50plus LIFE Cumberland County September 2017

Complimentary

Cumberland County Edition | September 2017 • Vol. 18 No. 9

Where animals help people page 4

LOCAL VET finding help CARRIES for Seniors VIETNAM ON addicted to HIS SHOULDER opioids page 6

page 11

Sepsis: Deadly Condition Requires Urgent Treatment

By Keith Gillogly Despite the fact that sepsis affects more than 1.5 million Americans each year, it’s been called a silent epidemic and urgent public health issue.

Sepsis has been garnering more attention lately among the medical community and the public, however.

September is Sepsis Awareness Month.

Sepsis is a condition that results when the body’s response to infection injures its own tissues and organs.

As the immune system responds to foreign invaders, it often overshoots, triggering damaging inflammation and life-threatening consequences.

Usually bacterial infections lead to sepsis, but viral and fungal pathogens can also cause it.

If unchecked, organ systems can begin to fail. During septic shock, blood pressure drops so low that the body cannot adequately manage blood perfusion and oxygenation of its tissues and organs.

Such condition puts strain on virtually all the organ systems,

left to right,” he says, although it’s more common in the elderly and in immunocompromised patients.

To diagnose sepsis, doctors first assess vital signs. Elevated heart rate and elevated respiratory rate are key clinical symptoms. Septic patients usually present a fever or in some cases, especially in the elderly, hypothermia, Stoner says. Confusion and altered mental status can also indicate sepsis.

The faster sepsis is detected and treated, the greater the likelihood of survival; hours, even minutes, count.

“The most important thing is early recognition,” Biggs says. “We think about [sepsis] every time we see someone with an infection.”

But diagnosing sepsis is trickier than it seems. Conditions such as pneumonia, urinary tract infections, and gastrointestinal infections commonly precede sepsis. These conditions, along with a host of other types of infections, all present their own sometimes similar symptoms and complications, which can

potentially our folks in the causing organ community are aware of what failure and sepsis is, even injuring the though it’s the No. kidneys, heart, lungs, brain, and 1 killer and has a higher mortality other organs. rate than heart As Dr. attack,” he says.

Thomas Stoner, “What we need to vice president do is ensure that of hospitalist the community is services at PinnacleHealth engaged in sepsis education and Hospital and awareness.”

HAP (The Depending on Hospital and severity of the Healthsystem Association of infection, the September is Sepsis sepsis mortality Pennsylvania) Awareness Month sepsis physician rate can approach 50 percent, champion, says, the more organ systems affected, the says Dr. Jason M. Biggs, chair of emergency medicine at St. Clair more deadly sepsis becomes.

Hospital in Pittsburgh.

Sepsis and septic shock are Historically, Stoner says sepsis considered the No. 1 cause of was thought of as a condition of the preventable and hospital-related mortalities, Stoner says. very young and very ill. In actuality “it affects everyone, top to bottom, “Statistically, a small number of

Cocklin Funeral Home, Inc., is Presenting a Life-Saving Initiative to the Area Vital ICE The Custom-Branded, In-Case-of-Emergency App

Confused About Your Insurance Choices?

Let us guide you in choosing the right Medicare Supplement or Medicare Advantage policy. We can also help you to select a Medicare Part D plan that includes your specific medications.

• • • • • •

Walk-In Enrollment Center Medicare Counseling Medicare Advantage Plans Medicare Supplements Final-Expense Planning Our Services are Always Free!

We’re here to help!

Call: (877) 753­-9638 www.keynetquote.com

1409 State St., Harrisburg, PA 17103

Afternoon & Evening Hours Thursday & Friday Mornings & Afternoons Saturday Vital ICE provides a platform on which to list your (and your dependents’, if applicable) vital medical information, such as blood type, allergies, medications, medical history, ICE contacts, and much more. This information will then be readily available to EMS and other first responders when they need it most.

Please download the FREE app and enter the code

September 2017

FOR HAIR!

737.4347

5312 to start using today!

30 N. Chestnut St., Dillsburg, PA 17019 • (717) 432-5312

2

123 3rd St., Lemoyne

50plus LIFE ›

Exquisite Hair Cutting www.50plusLifePA.com

muddle diagnosis.

Further, no lab test can specifically identify sepsis. Still, doctors can measure blood lactate levels and perform other tests to aid with diagnosis.

Administering intravenous antibiotics and fluids is standard sepsis treatment. The antibiotics work to eliminate the infectious pathogens and modulate inflammation while the fluids aim to normalize blood

pressure and support blood perfusion to organs and tissue.

Staying current on vaccines, such as the meningococcal vaccine and a regular flu shot, will help prevent sepsis. Preventing or properly managing any infections is key to stopping sepsis before it sets in.

Sepsis survivors can still experience cardiovascular complications or be on dialysis for the rest of their lives, among other chronic issues. Stoner

says older and sicker survivors can be prone to developing some cognitive impairment.

Biggs recalls seeing one elderly patient with flu-like symptoms and evidence of pneumonia.

Approximately 80 years old, she was the type of patient who knew her medical history and was on top of her health, he says. Her pneumonia led to sepsis and, soon after, septic shock.

She wound up in the ICU on a ventilator and medicine to support her dangerously low blood pressure.

Yet, with aggressive fluids and antibiotics, her treatment prevailed, and she was eventually sent home.

Had she waited an additional 24 hours to come in, Biggs says, she might not have lived.

For more information on sepsis and septic shock, visit the Sepsis Alliance at www.sepsis.org.

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

Funeral & Cremation Services Cremation Society of Pennsylvania Serving Cumberland County (800) 720-8221 Emergency Numbers American Red Cross (717) 845-2751 Central PA Poison Center (800) 521-6110 Cumberland County Assistance (800) 269-0173 Energy Assistance Cumberland County Board of Assistance (800) 269-0173 Eye care services Kilmore Eye Associates 890 Century Drive, Mechanicsburg (717) 697-1414 Funeral Directors Cocklin Funeral Home, Inc. 30 N. Chestnut St., Dillsburg (717) 432-5312 Health & Medical Services Alzheimer’s Association (717) 651-5020 American Diabetes Association (800) 342-2383 Arthritis Foundation (717) 763-0900 CONTACT Helpline (717) 652-4400 The National Kidney Foundation (800) 697-7007 PACE (800) 225-7223 Social Security Administration (Medicare) (800) 302-1274 Vision Resources of Central Pennsylvania (717) 238-2531 www.50plusLifePA.com

Healthcare Information Pa. HealthCare Cost Containment Council (717) 232-6787 Hearing Services Duncan Nulph Hearing Associates 5020 Ritter Road, Suite 10G Mechanicsburg (717) 766-1500 Pennsylvania Office for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (800) 233-3008 V/TTY Home Care Services Asbury Home Services (717) 591-8332 Hospice Services Homeland Hospice 2300 Vartan Way, Suite 115, Harrisburg (717) 221-7890 Housing Assistance Cumberland County Housing Authority 114 N. Hanover St., Carlisle (717) 249-1315 Property Tax/Rent Rebate (888) 728-2937 Salvation Army (717) 249-1411 Insurance Apprise Insurance Counseling (800) 783-7067 KeyNet BusinessNetwork (877) 753-9638 lift chairs Sofas Unlimited 4713 Carlisle Pike, Mechanicsburg (717) 761-7632 Nursing/Rehab Homeland Center 1901 N. Fifth St., Harrisburg (717) 221-7902

Nutrition Meals on Wheels Carlisle (717) 245-0707 Mechanicsburg (717) 697-5011 Newville (717) 776-5251 Shippensburg (717) 532-4904 West Shore (717) 737-3942 Orthopedics OSS Health 856 Century Drive, Mechanicsburg (717) 747-8315 Personal Care Homes Homeland Center 1901 N. Fifth St., Harrisburg (717) 221-7902 Pharmacies CVS/pharmacy www.cvs.com salons Earl Gibb for Hair 123 Third St., Lemoyne (717) 737-4347 Services Cumberland County Aging & Community Services (717) 240-6110 Toll-Free Numbers Bureau of Consumer Protection (800) 441-2555

Domestic Violence (800) 799-7233 Drug Information (800) 729-6686 Flu or Influenza (888) 232-3228 Health and Human Services Discrimination (800) 368-1019 Internal Revenue Service (800) 829-1040 Liberty Program (866) 542-3788 Medicare Hotline (800) 638-6833 National Council on Aging (800) 424-9046 Organ Donor Hotline (800) 243-6667 Passport Information (888) 362-8668 Smoking Information (800) 232-1331 Social Security Fraud (800) 269-0217 Social Security Office (800) 772-1213 Veterans Services American Legion (717) 730-9100 Governor’s Veterans Outreach (717) 234-1681

Cancer Information Service (800) 422-6237

Lebanon VA Medical Center 1700 S. Lincoln Ave., Lebanon (717) 228-6000 or (800) 409-8771

Consumer Information (888) 878-3256

Veterans Affairs (717) 240-6178 or (717) 697-0371

Disease and Health Risk (888) 232-3228

Not an all-inclusive list of advertisers in your area.

