New Horizons June 2019

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A publication of the Eastern Nebraska Office on Aging

June 2019 VOL. 44 • NO. 6

ENOA 4780 South 131st Street Omaha, NE 68137-1822

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

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New Horizons old • er 74 adul ts since 19

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Hamers

The television photojournalism father-son team of Dave (right) and Roger Hamer has 74 years of broadcast experience in Nebraska. A member of the Nebraska Broadcasters Association’s Hall of Fame, Dave spent a combined 38 years at Omaha’s KETV, KMTV, and WOWT. Roger has won more than 100 awards for his work during a 28-year career at WOWT. Leo Adam Biga profiles the Hamers beginning on page 8.

Public hearing The Nebraska Department of Roads has announced new boundaries and trip guidelines for individuals who use the Eastern Nebraska Office on Aging’s Rural Transportation Program.

A public hearing to discuss these changes – featuring representatives from the Nebraska Department of Roads – will be held on Tuesday, June 18, 2019 at 1:30 p.m. at the ENOA office, 4780 S. 131st St. See page 14.

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Glass fusion Glenn Trembley creates beautiful pieces of art in his Springfield Artworks studio through a process called glass fusing.

See page 16.

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Solutions for proper hand watering of your garden

Notre Dame Housing/ Seven Oaks Senior Center

By Melinda Myers

You’re invited to visit the Notre Dame Housing/Seven Oaks Senior Center, 3439 State St. for the following: • Second, third, and fourth Friday: Community food pantry @ 1 p.m.

• Third Wednesday: Community food pantry from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

• June 3: June birthday party with music by Rich Patton sponsored by the Merrymakers @ 1:30 p.m.

• June 6: Omaha Dancing Grannies @ 1:30 p.m.

• June 24: Lunch & Learn program on healthy meals @ 12:30 p.m.

Other programs you can enjoy each month include: • Fair housing counselor.

• Eat Right for Healthy Aging.

• Medicare/Medicaid assistance.

• Monthly health clinic.

• Osteoporosis joint protection.

Notre Dame Housing/Seven Oaks Senior Center is open weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Lunch is served at noon. A $4 contribution is suggested for the meal. Reservations are due by 11 a.m. the business day prior to the lunch you wish to enjoy.

For meals reservations and more information, please call Brenda at 402-451-4477, ext. 126.

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

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roper watering is key to gardening success, but untangling and dragging heavy hoses across the yard, smashing delicate flowers along the way, is a common occurrence in many yards. It may be time to look for some time-saving solutions that reduce the hassle of hand watering.

Protect edging plants, especially those at the corner of the bed with hose guides.

Make your own from colorful wine bottles inverted over a section of rebar anchored in the ground. Or invest in some functional or decorative hose guides available for sale.

Connecting and disconnecting the hose to the faucet, inadequate length of hoses, and nozzles can be a source of aggravation.

Washers disappear, connections loosen, and leaks occur. Invest in quick-connectors that allow you to make all these connections with a simple click.

Clear the hose clutter off patios, decks, and walks while keeping them easily accessible for daily watering. A hose reel allows you to easily wind up the hose out of sight near the faucet. These are often mounted on the wall or are unsightly and bulky devices with wheels that can still be a bit unwieldy.

Evaluate the design and ease of use before investing.

An automatic reel that retracts the hose quickly and easily or a lightweight portable model may be just the solution. Irrigation

June 2019

equipment like the G.F. Italia Portable Reel Nozzle Hose available at gardeners.com is lightweight enough, allowing you to carry 50 feet of hose that unravels the length you need as you water various garden beds or containers on the deck.

Coil hoses are designed to expand when filled with water then retract into a small size for clean, easy storage, and portability. You eliminate the need to unwind and rewind long lengths of hoses every time you water. Look for hoses made of long-lasting, kink-free materials that have superior coil memory for years of easy watering.

Make moving long stretches of hoses easier with featherweight and lightweight slim products. A featherweight hose can weigh as little as two and a half pounds, making it easier to move through the garden and back onto the reel or storage container.

Combine the convenience of storage and lightweight portability. You’ll minimize the need for maintaining hoses at every faucet while retaining the convenience. Look for products that allow you to easily move your hose where it’s needed. Expandable hoses allow you to easily move your hose from faucet to faucet for watering around the yard or pack it in your RV when traveling.

Make proper watering a more convenient part of garden and container maintenance by investing in quality hoses, connectors, and storage options.

(Myers has written more than 20 gardening books.)

Annual United Nations observance

World Elder Abuse Awareness Day is scheduled for June 15 around the world

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orld Elder Abuse Awareness Day (WEAAD), which began in 2006, will be held around the world this year on Saturday, June 15. The annual event – a United Nations observance – is designed to raise awareness of the abuse, neglect, and exploitation of older adults.

Adult Protective Services, a Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services program, handles around 3,000 elder abuse cases each year from around the state.

Concerned citizens, mandatory reporters, and law enforcement officers can call the APS hotline (1-800652-1999) 24 hours a day, 365 days a year if they suspect an older man or woman has been abused.

Warning signs of elder abuse may include unexplained injuries, not taking medications properly, with-

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drawal from normal activities, and changes in an individual’s finances.

While an estimated five million older Americans are abused each year, only one in six victims report the abuse.

APS encourages persons to call its hotline or contact law Back iftothey Junesuspect 30 enforcement an older adult has been a selfin 2020. neglect, physical, financial, or sexual abuse victim.

If warranted, APS investigators will work with law enforcement officers and the court system, make referrals to community resources, and when necessary; arrange for food, clothing, and shelter for the abuse victim.

For more information on WEADD, go online to dhhs.ne.gov/WEADD.

Return homestead exemption applications by July 1

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 2019 forms and a household income statement must be completed and returned to the county assessor’s office by July 1, 2019.

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, 2019, the home’s owner/occupant through Aug. 15, 2019, 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

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.

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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 (see page 7) at 402-444-6617.

Here are the numbers for the local assessor’s offices: Douglas: 402-444-7060, option #2; Sarpy: 402-593-2122; Dodge: 402-727-3911; Cass: 402-296-9310; and Washington: 402-426-6800.

Household income table Over age 65 married income

Over age 65 single income

Exemption %

0 - $34,400.99 $34,401 - $36,300.99 $36,301 - $38,100.99 $38,101 - $40,000.99 $40,001 - $41,900.99 $41,901 - $43,700.99 $43,701 - $45,600.99 $45,601 - $47,400.99 $47,401 - $49,300.99 $49,301 - $51,100.99 $51,101 and over

0 to $29,300.99 $29,301 - $30,800.99 $30,801 - $32,400.99 $32,401 - $33,900.99 $33,901 - $35,400.99 $35,401 - $36,900.99 $36,901 - $38,500.99 $38,501 - $40,000.99 $40,001 - $41,500.99 $41,501 - $43,100.99 $43,101 and over

100 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0

June 2019

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, 4780 S. 131st Street, Omaha, NE 68137-1822.

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 ENOA Board of Governors: Mary Ann Borgeson, Douglas County, chairperson; Lisa Kramer, Washington County, vice-chairperson; Janet McCartney, Cass County, secretary; David Saalfeld, Dodge County, & Jim Warren, Sarpy 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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Millard Senior Center

Game can detect persons at high risk for Alzheimer’s

You’re invited to visit the Millard Senior Center at Montclair, 2304 S. 135th Ave., this month for the following: • June 12: Nebraska Farmers Market produce coupons will be distributed @ 9 a.m. First come, first served while the supply lasts.

• June 14: Bring treats in honor of Fathers Day. • June 18: Blood pressure checks @ 9:30 a.m.

• June 19: Board meeting @ 9:45 a.m.

• June 21: Entertainment by Cynthia Zeisman @ 10:15 a.m.

• June 25: Movie outing. Time and movie we’ll attend will be announced later.

• June 27: Dillard’s outing @ 12:15 p.m. Space is limited, so sign up today.

The center is open weekdays from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Lunch is served @ 11:30 a.m. A $4 donation is suggested for the meal. Reservations are due by noon the business day prior to the meal the participant wishes to enjoy.

Other center activities include walking, card games, dominoes, quilting, needlework, chair volleyball, and bingo.

For reservations or more information, please call 402546-1270.

Fontenelle Tours

Omaha/Council Bluffs

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 Mahoney Melodrama & Dinner. July 14. $60. Relax and enjoy a pleasant Sunday afternoon drive to Mahoney State Park to see the melodrama “Rose of Dismal Flats”. (You know, the kind where you throw popcorn at the villain!) After the play, stop in Springfield for a delicious dinner at the Wicked Hen Farmhouse.

Branson Christmas. November 4 – 7. $739 ($779 after 8/4/19).

