March 2017 | DC Beacon

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VOL.29, NO.3

It’s never too late to get healthy

Health disparities First, they wrote Prime Time: The African American Woman’s Complete Guide to Midlife Health and Wellness, which rocketed to the top of Essence magazine’s bestseller chart.

The book focuses on health areas in

COURTESY OF GASTON & PORTER HEALTH IMPROVEMENT CENTER

By Barbara Ruben A few years ago, Gertie Elam lost her job as a federal contractor, and soon after that had surgery for colon cancer.

“It was a very difficult time in my life. I was so stressed, not getting enough sleep, worrying about what would happen,” said Elam, who lives in Suitland, Md. A friend at church suggested Elam join a support group she co-facilitated called Prime Time Sister Circles — not just to help manage her stress, but to instill healthier habits as well.

The program, begun by two local doctors in 2003, offers 12-week classes at no charge for African American women ages 40 to 75.

Later this year, its founders — Dr. Marilyn Gaston, a former Assistant U.S. Surgeon General, and Dr. Gayle Porter, a clinical psychologist formerly on the faculty of Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and senior mental health advisor at the American Institutes for Research — will start groups for women of all ethnicities.

The two doctors started the Sister Circles after they realized there was a paucity of health information for black women at midlife. The two were already friends 20 years ago, when they appeared on the same BET show, speaking about this demographic.

When they got back to their offices the next morning, they had piles of messages from viewers asking for advice and looking for more information.

“We started looking for a repository of information, and there wasn’t one,” Porter recalled. “I was at Hopkins and Marilyn was at NIH, and there was nothing that you could pick up and say, ‘these are issues related specifically to midlife black women.’”

So they decided to forge their own path to helping women during a period in their lives when they may be stressed with careers, caregiving for aging parents and/or grandchildren, and facing illnesses caused by poor lifestyle choices.

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LEISURE & TRAVEL

Québec City: for all things French without going to France; plus, inexpensive, but worthy, Rust Belt destinations, and what’s new with economy airplane seating page 46

ARTS & STYLE

Dr. Gayle Porter (left) and Dr. Marilyn Gaston created Prime Time Sister Circles to help older African American women improve their physical and emotional health. The circles are facilitated by the nonprofit Gaston & Porter Health Improvement Center, and work to spread recommendations from the doctors’ 2001 book, Prime Time: The African American Woman’s Complete Guide to Midlife Health and Wellness.

which black women have statistically poorer outcomes — from high blood pressure to diabetes. The book, whose first edition came out in 2001, published graphs that delineated the stark disparities in life expectancy and health between older white and African American women.

In the 16 years since the book was published, statistics still paint a bleak picture and serve as a wake-up call to women to make changes in their lives, Gaston said.

Nationally, diabetes affects 1 in 4 African American women 55 years and older, and is the fourth-leading cause of death for all ages, according to the Black Women’s Health Imperative.

About four out of five black women are overweight or obese. More than half have high blood pressure, according to Gaston.

Not surprisingly, these factors affect life expectancy, and lead to a great disparity in the local area in particular.

A report issued by Georgetown University last year found that black females in the District of Columbia have a life expectancy of 76.2 years compared to 85.2 years for white females — the widest gap in the nation, Gaston said.

The Georgetown study also found that African American residents of Washington, D.C., both male and female, are six times more likely than white residents to die from diabetes-related complications. They are also twice as likely to die from coronary heart disease and stroke. Black women are 1.5 times more likely to die from breast cancer.

See SISTER CIRCLES, page 21

A top-notch Show Boat cruises into Toby’s Dinner Theatre; plus, Annette Bening on her current film, 20th Century Women, and Bob Levey on bad Internet dates page 61 TECHNOLOGY 4 k Is your fridge eavesdropping?

FITNESS & HEALTH 9 k Your mind’s supposed to wander k Thyroid problems easily solved LAW & MONEY 32 k Best foreign stock funds k How to file your taxes for free SPOTLIGHT ON AGING k Newsletter for D.C. seniors

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LIFETIMES 53 k Newsletter of the Charles E. Smith Life Communities ADVERTISER DIRECTORY

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M A R C H 2 0 1 7 — WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N

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Letters to the editor Readers are encouraged to share their opinion on any matter addressed in the Beacon as well as on political and social issues of the day.

Mail your Letter to the Editor to The Beacon, P.O. Box 2227, Silver Spring, MD 20915, or e-mail to barbara@thebeaconnewspapers.com.

Please include your name, address and telephone number for verification.

Publisher’s note: As promised, we present this month a selection from the many lengthy letters to the editor we received in response to my recent columns on Social Security and assisted suicide. To provide more space, I am refraining from penning a new column this month.

Dear Editor: Regarding your February “From the publisher,” there are much better and simpler arguments regarding death penalty and assisted suicide.

Against death penalty: • It’s fallible and irreversible. Enough people have been exonerated from death row to make it extremely likely that innocent people have been executed.

• Delays and repeated appeals make it more expensive than life imprisonment.

In favor of permitting assisted suicide: • It avoids government and religious intrusion into the most personal decision possible.

• It provides/preserves personal autonomy regarding quality-of-life.

• It’s supervised/controlled with multiple independent verifications of free will,

sound mind and intent.

You strangely conflate dignity of life for a convicted criminal and someone suffering intractable disease. For the former, there are better arguments against execution than dignity. For the latter, who’s to evaluate dignity but the sufferer? And where’s the dignity in a prolonged death imposed by others?

Gabe Goldberg Falls Church, Va. Dear Editor: I hear your discussions with Eric Stewart on Mr. Stewart’s Sunday morning program, which I have listened to for many years, and located your [January 2017 From the Publisher column about Social Security] on your website.

I opened the link to Wharton’s policy position on saving Social Security.

The Wharton position does not address the most important and critical change: the Federal government must immediately stop spending the FICA tax withholdings!

No more issuing Treasury bonds in exchange for the FICA taxes. Invest the funds in a highly diversified stock market

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fund. Had this occurred fifty years ago, today’s problem would not exist.

Wharton offers six solutions to the Social Security deficit. [One is the] Progressive Benefit Reduction. This is the ‘Means Test’ analysis, i.e., your benefit will be based on your other income and likely net worth.

This idea upsets me greatly. I started working when I was 8 years old, living on a dairy farm. I had my first paying job cleaning the coal bin at the local high school at age 13. At age 17, I was working construction, and had a family and children by age 20.

I began paying into Social Security before the enactment of the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC). My very low income was not “means tested,” and during my struggles for many years my FICA was withheld from my paycheck no matter how difficult our finances were.

In 1989, I was unemployed, work was scarce where I was living, and I was offered a good job in another state. I moved my family of my wife and four small children, only to discover that the employer had offered me the position in hopes of landing a contract in which he would need someone with my skills, but he was not awarded the contract.

We literally had spent every dollar and borrowed some to move. We had not a dollar to our name. I swallowed my pride and applied for food stamps, but since we had not established the necessary 90-day residency, we were denied.

That night I heard my children cry themselves to sleep because they were hungry. That was nearly 30 years ago, but I am reduced to shame every time I recall the sound. The government did not “means test” my income when I finally returned to work; no, I paid the required FICA regardless of my means to pay, which in those days was quite limited.

Hell has not seen a day so cold as when I, and millions of others, will sit silent when the government “means tests” our Social Security. I will do everything legally in my power to object.

If the government wishes to save Social Security, several tangible and necessary steps must be enacted: A. As described above, the immediate stop to the Congressional spending of FICA tax receipts. Invest the funds in a highly diversified stock market account managed by professional managers.

B. Eliminate the national debt by cutting the federal budget. The reductions to federal agencies would replace those Social Security funds wasted on agencies over the years.

C. Eliminate fraud in the Social Security system. Find and punish those who have unlawfully received Social Security benefits, including a permanent ban on future benefits.

D. Taxing other than earned income.

Perhaps real estate transactions, the sale of stocks and other investments, even 501(c) organizations should be taxed on their receipts. (Frankly, I think the 501(c) provision is the tax code has been so mis-

used it should be eliminated.)

Congress has avoided this disaster for too long. The changes necessary to save Social Security will require many difficult and painful choices. Hopefully (but unlikely) Congress will be forced to change Social Security’s underlying fundamentals.

I enjoy the Beacon. Quite thought provoking!

Louis Peasley Springfield, Va. Dear Editor: I would like to offer you some of my thoughts about your outstanding editorial (“Dignity vs. quality of life,” From the Publisher, February 2017).

As for application of the death penalty: I am in support of it, under certain rather controlled constraints. The question of actual guilt must be absolutely clear, as with Dylann Roof, the young man who killed nine church members in Charleston S.C. There is no question of his guilt, including the fact that he admitted he did it, and was found to be mentally capable.

I am not in support of the death penalty for cases where the verdict is based upon legal operations, possibly extenuating circumstances. I am only for the death penalty for people who deliberately killed one or more of their fellow human beings.

The penalty for their action should be death, and it should be done in a way that works all the time, is swift and painless.

This is by firing squad. Death is instantaneous.

I can see no reason to support a life sentence. There should be a penalty for killing someone, under the constraints that I have noted above, and letting them live in relative comfort until they die of natural causes seems inappropriate.