50plus LIFE ›

September 2017

3

Cover Story

Where Animals Help People 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

PRESIDENT AND PUBLISHER Donna K. Anderson

EDITORIAL

Vice President and Managing Editor Christianne Rupp Editor, 50plus Publications Megan Joyce

ART DEPARTMENT Project Coordinator Renee McWilliams Production Artists Lauren McNallen Janys Ruth

BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT Account Representatives Matthew Chesson Janette McLaurin Tia Stauffer Gina Yocum Events Manager Kimberly Shaffer Marketing Coordinator Mariah Hammacher

ADMINISTRATION Business Manager Elizabeth Duvall

Member of

Awards

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.

4

September 2017

50plus LIFE ›

By Lori Van Ingen

she said. “We were thrown out there together.”

The Capital Area C.D., now aged Therapeutic Riding 19, turned into Association holds one of the nicest, a special place in friendliest, calmest volunteer Roni horses at CATRA. Dietrich’s heart.

“Shirley calls him “CATRA ‘the babysitter.’ It is my refuge,” feels good being Dietrich said. part of that. Every “When I started little girl who comes (volunteering at through says, ‘That’s CATRA), I had the horse I love.’” just learned I Currently, there had rheumatoid are about 25 horses arthritis and was in the program, in menopause at as well as a few the same time. My Examples of Dietrich’s scrimshaw artwork, miniature horses emotions were all all carved on 10,000-year-old woolly mammoth ivory. and donkeys, over the place.” working with clients Since 1985, who come from the six to eight surrounding counties.

CATRA has been the place to go to find “animals helping people.” CATRA is a therapeutic riding school The horses are generally older horses, with a median age of 20 years. for people of all generations with all types of special “They are fantastic horses. Not every horse can take and typical needs.

Clients have had everything from multiple sclerosis, an autistic child who rocks back and forth or hums and chatters without being scared and running off. fibromyalgia, and Guillain-Barré syndrome to Down Not every horse can take two people on each side syndrome, autism, and Asperger’s syndrome. CATRA (leading them) or two riders on their backs,” Dietrich has also welcomed clients with attention deficit disorder, learning disabilities, memory issues, dyslexia, said. “These horses do it with grace.”

Every Wednesday, Dietrich waters and feeds the hydrocephaly, rheumatoid arthritis, and nerve damage. horses with a special mixture made specifically for each Dietrich began volunteering in 1998, working individual horse’s health issues. She also gives them with the horses every Wednesday morning and then medications in a big syringe for those who won’t take helping all year long with lessons for CATRA’s 125it in their food.

135 riders per week.

Then, after eating lunch with the girlfriends she has “I’ve never found (a therapeutic riding school) like made at CATRA, Dietrich rides the horses herself.

CATRA. It’s an amazing program with no paid staff, “Horses need a job all the time,” she said. “CATRA not even the directors,” she said.

Because CATRA has no paid employees, volunteers is great for people like me who don’t have the time, space, or finances to have a horse.” are “right there in the mix, cleaning stalls, grooming It’s also a great place for people over 50 to horses, working with the clients,” Dietrich said. volunteer.

Two years later, CATRA founder and director “Almost all of our daytime volunteers are in their Shirley Nolt came to Dietrich and said, “I’ve got you a 60s. The place is pretty much run by older people.” horse.”

Besides helping to run the day-to-day operations “She brings out this horse that is every little girl’s of the therapeutic riding school, Dietrich is also on dream,” Dietrich said. “I was like 12 years old again.” some of the nonprofit’s committees to raise funds The horse—named C.D. for the actor, Charles Dutton, who had previously owned him—was 2 years throughout the year, including the motorcycle ride committee. old and had never had a saddle or lead line.

For six years, CATRA has held a 60-mile “I had never worked with a green horse before,” motorcycle ride in the Pennsylvania countryside in Correction August. The popular fundraiser offers a musical group performance, silent auction, and door prizes following On the cover of 50plus LIFE’s August issue, we the ride. incorrectly identified a photo of Paul Anka as Frankie Another fundraiser is Comedy, Arts and Sweets, Avalon. The photo showed Bandstand dancer Arlene held in November at Hollywood Casino’s John Sullivan with Anka. We regret the error. www.50plusLifePA.com

Prostate cancer is one of the Brazil nuts. Benefits: Selenium; six most common forms of cancer in to eight nuts contain 700 percent of a men—more than 180,000 cases are daily serving. diagnosed each year.

Tomatoes.

Diet can be a Benefits: Lycopene. factor, doctors Men who eat say, especially 10 portions of one of foods tomatoes a week high in saturated may reduce their fats found in risk of prostate meat and dairy cancer by 18 products. percent.

Men may be Walnuts.

September is Prostate Cancer able to reduce Benefits: Walnuts Awareness Month their risk of and walnut oil developing have been shown prostate cancer to reduce levels of the hormone IGF-1, by eating more of these healthy foods: which has been linked to prostate cancer.

Broccoli. Benefits: Low in Coffee. Benefits: Antioxidants, as well carbohydrates and rich in antioxidants as stimulating the body to metabolize and phytochemicals that may prevent sugars more efficiently. Green tea shares cell changes contributing to cancer. similar qualities.

Salmon. Benefits: Lots of omega-3 Carrots. Benefits: Beta-carotene, fatty acids that can inhibit prostate which turns into vitamin A and has cancer. antioxidant properties. www.50plusLifePA.com

Would you like to see your name in print?

50plus LIFE is looking for

Local Liaisons We want to include your neighborhood news in 50plus LIFE— but we need your help!

We’re looking for volunteers to serve as our designated Local Liaisons in Central Pennsylvania.

If you seem to always know what’s happening in your community and would be willing to send us brief stories, event info, and photos, email mjoyce@onlinepub.com for more information.

Please join us! FREE events!

FREE PARKING !

Sept. 21, 2017

21st Annual

Eat These Foods to Help Prevent Prostate Cancer

Do you have an ear to the ground?

9 a.m. – 2 p.m.

Spooky Nook Sports

2913 Spooky Nook Road Manheim

LANCASTER COUNTY

Sept. 28, 2017

15th Annual

that I couldn’t afford. Mom said, ‘You can make that,’ and I did” after purchasing a starter scrimshaw kit.

She comes by her talent naturally.

Her mother was a woodcarver and her father was a lapidary and silversmith.

Dietrich now sells her artwork mainly through commissioned pieces, as well as at knife and gun shows and occasionally an art show.

Each year, Dietrich enters a piece or two in the Mystic Scrimshaw competition in Mystic, Connecticut.

She earned the Best Color Wildlife trophy in 2005.

Dietrich was even mentioned on page 12 of Tom Clancy’s Net Force book, Point of Impact. She also has contributed to a scrimshaw manual, Scrimshaw Techniques by Jim Stevens.

She has artwork at three galleries: Brain Vessel in Mechanicsburg; Mystic Scrimshanders in Wickford, Rhode Island; and Bowen’s Wharf Scrimshanders in Newport, Rhode Island.

More information about Dietrich’s artwork can be found at Wild Horse Studio’s Facebook page, and more information on CATRA can be found at www.catra.net.

9 a.m. – 2 p.m.

York Expo Center

Memorial Hall East 334 Carlisle Avenue, York

YORK COUNTY

Oct. 19, 2017

18th Annual

Henry Room, which looks out over the paddock where the horses get ready for the races. After watching the horse races, a comedian performs, donated art is auctioned off in a silent auction, and fancy sweets from local bakeries are auctioned off in a live auction.

The biggest fundraiser is CATRAthon, held each fall.