Enjoy The Duttons, Daniel O’Donnell, The Beach Boys California Dreamin’, Neal McCoy, the SIX Christmas Show, and your choice of either “Miracle of Christmas” at the Sight & Sound Theater or Christmas Wonderland.

Laughlin Laughlin in June. June 28 – July 1. $319. 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. Entertainment during this trip includes the 1970s classic rock group “America” at the Edgewater with hits including “Horse with No Name”, “Ventura Highway”, and “Lonely People,” to name a few.

Holy Land Pilgrimage Holy Land Pilgrimage. January 20 – 31, 2020. $2,995 plus airfare. 12 days – 11 nights. Join Fr. Glen Wilwerding to walk in the footsteps of Jesus at many of the most important and well-known biblical locations in the Holy Land, including daily Mass. Discover the sites with an expert local guide, enjoy sightseeing including a boat ride on the Sea of Galilee, Holy Hour in the Garden of Gethsemane, visit the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, travel to Cana, Nazareth, Jerusalem, and more.

Contact 952-388-2736 at Magi Travel to register.

In Partnership with Collette Vacations We started working with Collette in 2009 when we were looking for a way to offer international trips to our travelers. We wanted to find a company that shared our core values of providing quality tours, well hosted at a reasonable price. We were not looking for a low-cost alternative. Our first personal experience was when we took about 24 people on the "Shades of Ireland" tour. It was an incredibly positive experience! Since then we have helped others to experience Collette Tours on:

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specially-designed mobile telephone game can detect people at risk of Alzheimer’s, according to new research from the University of East Anglia in the United Kingdom.

Researchers studied gaming data from an app called Sea Hero Quest which has been downloaded and played by more than 4.3 million people worldwide.

The game, created by Deutsche Telekom in partnership with Alzheimer’s Research UK, University College London, the University of East Anglia, and the game developers, Glitchers; has been designed to help researchers better understand dementia by seeing how the brain works in relation to spatial navigation.

As players make their way through mazes of islands and icebergs, the research team is able to translate every half second of gameplay into scientific data.

The team studied how people who are genetically pre-disposed to Alzheimer’s disease play the game compared to people who are not.

The results show people who are genetically at risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease can be distinguished from those who are not on specific levels of the Sea Hero Quest game.

The findings are particularly important because a standard memory and thinking test could not distinguish between the risk and non-risk groups.

Lead researcher Professor Michael Hornberger, from UEA’s Norwich Medical School, said: “Dementia will affect 135 million people worldwide by 2050. We need to identify people earlier to reduce their risk of developing dementia in the future.

“Current diagnosis of dementia is strongly based on memory symptoms, which we know are occurring when the disease is quite advanced. Instead, emerging evidence shows subtle spatial navigation and awareness deficits can precede memory symptoms by many years.

“Our findings show we can reliably detect such subtle navigation changes in atgenetic-risk of Alzheimer’s disease healthy people without any problem symptoms or complaints. Our findings will inform future diagnostic recommendations and disease treatments to address this devastating disease.”

The data collected by the Sea Hero Quest app is vital for research because every two minutes spent playing the game is equal to five hours of lab-based research. Having three million players globally equates to more than 1,700 years’ worth of lab-based HorizonAD-2010:HorizonAD-08 2/4/10 8:00 AM research.

Attorneys at Law

Historic Trains of California; New York City; Canada’s Atlantic Coast with Nova Scotia; Pilgrimage to Fatima & Lourdes; Austrian Delight - Oberammergau (coming up again in 2020); Pasadena Rose Parade; Islands of New England; Canadian Rockies & Glacier National Park; Islands of New England; Reflections of Italy; Canadian Rockies by Train; Tropical Costa Rica; Alaska Discovery Land & Cruise and others. Please call if you have one of Collette’s many destinations on your bucket list. We can help make it happen!

William E. Seidler Jr.

www.seidler-seidler-law.com 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

2708 Franklin Ave, Council Bluffs, IA 51501

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he team studied gaming data taken from 27,108 UK players between age 50 and 75, the most vulnerable age group to develop Alzheimer’s in the next decade.

They compared this benchmark data with a smaller lab-based group of 60 people who underwent genetic testing.

In the smaller lab group, 31 volunteers carried the APOE4 gene, which is known to be linked with Alzheimer’s disease, and 29 people did not. Both lab groups were matched for age, gender, education, and nationality with the benchmark cohort.

Genetic risk for Alzheimer’s is complicated. People (around 25 percent) who have one copy of the APOE4 gene are around three times more likely to be affected by Alzheimer’s and develop the disease at a younger age.

“We found people with a high genetic risk, the APOE4 carriers, performed worse on spatial navigation tasks. They took less efficient routes to checkpoint goals,” Hornberger said.

“This is really important because these are people with no memory problems.

“Meanwhile, those without the APOE4 gene travelled roughly the same distance as the 27,000 people forming the baseline score. This difference in performance was particularly pronounced where the space to navigate was large and open.

“It means we can detect people who are at genetic risk of Alzheimer’s based on how they play the game.”

The team have previously reported Sea Hero Quest found people in different countries and populations navigate differently.

Gillian Coughlan, also from UEA’s Norwich Medical School, said: “This research shows data collected from people who downloaded and played Sea Hero Quest can be used as a benchmark to help identify those at a genetically higher risk of developing Alzheimer’s in smaller groups of people.

“Sea Hero Quest succeeded where a conventional memory and thinking test failed. It demonstrates the power of harnessing large-scale citizen science projects and applying big data technologies, to help improve the early detection of diseases like Alzheimer’s.

“This global Sea Hero Quest project provides an unprecedented chance to study how many thousands of people from different countries and cultures navigate space. It is helping to shed light on how we use our brain to navigate and also to aid the development of more personalized measures for future diagnostics and drug treatment Page 1 programs in dementia research.”

Delivering quality legal services since 1957.

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June 2019

Drivers needed to transport veterans The Disabled American Veterans need volunteers to drive veterans one day a week to and from the VA Medical Center, 4101 Woolworth Ave. in Omaha.

While the volunteer drivers don’t need to be veterans, they do need a valid driver’s license, and be able to pass a drug screening and a Department of Transportation physical given at the VA Medical Center.

Drivers will be given a lunch voucher on the day they volunteer for the DAV. For more information, please contact Command Sergeant Major (retired) Lance Fouquet at 402-5051482 or online at sgmman1447@gmail.com.

Elder Access Line

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egal 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 legalaidofnebraska.com/EAL.

Omaha Hearing Loss Association The Omaha Area Hearing Loss Association of America, a support group for hard of hearing adults, will meet next on Tuesday, June 11 at Dundee Presbyterian Church, 5312 Underwood Ave. Participants are asked to enter the church on the Happy Hollow (east) side.

The 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. meetings feature social time and a speaker.

The Omaha Area Hearing Loss Association of America meets the second Tuesday of each month from September through December and March through August.

For more information, please contact Verla Hamilton at 402-558-6449 or verlahamilton@cox.net.

City of Omaha community centers

RSVP volunteer opportunities

Men and women age 75 and older are encouraged to use the City of Omaha’s community centers at no cost for open gym, weight areas, open and lap swimming, aquacise, and ice skating.

Tai Chi classes are offered at the following locations and times:

RSVP is recruiting men and women age 55 and older for a variety of volunteer opportunities. For more information in Douglas, Sarpy, and Cass counties, please call 402-4446536, ext. 1024. In Dodge and Washington counties, please call 402-721-7780.

• The VA Medical Center needs volunteers.

• Partnership 4 Kids is looking for volunteers to mentor Pre-K through high school students.

• Food Bank for the Heartland needs volunteers to help with the SNAP program.

• The Fremont Low-Income Ministry • The Blair and Fremont Car-Go Program needs volunteers to drive older adults to their appointments.

• Care Corps Family Services • Fremont’s Habitat for Humanity • Fremont Health needs volunteers.

• Nye Legacy Health & Rehabilitation is looking for volunteers to help with its bingo games Tuesdays @ 2 p.m.

• Premier Estates of Fremont wants volunteers to assist its activity director.

• Adams Park 3230 John Creighton Blvd.

Mondays & Wednesdays 9:15 a.m.

• Montclair 2304 S. 135th Ave. Thursdays 8:30 a.m.

• Camelot 9270 Cady Ave Tuesdays & Fridays 10:30 a.m.

• Florence 2920 Bondesson Ave. Mondays & Wednesdays 10:30 a.m.

For more information, please call 402-444-4228.

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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: • June 3, 10, 17, & 24: Al-Anon meeting @ 7 p.m.

• June 5, 7, 12, 14, 19, 21, 26, & 28: Ceramics @ 9 a.m.

