50plus LIFE Chester County March 2019

Complimentary | Chester County Edition

March 2019 • Vol. 16 No. 3

jack of all trades, master of many page 4

special section: living your best retirement

page 9

Russia: Cruising the Waterways of the Tsars page 15

March is Colon Cancer Awareness Month

Interactive App Improves Colorectal Cancer Screening Rates

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This means you save time by only having one appointment on the day of your procedure. Also, if you have a co-pay, you may reduce your out-of-pocket costs.

Please fill out a request on one of our secure websites, and a representative will contact you.

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Questions?

Call 610 644-6755

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March 2019

50plus LIFE u

Although screening for colorectal for colorectal cancer for averagecancer has been shown to decrease risk adults ages 50–75 with deaths from the disease, only about a colonoscopy once every 10 years or a two-thirds of Americans are up to stool-based test every year. date with screening.

People with an abnormal stool A 2018 study suggested that giving test result (signs of blood in the stool) people an easy way to order their own are advised to undergo a colonoscopy screening tests may help increase the to investigate the cause. number of people who get screened.

Many factors contribute to low In the screening NCI-funded rates in the study, people United States, waiting to see including their doctors fear of the for routine procedure checkups were and/or the given a tablet preparation; computer lack of loaded with an awareness of interactive app the need for that provides screening; information and absent or about the need inadequate for colorectal doctor–patient cancer discussions screening, helps about patients make screening. decisions about Screening rates screening, and March is Colorectal Cancer are particularly allows them low among Awareness Month to “self-order” people with their own less education screening test. or low People who used the app, the study incomes. showed, were twice as likely to be Researchers have tested different screened as those viewing a video that approaches to increasing colorectal did not provide information about cancer screening rates, such as small screening or the option to order a test. financial incentives and mailed The “interesting and innovative” invitation letters and free testing kits, aspect of the approach used in the and found varying levels of success. new study is that “once patients made In the study, David P. Miller Jr., a choice about screening, they had M.D., of Wake Forest School of the opportunity to order the test Medicine, and his colleagues tested themselves,” said healthcare delivery the Mobile Patient Technology for researcher Caitlin Murphy, Ph.D., Health-CRC (mPATH-CRC) app, M.P.H., of the University of Texas which they designed for people with Southwestern Medical Center, who low health literacy and low computer was not involved in the new study. literacy, at six community-based primary care practices in North Clinical Trial Included Those Most Carolina.

Likely to Face Barriers to Screening The 450 study participants were The U.S. Preventive Services 50–74 years old, scheduled to see a Task Force recommends screening primary care provider, and due for www.50plusLifePA.com

colorectal cancer screening.

The mPATH-CRC app tells patients about the two tests most commonly used to screen for colorectal cancer in the United States — colonoscopy and fecal occult blood testing, which looks for hidden (occult) blood in patient stool samples — and helps them decide which test to use.

Patients were randomly assigned to use either the mPATH-CRC app or a control app that included a video about diet and exercise and did not give patients the option to self-order screening tests.

Primary care providers of patients who self-ordered a screening test with the app were notified and asked to approve or deny the test order.

Patients who self-ordered a screening test received a series of automated follow-up email or text messages to help them follow through with the test.

App Improved Screening but Left Room for Improvement Of the participants assigned

to the mPATH-CRC group, 30 percent completed a screening test within the study’s 24-week follow-up period, compared with 15 percent of people in the control group.

But the 30 percent screening rate “is still far from ideal,” Miller said.

Researchers did look at detection of colon polyps (precancerous growths) and cancers in both groups. They found 15 people with polyps and one with cancer among those who used the app, compared with only six people with polyps in the control group.

“That suggests that for every 22 people who use the app, we’ll find polyps in one extra person — and that’s potentially one person we will prevent from getting colon cancer,” Miller said.

The researchers were surprised to find that roughly half (53 percent) of patients in the mPATH-CRC group ordered a test for themselves via the app. This was a higher number than expected, Miller said.

Source: National Cancer Institute

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Cover Story

Jack of All Trades, Master of Many

Corporate Office

3912 Abel Drive, Columbia, PA 17512 Phone 717.285.1350 • Fax 717.285.1360 Chester County: 610.675.6240 Cumberland County/Dauphin County: 717.770.0140 Berks County/Lancaster County/ Lebanon County/York County: 717.285.1350 E-mail address: info@onlinepub.com Website address: www.onlinepub.com

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50plus LIFE is published by On-Line Publishers, Inc. and is distributed monthly among senior centers, retirement communities, banks, grocers, libraries and other outlets serving the senior community.

On-Line Publishers, Inc. will not knowingly accept or publish advertising which may be fraudulent or misleading in nature.

Views expressed in opinion stories, contributions, articles and letters are not necessarily the views of the publisher. The appearance of advertisements for products or services does not constitute an endorsement of the particular product or service. The publisher will not be responsible for mistakes in advertisements unless notified within five days of publication. On-Line Publishers, Inc. reserves the right to revise or reject any and all advertising. No part of this publication may be reproduced or reprinted without permission of On-Line Publishers, Inc. We will not knowingly publish any advertisement or information not in compliance with the Federal Fair Housing Act, Pennsylvania State laws or other local laws.

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March 2019

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By Jason J. Tabor

Island as an officer on a destroyer escort ship, a small vessel with a small staff that was tasked with patrolling waters in the Caribbean.

Visitors to historic Cornwall Iron Furnace in Freeland was in charge of the communications Lebanon have the opportunity to learn all about division of the operations the Revolutionary-War-era department (while also forge from local history serving as tactical signals buff-turned-tour guide Pat officer, cryptosecurity officer, Freeland. communications officer, “The furnace opened postal officer, Protestant lay in 1742 and has a lot of leader, and legal officer. historical significance.