CATRAthon includes a walk, a bike ride, and a critter parade of all types of farm animals dressed up in costume.

There is also a mini-trail ride, silent auction, bake sale, and chicken barbecue.

While Dietrich can be found at CATRA every Wednesday from 8 a.m. to noon, she used to stay longer and would come other days as well when she started, the 61-year-old Dietrich said.

“Now that my husband is retired and I’m a grandma, my time is split up more. I’m an artist, too, and I’ve got to get that work done, as well.”

Dietrich is a renowned scrimshaw artist, selling her work worldwide. One of CATRA’s horses is Dietrich’s logo for her Wild Horse Studio.

Dietrich got her start at a rock and gem show in 1979.

“Mom and I saw some scrimshaw

9 a.m. – 2 p.m.

Carlisle Expo Center CUMBERLAND COUNTY

100 K Street Carlisle

Exhibitors • Health Screenings • Seminars • Demonstrations • Entertainment • Door Prizes Limited Sponsorship Opportunities Available (717) 285-1350 (717) 770-0140 (610) 675-6240

www.50plusExpoPA.com 50plus LIFE ›

September 2017

5

Soldier Stories

Robert Naeye

Local Vet Still Carries Vietnam on His Shoulder

Candidate percent of the School and class washed out.” headed for After Fort Benning, graduating Georgia.

“They from OCS as a 2nd lieutenant, warned us that OCS would be Snyder wanted the toughest to become an challenge we Army Ranger, had in our life,” so he was sent recalls Snyder. to jump school.

He spent the But he was later next six months transferred to Jay Snyder today at his home. doing pushups, an airborne doing chin ups, cavalry unit. and being yelled at constantly.

He continued his parachute “The Army’s theory is that they training, which paid an extra $110 per have to break you down to build you month — a lot of money in the midback up,” says Snyder. “It was a pretty ’60s. tough six months, and about 60 “If I was going into combat, I wanted to go with the guys who were volunteers, who were well trained, advertisement who were there because they wanted to be part of that unit. And that’s what I got in an airborne unit,” says Snyder, who adds that his training prepared him to be a soldier, but “I don’t think anything can prepare you If you want a funeral with an expensive casket for the reality of combat.” and embalming, go to a funeral home!

In July 1965, President Lyndon If you are interested in affordable cremation services, Johnson ordered Snyder’s cavalry we are the name to remember! division to Vietnam. On Aug. 15 they We specialize in cremation only, statewide, no removal fees. departed aboard a transport ship, No Embalming No Caskets the USNS Geiger, from Savannah, Georgia.

After passing through the Panama Canal and stopping in Hawaii and Guam, they landed in mid-September serving all of Cumberland county since 1981 in Qui Nhon, in central Vietnam.

Largest in the state of PA Snyder and his men expected to For FREE brochures and pricing, call: land in a hostile environment, with 1-800-720-8221 (toll-free) or mail us ... enemy soldiers shooting at them as they got off the boat. Instead, they Please send me FREE were greeted by TV cameras and brochures and pricing! signs saying “Welcome to Jones Beach www.cremationsocietyofpa.com East.”

“So much for landing under fire,” Name______________________________________________________ jokes Snyder.

Address____________________________________________________ But his unit soon got down to business. They were flown by _______________________________ Phone ( )_________________ Chinook helicopters to a base camp 4100 Jonestown Rd., Hbg., PA 17109 Code CUSN Shawn E. Carper, Supervisor in the Central Highlands. For

Jay Snyder’s war ended 51 years ago. But after retiring from a distinguished career working for the Pennsylvania state government and as the leading tennis official in the United States, the war now seems as close as it’s been since he left Vietnam in 1966.

Snyder was a minister’s son, so he frequently moved as he was growing up. His father was working in Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania, when Snyder finished high school, so he attended nearby Susquehanna University and graduated in 1964.

Realizing he had a very low draft number, Snyder decided to enlist in the Army. When the Army recruiter pointed out that he’d have a better life as an officer than as an enlisted man, Snyder signed up for Officer

AFFORDABLE CREMATION SERVICES

Cremation Society of Pennsylvania, Inc.

6

September 2017

50plus LIFE ›

nearly a month the duty was mostly uneventful, with occasional mortar rounds being lobbed into the base.

Snyder’s unit went on patrols to chase away the attackers.

Snyder’s first battle took place in the Suoi Ca Valley. Snyder and his company of about 110 men spent a couple days on search-and-destroy missions, going into villages to look for signs of enemy activity.

The men destroyed a number of rice caches used by the Vietcong, but Snyder insists, “We did not burn rice that belonged to villagers.”

The men received sporadic gunfire but suffered no casualties. They spent the night in rice paddies, where they encountered one of their most annoying enemies — leeches — which came out of the ground in heavy rain.

“We found out pretty quickly that they’re not nice beasts,” says Snyder.

Like all soldiers, Snyder relished each mail delivery. Besides receiving letters from family and friends, he started corresponding with a woman named Jeanne, who was his sister’s college roommate. What started out as “a fake romance” would later blossom into a 50-year marriage that’s still going strong.

Snyder’s unit was later flown by chopper into the Pleiku Campaign, which lasted from late October to late November 1965. Despite heavy fighting all around them, Snyder and his men at first saw very little combat.

“For whatever reason, the North Vietnamese chose not to engage us,” he says. “We were all walking on eggshells, thinking they’re going to hit us any second now, and they didn’t.”

Up to that point in the war, Snyder and his men were lucky to avoid casualties. But they didn’t stay lucky.

In January 1966, Snyder was leading a patrol near the village of Bong Son. A captain radioed Snyder to move faster so his platoon of about 25 men could rendezvous with other units.

“We were in a combination of www.50plusLifePA.com

jungle and open area, and it just didn’t feel right to keep moving faster. I took point and I walked my platoon right into an ambush,” recalls Snyder.

Vietcong guerillas peppered the men with rifle fire, killing one man.

Another died when his grenade exploded in his hand. Several other Americans were wounded.

Snyder radioed for artillery support, which drove off the attackers after about nine minutes of intense combat.

“The shrapnel would go off over our heads,” recalls Snyder. “It sounded like a freight train driving over your head.”

After some R&R in Bangkok, Thailand, Snyder flew into another battle in a helicopter and nearly died when the helicopter was hit with a 50-caliber round and landed hard.

Five weeks later, Snyder and his unit were moving up a mountain when they were nearly surrounded

by Vietcong. Outnumbered in heavy jungle, the men resorted to a tactic known as a “mad minute” — with everyone opening fire for about a minute.

“The mad minute saved us,” says Snyder. Several of his men died in the battle.

Snyder received shrapnel wounds in his left shoulder and buttocks from mortar fire but remained in the fight until the enemy fled.

Snyder had to wait a full day before he could be medevacked by chopper. He spent three weeks in the 85th Evacuation Hospital at Qui Nhon. An infection developed, so he was flown to Clark Air Force Base in the Philippines and then to the U.S. Fortunately, he made a full recovery at Valley Forge Hospital outside Philadelphia, but a fragment lodged in his left shoulder still causes pain whenever the weather changes rapidly.

He met Jeanne there in person soon after his return, and they got married in August 1967, about two months after he left the Army.

Snyder took management training and went on to a distinguished career working for several state agencies. He spent much of his spare time working as a tennis umpire, and in 1990, he was promoted to www.50plusLifePA.com

U.S. director of officiating.

He umpired matches involving all the top men’s and women’s players, including the 1993 Wimbledon semifinal between Andre Agassi and John McEnroe.

Like many umpires, he incurred the wrath of volatile players such as McEnroe and Jimmy Connors. But he later became good friends with McEnroe, whom Snyder credits for being an honest competitor.

He and Jeanne adopted a Vietnamese son, and they now have three grandchildren. They have visited Vietnam twice, and Snyder has been deeply impressed by how the people have welcomed their former adversary, and how a united Vietnam has recovered from the devastation of war.

During these years of constant activity, Snyder was able to put his war experiences in the rearview mirror. He even boxed up all his medals and put them in a barn.

“I got over my experiences in Vietnam by working my butt off,” he says.

But once he retired, painful memories rose to the surface.

“Vietnam has always been with me,” says Snyder. “It took a while for me to realize that PTSD was something I needed to face up to.”

To this day Snyder regrets the men he lost when he led his company into an ambush, but he’s not sure what he could have done differently.