• June 5: Holy Communion served @ 10 a.m.

• June 5, 12, 19, & 26: Tai Chi @ 11 a.m.

• June 13: Book Club @ 10 a.m.

• June 19: The Merrymakers present music by Joyce Torchia @11:30 a.m.

Lunch is $3.

• June 26: Birthday party luncheon @ noon. Eat free if you have a June birthday.

• June 27: Caregiver Support Group @ 10 a.m.

• June 28: Hard of Hearing Support Group @ 10:30 a.m.

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: Joy Club devotions @ 10 a.m., matinee @ 12:30 p.m.

Wednesday: Devotions at 10:30 a.m., bingo @ 1 p.m., and Bible study @ 1 p.m. Friday: Bingo @ 12:30 p.m.

For more information, please call 402-898-5854.

Omaha Fire Department

Report: Higher Medicare Part D premiums could consume entire 2020 COLA amount

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n their new report, Medicare Trustees forecast a higher rate of growth in Medicare Part B premiums The Omaha Fire Departnext year. This could put millions of low benefit ment’s Public Education Social Security recipients at risk of seeing the and Affairs Department will deduction for their Medicare premiums take the install free smoke and/or entire amount of their Social Security cost-of-living carbon monoxide detectors inside the residences of area adjustment (COLA) increase, according to a spokesperson for The Senior Citizens League. homeowners.

“A very low COLA would increase the risk that higher Medicare Part B premiums for 2020 will consume the entire amount of the COLA,” says Mary Johnson, a Social Security and Medicare policy analyst for The Senior Citizens League.

“Consumer Price Index data through March suggests the annual Social Security cost-of-living adjustment for 2020 will be very low; about 1.2 percent,” Johnson says.

“This could mean any Part B increase of around $9 per month will take the entire COLA of millions of low benefit To have a free smoke and/ or carbon monoxide detector Social Security recipients,” she adds.

According to the new Medicare Trustees report, Part B installed inside your home, premiums are expected to rise by $8.80 per month in 2020, send your name, address, from $135.50 to $144.30. and telephone number to: An analysis by Johnson found a Medicare Part B inOmaha Fire Department crease of $8.80 per month would take the entire COLA of Smoke/Carbon Social Security recipients with a gross monthly benefit of Monoxide Requests $735 or less in 2019. According to Social Security data, 1516 Jackson St. roughly four million Social Security retirees with low benOmaha, Neb. 68102 efits could be at risk of seeing no growth in their net Social For more information, Security benefits in 2020, after the deduction for rising Part please call 402-444-3560.

B premiums.

While rising premiums might take all of an individual’s COLA, a special provision of the law protects most, but not all, Social Security recipients from benefit reductions due to rising premiums. Known as the Social Security “hold harmless” provision, when the dollar amount of the Medicare Part B premium increase is greater than the dollar amount of an individual’s COLA, the Social Security Administration adjusts the individual’s Medicare Part B premium to prevent a net reduction in Social Security benefits from one year to the next.

While a valuable protection, those affected by “hold harmless” wind up with no growth in their net Social Security benefit after the deduction for Part B premiums. That leaves nothing extra left over to deal with other rising costs like housing and out-of-pocket medical expenses.

Even though Social Security recipients this year received the highest COLA since 2012 – 2.8 percent – COLAs have averaged a meager 1.4 percent over the past decade.

TSCL supports legislation that would provide a minimum COLA of no less than 3 percent per year. This would provide extra protection in years when inflation is below that amount.

Dancing Under the Lights You’re invited to attend an evening of music and dancing as the Omaha Parks and Recreation Department presents Dancing Under the Lights on Thursday, June 13 at the Elmwood Park Pavilion, 808 S. 60th St. The 6 to 8 p.m. dance will feature music from the Big Band era as well as tunes from the 1940s through 1960s, and refreshments.

Admission is $3 for singles and $5 for couples.

Registration is available at parks.cityofomaha.org, in person, or by calling Paula at 402-444-5216.

For more information, please go online to paula.garcia@cityofomaha.org.

TRAVEL CAT TOURS, LLC. • 2019 TOURS • Religions of the World Tour – July 30 • Old West & Scenic Flint Hills – August 15-17 • Iowa Wine & French Icarian Village – August 28 • Elk & Buffalo Ranch Tour - September 10 • Wine & Bridges in Madison County - Sept. 18 • Buffalo Round-up in South Dakota - Sept. 24-28

We are an Omaha-based company MORE TOURS ARE LISTED ON OUR WEBSITE For reservations, call 531-777-2124 or register online at travelcattours.com • email: info@travelcattours.com

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June 2019

Florence AARP Chapter The Florence AARP chapter meets monthly at Mountview Presbyterian Church, 5308 Hartman Ave. The programs begin each month with a noon lunch followed by a speaker.

For reservations, please call Gerry Goldsborough at 402-571-0971. Rides to the meeting are available by calling Ruth Kruse at 402453-4825.

Here’s are some of the 2019 programs: June 17 Larry Dwyer Standing Bear July 15 Shelby Janke Nebraska League of Conservation Voters August 19 Tri-Faith Initiative September 16 Annual picnic

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October 21 Susan Mitchell Amnesty International

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Participants are needed for study at UNO, UNMC Researchers at the University of Nebraska at Omaha and the University of Nebraska Medical Center are looking for healthy adults and caregivers for an older adult with a chronic disease (e.g., dementia, cancer, or cardiovascular disease) to participate in a research study. The study involves two visits of 3.5 hours each. Compensation for study participation is available.

The experiment involves completing questionnaires and computer tasks, taking samples of saliva for hormone analyses, and undergoing brain imaging.

To be eligible for the study, participants must be 19 to 75 years of age, have comprehension of written and spoken English, the mobility to travel to the UNO campus, and have completed a minimum of two years of high school or higher.

You’re not eligible for the study if you have a diagnosis of a neurological or psychiatric disease (e.g., stroke, schizophrenia), vision, hearing or motor difficulties, or if you are pregnant, have metal implanted in your body, or are taking an antidepressant medication or glucocorticoid-based oral medication or cream (e.g., cortisone).

For more information, please contact Janelle Beadle, Ph.D. at 402-554-5961 or ABELabUNO@gmail.com.

Widowed Persons Group of Omaha

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he Widowed Persons Group of Omaha hosts a luncheon the third Monday of each month at 11:30 a.m. at Jericho’s

ENOA 33 Donors $2,070

Restaurant, 11732 W. Dodge Rd. For more information, please call 402-278-1731 or 402-493-0452.

VAS can help you file your 2019 homestead exemption application The Nebraska Homestead Exemption program can provide relief from property taxes for persons who qualify by exempting all or part of their home’s valuation from taxation (see page 3 for more information).

Volunteers Assisting Seniors is available to help older Nebraskans file their 2019 homestead exemption application.

See below for the sites and dates VAS representatives are available. All appointments will be scheduled between 10 a.m. and noon. Please call 402-444-6617 to schedule an appointment.

Tuesday, June 4 Elkhorn Eagles 20276 Wirt St.

Tuesday, June 18 VAS 1941 S. 42nd St #312

Saturday, June 8 Sheet Metal Workers Union 3333 S. 24th St. Tuesday, June 11 Douglas-Sarpy County Extension Office 8015 W Center Rd.

Call 402-393-5801, ext. 70760

Cancer Society recruiting volunteers

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he American Cancer Society is looking for volunteers to help out with a variety of clerical duties at its office at 9850 Nicholas St., Suite 200.

For more information, please contact Sherry Welton at 402-393-5801, ext. 70760.

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INCLUDED IN YOUR MONTHLY RATE: • All utilities including cable TV paid (except telephone).

• Transportation for medical appointments and shopping.

• Continental breakfast & lunch OR dinner daily. (Additional cost for three-meal option).

• Housekeeping & flat linen service.

• Full activities program.

• On-site computer lab, bank, mini-market, & beauty shop.

• Weekly worship services.

Thank you so much!

• Access to free laundry facilities.

Second person in apartment for $500/month. $500 non-refundable community fee required before move-in.

For your donations through Omaha Gives!

THANK YOU for your support!

7300 Graceland Drive, Omaha, NE 68134 | 402-557-6643 keystonevillasliving.com

June 2019

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New Horizons

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Page 7

News through the lenses of award-winning father, son team

Dave started his TV career at KVTV in Sioux City, Iowa.

By Leo Adam Biga Contributing Writer

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utside of Mike and Chris Wallace, there may not be another father-son tandem in broadcast journalism history with the pedigree and longevity of Omaha’s own Dave and Roger Hamer.

Retired television newsman Dave Hamer, 89, enjoyed a 1953 to 1991 career distinguished by many firsts.

