please contact me. I would like to learn more about including ENOA in my estate planning.

$30

$50

$75

$100

Other _____________

* Your gift may qualify as a charitable deduction for federal income tax purposes. Name:_____________________________________ Address:___________________________________ City:______________State:_____ Zip: __________ Phone:____________________________________

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Vols are needed for transportation program The Retired and Senior Volunteer Program is recruiting volunteers age 55 and older to provide free transportation services for older adults in Fremont and Blair. “We’re especially interested in providing transportation services for military veterans,” said Pat Tanner, who coordinates the RSVP for ENOA. Sponsored locally by ENOA, RSVP is a national program of the Corporation for National and Community Service through the Senior Service Corps. RSVP staff who serve in Dodge, Washington, Douglas, Sarpy, and Cass counties realize many older men and women live alone, are on fixed incomes, are no longer able to operate their own vehicle, and don’t have family members available to drive them to their various appointments. In response, RSVP’s Car-Go Project offers free transportation for men and women age 55 and older in Blair and Fremont through volunteers age 55 and older who use their own vehicles. Free rides can be given to medical appointments, pharmacies, grocery stores, beauty parlors, barbershops, banks, and other personal business locations. Rides for persons who use wheelchairs (must be able to transfer themselves) will be considered on a case-by-case basis. The Car-Go Project – which isn’t available to nursing home residents – operates in Fremont and Blair Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information on becoming a volunteer driver or to make a reservation (24 hours notice is required) for a ride, please call RSVP’s Fremont office at 402-721-7780.

Visually impaired patrons have access to audio description of shows

utlook Nebraska has partnered with the Rose Theater, the Orpheum Theater, the BLUEBARN Theatre, and the Omaha Community Playhouse to offer audio descriptions for the visually impaired at some of the performances held at these venues. Audio descriptions allow those who are visually impaired to more fully enjoy live performances through a verbal description of the stage production through a personal headset. A trained audio describer provides live verbal descriptions of actions, costumes, scenery, and other visual elements of the live performance. The description is transmitted to the headsets so only those wearing the headsets hear the describer’s voice as well as the performance’s dialog. Visually impaired persons wishing to use the audio description service must call the venue to request the service and to purchase tickets at least two weeks in advance to ensure availability. An audio description preshow will start 30 minutes before the performance time listed below. The service is made available through the generous support of the Enrichment Foundation and the Gary and Mary West Foundation. For a complete list of audio description events, please visit outlooknebraska.org/theater. April 8 @ 5 p.m. Harold and the Purple Crayon Rose Theater 2001 Farnam St. 402-345-4849

May 25 @ 7:30 p.m. Priscilla, Queen of the Desert BLUEBARN Theater 1106 S. 10th St. 402-345-1576

