Dauphin County Edition
July 2013
Vol. 15 No. 7
Life’s Second Draft Widowed Journalist Encourages Healing with Writing Circle By Chelsea Peifer Sometimes you create a life you’ve dreamed of and worked for, and something comes along that changes everything. In the aftermath, a person can choose to give up and stay put or to keep going forward, to find new meaning in a life with different circumstances. As a writer and journalist, Susan Weidener had not only heard the stories of people from all walks of life, but she had also articulated and retold their stories so others could hear and understand. Writing had always been a way for Weidener to connect with others and to nurture her own soul. So when Weidener was 44 and lost her husband—and love of her life—to a seven-year battle with cancer, she turned to writing as she chose to move forward. Weidener and her husband, John Cavalieri, had two sons, who were ages 7 and 11 at the time John passed away. “There were all of these messages then—and still are—that a single woman can’t raise boys alone,” said Weidener. “It’s not true. All a child needs is one charismatic adult in his or her life.” Weidener’s perspective on single parenting might sound like effortless perseverance, but she applies her hard work ethic to whatever she approaches, embracing the reality that one person can make a difference in a person’s life. please see DRAFT page 14 Susan Weidener, creator of the Women’s Writing Circle, inside the bookshop where the group meets monthly.
Inside:
Tales of Glenn Ford page 4
50plus EXPO Highlights page 6
Beyond the Battlefield
His Ship Took Part in the Major Pacific Battles During World War II, Part 2 Alvin S. Goodman
J
oseph Switaj, 88, of Camp Hill, was a gunner on the destroyer USS Marshall, which took part in many of the major battles of WWII against the Japanese navy and air force. Switaj served aboard the destroyer from the time it was commissioned in 1943 until just before the Japanese surrender. During that time, the ship participated in eight major operations as part of Task Force 58, including: • Asiatic-Pacific raids on Palau, Yap, Ulithi, Woleai, Truk, Satawan, and Ponape • Western New Guinea (Hollandia) Operation • Marianas Operation – Capture and occupation of Saipan, Battle of the Philippine Sea, Third Bonins Raid, and capture and occupation of Guam • Western Carolinas Islands Operation –
said the Marshall rescued 21 pilots and air crewmen, some of whom ran out of fuel and had to ditch their planes in the sea, unable to make it back to their carriers. His ship also picked up 44 Japanese survivors of the cruiser Natori, which had been sunk by one of our submarines.
Assaults on Philippine Islands • Leyte Operation – Battle of Leyte Gulf and Third Fleet supporting operations • Luzon Operation – Supporting the Third Fleet • Iwo Jima Operation – Assault and occupation of Iwo Jima and Fifth Fleet raids on Honshu and the Nansei Shoto
The POWs, who had spent 22 days at sea in a lifeboat, were transferred to one of our carriers as we did not have the facilities to detain them. From November 1944 through January 1945, our task force was hit by some very
Joseph Switaj, USN.
• Okinawa Operation – Assault and occupation of Okinawa Switaj said his destroyer was credited with shooting down or assisting in the destruction of five enemy aircraft. He
bad typhoons, and many of our ships sustained damage with heavy loss of life, although our destroyer escaped serious damage. During one particular typhoon, the Marshall rolled 62 degrees, and we thought we would capsize. Fortunately, it did not happen. Our ship was tossed in the air and came crashing down. I was afraid our bow would break off. I had a top bunk and ended up on the floor more than once in riding out the storms. Despite the displacement of 2,050 tons, the Marshall was no match for the potential fury of Mother Nature. That’s why, with imminent bad weather, our ship, when low on fuel, filled its empty tanks with water to give it more ballast. Our destroyer had a complement of 329 men. We suffered no fatalities, but three shipmates sustained shrapnel wounds and received the Purple Heart.
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I suffered an injury to my fingers when the gun mount door slammed shut on my hand. We had one close call when one of our crew, who was doing some deck painting, accidentally triggered a depth charge rack. The barrels rolled into the sea while we were anchored, but they were in the safe mode and did not explode. Had they blown up, our ship could have been destroyed or badly damaged. When activated, they are programmed to go off at certain depths. Some of our frogmen retrieved the explosives from the shallow water and returned them to the ship. On March 19, 1945, during the Okinawa Operation, enemy air attacks were heavy and our carrier, the Franklin, was hit by an enemy bomb, resulting in fire and tremendous explosions throughout the ship.
Our destroyer was one of the ships designated to stand by the stricken carrier. After rescuing 212 men in the face of recurring air attacks, we joined the special group screening the carrier, which was then listing badly but still afloat. Her crew assigned to damage control put out the fires and she was taken in tow. Later, she got up steam and was able to sail out of the danger area under her own power, although not before two near misses had been scored on her. Of those plucked from the water, 17 crewmen of the Franklin subsequently died while onboard our ship and received the traditional burial-at-sea services. The carrier’s survivors were delivered to Ulithi on March 24. On April 14, 1945, ours was one of seven destroyers attacked by 18 kamikaze planes. Two of our destroyers were hit, and
Resource Directory Social Security Information (800) 772-1213
Emergency Central PA Poison Center (800) 521-6110
Healthcare Information PA Healthcare Cost Containment Council (717) 232-6787
Dauphin County Area Agency on Aging (717) 780-6130
Hearing Services Hershey Hearing Center 431 E. Chocolate Ave., Hershey (717) 533-7350
Funeral Directors Zimmerman Auer Funeral Home, Inc. 4100 Jonestown Road, Harrisburg (717) 545-4001 Health & Medical Services Alzheimer’s Association (717) 651-5020 American Diabetes Association (800) 342-2383 Arthritis Foundation – Central PA Chapter (717) 763-0900 CONTACT Helpline (717) 652-4400 The National Kidney Foundation (717) 757-0604 (800) 697-7007
Tri-County Association for the Blind (717) 238-2531
Home Care Services Home Care Assistance 2304 Linglestown Road, Harrisburg (717) 540-4663 Safe Haven Quality Care Serving Cumberland, Dauphin, and Perry counties (717) 238-1111 Visiting Angels Serving East and West Shores (717) 652-8899 or (717) 737-8899 Hospice Services Homeland Hospice 2300 Vartan Way, Suite 115, Harrisburg (717) 221-7890 Housing/Apartments B’Nai B’rith Apartments 130 S.Third St., Harrisburg (717) 232-7516
Switaj said that, in addition to its crew, the ship was home to a mascot, a dog named “Mac,” which had boarded the destroyer at Pearl Harbor in March 1944. “He won the affection of everyone with his cheerful disposition,” he said. After discharge from the Navy, Switaj went to work as a truck driver and retired from Roadway Express at age 65 after 22 years with the firm. On Sept. 6, 1947, he married Dorothy Slota, who passed away in 1988. Switaj has two sons, John and Stephen; one daughter, Rose Anna Kepp; and seven grandchildren. If you are a mature veteran and have interesting or unusual experiences in your military or civilian life, phone Al Goodman at (717) 541-9889 or email him at klezmer630@comcast.net.