After his stint in the Cannonballs and cannons military ended, Freeland used by the Navy during returned to the area and the Revolutionary War were began his career in education made here, but not a lot of as a sixth-grade English people know about it,” he teacher — a job he enjoyed says. for 17 years, first in Maryland Freeland, now retired As a Navy officer during the Vietnam War and then in Massachusetts from a wide-ranging, eclectic era, Freeland spent three years based in after moving there to career, lives with his wife Rhode Island on a destroyer escort. pursue a master’s degree in of 40 years, Vicki, close to educational administration where he grew up in Lebanon at Northeastern and Boston County. A fan of all things universities. historical, Freeland’s own Along the way, he and personal history could fill a Vicki married in 1978 book or two. and soon had a son and a “I never knew exactly what daughter.

I wanted to do with my life While in Massachusetts, when I was young, and I still a co-worker at his school don’t think I’ve figured it introduced Freeland to flying out,” he laughs. small single-engine planes, After graduating from and he soon received his own Cornwall High School, he pilot’s license. attended Lafayette College “My friend took me flying to earn a bachelor’s degree in a few times, and as usual, psychology, with the vague I wanted to know how all notion that he may one day The furnace’s “Great Wheel” weighs of those dials, levers, and become a school principal.

4 tons and measures 24 feet in diameter. instruments worked, and I He attributes his interest ended up becoming a pilot in education with his passion myself,” he remembers. for language, including a Tragedy was narrowly “passing familiarity with averted on one of Freeland’s French, Latin, German, and first solo flights when the Pennsylvania Dutch.” plane’s engine sputtered to a Shortly after his college stop shortly after takeoff. graduation, however, “I was relatively Freeland’s career plans were inexperienced, so instead put on hold when war broke of letting the plane spiral out in Vietnam and many downward and reduce speed, young men in the U.S. faced Cannonballs were cast in Cornwall for I just wanted to get back military conscription or the American Revolution. Pictured down on the ground as soon enlistment. here are “12-pounders.” as possible,” he laughs.

“It was 1966 and the draft He guided the plane back down to a rough had begun. I figured my best option would be to go landing on a dirt runway at 120 miles per hour, ahead and enlist in the Navy,” he recalls.

Freeland spent the next three years based in Rhode stopping just short of a stone wall bordering a www.50plusLifePA.com

he worked with a crew of volunteers to build and restore homes for needy cemetery at the edge of the airport. families in Lebanon.

“I lost a couple teeth that day, but kept flying for years afterwards,” he remembers.

But in 2016, Freeland was diagnosed with stage 4 bowel and liver cancer and After almost two decades in public education, Freeland would make the first told by his doctor that he may have only six months to live. Doctors advised him to discontinue the home renovations due to the possible infections that of many about-faces in his career.

“The best part of teaching could result. was dealing with the kids each “I started chemotherapy day. I loved teaching the kids, immediately, and within a few but ultimately I just got tired months the lab results showed of dealing with the parents day that the cancer had gone into in and day out,” he laughs. remission. I’m really lucky, but After teaching, Freeland I’m still here tickin’.” dabbled in real estate sales, Cancer may have slowed but ultimately found his niche him down a little bit, but at 75 doing home renovation and Freeland remains busy. maintenance, founding a “We see our grandkids company that would perform every day, and when I’m not these services for realtors before puttering around the house homes went on the market. or yard, working, I’m at the Forty-two cannon were cast at the furnace; 41 were taken by wagon to Revolution-era ships “I’ve always enjoyed furnace giving tours or doing in Philadelphia.

This one may not have proved tinkering, problem-solving, maintenance work,” he says. structurally sound. and being handy, so this was a In the casting house, the molten “One of the biggest lessons iron was tapped twice daily.

Each much more natural fit for me I’ve learned through all of my tap was 2,800 pounds at 3,000 than sales,” he says. experiences is the importance of treating everyone you meet with respect. Every degrees.

Two years later, he would one of us has a story to tell, and we can learn a lot if we take the time to listen.” jump into a completely Visit the Cornwall Iron Furnace website at cornwallironfurnace.org or call different career field by chance, when his neighbor offered him a job in (717) 272-9711. computer software programming — a field in which Freeland had no formal training.

On the cover: “It was the late ’80s, and software companies were getting huge and needing Installed around 1841, this 20-horsepower, single-cylinder steam engine powered the furnace’s blowing equipment. to increase their staffing. I just dove into coding; I really loved it. There is something about problem-solving combined with creating something new that has always appealed to me,” he says. advertisement Freeland contributed coding to what would become one of the world’s most popular business email and calendar programs, Lotus Notes, and would go on to co-author a Lotus Notes for Dummies book and other tech-related publications.

After retiring from the tech industry in 2002, he and Vicki moved back to If you want a funeral with an expensive casket the Cornwall area to be closer to family, including their five grandchildren. and embalming, go to a funeral home!

While living in Massachusetts, Freeland spent his free time volunteering as a tour guide at WGBH Boston, a PBS television and radio affiliate.

If you are interested in affordable cremation services, He also served as a guide aboard sightseeing ships in 1992 during the visit of we are the name to remember! the tall ships to celebrate the 1492 voyage of Columbus, “narrating the arrival No Embalming No Caskets of the ships and describing anything I could think of about Boston, its history, and its sights.”

Those experiences, and his interest in teaching local history, led him to volunteer at Cornwall Iron Furnace in 2003, where he has been ever since.

A unique survivor of the early American iron industry originally built by serving all of CHEster county since 1981 Peter Grubb in 1742, Cornwall Iron Furnace underwent extensive renovations Largest in the state of PA in 1856-57 under its subsequent owners, the Coleman family, and closed in For FREE brochures and pricing, call: 1883, according to its website (cornwallironfurnace.org).

It is this mid-19th century ironmaking complex — furnace, blast equipment, 1-800-720-8221 (toll-free) or mail us ... and related buildings — that survives today as a National Historic Landmark.

“I continue to do tours at the furnace and can supply lots of information Please send me FREE brochures and pricing! about its history and the processes involved in the production of iron,” Freeland www.cremationsocietyofpa.com says.