April 8 @ 2 p.m. Beautiful Orpheum Theater 409 S. 16th St. 402-402-661-8501

June 4 @ 2 p.m. Rent Orpheum Theater 409 S. 16th St. 402-661-8501

Please ma il with thisyofour donation rm to: Eas

May 6 @ 2 p.m. Stellaluna Rose Theater 2001 Farnam St. 402-345-4849

f Reinha 4223 C rdt Omaha, enter Street NE 6810 5-2431 (402

May 20 @ 2 p.m. Something Rotten Orpheum Theater 409 S. 16th St. 402-661-8501

tern Office oNebraska n Aging Attentio n: Jef ) 444-665

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April 2017

June 17 @ 2 p.m. Peter Pan Rose Theater 2001 Farnam St. 402-345-4849

Things you can do to fight back against heart disease

eart health attracted a tragic spotlight during the final months of 2016, as we watched many beloved celebrities die due to complications related to cardiovascular disease. The sobering headlines reminded us heart disease shows no mercy, regardless of fame, yet Americans are still painfully unaware of the facts that could save them from the country’s number one killer. It’s time for a wake up call. There’s so much more we can do to fight against heart disease, especially since roughly 80 percent of deaths can be prevented with early detection and lifestyle changes. It’s more important than ever to focus on this disease that has taken so many of our loved ones too soon. As archaic as it sounds now, we used to think sudden death was the first sign of heart disease. However, advancements have taught us cardiovascular disease develops over decades. That’s why we must begin our fight against the disease at a much younger age. Below are four tips for everyone to get heart smart now. • Shake your family tree for information. The old joke says you can’t pick your family. You can’t pick your genes, either. Here’s what you can do: Build a solid understanding of which diseases you may be at risk for according to your family history. If you have a relative with heart disease, that substantially increases your risk, especially if that relative is a parent or a sibling. If that’s the case, it’s extremely important to manage your controllable risk factors and take any necessary preventative measures to ensure you’re staying healthy. • Evaluate your lifestyle and manage risk factors ASAP. Beware of the feeling of invincibility that comes with youth. While you may not suffer a heart attack or a stroke at a young age, you could be setting yourself up for one. Preventing cardiovascular disease requires making smart choices now that will pay off the rest of your life. You’ve likely heard it before, but diet and exercise are two of the most important factors in maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Even from a young age, it’s crucial to focus on your diet and activity levels, since both significantly affect your risk of heart disease and stroke. • Embrace modern monitoring technologies and remember old-school tools. Huge strides have been made in the healthcare industry to produce high-tech innovations to better monitor heart health, including mobile ECG devices, smart scales, and Bluetooth blood pressure monitors. Some of the more traditional tools, however, remain equally important in measuring your modifiable risk factors. For example, everyone should own a basic scale to ensure they’re maintaining a healthy weight and body mass index. You should also monitor your blood pressure, which is as easy as using the blood pressure cuff at your local pharmacy. • Establish open lines of communication with your doctor. The doctor’s office can be an intimidating place whether you’re sick or healthy. However, everyone – regardless of age or health – needs a doctor. By developing a relationship with a physician, especially at a young age, you can start heart-health screenings early. Talk to your doctor openly and honestly about your diet, lifestyle, and risk factors. It can be incredibly comforting to know there’s a doctor educated on your health and your history that can advise you on how to best maintain your health. Cardiovascular disease is a scary reality, but that’s no reason to cower. It will continue to become a growing problem in the U.S. until we face the facts. No one wants to be sick but refusing to acknowledge you may not be in perfect health only puts you at higher risk. If you have any warning signs or risk factors, don’t ignore them. Go to the doctor.

The importance of having the right garage door for your home Timeless wood grain carriage house styles. Colorful attention-grabbing contemporary accents. Statement-making designs with eye-catching appeal. Experts at Haas Door recommend homeowners open themselves and their garage doors up to the potential for the endless possibilities of enhancing the curb appeal of their homes. “The garage door is a focal point of many home exteriors so it’s important to use it to create curb appeal on a house,” says Jeffrey Nofziger, president of Haas Door of Wauseon, Ohio. “Selecting the right garage door for a home is more than just picking a durable entryway. The garage door should be an extension of the home’s style and personality. According to the 2016 Cost Versus Value Study by Remodeling magazine, a garage door replacement offers the third highest return on investment for a homeowner of a midrange priced home. At a projected 91.5 percent cost recouped, a new garage door almost pays for itself when selling a house. “The garage door is probably the most used entryway in the home,” says Nofziger, “Doesn’t it deserve to be a welcoming entry that adds to the overall style of the home?” Nofziger recommends these tips for selecting a garage door that can enhance a home exterior and add valuable curb appeal to a house. • Step back. Before selecting a garage door stand by the street and look at your home overall. Now, think about the style of the home exterior, the colors and the textures on the house. Determine what kind of garage door – smooth or wood grain – and what color or texture would best complement your home’s overall exterior. • Light or no light? Decide if you’d like

a solid garage door or one with windows to allow light into your garage. If you choose windows, look at the style of windows on the front side of your home (including the grids) and look for a garage door with similar window styles. For example, if your home has lots of small windowpanes, then look for garage door windows with grids that replicate the look of smaller panes of glass. • Be practical. Select a garage door that can handle weather conditions for your geographic area. • Stand out or stand back? Decide if you want your garage to be a standout focal point when looking at your house or if you want it to blend in with your home’s style. There’s no wrong answer. Often a standout door, like one with a wood grained finish, can add visual dimension and appeal to a home exterior. A door in a painted bronze color can stand out beautifully against a stone veneer home façade. • Think of the future. A garage door selection is one that should last many years for your home. So, look below the beauty of the surface to choose a low-maintenance door that has a strong warranty and will give you years of beauty with minimal upkeep.