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our vessel suffered minor casualties from two bomb near misses, but all kamikazes were accounted for by the ships’ combined gunfire and friendly air support. On June 17, 1945, our squadron received the long-awaited orders to return to the U.S. On July 6, we entered San Francisco Bay for a much-needed Navy Yard overhaul. The Japanese surrender was announced toward the end of the overhaul period, and the Marshall was ordered to an inactive status at the U.S. Naval Repair Base at San Diego. Since her commissioning, our ship had steamed 176,465 engine miles, the equivalent of more than seven circumnavigations of the globe, at an average speed of 17 knots, and we engaged in every major invasion and battle in the Pacific since the Marshall Islands campaign.
Housing Assistance Dauphin County Housing Authority (717) 939-9301
Services Dauphin County Area Agency on Aging (717) 255-2790
Homeland Center Cumberland and Dauphin counties (717) 221-7727
The Salvation Army Edgemont Temple Corps (717) 238-8678
Property Tax/Rent Rebate (888) 728-2937
Toll-Free Numbers American Lung Association (800) LUNG-USA
Insurance Apprise Insurance Counseling (800) 783-7067
Bureau of Consumer Protection (800) 441-2555
Lincoln Heritage (484) 945-3213
Meals on Wheels (800) 621-6325
Nursing/Rehab Colonial Park Care Center 800 King Russ Road, Harrisburg (717) 657-1520
National Council on Aging (800) 424-9046
Pharmacy CVS/pharmacy www.cvs.com
Veterans Affairs (717) 626-1171 or (800) 827-1000
Retirement Communities Homeland Center 1901 N. Fifth St., Harrisburg (717) 221-7902 The Middletown Home 999 W. Harrisburg Pike, Middletown (717) 941-3351
Social Security Office (800) 772-1213
Transportation CAT Share-A-Ride (717) 232-6100 Veterans Services Lebanon VA Medical Center 1700 S. Lincoln Ave., Lebanon (717) 228-6000 or (800) 409-8771
StoneRidge Retirement Living (717) 866-3204
PACE (800) 225-7223 Not an all-inclusive list of advertisers in your area.
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July 2013
Tales of Glenn Ford Nick Thomas f you’re a fan of old movies, “I have every letter he ever received you’ll recognize what the classics and copies of letters he wrote. I have Gilda, Blackboard Jungle, The his baby teeth, the lock of hair from Courtship of Eddie’s Father, and his first haircut, the dish he used as a Fastest Gun Alive all have in baby, and every report card from common: Glenn Ford. Oddly school. There [were] also thousands enough, though he appeared in of photographs and thousands of around 100 feature films, the first books. biography on Ford was only published in 2011. Ford’s son, Peter, authored Glenn Ford: A Life and talked about his dad and the book, which is an insightful Hollywood bio filled with stories of one of film’s most underappreciated actors. In addition to acting, Ford had a number of other interests, including Photo credit: Peter Ford a great fondness for women, which Peter Ford, center, with his parents, Eleanor Powell and Glenn Ford. Peter approaches with objective candor without ever turning the book into a trashy memoir. “He’s perceived by the public as a Jimmy Stewart—a wholesome, allAmerican guy,” Peter told me. “He was that, but he also had a lot of Errol Flynn in him. In reviewing all my sources, I counted 146 women he had a dalliance with, including Marilyn Monroe.” Those sources included Ford’s Ford with Rita Hayworth in Gilda (1946). own writings. “My father kept a diary every day of his life since 1933, and I have every one of them. So there was an enormous amount of material there,” explained Peter. “If you picked any day since then, I could tell you what he had for breakfast, where he went, what he did, what he thought, who he talked to, etc.” Glenn Ford was also a packrat of monumental proportions. When Ford Photo credit: Peter Ford died in 2006, Peter says he donated Ford, right, with Peter Ford on many of his father’s personal items to the set of Heaven with a Gun charities. Other items he sold, (1969). including a piano given to Ford by Judy Garland, a slot machine from “Wherever he went, he would Frank Sinatra, and a couch on which take scraps of paper and write his he “entertained” Monroe. thoughts. Often, he would stick In fact, an auction house hauled these randomly in books, along with off two 26-foot-long trucks filled with letters, Christmas cards, and even “stuff ”—and that still barely touched money.” the surface of the contents of Ford’s Peter donated hundreds of those 9,000-square-foot home in Beverly books to libraries but had to check Hills. each one in case his father had left “He saved everything,” said Peter. some long-forgotten treasure within
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its pages. In one, he found many letters from singer Sophie Tucker. Another Ford “hobby” was to secretly record telephone conversations. In the late 1950s, Ford, unbeknownst to his family and friends, installed a phone tap on the family’s phone. After his father died, Peter discovered hundreds of old reel-to-reel and cassette recordings of celebrities and politicians. “He has some of President Richard Nixon,” said Peter with a chuckle. “Isn’t that ironic? The most infamous taper himself getting taped!” Maybe we now know where Tricky Dick got the idea! Peter also recalls childhood Sunday-morning walks with his dad along Santa Monica Boulevard. The two would often stop under a leafy fichus tree, and Ford would ask his son if he wanted some chewing gum. Adept at sleight-of-hand tricks, Ford would appear to pull some chewing gum from the tree, leading young Peter to believe there really was such a thing as a “gum tree.” In another story, Peter remembers