“Recently I created a PowerPoint ‘Virtual Tour of the Cornwall Iron Name______________________________________________________ Furnace’ for people who could not manage the 90-plus steps in the furnace Address____________________________________________________ building. We hope to present it in the future to retirement homes around this area.” _______________________________ Phone ( )_________________ After Freeland returned to Central Pennsylvania he had also put his jack-of4100 Jonestown Rd., Hbg., PA 17109 Code all-trades skillset to use renovating homes with Habitat for Humanity, where CSN Michael Weakland, Supervisor

AFFORDABLE CREMATION SERVICES

Cremation Society of Pennsylvania, Inc.

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50plus LIFE u

March 2019

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Women’s History: France’s First Female University Graduate March 26, 2019

May 30, 2019

Wyndham Hotel York 2000 Loucks Road York

Crowne Plaza Reading Hotel 1741 Papermill Road Wyomissing

9 a.m. – 2 p.m.

9 a.m. – 2 p.m.

This event is FREE to attend.

Veterans (of all ages) and the military community and their families are invited to join us!

The Expo brings federal, state, and local agencies together with area businesses to provide information and resources to veterans and their families.

The Job Fair brings veterans and spouses who need jobs together with employers who can benefit from this rich source of talent to aid their organizations.

At the Expo

Veterans Benefits & Services Medical/Nonmedical Resources Products and Services Available Support/Assistance Programs Education/Training Services

During Women’s universities. She History Month, continued taking we celebrate classes while the efforts and working as a accomplishments of governess. women in America.

In 1859 she Yet we can also submitted her find inspiration in nearly 300-page the achievements essay, titled “The of women from Poor Woman in anywhere in the the 19th Century: Female Conditions world throughout and Resources,” to the course of an essay contest history. One such held by the Imperial woman is JulieAcademy of Science Victoire Daubié. and Fine Letters of Born in France Lyon. in 1824 as one of Portrait of Julie-Victoire Daubié Her work, which eight children, centered on the Daubié’s father March is Women’s opportunities denied died when she was History Month women during that less than 2 years era, earned her first old. She studied place in the contest and a spot in the Latin, Greek, German, history, and geography with help from her brother academy’s baccalaureate program. In 1861, at age 37, Daubié became the and grew to adulthood frustrated by the constraints limiting women’s roles first woman to graduate from a French university. in society.

Julie-Victoire Daubié spent her By 1844, she received a adult life engaged in activism and teacher’s certificate and had scholarship focused on gender studied zoology at the Museum of Natural History in Paris by renowned equality. A recognized economic journalist, in 1871, she also became a specialist Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire. literature graduate in Lyon, becoming Despite her education and lack the first female graduate in letters. of laws explicitly barring women March 26 is the 195th anniversary from entering academia, Daubié of her birth. was rejected from numerous French

At the Job Fair

Employers Job Counseling Workshops Employment Seminars Resume Writing Assistance Hosted by:

Sponsor & Exhibitor Opportunities Available

www.veteransexpo.com

Brought to you by: &

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March 2019

(717) 285-1350 www.olpevents.com

50plus LIFE u

www.50plusLifePA.com

Free Tax Assistance Offered Through April 16, the AARP Tax-Aide program will offer free one-on-one counseling as well as assistance on the telephone and internet to help individuals prepare basic tax forms, including the 1040, 1040A, 1040EZ, and other standard documents.

The following are locations in your area. Please call for an appointment (unless otherwise noted) or visit aarp.org/money/taxaide for more information.

Avon Grove Library 117 Rosehill Ave., West Grove Wednesdays, 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

(610) 869-2004 Chester County Library 450 Exton Square Parkway, Exton

Mondays, noon to 5 p.m.

(610) 280-2642 Coatesville Senior Center 250 Harmony St., Coatesville Tuesdays and Thursdays, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

(610) 383-6900 Downingtown Senior Center 985 E. Lancaster Ave., Downingtown Tuesdays – Thursdays, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

(610) 269-3939 Easttown Township Library 720 First Ave., Berwyn Mondays and Tuesdays, 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.

(610) 644-0138

Henrietta Hankin Branch Library 215 Windgate Drive, Chester Springs Fridays and Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

(610) 321-1710 Kennett Area Senior Center 427 S. Walnut St., Kennett Square Tuesdays and Fridays, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

(610) 444-4819 Oxford Neighborhood Services Center 35 N. Third St., Oxford Tuesdays, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

(610) 932-8557 please see ASSISTANCE page 8

At Your Fingertips Helpful numbers, hotlines, and local businesses and organizations eager to serve you—all just a phone call away.

Disasters American Red Cross Greater Brandywine (610) 692-1200 Chester County Emergency Services (610) 344-5000 Salvation Army Coatesville (610) 384-2954

Arthritis Foundation (215) 570-3060

Housing Authority of Chester County (610) 436-9200

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (800) 232-4636

Housing Authority of Phoenixville (610) 933-8801

Coatesville VA Medical Center (610) 383-7711 Domestic Violence (800) 799-7233

JEWELERS American Gold & Estate Buyers, Inc. 363 E. Lincoln Highway, Exton (484) 872-8216

National Osteoporosis Foundation (800) 223-9994

Legal Services Lawyer Referral Service (610) 429-1500

PACE (800) 225-7223

Legal Aid of Southeastern Pennsylvania (610) 436-4510

Office of Aging (610) 344-6350/(800) 692-1100

Senior Healthlink (610) 431-1852

Financial Services Internal Revenue Service (800) 829-3676

Social Security Administration (800) 772-1213

Natural health Chasing Miracles www.chasingmiracles.com

Salvation Army West Chester (610) 696-8746 Emergency Numbers Central Pennsylvania Poison Center (800) 521-6110

Funeral & Cremation Services Cremation Society of Pennsylvania Serving Chester County (800) 720-8221 Health & Medical Services Alzheimer’s Association (800) 272-3900 American Cancer Society (800) 227-2345 American Heart Association (610) 940-9540

www.50plusLifePA.com

Southeastern Pennsylvania Medical Institute (610) 446-0662 Hearing Services Pennsylvania Office for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (800) 233-3008 V/TTY home equity loans Glendale Mortgage (610) 853-6500; (888) 456-0988 Housing Assistance Community Impact Legal Services (610) 876-0804