As for assisted suicide: I am for it under certain conditions.

While religion (all kinds and types) believes in the sanctity of human life (I do too), I believe that it is eventually the decision of the person who will be affected. It is not the decision of, nor is permission required from, any other person or government.

There are conditions, however. Any person who wishes to take their own life should be allowed to do so under certain conditions.

First, they must be mentally competent.

Old people (like me) may have lost their ability to reason clearly, and because of their wealth and estate, may have pressure on them from their family to take their own life. There should be some legal investigation to make sure that people who wish to take their own life are doing so without family or external pressures.

You point out that in Holland, people may voluntarily end their lives. This seems reasonable to me.

As an example, consider the implications of the growth of Alzheimer’s disease.

There is no cure, or even mitigation of the advance. Eventually people die from it.

If I am ever diagnosed with Alzheimer’s See LETTERS TO EDITOR, page 26

WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N — M A R C H 2 0 1 7

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M A R C H 2 0 1 7 — WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N

Technology &

Innovations Voice-activated assistants do your bidding

By Mae Anderson Does your home really need a “smart speaker” that can answer questions, call you an Uber, turn off the lights, or play music when you ask? You may be about to find out.

Two years ago, Amazon introduced the Amazon Echo, an unassuming, $180 cylinder that sits atop a kitchen counter or bookshelf, acting as a personal assistant that listens to you and does your bidding.

Initially, the gadget’s main purpose was a little difficult to discern. But Echo and its Alexa voice-recognition software have since become a sleeper hit, with millions sold.

The Echo’s hands-free operation filled an undiscovered niche in the smart-home universe. Users can just say the wake word

“Alexa” and direct it to do a task, such as turn on lights or set a timer. Alexa can also respond to requests verbally, using its encyclopedic database to answer a variety of questions.

The fact that you don’t need to use a smartphone or tablet to activate Alexa sets it apart from other smart home systems, like those offered by Samsung or Apple.

Then last fall, Echo got some competition. Google is selling a similar smart speaker called Google Home, priced at $129. It performs many of the same tasks as Echo, including playing music and fielding questions, plus controlling compatible lights and appliances.

The Google Assistant that works with

Home will also be able to access your Google Calendar, Google Maps and other services, if you allow.

Learning new skills One key to the Echo’s success was Amazon’s willingness to work with third-party software developers, allowing it to add new functions each week, making it easy for owners of the speaker to discover new ways to use it. (It launched with a few dozen socalled ‘skills’ and now has thousands.)

“Initially we got it for music,” said Brian Bishop, a business analyst in Tomball, Texas, whose family uses two Echos. “Later, when it controlled the lights and fans and outlets, that just made it even better.”

Apple and Google have also opened up their personal assistants — Apple’s Siri and Google Assistant — so that third-party developers can create new features for them. Sony is working on Xperia Agent, a digital assistant that connects to devices in the home.

All these companies are chasing the smart-home market, which could grow to be a $71 billion global industry by 2018, up from $33 billion in 2013 and $25 billion in 2012, according to Juniper Research.

Interest in smart homes appears to be rising as more people become enamored with their smartphones. A recent online survey of more than 4,600 adults in the U.S. See SMART SPEAKERS, page 7

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Meanwhile, companies keep asking consumers to invite them into their homes.

Whirlpool is adding Alexa voice control to its smart-home appliances — including a washing machine, a stove and a refrigerator.

Someone can instruct the oven to pre-heat to 400 degrees by speaking a command to an Alexa-enabled device, such as the Echo.

Simplehuman has a voice-activated trash can, and GE Lighting has a table lamp using Alexa voice control.

For now, voice control is mainly an addon feature rather than a core component of gadgets. It’s there for those who want to use it, but it’s not essential for the product to function.

Many manufacturers are opting to use Amazon’s Alexa service for now, though some are embracing voice systems from Google, Apple or Samsung.

Nvidia’s Shield TV streaming device, for instance, employs Google’s Assistant service so viewers can control video playback or find out the weather with just a voice command.

Meanwhile, Samsung’s new Family Hub lets people use their voice to add items to shopping lists and order groceries online.

Shawn DuBravac, chief economist of

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Consumers are apparently willing to trade a certain amount of privacy for convenience.

So what exactly is being collected, stored or shared by these devices?

To do its job, the Echo must always be listening. Once it hears someone utter a keyword, such as “Alexa,” it shares what it hears with Amazon’s servers, which process a response. Those conversations are then stored indefinitely. Google’s Home speaker works in a similar fashion.

The Echo “has to listen to everything.

That’s kind of disturbing,” said Ryan O’Leary, vice president of WhiteHat Security’s threat research center.

“It doesn’t capture voice until it hears the keyword, but it could [do so at any time].

You’re trusting the devices to not [listen in unbidden], but it’s entirely possible.”

In the Arkansas case, authorities investigating the death of a man found floating face-up in a hot tub at a friend’s home requested the contents of the home’s Echo and Amazon’s stored recordings in hopes they might contain evidence. The friend is

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Privacy concerns

charged with murder.

A judge has signed off on the search, but Amazon has balked. Amazon has declined to comment specifically on the case, but said the company objects to “overbroad or otherwise inappropriate demands as a matter of course.”

Some experts worry that allowing such a search would erode people’s privacy.

“It’s not necessarily a direct threat for the average person, but the same thing can be said with any kind of privacy concern,” O’Leary said. “People say you shouldn’t be concerned if you’re not doing anything wrong, but that’s a dangerous precedent to set.”

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Are your appliances eavesdropping?

By Bree Fowler and Mae Anderson Alexa, are you spying on me?

It’s a fair question in light of attempts by authorities investigating the slaying of an Arkansas man to obtain voice recordings collected by an Amazon Echo speaker and its Alexa digital assistant.

Echo is a “smart speaker,” a nine-inch cylinder that connects to the voice-controlled personal assistant service Alexa, which responds to the name “Alexa.”

The device can perform a number of tasks using voice interaction — including music playback, making to-do lists, setting alarms, playing audiobooks, and providing weather, traffic and other real time information.

The popularity and capabilities of voiceenabled products such as the Echo continue to grow. Whirlpool, Samsung and other manufacturers are unveiling new ways to use voice services to control laundry machines, refrigerators and other home systems.

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WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N — M A R C H 2 0 1 7

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Technology & Innovations | More at TheBeaconNewspapers.com

Tech Shorts Heart devices can be hacked

By Tami Abdollah and Matthew Perrone The Homeland Security Department recently warned about an unusual cybersecurity flaw for one manufacturer’s implantable heart devices that it said could allow hackers to remotely take control of a person’s defibrillator or pacemaker.

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Information on the security flaw, identified by researchers at MedSec Holdings in reports months ago, was only formally made public after the manufacturer, St. Jude Medical, made a software repair in January.

MedSec is a cybersecurity research company that focuses on the health-care industry. MedSec CEO Justine Bone said on Twitter that St. Jude’s software fix did not address all problems in the devices.

The government advisory said security patches will be rolled out automatically over months to patients with a device transmitter at home, as long as it is

M A R C H 2 0 1 7 — WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N

plugged in and connected to the company’s network. The transmitters send heart device data back to medical professionals.

Abbott Laboratories’ St. Jude said in a statement it was not aware of deaths or injuries caused by the problem. The Food and Drug Administration also said there was no evidence patients were harmed.

St. Jude’s devices treat dangerous irregular heart rhythms that can cause cardiac failure or arrest. Implanted under the skin of the chest, the devices electronically pace heartbeats and shock the heart back to its normal rhythm when dangerous pumping patterns are detected.

The company’s Merlin@home Transmitter electronically sends details on the device’s performance to a website where the patient’s physician can review the information. But that device can also be hacked.

The FDA’s review is ongoing, agency spokeswoman Angela Stark said. Its investigation confirmed the vulnerabilities of the home transmitter, which could potentially be hacked and used to rapidly deplete an implanted device battery, alter pacing, and potentially administer inappropriate and dangerous shocks to a person’s

Eavesdropping

“Consumers should think carefully about how comfortable they are with the prospect of a live mic in common household items,” he added.

Because Amazon says it uses information gathered by the Echo to improve its voice technology, that information has the potential to “live forever” online, Plouffe said.

The issue first grabbed headlines a couple of years ago, after Samsung said sensitive conversations could be captured by its voice-controlled smart TVs. Based on the flood of new voice-controlled gadgets headed to market, tech companies are betting that consumers will get over their fears.

— AP

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CES (Consumer Electronics Show, an annual trade show of new consumer products) said dozens of companies announced Alexaintegrated products during this year’s show, on top of more than 1,500 existing ones.

As the smart home becomes more entrenched, DuBravac said, voice control could change the way we interact with technology in much the way the computer mouse did in the 1980s.

“Connected microphones are starting to appear in everything from cars to children’s toys,” said James Plouffe, lead solutions architect at mobile-security company MobileIron.

See TECH SHORTS, page 8

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Say you saw it in the Beacon | Technology & Innovations

WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N — M A R C H 2 0 1 7

Beacon Links & Apps

By Barbara Ruben

Links Online exercise classes Hate the gym, but want to take exercise classes, either by yourself at home or with friends?