You can receive your FREE copy of the New Horizons each month in any of ways!

1 2 3

Pick up a copy at one of the more than 100 distribution sites (grocery stores, restaurants, senior centers, libraries, etc.) Through the United States mail New subscribers should send their name, address, and zip code to: New Horizons, 4223 Center Street, Omaha, NE 68105. Online on your computer Log on to enoa.org, scroll down until you see the New Horizons cover, and then click on click here for the pdf version.

For more information, please call 402-444-6654. April 2017

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Notre Dame Housing You’re invited to visit the Notre Dame Housing, 3439 State St. for the following: • Tuesdays: Blood pressure clinic from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. (use the north entrance). • Tuesdays & Thursdays: Tai Chi @ 10:30 a.m. (use the north entrance). • Third Thursday: Center for Holistic Development will provide confidential one-on-one counseling from 3 to 5 p.m. • Wednesday, April 19: Food pantry from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Please bring a picture ID and a piece of mail from last 30 days showing proof of address. Please use the east entrance. • Friday, April 21: Notre Dame Housing & Methodist Hospital Senior Health Fair & Resource Expo from 8 a.m. to noon. The free event will feature screenings for blood sugar and A1C, weight and height, foot care, and blood pressure. An immunization review and information on nutrition will also be offered. Call Barb Thomas @ 402-451-4477 for more information. • Friday, April 28: Saving Grace @ 1:30 p.m. (use the east entrance). Notre Dame Housing is open weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Lunch is served at noon. A $3.50 contribution is suggested for the meal. Reservations are due by 11 a.m. the business day prior to the lunch you wish to attend. For meal reservations and more information, please call Brenda at 402-451-4477, ext. 126.

Fed employee groups gather each month at Omaha restaurant The National Active and Retired Federal Employees’ Chapter 144 meets the first Wednesday of each month at 11:30 a.m. at the Amazing Pizza Machine, 13955 S Plz. 0For more information, please call 402-292-1156. The National Active and Retired Federal Employees’ Aksarben Chapter 1370 meets the second Wednesday of each month at 11:30 a.m. at the Amazing Pizza Machine, 13955 S Plz. 0For more information, please call 402-342-4351.

Omaha Computer Users Group

You’re invited to join the Omaha Computer Users Group (OCUG), an organiMillard Senior Center zation dedicated to helping You’re invited to visit the Millard Senior Center at Mont- men and women age 50 and older learn more about their clair, 2304 S. 135th Ave., this month for the following: computers. • April 3: National Chocolate Mousse Day. Anyone can join OCUG • April 4: Chair volleyball tournament @ 9:30 a.m. regardless of his or her com• April 5: African dressmaking @ 9 a.m. puter skills. • April 7: Treat Day (feel free to bring a treat). The organization meets • April 11: Walk Around Things Day. the third Saturday of each • April 14: Conquering diabetes presentation @ 9 a.m. month from 10:30 a.m. to • April 14: Easter hunt @ 10 a.m. • April 17: Foot care clinic for $10. Registration required. 12:30 p.m. at the Abrahams Library, 5011 N. 90th St. • April 19: P.A.W.S. – chair volleyball @ 10 a.m. Annual dues to OCUG • April 20: National High Five Day. are $25. • April 25: Canasta @ 1:30 p.m. OCUG has a projector • April 26: Trip to Lauritzen Gardens for $13. The connected to a Microsoft money is due April 19. We’ll leave the center @ 9:15 a.m. Windows 7 computer and and return @ 1 p.m. Call Beth @ 402-546-1270 to register a Windows 8 computer to and for more information. The center is open weekdays from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Lunch show users how to solve their computer problems. is served @ 11:30 a.m. A $3.50 donation is suggested for Bring your questions conthe meal. Reservations are due by noon the business day cerning your computer prior to the meal the participant wishes to enjoy. problems to the meetings for Other center activities include walking, card games, Tai answers. Chi, dominoes, quilting, needlework, chair volleyball, and For more information, bingo. For reservations or more information, call 402-546-1270. please call 402-333-6529.

