Lebanon County Edition
March 2014
Vol. 9 No. 3
Dedication and Dance through the Ages Women’s Club Benefits from Program Director’s Arts Pedigree By Megan Joyce Our 21st-century dance styles would likely leave the ragtime-dancing, Edwardian-era female founders of The Iris Club confused at best. But those progressive-for-their-time ladies would be pleased by their modern club’s continuing dedication to community service, women’s empowerment, and artistic and enlightened entertainment—spearheaded by its current program director, Priscilla Kaufhold. “She is always full of great ideas,” said Carol Szutowicz, The Iris Club’s first vice president. “While many people have that talent, the difference is Priscilla works to make those ideas happen and sees projects through to the end.” The Iris Club formed in 1895 when Alice Nevin, daughter of Franklin & Marshall College President John Williamson Nevin, invited 70 women to her home to initiate a club to encourage women’s socialization and community involvement. The club’s downtown building was purchased in 1898 and still hosts the club’s twice-monthly meetings, where members enjoy lunch, entertainment, friendship, and high tea. In October 2013, the club celebrated its 115th please see DANCE page 14 Priscilla Kaufhold, program director for The Iris Club, on the club’s grand staircase. Over her shoulder is a portrait of Alice Nevin, who founded the women’s club in 1895.
Inside:
Paying for Nursing Care with Medicaid page 9
Traveltizers: Agritourism and Adventure page 15
Colorectal Cancer Screening Rates Remain Low About one in three adults aged 50 to 75 years have not been tested for colorectal cancer as recommended by the United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF), according to a new Vital Signs report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Despite research that shows colorectal cancer screening tests save lives, screening rates remain too low. “There are more than 20 million adults in this country who haven’t had any recommended screening for colorectal cancer and who may therefore get cancer and die from a preventable tragedy,” said CDC Director Tom Frieden, M.D., M.P.H. “Screening for colorectal cancer is effective and can save your life.” Colorectal cancer is the secondleading cancer killer among men and women in the United States, after lung cancer. Screening tests can prevent cancer or detect it at an early stage, when treatment can be highly effective. Adults aged 50 years and older should get tested with one or a combination of these screening tests: • Fecal occult blood test (FOBT) or fecal
immunochemical test (FIT) done at home every year • Flexible sigmoidoscopy, done every five years, with FOBT/FIT done every three years • Colonoscopy done every 10 years A colonoscopy can detect cancer early, and it can find precancerous polyps so they can be removed before they turn into cancer. An FOBT/FIT is a simple at-home test that can detect cancer early by identifying blood in the stool, a possible sign of cancer. People are not always offered a choice of colorectal cancer tests, but studies
have shown that people who are able to choose the test they prefer are more likely to get the test done. CDC researchers reviewed colorectal cancer screening data from CDC’s 2012 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System to estimate the percentage of people aged 50 to 75 years who reported getting screened as recommended by type of test. Major findings:
March is National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month
• Among adults who were screened as recommended, colonoscopy was by far the most common screening test (62 percent). Use of the other USPSTFrecommended tests was much lower:
fecal occult blood test, 10 percent, and flexible sigmoidoscopy in combination with FOBT/FIT, less than 1 percent. • The highest percentage of adults who were up to date with colorectal cancer screening was in Massachusetts (76 percent). • Blacks and whites had similar screening rates, but a higher percentage of blacks across all income and education levels used FOBT. The authors noted that increasing use of all tests may increase screening rates. Furthermore, research shows that more people may get tested if healthcare providers use an organized approach to identify people who need to be screened; contact them at their home or community setting; advise them of each test; and carefully monitor to make sure they complete their test. For more information about preventing colorectal cancer, please visit www.cdc.gov/cancer/colorectal. Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Spacious Apartments 1BR 840 Sq. Ft., 2BR 1050 Sq. Ft, 3 BR 1200 Sq. Ft. Rent includes gas for heating and cooking, sewer, and trash. Central heat and air. Laundry in each building. Maintenance free. Close to a shopping center, resident manager on premise, 24-hour maintenance. Near Hershey and VA Hospital. Large dog park. is seeking an ACCOUNT REPRESENTATIVE On-Line Publishers, Inc. has an opening for a highly motivated person with a professional attitude to sell print and online advertising as well as niche events. The successful candidate should: • Enjoy building and maintaining your own long-term business relationships. • Be highly motivated, detail oriented, and able to multitask. • Have good communication skills. • Show a willingness to learn and grow in a fast-paced environment. We offer a competitive compensation plan with a benefits package that includes health insurance and a 401(k) plan. If you have sales experience and are interested in joining our growing sales team, please send your resume and compensation history/requirements to danderson@onlinepub.com. On-Line Publishers, Inc. • 3912 Abel Drive • Columbia, PA 17512 • 717.285.1350 www.onlinepub.com
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Emergency Numbers Poison Control Center (800) 222-1222 Food Resources Food & Clothing Bank (717) 274-2490 Food Stamps (800) 692-7462 Hope/Christian Ministries (717) 272-4400 Lebanon County Area Agency on Aging Meals on Wheels (717) 273-9262
Hearing Services Melnick, Moffitt, and Mesaros 927 Russell Drive, Lebanon (717) 274-9775 Pennsylvania Office for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (800) 233-3008 V/TTY Hospitals Good Samaritan Hospital 252 S. Fourth St., Lebanon (717) 270-7500 Medical Society of Lebanon County (717) 270-7500
Salvation Army (717) 273-2655
Hotlines Energy Assistance (800) 692-7462
Health & Medical Services Alzheimer’s Association (717) 651-5020
Environmental Protection Agency Emergency Hotline (800) 541-2050
American Cancer Society (717) 231-4582
IRS Income Tax Assistance (800) 829-1040
American Diabetes Association (717) 657-4310
Medicaid (800) 692-7462
American Heart Association/ American Stroke Association (717) 207-4265
Medicare (800) 382-1274