Nutrition Meals on Wheels Chester County Inc. (610) 430-8500 Pennsylvania Hunger Action Center (800) 366-3997 Office of Aging Chester County Department of Aging Services (610) 344-6350 Pharmacies CVS/pharmacy www.cvs.com

retirement living Friends Home in Kennett 147 W. State St., Kennett Square (610) 444-2577 Harrison Senior Living Locations in Christiana and East Fallowfield (610) 384-6310 The Hickman 400 N. Walnut St., West Chester (484) 760-6300 Senior Centers Coatesville (610) 383-6900 Downingtown (610) 269-3939 Great Valley (610) 889-2121 Kennett Square (610) 444-4819 Oxford (610) 932-5244 Phoenixville (610) 935-1515 Wayne (610) 688-6246 West Chester (610) 431-4242 Not an all-inclusive list of advertisers in your area.

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Family Members Unaware of New Reverse Mortgage Guidelines

Relax.

Let Your Home Work for You.

n NO MONTHLY MORTGAGE PAYMENTS REQUIRED. LOAN IS DUE WHEN YOU MOVE OUT PERMANENTLY, SELL THE HOME, OR PASS AWAY.

If you are at least 62 years old and own your own home, a reverse mortgage may be a useful financial tool. There’s no limitations to how you use the money, so you can cover medical expenses, fund education for your grandchildren, or any other reason.

n NON-RECOURSE: NEVER OWE MORE THAN WHAT THE HOME IS WORTH*

With a reverse mortgage, you can access the equity in your home without having to make monthly mortgage payments. The loan would come due when you sell the home, move out permanently, or pass away.

n PAYMENT DISBURSEMENT OPTIONS BASED ON YOUR NEEDS

Call us today to see if you qualify!

* If the heirs choose not to repay the loan and the home is foreclosed, they will not be liable for any deficiency.

Glendale Mortgage NMLS 127720 is an Equal Housing Lender.

Some products and services may not be available in all states.

Credit and collateral are subject to approval. Terms and conditions apply. If you qualify we will reimburse you for the cost of the appraisal at closing. This is not a commitment to lend. Programs, rates, terms and conditions are subject to change without notice.

Licensed by the |Pennsylvania Department of Banking, State of Delaware Bank Commissioner, and the New Jersey Department of Banking and Insurance. www.nmlsconsumeraccess.org

ROB MILLER, NMLS #142151

President, HECM Mortgage Specialist

Direct: 610.853.6500 Toll Free: 888.456.0988 RMiller@GlendaleMortgage.com

“I called my son to ask questions about accessing the equity in my home through a reverse mortgage. I needed some help to cover my monthly expenses, but he was not in favor of it. Of course, he doesn’t live with me, and he doesn’t pay my bills. He just thought it was a bad idea.

“I asked him to talk to my loan officer, who was able to meet all of his objections. I am so glad that I didn’t just stop when my son said he didn’t like it!”

This scenario is repeated daily as wellmeaning children — who are not updated on the important changes that the U.S. government has put into place in recent years to make home equity loans safe for senior borrowers — prevent their parents from moving forward with a transaction that would truly benefit them.

Misinformation about reverse mortgages abounds, and so it is necessary to ask the tough questions and get accurate information.

The first objection that is often made is, “Mom, the bank will own your home!”

Actually, that is not true. Mom never gives up the title to her home.

“But Dad, there will be no inheritance for us kids!” This sometimes comes from children who do not realize that the property can be willed to the heirs.

With the government safeguards now

in place, the heirs can refinance for 95 percent of the appraised value or sell the home as they choose, no matter the outstanding balance of the equity loan, when their parents pass away.

Rob Miller, President Since the federal government insures a reverse mortgage, no one will ever owe more than the value of the home. Once the mortgage is satisfied, the heirs will receive the additional proceeds from the sale, if they have not refinanced.

Many times seniors have worked all their lives to provide for their families. They have made hard choices and paid off the mortgage on their home.

Rather than struggling to have funds to pay the bills in retirement, they can now unlock the equity in their home and provide for a more secure financial life in their golden years.

Call Rob Miller, NMLS No. 142151, President of Glendale Mortgage, NMLS No. 127720, and Reverse Mortgage Specialist, to learn more.

(610) 853-6500 or (888) 456-0988 RMiller@GlendaleMortgage.com, www.nmlsconsumeraccess.org

ASSISTANCE from page 7

Be the CHANGE that will INSPIRE others Would you like to: Look better?

Feel better?

Sleep better?

For men and women 35+ who are interested in supporting and maintaining a healthy lifestyle, we offer the only homeopathic transdermal human growth hormone (HGH) gel product available without a prescription.

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Let us help you be the change you’ve been looking for!

For additional information visit us online at:

www.chasingmiracles.com

(610) 935-1515

Oxford Senior Center 12 E. Locust St., Oxford Fridays, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

(610) 932-5244

Surrey Services for Seniors 60 Surrey Way, Devon Fridays, 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

(610) 647-6404

Paoli Library 18 Darby Road, Paoli Wednesdays, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

(610) 296-7996 Phoenixville Senior Center 153 Church St., Phoenixville Mondays – Thursdays, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

West Chester Area Senior Center 530 E. Union St., West Chester Mondays – Thursdays, 8:30 a.m. to 2:45 p.m.

Fridays, 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

(610) 431-4242

Where friends become family.

A MISSION TO SERVE This vibrant senior community provides for the needs of older men and women with independent living, personal care, and skilled nursing. Residents enjoy a homey atmosphere with a Quaker mission.

AN ADAPTABLE APPROACH & A HEART FOR COMMUNITY Rather than having residents adapt to Friends Home, we work to adapt our environment to their individual interests and needs. In addition, residents actively participate in various intergenerational programs throughout the community and enjoy giving back.