Volunteers Assisting Seniors can help you file your homestead exemption application

Omaha Fire Department

he Nebraska Homestead Exemption program can provide significant savings in property taxes for older adults who still own their home. Certain other homeowners may also be eligible for a full or partial exemption on their property taxes through this annual program. The deadline to file for the homestead exemption each year is June 30. Homeowners age 65 or older on Jan. 1, 2017, homeowners with certain physical disabilities, and certain disabled veterans and their widow or widower may also qualify for the tax break. Eligibility is also governed by household income and the valuation of the property. 0For more information on the Homestead Exemption program, please see page 12. Volunteers Assisting Seniors will be available to provide free assistance filing the homestead application at various sites in the Omaha area during April, May, and June. Make an appointment to meet with a VAS counselor by calling 402-444-6617.

The Omaha Fire Department’s Public Education and Affairs Department can install free smoke and/or carbon monoxide detectors inside the residences of area homeowners. To have a free smoke and/or carbon monoxide detector installed inside your home, send your name, address, and telephone number to: Omaha Fire Department Smoke/Carbon Monoxide Requests 10245 Weisman Dr. Omaha, Neb. 68134 For more information, please call 402-444-3560.

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AARP’s Tax Aide program available at 10 Omaha-area sites through April 15

he AARP Tax-Aide program provides free income tax preparation services at 10 locations in the Omaha area. This program was conceived primarily to assist low and moderate-income older adults, but also serves a variety of other clients, including students. Unless otherwise indicated, sites operate on a walk-in basis with no appointments needed or taken. When visiting one of the tax preparation sites, clients must bring all documents related to their income, their 2015 tax return, and Social Security cards for all persons named on the tax return. Unless noted, the sites will be open through Saturday, April 15. The names, locations, and open days/hours for these sites are listed below. For more information about this AARP service, please go to www.nebraskataxaide.org online or call 402-3989582 Agewell 6801 N. 67th Plz. Suite 100 Fridays 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Bellevue Senior Center 109 W. 22nd Ave. Mondays and Wednesdays 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Bellevue University Library 1100 Galvin Rd. South Saturdays 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Crossroads Mall (west corridor) 7400 Dodge St. Tuesdays through Thursdays, & Saturdays 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Kids Can Community Center 4860 Q St. Tuesdays and Thursdays 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Thursdays By appointment only 402-731-6988 5 to 7 p.m. La Vista Community Center 8116 Park View Blvd. Tuesdays, Thursdays, & Saturdays 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesdays 3 to 7 p.m. Montclair Community Center 2304 S. 135th Ave. Tuesdays through Thursdays 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. North Christ Child Center 2111 Emmet St. Mondays and Tuesdays 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesdays 4 to 7:30 p.m. Sons of Italy Hall 1238 S. 10th St. Sundays Noon to 4:30 p.m. Closed Palm Sunday & Easter Sunday AARP Information Center 1941 S 42nd St. Suite 220 Mondays through Thursdays By appointment only 402-398-9582

ENOA, OFD collaborating to help promote fire safety, fall prevention

Omaha firefighter Sergio Robles during a recent ‘Remembering When’ training session with members of ENOA’s Medicaid Waiver staff.

West Omaha Cosmopolitan Club

he West Omaha Cosmopolitan Club – which meets Wednesdays at 7 a.m. at the Garden Café, 11040 Oak St. – is recruiting new members. The service organization works to support diabetics and raises money to help find a cure for diabetes. For more information, please contact Michael Hume at 402-315-4321 or hume.d.m@gmail.com.

Alzheimer’s conference on April 6 The Alzheimer’s Association Nebraska Chapter, in partnership with sponsors Methodist Health System and Country House Residences, will host the annual Dementia Care Conference on Thursday, April 6 at the Salvation Army Kroc Center, 2825 Y St. in Omaha. Presentations will cover a myriad of topics and feature Jolene Brackey, author of Creating Moments of Joy and Dr. James Hendrix, Director of Global Science Initiatives for the Alzheimer’s Association. For more information acontact Elizabeth Chentland at 402-502-4301, ext. 8256 or echentland@alz.org.