American Lung Association (717) 541-5864 Arthritis Foundation (717) 274-0754 Bureau of Blindness and Visual Services (717) 787-7500 CONTACT Helpline (717) 652-4400 Kidney Foundation (717) 652-8123 The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (717) 652-6520 Lupus Foundation (888) 215-8787
Housing Assistance & Resources Program (HARP) (717) 273-9328 Lebanon County Housing & Redevelopment Authorities (717) 274-1401
Maple Street Senior Community Center (717) 273-1048 Myerstown Senior Community Center (717) 866-6786 Northern Lebanon County Senior Community Center (717) 865-0944
Insurance Medicare Hotline (800) 638-6833
Palmyra Senior Community Center (717) 838-8237
Legal Services Pennsylvania Bar Association (717) 238-6715 Office of Aging Lebanon County Area Agency on Aging (717) 273-9262 Pharmacies CVS/pharmacy www.cvs.com Retirement Communities
Senior Center of Lebanon Valley (717) 274-3451 Southern Lebanon County Senior Community Center (717) 274-7541 Veterans Services Governor’s Veterans Outreach (717) 234-1681 Lebanon VA Medical Center 1700 S. Lincoln Ave., Lebanon (717) 228-6000 or (800) 409-8771
StoneRidge Retirement Living (717) 866-3204 Senior Centers Annville Senior Community Center (717) 867-1796
PA Crime Stoppers (800) 472-8477 PennDOT (800) 932-4600
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Recycling (800) 346-4242 Social Security Information (800) 772-1213 U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (800) 827-1000 Housing Assistance Hope (Helping Our People in Emergencies) (717) 272-4400
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Salute to a Veteran Corporate Office: 3912 Abel Drive, Columbia, PA 17512 Phone 717.285.1350 • Fax 717.285.1360 Chester County: 610.675.6240 Cumberland County/Dauphin County: 717.770.0140 Berks County/Lancaster County/ Lebanon County/York County: 717.285.1350 E-mail address: info@onlinepub.com Website address: www.onlinepub.com
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He Has a Bullet from the Rifle of the First Man He Killed in Combat Robert D. Wilcox hen Richard Lawrence Then his unit was moved north to what the gas was, but I remember graduated from high help recapture Hue, the major city having seizures. Fortunately, I was school in 1967, he had that was once the capital of Vietnam. able to get an atropine shot, and that already heard a lot about the “The city was a shambles, and probably saved my life. Marines. there was nothing but the most “Just about everybody got jungle His father had been a Marine in brutal, house-to-house fighting,” rot, an infection that came from the World War II, and his older brother Lawrence says. inevitable scratches we got. It was was a Marine corporal. So he had He later was transferred to H easy to get cut up by the elephant nd rd heard many war stories centered on Company, 2 Battalion, 3 Marine grass that was just as sharp as a razor Division for frontline fighting as a what it meant to be a Marine. blade. And there were bugs rifleman. He could hardly wait to share in everywhere. Believe it or not, there some of that glory himself, were centipedes that were a so, as soon as he graduated foot long. from high school, he enlisted “During the monsoon in the Marine Corps and months, the rain and the heat headed for boot camp at would rot the clothes right off Parris Island, S.C. He soon you. So we had to get them found that grinding replaced all the time.” toughness was fundamental In January of 1969, in becoming a Marine. Lawrence got hepatitis and was Then it was to Camp med evacuated by C-141 from Lejeune, N.C., to learn all Saigon to Alaska and then to a there was to know about hospital in Fort Dix, N.J. firing rifles, machine guns, From there, he spent two and rockets. That was months in the Philadelphia followed by a flight to Camp Naval Hospital. Pendleton, Calif., for When he recovered, he training specific to warfare in returned to Parris Island, Sgt. Richard G. Lawrence with South Vietnamese Vietnam. where he worked in the brig. soldier and captured enemy flag. Ready for combat, in Then he was transferred to the Philippines, where he served December 1967 he was flown for 18 months as a platoon sergeant to Da Nang, Vietnam, which was the with the responsibility of helping to site of the main U.S. airbase in secure the base. Vietnam, with U.S. Army, Air Force, There, the rebel Huks would try Navy, and Marine units. to steal anything in sight. One night, What was it like to find yourself he broke the arm and a leg of a Huk in Vietnam? who was trying to steal copper wire. With a thin grin, he says, “It told Then his hitch was up, and he us it was going to be rough, since the was flown to a hospital in Treasure base was under rocket attack as we Island, San Francisco, where he was arrived. I remember that a single treated for cluster warts that were the rocket killed everyone in two squads result of an infection he got while of Marines in one of the barracks serving in Vietnam. After two that night.” months, he was discharged from the He was assigned to Headquarters Richard Lawrence recuperating hospital and from the Marine Corps. Company, Service Battalion, 1st in Philadelphia Naval Hospital in January 1969. Marine Division. And the job of his He returned to Central unit was to provide protection for Pennsylvania and worked in military vehicles moving back and “We had a ton of equipment,” he construction for a while, but he was forth on Highway One, south of Da says, “and you had to carry it all. suffering from post-traumatic stress Nang. Ammo for your rifle and for a and was having recurring nightmares. Was that dangerous work? machine gun, one mortar round, cHe received treatment at the “Well,” he says, “it got pretty close rations, plastic poncho and liner, gas Harrisburg Outpatient Center and to me when one night I wasn’t able mask, and four canteens of water. then for four years at the Lebanon to pull my duty of guarding the main Believe me, it was a load! VA Medical Center, where he was gate of our camp, and the guy that “I headed a five-man fire team deemed to have a 100 percent replaced me got killed.” that once got gassed. I don’t know disability.
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It was then he turned to his lifelong interest in art. As a teenager, he had won a Gold Key in the Scholastic Art Show in high school. And even during his days in Vietnam, he had continued sketching, as he had time. Now he was able to pursue his art in earnest, and he became an established artist, with 20 of his pieces exhibited in the National Vietnam Veterans Art Museum in Chicago. His work has been displayed at the art
museums of several states, and he also provided the art for the book, Soldier’s Heart, which told the story of survivors’ views of combat trauma. He says that his time in Vietnam has led to the use of the very strong colors he uses in his artwork. So those years, as difficult as they were at the time, are very much with him today. Colonel Wilcox flew a B-17 bomber in Europe in World War II.