147 West State Street, Kennett Square 610.444.2577 | www.FHKennett.org Independent Living | Supportive Independent Living | Personal Care | Skilled Nursing

8

March 2019

50plus LIFE u

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Living Your Best Retirement

Navigating the 3 Financial Stages of Retirement People often view retirement as just one more stage of life.

But that’s not exactly the case. Retirement isn’t just one stage; it’s at least three — although all three do share something in common.

“Every stage of retirement requires planning,” says Jack Teboda, president of Teboda & Associates, a financial services firm in Illinois.

“Otherwise, you could end up running out of money, or your health might take a turn for the worse and negatively impact your retirement savings because you hadn’t planned for it in those early years of retirement.”

It’s not easy to put exact ages on each of the three stages of retirement. That likely will vary from person to person, depending on their finances, health, and family situation.

But here’s what to look for in each stage: please see STAGES page 10

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March 2019

9

Please join us for these FREE events!

Living Your Best Retirement

20th Annual

April 30, 2019 9 a.m. – 2 p.m.

LANCASTER COUNTY

Shady Maple Conference Center Smorgasbord Building 129 Toddy Drive, East Earl

20th Annual

May 28, 2019 9 a.m. – 2 p.m.

DAUPHIN COUNTY

Hershey Lodge 325 University Drive Hershey

16th Annual

June 5, 2019 9 a.m. – 2 p.m.

CHESTER COUNTY

Church Farm School 1001 East Lincoln Highway Exton

23rd Annual

Sept. 18, 2019 9 a.m. – 2 p.m.

LANCASTER COUNTY

Spooky Nook Sports 2913 Spooky Nook Road Manheim

17th Annual

Sept. 25, 2019 9 a.m. – 2 p.m.

YORK COUNTY

York Expo Center Memorial Hall East 334 Carlisle Ave., York

20th Annual

Oct. 16, 2019 9 a.m. – 2 p.m.

CUMBERLAND COUNTY

Carlisle Expo Center 100 K Street Carlisle

Exhibitors • Health Screenings • Seminars Demonstrations • Entertainment • Door Prizes

STAGES from page 9 Stage One: Adjust to a new lifestyle. Many new retirees brim with excitement when retirement begins. They can golf, visit museums, play with their grandchildren, travel, or catch up on their reading.

Not everyone adjusts well, though. It’s not easy to flip the switch overnight after you’ve spent several decades reporting to work every day.

Also, if your retirement income is largely dependent on your savings, you’ll want to be careful that you don’t spend too much in those initial years.

“Your adviser should be able to help you come up with a plan that will give you income for life so you don’t have to worry about running out of money,” Teboda says.

Stage Two: Staying socially connected. As the years pass, many retirees move closer to their children or move into a retirement community because it makes them feel more socially connected.

“Sometimes at this point, especially if they haven’t planned well, people may start to have even more worries that they will outlive their money,” Teboda says.

“One way to address that is to cut back on expenses.

Some people even decide to get a part-time job to bring in extra money, and working becomes another way to stay connected.”

Stage Three: Realizing you may need assistance. More than 70 percent of Americans older than 65 will need some form of long-term care at some point in their lives, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

“When people map out their retirement,” Teboda says, “they need to plan for that possibility because the cost of long-term care can be devastating to your finances.”

He says people need to consider a number of factors — taxes, longevity, and market risks, among others — to improve the odds of a joyful retirement.

This is one reason Teboda says his firm takes a team approach to advising, using financial professionals with different areas of expertise. For example, one team member is an associate financial adviser and another is an attorney specializing in estate planning.

“In each stage of retirement,” Teboda says, “it’s important to confer regularly with your adviser and to be ready to adjust your financial plans if necessary.”

Jack Teboda, president and founder of Teboda & Associates (teboda.com), has more than 35 years’ experience helping people pursue financial independence through personalized investment strategies. An investment adviser representative, Teboda’s firm takes a team approach to advising clients on retirement concerns and other financial-planning issues.

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March 2019

11

Savvy Senior

Deciding What to Do in Retirement

Living Your Best Retirement

Jim Miller

12

Dear Savvy Senior, I just turned 62 and am financially prepared for retirement, but I’m less certain about how to spend my time after leaving work. Can you recommend some resources or tools that can help me with this?

– Feeling Lost Dear Lost, This is a great question! Many people, when asked what they want to do when they retire, will say they want a mix of travel, play, and meaningful work. Specifics, however, tend to be few and far between.

But planning how to fill your time in retirement is just as important as the financialplanning aspect. Here are some resources that can help.

Online Tools A good starting point to figuring out what you want to do in retirement is at Life Reimagined (lifereimagined.aarp.org).

This is an AARP website (you don’t have to be a member to use it) that can help you rediscover what truly matters to you and focus on what you really want to do. It offers a variety of online exercises and programs that will hopefully spark some ideas and give you inspiration.

Encore.org is another good resource that helps people who are seeking work that matters in the second half of life. Click on “Resources” on the menu bar and download their free Encore guide, and consider purchasing a copy of their Encore Career Handbook by Marci Alboher, which is excellent.

Also check out the free e-book called The Age for Change, which can help answer the question: “What now?” You can download this from Coming of Age (comingofage.org).

And if you’ve never taken a personality test before, this too can be a good tool to help you figure out what type of activities or work you’d like to do. A good option for this is the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator assessment, which you can take online at mbticomplete. com.

Personalized Guidance If you want personalized help, you can also get one-on-one guidance from a retirement or life planning coach.

Some resources that can help you here include Life Planning for You (lifeplanningforyou.com), which has a free exercise called EVOKE to help identify a path that might suit you best in later life and provides a directory to registered life planners to help guide you.

Also see Retirement Options (retirementoptions.com), which will connect you with a retirement coach who will give you an assessment to help reveal your attitudes and opinions about work, family life, relationship, leisure time, and more.

March 2019

50plus LIFE u

And check out the Life Planning Network (lifeplanningnetwork. org), a group of professionals and organizations that help people navigate the second half of life.