flying in a private plane with his dad to Cody, Wyo., for the dedication of the Buffalo Bill Museum. The ceremony culminated with a live buffalo dangling in a harness from a helicopter, flying over the crowd. But as the pilot hovered above the assembled dignitaries, the terrified animal’s bladder and bowels proved somewhat unstable. When combined with the downward force of the chopper’s rotor blades, Peter says it was a most memorable event! Glenn Ford was a complex man, which led to difficulties and intricacies in his professional and personal lives. Peter’s revelations about his dad—as well as his mom, the great dancer Eleanor Powell— provide a fascinating glimpse of the golden age of Hollywood. Thomas’ features and columns have appeared in more than 300 magazines and newspapers, and he is the author of Raised by the Stars, published by McFarland. He can be reached at his blog: http://getnickt.blogspot.com
www.50plusSeniorNewsPA.com
The Search for Our Ancestry
DNA Interrupted Angelo Coniglio
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they graciously agreed to refund my I was helping a patron with an online money. search for information about the death of Unfortunately, this episode throws a her grandfather. When I suggested that monkey wrench into my plan to give a we try the subscription site Fold3 commentary on these pages about my (www.fold3.com), she referred to DNA testing and its results. I’ll take a FamilySearch (www.familysearch.org) moratorium on and asked, “Doesn’t DNA columns and FamilySearch have resume them when I Shouldn’t everything everything?” have decided which In this day and concerning genealogy age of information, DNA testing venue to use from the I suppose it’s easy to be on one of the many available fall into the notion foremost online candidates. that everything genealogy sites? Instead, I’d like to about everybody is revisit a subject I somewhere online. Not quite! have addressed So, shouldn’t previously: online everything genealogy resources. My reason for concerning genealogy be on one of the returning to this topic is a conversation I foremost online genealogy sites? Not had recently. quite! I volunteer as a librarian at my local FamilySearch has millions of records Mormon FamilySearch Center. Recently of all sorts on microfilm, and it is
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n my June column I described how I had sent a third DNA sample to AncestryDNA (a subsidiary of Ancestry.com), after being notified by them that the first two were not adequate. Since then, I received a third rejection email, asking me to send still another sample. The original order was about $100 for Ancestry.com subscribers, and although there was no extra cost for sending in the additional samples, I decided that three tries was enough. I asked for a refund. Ancestry’s first response was “that is not our policy,” and they suggested I have someone else’s DNA tested on my dime. That was not acceptable, as I want my DNA tested, not someone else’s, not even my son’s, whose DNA would contain genetic material (his mother’s) that is different than mine. When I explained this to Ancestry,
diligently indexing its images of original records so that they will be viewable online. However, I venture to state that “everything” will never be online, neither there nor at any other site. Some sites will have voluminous numbers of ships’ passenger manifests but nothing else. Some will have Civil War pension records but no passenger manifests. Some will have Irish records but no German records, and so on, and so on. Just as every family is different, its history is different, and a genealogy researcher must be prepared to dig out whatever sources are available that apply to his or her unique ancestry. I believe another widely held misconception is that, because many of the records we pursue are public documents, they should be available free please see DNA page 11
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From left, George Hartwick, Dauphin County commissioner; Donna Anderson, president of On-Line Publishers; Richard Comiskey, 2013 Dauphin County Outstanding Senior Award recipient; Valerie Pritchett, abc27 anchor and 50plus EXPO honorary chairperson; and Mike Pries, Dauphin County commissioner.
50plus EXPO Draws Crowds, Honors Local Volunteer By Megan Joyce Thousands of visitors dodged raindrops as they entered the Hershey Lodge for the recent Dauphin County 50plus EXPO, grateful for the chance to dry off and happy to see the friendly faces that welcomed them to the event. The free, one-day EXPO, which provides information and resources for the area’s 50+ community, was presented by OLP Events and co-sponsored by 50plus Senior News and the Dauphin County Area Agency on Aging. More than 100 exhibitors were on hand representing travel, housing, medical services, health and wellness, home improvements, finances, and more. The day began with the opening ceremony, featuring comments from Donna Anderson, president of On-Line Publishers; George Hartwick and Mike Pries, Dauphin County commissioners; and Valerie Pritchett, abc27 news
anchor and the EXPO’s honorary chairperson. Pritchett presented the 2013 Dauphin County Outstanding Senior Award to Richard Comisky of Lower Paxton Township. Nominated by the Robert Burns, director of the Dauphin County Area Agency on Aging, Comiskey, a survivor of throat cancer, volunteers to assist older adults, youths who need a positive role model, members of his church, and community organizations. He has also traveled across the country to assist victims of natural disasters. “Thank you for this honor,” Comiskey said. “Give of yourself to others, and be grateful for every day.