Baltimore-based Bur nalong, which launched last year, offers online exercise classes — including yoga, cardio, barre, martial arts and more — with local and celebrity trainers. No equipment is needed for most classes, and classes are available at

Smart speakers From page 4

by Forrester Research’s Technographics found 57 percent of them either had used, or were interested in using, a smart home device — such as lights or thermostats — designed for remote control.

A box with personality People seem to have an easier time talking to a speaker that has no other interface than they do talking to a smartphone.

“I’ve never used Cortana [Microsoft’s personal assistant]. I don’t use Google, and my wife doesn’t use Siri. But everybody talks to Alexa,” Bishop from Texas said. “I couldn’t really tell you why. That was the only way to communicate, so we all got in the habit.”

Buck Wise, an advertising executive in Portland, Oregon, tried several variants of smart home systems, but said the Echo worked best for him because of the handsfree speaker. He has lights, blinds, and his garage door synced with the Echo.

“Alexa truly is the brain of our home, and it would feel like 100 steps backwards to get through a day without her,” Wise said.

What won him over? Commanding the device just by speaking — and without having to fire up an app — basically did the trick, he said. [But some users are beginning to worry about the privacy concerns raised by such devices. See “Are your appliances eavesdropping?” on page 5.]

Amazon has also launched two other Echo-like devices, the smaller $50 Dot — which it now sells in six-packs so people can have one in every room — and the portable $100 Tap, to give Alexa even broader reach.

Dave Limp, Amazon’s senior vice president for devices, says the goal is for Alexa to keep getting smarter as it continues to build new “skills” over the coming years.

“The hope is you can ask Alexa anything, and it will be able to respond correctly, quickly and be able to be there,” he said.

— AP

different levels based on your experience.

Users can live video stream to connect with friends to take a class “together.”

Friends working out will show up at the bottom of the screen.

Burnalong can be synched with Fitbits and other devices to show heart rate, calories burned and other information.

The first month is free, and then Burnalong is $14.99 a month, or $120 for a year.

Apps for iPhone and Android are also available. www.burnalong.com

ment communities, assisted living and memory care communities.

She has created an online, downloadable database of her own recordings of oldies in customized, half-hour interactive sessions, that engage older adults. She speaks to listeners directly in every music session, and works to jog their memory by

asking such questions as, “Which movie did our next song come from?” She also provides the lyrics to the songs.

Fernando wants to provide the music for free, but for now she’s using a Kickstarter campaign to fund the endeavor. By See LINKS & APPS, page 8

Downloadable music therapy Music helps older adults in many ways, from improving movement to reducing cognitive impairment. Preethi Fernando, founder of a nonprofit called Mezzo Muzique, provides music for seniors at retire-

Knee Arthritis – “Are You Risking Dangerous Knee Surgery By Not Knowing The Warning Signs?”

WASHINGTON, (DC) - If you or someone you know is suffering with knee pain or arthritis, tormented by daily, annoying, chronic pain or swelling, then reading this report could be the most important thing you do this year. It may even help you avoid the dangerous surgery that you currently think is your only option.

What we’re talking about here is the type of “ache” and “sharp pain” where you get so nauseated that you feel your only option is to stop what you’re doing completely, reach for the painkiller drawer and wonder how long you’ll have to rest up for this time! The thing is, all of those painkillers are not good for your stomach - and the long periods of rest you’ve been told about are not likely to be doing your heart and lungs much good. And if you currently think that your only option is SURGERY, in the form of an even more painful knee replacement, then I urge you to read this report right until the end.

Over the last 15 years I’ve been working on a daily basis to help people aged 50+ find relief from daily, annoying, and often severe, chronic knee pain – and I can tell you that the cocktail mix of more rest and more pills will do absolutely nothing to get to the root cause of most types of chronic knee pain... no matter what most family Doctors say!

Because I’ve grown increasingly frustrated with the number of people suffering unnecessarily, I’ve written a 13 page report that details the 7 things any person can do to relieve knee pain naturally... and I want to send you this report at no charge. Now, I don’t know if these 7 things will relieve you of your knee pain completely and I can’t promise that what has already worked for most of my patients and clients over the past 15 years, will work for you…

7

By Knee Pain Relief Specialist, Dr. Brian Paris However, reading my free report is sure better than spending another day “resting”, “accepting it”, thinking “it’s your age” or worse yet, risking surgery by masking it with harmful and costly pills.

If your severe, daily annoying or recurring knee pain or arthritis is affecting your job and your ability to keep active and it threatens your independence or hinders your family leisure time, then you really need to read my free report. The 7 things I’m going to share with you in my report are not what “THEY” (the prescription pushers or surgeons) want you to hear - simply because all of my tips are mainly natural - and free.

I want you to imagine how life will be years from now if you DON’T get a grip on your knee arthritis now. How will your knee pain affect your job? Your preservation of self worth and your mobility or independence? Will you be a fun person to be with? Or live with? Ok, you get my drift...

It’s time to request my free tips report...by calling this free phone number now: (301)-804-2088.

There are a limited number of free copies available - so please call today: (301)-804-2088 or visit https://painarthritisrelief.leadpages.co/kneereport/ todownload your free report instantly.

Sincerely, Dr. Brian Paris.

I Hate Knee Pain P.S. No one will ask you for money for anything else when you call to request your free tips report written by one of the country’s leading experts on finding relief from knee pain. It’s perfect for people with knee arthritis hoping to avoid costly and dangerous surgery. Call now: (301)-804-2088 (you can leave a message 24 hours a day) or visit: https://painarthritisrelief.leadpages.co/kneereport/ to get your report sent to you right now.

8

Technology & Innovations

Links & apps From page 7 contributing $10, users can access 10 songs and 10 custom-made interactive music sessions. www.kickstarter.com/projects/mezzomuzique/mezzo-muzique-music-forseniors

Enhance your memory Memozor is a website of memory games that train and boost your memory, while letting you have fun. All the games on the site are free for unlimited use. The site also includes several tests intended to screen for memory problems. www.memozor.com

M A R C H 2 0 1 7 — WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N

Apps A wealth of classical music Washington-based WETA 90.9 FM is the most-listened-to classical music radio station in the United States. Now even more classical aficionados can listen to the station via its new app.

The app features music, arts and cultural resources currently found on-air and online, including live-stream access to the station’s 24/7 non-commercial classical music.

Programs include “Front Row Washington,” featuring performances by top local musicians and ensembles, recorded at venues throughout the Washington area;

“NSO Showcase,” broadcasting highlight performances by the National Symphony Orchestra; “VivaLaVoce,” the digital service presenting classical vocal music in all its forms, and “Classical Conversations,” audio interviews with prominent classical music performers.

In addition to live-streaming, the app offers easy access to on-demand audio, broadcast schedule, playlists and additional classical music content.

Classical WETA app is available free for iPhone and Android.

Your own private walkathon Lace up your sneakers and earn money for one of 37 charities just by going for a walk or run with the app Charity Miles.

The farther you go, the more money you earn for a charity, up to 25 cents a mile.

The app uses GPS to measure mileage.

The money comes from Charity Miles’ corporate sponsors, including Humana, Johnson & Johnson and MasterCard, who are repurposing their advertising budgets to help charities. Just be aware that in return, the companies advertise on the app.

Charities include Feeding America, the American Diabetes Association, the Wounded Warrior Project, World Wildlife Fund and the Michael J. Fox Foundation.

Charity Miles is available free for iPhone and Android.

Tech shorts From page 6 heart.

The software patch issued by St. Jude “addresses vulnerabilities that present the greatest risk to patients,” Stark said.

Checking in ElderCheck Now is a simplified communication application built specifically for older adults to share well-being, heart rate, and location information with their loved ones by pressing a single button on their Apple Watch or iPhone.

After securely linking to an elder’s mobile device, a caregiver can check in with them anytime without a subscription. The app asks the simple question, “Are you OK?” There are two answers that can be pressed, a green box with large type reading “I’m OK,” or a red box that says, “Call Me!” After receiving the request, they can let their caregiver also know what their heart rate is and their location with the press of a button.

ElderCheck Now’s features include easy-to-read screens, scheduled check-ins, check-in history menus, and color adjustment to enhance button visibility.

ElderCheck Now was created by FallCall Solutions, a company founded by physicians that builds simplified communication apps for seniors and caregivers on Apple devices. The company also created FallCall Now, one of the first “smart” fall detectors made for the Apple Watch.

A newly updated version of Elder Check Now is currently free for a limited time. The price will be $5.99 later this year.

Available for iPhone

Stark said the company is working to address remaining vulnerabilities quickly.

She said any new cardiac devices submitted to the FDA for review that use the affected transmitter will not be cleared or approved without the software update.

— AP

WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N — M A R C H 2 0 1 7

Say you saw it in the Beacon

Health Fitness &

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THYROID OVERLOOKED Thyroid disorders are common in older adults, but can be tricky to detect BACK AND LEG PAIN Newer drugs and physical therapy can help alleviate pain from sciatica FOODS AND CANCER In case you were worrying, sugar and gluten don’t promote cancer DOCTORS SWAYED BY SWAG Gifts from drug companies can influence what physicians prescribe

Let your mind wander to lessen anxiety

By Dr. Srini Pillay When we think of anxiety disorders, we generally think of them as uncomfortable emotional responses to threat. These responses may include symptoms such as palpitations, shortness of breath, sweating, trembling or absolute paralysis.