You can also find life and retirement coaching at the International Coach Federation (coachfederation.org).

Coaching sessions typically range from $75 to $300 or more and usually require four to six sessions to get the most out of the process.

Other Resources If you’re primarily interested in volunteering, finding a retirement job, or even starting a business when you retire, there are lots of resources that can help here too.

For volunteering, Points of Light (pointsoflife.weebly.com), VolunteerMatch (volunteermatch.org), and Senior Corps (seniorcorps. gov) can help you search for opportunities or even create one on your own.

To look for job ideas, sites like RetirementJobs.com, Workforce50. com, and Retired Brains (retiredbrains.com) list thousands of jobs nationwide from companies that are actively seeking older workers.

FlexJobs (flexjobs.com) can help you find good work-at-home jobs.

CoolWorks (coolworks.com) and Backdoorjobs.com are great for locating seasonal or summer jobs in terrific places.

Or to search for freelance opportunities in a wide variety of areas, there’s Upwork (upwork.com) and Guru (guru.com).

And if you’re interested in starting a new business, the U.S. Small Business Administration (sba.gov/content/50-entrepreneurs) offers tips, tools, and free online courses to entrepreneurs who are 50 and older, as does the nonprofit association Score (score.org).

Send your senior questions to: Savvy Senior, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070, or visit savvysenior.org. Jim Miller is a contributor to NBC’s Today show and author of The Savvy Senior book.

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March 2019

13

Calendar of Events

Chester County

Support Groups Free and open to the public Mondays (except holidays), 10-11:30 a.m.

Sunshine Memory Café United Methodist Church of West Chester 129 S. High St., West Chester (610) 349-3401 adean0413@gmail.com March 5, 1:30-2:30 p.m.

Grief Support Group Phoenixville Senior Center 153 Church St., Phoenixville (610) 327-7216 March 5 and 19, 5-6:30 p.m.

Bereavement Support Group Main Line Unitarian Church 816 S. Valley Forge Road, Devon (610) 585-6604 phoenixbereavement@yahoo.com Nondenominational; all are welcome.

March 5 and 19, 6:30-8 p.m.

Bereavement Support Group Brandywine Hospital Conference Room 2N 201 Reeceville Road, Coatesville (610) 998-1700, ext. 226 March 6, 6 p.m.

Memory Loss and Dementia Support Group Sunrise Assisted Living of Paoli 324 W. Lancaster Ave., Malvern (610) 251-9994 March 11 and 25, 10:30 a.m. to noon Caregiver Coffee Break/Support Group Active Day of Exton

201 Sharp Lane, Exton (610) 363-8044 March 12 and 26, 6:30-8 p.m.

Bereavement Support Group Jennersville Hospital Conference Room B 1015 W. Baltimore Pike, West Grove (610) 998-1700, ext. 226 March 13, 1:30 p.m.

Family Caregiver Support Group Sarah Care 425 Technology Drive, Suite 200, Malvern (610) 251-0801 March 13, 7-8:30 p.m.

Hearing Loss Support Group Christ Community Church 1190 Phoenixville Pike, West Chester (610) 444-445 hearinglosschesco.com March 19, 6 p.m.

Family Caregiver Support Group Sunrise of Westtown 501 Skiles Blvd., West Chester (610) 399-4464 March 27, 6 p.m.

Living with Cancer Support Group Paoli Hospital Cancer Center 255 W. Lancaster Ave., Paoli (484) 565-1253

March 6, 7:30 p.m.

Compassionate Friends Valley Forge Chapter Good Shepherd Lutheran Church 132 E. Valley Forge Road, King of Prussia (484) 919-0820 www.tcfvalleyforge.org

March 5, 11:30 a.m.

West Chester University Retirees Luncheon Call for location (610) 269-1503

March 19, noon AARP Valley Forge Chapter Meeting St. Luke Evangelical Lutheran Church 203 N. Valley Forge Road, Devon (610) 647-1823

If you have an event you would like to include, please email information to mjoyce@onlinepub.com for consideration.

14

March 2019

50plus LIFE u

Coatesville Area Senior Center (610) 383-6900 250 Harmony St., Coatesville coatesvilleseniorcenter.org Mond ays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, 10:30-11:15 a.m. – Going Fit Exercise Program March 7 and 21, 11 a.m. to noon – Veterans Coffee Club March 13 and 27, 1-2 p.m. – Bingo Downingtown Senior Center – (610) 269-3939 983 E. Lancaster Ave., Downingtown downingtownseniors.org Tuesdays and Thursdays, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m . – Games and Puzzles Wednesdays, 11 a.m. to noon – “Boom, Move It” Dance Class Wednesdays and Fridays, 11 a.m. – Core and More Great Valley Senior Center – (610) 889-2121 47 Church Road, Malvern Tuesdays, 11 a.m. – Scrabble Tuesdays and Wednesdays, 10 a.m. – Exercise Thursdays, 10 a.m. – Cards Kennett Area Senior Center – (610) 444-4819 427 S. Walnut St., Kennett Square kennettseniorcenter.org Oxford Senior Center – (610) 932-5244 12 E. Locust St., Oxford – oxfordseniors.org Wednesdays, 8:30-11:30 a.m. – Paint Class Phoenixville Area Senior Center – (610) 935-1515 153 Church St., Phoenixville phoenixvilleseniorcenter.org West Chester Area Senior Center – (610) 431-4242 530 E. Union St., West Chester wcseniors.org Thursdays, 1 p.m. – WCASC Chorus

Community Programs Free and open to the public March 2 and 16, 5-10 p.m.

Bingo Night Marine Corps League Detachment 430 Chestnut St., Downingtown (610) 429-8174

Senior Center Activities

Submit senior center events to mjoyce@onlinepub.com.