Remember: Yesterday’s history, tomorrow’s a mystery. We only have today, and that’s why that wonderful gift is the present. Live every day giving of yourself.” PinnacleHealth sponsored a Health & Wellness Area, featuring screenings, presentations, and one-on-one guidance from PinnacleHealth representatives. The AAA Travel Fair included representatives from 14 travel companies all in one location. Visitors also had the option of attending free seminars on topics such as back pain, advance directives, heart conditions, political updates, and cruise options. In addition to about a dozen door
prizes, the 14th annual event included free health screenings for blood pressure, spinal health, glaucoma, hearing, and more. The EXPO blended these informational resources with ongoing entertainment, starting with a presentation by PinnacleHealth on grandparenting in 2013. Later, actors in full costume performed musical highlights from Dutch Apple Dinner Theatre’s current season before PA STATE SENIOR IDOL winners Vickie Kissinger (2012), Barry Surran (2008), and Peggy Kurtz Keller (2011) demonstrated again why they are amongst the state’s top vocalists. The 50plus EXPOs, presented by OLP Events, will return in fall 2013: Sept. 18 at the York Expo Center, York; Oct. 24 at the Carlisle Expo Center, Carlisle; and Nov. 6 at Spooky Nook Sports, Manheim. For more information, call (717) 2851350 or visit www.50plusExpoPA.com.
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NurseNews
Hospital Gowns Get a Redesign Gloria May, M.S., R.N., CHES K, maybe it isn’t in the same league as the invention of the microscope, the discovery of penicillin, or the formulation of vaccines, but the creation of the hospital gown that closes in the back will certainly be applauded by every patient who has ever had to wear one and who has had to reach, pull, or twist it just so he can get to the bathroom without exposing his rear end to the world. When I was caring for patients in the hospital, we often used two of those flimsy, thin cotton gowns on our patients, one tying in the back and the second one over it, tying in the front. The patients were not as exposed as they were when they were forced to wear the single gown, and in addition, wearing two gowns made them feel a bit warmer. Sometimes we would let the patients bring pajama bottoms or boxer shorts from home and wear them under the gowns. The tie-in-the-back version of the gown is handy for nurses and doctors, as it provides easy access to the patient’s
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back and makes it quick and simple to, for instance, listen to a patient’s lungs or heart or to give an injection. And it makes it easier for the patient to use the bedpan if necessary. However, Photos courtesy of Henry Ford Innovation Institute patients hate those darn gowns. And with good reason. And although they have provided fodder for cartoons for years, it’s time for them to go. I saw pictures of one kind of newly designed gown, and it looks more like a wrap-around spa bathrobe. It has a crisscross V-neck closure in the front and
elbow-length sleeves. There are snaps instead of ties and, while it does close in the back, it also has an “access flap” from the neck down to the lower back. The particular gown I saw and read about was created at the Henry Ford Innovation Institute and is currently being used at a hospital in Detroit. So far, patient reviews have been positive. The goal now is getting the design licensed and sold to a manufacturer who can get this going on a grand scale. (I did a little research on the Internet and found that other designers and companies are working on this issue as well.) The current tie-in-the-back design
goes back to the early 20th century, and while they were a great idea in a time when patients stayed flat in the bed much more than they do today, they haven’t changed much since then, and they certainly don’t offer any measure of privacy. And here’s another benefit of the spalike gown, beyond preserving patient dignity: The new gown is made of a thicker fabric, so using two gowns on patients who are cold (in addition to being embarrassed) would no longer be necessary, thus saving on the number of gowns the hospital needs to purchase. The manufacturing cost of the new gowns is comparable to those of the old ones, and yes, the new gowns launder up well. So, while it may not win the Nobel Prize, a gown that closes in the back will be dearly loved. Way to go, designers! Gloria May is a registered nurse with a master’s degree in adult health education and a Certified Health Education Specialist designation.
CDC Urges You to Stay Cool When Temps Soar The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is urging people to prepare for extreme heat this summer by staying cool, hydrated, and informed. “No one should die from a heat wave, but every year on average, extreme heat causes 658 deaths in the United States—more than tornadoes, hurricanes, floods, and lightning combined,” said Robin Ikeda, MD, MPH, acting director of the National Center for Environmental Health and Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. Extreme heat can lead to very high body temperatures, brain and organ damage, and even death. People suffer heat-related illness when their bodies are unable to compensate and cool themselves properly. www.50plusSeniorNewsPA.com
Extreme heat affects everyone, but the elderly, children, the poor or homeless, persons who work or exercise outdoors, and those with chronic medical conditions are most at risk. An analysis of 2012 data indicates that deaths are on the rise. In a twoweek period in 2012, excessive heat exposure resulted in 32 deaths in four states, four times the typical average for those states for the same two-week period from 1999-2009. More than two-thirds of the deaths (69 percent) occurred at home, and 91 percent of those homes lacked air conditioning. Most of those who died were unmarried or living alone, and 72 percent were male. CDC recommends that local
governments engage in advanced planning, such as increasing access to air conditioning, cooling stations, or other public locations that can be used by residents for temporary relief from heat, particularly when temperatures are elevated for several consecutive days. CDC is offering new resources,
including a new website to prepare for extreme heat, new data on heat-related emergency room visits and hospitalizations, and a Climate Change and Extreme Heat Events guidebook. For more information on extreme heat and heat safety, call (800) CDC-INFO or visit www.cdc.gov/extremeheat.
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The Green Mountain Gardener
A Garden Worth 10 Scents Dr. Leonard Perry ow do you describe scents or fragrance in flowers? There are probably as many ways as there are people, scent being very subjective. It was in the Victorian times at the end of the 19th century that fragrance in the garden became really popular for just that, not for any functional use. Prior to that time, fragrance was used medicinally and to mask unpleasant odors. It was also at this time (1893) that scents were first categorized by Count von Marilaun into six groups. Since then, these have been expanded to 10 scent groups, all of which are used for flowers. These groups are based on common essential oils for each group of plants. It is the volatile compounds from these oils that our noses register as “scents.”