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th Annual Antique Show & Sale

St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church

84th and Pacific Street, Omaha, Nebraska

s tA ’ C af Serving homemade meals & fresh baked desserts

Friday, April 21, 2017 • 10am to 7pm Saturday, April 22, 2017 • 10am to 4pm $3 Admission • Door Prizes

t age 65, older adults are twice as likely to be killed or injured by fires compared to the rest of the population. By age 75, that risk rises to three times the rate for the general public. More than 30 percent of older adults are involved in a fall each year. In response to these growing concerns, the Eastern Nebraska Office on Aging has teamed up with the Omaha Fire Department to help educate older men and women in Douglas, Sarpy, Dodge, Cass, and Washington counties about ways to avoid being injured or killed during a fire or by falling. Called Remembering When, the National Fire Protection Agency program is centered around eight fire prevention measures and eight fall prevention tips developed by safety experts. Services coordinators from ENOA’s Medicaid Waiver program were recently trained in fire and fall prevention by Sergio Robles from the Omaha Fire Department, according to Jessica Rooks, who is coordinating the effort for ENOA. Rooks said the trained services coordinators are available to make presentations to groups of older adults and to conduct home visits within the agency’s five-county service area. The fire safety tips include smoking outside, giving adequate room for space heaters, what to do if your clothes catch on fire, using smoke alarms, and having a plan to escape your home in case of smoke and/or fire. Fall prevention tips include exercising regularly, keeping stairs and walking areas free of debris, improve lighting inside and outside your home, and wearing well-fitting shoes. “The Eastern Nebraska Office on Aging is pleased to have the opportunity to be a part of this important safety program,” Rooks said.

PARKING LOT WILL BE OPEN April 2017

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Busy Bees brighten the holidays for meals recipients

AARP offering driving course AARP is offering a new four-hour, research-based Smart Driver Course for older adults. By completing the course, participants will learn research-based driving safety strategies that can reduce the likelihood of having an accident; understand the links between the driver, the vehicle, and the road environment, and how this awareness encourages safer driving; learn how aging, medications, alcohol, and health-related issues affect driving ability and ways to allow for these changes; increase confidence; know how to share the road safely with other drivers, and learn the newest safety and advance features in vehicles. The fee is $15 for AARP members and $20 for nonAARP members. No tests or examinations are involved, course completion certificates are provided, and auto insurance discounts may apply. Here’s this month’s schedule: Saturday, April 8 AARP Information Center 1941 S. 42nd St. • Suite 220 1 p.m. To register, call 402-398-9568

Friday, April 21 Metro Community College 9110 Giles Rd. 9 a.m. To register, call 531-622-2620

Heartland Generations Center 0You’re invited to visit the Heartland Generations Center – 4318 Fort St. – for the following: 0• April 4: Free Family Night with Mexican food, movement and dance from 6 to 7:30 p.m. 0• April 5: Birthday party with music by Pam Kragt from the Merrymakers @ 1 p.m. 0• April 7 & 21: Visit by Methodist College nursing students for healthcare checks @ 10:15 a.m. 0• April 11 & 25: WhyArts? movement and dance class @ 12:30 p.m. 0• April 12: Presentation on the Ultra Awareness of the Muslim faith by Anisa @ 12:30 p.m. 0• April 18: Free trip to the Joslyn Art Museum @ 11 a.m. Call 402-553-5300 to reserve your space. 0• April 23: Senior Prom at the Field Club of Omaha, 3615 Woolworth Ave., from 4 to 7 p.m. The cost is $10 for the entertainment, dinner, and dancing. 0• April 24: Mixed media from WhyArts? with Kim Reid. 0The Heartland Generations Center is open weekdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Lunch is normally served at noon. A $3.50 donation is suggested for the meal. Reservations are due by noon the business day prior to the lunch you wish to attend. Bus transportation is available within select neighborhoods for 50 cents each way. 0For meal reservations and more information, please call 402-553-5300.