Walk to Cure Arthritis Let’s walk to find a cure for arthritis this spring by participating in the Arthritis Foundation Central PA Office’s 2014 Central Pennsylvania Arthritis Walk on Saturday, May 17. The walk will be held at the U.S. Army and Heritage Education Center, 950 Soldiers Drive, Carlisle. The Walk to Cure Arthritis is a noncompetitive, 5kilometer (3.1mile), or 1mile course with varying distance options to accommodate all levels of fitness. Come out with your friends, family members, coworkers, and even your dog. Individual walkers and teams are encouraged to walk in honor of a loved one with arthritis, while men, women, and children living with arthritis lead the way, wearing special blue honoree hats to signify their action in taking control of their condition. Individuals who raise $100 or more will receive a t-shirt. There will be a VIP and team tailgate party new this year. Any individual who raises $500 or more will be invited to the VIP area. Any team raising $1,000 or more will be invited to the team tailgate party. Arthritis affects more people than you might imagine. There are 52 million men and women in the United
States with doctor-diagnosed arthritis. Children are also affected. Nationwide, there are more than 300,000 children who suffer from a form of juvenile arthritis, 11,500 of whom live in Pennsylvania. Funds raised from the Walk to Cure Arthritis support hundreds of programs to help people prevent and control arthritis. It also funds promising arthritis research that is critical to finding new therapies, treatments, and eventually a cure for arthritis. The Arthritis Foundation is the only nationwide, nonprofit health organization helping people take greater control of arthritis by leading efforts to prevent, control, and cure arthritis and related diseases. The Arthritis Foundation also provides a large number of community-based services located nationwide to make life with arthritis easier and less painful. You may register online at www.arthritiswalkcentralpa.kintera.org. For more information on the Walk to Cure Arthritis, please contact Douglas Knepp at dknepp@arthritis.org or (717) 884-7525. Together we can change lives, and we look forward to seeing you at the Walk to Cure Arthritis in May.
omen’s Expo March 22, 2014 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. Hershey Lodge 325 University Drive, Hershey
Relax and unwind!
Women of all ages have enjoyed this fun-filled event! Health & Wellness Finance Home Nutrition Beauty ... plus Shopping Fashion Show Demonstrations and more!
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Art and Antiques by Dr. Lori
Collecting Glass Canning Jars Lori Verderame Lancaster
Celebrates Seniors
15th Annual
Two of your favorite events, together!
26th Annual
15th Annual FREE!
DAUPHIN COUNTY &
May 27, 2014
May 5, 2014 May 5–9, 2014 9 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Spooky Nook Sports
FREE!
NEW LOCATION!
9 a.m. – 2 p.m. Hershey Lodge 325 University Drive Hershey
2913 Spooky Nook Road Manheim (Just off Rt. 283 at the Salunga exit)
11th Annual
12th Annual
CHESTER COUNTY
June 10, 2014 9 a.m. – 2 p.m. FREE! Church Farm School 1001 East Lincoln Highway Exton
YORK COUNTY
Sept. 17, 2014 9 a.m. – 2 p.m. York Expo Center FREE! Memorial Hall East 334 Carlisle Avenue York
15th Annual
CUMBERLAND COUNTY
18th Annual
LANCASTER COUNTY
Oct. 22, 2014 FREE!
9 a.m. – 2 p.m. Carlisle Expo Center 100 K Street Carlisle
Nov. 5, 2014 FREE!
9 a.m. – 2 p.m. Spooky Nook Sports 2913 Spooky Nook Road Manheim
(Just off Rt. 283 at the Salunga exit)
Limited Sponsorship Opportunities Available
Exhibitors • Health Screenings • Seminars Entertainment • Door Prizes (717) 285-1350 • (717) 770-0140 (610) 675-6240
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he method of using glass jars to could be opened in a flash, the glass lids preserve food came about when were popular because they did not Napoleon Bonaparte's French present as many contamination problems military sponsored a contest. as did the common zinc lids. Many The French military offered a cash companies produced glass canning jars: prize of 12,000 francs to the person who Lustre, Climax, Atlas, Swayzee, Samco, devised a method to preserve food for etc. long periods of time. French inventor The Buffalo, N.Y., family named Ball Nicolas Appert was responsible for (the Ball jar), headed by William Charles introducing the heat-seal process of Ball and his five brothers, produced canning in the paint-and-oil early 1800s. He storage cans. From won the prize! a new factory in Later, glass jars Muncie, Ind., came of age. In following a fire at the late 1850s— their Buffalo 1858 to be facility, the Ball exact—when the Company began Mason fruit jar producing glass was patented by storage jars. tin smith John Like Mason jars, Mason, everything soon Ball jars changed in the became a household world of canning. name. While the The Mason jar majority of glass solved the foodcanning jars sell in preservation the $10 to $75 problem with the range, a Ball Photo courtesy of staff of www.DrLoriV.com th use of a lid and Perfection half-pint A 19 -century half-pint glass rubber seal. glass fruit-canning fruit-canning jar worth $60. Mason’s patent jar sold recently for was for the machine that cut tin into $600 at auction. threads, making it easy to manufacture a While both Mason and Ball took great jar with a reusable screw-top lid. Mason’s strides in the arena of glass canning jars, sealing mechanism, comprised of a glass Alexander Kerr made canning easier for container with a thread-molded top and those working in the kitchen with his a zinc lid with a rubber-seal ring, was introduction of wide-mouth/easy-to-fill patented on Nov. 30, 1858. self-sealing canning jars. Bacteria were killed by heating the jars His jars allowed a threaded metal ring in hot water and sealing the jar while still to stay in place during the heating hot. The heat-seal process gave glass jars process. These jars could be quickly filled an important place in the collectibles and reused, too. realm. When it comes to valuable glass Today, collectors look for glass canning jars, look for embossed pattern canning jars, also called fruit jars, for decoration and lettering advertising the canning and for kitchen decoration in origin and maker of the jar, clear the antiques market. condition, no cracks or chips, and the If you think one canning jar is no original accessory lid, seal ring, or clamp. different from another canning jar, then, Happy canning and collecting! think again …
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Clamped Glass Jars In 1882, Henry Putnam of Bennington, Vt., invented a glass canning jar that used a glass lid and a metal-clamp closure. Called lightning jars because they
Celebrity Ph.D. antiques appraiser, author, and award-winning TV personality, Dr. Lori hosts antiques appraisal events worldwide. Dr. Lori is the star appraiser on Discovery channel’s Auction Kings. To learn about your antiques: www.DrLoriV.com, www.Facebook.com/DoctorLori, @DrLori on Twitter, and (888) 431-1010.