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1. The indole group has flowers smelling like and resembling decayed meat or
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carrion, such as the skunk cabbage (Lysichiton) and a wake-robin (Trillium erectum), and attracts dung flies for pollination. 2. The aminoid group also smells unpleasant to attract flies, smelling of decayed fish or ammonia, and includes many umbel flowers, such as giant fennel. 3. The heavy group smells similar to the last, only sweeter, and includes some of the oldest known fragrant flowers, such as some lilies and narcissus.
5. The violet group and smell is, of course, present in violets. Smelling of damp woodland moss, it attracts no insects, as the flowers are self-pollinating. 6. The rose group is pleasant and found in roses in addition to some peonies and scented geraniums.
7. The lemon group is more often found in leaves but also in some water lilies and evening primroses. 8. The fruit-scented group includes many roses and some minor bulbs. 9. The animal-scented group usually is unpleasant and may smell of musk, as in some roses; human perspiration, as in valerian and ox-eye daisy; and animal fur, as in crown imperial. 10. The honey-scented group is similar to the last, only sweeter and often more pleasant. Some examples are the butterfly bush (Buddleia), showy stonecrop (Sedum spectabile), and meadowsweet (Filipendula). As seen in most of these flower-scent groups, insects or pollinators are the main reason for scent. It basically attracts
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July 2013
4. The aromatic group has some of the most pleasantly scented flowers with scents of vanilla, balsam, almond, and cloves, such as in some primroses, peonies, stocks, and pinks.
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pollinators specifically needed to pollinate a flower, and at the right time. Usually if a flower is not ready or is past the time for pollination, or has been pollinated, it won’t have much fragrance. If a flower is fragrant at night, odds are that it is pollinated by moths or even bats. Sweet scents generally attract bees and flies for pollination, while those with fruity or musty-smelling flowers may attract flies or beetles for pollination. While a species of plant may have fragrance, some of its highly bred offspring may not. These cultivars
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(cultivated varieties) may have been bred for other traits instead, such as flower size, shape, or disease resistance. Roses are a good example of such a plant. Often, where there are many cultivars to choose from—as with roses, peonies, daffodils, or crabapples—only some will have fragrant flowers. Fragrant summer perennials include bearded iris early in the season, tall garden phlox later on as well as some of the oriental lilies, and lavender (where hardy). Dr. Leonard P. Perry is an extension professor at the University of Vermont.
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Who Has the Best Bites in Central PA? 50plus Senior News readers have spoken! Here are the Dauphin County dining favorites for 2013! Breakfast: Peachtree Restaurant & Lounge
Fast Food: McDonald’s — Kline Plaza
Lunch: The Hershey Pantry
Seafood: Red Lobster
Dinner: Olive Garden
Steak: Outback Steakhouse
Ethnic Cuisine: Fabio’s Restaurant
Outdoor Dining: Big Woody’s Beach Bar & Grill
Celebrating: Texas Roadhouse
Romantic Setting: Alfred’s Victorian
Bakery: Giant Food Stores
Smorgasbord/Buffet: Hoss’s Steak and Sea House
Coffeehouse: Starbucks
Caterer: Commonwealth Caterers
Winner of $50 Giant Food Stores Gift Card: Linda Farley of East Berlin Congratulations!
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July 2013
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Calendar of Events
Dauphin County
Dauphin County Department of Parks and Recreation
Senior Center Activities
July 14, 3 to 4 p.m. – Flower Walk: Still More Blooms, Wildwood Park July 17, 7 to 9 p.m. – Sunset Series: Dave Stahl Big Band, Lykens Borough Park July 27, 10 to 11:30 a.m. – Yoga in Harmony with Nature, Wildwood Park
Bistline Senior Center – (717) 564-5633 B’Nai B’rith Senior Center – (717) 232-6757
Dauphin County Library Programs
East Hanover Township Senior Center (717) 469-7514
East Shore Area Library, 4501 Ethel St., Harrisburg, (717) 652-9380
Edgemont Senior Center – (717) 236-2221
Elizabethville Area Library, 80 N. Market St., Elizabethville, (717) 362-9825 July 18, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.; July 19, 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; July 20, 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. – Library Book Sale
Friendship Senior Center – (717) 657-1547 Heinz-Menaker Senior Center – (717) 238-7860
Harrisburg Downtown Library, 101 Walnut St., Harrisburg, (717) 234-4976 Hoy/Latsha Senior Center – (717) 939-9833 Johnson Memorial Library, 799 E. Center St., Millersburg, (717) 692-2658 Jewish Community Center – (717) 236-9555 Kline Branch, 530 S. 29th St., Harrisburg, (717) 234-3934 Lick Towers Senior Center – (717) 233-0388 Madeline L. Olewine Memorial Library, 2410 N. Third St., Harrisburg, (717) 232-7286 Lykens Senior Center – (717) 453-7985 McCormick Riverfront Library, 101 Walnut St., Harrisburg, (717) 234-4976 Millersburg Senior Center – (717) 692-2657 Northern Dauphin Library, 683 Main St., Lykens, (717) 453-9315 Mohler Senior Center – (717) 533-2002 www.hersheyseniorcenter.com July 26, 5 to 9 p.m. – Mohler’s Got Talent Show
William H. & Marion C. Alexander Family Library, 200 W. Second St., Hummelstown, (717) 566-0949 July 2, 6:30 p.m. – Novel Thoughts Book Club July 16, 1 p.m. – Novel Thoughts, Too! Book Club
Rutherford House – (717) 564-5682 www.rutherfordhouse.org Wednesdays, 12:15 p.m. – Free Aerobics
Programs and Support Groups Free and open to the public.