While there is nothing inherently wrong in thinking about anxiety this way, a recent study pointed out that there is an entirely different way of thinking about anxiety that may be even more helpful.

According to psychologist Kalina Christoff and her colleagues, anxiety may be more appropriately thought of as “mind-wandering gone awry.”

In your brain, there are circuits that promote mind-wandering and they are not all bad. In fact, these very circuits help you maintain a sense of self, understand what others are thinking more accurately, become more creative, and even predict the future.

Without your mind-wandering circuits, your brain’s ability to focus would become depleted, and you would be disconnected from yourself and others too.

In addition to the natural and frequent tendency for your mind to stray, it also has automatic constraints to ensure that it

does not stray too far. When daydreaming during a boring lecture, for example, your brain may jerk you back into reality.

Mind-wandering gone awry One of the things that a wandering mind is in search of is meaning. By connecting the past, present and future, it helps you compose a narrative to connect the dots in your life. This narrative is constantly being updated.

But sometimes, the wandering mind can encounter threats. Rather than proverbially “whistling in the dark,” the brain can overreact to these threats.

In the brain of an individual with generalized anxiety disorder, for example, the anxiety processor (the amygdala) is disrupted. Although it has strong connections to the “inner eye” (attention), it lacks a connection to the brain circuits that signal how important or significant a threat is.

Without the ability to assess the significance of threats, they can all feel the same.

As a result, the “inner eye” gets fixated on negative thoughts. This fixation is a way of constraining the mind too, but it is not actually helpful. Anxious people focus more on external threats in an exaggerated way.

They become glued to the threats. Anything from being teased to being ticked off feels much more troubling than it would to someone without an anxiety disorder.

And it’s not just conscious threats that grab your attention. It’s subliminal threats too. Such threats, of which you are completely unaware, can capture your brain’s attention.

How to escape a stuck mind When this situation causes your brain to grab your wandering mind, stop it in its tracks and become fixated on threats, you have to loosen your mind’s grip and allow it to wander freely once again.

Because your brain’s inner eye has its resources fixed on the threat, it gets progressively exhausted. You can’t really summon it to help you suppress the anxiety, or get your mind off of it. Instead, you have to reactivate your mind-wandering circuits to give your attention a break.

Practically speaking, there are a few ways to do this. First, identify the negative spiral that has occurred like a pothole into which you have fallen on a mind-wandering journey. Simply name the feeling you are feeling and recognize that you need a mental reset.

Rather than deliberately trying to suppress the feeling, accept that your mind is wandering, and that the fixation on threat is not the constraint solution you are looking for.

To counter this constraint, up the ante on the mind wandering — wander even more. If you’re at work, you could keep a knitting kit and start using it just when anxiety strikes, or if at home, you could go out and do some gardening. Meditation is also an effective way to get out of the fixedthreat hole.

So when you’re next feeling anxious or wired, try allowing your mind to do what it naturally does — wander. You can bring it back to task gently, without fearing that you have lost your way. Or you can expect that it is wired to switch between wandering and focused states, and it will eventually come back on its own.

The more you mindfully interact with this switch, the more adept your brain will become at initiating it.

Srini Pillay, M.D., is a contributor to Harvard Health Publications. © 2017. President and Fellows of Harvard College. All Rights Reserved. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Is talc cancerous? Juries ignore studies

By Linda A. Johnson Two lawsuits ended in jury verdicts worth $127 million. Two others were tossed out by a judge who said there wasn’t reliable evidence that the talc in Johnson & Johnson’s iconic baby powder causes ovarian cancer.

So who’s right? And is baby powder safe?

Most research finds no link, or a weak one, between ovarian cancer and using baby powder for feminine hygiene — a practice generations of American mothers have passed on to their daughters.

Most major health groups have declared talc harmless.

Yet some 2,000 women have sued, and lawyers are reviewing thousands of other potential cases, most generated by ads touting the two big verdicts.

What is talc?

Talc is a mineral that is mined from de-

posits around the world, including the U.S. The softest of minerals, it’s crushed into a white powder.

It’s been widely used in cosmetics and other personal care products to absorb moisture since at least 1894, when Johnson & Johnson’s Baby Powder was launched.

But it’s mainly used in a variety of other products, including paint and plastics.

Like many questions in science, there’s no definitive answer as to whether it causes ovarian cancer.

Finding the cause of cancer is difficult.

It would be unethical to do the best kind of study — asking a group of people to use talcum powder and wait to see if it causes cancer, while comparing them to a group who didn’t use it.

While ovarian cancer is often fatal, it’s relatively rare. It accounts for only about 22,000 of the 1.7 million new cases of cancer expected to be diagnosed in the United States this year.

Factors that are known to increase a women’s risk of ovarian cancer include age, obesity, use of estrogen therapy after menopause, not having any children, certain genetic mutations, and personal or family history of breast or ovarian cancer.

Two other kinds of research are possible. Neither of them, though, can conclusively prove something causes cancer.

One looks back in time, after an illness has occurred. It compares two groups of people, one with the illness, one without, and asks about past exposures that might be factors. But people have trouble remembering details years later.

The second approach follows a large group of people. It assesses their health at the start and follows them for years, recording any illnesses, while tracking possible influences such as diet and use of medication, alcohol or other substances.

Scientists generally find these “prospective” studies most reliable.

What research shows The biggest prospective studies have found no link between talcum powder applied to the genitals and ovarian cancer.

But about two dozen smaller, look-back studies over three decades have mostly found a modest connection — a 20 to 40 percent increased risk among talc users.

However, that doesn’t mean talc causes cancer. Several factors make that unlikely, and there’s no proof that talc — which doesn’t interact with chemicals or cells — can travel up the reproductive tract, enter the ovaries and then trigger cancer.

In fact, one large study published in June, which followed 51,000 sisters of breast cancer patients, found genital talc users had a reduced risk of ovarian cancer — 27 percent lower than in nonusers.

An analysis of two huge, long-running U.S. studies, the Women’s Health Initiative See TALC AND CANCER, page 10

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M A R C H 2 0 1 7 — WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N

Thyroid disorders often missed in seniors

By Jim Miller Dear Savvy Senior, Can you write a column on the overlooked problem of thyroid disease? After struggling with chronic fatigue, joint pain and memory problems, I was finally diagnosed with hypothyroidism.

Now, at age 70, I’m on thyroid medication and am doing great. For five years I felt lousy. I wish I’d have known what to do sooner.

— Frustrated Patient Dear Frustrated: I’m glad to hear that you’re finally feeling better. Unfortunately, thyroid problems are quite common in older adults, but can be tricky to detect because the symptoms often resemble other age-related health problems.

In fact, as many as 30 million Americans have some form of thyroid disorder, but more than half of them aren’t aware of it.

Here’s a basic overview: The thyroid is a small butterfly-shaped gland located at the base of your neck. It has a huge job. It produces hormones (called T3 and T4) that help regulate the rate of many of your body’s activities — from how quickly you burn calories to how fast your heart beats.

It also influences the function of the brain, liver, kidneys and skin.

If the gland is underactive and doesn’t produce enough thyroid hormones, it causes body systems to slow down. If it’s overactive, and churns out too much thyroid, it has the opposite effect, speeding up the body’s processes.

The symptoms for an underactive thyroid (also known as hypothyroidism) will vary, but may include fatigue, unexplained weight gain, increased sensitivity to cold, constipation, joint pain, muscle stiffness, dry skin and depression. Some patients

may even develop an enlarged thyroid (goiter) at the base of the neck.

However, in older adults — where it is the most common type of thyroid disorder — hypothyroidism can cause other symptoms, such as memory impairment, loss of appetite, weight loss, falls or even incontinence.

In contrast, with an overactive thyroid (or hyperthyroidism), which is more common in people under age 50, symptoms may include a rapid heart rate, anxiety, insomnia, increased appetite, weight loss, diarrhea, excessive perspiration, as well as an enlarged thyroid gland.

Too much thyroid can also cause atrial fibrillation, affect blood pressure and decrease bone density, which increases the risk of osteoporosis.

Those with the greatest risk of developing thyroid disorders are women who have a family history of the disease. Other fac-

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tors that can trigger thyroid problems include: autoimmune diseases like Hashimoto’s or Graves disease; thyroid surgery; radiation treatments to the neck or upper chest; and certain medications including interferon alpha and interleukin-2 cancer medications, amiodarone heart medication and lithium for bipolar disorder.

Get tested, get treatment If you have any of the aforementioned symptoms, or if you’ve had previous thyroid problems or notice a lump in the base of your neck, ask your doctor to check your thyroid levels. The TSH (thyroidstimulating hormone) blood test is used to diagnose thyroid disorders.

Thyroid disease is easily treated once you’ve been diagnosed. Standard treatSee THYROID, page 12

Talc and cancer From page 9 and the Nurses’ Health Study, showed no increased risk of ovarian cancer in talc users.

If there were a true link, large studies that tracked women’s health for years would have verified results of the smaller look-back ones, according to Dr. Hal C. Lawrence III, vice president of the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

“Lord knows, with the amount of powder that’s been applied to babies’ bottoms, we would’ve seen something” if talc caused cancer, he said.