Library Programs Avon Grove Library, 117 Rose Hill Ave., West Grove, (610) 869-2004 March 7, 6:30-7:30 p.m. – L yme Disease Prevention Presentation March 7 and 14, 6:30-8:30 p.m. – Craft and Create March 21, 6:30-7:30 p.m. – Book Club Downingtown Library, 330 E. Lancaster Ave., Downingtown, (610) 269-2741 March 11, 6:30 p.m. – Fantasy Book Club March 19, 10-11 a.m. – Book Walkers March 19, 6:30 p.m. – Crafters Maker Space Paoli Library, 18 Darby Road, Paoli, (610) 296-7996 Mystery Book Club – Call for dates/times

www.50plusLifePA.com

Traveltizers

Russia: Cruising the Waterways of the Tsars Andrea Gross

“Russia is a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma,” said Winston Churchill in a 1939 radio broadcast.

Things haven’t changed much in the intervening years. The world’s largest country is still a land of gilded domes and golden spires as well as grand art, great music, and blue waterways.

But it’s also a land that has been ruled by those who win revolutions as St. Petersburg is filled with magnificent well as by those who win domed cathedrals. elections; is sometimes officially communistic and other times casually capitalistic; and whose relationship with the United States has ranged from somewhat cooperative to outright confrontational.

An enigma indeed — which is, of course, exactly why my husband and I wanted to go there.

The first thing we learn is that Russia isn’t a particularly easy place for American tourists. Most find the language unintelligible, the alphabet indecipherable, and the regulations innumerable.

For example, individual travelers need an “invitation” from an authorized Russian travel agency verifying exactly where they’ll be staying each night during their visit. Spontaneity is not allowed.

Thus we opt for a riverboat cruise specifically designed for English-speaking passengers, which will let us travel in comfort and security.

Our first stop is St. Petersburg, the cultural gem of Russia. It’s here that I see my first onion-domed cathedral, proudly presiding over a watery maze that splinters the city into 100 islands connected by nearly 400 canals and bridges.

We spend three days amongst spectacular palaces, world-renowned museums, and magnificent gardens. We thrill to the performance of Swan Lake, which was first presented to the Imperial Ballet in St. Petersburg in 1895; tap our feet in rhythm to the rollicking music of the Cossacks; and are overwhelmed by the art of the Hermitage Museum, which has prehistoric artifacts as well as Greek sculptures and Impressionist paintings.

Experts say that if a person were to spend one minute per exhibit, it would take him 11 years to see it all.

Finally we visit a kommunalka, a communal home owned by several unrelated families. Each family has its own small room for living and dining, but they all share a common bathroom and small cooking area, which, in this case, consists of two stoves, a mini-refrigerator, and a few overloaded shelves.

I don’t want to leave St. Petersburg. It has an air of restrained elegance — historically important, regally proud, and visually stunning. But it’s time for the Viking Akun, our 200-passenger ship, to head south to Moscow.

For the next five days we cruise down the Svir and Volga rivers, stopping at a variety of small and midsize towns.

A guide introduces us to a woman who’s making matryoshka dolls, those small sets of figures that decrease in size so that they nest one inside another. www.50plusLifePA.com

Cathedrals abound in the small towns between St. Petersburg and Moscow.

Traditionally these dolls were painted in intricate designs; today many have more contemporary, and sometimes controversial, motifs.

One set, for example, depicts the largest doll as Putin and the smaller ones as former leaders of the Soviet Union, from Lenin to Yeltsin. Other sets are in the reverse, with Lenin outsizing Putin.

We opt for one that features the Disney characters Anna and Elsa.

All things considered, it seems a safer choice than the one that portrays Putin please see RUSSIA page 17

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March 2019

15

March Used to Be the First Month of the Year Before the ancient Roman calendar was updated to include the winter months of January and February, the year started with March.

Named for Mars, the Roman god of war, March was the time of year in ancient Rome when military campaigns could begin anew as the inclement days of winter were past.

Here are a few other tidbits about March you might find interesting: It’s all about the weather. The phrase “in like a lion and out like a lamb” is often used to refer to this month.

The snow and bone-chilling cold weather at the beginning of March will often give way to warmer temperatures that allow for the first buds of the year to come forth by the time April rolls around.

However, there are times when the weather at the end of March makes one doubt that warmer days are ahead. According to folklore, “borrowing days” occur when it rains during the last three days of the month because March has borrowed the weather from traditionally rainy April. please see MARCH page 18

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Grief Relief

7 Ways to Grieve Mindfully Victor M. Parachin

done with three inhales and exhales. First, inhale slowly and say, “I am,” and then exhale slowly and say, “calm.”

Second, inhale slowly and say, “I am,” and then exhale slowly and say, “peaceful.”

Third, inhale slowly and say, “I am,” and then exhale slowly and say, “relaxed.”

Do this for several minutes until you feel more calm, peaceful, and relaxed.

Mounting scientific evidence from scores of universities strongly suggests that mindfulness not only reduces stress, but also gently builds an inner strength so that future stressors have less impact on our happiness and physical well-being.

Simply stated, mindfulness is the natural human ability to be paying attention and aware of what is happening around us, to us, and within us. When we are mindful, we are more able to respond rather than react to issues, events, and people.

Mindfulness is an important quality to bring into the bereavement process. Here are seven ways to grieve mindfully.

1. Mindful breathing. Grief produces stress, and when you are stressed, there are physical changes, such as increased heart rate, fast breathing, and high blood pressure.

The shortest route to reducing this stress is to breathe deeply and slowly. When you breathe deeply, it sends a message to your brain to calm down and relax.

Here is a simple breath exercise to do when feeling stressed called CPR. It’s

2. Mindful thoughts. When grieving, it’s easy to let the mind gravitate toward negative, catastrophic thinking.

However, it doesn’t need to be that way. Rather than having your mind manage you and your feelings, flip the switch and manage your mind, training it to think positively and optimistically.

Whenever negative thoughts emerge, replace them with positive ones. Move from “I can’t” and “I’m not able” toward “I can” and “I am able.” please see GRIEVE page 19

RUSSIA from page 15 and Trump.

We visit a school, eat lunch with a typical middle-class family, and tour churches filled with outstanding art. Before we leave I decide to be purified in a banya, which involves taking a steam bath and birch-broom massage before plunging into the cold river.