Steelton Senior Center – (717) 939-0693
July 9, 6 to 7 p.m. Alzheimer’s Caregivers Support Group Graysonview Personal Care Community 150 Kempton Ave., Harrisburg (717) 561-8010
July 23, 6 to 7:30 p.m. Parental Loss Support Group AseraCare Hospice 75 S. Houcks Road, Suite 101, Harrisburg (717) 541-4466
July 17, 1:30 p.m. Parkinson’s Support Group on East Shore Jewish Home of Harrisburg 4004 Linglestown Road, Harrisburg (717) 441-8627
Please call or visit the centers’ websites for additional activities.
AARP Driver Safety Programs For a Safe Driving Class near you, call toll-free (888) 227-7669 or visit www.aarp.org/findacourse.
July 30, 6 p.m. Susquehanna Rovers Volksmarch Walking Club Gander Mountain 5005 Jonestown Road, Harrisburg (717) 991-5232
July 17, 12:30 to 4:30 p.m. Jewish Community Center 3001 N. Front St., Harrisburg (717) 236-9555, ext. 3115 July 20, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Mohler Senior Center 25 Hope Drive, Hershey (717) 533-2002
If you have an event you would like to include, please email information to mjoyce@onlinepub.com for consideration.
What’s Happening? Give Us the Scoop! Please send us your press releases so we can let our readers know about free events occurring in Dauphin County! Email preferred to: mjoyce@onlinepub.com
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Survey Finds Older Motorists Practice Safe Driving Nine in 10 older drivers buckle up when they get behind the wheel and more than a third have taken driver improvement courses, according to data surveying more than 7,000 seniors. Survey findings, collected by AAA, the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA), and AARP, also reveal that twice the number of women attended driver safety courses despite the fact that older men drove more often than older women by 12 percent. AAA is promoting the data to help debunk the perception that older drivers are a menace on the road. “The silver tsunami is often unfairly dubbed as risky and dangerous. These data tell us that they practice safe driving behaviors and that more than a third of older drivers have actively sought out and participated in programs to improve their skills,” says Jenny M. Robinson, manager of public and government affairs for AAA MidAtlantic. The findings were collected from drivers who participated in CarFit, a free program offered by AAA, AOTA, and AARP.
DNA
Typically offered at community events, CarFit runs drivers and their vehicles through a 12-point checklist with trained technicians who assess the fit of a driver’s car by checking for optimum and safe settings, such as distance from and sight line above the steering wheel and proper mirrors settings. According to CarFit participant data, the top four “fit” challenges for older drivers included improper distance from steering wheel (59 percent); adequate and safe views from side mirrors (32 percent); improper seat height (28 percent); and improper head restraint height (21 percent). After a run through the CarFit program, 97 percent of participants’ issues were resolved. Other survey data revealed that more than half (52 percent) of drivers 65 and older typically drive seven days a week. “Even when they’re driving every day, seniors do not pose a disproportionate threat on the roads,” said Robinson. “In fact, drivers in their mid-to-late 80s have lower crash rates per mile driven than drivers in their early 20s and roughly half the crash rate of teenagers.”
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of charge. Folks object to paying for copies of birth records or paying subscriptions to online venues before they can access information. This philosophy ignores the fact that even with public records, someone has to find them (labor), copy them (equipment and material), mail them (postage), and, in the case of online venues, digitize and organize them (labor and equipment), etc. I pay for an online service for no small annual fee. Using that service, I have found dozens of images of original birth, marriage, and death records for my ancestors, as well as for my wife’s. www.50plusSeniorNewsPA.com
Much as I love visiting Sicily, If I had had to travel there to collect the same information, my family tree would be bare indeed. Next time, I’ll review previously analyzed online sources, covering changes and additions to their sites. Write to Angelo at genealogytips@aol.com or visit his website, www.bit.ly/AFCGen. He is the author of the book The Lady of the Wheel (La Ruotaia), based on his genealogical research of Sicilian foundlings. See www.bit.ly/ruotaia for more information, or order the book at www.amzn.to/racalmuto.
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The Way I See It
Birthday Thoughts Harrisburg’s Oldies Channel!
• Breakfast with Ben Barber and News with Dennis Edwards • John Tesh with Music and Intelligence for Your Workday • Bruce Collier & The Drive Home
Find us at AM 960 or at whylradio.com
WE PLAY OVER 1500 GREAT SONGS!
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Mike Clark celebrated my 62nd birthday on April 29, and I am still having trouble understanding how I could be two years immersed in my sixth decade. When I think about birthdays, I can’t remember a time when I said, “I wish I could be in my 60s.” I do remember saying that I wish I could be 21, for all the obvious reasons. I even thought that 30 was pretty good. By then I had a good job; I was married; I had a newborn son and a daughter two years later; I had a house and an inexpensive new car; and I felt that things were going well. It was hectic and chaotic, though. When I hit my 40s, things had begun to go wrong. I mean, I had been in my job for 12 years and I was actually making some money. A couple of bucks left over after household expenses were paid hinted that I was getting somewhere. But some serious health problems interfered with our lives by the time I was 43, and a couple of years later, the teenagers living in our home were overcome by hormonal madness and an omnipotent wisdom of all things that ever were and ever shall be. Controlling the demonic forces turned me into an unrecognizable figure of a man. Did I say there was anger? Oh, yes, and it was a righteous anger. With the patience of a saint, I taught both of my children to drive. And when each one passed their driver’s test, I was almost willing to buy each a good car and provide a year’s rent somewhere on the opposite side of the country. “Get there safely but get there as fast as you can,” I wanted to say, “and don’t come back until you realize how smart your mom and I actually are.” I remember when I was a teenager
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how folks who were the age that I am now would say, “Enjoy being young. Each new year flies by faster and faster.” And I would say, “Blah, blah, blah and blabbity, blabbity, blabbity.” Just like my teenagers, I knew everything. How frivolous and carefree and invincible I was. It’s the universal story of youth, isn’t it? I told my brother the other day that my new favorite song is “Yesterday, When I Was Young” by Roy Clark. Listen to it; you’ll see what I mean. A faded celebrity singer said one time on a talk show that there wasn’t one darned thing that was good about getting old. I suppose that’s true for once-famous people who have lost their luster and have been forgotten by the public. But I have never been famous or widely known by the public. Getting older for a regular guy like me is just routine; I have no delusions or flashbacks of glory. Look, I’m not saying that getting older is a dream. The inevitable loss of youth can be difficult. Many of you already know it; many more soon will. In sad resignation, I have often said good riddance to much of the foolishness and turmoil of that earlier time, while in my heart I yearn for one more stab at it. I don’t ever remember saying that I wish I could be in my 60s, but I sure hope I can be in my 70s. The alternative is difficult to ponder. Mike Clark writes a regular column for The Globe Leader newspaper in New Wilmington, Pa. He lives outside Columbia, Pa., and can be contacted at mikemac429@aol.com.