“You’re responsible for those lives, and you can’t ignore that. I can’t explain how difficult that is, how your decisions cost somebody their life. I just kept that way in the background.”

Snyder has received professional help, including group therapy. And he has started writing about his war experiences as part of a veteran’s writing project, which has been a cathartic experience.

Snyder, now 75, occasionally shares his Vietnam experiences in public talks, including one in June 2017 in Centre County. You can hear his story by visiting https://goo.gl/ Fy1M4g.

Robert Naeye is a freelance journalist living in Derry Township. He is the former editor-in-chief of Sky & Telescope magazine.

Nov. 2, 2017 9 a.m. – 2 p.m.

Spooky Nook Sports

FREE PARKING!

2913 Spooky Nook Rd., Manheim

Please, join us!

This combined event is FREE for veterans of all ages, active military, and their families.

At the Expo

Veterans Benefits Community Services Products and Services Available Support/Assistance Programs Education/Training Services

At the Job Fair

Employers Job Counseling Workshops/Seminars Resume Writing Assistance Principal Sponsor:

Sponsored by: AT&T • Blue Ridge Communications • Disabled American Veterans ESPN 92.5 / 92.7 • Fulton Financial Corporation • LCTV Pennsylvania American Legion • Pennsylvania National Guard Outreach Office Pennsylvania State Headquarters VFW • WFYL • WHTM abc27

Sponsor & Exhibitor Opportunities Available

www.veteransexpo.com (717) 285-1350 www.olpevents.com

50plus LIFE ›

Brought to you by:

September 2017

7

Dear Pharmacist

Suzy Cohen

717.591.8336

Stories of ordinary men and women called to perform extraordinary military service.

From 1999–2016, writer and World War II veteran Col. Robert D. Wilcox preserved the firsthand wartime experiences of more than 200 veterans through Salute to a Veteran, his monthly column featured in 50plus LIFE. Now, for the first time, 50 of those stories— selected by Wilcox himself—are available to own in this soft-cover book.

Simply complete and mail this form with your payment to the address below to order Salute to Our Veterans.

On-Line Publishers • 3912 Abel Drive, Columbia, PA 17512 Name_ _______________________________________________________ Address_ ______________________________________________________ City_______________________________ State_ ____ Zip_ ______________ Phone_ _____________________ Email______________________________ Number of copies_ ______ (Please include $20.80 for each copy) Credit card #______________________________________ Exp. date________ Signature of cardholder_________________________________CVV #________

Or send a check made payable to On-Line Publishers, Inc. You can also order online at www.50plusLIFEpa.com!

8

September 2017

50plus LIFE ›

I Bet I Can Make You Yawn

Last week I forced myself to stay up two nights in a row to work. I certainly had work to do, but I also wanted to evaluate my brain function after sleep deprivation.

The following morning, I was yawning quite a bit while sharing the story with my husband, Sam. He jokingly snapped, “Hey, stop that!

You’re making me yawn!”

I thought that was hilarious and kept my eye on him for several minutes, and sure enough, when I yawned, he yawned.

Yawns are known to be “contagious,” especially if you are emotionally connected with one another. Did I get you to yawn just yet?

Saying the word out loud or reading “yawn” triggers a yawn. They’re usually satisfying in nature, and if they’re not, it is thought to be your subconscious inability to let go. One yawn lasts about six seconds, and during that time, your heart probably beats faster.

A yawn does not always happen just because you’re bored or tired. For decades, doctors said it was your brain’s attempt to pull more oxygen in for its tissues.

But research on animals published in The International Journal of Applied Basic Medical Research in June 2017 points to yawning as a way to drain lymph from around the brain. That’s interesting because we are only now realizing the brain actually has a lymphatic system.

We, meaning humans, yawn in the womb—and yes, it’s boring in there for sure—but around 11–20 weeks post-conception, it can be seen on ultrasound.

Another interesting fact about yawning is that medications can cause it. For example, one of the biggest offenders is antidepressant medication,

especially the SSRIs and SNRIs like Prozac and Cymbalta, respectively.

Benzodiazepines (clonazepam, alprazolam) and opiate analgesics (hydrocodone, oxycodone, morphine) will often trigger yawning attacks—it’s a well-documented side effect during normal treatment.

It’s more apt to happen during “interdose withdrawal” (the hours in between your scheduled doses of the day) or more likely when you quit taking these drugs, which requires a long tapering process. Yawning attacks induced by antidepressants, benzos, and opiates are almost always annoying and uncomfortable.

Anesthetics used to sedate you before surgery can cause yawning. And a big yawn-inducing category is the dopaminergics used in Parkinson’s, such as L-dopa or levodopa (Sinemet contains that) or Apokyn (apomorphine).

Did you know that the complete disappearance of yawns could indicate damage to your hypothalamus?

It’s specifically damage to the dopaminergic (dopamine-producing) neurons.

This is why Parkinson’s patients yawn less frequently. Likewise, the effectiveness of Parkinson’s drug therapy can actually be gauged if the patient begins to yawn again.

Some researchers think you yawn more if you are depressed. I’m not really convinced of that. Confirming this is difficult because depressed folks often have insomnia, so they are going to naturally be more fatigued during the day and probably yawn more too.

This information is not intended to diagnose, prevent, or treat your disease.

For more information about the author, visit SuzyCohen.com

www.50plusLifePA.com

Parenting 2.0: The Evolving Role of Grandparents

By Natasha Shane

For some grandparents, it can be embarrassing and frustrating when they don’t know things related to technology and curriculum topics. It’s even harder when they don’t feel they can reach out for help.

Supporting a school-aged child takes a lot of time and energy. It also requires a lot of engagement on the grandparent’s part.

Here are five tips to help you navigate this year’s back-to-school season and help your grandchildren have the best school year yet.

Over the last decade, more and more grandparents have taken on the responsibility of raising their children’s children. For many today, the notion of spoiling their grandchildren for a few hours and then “giving them back” just isn’t a reality.

According to AARP, there are more than 2.5 million grandparents raising grandchildren in the United States. In Pennsylvania, nearly 240,000 children under age 18 live in homes where the 1. Engage with your grandchildren and their householders (caregivers) are grandparents or other teachers.

Interact with your student and familiarize relatives.

Sept. 10 is National Grandparents Day yourself with what they’re learning.

Grandparents are not only providing for their It’s also important to have an open line of grandchildren’s day-to-day needs, but they are also communication with your student’s teachers. This playing a bigger role in their education than ever will make it easier to help your student stay on top of assignments and spot before, which means learning new technologies and communication tools. It when they fall behind. also means becoming their grandchild’s learning coach and mentor.

For some, communicating with teachers doesn’t come naturally. Many 2. Look into any school programs that assist your grandchildren while grandparents raised children at a time when there wasn’t a lot of direct they’re at home. Some schools offer classes that give parents and grandparents communication with teachers other than periodic parent-teacher conferences.

Nowadays, teachers are emailing daily; we can receive information about our tools to support their students with math strategies, the writing process, and note taking and test taking, among other skills. children’s test scores and behavior patterns in real time.

Technology is also advancing so rapidly that it’s difficult for those who 3. Keep technology skills sharp or learn new ones by taking advantage aren’t fully immersed in it to keep up. Schoolchildren have grown up in this technology culture, and it creates a large gap between them and older please see GRANDPARENTS page 13 generations who haven’t adapted to the change.

AREA’S LARGEST SELECTION!

FREE DELIVERY & SETUP!

Between and

FROM $

498

www.50plusLifePA.com

4713 Carlisle Pike, Mechanicsburg

761-7632

www.sofasunlimited.com 50plus LIFE ›

September 2017

9

The Green Mountain Gardener

Gardening Questions You Might Ask in September

Dr. Leonard Perry

This month, many gardeners ask these three questions.

What are some good fall flowers other than garden mums?

Garden mums are the standard fall

flower for color. In the colder parts of our region, they should be called fall mums rather than hardy mums, as most won’t survive consistently from year to year.

Flowers that are perennial, and

E

October 7, 2017

omen’s Expo Lancaster County

9 a.m. – 2 p.m.

Lebanon Expo Center 80 Rocherty Road Lebanon

will survive and provide fall color, include Helen’s flower (Helenium) and fall asters.

You may find Helen’s flower called sneezeweed, but it is the ragweed, not this flower, that causes fall allergies.