The National Cancer Institute’s Dr. Nicolas Wentzensen said the federal agency’s position is that there’s not a clear connection.

“A lot of ovarian cancers occur in women who have never used talc, and many women have used talc and not gotten ovarian cancer.”

Research director Elizabeth Ward of the American Cancer Society says, “the risk for any individual woman, if there is one, is probably very small.”

What lawyers and courts say Like the studies, courts have produced mixed results.

In the first trial two years ago, a South Dakota jury found Johnson & Johnson liable for one woman’s ovarian cancer but didn’t award any damages.

Last year, state court juries in St. Louis awarded plaintiffs $72 million and $55 million — verdicts the company is appealing But U.S. District Judge Nelson Johnson in Atlantic City threw out the first two of the 400 lawsuits in his court. He reviewed the research and testimony from two doctors who are the plaintiffs’ key expert witnesses and concluded the two aren’t reliable, noting they had previously written that there was no proof talc causes ovarian cancer.

J&J attorney John Beisner said the healthcare giant plans to fight every lawsuit, rather than settle, “for the fundamental reason that the science on which they’re based is totally lacking.”

— AP

WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N — M A R C H 2 0 1 7

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Health Shorts Smoking-cessation pills allowed to drop “black box” warning Late last year, U.S. health regulators removed a bold-letter warning from Pfizer’s anti-smoking drug Chantix about risks of dangerous psychiatric side effects.

The Food and Drug Administration action follows nearly a decade of scrutiny into the neurological effects of the smoking-cessation pill, which received the agency’s most stringent warning in 2009

after reports of suicidal tendencies, hostility and depression among some patients.

The FDA decision stems from an 8,000patient study of smokers that found no elevated risk of psychiatric problems among Chantix users who had no prior history of mental illness. European regulators previously removed their own warning from the drug based on the same data.

The study was jointly funded by Pfizer and GlaxoSmithKline PLC, which markets a competing smoking-cessation drug, Zyban.

The FDA also removed similar warning language about psychiatric events from Zyban’s label, according to an agency statement.

Chantix and Zyban will still list reports of psychosis, paranoia, anxiety and other problems on their labels. But those problems will not be highlighted in a so-called black box warning, a prominent warning

M A R C H 2 0 1 7 — WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N

displayed at the top of FDA drug labels.

“The risk of these mental health side effects is still present, especially in those currently being treated for mental illnesses such as depression, anxiety disorders, or schizophrenia, or who have been treated for mental illnesses in the past,” the FDA stated in an online post.

Quitting smoking, with or without medication, can cause significant withdrawal symptoms, including irritability, mood swings and depression. In addition, psychiatric conditions are more common in smokers than nonsmokers.

Many doctors and smokers trying to quit were scared off by the warnings on Chantix and Zyban about “changes in behavior, hostility, agitation, depressed mood, and suicidal thoughts or actions” in some patients.

Pfizer’s drug works by binding to the same spots in the brain that are activated by nicotine when people smoke. The drug, known generically as varenicline, blocks nicotine from binding to those spots and prevents the release of “feel-good” brain chemicals that make smoking so addictive.

Zyban is known generically as bupropion, an antidepressant drug long available in lower-cost versions.

Thyroid

which is taken orally and destroys the overactive thyroid cells and causes the gland to shrink. But this can leave the thyroid unable to produce any hormone, and it’s likely that you’ll eventually become hypothyroid and need to start taking thyroid medication.

For more information on thyroid disorders, visit the American Thyroid Association at www.thyroid.org.

Send your questions to: Savvy Senior, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070, or visit SavvySenior.org. Jim Miller is the author of “The Savvy Senior” book.

From page 10 ment for hypothyroidism involves daily use of the synthetic thyroid hormone levothyroxine (Levothroid, Synthroid and others), which is an oral medication that restores adequate hormone levels.

And treatments for hyperthyroidism may include an anti-thyroid medication such as methimazole (Tapazole), which blocks the production of thyroid hormones.

Another option is radioactive iodine,

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Sciatica can resolve with time, treatments Dear Mayo Clinic: Three weeks ago I was diagnosed with sciatica. I didn’t have much pain initially, but it has been extremely painful the past few days — usually when I’m sitting.

Would physical therapy be an option for treatment? I don’t like to take medications for pain. Are there other treatments I should try? Could surgery help?

Answer: Sciatica can cause significant discomfort. The good news is that time and treatment often successfully resolve this condition. In most cases, surgery is not necessary to treat sciatica.

Sciatica typically refers to pain from irritation of one of the spinal nerves in your low back. Although the source of the irritation is in your back, you feel the pain of sciatica along the affected nerve where it is located in your leg after it exits the spine, typically in the buttock and leg. Sciatica usually affects only one side of the body.

Sciatica pain is often a dull pain, but it also can be sharp and, at times, you may feel the pain travel or shoot down your leg. Symptoms of sciatica may include numbness, tingling or weakness along with the pain.

What causes sciatica?

Sciatica develops due to a change in one of the cartilage pads in your spine, called discs. A small component of the disc pokes into the spinal canal, creating inflammation or swelling.

That, in turn, leads to inflammation of the nerve, and triggers the symptoms of sciatica. Pressure on the nerve from the disc may contribute to sciatica, as well.

Other, less likely, causes of nerve irritation include bone spurs, cysts or other lesions in the spine that grow near a nerve.

Physical therapy can be an excellent treatment option for sciatica. It often in-

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volves learning stretches to improve your flexibility, techniques for pain control, and exercises to strengthen and condition the muscles that support your back.

This type of physical therapy helps reduce sciatica pain and lowers your risk for future injuries. In addition to physical therapy, staying active in whatever type of physical activity you can best tolerate can help ease pain and other symptoms, too.

Newer drugs that help Though you mention that you prefer to avoid medications, newer drugs are available that can work quite well for pain caused by sciatica. They are not potentially habit-forming like narcotic drugs, or opioids, can be.

Drugs like gabapentin, duloxetine, nortriptyline and pregabalin can be useful for managing severe pain or pain that makes it hard to sleep.

Corticosteroids are another treatment option. These potent anti-inflammatory drugs are delivered via an injection that places the medication just where it is needed. You have an imaging exam, such as a CT scan or an MRI, before a corticosteroid injection, so your healthcare provider can see where the medication should go. Imaging also is used to guide the injection as it’s being delivered to ensure safety and accuracy.

In about 90 to 95 percent of sciatica cases, the problem is successfully resolved with time and conservative, nonsurgical treatments. If sciatica persists despite these treatments, though, surgery may be considered.

Although uncommon, surgery may be recommended as a first step in treatment if weakness associated with sciatica is moderate to severe, if weakness gets worse over time, if symptoms affect both legs, or if you are experiencing incontinence due to

sciatica.

Very rarely, sciatica can lead to extensive numbness in the buttocks and pelvic floor. When that happens, prompt surgical intervention is often required.

When sciatica is the result of a disc problem — as it is in most typical cases — and surgery is required, it can be quite effective.

The procedure involves removing the portion of the disc that’s affecting the nerve.

This surgery usually takes about 75 minutes and requires only one day in the hospital.

— Randy Shelerud, M.D., Spine Center, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn.

Mayo Clinic Q & A is an educational resource and doesn’t replace regular medical care. E-mail a question to MayoClinicQ&A@ mayo.edu, or visit www.mayoclinic.org. © 2017 Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research. All Rights Reserved.

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC

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M A R C H 2 0 1 7 — WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N

Some Qs and As from Harvard physicians

By Dr. Howard LeWine Q: I recently had an ultrasound that showed a fatty liver. What causes this?

Is it dangerous?

A: The largest organ inside your body, your liver performs hundreds of vital functions. It converts food into fuel, processes cholesterol, clears harmful toxins from the blood, and makes proteins that help your blood clot, to name a few.

But an increasing number of people have a potentially dangerous accumulation

of fat inside their livers. Doctors call it nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).

Prior to 1980, fatty liver disease was rarely diagnosed except in people who drank large amounts of alcohol. However, scientists discovered that excess body fat and diabetes can also cause fatty liver disease, even in people who drink very little.

As Americans have gotten fatter, so have their livers. Up to one-third of American adults have NAFLD. Nearly all people with severe obesity and half of people with

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diabetes have NAFLD. Some people with fatty livers have none of these risk factors, suggesting that genes and other factors play a role.

Fatty liver disease does not cause symptoms. But it does increase the risk of developing other medical problems, such as heart disease and diabetes. Also it can progress to cause a more serious liver condition, called nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH).

In this condition, the fat within the liver causes the liver to become inflamed. In a subset of those with NASH, scarring of the liver will develop. Severe scarring, known as cirrhosis, increases the risk of liver cancer and end-stage liver disease.

Treating fatty liver focuses on reducing or preventing further fatty buildup in the liver. Exercise and losing weight are the mainstays of treatment. Even a little exercise and shedding just a few pounds can reduce liver fat.

As for diet, the recommendation is similar to what doctors advise for preventing heart disease: Eat plenty of vegetables, fruits and whole grains, and modest amounts of lean protein, like fish and chicken. Avoid all sugary beverages and foods, and limit refined carbohydrates.