He was the first journalist to work at all three major Omaha network affiliates. He was America’s first local TV journalist to file stories from Vietnam. He was the first civilian reporter to fly a mission with Looking Glass, the U.S. Air Force’s airborne command and control center.

Hamer covered the horror and hysteria of the Charles Starkweather murder spree. As a street reporterphotographer, he covered storms, accidents, riots, political rallies, and athletic events. He wrote and produced newscasts and documentaries. Dave captured the return to Omaha Beach of a Heartland veteran who survived D-Day. He gave back to his profession as president of the Omaha Press Club, the Nebraska News Photographers Association, and the National Press Photographers Association.

Hamer taught TV news at the University of Nebraska at Omaha and co-chaired the annual News Video Workshop at the University of Oklahoma.

For his contributions to the field, Dave Hamer is an inductee into the Omaha Press Club’s Journalists of Excellence Hall of Fame and the Nebraska Broadcasters Association Hall of Fame.

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ave’s son, Roger Hamer, 61, never intended following the family trade, yet his long TV career now equals that of his father. Roger creates news packages that see him do photography, reporting, editing, and producing. He succeeded his father as a teacher at UNO. He, too has earned much peer recognition for his work, including an Edward R. Murrow Award.

Roger is well on his way to joining his father as a lifetime achievement honoree.

The pair have a combined 74 years in the business. Their profes-

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Dave with Tom Brokaw at KMTV in 1964.

Roger is a recipient of the Edward R. Murrow Award.

Even at age 4, Roger enjoyed using a camera.

sional paths formally intersected at one point in 1991, when Roger, who began at KMTV, joined WOWT, where Dave worked his final decade. Roger is still at Channel 6 today.

“I kind of backed into the business. He never pressured me,” Roger said of his father.

“I don’t think I ever tried to talk you out of it either,” Dave said to his son.

“No, you never did,” Roger replied.

“I’ve been fortunate to always be surrounded by smart people, very good at what they do. Of course, this guy helped me a lot when I was starting out,” Roger said about his father. “We would have lunch breaks in the edit booths at 3 (KMTV) and 6 (WOWT). I’d show him tapes and he’d critique them.

We’d talk how to do stories. He let me pick his brain. I learned a lot that way. He was always generous in dealing with me.”

Roger recalled attending a workshop Dave helped put on for new and veteran photojournalists.

“You don’t know how you’re going to act when your dad pops your videotape in, plays it in front of all these people, and comments on it,” Roger said. “I hoped he was going to be as nice as he was when we were alone in the edit booths. But it was something along the lines of, ‘If this guy came in and wanted a job, I’d tell him to sell shoes.’ It was like the air in a balloon going out.

“But that was the best thing that could have happened because you need a kick in the pants now and then. The effort wasn’t there that he expected and that inspired me. It gave me a clue I could do better.”

Roger’s grateful to have learned from a master like his father. “He’s a pioneer.”

a cell tower, you can send a live picture anywhere,” Dave said. “It staggers my imagination.”

“There’s an app on my phone called TVU Anywhere,” Roger said.

“All I have to do is call into the station. They pull me up – and we’re on (the air). It’s instantaneous.”

“I try to avoid saying, ‘I wish we had that back when I was in TV,’ but I do wish we had that,” Dave said.

“But what goes along with this is that you’re under more pressure.”

“Yeah, the technology is phenomenal, but it’s a blessing and a curse,” Roger said. “The blessing is you can be live in a moment. The curse is the technology far exceeds our human capability of gathering information.”

handy while on assignment.

“You run into situations you didn’t expect, and you have to think on your feet, improvise, and go with the flow,” Dave said. “We always used to say, ‘have in mind where the story’s going to go but don’t be locked in because things will change.’ You’ll find better stuff than you imagined.”

Revisiting perennial events such as the winter’s first snowfall or spring flooding, and making the story interesting to the viewer can be difficult, Roger said. “The challenge is to make it different from the story before or different from what your competition’s doing. That’s the fun part of it.”

Then there’s following your instincts and, as Dave said, “making your own luck” by being where the action’s at and seeing-capturing what’s happening around you.

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Wayne, Neb. native, Dave Hamer segued from taking still photos in his hometown to stringing for television station KVTV in Sioux City, Iowa. The eye developed for composing portraits helped him transition to moving images.

A generation later his son, Roger, went from taking photos for the UNO Gateway and the Papillion Times newspapers to breaking in at KMTV. “The difficult part of going into motion (photography) was coming up with a closer,” Dave said.

“You’ve told the story, but you have to have something at the end to cap it. You need the exclamation point.”

Dave and Roger Hamer both love storytelling “Every story has got to have a beginning, middle, and end. That’s utmost in television news,” Dave said. “You don’t just leave it hanging out there. I don’t think anybody ever told me how to do that. I just naturally fell into it.”

Dave said telling a story you pitched to the news director is the y the time Roger established preferred method. “I had, and I himself, TV technology had think Roger has, the freedom to go transitioned from film to to the front office and say, ‘Hey, this videotape. It has since progressed to is a great story. We ought to do it.’” satellite uplinks and digital streamAny excuse for the videographers ing. to get out of the newsroom.

“Now he’s shooting live shots “The daily routines never apalone with a tiny camera,” Dave pealed that much to me,” Dave said. marveled.

Same for Roger, who likes be“No truck, no cables, no nothing,” ing “free from a desk and someone Roger confirmed. looking over my shoulder.”

“As long as you’re in range of Creativity and ingenuity come in

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New Horizons

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June 2019

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he year Roger was born – 1957 – his father helped launch Omaha’s KETV on the air.

“I had been there only a week,” Dave said. “There were only four of us in the news department. Six days a week were the norm. Sometimes Sunday, too. It was a challenge and great responsibility, but also fun.

You had to do everything – shoot it (the story), write it, maybe voice it.”

Hamer left KETV for KMTV, where he worked the bulk of his career and where his colleagues included future network stars Floyd Kalber and Tom Brokaw.

“What his (Dave’s) generation did set the groundwork for what we do today,” Roger said admiringly. “The whole idea of visual storytelling – of stories that are concise, make sense, have impact, elicit emotion, and are accurate.

“Today, I think we’ve lost a little bit of that desire to find out as much as we can and make it as accurate as possible. In the rush to get things on the air NOW, we don’t always have the information to back it up exactly.”

Social media has created an even more competitive environment, according to Roger.

“Now it’s Channel 7 tweeted this or Channel 3 tweeted that. Personally, I don’t care because I live by --Please turn to page 9.

Hamers derive satisfaction in telling other people’s stories --Continued from page 8. what I learned from old pros Steve Murphy and Mark Gautier: ‘I don’t care about being first, I care about being right.’ That doesn’t seem to exist like it used to.

“It’s a matter of feeding the beast” – otherwise known as the 24/7 news cycle. “You have to do all this social media stuff my father’s generation didn’t have to worry about or deal with.”

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hen Dave Hamer started in TV, there were just two newscasts per day. “Even with that and the technology being so much slower, we were still pressed for time. I wrote for nine years the 6 and 10 o’clock newscasts on Channel 3. You barely got 6 o’clock on the air before you started writing the 10 o’clock.

You were always up to the wire.”

Early news pioneers didn’t have access to the vast amounts of video-on-demand content Roger Hamer and his colleagues have today on their mobile devices and at their stations.

“It would take us three or four days (to get the necessary video),” Dave said.

Today’s constant content demands and deadlines can be exhausting.

“You just don’t have the longevity of people in the field anymore,” Roger said. “People get burned out.”

Professionals with his equivalent experience in the business are getting fewer and fewer. “It bothers me because I don’t see the next wave of lifers coming up – and I wonder about that.”

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ddities and happy accidents are bound to happen over careers as long as the Hamers. Once, Roger shot news footage of a car pileup on an ice-covered section of Leavenworth Street south of downtown.

“We sent it out to NBC,” he said. “A couple weeks later the video showed up in a Saturday Night Live skit.

“They pirated my video for entertainment purposes. It took a couple months, but I got 750 bucks out of them and gave them a tongue-lashing.”

Standard protocol in television is for networks to ask local affiliates to provide video.

“Sometimes it was a bother because I’d be working on my piece for the 6 o’clock and they’d want something right now,” Dave said. “You would do everything you could to get it there.”

“It just may not be right now,” Roger said.

“I’m not going to send it to them until we air it.

My obligation is to my station first.”

Dave once fielded an NBC request for film footage of a blizzard raging in Nebraska. They needed about a minute’s worth. He dutifully shot the storm.