There are many types of asters, from low hybrids suitable for containers to the tall New England asters (3-4 feet tall).

There are some great cultivars (cultivated varieties) of goldenrod you might consider as well. These do not even resemble the common wild ones, and as with the Helen’s flower,

they do not cause allergies.

For annual flowers for fall, consider some of the many ornamental kales and cabbages with white to purple foliage. You may also find potted pansies and other annuals that will tolerate a light frost.

How do you overwinter tender dahlias and gladiolus?

Dr. Lois Berg Stack, of the University of Maine Cooperative Extension, recommends cutting please see GARDENING page 13

October 14, 2017 9 a.m. – 2 p.m.

omen’s Expo Cumberland County

November 11, 2017 9 a.m. – 2 p.m.

Carlisle Expo Center

Spooky Nook Sports

2913 Spooky Nook Road Manheim

Holiday Shopping Health & Beauty

A History of Caring ...

A Commitment To Excellence Since 1867.

Fun!

100 K Street Carlisle

Look for

We know you want to live

the

life on your own terms.

Pop-up!

Pursue your favorite hobbies or engage in our many activities.

717.285.1350

Our residents are the honored guests of the best resort in town!

CHANNEL your local connection

LCTV

FREE advance guest registration online! ($5 at the door) Talk to us about sponsor and exhibitor opportunities.

aGreatWayToSpendMyDay.com

10

Options for independent and supportive care available.

September 2017

50plus LIFE ›

We care for you ...

wherever you call home.

A continuum of care ... focused on quality of life.

Making a difference ... with dignity and respect.

Live every moment.

Homeland ... is where the heart is.

717-221-7901

717-221-7890

1901 North Fifth Street Harrisburg, PA 17102

2300 Vartan Way, Suite 270 Harrisburg, PA 17110

www.HomelandCenter.org

www.HomelandatHome.org

www.50plusLifePA.com

Savvy Senior

Finding Help for Seniors Addicted to Opioids Jim Miller

Dear Savvy Senior, I’m worried about my 72-year-old mother, who has been taking the opioid medication Vicodin for her hip and back pain for more than a year. I fear she’s becoming addicted to the drug, but I don’t know what to do.

– Concerned Daughter Dear Concerned, The opioid epidemic is a national problem that is hitting people of all ages, including millions of older Americans.

Here’s what you should know and do to help your mother.

The Cause The main reason opioid addiction has become such a problem for people over age 50 is because over the past two decades, opioids have become a commonly prescribed (and often overprescribed) medication by doctors for all different types of pain, such as arthritis, cancer, neurological diseases, and other illnesses that become more common later in life.

Nearly one-third of all Medicare patients—almost 12 million people— were prescribed opioid painkillers by their physicians in 2015. That same year, 2.7 million Americans over age 50 abused painkillers.

Taken as directed, opioids can manage pain effectively when used for a short amount of time. But with longterm use, people need to be screened and monitored because around 5 percent of those treated will develop an addiction disorder and abuse the drugs. www.50plusLifePA.com

Signs of Addiction Your mother may be addicted to opioids if she can’t stop herself from taking the drug and if her tolerance continues to go up.

She may also be addicted if she keeps using opioids without her doctor’s consent, even if it’s causing her problems with her health, money, family, or friends.

If you think your mom is addicted, ask her to see a doctor for an evaluation.

Go to the family or prescribing physician or find a specialist through the American Society of Addiction Medicine (www.asam.org) or the American Academy of Addiction Psychiatry (www.aaap.org).

It’s also important to be positive and encouraging. Addiction is a medical matter, not a character flaw.

Repeated use of opioids actually changes the brain.

Treatments Treatment for opioid addiction is different for each person, but the main goal is to help your mom stop using the drug and avoid using it again in the future.

To help her stop using the drug, her doctor can prescribe certain medicines to help relieve her withdrawal symptoms and control her cravings.

These medicines include methadone (often used to treat heroin addiction), buprenorphine, and naltrexone.

After detox, behavioral treatments—such as individual please see OPIOIDS page 15

Need a Ride Let us take you!

Call us to request a Ride Guide and application today!

RESTAUR ANT GROCERY

VISIT SENIOR CENTER

BANK

PHYSICAL THERAPY BEAUTY SALON

WORK

RECREATION

SHOPPING FITNESS

1-800-632-9063 rabbittransit.org

ADULT DAY CARE

Serving Adams, Columbia, Cumberland, Franklin, Montour, Northumberland, Perry, Snyder, Union & York Counties

KEIy eLAM O R E ssociates Medical • Diagnostic testing • Disease evaluation • Routine eye care • Emergency care and treatment

Surgical • Cataract removal and intraocular lens implants • Retinal injections (macular degeneration) • Glaucoma surgery

Optical • Complete optical department • Contact lens dispensing and instructions • Authorized Sports Eye Injury Prevention Center

Eye Care for Life!

V. Eugene Kilmore, Jr., M.D. • John W. Pratt, M.D. • Foster E. Kreiser, O.D. Ryan J. Hershberger, O.D. • Michelle A. Thomas, O.D.

890 Century Drive, Mechanicsburg, PA 17055 (717) 697-1414 • www.kilmoreeye.com

50plus LIFE ›

September 2017

11

Competition and Temps Heat Up at 2017 Senior Games

By Megan Joyce

“We are impressed with any senior who comes out and attempts any of the events,” DeWire said. “There are always a When the success of your big, outdoor few who are sagging under the weight of event—such as the Cumberland County all their medals at the end of the day!”

Senior Games, for example—hinges on One of those athletes struggling under the cooperation of Mother Nature, you plead with her to grant you clear skies and the load of his wins was Gregory Bowden, of Mechanicsburg, who racked up seven dry ground. gold medals and one bronze—which But Mother Nature has a wellmeans he medaled in eight of the nine developed sense of irony: in mid-July, the events in which he competed. gift of cloudless skies often comes with Those events included blazing temperatures. the 100-meter and 400“We didn’t get any meter dashes, softball rain, but with the heat throw, basketball, Wii of the day, it may have bowling, and cornhole, been welcomed!” said as well as ladderball, Heather DeWire, of shuffleboard, and the Cumberland County football throw, three Aging & Community games Bowden had Services, which never tried before. organizes the Senior It was the second Games. year Bowden had DeWire noted event signed up for the day of planners are considering competition. moving some of the “I decided to games’ 13 events participate in the games indoors next year to because it helps to keep lessen exposure to the in touch with other summer heat. seniors and just to have The 2017 Gregory Bowden fun,” he said. “I mostly Cumberland County enjoyed the laughter Senior Games were open with other seniors as we encourage each to any Cumberland County resident or county senior center member over age 50. other.

“The overall atmosphere of the Senior Mechanicsburg Area Senior High School, Games was awesome, and [there is] Mechanicsburg Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Park, and Mechanicsburg Place so much to focus on in the future as I become older,” Bowden said.

Senior Center served as event sites.

DeWire looks forward to the feedback Although CCACS staff coordinate the they receive from the athletes; it helps Senior Games, a considerable number of CCACS figure out what to keep the same volunteers donated their time to ensure and what to consider changing for next the day went smoothly—including the high school’s football team, the Wildcats, year.

“We love getting suggestions from who helped out with the track and field the participants, and we were not events. disappointed this year,” she said. “There “I really loved the intergenerational aspect,” DeWire said. “The young football were a few suggestions of new game additions; one requested cooler weather players with our participants was fun to for next year. We’ll see what we can do watch!” about that!”

Sixty-four athletes competed in this For more information on the year’s Senior Games, ranging in age from Cumberland County Senior Games, 50-83. The cornhole, Will bowling, and call Cumberland County Aging & shuffleboard events claimed the biggest Community Services at (717) 240-6110. turnout.

12

September 2017

50plus LIFE ›

www.50plusLifePA.com

GARDENING from page 10 dahlia stems back to 1 foot high just before a hard frost.

Remove root clumps from the ground, digging wide and deep to avoid damage. Gently tap off the soil, and then allow the clumps to dry for a few hours before packing into sand or dry vermiculite in a paper bag. Store cool (35-40 F) and dry over winter.

Check roots monthly, and add water only if they are shriveling badly.

In spring, cut apart the tuberous roots when they sprout, making sure each piece has a new sprout on it. Pot them or plant directly in the garden.