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Medicare Manuals Updated to Rule Out Suspected ‘Improvement Standard’ should never be denied because a patient nationwide class of Medicare cannot be expected to achieve complete beneficiaries who were denied Medicare independence in self-care or to return to coverage and access to necessary his/her prior level of functioning. healthcare or therapy because they did “As with all not have sufficient components of potential for settlement improvement. Skilled care is covered agreements, the As a result of the by Medicare for Jimmo revisions are Jimmo settlement, not perfect,” says Medicare cannot be therapy and nursing Judith Stein, denied in a nursing to maintain a patient’s executive director of home, home care, condition or slow the Center for or outpatient Medicare Advocacy. therapy setting decline—not just for “But they do based on an improvement. make it absolutely “improvement clear that skilled standard.” care is covered by As CMS states in Medicare for therapy and nursing to the transmittal announcing the Jimmo maintain a patient’s condition or slow manual revisions: decline—not just for improvement.” The Jimmo case was brought in 2011 No “improvement standard” is to be by the Center for Medicare Advocacy applied in determining Medicare coverage and Vermont Legal Aid on behalf of a for maintenance claims that require skilled
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The Center for Medicare Advocacy recently announced that the Medicare policy manuals have been revised as a result of December’s Jimmo vs. Sebelius settlement. Published by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) in December, the manual revisions clarify that improvement is not required to obtain Medicare coverage for skilled nursing facilities (SNF), home healthcare (HH), or outpatient therapies (OPT). The manual revisions also improve coverage for people who require intense rehabilitation in inpatient rehabilitation facilities (IRF). Medicare determinations for skilled nursing facilities, home health, and outpatient therapy turn on the need for skilled care—not on the ability of an individual to improve. For patients in inpatient rehabilitation facilities, the manual revisions and CMS education campaign clarify that coverage
care. Medicare has long recognized that even in situations where no improvement is possible, skilled care may nevertheless be needed for maintenance purposes (i.e., to prevent or slow a decline in condition). The Center for Medicare Advocacy encourages people to appeal if they are told Medicare is not available for skilledmaintenance nursing or therapy because they are not improving. Information and self-help material are available on the center’s website (www.medicareadvocacy .org). Patients can also contact the Center for Medicare Advocacy or its website to obtain a card with key provisions from the new Medicare manuals to show their healthcare providers. More information is available on the center’s website (www.medicareadvocacy .org/medicare-info/improvement-standard) or by calling their national office at (860) 456-7790.
Calendar of Events
Lebanon County
Lebanon County Department of Parks and Recreation
Senior Center Activities
All events held at the Park at Governor Dick unless noted. March 2, 1 to 4 p.m. – Music by the Fireplace: Bluegrass and Country Music Jam March 23, 11 a.m. to noon – Orienteering for Beginners
Annville Senior Community Center – (717) 867-1796 200 S. White Oak St., Annville March 5, 11:45 a.m. – Program on Volunteer Opportunities March 17, 11 a.m. – St. Patrick’s Day Party March 26, 2 p.m. – Free Health Steps and Fall Prevention for Older Americans
Programs and Support Groups March 4, 1:15 to 2:15 p.m. Free Digital Planetarium Program for Senior Citizens: Black Holes Full Dome Show Cedar Crest High School 115 E. Evergreen Road, Lebanon Reservations at (717) 272-2033, ext. 5412 March 9, 2 p.m. One Book, One Community Celebration of Readers Lebanon Valley College Zimmerman Recital Hall 101 N. College Ave., Annville RSVP to (717) 867-6976 or onebookpa@gmail.com
Free and open to the public March 12, 10:15 to 11:15 a.m., March 20, 1:15 to 2:15 p.m. Free Digital Planetarium Program for Senior Citizens: History of the Telescope Cedar Crest High School 115 E. Evergreen Road, Lebanon Reservations at (717) 272-2033, ext. 5412 March 26, 6 to 7 p.m. Personal Care Family Support Group Linden Village 100 Tuck Court, Lebanon (717) 274-7400
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 Lebanon County! Email preferred to: mjoyce@onlinepub.com Let
www.50plusSeniorNewsPA.com
help you get the word out! (717) 285-1350
Maple Street Community Center – (717) 273-1048 710 Maple St., Lebanon March 5, 10:30 a.m. – First Monthly Pinochle Card Game March 7, 10 a.m. – Game Day March 26, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. – Bus Trip: Boutique Shopping and Breakfast Myerstown Senior Community Center – (717) 866-6786 51 W. Stoever Ave., Myerstown March 19, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. – Bus Trip: Hollywood Casino March 21, 8:30 p.m. – Breakfast, Elco High School Musical, Lunch March 28, 11:15 a.m. – 40th Anniversary Party at Prescott Banquet Hall Palmyra Senior Community Center – (717) 838-8237 101 S. Railroad St., Palmyra March 17, 10:30 a.m. – Irish Tea Social and Best Irish Accent Contest March 21, 10:15 a.m. to 4 p.m. – Bus Trip: Shady Maple and Good’s Store March 31, 10:30 a.m. – Bus Trip Fair Please contact your local center for scheduled activities.
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Leaving a Tip? Here’s How Much 43rd Annual
Lebanon Builders Show & Garden Faire Make your home … your dream castle. Come to the Lebanon Builders Show & Garden Faire! Landscapes. Lightscapes. Lots of Ideas. Learn something, too!
March 25-29 Tuesday-Thursday–5:30-9 p.m. • Friday–Noon-9 p.m. • Saturday–10 a.m.-3 p.m.