“The network’s Huntley-Brinkley newscast switched to Omaha live. I was on the phone with the producer from New York. He told us when to roll the film. We’d built it logically to show the storm getting worse and worse. Well, the last shot came up and the film broke. The producer comes on and says, ‘Great job, Omaha. Man, what a storm. I couldn’t see anything in that last shot.’ We never told him (the film had broken).”

Memorably, Dave Hamer scooped the networks with his 1962 Vietnam reporting.

“The French had been kicked out in 1954.

There was very little American involvement until about ’61 when we sent military advisers over. In April ’62 the first Nebraskan was killed in Vietnam – Army Special Forces Sgt. Wayne Marchand from Plattsmouth. He was wounded and captured in a firefight with the Viet Cong, then taken off and killed.

“We ran the wire story on the air. That was all we knew. Within a month I was there because the front office said this is a story that should be told.”

Hamer and writer-producer Bob Fuller went as a two-man team.

“We did Marchand’s story, but while there we covered everything else we could find. We even did stories on Vietnam’s agricultural economy.”

The Omaha reporters stuck to a strategy.

“The first thing we did when we got in Saigon was check the overnight police reports for bombings, rocket fire at the airport, and such to know what was going on.

“We carried Department of Defense clearance paperwork that we never had to show. We had orders that allowed us to travel on military transport. If we couldn’t get military transport, we did

In 1984, Dave worked at WOWT, while Roger was employed at rival KMTV. what we could. Several times we hired a car with a driver. Sometimes we hired an interpreter. We could go anywhere we wanted. We checked in with the press office in Saigon when we got there and checked out when we left. They didn’t know where we were those three weeks. We were all over the country enmeshed in what was going on every day.”

Hamer and Fuller quickly learned U.S. involvement was larger than had been reported.

“There were 5,000 Americans in-country. We went on helicopter support missions. Americans were flying planes and helicopters carrying South Vietnamese troops,” Dave said.

Hamer said the western press corps in Vietnam then consisted of the New York Times, Associated Press and United Press International correspondents, and two guys from Omaha.

“We had the whole story to ourselves. We did four half-hour documentary segments.”

The series was cited for special commendation by the Radio Television Council.

Fast forward three decades when Dave’s last major assignment took him to another war zone to cover Nebraska military personnel in Saudi Arabia.

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Roger and Dave Hamer said part of their success was due to being married to strong, supportive wives who understood and tolerated their work.

June 2019

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ver time, he had offers to join the network in Washington, DC, New York, and Paris, but Dave and his wife, Verla, deferred each time because they liked Omaha.

Roger Hamer “tested the waters” in other markets but stayed in Omaha.

Roger said there’s much he shares in common with his dad. “One thing we share is we’re not the story; the people are the story. Nobody wants to see us. They want to see the people living the experience.”

The Hamers each derive satisfaction just knowing they did a good job and put a good story together.

Dave concurs with his son’s assessment. “We show up with a camera and people stop what they’re doing because they know you’re going to tell their story. It’s important to them.”

“You have to be genuinely curious and caring, and want to be involved in your community, and in telling the stories of its people,” said Roger, who, like his father, is grateful for the many fine collaborators he’s worked with. “It’s wonderful --Please turn to page 14.

New Horizons

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Page 9

Like a well-tended garden, retirement requires special attention for success This year my garden will be in pots instead of the plots I had at my last home.

I’m fine with that but it takes some planning. I need enough pots, soil, fertilizer, plants, and seeds. They’ll need to be placed where there’s sufficient sunshine and water. Having grown up on a farm, I love to watch plants grow, blossom, and produce fruit.

Gardening is a great metaphor for living a wonderful Third Chapter of life (retirement). First, we need a plot of ground—a home that allows us to live and grow. Sometimes it’s the same home we’ve had in our Second Chapter or it may be a smaller, more affordable dwelling. It doesn’t matter if we have a place where we can thrive.

All gardens require tending if they’re to produce.

It doesn’t work to stick the seeds in the ground and hope for the best. Likewise, the retiree who just sits on the couch, making no effort to care for self or others will eventually dry up. Any life worth living will require

attending to the body, mind, and spirit just as a garden requires water and sunshine.

In the Third Chapter, the body normally needs more attention than when we were younger. Adequate sleep, good food, and exercise are indispensable. Ignoring these needs will catch up with us, diminishing the quantity of our years, and the quality of life we might enjoy. In particular, exercise is a need that requires mindful attention as we age.

Many older adults choose to participate in water aerobics, Tai Chi classes (standing or sitting), and chair yoga.

The malls are full of older men and women who walk to

Conscious Aging

By Nancy Hemesath

keep their bodies strong. No matter what our age, the body needs to move.

Similarly, the mind needs exercise in order to stay sharp.

Research on the brain indicates it isn’t inevitable that we lose our capacity to think and learn. In fact, new neuropathways can be created into our 90s and beyond. It’s true that we must use it, or we’ll lose it. Hence, using our brain for puzzles and games is a useful pastime.

Even better is learning new concepts or ideas through reading or other educational programs. Developing computer skills or learning crafts continues to challenge our brains. Lifelong learning is as important to our minds as rain is for our gardens.

Growth in the spiritual aspect of our lives can be the richest of all in our Third Chapter. As the demands of busy lives recede, we have more time to be reflective and thoughtful. Our journey turns inward, and we explore the meaning of the lives we live. For many this is enriched by

religious faith. Others simply become more mindful of the values that give their lives meaning. Seeking to acquire more material things and status loses its allure while love of family and friends becomes the sunshine of our lives.

Life becomes richer as we attend to our spiritual being.

There’s one other question for the gardener that’s metaphorically important in order to have a great Third Chapter.

We must decide what it is we want to grow. Do we want beautiful flowers, favorite vegetables, or herbs? Similarly, as we age well, we must decide what contributions we want to make to others. Without a sense of purpose, living is simply putting in time. Purpose is what gets us out of bed in the morning. It’s what shapes our days and gives us joy and satisfaction. Happily, in the Third Chapter, it’s more about what we want to do instead of what we have to do.

Whether our purpose is caring for grandchildren, volunteering at the hospital, making toys for children, doing artwork to give or sell, crocheting or knitting blankets to share, it’s up to each of us. We are most successful when we do what we love. People who have a sense of purpose live longer, healthier lives than those who simply drift.

Drifters make poor gardeners.

Remember the Peter, Paul, and Mary Garden Song?

“Inch by inch, row by row, I’m gonna make this garden grow.

All it takes is a rake and a hoe and a piece of fertile ground.

Inch by inch, row by row, someone bless these seeds I sow.

Someone warm them from below ‘til the rain comes tumbling down.”

This year I am planting pansies, geraniums, begonias, tomatoes, and herbs. I’m also planning some new workshops and book studies. Can’t wait to see how it all grows and develops.

(Hemesath is the owner of Encore Coaching which is dedicated to supporting people in the Third Chapter of life.

Follow her blog at lifencorecoaching.com. She also provides personal coaching and book studies for those in the retirement transition. She can be reached via email at nhemesath@cox.net.)

The benefits of a healthy diet

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New Horizons

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June 2019

Eating a well-balanced diet as we age can help prevent disease, lower your risk for diabetes, help prevent obesity, and sharpen your mental clarity. There are many benefits of healthy eating at any age. As we get older, it’s crucial to have the proper nutrition. It’s important to eat foods rich in vitamins, iron, and nutrients, and to limit the amount of processed foods and sugar in your diet. Fruits and vegetables, lean meats, whole grains, nuts, and seeds are good sources of nutrients your body needs.

Many of these clean foods are rich in fiber which is essential in anyone’s diet and can help keep you regular and avoid constipation. If you find yourself looking for foods which are easy to prepare and don’t take a lot of work, look for prepackaged foods with lower sodium, reduced sugar, or frozen fruits and vegetables.

As always, stay hydrated. It’s recommended to drink 64 ounces of water each day. As you age, you may not always notice when you’re thirsty. Keep a water bottle with you at all times so you can drink water throughout the day.

As you get older, there are many changes you may face with your appetite and lifestyle. Your appetite may be affected by medications, loss, oral health issues, and disease.

You may notice you don’t need as many calories as you once did when you were younger. You may feel weaker and burn fewer calories which could lead to weight gain if you’re eating more calories than you’re burning.

You may not feel as hungry as you once did as you age because your sense of taste and smell aren’t as clear as they used to be. In turn, older adults may eat less and be underweight.

If you have questions or concerns about your diet, consult your physician. There are resources to help with diet and planning a healthy lifestyle. You can refer to AARP, Aging.com, or A Place for Mom which provides a Senior Living Blog related to aging, as well as health news and information regarding healthy nutrition for older adults.

(Omaha’s Florence Home Healthcare Center provided this information.)