For gladiolus in the fall, allow them to grow at least six weeks after

flowering. They can receive some heavy frosts.

Then lift carefully with a garden fork, shake off soil, and allow the corms (rounded bases similar to bulbs) to dry for a few days. Store cool and dry as with dahlias, only in paper bags, trays, or boxes.

How do you collect seed for next year from this year’s flowers?

Most herbs and a number of annual and perennial flowering plants are good choices for seed collecting in the fall, according to Margaret Hagen of the University of New Hampshire Cooperative Extension.

Any plant that is a true botanical species—one that is not produced by commercial hybridization and extensive selection—can be grown again from seed from the parent plant.

Keep in mind that many annual flowers are hybrids, so they won’t come true (offspring won’t resemble parents) from seed. Neither will perennial cultivars (cultivated varieties) closely resemble their parents in many cases.

During the fall you can collect seed from dill, thyme, basil, bachelor buttons, lavender, hollyhocks (these often cross too), cosmos, some

snapdragons, many wildflowers, and others.

If seeds are borne in a flower head, cut off the seed stalks just before the seeds are dry and start to scatter.

Dry the stalk, and then rub or shake the seeds off into a bag for storage. If the seeds are in a pod-like structure, allow the pods to turn brown before harvesting.

Dry the pods in a warm, dry site and then shell as you would peas.

Label and store seeds in a cool, dry place, such as airtight jars in a refrigerator.

Dr. Leonard P. Perry is an extension professor at the University of Vermont.

GRANDPARENTS from page 9 of technology support sessions or classes. Students today are immersed in technology that advances more quickly than ever before.

It’s important to understand how your students are using technology such as email, social media, and tools like DropBox to help them maximize

www.50plusLifePA.com

their benefits, as well as to keep them safe online.

There are often resources available at community centers or local colleges if your school doesn’t offer this support.

4. Take advantage of your school’s mentoring support. Mentors are

fantastic resources with a wealth of knowledge and practical advice to share. They can provide tips on how best to help the students in your life succeed in and out of the classroom.

5. Take a deep breath. It can be overwhelming to stay on top of new technology and the new ways in

which some subjects are taught.

Natasha Shane is a family involvement manager at Commonwealth Charter Academy, a Pennsylvania public cyber charter school with year-round open enrollment. For more information, please visit www.ccaeducate.me.

50plus LIFE ›

September 2017

13

Cumberland County

Calendar of Events

Support Groups Free and open to the public

Senior Center Activities

Sept. 4, 4-5 p.m.

Caregivers Support Group Messiah Lifeways Meetinghouse 1155 Walnut Bottom Road, Carlisle (717) 243-0447

Sept. 11, 1:30-3 p.m.

Caregivers Support Group St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church 310 Hertzler Road, Upper Allen Township (717) 766-8806

Big Spring Senior Center – (717) 776-4478 91 Doubling Gap Road, Suite 1, Newville Mondays and Thursdays, 9 a.m. – Zumba Gold Tuesdays, 9 a.m. – Tai Chi for Arthritis Sept. 7, 9:15 a.m. – Walk with Ease Program

Sept. 5, 6 p.m.

CanSurmount Cancer Support Group HealthSouth Acute Rehab Hospital 175 Lancaster Blvd., Mechanicsburg (717) 691-6786

Sept. 12, 6:30-8 p.m.

Carlisle Area Men’s Cancer Support Group The Live Well Center 3 Alexandria Court, Carlisle (717) 877-7561 sirbrady12@gmail.com

Branch Creek Place – (717) 300-3563 115 N. Fayette St., Shippensburg

Sept. 5, 6-7 p.m.

Alzheimer’s Support Group Senior Helpers 3806 Market St., Suite 3, Camp Hill (717) 920-0707 Sept. 6, 1:30 p.m.

The Bridges Support Group for the Alzheimer’s Association The Bridges at Bent Creek 2100 Bent Creek Blvd., Mechanicsburg (717) 795-1100 Sept. 6, 7 p.m.

Caregivers Support Group Claremont Nursing and Rehabilitation Center 1000 Claremont Road, Carlisle (717) 386-0047 Sept. 7, 6:30 p.m.

Too Sweet: Diabetes Support Group Chapel Hill United Church of Christ 701 Poplar Church Road, Camp Hill (717) 557-9041

Sept. 13, 1:30 p.m.

Parkinson’s Support Group Bethany Village West – Springfield Room 325 Asbury Drive, Mechanicsburg (717) 877-0624 Sept. 13, 6:30 p.m.

Amputee Support Team Meeting HealthSouth Rehabilitation Hospital 175 Lancaster Blvd., Mechanicsburg (717) 939-6655 www.astamputees.com Sept. 19, 1 p.m.

Caregiver Support Group Mechanicsburg Church of the Brethren 501 Gale St., Mechanicsburg (717) 766-8880 Sept. 26, 6 p.m.

Multiple Sclerosis Support Group HealthSouth Rehabilitation Hospital 175 Lancaster Blvd., Mechanicsburg (717) 486-3596 apcoulson@comcast.net

Community Programs Free and open to the public Wednesdays, noon SilverSneakers Exercise Class Susquehanna View Apartments Community Room 208 Senate Ave., Camp Hill (717) 439-4070 jesseswoyer.com@gmail.com If you have an event you would like to include, please email information to mjoyce@onlinepub.com for consideration.

14

September 2017

50plus LIFE ›

Sept. 13, 11:30 a.m.

NARFE West Shore Chapter 1465 VFW Post 7530 4545 Westport Drive, Mechanicsburg (717) 774-4031 www.narfe1465.org Visitors welcome; meeting is free but fee for food.

Sept. 30, 11 a.m.

New Cumberland Town Band Performance Apple Fest at New Cumberland Borough Park 517 Front St., New Cumberland www.nctownband.org

Carlisle Senior Action Center – (717) 249-5007 20 E. Pomfret St., Carlisle Mary Schaner Senior Citizens Center – (717) 732-3915 98 S. Enola Drive, Enola Mechanicsburg Place – (717) 697-5947 97 W. Portland St., Mechanicsburg West Shore Senior Citizens Center – (717) 774-0409 122 Geary St., New Cumberland Please call or visit their website for more information.

Library Programs Bosler Memorial Library 158 W. High St., Carlisle, (717) 243-4642 Sept. 1, 7 p.m. – Music at Bosler Sept. 5, 12, 26, 6:30-8:30 p.m. – Upstairs Stitchers Embroidery Group Sept. 13, 1-2 p.m. – Wicked Wednesday Book Discussion Group Cleve J. Fredricksen Library 100 N. 19th St., Camp Hill, (717) 761-3900 Sept. 7, 7 p.m. – Rock Icons Concert with Shea Quinn Sept. 11, 6:30 p.m. – Twisted Stitchers Sept. 21-24, times vary – Friends Fall Book and Media Sale John Graham Public Library 9 Parsonage St., Newville, (717) 776-5900 New Cumberland Public Library 1 Benjamin Plaza, New Cumberland (717) 774-7820 Sept. 11, 10:30-11:30 a.m. – Book Review: The Boys in the Boat by Daniel Brown Sept. 1 8, 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. – Monday Great Books Discussion Group: Hamlet Sept. 24, 3 p.m. – Cultural Programming: Flight 93: Devotion to a Quiet Field

www.50plusLifePA.com

The Bookworm Sez

Dreaming the Beatles Terri Schlichenmeyer

There are places you remember.

And things: the basement rec room in your parents’ house, where the family stereo sat. Your upstairs bedroom and the portable turntable bought with babysitting money. The transistor radio on the beach or at your part-time summer job.

You hear a certain song, and they’re all practically in front of you, and in Dreaming the Beatles by Rob Sheffield, you’ll revisit them again.

No matter what age you are, says Sheffield, you know exactly who they are: John, Paul, George, and Ringo.

Even today’s grade-schoolers know Beatles songs from half a century ago—but why? What made those “lads” so special?

“It wasn’t their timing,” says Sheffield. “It wasn’t drugs. It wasn’t that they were the voice of a generation … yet the allure of the music keeps on growing, nearly 50 years after the band split.”

They were just four talented boys among thousands back then.

John met Paul at a village fair.

They interviewed George for the band. Ringo, almost a pro with his personalized drum kit, came along later.

They meshed and became so close to one another that when John went on holiday with his wife, Cynthia, and son, Julian, he could do little but

mope about how he missed his mates.