Q: I recently heard about two friends diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. And I seem to be reading about more celebrities with the disease. Is it becoming more prominent? Is there a screening test?

A: Indeed, the incidence of pancreatic cancer is rising. This year approximately 53,000 people in the United States will be diagnosed with the disease. It occurs slightly more often in men than women.

Although pancreatic cancer accounts for just 3 percent of all cancers, it has a poor prognosis. About 42,000 people die of

pancreatic cancer each year. It’s the fourth leading cause of cancer death in the U.S. If the current trend continues, pancreatic cancer could become the second most common cause of cancer death in men, overtaking deaths due to prostate and colorectal cancer. In women, it could become the third most common cause behind lung and breast cancer deaths.

Why is the incidence rate of pancreatic cancer increasing? It’s likely related to the strong association with smoking. Fewer people are smoking now, but there are still many former smokers. Smoking cigarettes is linked to approximately 30 percent of the cases.

The other major reason for the increase in pancreatic cancer is the rapid rise in obesity. It could be the extra weight, or the higher risk of diabetes in obese people. Diabetes seems to also increase the chance of developing pancreatic cancer.

Too often cancer of the pancreas grows without symptoms. When symptoms do occur, they are often not specific, making early diagnosis challenging. Once the cancer becomes too large or has spread, it cannot be cured surgically.

I wish we had a good test for early detection of pancreatic cancer. But right now, we don’t. There is no screening blood test or imaging test that has been shown to decrease the chance of dying from pancreatic cancer in people at average risk for the disease.

If early detection is still in the future, how about prevention? Here’s the good news. Studies do show that you can significantly lower your risk of pancreatic cancer.

It means not smoking, limiting alcohol use, getting regular exercise, maintaining a normal body mass index, and adhering See Q & A, page 15

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WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N — M A R C H 2 0 1 7

Q&A From page 14 to a Mediterranean-style dietary pattern.

Q: I expect to take the blood-thinner Coumadin indefinitely. I see so many ads suggesting I should switch to one of the newer drugs. My Coumadin dose rarely changes, and my blood tests show I am almost always in range. How do I decide?

A: For decades, warfarin (Coumadin) was the only choice for people that needed to take oral anticoagulant drugs, commonly called blood thinners. While warfarin is a cheap drug, it has downsides.

People taking it require regular blood testing to be sure the dose is correct. The

Health shorts From page 12 drug approvals that have reshaped treatment of the liver-destroying virus.

The Food and Drug Administration approved the combination pill from Gilead Sciences, called Epclusa, for patients with and without liver damage. The new drug’s broad indication could make it easier to use than five other hepatitis drugs recently approved by the FDA, which are each tailored to different viral strains or stages of liver disease.

Gilead’s previous two hepatitis drugs have raked in billions of dollars by replacing an older, less effective treatment that involved a grueling pill-and-injection cocktail.

But the company’s aggressive approach to pricing has drawn scorn from patient groups, insurers and politicians worldwide.

The company said Epclusa will cost $74,760 for a 12-week course of treatment, or roughly $890 per pill. That’s less than the initial price for the company’s previous drug, Harvoni, which cost $1,125 per pill.

Gilead’s first hepatitis C drug, Sovaldi, cost roughly $1,000 per pill, touching off a

blood test, called an INR, needs to fall into a predetermined range. A result within the proper range means the person’s blood is “thin” enough not to clot easily, but not “too thin” to cause a high bleeding risk.

Studies have shown that many people on warfarin frequently have an INR out of the desired range. This makes their blood clot prevention ineffective, or puts them at risk for significant bleeding.

Over the last few years, new oral anticoagulants have been approved that are given in a fixed dose, don’t require regular blood tests, have no food restrictions, and have fewer drug interactions. These drugs are known as direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs).

But they are much more expensive than warfarin. A year’s supply of generic war-

national debate about escalating drug costs.

Since 2014, the FDA has approved rival medications from AbbVie Inc., Merck & Co., and Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. that have helped curb prices.

The virus develops slowly over decades, and many people don’t realize they are infected until signs of liver damage emerge, including yellowish skin, dark urine and fatigue. Some develop liver cancer or cirrhosis and require a liver transplant, but many die before a match is available.

Baby boomers are five times more likely to have the virus than people in other age groups.

The most common side effects with Epclusa include headache and fatigue, according to the FDA. Although professional medical societies recommend Gilead drugs as first-line treatments for anyone with hepatitis C, a Senate investigation last year found that high costs resulted in less than 3 percent of the potentially eligible Medicaid beneficiaries getting treatment in 2014. Medicaid is the federal-state health program for low-income people.

— AP

farin costs about $200, or approximately $17 per month. There are no generic versions of the DOACs. The retail cost of a year’s supply of the newer drugs is about $4,200 per year, over $300 per month.

Since you already take warfarin and rarely need adjustments to your dose, then clearly your best economic choice is to not switch to a DOAC. There are other good reasons medically why warfarin can be considered the better medical choice as well.

Warfarin has been around for decades.

Except for the bleeding risks, which the DOACs also have, there are rarely any other side effects. The DOACs don’t yet have the same long term safety record regarding potentially unknown side effects.

If unwanted bleeding happens when taking warfarin, it can be quickly and rather inexpensively reversed. Other than a very expensive antidote for one of the DOACs, the blood thinning effects of the other DOACs cannot be quickly reversed.

Also, practicing doctors have much more experience using warfarin compared to these newer drugs.

Howard LeWine, M.D. is an internist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston and assistant professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School. For additional consumer health information, please visit www.health.harvard.edu. © 2017 President and Fellows of Harvard College. All Rights Reserved. Distributed By Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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ST. PATRICK’S DAY CELEBRATION FRIDAY, MARCH 17TH 5:00-7:00PM With the Celtic Sounds performed live by

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M A R C H 2 0 1 7 — WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N

What foods do and don’t pose cancer risk

By Karen Collins About a third of America’s most common cancers can be prevented through healthy eating, regular physical activity and maintaining a healthy weight, according to the American Institute for Cancer Research.

But the wide range of cancer myths can make it hard to figure out what those healthy eating choices involve. Here are some common questions and their answers.

1. Does sugar “feed” cancer?

All cells in our body use sugar for fuel,

and many (but not all) cancer cells take up blood sugar more rapidly than healthy cells.

However, avoiding sugar doesn’t necessarily protect against cancer, because blood sugar comes from carbohydrate foods, too.

When all carbohydrate is limited, the body has mechanisms to keep blood sugar within a relatively narrow range. Chronic high blood sugar, however, may increase cancer risk by prompting higher levels of insulin and certain growth factors.

Also, high sugar intake can promote

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weight gain and perhaps lead to changes in gut bacteria and inflammation.

Smart move: Keep blood sugar and insulin levels controlled with a healthy weight, regular exercise, and a healthful diet that avoids big loads of carbohydrate at once, particularly sugars and refined grains.

2. Does going gluten-free reduce cancer risk?

Gluten is a protein in wheat, rye and barley that poses no risk to most people.

For people who have celiac disease, gluten creates damage in the intestines that could increase risk of cancer, which makes following a gluten-free diet essential.

Emerging research suggests that some people without celiac disease may experience digestive tract pain, headache or fatigue that improves when gluten is avoided. But this sensitivity has not been linked to cancer risk.

For those without gluten-sensitive conditions, research shows no cancer protection from avoiding it. Unnecessarily avoiding gluten can result in reducing consumption of whole grains, and thereby missing out on their anti-inflammatory, cancer-protective fiber and phytochemicals.

Smart move: If you are sensitive to gluten, choose gluten-free whole grains and other foods to make sure you get their protective nutrients. Otherwise, choose nutrient-rich whole grains in amounts that fit your calorie needs without regard to gluten.

3. Does it take massive amounts of produce to reduce cancer risk?

Studies show the biggest drop in cancer risk comes from moving from Americans’

typical low consumption of fruits and vegetables to at least five servings (about 2 1/2 cups) per day.

More than this likely helps further reduce cancer risk, and may help some people satisfy hunger while limiting calories for a healthy weight.

Smart move: Aim for at least 2 1/2 cups of vegetables and fruits daily. Include a variety of produce in every meal, since each contributes different cancer-protective nutrients and phytochemicals.

Try swapping refined grains, meats or sweets for vegetables in meals and make fruit your first choice for dessert and snacks.

4. If plant-based diets are recommended, should I follow a vegetarian diet?

Diets heavy on red meat, refined grains and sweets are linked with greater risk of cancer. However, vegetarian diets are simply one way of creating eating habits that focus on whole plant foods.

Plant-rich eating that allows fish, poultry, meat and dairy foods a smaller portion of the plate — as seen in the Mediterranean and Asian diets — is also linked with lower cancer risk.

Smart move: Experiment with different ways to include a variety of nutrientrich vegetables, fruits, whole grains and beans in your eating habits.

Reprinted with permission from Environmental Nutrition, a monthly publication of Belvoir Media Group, LLC. 1-800-8295384. www.EnvironmentalNutrition.com. © 2017 Belvoir Media Group. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N — M A R C H 2 0 1 7

March – April 2017

UPCOMING SEMINARS & EVENTS at Brooke Grove retirement village

As experts in senior care and memory support, Brooke Grove Retirement Village is pleased to offer seminars and events that promote physical, spiritual and mental well-being.