Couple separated by healthcare needs

Lunch date reunites Winston, Carol

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hanks to the efforts of staff members from Via Christe Assisted Living, Florence Home Skilled Nursing, and Compassionate Care Hospice, a local couple separated for nearly a year due to their specialized healthcare needs, were reunited recently.

Winston, who lives at Via Christe, 3636 California St., receives hospice care from Compassionate Care Hospice.

Carol, his companion for more than 20 years, lives at the Florence Home, 7915 N. 30th St. “When I heard this couple had not seen each other for nearly a year, I knew we had to get them together for a visit,” said Lisa Dempsey, hospice care coordinator for Compassionate Care Hospice.

Dempsey worked with Nate Jensen, Via Christe’s lifestyle director and April Hauf, a social worker at the Florence Home to facilitate a lunch date for the couple.

When Winston arrived at the Florence Home, he was greeted by Carol for the first time in several months. “I love you, always did, you know that,” she said.

“You can tell they love each other. They know who they are and what they mean to each other,” Dempsey said.

“We wanted to make sure Winston and Carol had the chance to express their feelings again,” Jensen added.

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Bilingual resource info

Carol and Winston steal a kiss during their recent lunch date.

Dempsey said plans for a return visit by Carol are well underway. “Winston is already talking about Carol coming to visit him at Visa Christe.”

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ilingual information about hospice care, palliative care, helping loved ones with grief and loss, and caregiving is available.

The number is (toll free) 1-877-658-8896.

The service is offered weekdays 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

“Some decline in physical fitness is inevitable as we age,” said Jake Nelson, AAA’s director of traffic safety advocacy and research. “Research shows exercise doesn’t have to be strenuous to produce positive results. You can spread out the time you spend being physically active over the course of your day and week. A few minutes at a time can be sufficient.

Simple steps to keep active can keep you driving safely for longer.”

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention recommends older adults who are physically able, get between two to five hours of moderate-intensity exercise each week or between 75 to 150 minutes of high-intensity physical activity. The exercises should include balance training as well as aerobic and muscle strengthening activities.

Older adults should consult their doctor before beginning a new exercise regimen.

They should also talk with a healthcare provider about ways to combat fatigue.

Prioritizing getting at least seven hours of sleep each night can help older adults stay alert behind the wheel.

AAA recommends a series of stretches to improve neck, shoulder, trunk, back, and overall body flexibility.

As a leading advocate for senior driver safety, AAA also offers a variety of programs and resources to help older adults improve their driving performance and avoid crashes. For more information on AAA resources for older drivers, or programs that help older drivers better “fit” with their vehicles, please go online to visit SeniorDriving.AAA.com.

Summer solstice celebration

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ou’re invited to attend a luncheon for older adults to celebrate the summer solstice on Thursday, June 20. The 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. event will be held at the Steppe Center, 11730 Peel Cr. in LaVista.

The festivities will include bingo, prizes, a picnic

Volunteers thanked for their roles at AARP’s paper shredding event

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AAA offers tips to assist older drivers ew research from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety finds increased fatigue and poor physical functioning are leading factors that can result in older adults limiting their driving. Simple steps like weekly exercise and stretching, can improve safe driving abilities and keep older adults on the road longer.

The AAA Foundation commissioned researchers at Columbia University to evaluate eight domains: depression, anxiety, fatigue, sleep disturbance, pain interference, physical functioning, pain intensity, and participation in social activities to determine how changes in physical, mental, and social health affect driving mobility for older adults. The report found fatigue and poor physical functioning are most common among older drivers who spend less time behind the wheel.

“Older adults who give up the keys are more likely to suffer from depression than those who remain behind the wheel,” said Dr. David Yang, executive director of the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety. “It is important that we find ways to keep older drivers in good physical health in order to extend their mobility.”

Research shows daily exercise and stretching can help older drivers to improve overall body flexibility and move more freely to observe the road from all angles.

Physical strength also helps drivers remain alert to potential hazards on the road and perform essential driving functions like braking, steering, parking, looking to the side and rear, adjusting the safety belts, and sitting for long periods of time.

60,000 pounds of material shred

style lunch, and musical entertainment by Johnny Ray Gomez.

The cost is $10. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to the Alzheimer’s Association.

Reservations, which are due by June 12, can be made by calling Lisa Jensen at 402-310-2158.

June 20129

hanks in part to the efforts by volunteers of a variety of ages, AARP’s paper shredding event, held May 11 at the Center Mall, was a huge success.

A record 1,173 vehicles were served by 45 to 50 volunteers from AARP, the Stephen Center, Ralston High School, Skutt Catholic High School, and the Community Action Team.

Five Shred-It trucks were filled with paper which was shredded. A large dumpster was used to discard cardboard boxes. An estimated 60,000 pounds of material was shredded as a result of the annual effort.

AARP representatives thanked the volunteers, Jimmy John’s, which provided lunch for the volunteers; the people who dropped off the paper and cardboard boxes, event chairpersons Judy and Jack Eyler, and the individuals who brought coffee, creamer, sugar, and $300 in cash donations for the Stephen Center.

For more information about the Nebraska AARP Information Center, please call 402-398-9568.

Ralston Senior Center You’re invited to visit the Ralston Senior Center, 7301 Q St., this month for the following: • June 3: Korean Community Activity @ noon.

• June 6: Farmers Market produce voucher distribution @ 10 a.m.

• June 11: Bus trip to WinnaVegas Casino in Sloan, Iowa. The bus leaves @ 7:30 a.m. and returns around 4 p.m. The cost is $5. Call Dorothy @ 402-553-4874 for reservations.

• June 12: Board meeting @ 10 a.m.

• June 13 & 27: Line dancing @ 10 a.m. Bingo @ 1 p.m.

• June 26: The Merrymakers present music by Billy Troy @ noon.

Other activities include exercise on Tuesday and Friday @ 10 a.m.

Lunch is catered in on Wednesdays. A $4.50 contribution is requested. Reservations are due by noon the Tuesday before the meal you wish to enjoy. Call Diane @ 402-8858895 for reservations.

The handicapped-accessible facility can be used for weddings, memorial services, reunions, etc. on weekends.

For more information, please call Diane West @ 402339-4926.

Graceland 55+ Senior Apartments Studios at $595-$650 1 BR at $695-$750 2 BR at $795- $850

• All utilities included except phone, cable TV.

• Free laundry facilities.

Application, approval, tour, & $400 community fee required.

Graceland Apartments NO PETS. 7350 Graceland Drive Omaha, NE 68134

402-557-6643

keystonevillasliving.com

Please support New Horizons advertisers Charles E. Dorwart Govier, Katskee, Suing, & Maxell, PC, LLO 37 years of legal experience • Wills • Living Trusts • Probate • Healthcare and Financial Powers of Attorney • Medicaid Planning • In-home consultations • Free Initial consultation 10404 Essex Court • Suite 100 Omaha, NE 68114 Office: (402) 558-1404 or (402) 391-1697 chuck@katskee.com

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New Horizons

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Page 11

Alzheimer’s support groups The Alzheimer’s Association Nebraska Chapter offers several caregiver support groups and specialty support groups in Cass, Douglas, Washington, Dodge, 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 800-272-3900.

DODGE COUNTY

First Thursday @ 6:45 p.m.

King of Kings Lutheran Church CORE Conference Room 11615 I St. Call Karen @ 402-584-9088 to arrange for adult day services.

• FREMONT Second Tuesday @ 5:30 p.m.

The Heritage at Shalimar Gardens 749 E. 29th St. DOUGLAS COUNTY • OMAHA Second Thursday @ 10 a.m.

Second Thursday @ 5:30 p.m.

Country House Residences 5030 S. 155th St. Call Christina @ 402-980-4995 for free adult day services.

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. Call Melanie @ 402-393-2113 for free adult day services.

Third Tuesday @ 5 p.m.

Immanuel Fontenelle First floor classroom 6809 N 68th Plz.

Third Tuesday @ 6 p.m.

Temple Israel 13111 Sterling Ridge Dr. SARPY COUNTY • BELLEVUE Third Monday @ 7 p.m.

Bellevue Senior Center 109 W. 22nd Ave.

Medical and non-medical professionals are needed to respond to emergencies and to support non-emergency community needs by joining the Medical Reserve Corps.

Participants will receive a variety of free or lowcost training and education, opportunities for free or low-cost CEUs, as well as the opportunity to make their community healthier, more resilient, and better prepared.

For more information on the Medical Reserve Corps, please call 402-717-2621, visit MRC.HHS.gov or MRCCoord@gmail.com.

NARFE 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. For 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. For more information, please call 402-342-4351.

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. WASHINGTON COUNTY

Second Tuesday @ 6:45 p.m.

For caregivers of individuals with an intellectual disabilty/dementia.