In light of how an album is made today, their work was astounding: their first album was recorded in one 13hour day, the same day some of the lyrics were written; against popular wisdom of the times, their publisher allowed them to perform their own songs rather than covers of Dreaming the Beatles: The Love other tunes.

Story of One Band and Not long after, the Whole World By Rob Sheffield their touring c. 2017, Dey Street schedule would be 351 pages likewise brutal: The Beatles would play a half-hour in one tiny venue, then dash to the next joint to do it again in the same night.

They squabbled, compromised, and laughed, mourned losses and celebrated successes. They learned to “stop swearing and eating and drinking and belching onstage” and became pros who were sometimes annoyed by “the scream.”

In the end, they were so sick of one another that none could wait to be rid of the rest.

And yet—they couldn’t completely let go …

Although it’s nearly totally subjective and perhaps itching for argument, Dreaming the Beatles is a Fab Four fantasy for fans. Truly, it’s hard to imagine debating with anyone other than author and Rolling Stone columnist Rob Sheffield on this subject.

Sheffield writes with the patter of an AM-radio deejay, as he moves from album

to band biography to musician profile in his reasoning for naming the Beatles as the best band ever.

In leaving room for dissent and inviting discussion, that opinionated evidence offers enough memorysparkers to take boomers back a few decades and plenty of insider gossip to satisfy younger readers.

So, argue and ponder, enjoy Dreaming the Beatles, but give yourself time to listen to the songs, too. You won’t be sorry, in any case: You know you love the music, and you may have read other books about the Beatles, but in your life, you’ll love this more.

The Bookworm is Terri Schlichenmeyer.

Terri has been reading since she was 3 years old and she never goes anywhere without a book. She lives on a hill in Wisconsin with two dogs and 14,000 books.

OPIOIDS from page 11 counseling, group or family counseling, and cognitive therapy— can help her learn to manage depression, avoid the drug, deal with cravings, and heal damaged relationships.

For assistance, call the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration confidential helpline at (800) 662-4357 or see www. samhsa.gov. They can connect you with treatment services in your state www.50plusLifePA.com

that can help your mom.

Also, if you find that your mom has a doctor who prescribes opioids in excess or without legitimate reason, you should report him or her to your state medical board, which licenses physicians. For contact information, visit www.fsmb.org.

Jim Miller is a regular contributor to the NBC Today show and author of The Savvy Senior Book. www.savvysenior.org

50plus LIFE ›

September 2017

15

Walk to End Alzheimer’s Alzheimer’s disease is the sixthleading cause of death in the United States and the fifth-leading cause of death for individuals age 65 and older.

This devastating and debilitating disease is the ultimate thief—of memories, independence, control, time, and, ultimately, life.

And the disease is often dealt with in silence. Those facing the disease feel a stigma surrounding their diagnosis and often don’t seek the

support they need.

At the Alzheimer’s Association, we hear from individuals daily that they “feel alone.”

Family and friends stop visiting because of “abnormal” behavior—a symptom of the disease—and

September 16, 2017 City Island, Harrisburg

Registration at 9 a.m. • Walk at 10 a.m.

September 23, 2017

Clipper Magazine Stadium, Lancaster

caregivers become more and more isolated.

We want patients and their families to know that there is hope, and there is help, through the Alzheimer’s Association of Greater Pennsylvania.

There are more than 5 million Americans currently diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease or a related dementia and more than 15 million caregivers. In Pennsylvania alone, there are more than 400,000 individuals diagnosed.

We are here to provide education and support to the millions who face dementia every day, while advancing critical research toward methods of treatment and prevention, ultimately to end Alzheimer’s disease.

We have offices locally and support groups throughout the region for those facing this disease to meet with

others in similar situations.

We also host the Walk to End Alzheimer’s. This is the association’s largest annual awareness and fundraising event, which occurs during the fall. The Walk to End Alzheimer’s is a day of hope, an opportunity—a day we all come together to see that we’re not alone in our fight.

Some walk to honor and remember those they have lost. Some walk to share stories of living with Alzheimer’s or related dementias. Some walk so that future generations won’t have to face the debilitating and devastating effects of the disease. Some walk because they want to help make a difference and bring this disease to the forefront.

The money raised allows our chapter to contribute to research to find a cure. These funds also help support programs and services that advance accurate and timely diagnosis of people with Alzheimer’s and other dementias.

please see ALZHEIMER’S page 19

Registration at 9 a.m. • Walk at 10 a.m.

October 7, 2017

John C. Rudy Park, York Registration at 9 a.m. • Walk at 10 a.m.

Easy online registration at http://www.alz.org/walk • Volunteer opportunities available.

• Teams and individuals welcome.

ɑǸȽȊ BɤɑɌȶȕ PLEASE JOIN US FOR THE

ǸȶǺ Ҭҩҫҳ FRIDAY, OCTOBER 13, 2017 6:00

PM

ĚCOKNVQƢ ďCNNTQQơ

Chapter Presenting Sponsors Registration brochures, team packets, and sponsorship packets available. For more information, please contact: Harrisburg Walk Asheleigh Forsburg, Senior Events Manager (717) 651-5020; aforsburg@alz.org

Lancaster/York Walk Fran Gibbons, Constituent Events Manager (717) 568-2595; fgibbons@alz.org

Alzheimer’s Association 2595 Interstate Drive, Suite 100 • Harrisburg, PA 17110

16

September 2017

50plus LIFE ›

Wheatland Avenue, Lancaster, PA TICKETS ARE $100 PER PERSON.

For more information, contact Catherine Chilcoat at 717.201.1563 or email Chilcoat@windstream.net.

The evening will be filled with music, dancing, great food and a silent auction.

Proceeds to benefit the Lancaster Walk to End Alzheimer’s to support caregiver programs and services along with funding research to find a cure.

SPONSORED BY COMFORT KEEPERS

www.50plusLifePA.com

Puzzle Page

CROSSWORD

Solutions for all puzzles can be found on page 18

Across SUDOKU

1. Stigma 6. Vitriols 11. Prayer word 14. Get up 15. Inert gas 16. Modern 17. Wyoming park 19. Compass pt.

20. Negatively charged particle 21. More spooky 23. Sod 26. Mosquito 28. Wanders

29. Retired 30. Burst 32. Via 33. Baseball’s Doubleday 36. Wave rider 38. Annex 39. Actress Ruby or Sandra 41. Digit 42. Distress call 45. Fears 48. Pour 50. Sp. girl 51. Golf item 52. Cookie

53. Use up 55. Scruff 58. ___ Breckinridge 59. Adhesives 61. Witchcraft trials locale 63. Conjunctions 64. Some cartoons 69. Shoshonean 70. Dwelling 71. Coral reef 72. Small indefinite amount 73. Chordophones 74. Disreputable

22. Lasso 23. Path 24. Garden offspring 25. Looking good!

27. Tipster 31. Goad 34. Lyric poem 35. Cool!

37. Fixed charge 40. Promised land 43. Ace 44. Gr. Portico 46. Lease 47. Coastal

49. Travel back and forth 50. Ancient Greek city 53. Gush 54. Transfer paper 56. Strides 57. High note 60. Jungle boy 62. Gr. letters 65. Decompose 66. Fish eggs 67. Time of life (poet.)

68. Cunning

Down 1. Utter 2. Three (It.) 3. Suffer 4. Azores, e.g.

5. Sign gas 6. Incendiarism 7. Snoozes 8. Vow words 9. Finished 10. Express contempt 11. Special date 12. Ornamental coating 13. Pitchers 18. Peruke

Your ad could be here on this popular page!

Please call (717) 770-0140 for more information.

www.50plusLifePA.com

50plus LIFE ›

September 2017

17

Kickstarting the Fast Food Nation

By Randal C. Hill

Puzzles shown on page 17

Puzzle Solutions

The Great Depression strangled the economies of many of American cities, including Manchester, New Hampshire, the hometown of the McDonald brothers.

Determined to do better than their factoryworker father, Richard (born 1909) and Maurice “Mac” (born 1902) McDonald set off for Los Angeles in the late 1920s, their sights set on the burgeoning movie industry. Each was armed with a high school diploma and a desire to become a millionaire by age 50.

They landed jobs at Columbia Studios, where they pushed around movie sets and props. They worked hard, saved their money, and rented a small movie theater. After four years, though, they had yet to see a profit.