All seminars and events will be held at Brooke Grove Rehabilitation and Nursing Center, located at 18131 Slade School Road on the Brooke Grove Retirement Village campus.

Please register with Toni Davis at 301-388-7209 or tdavis@bgf.org.

Support for the Caregiver Seminar: “Yoga designed for the brain”

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Join Master Chef Bonita Woods for a cooking demo and tips on how to easily “health up” your meals.

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Sponsored by the Alzheimer’s Association, this confidential group provides an opportunity for individuals and families to find support, gain understanding and share caregiving tips. FREE.

April 5, 7-9 p.m.

Don’t face Parkinson’s alone. Learn about Brooke Grove’s new monthly support group and twice-weekly exercise classes for those with Parkinson’s or other neurodegenerative diseases, offered in partnership with the Parkinson Foundation. FREE. Register by April 3.

Support for the caregiver seminar: “The Savvy caregiver” April 4, 2-4 p.m.

This is the first in a six-week series offered by the Alzheimer’s Association that provides clinical-level training for family caregivers. You’ll learn the skills needed to assess the abilities of your loved one, set and alter caregiving goals, and explore strategies to manage activities of daily living. You’re encouraged to return each Tuesday through May 9. FREE. Register by April 2.

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M A R C H 2 0 1 7 — WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N

Well-being is more complex than we think

By Lauran Neergaard Your mother’s cholesterol is OK, but maybe your doctor should be asking about her social life, too.

Think about health as you grow older, and a list of common ailments pops to mind. But that’s not the whole story. New research suggests factors such as loneliness and whether they’ve broken any bones since middle age also play a role in the well-being of older adults.

In fact, layering on that extra information better predicts whether a senior’s next five years will be fairly robust or whether they’re at higher risk for death or disability than just focusing on what chronic diseases they have, researchers reported in a recent issue of Proceedings of the National

Academy of Sciences.

“Aging is not a linear process of wear and tear,” said University of Chicago biopsychologist Martha McClintock, who led the study. “It’s a different way of thinking about aging.”

Studying risk factors Using a government study of 3,000 middle-aged and older people, the researchers compared the medical conditions that doctors look for in the average check-up — blood pressure, cholesterol, diabetes, heart disease, cancer — with information about psychological health, mobility, hearing and other sensory capabilities, and additional characteristics of day-to-day functioning.

Of course having a cluster of serious dis-

eases and being frail can mean a greater risk of death. Having uncontrolled diabetes and high blood pressure was particularly risky on top of other illnesses.

But factoring in the extra harder-to-measure characteristics showed some seniors with chronic diseases actually were more likely to survive the next five years than their medical charts indicate. And about half who by disease diagnoses alone would be considered healthy really were more vulnerable to decline, the study found.

Those extra factors “are harbingers, they’re canaries in the coal mine of some biological processes that are aging,” said McClintock, who hopes the findings spur policymakers to focus more on these other non-disease conditions of aging.

The work may help redefine how doctors determine older patients’ vigor and quality of life, said Dr. John Haaga of the National Institute on Aging, which funded the research.

“We really have to look at more than the collection of diagnoses that they have.

We’ve got to look at some of these life circumstances, and really ask a few questions about mental health, about recent events, that will help trigger more watchful care,” he said.

Among the findings

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• Poor mental health, which affects 1 in 8 older adults, makes people more vulnerable to certain illnesses. The researchers weren’t measuring a diagnosis of depression, long known to complicate overall health. Instead, they asked whether people feel lonely, if they’re socially isolated, if they have trouble sleeping, if they’re anxious or stressed or have low self-esteem.

Why did that matter? Separately, McClinton has studied the biology behind so-

cial isolation in rats caged separately or in groups, and found the loners got more aggressive breast cancer sooner, with a worse prognosis.

The isolation triggered physiologic changes — hormones that overreacted to the stressors of everyday life, and differences in fatty breast tissue that supported the growth of cancer cells.

• Breaking a bone any time since age 45 is a marker of future health problems.

That’s surprising, and needs further study, said NIA’s Haaga, adding that meanwhile it’s something doctors might consider.

A broken hip during the senior years has long been known to send patients on a downward spiral. But this study implicated long-healed fractures of any type as early as middle age to poor health later on.

Those breaks might be an early signal of bone-thinning osteoporosis, or the beginning of balance and muscle problems that increase the risk of later frailty, Haaga speculated.

• Good mobility — no trouble walking quickly or getting up from chairs — is one of the best indicators of well-being. Indeed, prior fractures were a risk for poor later mobility.

• Obesity seems to pose little risk to seniors as long as they’re otherwise in good physical and mental health — without the diabetes or heart disease that so often accompanies extra pounds. Haaga noted there’s controversy about whether being overweight in the senior years might even be helpful.

• Sensory function — problems with hearing, vision and smell — also plays a role in seniors’ vulnerability. McClintock said it contributes to social isolation, and mobility and nutrition problems.

— AP

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WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N — M A R C H 2 0 1 7

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Depression can be debilitating at any age Depression is a mental health issue that many who experience these situations are can affect members of any generation. If able to get back on their feet again after adyou or a loved one are curjusting, individuals with derently experiencing it, you are pression often cannot. not alone. It is estimated that If symptoms are recog350 million people experience nized, it is essential to take acthis serious issue worldwide. tion. Luckily, there are many Depression can reveal itself ways to treat depression in in both teens and seniors with teens and seniors. These ina few key symptoms, both clude medication (antidepresemotional and behavioral. sants), psychotherapy therapy Often, depressed individuals (also known as talk therapy), will have feelings of hopelessand complementary therapies GENERATIONS ness, low self-esteem, trouble (such as meditation or yoga).

TOGETHER thinking or concentrating, and If you or a loved one are exBy Alexis Bentz a loss of interest in typically periencing depression and enjoyed activities. looking for treatment, consult Specifically, teenagers may become so- your doctor for the best treatment option cially isolated or see a drop in their grades for your needs. at school, and older adults may have enhanced medical issues that cannot seem to How you can help There are many things that you can do be cured by common treatment. to aid someone experiencing depression.

Dealing with depression Simply offering support can be very helpDepression can develop for a multitude ful to those who suffer from this often deof reasons. Peer pressure, academic strug- bilitating mood disorder. gles, and uncertainty of the future are just You can also make sure that they have a a few of the many reasons why the ups and way of getting to their doctor, invite them downs in a teenager’s life may persist. to engage in outdoor activities that may Meanwhile, the loss of a loved one, med- boost their mood, and remind them that, ical problems, or stressful life decisions with time and treatment, the depression may be its cause in older adults. While will fade.

Most of all, you can look out for any comments or suggestions made by the individual about suicide. If you hear or see something that alerts you to any suicidal thoughts or actions, please report it to the individual’s doctor or therapist, and ensure that they receive help immediately.

The next time you make plans with your younger buddy, you can have a serious discussion with them about the causes, ef-

fects, and solutions of/for depression. You can talk about what to do to help others with depression, and you can come up with a plan to work together to reach out to a doctor and get help when necessary.

Finally, if you or a loved one are currently going through this terrible time, know that there is light at the end of the tunnel.

Alexis Bentz is a ninth grade student at Thomas Wootton High School in Rockville, Md.

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M A R C H 2 0 1 7 — WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N

Drug companies sway doctors with swag

By Lindsey Tanner As little as one free meal from a drug company can influence which medicines doctors prescribe for Medicare patients, according to a study using Medicare records and recently released data from the Affordable Care Act’s Open Payments program.

The study highlights the subtle ways doctors may feel inclined to prescribe a drug after receiving just a small gift, even if the drug is more costly for patients and their insurance plans, the study authors said.

In a typical scenario, drug companies sometimes sponsor meals served during medical conferences, and their sales reps may offer drug information and free samples to doctors waiting in line for food.

Dr. Adams Dudley, the study’s lead au-

S

thor, said that happened to him as a young physician — and it led him to prescribe brand-name drugs.

“Having just accepted even just a slice of pizza, you’re going to feel like, ‘Hey, I should let them talk to me,’” he said. “Doctors are human, and humans respond to gifts.”

Generics would save billions The researchers calculated that an estimated $73 billion could be saved each year if equivalent generics were prescribed instead of brand-name drugs. And patients pay for one-third of that excess cost.

“It’s not that it’s medically bad” for patients, Dudley said. “But it is definitely costing them more.” Patients in Medicare part D (prescription) plans typically pay $4

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or less for generics, versus around $40 for brand-name drugs, he said.

The bottom line for patients? “Always ask if there’s a generic that’s just as good,” said Dudley, director of the Center for Healthcare Value at the University of California, San Francisco.

The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, an industry group, says it has a voluntary code that sets a $100 limit on “educational items” for doctors, and says “modest occasional meals are permitted.”

Holly Campbell, a spokeswoman for the group, said the study “cherry-picks physician prescribing data for a subset of medicines to advance a false narrative,” and doesn’t prove free meals influenced prescribing patterns.

What the study measured The researchers studied prescribing information for nearly 280,000 doctors in Medicare’s prescription drug program. They examined data on more than 63,000 drug company payments to these doctors from August through December 2013. Most payments were free meals worth less than $20.