WHITMORE LAW OFFICE Wills • Trusts • Probate

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The Busy Bees from Hanscom Park United Methodist Church include (from left): Joan Ferrante, Marcia Jensen, Marlene Adamson, Velma Foreman, Thelma Kirkland, Pat May, Gaylene Marcum, Brenda Ellefson, Melody Kahm, and Marlene Hineline.

here was a buzz coming from a meeting room recently at the Hanscom Park United Methodist Church, 4444 Frances St. An appropriate sound coming from a group of retired female members of the midtown Omaha congregation known as the Busy Bees. On the second Thursday of each month, 10 to 12 Busy Bees gather for a 90-minute session of coffee drinking, conversation, fellowship, and community service work, according to Melody Kahm, a Busy Bee

since 2012. Over the years, the ladies have sewn and made lap robes for patients at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center, and created greeting cards for older adults who receive Meals on Wheels through the Eastern Nebraska Office on Aging. Kahm said the Busy Bees take donated greeting cards and convert them into new cards celebrating Valentine’s Day, Easter/Spring, Memorial Day, the Fourth of July, Halloween/Thanksgiving, and Christmas. For Valentine’s Day, the ladies decorated and do-

Visually impaired resource fair at the Westroads on April 29 Individuals dealing with vision loss are invited to attend The Visually Impaired Community Resource Fair on Saturday, April 29 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the VonMaur Court at Westroads Mall. Many people are experiencing vision loss because of diabetes, glaucoma, and/or agedrelated macular degeneration. These men and women as well as their caregivers and family members can come to one place to learn about the resources available to assist them and to meet other people with vision loss. Additionally, people with vision loss or blindness can attend to educate themselves about new technology and other recreational, cultural, and advocacy services available in the Omaha area. The fair is aimed at anyone dealing with vision loss and those who support them including friends, loved ones, and employers. The event will feature people who understand their situation and help them find solutions. More than two dozen organizations that serve the blind and visually impaired will be present to describe the services they offer and to answer questions. Participants will also learn more about tools that will help them at home and on the job. Things like computer screen readers, magnifying devices, and apps to help them read restaurant menus. Information for people who help with job training and job placement, transportation, and resources for parents will also be available at The Visually Impaired Community Resource Fair. To learn more, log on to the Internet and visit outlooknebraska.org/resourcefair.

April 2017

nated 350 cards for ENOA’s home-delivered meals recipients, according to Arlis Smidt, who coordinates ENOA’s Meals on Wheels program. “I want to thank the Busy Bees for their hard work and for donating the cards to our clients the last three years,” Smidt said. “I know the men and women who received the Valentine’s Day cards really appreciated them.” Kahm said the Busy Bees enjoy getting together each month and they’re pleased to share the product of their labor with members of the community.

Public Transit Week celebrated across Nebraska April 9 to 15

he Eastern Nebraska Office on Aging’s Rural Transportation Program and the Nebraska Department of Roads will help celebrate the third annual Nebraska Public Transit Week April 9 to 15. The event recognizes and honors the more than 700 members of the Nebraska Association of Transportation Providers who work to enhance the quality and accessibility of public transportation in Nebraska. ENOA’s Rural Transportation Program is available to older adults, the general public, and persons with a disability in Sarpy, Dodge, Cass, Washington, and rural Douglas counties. The program has 11 vehicles and 14 employees.

he service can be used for any transportation needs including rides to medical and/or business appointments, shopping, to Eppley Airfield, etc. Passengers pay for the transportation service based upon the number of miles traveled. Funding for the program comes from a grant from the Federal Transit Administration and the Nebraska Department of Roads. ENOA matches these grants with funds received from passenger fares and county revenue. For more information, please call (toll-free) 1-888-210-1093 to speak with the Rural Transportation Program Coordinator.

Film series ends on April 13 with Annual event features food, music, dancing a journey down the Pacific Coast Omaha Czech-Slovak Festival scheduled for April 30 he 2016-17 Omaha World Adventurers film at Millard Social Hall from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. series concludes as tour guide/filmmaker Bob

DeLoss presents Pacific Coast Top to Bottom on Thursday, April 13 at the Village Pointe Cinema, 304 N. 174th St. Show times are 2 and