Back aboard the ship we sit The Cossacks perform lively folk dances St. Petersburg is a city of islands in the Panorama Bar and enjoy in a private performance for cruise connected by nearly 400 bridges and the river views as we listen passengers. canals. to presentations on all things Russian, from the Volga to the vodka. Finally, sated with knowledge and food, the Viking Akun docks at Moscow.

Like St. Petersburg, Moscow is gilded with domes, but while St. Petersburg is magical, Moscow is muscular. The cars are flashier, the streets more crowded, the malls larger. There’s even a toy store that covers more than a block.

We tour the Kremlin, where we hear stories of Romanov tsars Matryoshka dolls, also called nesting or stacking and Communist leaders; enjoy the

festive ambience of Red Square; and lunch at the enormous GUM department store, where any thoughts of Russia as a country devoid of luxury goods are quickly dispelled.

But of course Moscow isn’t Russia. Nearly 80 percent of Russia’s people live west of the Ural Mountains, where traditions may be stronger but life may be harder.

“But in Moscow there are more billionaires than babushkas,” says our guide.

On the last night of our cruise a group of us reflects on our trip while we enjoy a Russian-inspired meal.

“Churchill was right,” says one man. “Russia is most definitely an enigma.”

For an expanded form of this story, see traveltizers.com.

Photos ©Irv Green unless otherwise noted; story by Andrea Gross (andreagross.com).

dolls, were first carved in Russia in 1890.

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50plus LIFE u

March 2019

17

Reach Active, Affluent Boomers & Seniors!

Reserve your space now for the 16th annual

Sponsor and exhibitor applications are now being accepted!

Print Books Remain in the Lead Books are alive and well in the digital age, but we’re consuming them differently from the way we have in centuries past.

The Pew Research Center reports that 74 percent of Americans say they’ve read a book in the past year, a figure that’s remained fairly constant since 2012.

We’re not all “reading” the same way, though. Print books may be the most popular format, with 67 percent of Americans reporting they’ve read one in the past 12 months, but the share of Americans consuming audiobooks has increased from 14 to 18 percent since 2016.

E-books are also a factor in our reading choices, though they’re not taking the place of paper for now. Thirty-nine percent of readers say they read only physical-print books, although 29 percent say they read both print and digital books.

Just 7 percent report reading books exclusively in digital format and say they haven’t read any dead-tree books in the past year.

MARCH from page 16

CHESTER COUNTY

June 5, 2019 9 a.m. – 2 p.m.

Church Farm School 1001 East Lincoln Highway, Exton

Exhibitors • Health Screenings Demonstrations • Door Prizes

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www.50plusExpoPA.com 18

March 2019

50plus LIFE u

By comparison, the first three days of month are referred to as “blind days,” during which time farmers should avoid sowing their crops. Rainfall during blind days is considered an omen for a poor harvest later in the year.

You must believe in spring, at some point. Regardless of the weather, a change is on the horizon, and it has a lot to do with the sun.

The hours of day and night are nearly the same when the vernal equinox arrives, heralding the first day of spring for those of us living in the Northern Hemisphere.

In places such as Australia, New Zealand, most of South America, a portion of Africa, and a bunch of tiny island nations in the South Pacific, this is the beginning of autumn.

In bloom. The daffodil is

considered the flower of March, and if you planted bulbs last fall, you should enjoy blooms this month.

The daffodil is believed to symbolize deep love or regard. To give a gift of daffodils shows your unequivocal regard for the recipient.

In stone.

The modern birthstone for March is aquamarine, but ancient Arabic, Hebrew, and Hindu practices associate the bloodstone with this month.

Tibetan mystics consider jade to be March’s birthstone.

A month of madness. The overwhelming insanity that rules this time of year has little to do with brackets and college basketball.

The phrase “mad as a March hare” references the aggressive behaviors the male of this species exhibits during mating season. www.50plusLifePA.com

GRIEVE from page 17 3. Mindful words. Pay attention to the way you speak. Is your vocabulary positive and uplifting, or does it tend to focus on the negative and pessimistic?

Use words, phrases, and sentences that build up, encourage, inspire, and applaud yourself and all those you come in contact with.

4. Mindful action. Take steps necessary to educate and inform yourself about the grief process.

Read books and magazine articles, take workshops, join a grief support group.

Some of the many benefits of being in a self-help group include: • Emotional, psychological, and spiritual support in a safe and nonjudgmental environment • Sympathy and understanding from others who have experienced a similar loss • The opportunity to accelerate the healing process through sharing your own story and hearing the stories of other grievers • Coping skills to help you through the most difficult days of your grief journey • New friendships with people who “get it” and understand firsthand what you’re going through • In a grief support group, you will meet people who are adjusting and adapting to their loss; these women and men can become inspiring role models for you

• Permission to grieve and permission to live a happy, productive life 5. Mindful eating. Grief disrupts appetite. Some grievers eat too little, while others overeat.

Practice mindfulness at meals. Be sure to mindfully eat fresh, healthy foods to keep your body strong during your grief journey.

If preparing meals for just yourself is uninspiring, use this as a reason to invite company over for a meal or try a new restaurant with a friend.

–L. Frank Baum

6. Mindful exercise. To offset the shock and sadness of grief, engage in regular exercise most days of the week. Studies reveal that exercise can be just as effective for reducing depression as anti-depressant drugs.

Even if you feel you can’t possibly drag yourself out of bed, get up and get moving. Think carefully about an activity that appeals to you — hiking, biking, swimming, yoga, group fitness classes, dancing, kayaking — and do it.

7. Mindful possibilities. As grief eases and days become lighter and brighter, begin to be mindful about your future. One chapter of your life has concluded, and now is the time to begin writing a new chapter.

Be mindful about your ability to tap into inner strength, move forward, and reinvent yourself.

Victor M. Parachin, M.Div., is a grief counselor, bereavement educator, and author of several books, including Healing Grief.

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