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CROSSWORD
Solutions for all puzzles can be found on page 14
WORD SEARCH
SUDOKU
Across 1. Funnyman 5. Energy-efficient transportation 10. Kind of meet 14. State categorically 15. Paradigm 16. Forum wear 17. Soupçon 18. Fetid 20. Role models 22. Degrees 23. Midnight medley? 24. Buckle under 26. Font style, for short Down 1. Bivouacs 2. Characteristic of birds 3. Rocket type 4. Most gloomy 5. Silver wattle 6. Land on the Strait of Hormuz 7. Erb’s ___ 8. Anima 9. Dickens character, Artful ___ 10. Violin name, for short 11. Cherry, e.g. 12. Malarial fever 13. Bridge option
28. 29. 32. 35. 37. 39. 40. 41. 42. 44. 45. 46.
Debate position Ginger Stumps, once High dudgeon Book of Ruth figure Men of the cloth, briefly Soft shoe Call it a day Novelist Loos Cole Porter’s “___ Clown” Ill-natured ___ de tête
19. 21. 25. 27. 29. 30. 31. 32. 33. 34.
Synthetic fiber Catches on Medicinal syrup Supple Decant Pianist Gilels Pathos Streetcar Rockfish “... there is no ___ angel but Love”: Shakespeare 36. Old World deer 38. Conduits 43. Took steps
47. 49. 51. 53. 57. 60. 62. 64. 65. 66. 67. 68. 69. 70.
Evita role Sugar source Ringo, for one Arena exhibitions Once-popular songs Flare-up Type of punch Designer Chanel ___ of Green Gables Door sign Bygone despot Fewer Squalid Dried-up
45. 48. 50. 51. 52. 54. 55. 56. 57. 58. 59. 61. 63.
Prig Chops up, as potatoes Major thoroughfare Trig functions Itinerary Notched Odd Couple character Salt away Nuncupative Kind of wolf Harasses for payment Expended Unified
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July 2013
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DRAFT
from page 1
Her positive mind has forged the way for a positive life. And her natural charisma may be what prompted so many women to join the Women’s Writing Circle that Weidener began in November 2009. The Women’s Writing Circle began out of Weidener’s hope and dream of finding kindred spirits who could connect as a community of writers. “It is very important when you are a writer to ease the loneliness and isolation of the work and find a community of likeminded souls,” Weidener said. “All of these women have given me a new lease on life.” The group of women meets on the second Saturday of each month at a local bookshop. They share their writing with each other and offer support and validation—things essential to any writer’s success, both in their careers and as individuals. “The emphasis is on how writing can lead to healing, self-discovery, and empowerment,” she said. To merely say that Weidener loves writing would be an injustice to her true feelings, as she loves every aspect of it— “even the blood, sweat, and tears” that go into it. “I found that writing was a journey into the soul—a path to self-discovery, as well as a way to develop understanding and empathy for others,” she said. “When you put on paper what has tormented you, you take away the power
of painful memories and put them Philadelphia Inquirer before leaving the behind you.” paper in 2007. Weidener is quick to point out that While she is committed to freely the group meets to connect not only as cheering others on in their journeys—no writers, but also as matter what age wives, mothers, they may be— daughters, sisters, Weidener has also and friends sharing been so bold as to their journeys. share her own life The group has journey in its rawest since evolved into a form in two monthly critique memoirs. session with a Her first book, concentration on Again in a developing pieces of Heartbeat, was writing for potential published in publication, 2010—the same explains Weidener. Books authored by Weidener as well as year that she turned Workshops have 60. It is a memoir the entire Women’s Writing Circle have also been formed of love, loss, and been featured at the bookshop where from the Women’s dating again. they meet monthly. Writing Circle, Weidener has not where the focus is on the craft and remarried since losing her husband but alchemy of writing. still dates occasionally. The group recently published an “I never met a man as strong or as anthology of stories and poems, called confident, as kind and as honorable as Slants of Light: Stories and Poems From the John,” said Weidener. “What has kept Women’s Writing Circle. The anthology me going since John’s death is the can be purchased in some local memory of how he believed in me, my bookstores or at Amazon.com, and it will strength as a woman, and he never be available as an e-book on Aug. 1. doubted for an instant that I could raise Weidener brought in outside his sons on my own.” workshop instructors to teach on topics She learned a lot about herself as she like fiction and memoir writing and wrote Again in a Heartbeat and hopes the journaling. She shares her own skills and book can help anyone who is going experiences as well. Weidener worked as through the loss of a loved one. a news and feature writer for The “When a person we love has cancer, or
any chronic illness, we may not always live up to our own set of personal standards,” she explained. “My anger and grief should not have been directed at my husband for dying but at the cancer and how the disease impacted our family, our two little boys, and my own naïve dream of a happily-ever-after.” She points out in the book that when a person you love is dying, they will often distance themselves from you. “It would have helped me at the time if I had had someone to talk about it and why I felt so abandoned by him.” Weidener’s second memoir, Morning at Wellington Square, published in 2012, is the story of a woman’s search to find herself beyond traditional roles. She discusses the beginning of the Women’s Writing Circle and the end of her career as a journalist. Leaving the newspaper was painful in its own way; her time in the newsroom was so rewarding and felt like more of a calling than it did a job. “I am always amazed when I think of how an idea to start a writing circle has turned into a place where, over the last three and a half years, more than 200 women have read their work,” Weidener said. “Some come once or twice and don’t return to the circle, while others have been coming steadily for a year, two years, even three.” To follow the happenings of the Women’s Writing Circle, you may visit their blog at www.susanweidener.com.