7 p.m. From Vancouver Island, BC to San Diego, lies some of North America’s most impressive coastline with its forests, mountains, and rivers. Along this route are magnificent cities that have attracted millions. A former TV news anchor, DeLoss will take viewers on an exciting journey down the Pacific coast to colorful Vancouver Island with its Native American totem poles and the beautiful Butchart Gardens near Victoria. Traveling south to Seattle, viewers will see its Space Needle – a symbol of a past World’s Fair – seafood suppliers, bustling streets, and a monorail. Seattle’s Armchair travelers will also visit Mt. St. Space Helen and Portland, the City of Roses. Needle During the stop in Portland, viewers will travel the coastline with its pounding surf that has formed beautiful towering oceanic haystacks. Cranberry bogs, dune buggy rides, and a jet boat trip up the Rogue River are also part of the cinematic experience. Napa Valley and its wineries are featured in Pacific Coast Top to Bottom, and for those wanting a smelling experience, a visit to the Garlic Festival makes the list of locations toured. Other stops include San Francisco with its Golden Gate Bridge, the Presidio, cable cars, and Fisherman’s Wharf; San Simeon Castle, Los Angles, and Hollywood. Enjoy rare footage of the Ronald Regan Library. The trip ends in San Diego with a visit to Sea World and the once mighty killer whale show. Tickets are available at the door for $15. Pacific Coast Top to Bottom is a production of RJ Enterprises. For more information, please call (toll free) 1-818601-5963.

Workshop on ambiguous loss scheduled for Saturday, May 6 You’re invited to attend a workshop designed to help family caregivers. Ambiguous Loss on Saturday, May 6 from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. will help participants discover ways to deal with the feelings they experience when a loved one is physically present but there’s a psychological absence. The session will explore topics like what family means, how to develop resiliency, and how to become more comfortable dealing with the uncertainty associated with ambiguous loss. Nancy Flaherty, MS, president of Flaherty Senior Consulting and a certified dementia practitioner, will present the workshop. The workshop will take place at the Servite Center for Compassion, 7400 Military Ave. Registration is $20 for Ambiguous Loss. Scholarships are available. To sign up, please contact Sister Margaret Stratman at 402-951-3026 or send an email to her at scc@osms.org.

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ou’re invited to attend the Omaha Czech-Slovak Festival on Sunday, April 30 from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Millard Social Hall, 10508 S. 144th St. (south of Interstate 80 at the Sapp Brothers exit). The free event will feature a Czech dinner from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. The menu includes roast pork or Polish

sausage or a combo plate, dumplings, sauerkraut, a vegetable, a beverage, and a kolace. Children can enjoy a hot dog plate and lemonade. Take out dinners are available. Enjoy entertainment by the Button Accordion Jamboree at 10:30 a.m.; the Omaha Czech Queen coronation at 12:15 p.m.; the Omaha International Folk Dancers at 1 p.m.; and Addie Hejl and her button accordion at 1:45 p.m. The festivities will also include a raffle drawing at 4 p.m., vendors displaying and selling crystal and garnet jewelry from the Czech-Slovak Republics, ethnic foods, baked goods and kolaces, Czech literature, and pernicky decorations. From 2:30 to 4:30 p.m., guests can dance to the music of Angie Kriz and the Polkatoons. For more information, please call 402-551-4963.

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Dr. Marcia Adler is passionate about helping people age successfully By Jeff Reinhardt New Horizons Editor

n 2002, Marcia and Larry Adler – who at that time had been married for 21 years – decided to compile a list of 100 things they wanted to do with their lives. Among the goals Larry wrote down was to run in a marathon. Marcia’s list included acquiring her Ph.D. Take a ride on a time machine to 2013, when Larry Adler ran the 26-mile, 385-yard long course in Portland, Ore. to finish his first marathon. Hit the fast forward button again to February 2017 when Marcia – who turns age 60 in May – received her doctoral degree from the University of Nebraska at Omaha in gerontology. Today, Larry is a supervisor in UNO’s maintenance department. Marcia is director of the university’s Health Services program and its Collegiate Recovery Community.