Lebanon Valley Expo Center–Cornwall & Rocherty Roads, Lebanon
Masseuse: 15-20 percent
How much to tip can seem as complicated as calculus. You don’t want to seem cheap, but you don’t want to overdo it—especially if money is tight. Here’s a quick, basic look at what’s expected in a variety of everyday situations:
Car valet: $2-$10 when picking up your car Room service: 1520 percent Skycap: $2 for the first bag, then $1 for each additional bag
Waiter/waitress (full service): 10-15 percent of the bill, before tax
Hotel housekeeper: $2-$3 per night (or more for a high-end hotel, or if you’ve got more than two other people staying with you)
Bartender: $1-$2 per drink, or 15-20 percent of the total tab Cleaning service: 15-20 percent per visit Hairstylist/barber: 15-20 percent
For more info: www.lebcobuilders.com
Taxi driver: 15 percent (depending on the city); an extra $1-$2 if the driver helps with any bags
Special program from Hershey Zoo on Saturday beginning at 11 a.m.
Visit Our Website At:
BUY ONE TICKET, GET ONE FREE WITH THIS AD
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(On Tues., March 25th only. Without ad: $5.00) Free Parking Gate proceeds are used in the Lebanon County Builders Association Scholarship Program
Central Pennsylvania’s Award-Winning 50+ Publication
On-Line Publishers, Inc. and the Lancaster County Office of Aging have teamed up to bring you
15th annual
26th annual
Lancaster County 50plus EXPO
Lancaster Senior Games
Boomers, seniors, caregivers and their families welcome.
www.50plusExpoPA.com
Spooky Nook Sports
2913 Spooky Nook Road, Manheim
Monday May 5, 2014 Sponsored by:
Platinum
(Just off Rt. 283, Salunga exit)
New Dates and Location! Travel
Gold
Silver Brethren Village • Charles F Snyder Funeral Home & Crematory, Inc. • Gateway Health Gentiva Home Health • The Groffs Family Funeral Home & Cremation Services, Inc. Heart of Lancaster and Lancaster Regional Medical Centers Lancashire Hall Nursing Center & Rehabilitation Center • Landis Communities Long Community at Highland • Masonic Village • Mennonite Home Communities Pennsylvania Lottery • Regional Gastroenterology Associates of Lancaster (RGAL) United Zion Retirement Community
Contact us today about sponsor and exhibitor information!
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exclusively for Lancaster County residents 55+ www.LancSeniorGames.org
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Monday thru Friday May 5–9, 2014 Bronze Albright LIFE • AseraCare Hospice • Central Penn Nursing Care, Inc. Conestoga View Nursing and Rehabilitation • CPRS Physical Therapy Easton Coach Company • Elite Coach • Lancaster County LINK Longwood Manor Personal and Memory Care PA Home Care of Lancaster • Pennsylvania Captioned Telephone Relay Service Senior Living at Lancaster • St. Anne's Retirement Community Visiting Angels of Lancaster County
717.285.1350 • email info@50plusExpoPA.com
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Living for the Long Term
A special section featuring some of Central Pennsylvania’s many options for long-term care.
Savvy Senior
Paying for Nursing-Home Care with Medicaid Jim Miller Dear Savvy Senior, What are the eligibility requirements to get Medicaid coverage for nursing-home care? – Looking Ahead Dear Looking, The rules and requirements for Medicaid eligibility for nursing-home care are somewhat complicated and will vary according to the state you live in. With that said, here’s a general, simplified rundown of what it takes to qualify, along with some resources you can turn to for help. Medicaid Rules Medicaid, the federal and state joint program that covers healthcare for the poor, is also the largest single payer of America’s nursing-home bills for seniors who don’t have the resources to pay for their own care. Most people who enter nursing homes don’t qualify for Medicaid at first but pay for care either through long-term care insurance or out of pocket until they deplete their savings and become eligible for Medicaid. To qualify for Medicaid, your income and assets will need to be under a certain level that’s determined by your state. Most states require that a person have no more than about $2,000 in countable assets that include cash, savings,
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investments, or other financial resources that can be turned into cash. Assets that aren’t counted for eligibility include your home if it’s valued under $543,000 (this limit is higher—up to $814,000—in some states), your personal possessions and household goods, one vehicle, prepaid funeral plans, and a small amount of life insurance. But be aware that while your home is not considered a countable asset to determine your eligibility, if you can’t return to your home, Medicaid can go after the proceeds of your house to help reimburse your nursing-home costs, unless your spouse or other dependent relative lives there. (There are some other exceptions to this rule.) After qualifying, all sources of your income, such as Social Security and pension checks, must be turned over to Medicaid to pay for your care, except for a small personal-needs allowance— usually between $30 and $90.
You also need to be aware that you can’t give away your assets to qualify for Medicaid faster. Medicaid officials will look at your financial records going back five years to root out suspicious asset transfers. If they find one, your Medicaid coverage will be delayed a certain length of time, according to a formula that divides the transfer amount by the average monthly cost of nursing-home care in your state. So if, for example, you live in a state where the average monthly nursing-home cost is $5,000 and you gave away cash or other assets worth $100,000, you would be ineligible for benefits for 20 months ($100,000 divided by $5,000 = 20). Spousal Protection Medicaid also has special rules for married couples when one spouse enters a nursing home and the other spouse remains at home. In these cases, the
healthy spouse can keep one half of the couple’s assets up to $117,240 (this amount varies by state), the family home, all the furniture and household goods, and one automobile. The healthy spouse is also entitled to keep a portion of the couple’s monthly income—between $1,938 and $2,931. Any income above that goes toward the cost of the nursing-home recipient’s care. What about Medicare? Medicare, the federal health insurance program for seniors 65 and older and some younger people with disabilities, does not pay for long-term care. It only helps pay up to 100 days of “rehabilitative” nursing-home care, which must occur after a hospital stay. Get Help Again, Medicaid rules are complicated and vary by state, so contact the local Medicaid office (call (800) 633-4227 for contact information) for eligibility details. You can also get help from your State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP), which provides free counseling on all Medicare and Medicaid issues. To find a local SHIP counselor, visit www.shiptalk.org or call (800) 677-1116. Jim Miller is a regular contributor to the NBC Today show and author of The Savvy Senior Book. www.savvysenior.org
With a 90-year history of service, StoneRidge Retirement Living offers the strength of care in a resort-style setting. Located in Myerstown, our community provides independent living, aging-in-place home care, personal care, and skilled nursing. We also have a variety of amenities including an indoor pool and wellness center, three dining venues, a theater, an ice cream shop, and much more. Check us out today, and you’ll see why this is Living!