Barbara Weitz Center 6001 Dodge St. (UNO campus)

Medical Reserve Corps

• BLAIR Third Wednesday @ 6 p.m.

Memorial Community Hospital Howard Conference Room 810 N. 22nd St.

Drive begins July 9

Merrymakers partnering with GIVE65 to raise money for musical entertainment The Merrymakers Association, a nonprofit organization that has provided professional musical entertainment for older adults since 1986, is partnering with GIVE65 to raise funds for programs and services benefitting older Nebraskans.

Beginning July 9, persons who want to financially support the Merrymakers, can visit GIVE65.org – the website for the Home Instead Senior Care Foundation program – to make an online donation.

The tax-deductible donations given through GIVE65, will help the Merrymakers provide professional musical entertainment to older adults in nursing homes, assisted living facilities, senior centers, veterans’ homes, and hospice care facilities.

For more information, please visit merrymakers.org or call 402-697-0205.

Corrigan Senior Center You’re invited to visit the Corrigan Senior Center, 3819 X St., this month for: • June 4: Farmers Market produce vouchers distributed @ 9 a.m.

• June 5: Flip flop wreath craft @ 10:30 a.m.

• June 7: Donuts Day @ 10:30 a.m.

• June 10: Iced tea tasting @ 11 a.m.

• June 12: Ribbon keychain craft @ 10:30 a.m.

• June 14: Flag Day celebration @ 10 a.m.

• June 19: Toenail clinic from 9 to 10 a.m.

• June 20: The Merrymakers present music by Joe Taylor.

• June 26: Travel series: Normandy, France @ 9:30 a.m.

• June 26: Patriotic wreath craft @10:30 a.m.

Other activities include craft and social hour Wednesday @ 10:30 a.m., Tai Chi Monday & Friday @ 10 a.m., bingo Monday and Thursday @ 1 p.m., ceramics class Wednesday @ 1 p.m., and Happy Hands crochet group Tuesday @ 10 a.m.

The Corrigan Senior Center is open weekdays from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Lunch is served at noon. A $4 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, please call 402-731-7210.

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June 2019

Fremont Friendship Center You’re invited to visit the Fremont Friendship Center, 1730 W. 16th St. (Christensen Field), for the following: • June 4: Farmers’ Market coupon distribution begins @ 8:30 a.m.

• June 5: Hints with Home Instead @ 10 a.m. followed by pianist Wally.

• June 6: Music by the Brian Breitbarth Trio @ 10:30 a.m.

• June 11: Casino trip. Call Laurie at 402-727-2815 for more information.

• June 12: Music by Pam Kragt @ 10:30 a.m. followed by our monthly birthday party featuring music by students from the Peace Lutheran Preschool.

• June 13: Presentation by a representative from Elite Professionals Home Health.

• June 14: Flag Day program with Donna Gunn from Humanities of Nebraska @ 10:30 a.m.

• June 17: Pour painting class @ 10:30 a.m. The cost is $10. Bring your choice of acrylic paint colors.

• June 19: Music by Bill Chrastil @ 10:30 a.m.

• June 20: Presentation by Ashley from Fremont Wellness and Therapy @ 10 a.m.

• June 26: Music by Wayne Miller.

Walking in the main arena Tuesday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. is encouraged.

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 $4 contribution is suggested for lunch.

Reservations must be made by noon the business day prior to the meal you wish to enjoy.

For meal reservations and more information, please call Laurie at 402-727-2815.

Brain Injury Alliance of Nebraska The Brain Injury Alliance of Nebraska is sponsoring a five-K/one-mile walk, run, or roll on Sunday, June 9 at Lake Zorinsky Park, 3808 S. 154th St. The five-K is from 7 to 9 a.m. while the one-mile event goes from 8 to 10 a.m.

The cost for Blazing Trails for Brain Injury is $35 in advance or $45 the day of the event.

Donations support Nebraskans with brain injuries and their families.

For more information, please contact elle@biane.org.

Free Tai Chi classes on Tuesday evenings

T

he Visiting Nurse Association’s Healing Motion Physical Therapy clinic and the Second Unitarian Church are partnering to offer free Tai Chi for Balance classes in the Omaha area.

Tai Chi is a great way for older adults to improve their balance and strength, while decreasing their chance of falling.

Alzheimer’s Assocation offering three free programs during June The Alzheimers Association invites you to attend any or all of the free programs listed below during June.

To register, please call 800-272-3900. For more information, please call 402-739-8636.

Here are the June programs: Saturday, June 15 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Living with Alzheimer’s for Caregivers: Middle Stage St. Wenceslaus Catholic Church 15353 Pacific St. (Light lunch served) Tuesday, June 18 4:30 to 5:30 p.m.

Healthy Living for Your Body and Mind Pilgrim Baptist Church 2501 Hamilton St. Thursday, June 27 4:30 to 5:30 p.m.

Understanding Alzheimer’s and Dementia Think Whole Person Healthcare 7100 W. Center Rd.

Physical therapist Kris Lausterer –a certified Tai Chi for Balance instructor for two years – will teach the ongoing classes which are open to everyone regardless of their experience with Tai Chi. The classes are held on Tuesdays at 5:15 p.m. at Second Unitarian Church, 3012 S. 119th St. Registration will occur immediately before the class.

For more information, please contact Lausterer at 402-346-7772 or klausterer@vnatoday.org.

T

Outdoor summer concerts

he Nebraska Wind Symphony and its affiliated swing band, the Swingtones, will perform free outdoor concerts on June 9, June 23, and July 4 beginning at

6 p.m.

The 80-piece community band, directed by Larry MacTaggart, and the 18-member Swingtones, led by Brian Lund, will perform Sunday, June 9 at the Capitol District stage, 1022 Capitol Ave.; Sunday, June 23 at St. Robert Bellarmine Church, 11802 Pacific St.; and Thursday, July 4 at the SumpTur Amphitheater, 11691 S. 108th St. in Papillion.

Wind Symphony music will include John Phillip Sousa’s Semper Fidelis and Nobles of the Mystic Shine.

The June 9 program will feature a tribute to female military veterans with music by John Williams and a video by band member Helen Jordon.

On July 4, University of Nebraska-Lincoln music student Nestor Pelayo – winner of the $1,000 Nebraska Wind Symphony Memorial Scholarship in 2019 – will perform Yellow Rose of Texas.

Classics made famous by bands led by Glenn Miller, Tommy Dorsey, and Woody Herman will be among the Swingtones’ selections.

For more information, please call 402-216-0122 or visit nebraskawindsymphony.com.

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June 2019

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New Horizons

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Page 13

Omaha newsmen Dave, Roger Hamer...

Nebraska Lifespan Respite Network Did you know there are more than 219,000 identified family caregivers in Nebraska?

Family Caregivers need an occasional break and the Nebraska Lifespan Respite Network can assist with respite funding or finding a respite provider.

Please contact your local respite coordinator at 1-866-RESPITE (1-866-737-7483) or go online to nrrs.ne.gov/respite for more information.

Camelot Friendship Center You’re invited to visit the Camelot Friendship Center inside the Camelot Community Center, 9270 Cady Ave., this month for the following: • Mondays & Fridays: Play pickle ball from 10 a.m. to noon.

• June 5, 12, 19, & 26: Chair volleyball @ 10:30 a.m.

• June 6: VNA seminar on Talking to your Doctor @ 11:30 a.m.

• June 7, 14, 21, & 28: Play Mahjongg @ 1 p.m.

• June 10, 17, & 24: Chair yoga @ 10:30 a.m.

• June 12: Farmers Market produce vouchers distributed @ 9 a.m.

• June 13: Book club @ 10:15 a.m.

• June 14: Council meeting @ 12:15 p.m.

• June 20: Taste my Jicama with Michaela @ 11:30 a.m.

• June 27: Legal Aid of Nebraska program on What Can We Do for You? @ 11:45 a.m.

The center is open weekdays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Lunch is served at 11:30 a.m. A $4 contribution is suggested for the meal. Reservations are due by noon the business day prior to the meal you wish to enjoy.

Regular center activities include Tai Chi (Tuesday & Friday @ 10:15 for 50 cents/visit), bingo, art classes, and card games.

For meals reservations or more information, please call 402-444-3091.

--Continued from page 9. to work with people as passionate as you are and who are dedicated to their craft.”

A love for teaching is something else the Hamers share. “I found teaching very rewarding,” Dave said.

“The satisfaction of sharing what you know and seeing the light bulb go off is a big part of it,” Roger said.

He said there’s something else he shares with his father. “We’ve both been blessed being married to very strong, supportive women that understood what we do and tolerated it.”

Dave and his late wife, Verla, were married 61 years. “Verla was interested in what we did and was our best promoter,” he said.