“It was the Depression,” Richard McDonald said.

“There wasn’t much money around.”

Yet one drive-in neighbor was doing well.

“Wiley’s Root Beer Stand was one of the few businesses in town that was taking in any real cash,” McDonald said. “That’s why we got into the drive-in business.”

The brothers opened McDonald’s, a small hot dog stand, in nearby Pasadena. Staffed by comely teenage carhops, their new venture proved profitable.

But the brothers saw the rapidly growing bluecollar town of San Bernardino—50 miles east—as offering greater potential. In 1940, they moved their operations there, bought cheap land downtown, erected a new facility, and expanded their menu.

Times were great for the next seven years.

McDonald’s became the “in” spot in town, with teenage cruisers often filling the 125 parking spaces.

However, the kids tended to loiter, make noise, spend little money, and keep adult customers away.

The brothers wanted to attract families more than rowdy adolescents. They shut down their business and planned a new approach.

Receipt records showed that, while McDonald’s offered over two dozen menu items (including

18

September 2017

50plus LIFE ›

By the late 1990s, McDonald’s claimed to be opening a new store somewhere in the world every three hours.

tamales, chili, and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches), about 80 percent of their sales came from burgers, as well as side orders and soft drinks.

So the pair decided to reopen with a new concept: sell only the high-volume items most customers wanted, offering people tasty food at low prices. And they would make some other changes, too. Big changes.

Really big changes.

Richard and Mac McDonald opened for business again in December 1948 to an initially befuddled clientele. Gone were the carhops, as well as the jukeboxes, cigarette vending machines, pay phones, and newspaper racks. Paper wrappings and cups replaced silverware and plates that required dishwashing.

With no indoor seating, customers now had to line up at service windows, where spotlessly uniformed and smiling young men dispensed food items and took cash, often in less than a minute.

Taking a cue from Henry Ford’s groundbreaking assembly-line idea, the McDonald brothers had developed the “Speedee Service System.” Food was now prepared ahead of time in a mechanized

kitchen manned by a 12-person crew, each member repeatedly doing one specific task.

The most common window order was a burger that included ketchup, mustard, two pickles and a sprinkling of chopped onion. Each came wrapped in paper and was kept warm by heat lamps.

The price for each was 15 cents (4 cents extra for a cheeseburger). Milkshakes cost 20 cents, fries and sodas were a dime each, coffee a nickel. Now even the poorest of families could enjoy an occasional meal out.

The fast food business had been born.

Many McDonald’s customers weren’t ready for the abrupt and unique changes. Some folks drove off when no carhops appeared. Others complained about the new procedure or the limited menu or that the food was already prepared. Business dropped in half.

“We almost threw in the towel,” Richard McDonald once admitted. “People said we were cuckoo. Nobody wanted to wait on themselves or throw away their own trash.”

But the brothers hung tough, and ultimately customers came around.

Did they ever! It seemed that every hungry San Bernardinoan drove to McDonald’s on busy North E Street. Sometimes window lines numbered 200 hungry folks at once.

By 1953, the brothers were raking in $300,000 annually and claiming a net profit of $100,000.

They became among the richest people in San Bernardino.

Richard McDonald, his wife, and the still-single Mac McDonald lived together in splendor in a sprawling 25-room mansion with a tennis court.

Each year they bought three new Cadillacs.

When the Carnation Corporation offered to develop a national chain with them, the brothers said no. But the idea inspired the McDonald brothers to consider franchising.

Richard McDonald set about changing the store’s look, replacing the old octagonal McDonald’s building with a modern, eye-catching design that featured the soon-to-become-iconic Golden Arches. Then the franchising idea faded … for the time being.

One day in 1954, a Chicago milkshake-mixer salesman named Ray Kroc showed up in San Bernardino. He wanted to find out why the McDonald brothers had ordered eight of his Multimixer machines—capable of whipping up 48 creamy shakes at once—for only one location.

Quickly sensing a potential business goldmine, Kroc bought the rights to franchise the brothers’ restaurant nationwide.

Ray Kroc, a high school dropout, opened his first McDonald’s in 1955 in Des Plaines, Illinois. A mere six years later, he bought out the brothers for $2.7 million in cash. www.50plusLifePA.com

Richard and Mac McDonald kept their San Bernardino business going, though, renaming it “Big M.” Kroc retaliated by opening a McDonald’s nearby and driving the brothers out of business.

Anyone who knew the hard-driven Kroc probably wasn’t surprised. He once said of his business rivals, “If any of my competition were drowning, I’d stick a hose in their mouth and turn on the water.”

Numerous feuds ensued, which drove many a stake between the aggressive Ray Kroc and the company’s

more mellow founders. For a while, Kroc called his Des Plaines location the “original” McDonald’s and opened new stores with wall plaques that featured his likeness and an obviously hyperbolic description of how “his vision, persistence, and leadership have guided McDonald’s from one location in Des Plaines, Illinois, to the world’s community restaurant.”

Really, Mr. Kroc?

Please join us for this FREE event!

Randal C. Hill is a rock ’n’ roll historian who lives at the Oregon coast. He may be reached at wryterhill@msn.com.

alzheimer’s from page 16 In addition, money raised ensures significant increases to affordable, high-quality care and support for people with the disease and their caretakers.

Help us break the silence and start the conversation. Join us, along with thousands of others in your community, at the Walk to End Alzheimer’s.

Register today at www.alz.org/ walk or call our Helpline, available 24 hours, seven days a week, at (800) 2723900.

Local walks include: Saturday, Sept. 16 City Island, Harrisburg Registration at 9 a.m.

Walk at 10 a.m.

Saturday, Sept. 23 Clipper Magazine Stadium, Lancaster Registration at 9 a.m.

Walk at 10 a.m.

Saturday, Oct. 7 John Rudy Park, York Registration at 9 a.m.

Walk at 10 a.m.

18th annual

CUMBERLAND COUNTY

Oct. 19, 2017 9 a.m. – 2 p.m.

Carlisle Expo Center

FLU SHOTS AVAILABLE AT THE EXPO!

100 K Street, Carlisle FLU SHOTS AVAILABLE!

Kmart will be providing flu shots on a first-come, first-served basis at the 50plus EXPO. Flu shots are no-cost for most people with Medicare Part B and most insurance plans.

Please bring your insurance card.

For all others, the vaccine will be offered at an EXPO special price of $17.99 for trivalent (regular) flu vaccine, $29.99 for the quadrivalent vaccine, and $53.99 for high-dose 65+.

Exhibitors • Health Screenings Seminars • Entertainment Door Prizes

Fun! Informative!

Sponsored by:

Principal Sponsors:

Automotive Sponsor: Freedom Automotive

Visitor Bag Sponsor: EXPO Guide Sponsor: OSS Health Carlisle Regional Medical Center

CUMBERLAND COUNTY

Oct. 19, 2017 9 a.m. – 2 p.m.

Seminar Sponsor: Gilbert Physical Therapy

Supporting Sponsors: Asbury Home Services • Menno Haven Retirement Communities The Orthopedic Institute of Pennsylvania – Family of Care • Premier Eye Care Group • Vibra Health Plan Media Sponsors:

Carlisle Expo Center 100 K Street, Carlisle & (717) 770-0140

www.50plusExpoPA.com www.50plusLifePA.com

50plus LIFE ›

September 2017

19

DENTAL Insurance Physicians Mutual Insurance Company

A less expensive way to help get the dental care you deserve If you’re over 50, you can get coverage for about $1 a day* Keep your own dentist! NO networks to worry about No wait for preventive care and no deductibles – you could get a checkup tomorrow

Coverage for over 350 procedures – including cleanings, exams,

fillings, crowns…even dentures

NO annual or lifetime cap on the cash benefits you can receive

FREE Information Kit

1-855-995-0759 www.dental50plus.com/73

*Individual plan.

Product not available in MN, MT, NH, RI, VT, WA. Acceptance guaranteed for one insurance policy/certificate of this type. Contact us for complete details about this insurance solicitation. This specific offer is not available in CO, NY;call 1-800-969-4781 or respond for similar offer. Certificate C250A (ID: C250E; PA: C250Q); Insurance Policy P150 (GA: P150GA; NY: P150NY; OK: P150OK; TN: P150TN)

6096F

MB16-NM001Fc