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Tinseltown Talks
The Real Rod Serling Nick Thomas t’s been called one of the most influential programs in the history of television drama. The Twilight Zone, an anthology series that aired in the early 1960s, was created by Rod Serling (19241975), a veteran of radio and World War II. Both influenced his career as a writer. “When he returned from war in the Philippines, he went to college and wrote for the campus radio station,” daughter Anne Serling recently recalled to me. “He later wrote plays for commercial radio, then television. He said writing was a way to get the war trauma ‘out of his gut.’” During the show’s five-year run, Serling was executive producer and chief writer, penning more than half the approximately 150 episodes. But he is best remembered as the program’s stonefaced host, whose foreboding narrations introduced the show each week. In biographies after his death, the master storyteller of chilling sci-fi and
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Photo courtesy of Jerry Sroka Photo courtesy of Anne Serling
Anne Serling with her father, Rod Serling, in the early 1970s.
Mariette Hartley and Robert Lansing in the Twilight Zone episode, “The Long Morrow.”
Serling and the Twilight Zone icon.
fantasy tales was often described as dark and depressed, inaccuracies that led Anne “to set the record straight” in her own book about her father. “He was described as a tortured soul, but that wasn’t my father at all,” said Anne, who published As I Knew Him: My Dad, Rod Serling in 2013. “Although the war left scars, he was also a very positive, fun, down-to-earth person. My friends adored him, and any apprehension they had about meeting him would instantly dissolve because he could make anyone feel at ease. He was brilliantly funny at home, a great practical joker, and was always at the dinner table each night.” As a child, Anne had little knowledge of her father’s career. “I knew he was a writer but didn’t know what he wrote about until I was about 7. Some mean boy on the school please see SERLING page 12
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Social Security News
Are Your Social Security Benefits Taxable? By John Johnston f you’ve recently begun receiving Social Security benefits or plan to apply in the near future, you may be wondering this tax season: Are Social Security benefits taxable? The short answer is: sometimes. Some people have to pay federal income taxes on their Social Security benefits. This usually happens only if you have other substantial income (such as wages, selfemployment, interest, dividends, and other taxable income that must be reported on your tax return) in addition to your Social Security benefits. There is never a case when a person pays tax on more than 85 percent of his or her Social Security benefits, based on Internal Revenue Service (IRS) rules. Now, let’s get down to the numbers.
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• If you file a federal tax return as an individual and your income is between
$25,000 and $34,000, you may have to pay income tax on up to 50 percent of your benefits. • If your income is more than $34,000, then up to 85 percent of your benefits may be taxable. • If you are married and you file a joint return, and you and your spouse have a combined income that is between $32,000 and $44,000, you may have to pay income tax on up to 50 percent of your benefits. • If your combined income is more than $44,000, then up to 85 percent of your benefits may be taxable. Note that your “income” for the purpose of determining whether you must pay taxes on some of your Social Security benefits includes your adjusted gross income, your nontaxable interest, and one-half of your Social Security benefits. In January, you should have received a
Free Tax Assistance Offered Through April 15 of each year, the AARP Tax-Aide program offers free oneon-one counseling as well as assistance on the telephone and Internet to help individuals prepare basic tax forms, including the 1040, 1040A, 1040EZ, and other standard documents. The following are locations in your area. Please call for an appointment or visit www.aarp.org/money/taxaide for more information. Lebanon Senior Citizen Center 710 Maple St., Lebanon
Tuesdays and Thursdays 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. (717) 274-2596 Myerstown Senior Center 21 W. Stoever Ave., Myerstown Tuesdays, 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. (717) 274-2596 Saint Luke’s Episcopal Church 22 S. Sixth St., Lebanon Saturdays, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. (717) 274-2596
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Social Security benefit statement showing the amount of benefits you received last year. You can use this statement, or SSA1099, when completing your federal income tax return to find out whether some of your benefits are subject to federal income tax. If you didn’t receive yours, you can request one at www.socialsecurity.gov/1099.
So, are your Social Security benefits taxable? Maybe. To learn more, read page 14 of our booklet, Retirement Benefits, available at www.socialsecurity.gov/pubs or visit www.irs.gov to obtain more detailed information on the subject. John Johnston is a Social Security public affairs specialist.
Celebrate Those Strongly Tied Knots!
Are you or is someone you know commemorating a special anniversary this year? Let 50plus Senior News help spread your news—for free! We welcome your anniversary announcements and photos. Anniversaries may be marking any number of years 15 and over. (Fields marked with an * are required.) *Anniversary (No. of years) _________________________________________ *Contact name __________________________________________________ E-mail ________________________ *Daytime phone ___________________ *Husband’s full name _____________________________________________ Occupation (If retired, list former job and No. of years held)___________________ _____________________________________________________________ *Wife’s full maiden name __________________________________________ Occupation (If retired, list former job and No. of years held)___________________ _____________________________________________________________ *Couple’s current city and state __________________________________________ *Marriage date_____________ Location ______________________________ Children (name and city/state for each)_________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ Number of grandchildren________ Number of great-grandchildren___________ Photos must be at least 4x6'' and/or 300 dpi if submitted digitally. Completed information and photo can be emailed to mjoyce@onlinepub.com or mailed to:
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SERLING
from page 10
playground asked if I was ‘something out of The Twilight Zone,’ but I had no idea what that meant because I wasn’t allowed to watch much TV during the week— my mother’s rule! “A few years later, we watched ‘Nightmare at 20,000 Feet’ together, the episode where William Shatner sees a gremlin on an airplane wing. I remember looking at my father and thinking, ‘This is what you write?’ It was a bit scary.” Praised for his original fiction writing, Serling was also highly respected for raising social issues in some episodes, although controversial topics were subject to the censors’ whim. So he frequently concealed his intent in fantasy. “He famously once said he could have aliens say things that Democrats and Republicans couldn’t,” Anne recalled. Several Twilight Zone actors also shared vivid memories of Serling. Theodore Bikel is well known to fans of My Fair Lady as Henry Higgins’ rival linguist, the nosey Zoltan Karpathy. In July 1960, Austrian-born Bikel appeared on a Hollywood TV talk show, Caucus with Backus, and was verbally assailed by fellow guests: glamorous silent-film actress Corinne Griffith and beloved character-actor Adolphe Menjou.