The couple lost their son and Roger’s brother, Dennis, to a coronary occlusion in 2002.

Dave, the quiet-spoken, TV news trailblazer. gets choked up talking about family. “I’m very proud of this guy,” he said, clasping Roger’s knee.

“Roger is his own man, has made his own reputa-

Dave Hamer

tion, and lives it every day on every story. He earned the Edward R. Murrow Award.”

Roger appreciates what his father has given him – from leading Boy Scouts canoe trips to being a great mentor.

“He taught me that if I’m not trying, if I’m not pushing myself, if I’m not putting product out I’m happy with, then it’s time to walk away.”

There doesn’t appear to be a third-generation Hamer following Dave and Roger into photojournalism.

“Never say never,” cautioned Dave, a grandfather of two.

Roger Hamer

These days, he reminisces about his career in a newsletter, Window on 53rd Street. Like the man, it’s a warm, witty, sincere, humble take on a life well-lived.

A passing of the torch has occurred in the Hamer family. Roger used to be asked if he was any relation to Dave Hamer? Now Dave is asked, “Are you related to Roger Hamer?”

“Roger and I reversed roles.” Dave said. “I’m very proud to be asked if I’m related to Roger.”

“I’ve always been proud of my dad,” Roger said.

“He’s my hero.”

(Read more of Biga’s work at leoadambiga.com.)

Public hearing to be held to announce new boundaries for Rural Transportation Program Camelot Friendship Center

The Nebraska Department of Roads recently informed the Eastern Nebraska Office on Aging that effective July 1, 2019, ENOA must change the geographic boundaries and guidelines it uses to determine trip eligibility for its Rural Transportation Program.

Rural Rural

ELIGIBLE TRIPS:

• Urbanized Omaha to Rural • Rural to Urbanized Omaha • Rural to Rural

Urbanized Omaha

NON-ELIGIBLE TRIPS:

• Urbanized Omaha to Urbanized Omaha

To learn more, please attend a public hearing on : TUESDAY, JUNE 18, 2019 @ 1:30 P.M.

Rural

EASTERN NEBRASKA OFFICE ON AGING 4780 S. 131ST STREET

Yellow area inside red boundary lines is considered to be “Urbanized Omaha.”

(Southeast of the intersection of 132nd Street, L Street, and Millard Avenue.)

Remaining areas on map inside ENOA’s five-county service area (Douglas, Sarpy, Dodge, Cass, and Washington counties) are considered to be rural.

Representatives from the Nebraska Department of Roads will be there to answer your questions and address your concerns.

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June 2019

For more information, please call Yvonne Betts at 1-888-210-1093.

Call 402-444-6536 to learn more

Volunteers 21, older are needed for Long-term Care Ombudsman Program

T

he Eastern Nebraska Office on Aging is looking for men and women age 21 and older to join its Long-term Care Ombudsman Program which is co-sponsored by the Nebraska State Ombudsman Program.

ENOA’s Long-term Care Ombudsmen volunteer in local long-term care facilities and assisted living communities to protect the residents’ rights, well-being, and quality of life.

Long-term Care Ombudsmen must complete 20 hours of initial classroom training and 12 hours of additional training every two years. During the training, the volunteers learn about the residents’ rights, aging issues, Medicare, Medicaid, communication skills, how to investigate the residents’ complaints, the importance of confidentiality, and about the federal and state rules, regulations, and laws regarding Nebraska’s longterm care facilities and assisted living communities.

Before being assigned to a long-term care facility or an assisted living community, new volunteers will make four visits to a site with an experienced Ombudsman Advocate to learn more about what the program entails. After a threemonth probationary period, the new volunteers are certified as Ombudsman Advocates.

Certified Ombudsman Advocates will be assigned to a long-term care facility or an assisted living community where they’ll visit for two hours a week to meet with administrators, residents, and the residents’ family members to address concerns.

For more information, please call Beth Nodes at 402444-6536.

Omaha Computer Users Group

Y

ou’re invited to join the Omaha Computer Users Group, an organization dedicated to helping men and women age 50 and older learn about their computers regardless of their skill level.

OCUG meets the third Saturday of each month from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Swanson Branch Library, 9101 W. Dodge Rd. Participants will have access to a projector connected to a computer with Microsoft Windows 10 to show users how to solve their computer problems.

For more information, please call Phill Sherbon at 402-333-6529.

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Return Home

Florence Home Healthcare specializes in rehabilitation to help you recover from an illness or injury so you can safely transition back home.

THEOS

OMAHASENIORCARE.ORG

New Horizons Club membership increases

THEOS, a social organization for singles age 60 and older, meets at 1:30 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.

For more information, please call Dorothy at 402399-0759 or Mary at 402393-3052.

$20 Virginia Swierczek $15 Eileen Kegley $10 Linda Mace Edith Utesch Joan Clark Betty E. Johnson Daniele Docken

The Eastern Nebraska Office on Aging has been providing programs and services for older adults in Douglas, Sarpy, Dodge, Cass, and Washington counties since 1974.

Reflects donations through May 24, 2019.

CLASSIFIEDS OLD STUFF WANTED (before 1975)

Military, political, toys, jewelry, fountain pens, pottery, kitchen ware, postcards, photos, books, and other old paper, old clothes, garden stuff, tools, old household, etc.

Call anytime 402-397-0254 or 402-250-9389

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New Horizons June 2019

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•

Page 15

Springfield craftsman Trembley fusing pieces of glass into art

Glenn has been creating glass-fused art since 1996.

By Jeff Reinhardt New Horizons Editor

“I love it.”

“That’s beautiful.”

Those five words spoken by two satisfied customers are typical of the reviews Glenn Trembley receives from art lovers who purchase colorful and unique glass-fused pieces from him at Springfield Artworks, 183 Main St. in downtown Springfield, Neb.

“When I hear comments like those, I realize all the hard work I put into my art is worth it,” Trembley said during an interview in the back half of the 2,500 square-foot 19th century building he shares with Margie, his wife for 57 years.

Margie Trembley Chapeaux was featured in the March 2019 New Horizons.

Glass fusing – a craft Glenn took up 23 years ago – is a medium whose

Trembley with a kiln used to heat the glass to nearly 1,500 degrees. roots go back to 2000 BC, in which two or more pieces of glass are heated inside a kiln and transformed into a single piece of art.

Trembley said while the entire process is much more complex, the basic steps begin when he cuts pieces of clear and/or colored glass into the desired sizes and shapes with a diamond saw or a glass cutter with a carbide wheel. A design is added to a second piece of

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June 2019

Glenn separates a cut piece of glass.

glass before the pieces are heated and fused together inside a kiln which reaches temperatures up to 1,490 degrees for 24 hours.

If desired, the artist can use techniques known as tack fusing or slumping to add more pieces of glass, designs, elements, and color; or re-shape the glass inside a mold.

A

Navy veteran who was born and raised in Philadelphia, Trembley came to the Omaha area in 1981 when his job with the Catholic Health Corporation transferred himself, Margie, and their two children from Joplin, Mo. Afer graduating from the College of the Ozarks in Clarksville, Ark., Glenn spent decades as a business consultant for hospitals and assisted living communities.

From 1997 until his retirement in 2010, Trembley managed Villa St. Benedict, a retirement community owned by the Benedictine nuns in suburban Chicago.

G

lenn – who along with Margie – has three grandkids and one great-grandchild, began his artistic journey working with stained glass in the 1960s. He didn’t start glass fusing, however, until 1996.

“I was too busy helping raise a family,” he said.

Trembley learned his craft from several teachers including Richard LaLonde and Brad Walker, two legends in the world of glass fusing.

The list of 100 to 150

glass-fused items Glenn creates each year include dishes, engraved awards, wall hangings, lampshades, and vases. He sells around 50 pieces annually for prices ranging from $12 to $2,500.

He describes his style as contemporary eclectic.

“Each piece I create is unique unto itself. I simply want my work to be admired for what it is; something to enjoy day after day.”

Like most artists, Trembley gets his creative ideas from a variety of sources including books and customer suggestions. “I’m not afraid to take risks to design and make things.”

Glenn said the best part of glass fusing is when he opens the kiln. “You put all this work into a sealed compartment without knowing if the glass is going to do what you want. You hope for good results.”

He paused for a moment before adding: “I’m very seldom disappointed.”

P

ersons interested in learning about glass fusing are encouraged to take one of Trembley’s classes at Springfield Artworks. The studio has six kilns so the four-hour class, taught over one or two sessions, can accommodate one to 10 students.

“People ask me if they can bring wine to the class?”

Trembley said. “Only if they share it with the teacher,” he replied.

For more information about Trembley, his art, or to sign up for a glass fusing class, please call 402-3069407.