rowing up, Marcia Gillett Adler lived in a variety of Nebraska communities including Wilber and Grant. Her Dad, Sherman Gillett, was a soil conservationist for the federal government who studied the Nebraska water table. In 1973, Adler spent her junior year of high school as a Rotary Club exchange student in Cape Town, South Africa. She described her experiences there that included providing family planning healthcare services to women in Rhodesia as “life game changers.” During that year in Africa, Adler fell in love with nursing, so when she graduated from Perkins County High School near Grant in 1975, she decided to enroll in the Nebraska Methodist College of Nursing in Omaha. Adler served as a class president and student body president before graduating from NMC in 1978 with a Registered Nurse diploma. Marcia’s professional resume includes stints as a nurse at Methodist Midtown Hospital, Montclair Nursing Center, and in the Fort Calhoun Public Schools. She also worked as a surveyor consultant for the Nebraska Department of Health, and has taught nursing at UNO, Iowa Western Community College, and the Nebraska College of Business. In 1999, she became UNO’s director of Student Health Services. In the ensuing 18 years, the program moved from a small, dark space in the Milo Bail Student Center to a state of the art facility inside the Health Physical Education and Recreation building. In 2014, UNO added the Collegiate Recovery Community program that provides a common and safe space for students recovering from addiction to help them build academic success. The Health Services and Collegiate Recovery Community programs – funded by student fees – receive more than 20,000 visits each year from the university’s students, faculty, and staff. The center houses nurses, nine rotating physicians – including a psychiatrist, a psychologist, a family medicine specialist, and a gynecologist – nine mental health therapists, and two drug and alcohol counselors.

n addition to having her Registered Nurse diploma, Adler earned a Bachelor of Science degree in health arts from the College of St. Francis in Joliet, Ill., and a Master of Science in health administration from the University of Central Michigan. The Master degree classes were taken on weekends at Offutt Air Force Base in Bellevue. In 2010, remembering the Adlers’ “to do list” and a promise she made to her Dad to never stop educating herself, Marcia applied for and was accepted into the Ph.D. program in the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s College of Public Affairs

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Dr. Marcia Adler earned her Ph.D. in gerontology from UNO earlier this year. and Community Service. She began taking courses in 2011 to test her commitment, and a year later, began focusing on getting her doctorate in gerontology. “At the end of the day, I have a passion to help people age successfully,” Marcia said. While working on her Ph.D., Adler continued directing the Health Services and Collegiate Recovery Community programs while teaching two classes each semester at UNO. “I’ve been blessed with a lot of energy,” she said. Marcia said her family, which includes husband, Larry, their three sons, three daughters in law, four granddaughters, and a grandson, were extremely supportive during her journey to become Dr. Adler. She is also grateful for friends, UNO co-workers who buffered her schedule, the UNO gerontology and public health staff and faculty, and lifelong role models like her aunt Ellen Gillett and her grandmother Margaret Hamilton.

r. Lyn Holley is the Chuck Powell Professor of Gerontology at UNO. She served on Adler’s dissertation committee. “Marcia is extraordinary in her roles as nurse, educator, administrator, community builder, colleague, and friend. As a doctoral student, she took my Working with the Minority Elderly course. She bonded flawlessly and immediately with the other graduate students who were from very different cultures (e.g. Pakistani, Afghani, and Arab) and much younger. She excels at everything she touches including her doctoral studies,” Holley said. The title of Adler’s Ph.D. dissertation was A Phenomenological Study of Nurses’ Post Retirement Experiences. The study was designed to

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April 2017

add to a limited body of knowledge about retired nurses and to explore what happens to these women after they retire. The volunteer participants were 20 female registered nurses age 60 and older who had been retired for five or more years. “I wanted to explore women’s retirement lives beyond health and wealth. I found out there’s no template for living the last third of your life,” Adler said. The study findings include a suggestion to make plans well before the retirement date, and that making new friends and sustaining workcentric relationships after retirement can be difficult. The best places to establish new meaningful relationships are with nursing school classmates and at workout facilities, volunteer venues, and churches, according to the research. The 20 retired nurses went on to start successful businesses, staff health ministries for churches, and feed hungry children. “These are women looking for meaningful ways to engage,” Marcia said. Dr. Holley praised Dr. Adler’s study. “Her research has provided rich, deep insight into the ways a woman’s identity as a nurse can shape her choices and life after retirement from nursing. I believe her qualitative inquiry has built a strong foundation for further work to explore this area.”

dler said having a Ph.D. will provide additional opportunities inside and outside the classroom and increase access to funding streams for her work at UNO. Acquiring a doctorate took a lot of hard work and determination, and Marcia Adler takes great pride in her latest academic accomplishment. “It’s my last gift to my Dad,” she said.