Rod Serling CBS press photo
Rod Serling chats with Charlton Heston on the set of Planet of the Apes with director Franklin Schaffner.
The cover of Anne Serling’s book, As I Knew Him, which she wrote to set the record straight about her father.
“We were talking politics and they said I had no right to open my mouth because I wasn’t born in this country,” recalled Bikel. Appalled, Serling appeared on a later program defending Bikel’s right to freedom of speech. “I will never forget how Rod came to my defense. I later appeared in The
Eager to ‘spring’ to a new destination?
Twilight Zone episode ‘Four O’Clock’ in 1962.” Ann Jillian and Mariette Hartley were teenagers when they first met Serling. “I was 13 when I starred in the episode ‘Mute,’” Jillian recalled. “I was very excited about doing the popular show. Mr. Serling made me feel at ease and didn’t talk down to me.”
And after seeing him on TV, a gutsy 14-year-old Mariette Hartley telephoned Serling and asked him to speak to her Connecticut high school drama club. “He said he would be delighted, and I can still see him sitting in the teacher’s desk at the front of the classroom talking to us,” Hartley said. “Years later, when I started working in Hollywood, I met him again when his limousine pulled up as I was walking out the studio. He remembered coming to my class. I told him I was looking for work, and within a couple of months he gave me the wonderful gift of working in ‘The Long Morrow’ episode.” Today, Serling continues to inspire other moviemakers. J.J. Abrams, director of the new Star Trek films, has called The Twilight Zone a big influence on his career and reportedly has secured the rights to adapt Serling’s last, neverproduced script, The Stops Along the Way. Until then, Rod Serling’s work is still available for your viewing pleasure, almost nightly, on classic TV cable channels … in The Twilight Zone. 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
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CROSSWORD
Solutions for all puzzles can be found on page 14
WORD SEARCH
Across
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27. Moorehead of TV’s Bewitched 29. Consumed 31. Emulator 34. Provoke 35. Actor’s line 39. Like some computer files, at times 41. Ebbed 43. Unnatural 44. Way of life 45. Admiration 46. Singleton 48. Terrestrial lizard
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Bond Conveyor Consumption Pinch Compass point Hotshot The Black Cat writer Blunder Crete mountain Condensation Dutch commune Brazilian port Storm Gr. letter Caress
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DANCE
from page 1
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Club four years meeting other Scenes from “Fashion and Dance through the Ages”: ago when a artists through member invited their programs Kaufhold to and events,” she perform one of said. her dance shows, At its height “Dancing in the ’50s, the through the club had about Decades,” at a 600 members. club luncheon. Today, the Originally her number is closer written thesis to 90, but it is Feathered and fringed flappers from the 1920s project that still a dedicated compared and productive women’s fashion group of women. with concurrent “It makes me dance styles feel good to have through the first the chance to half of the 20th work with ladies century, the show who care about has since been their community expanded to and give back to Two dancers truckin’ in the 1940s include additional the community,” decades and said Kaufhold. renamed “Fashion “They have and Dance knowledge that I through the can grow from.” Ages.” Now in her “It’s turned out second year as to be an program entertaining director, history lesson Kaufhold’s main through music, duty is to find dance, and and schedule costumes,” said interesting Kaufhold, also a artists, poets, The polyester and disco dance fever talented craftspeople, of the 1970s seamstress. “[The musicians, show] is popular historians, and at retirement villages as well as schools.” dancers for the club, which offers its After her first Iris Club performance, members opportunities for community Kaufhold said she was flattered to be service by promoting educational asked to become a member. (Unlike a pursuits and creativity. century ago, however, membership is no In addition to its internal longer by invitation only.) Since then, programming, which Kaufhold the highly popular show returned in coordinates, The Iris Club hosts events spring 2013 as an Iris Club fundraiser. and fundraisers open to the local public. “The people are great, the building is “I also help plan special weekend a lovely mansion, and I really enjoy events throughout the year, such as
Pancakes with Santa, Pancakes with the Easter Bunny, the Fairytale Ball, themed dinners, and dance concert fundraisers,” Kaufhold said. Kaufhold is also a board member of The Iris Club and promotes the arts and volunteerism through partnerships with other community organizations. In 2012, while teaching at the local school of ballet, Kaufhold learned that the tenants of the old armory building, which included the ballet school, would have to relocate as the building was going up for sale. “I knew The Iris Club had lovely wooden floors, and the club was looking for rental income,” she said. “I thought the ballet company and The Iris Club would be a great fit and benefit mutually.” The ballet company now splits its class time between its nearby studio and The Iris Club. Kaufhold is grateful for the support of her husband, Jeffrey, and their three children, who have followed in their mother’s volunteer path. “All three have helped out with costumes backstage, crafts with camps, and Pancakes with Santa and the Easter Bunny over the years,” said Kaufhold. “Other children love them, and I just like having my kids around while I’m working on a show or project.” She also enjoys being around the other members of The Iris Club and is thankful that the women have entrusted her with bringing in entertaining and educational programming. “Their energy seems endless, and I realize I can’t complain around them,” she laughed. “I’m constantly in awe of these ladies. I’d be happy to accomplish half of what most of these Iris Club ladies have accomplished in their life!” For more information, contact The Iris Club at (717) 394-7811 or visit www.irisclublancasterpa.com.