U.S. Dementia Care Costs Reached $215 Billion in 2010
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estimates by researchers at RAND Corp. and the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. The researchers found these costs of care comparable to, if not greater than, those for heart disease and cancer.
The study, supported by the National Institutes of Health and published recently in The New England Journal of Medicine, totaled direct medical expenditures and costs attributable to the vast network of informal, unpaid care
that supports people with dementia. Depending on how informal care is calculated, national expenditures in 2010 for dementia among people older than 70 were found to be $159 to $215 billion.
Puzzles shown on page 13
Puzzle Solutions
The costs of caring for people with dementia in the United States in 2010 were between $159 and $215 billion, and those costs could rise dramatically with the increase in the numbers of older people in coming decades, according to
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Concession of a Novice e-Book Reader By Evelyn Merriam My husband and I now have a small, lightweight, basic e-reader. Although we were not excited about the prospect, we decided to try one because it seemed it might be convenient at times. With some coaching, we figured out the gadget sufficiently and then tentatively borrowed a few books from our library system’s collection. The lending period was brief, the books not compelling, and our library’s e-books not renewable, so they disappeared before we finished them. Not a very good start. Technical or scholarly e-books of sorts were available through libraries as early as the 1990s. But in 2003, U.S. libraries began to offer free, downloadable popular fiction and nonfiction to the public. However, a librarian tells us that the restrictions and expense of acquiring e-books limits libraries’ collections. We attended a brief class about using e-readers and learned the lingo (Adobe EPUB, Adobe PDF, Kindle e-books, “downloading from the cloud,” etc.). As we found our way further along, we purchased three books we actually wanted to read: Francona, a baseball
autobiography; Life after Death, a book about a believer’s response to his personal grief; and Maggie’s Tale, a historical novel about the adventures of a young Irish girl earning her keep in England in 1900. Although we share the device as one would a daily newspaper, we are enjoying the books and find that reading without worrying about the books evaporating (as the library books did) more satisfactory. According to studies done in Germany, young adults show no difference in reading speed or brain activity when reading pages on an electronic device versus a traditional book. However, the backlit screens of ereaders (providing more contrast) are easier on elderly eyes than traditional books. Older eyes read more quickly and with less effort via e-readers.
Nonetheless, perhaps it is no surprise that traditional books are still twice as popular as digital devices with people over 60. Previously, British researchers found that, although mature users of ebooks found them more convenient, up to date, and easily available than traditional books, they believed them harder to read. The researchers concluded that reducing the pleasure of reading was not a cognitive phenomenon, but a cultural one. That may be so, but I would still rather turn paper pages, use actual bookmarks, and put the books in their places. Nonetheless, I concede that for travel, it is convenient to have a number of books and even a complete Bible at hand in a wafer-thin notecard size. It is also pleasant to have the options of reading books we do not necessarily
plan to keep. But for me, the best thing about an e-reader is being able to access titles that are only available in electronic versions. More than a year after two writer friends in London told me about their ebooks, I am able to read them. One of them, Maggie’s Tale by Peter M. Cooke, is not exactly Downton Abbey, but fans of that PBS series would easily be able to visualize the lives of servant girls in a big, English house. The girls face unexpected, life-altering choices when lively evangelistic meetings and colorful characters stir up their formerly unassuming, orderly town. Wouldn’t it astound Victorians of all stations, most of whom had yet to see an electric toaster, to find me claiming to read about their lives while silently turning pages on a small, muted-gray tablet called an e-book? Before Evelyn and her husband recently retired, they worked in Christian ministry for 40 years (including five years in Japan and eight in Pennsylvania). She has published educational and inspirational articles, book reviews, poetry, and Bible reading guides and is working on a collection of personal essays.
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In print. Online at onlinepub.com. To include your community or service in the 2014 edition or for a free copy of the 2013 edition, call your representative or (717) 285-1350 or email info@onlinepub.com Your key to choosing the right living and care options for you or a loved one.
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You bring the talent, We’ll provide the stage! Do you dance … sing … play an instrument … perform magic … do comedy? Do you think you’ve got what it takes to be called PA STATE SENIOR IDOL? Then we’re looking for you!
Pennsylvanians over 50 are invited to audition for the eighth annual PA STATE SENIOR IDOL competition at one of these locations:
Tuesday, August 27
Thursday, September 5
Holiday Inn Harrisburg East
Heritage Hotel – Lancaster
4751 Lindle Road, Harrisburg, PA 17111
500 Centerville Road, Lancaster, PA 17601
(Morning/Early Afternoon Auditions)
(Afternoon/Evening Auditions)
Win a limousine trip to New York City with dinner and a Broadway show! Finals to be held on October 14, 2013 at: Dutch Apple Dinner Theatre 510 Centerville Road, Lancaster, PA 17601 • (717) 898-1900
For more information, updates, or an application:
911 Photo Graphics
717.285.1350 • www.SeniorIdolPA.com
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July 2013
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Emcee:
Diane Dayton of Dayton Communications
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