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anniversary at the same location, greater than any other club in the state. Kaufhold has an extensive career in dance, theater, and performance direction. She runs the Millersville Costume Shop, where she began working shortly after graduating from American University in 1984 with a degree in performance/dance. She earned a graduate degree in dance and design at George Washington University while starting her family and continued to manage the costume shop during the 15 years she worked as professional company director of Kinetics Dance Theatre in Ellicott City, Md. “The Costume Shop combines all of my interests in crafts, sewing, design, theater, dance, etc.,” Kaufhold said. In 2013, Kaufhold expanded her creative foothold further when she started the Barefoot Dance Company, which includes dancers ranging in age from 13 to 55. Born in Boulder, Colo., with a childhood spent in Williamstown, Mass., Kaufhold’s family moved to Central Pennsylvania in 1968 when her father accepted a geography-professor position at Millersville University. Kaufhold’s artistic genes come honestly. Her mother directed and choreographed high-school musicals, operas, Girl Scout jamborees, and shows at the Fulton Opera House. She also taught modern dance at the YMCA and as a dance professor at Franklin & Marshall College. “I grew up going to my mom’s shows with my brothers and father to support my mother’s work,” Kaufhold said. “This has shaped my goal to create dances and shows that are entertaining—not just to people who want to attend, but their brothers, fathers, sisters, and other relations who come to shows because they have to.” Kaufhold connected with The Iris
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Traveltizers
Travel Appetizers: Stories that Whet the Appetite for Travel
Agritourism and Adventure in ‘The Valley of the World’ By Andrea Gross ’m perched atop a bench of hay, which in turn is sitting atop a flatbed wagon. Our guide, Chris Bunn, owner of The Farm, hitches a tractor to the wagon, and we begin our ride along dirt roads bordered by fields of romaine lettuce on one side and rows of strawberries on the other. This is the fertile landscape of central California’s Salinas Valley. In this area, just two hours south of San Francisco, farmers grow the majority of the nation’s greens, including 80 percent of the lettuce and most of the spinach, broccoli, and artichokes. Over the next several days, as we wander through the fields, roadside stands, and farmers markets, I salivate over gargantuan heads of lettuce, delicate bunches of broccolini, and artichokes that range from 1-pound jumbos to 2ounce minis. Per acre, Salinas Valley has the most valuable agricultural land on the planet. Evan Oakes takes us on an Ag Venture Tour, which helps us understand how this produce gets to market. At one large farm we watch men and women cleanse the produce for packaging. A few miles down the road, we see them crate the packages for distribution. They move quickly, as the greens must reach their destination before the lettuce wilts or the artichoke leaves brown. Oakes explains that the Salinas Valley is lucky. Much of the Salinas River, which runs north-northwest through the valley, flows underground, thus providing abundant water to an area that gets less than an inch of rainfall between May and September. The river empties into a spot near Monterey Bay, a few miles north of Salinas, and it’s here, where the fresh water of the river meets the salt water of the bay, that we begin our ride through Elkhorn Slough. Captain Yohn Gideon greets us as we board the 27-foot pontoon and explains that we’re about to embark on a dual mission. First, we’re going to enjoy ourselves (no problem!), and second, we’re going to collect data for the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, the Audubon Society, and other respected institutions. He hands out counters and asks me to
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A sea otter plays with a clamshell in Elkhorn Slough, one of California’s largest areas of undisturbed wetlands.
Artichokes with thorns are tastier than the thornless variety.
More than 300 species of birds, 400 species of invertebrates, and 100 species of fish have been spotted in Elkhorn Slough.
Ana Melissa, owner of The Bakery Station, makes it a point to buy strawberries and other produce from local farmers.
Whale watching is a favorite activity in Monterey Bay, where folks can spot humpback whales, gray whales, blue whales, and sometimes even killer whales.
Produce is crated and shipped to destinations throughout the United States.
The National Steinbeck Center features a large display on East of Eden, one of Pulitzer Prize-winning author John Steinbeck’s most renowned books. The book is set in Salinas Valley, where the author was born and grew up.
keep track of otters and other passengers to count sea lions, seals, and a variety of birds. We’ve been out less than five minutes when Laura, the on-board naturalist, spies an otter. Click.
A minute later we see an entire raft of the creatures lounging on a rock. Click, click, click, click. At the end of our tour, he reads our totals. In less than two hours, we’ve seen
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68 otters, 24 sea lions, 181 harbor seals, and hundreds of birds, including loons, herons, pelicans, cormorants, and shorebirds galore. “Good job,” says Gideon, and I puff with pride. Now I can add “research scientist” to my resume. We’re equally fortunate the next day when we go on a whale-watching expedition. By the time our 45-foot boat is 10 miles from shore, we’re surrounded—literally surrounded—by whales that are as long as, or even longer than, our boat. We see the blow, the tail, and the breach—all at close range. One whale breaks off from its buddies and dives deep on the left side of our boat, only to surface a minute later on the right. He’s so close I can see the sheen of his skin, which is marred by scars and has a patch covered with barnacles. Finally, back on dry land, we delve into the history of Salinas Valley, a place that’s been well documented, albeit in a “novel” way, by renowned author John Steinbeck. Steinbeck, who was born and grew up in the area, told a friend that his goal was “to write the story of this whole valley, of all the little towns and all the farms and the ranches in the wilder hills … I would like to do it so that it would be the valley of the world.” To see how Steinbeck achieved his goal, we visit the National Steinbeck Center, where a variety of exhibits explore the relationship between the author’s life and writings. One of his books, the Pulitzer Prizewinning Grapes of Wrath, depicts the plight of migrant farmers who, like the grandparents of many of today’s most successful producers, came to California in the ’30s. Another, East of Eden, was written for his sons, partly to teach them about good and evil but also to show them the land in which their father grew up. It is, he said, “a sort of autobiography of the Salinas Valley.” The Valley has come a long way since Steinbeck’s time. But as he wished, it can, at least agriculturally speaking, be called “The Valley of the World.” www.destinationsalinas.com Photos © Irv Green unless otherwise noted; story by Andrea Gross (www.andreagross.com). S
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Get screened for colon cancer.
March is National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer deaths in America among cancers that affect both men and women. Over 50,000 Americans die of the disease every year. Regular screening tests could save many of those lives by finding precancerous polyps that can be removed before they turn to cancer or by finding cancer early when treatment often leads to a cure. Your risk of getting colorectal cancer increases with age. More than 9 in 10 cases occur in people who are 50 years old or older. Talk with your doctor or call Good Samaritan Digestive Health Specialists today to schedule your colorectal cancer screening. Good Samaritan Digestive Health Specialists provide convenient and quick scheduling for colonoscopies and other colorectal cancer screening tests. Our highly-skilled and experienced team not only has the expertise you deserve, but also the understanding to help ease your concerns. That’s powerful medicine and comforting care. Only at Good Samaritan.
Good Samaritan Digestive Health Specialists | 761 Norman Drive | Lebanon, PA | 717.376.1180 | www.gshleb.org/digestivehealth
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