The researchers included four classes of drugs — statins, antidepressants and two that treat blood pressure. They chose top-selling brand-name drugs from each class for which they said evidence shows there are equally effective but cheaper generic versions: Crestor for cholesterol problems, Benicar and Bystolic for high

blood pressure, and Pristiq for depression.

Bottom line: Doctors who received a free meal sponsored by makers of these drugs were more likely to prescribe that drug than doctors who received no free meals.

The strongest link was for Pfizer’s Pristiq: doctors who received one Pfizer-sponsored meal were two times more likely to prescribe that drug than doctors who received no freebies.

Furthermore, doctors’ prescribing rates for these drugs increased as the number of sponsored meals they accepted increased.

American Medical Association voluntary ethics guidelines say doctors should decline any gifts including meals “for which reciprocity is expected or implied.”

Representatives for the companies involved said doctors are not paid to prescribe their products. Sales’ reps interactions with physicians over sponsored meals are an important part of educating them about drugs’ risks and benefits, the companies said in emailed statements.

Dr. Nitin Damle, an internist and president of the American College of Physicians, said modest gifts or meals can be ethical if they enhance patients’ care, but that doctors should ask, “What would the public or my patients think about this particular gift or meal, and what is the purpose of industry offering it to me?”

The results were published in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine.

— AP

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The Golden Girls of Northern Virginia, a senior women’s softball league, is looking for players. Any woman over the age of 40 is encouraged to join. All skill levels are welcome. The team plays on Wednesday evenings and Saturday mornings in Vienna, Va. For more information, call (571) 261-9163 or visit www.goldengirls.org.

Say you saw it in the Beacon | Fitness & Health

Sister Circles From page 1

New circles starting New 12-week sessions start in March and April in Washington, D.C. and Prince George’s County, Md. There will be groups

Chronicling successes They already know the program is working. Gaston and Porter published an article last year in the Journal of the American Medical Association describing some of the health improvements of circle members so far.

“We’re seeing a 20 to 30 percent drop in blood pressure levels. We’re seeing dramatic increases in physical activity level.

All the women are exercising now. It might just be walking three times a week, but they’re moving. We’re seeing a significant

change in portion control and salt intake,” Gaston said.

The doctors also like to share anecdotal information on the impact of the circles.

For Elam, the program made such a difference in her life that she signed up to train to become a co-facilitator for a Prime Time Circle of her own.

“It’s a very good program, especially for women who don’t take the time to take care of themselves,” Elam said.

“Many women in this age group are caregivers to parents, some of them are grandparents who are more like parents to

21

the children. They just don’t have the wherewithal to take care of themselves, to go get checked and do these things,” she said.

One woman adopted her 9-year-old grandson after his mother died of AIDS. The grandmother told him how they were going to get healthier together.

She taught him to read nutrition labels on food, something she had learned in her group. One day, when the grandmother placed a bag of Doritos in the cart at Giant, See SISTER CIRCLES, page 22

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Gaston and Porter set up focus groups to help them decide how to best address these issues, and help women make better food choices, reduce their salt intake, lose weight, exercise and lower stress levels.

“These changes are extraordinarily difficult to make at any point in your life, and certainly at midlife,” Gaston said.

During the focus groups, “The women were so funny,” Porter recalled. “They said, ‘Docs, don’t send us a perky 20-yearold who weighs 90 pounds to tell us how to exercise, when we haven’t exercised since we were in eighth grade, and tried not to do it then.’”

Both Gaston and Porter fit the demographic they wanted to help, and they only hire Prime Time Sister Circle facilitators who have already been part of a circle.

Today, Gaston is 78 and Porter is 71. To date, more than 3,000 women have taken part in the circles, many of which continue informally for years after the initial program began. The circles are now functioning in seven states, and the doctors say they envision them spreading much further.

offered during the day, evenings and weekends. For a schedule of where and when the groups will meet, call (202) 403-6266.

They are free for women to join, and are funded by grants from the Ford Foundation, Kaiser Family Fund, Astra Zeneca and others.

Gaston and Porter recently secured a five-year NIH grant to study how well the circles work. In conjunction with Johns Hopkins, they will compare 300 women in the circles in Washington, D.C. with 300 others getting the usual standard of care for high blood pressure, with quarterly visits to primary care doctors, medication and diet advice.

They hope the data will show that the women in the circles — who meet two hours a week to get expert advice, share challenges and hold each other accountable — have better outcomes.

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WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N — M A R C H 2 0 1 7

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Sister Circles From page 21 he picked up the bag and said, “Nana.

Look at all this fat! Look at all this salt!”

“He told the cashier, ‘We have to put this back because my nana is going to live to see my grandchildren, and she can’t eat this if she’s going to do that,’” Porter recalled.

“For us, it was a dream come true,” she said. “This was exactly the kind of spread that we wanted to see.”

Dreaming big And it was exactly the kind of futures both women dreamed for themselves when growing up poor in the projects in the Midwest.

Gaston was born in the public housing

apartment where her mother lived in Cincinnati. A huge snowstorm prevented her mother from getting to the hospital.

When Gaston was 12, her mother fainted due to blood loss from undiagnosed cervical cancer. She hadn’t gotten care because they had no money and no health insurance.

“I decided that day to become a doctor.

We were poor and didn’t get the care we needed. I wanted to help people like that,” Gaston recalled.

She ignored school counselors who told her she would never get to medical school because she had three strikes against her: She was black, a woman and poor.

Not only did she graduate from medical school, she went on to become the first African American woman to direct a Public Health Service Bureau, and only the sec-

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M A R C H 2 0 1 7 — WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N

ond African American woman to achieve the position of Assistant Surgeon General and rank of Rear Admiral in the U.S. Public Health Service.

As director of the Bureau of Primary Health Care, she was responsible for a budget of $5 billion, serving 12 million poor, underserved and disadvantaged people.

Prior to her appointment as Bureau director, her work at the National Institutes of Health changed the management of children with sickle cell disease, significantly decreasing the illness and mortality in young children, for which she is internationally recognized.

Porter grew up in similar circumstances in Chicago public housing, the oldest of five children. She remembers as a child watching the movie The Search with her mom. In the movie, Montgomery Clift played a man who helped reunite children with their parents after the Holocaust.

“When the movie was over, I turned to my mom and said, ‘I want to do that. I want to work with kids and help them feel better.’

That’s never changed for me,” she said.

Earlier in her career, Porter became the first director of two outpatient mental health centers for the Washington, D.C. Commission on Mental Health Services, working primarily with children.

“I was seeing all of these grandmothers, great-grandmothers who were primary caregivers for these children, and their health was in the toilet. Nobody was talk-

ing about their physical health, but we tried to address some of their mental health issues,” she recalled.

Together, in 2006 the doctors were in the first group of winners of the annual Purpose Prize, which recognizes people over 60 who are applying their passion and experience for social good.

But more than prizes and grants, Gaston and Porter turn to the women in their circles and their families for validation about the impact of the program.

One woman fell into a major depression after her husband died of a heart attack, as did her son. They self-medicated with comfort food, until someone told her about the Prime Time Sister Circles.

“At first, her son was very upset because his mom changed everything with food, so they were eating better. Later, her son came to one of the meetings,” Porter recalled.

“It brings tears to my eyes just thinking about it. He said to us, ‘Docs, I want you to know, you not only saved my mother. You saved me. Because as she changed, I changed. I didn’t want to, but your program saved both our lives.’ For us, it’s just so gratifying.”

For more information about Gaston, Porter and the Prime Time Sister Circles, see http://primetimesistercir.wixsite.com/gastonandporter, or call (202) 403-6266 for a schedule of circles starting in the area this spring.

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WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N — M A R C H 2 0 1 7

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Program connects seniors to healthcare WISH is a free program that helps older adults remain independent and stay out of the hospital by connecting them to community-based healthcare and other support services in Montgomery County and Northwest Prince George’s County, Md. WISH stands for Wellness & Independence for Seniors at Home. It is run by the Nexus Montgomery Regional Partnership — a collaborative effort among the six hospitals in Montgomery County — and a variety of communitybased organizations.

Participating organizations work to-

gether to connect people to the medical, social and behavioral health services they need for better health and quality of life.

Individuals may qualify to participate if they are 65 or older, live in a house or apartment, and have Medicare. Participants can be referred by caregivers, family members and healthcare providers, or they can refer themselves.

If eligibility requirements are met, a WISH team member will reach out to the person being referred and schedule a free, confidential health survey. During the survey, individuals will have a chance to talk about their health, and identify the

support they need to stay independent.

Those who qualify will be assigned to a health coach who can: • Help individuals develop a plan and identify personal goals to help them live well and stay healthy and out of the hospital.

• Review their prescriptions, and help them obtain and manage new medications.

• Coordinate health services, such as physicians, therapists and home nurses for them.

• Link them with community resources and programs to help them stay active and healthy.

• Help them better understand and use services through Medicare and their healthcare plans.

Health coaches work with the nonprofit Coordinating Center, which has 34 years of experience providing care coordination and health coaching.

Health coaches are healthcare professionals who have experience creating personalized health plans and connecting individuals to resources in the community so they can remain healthy and independent.

To find out more, call WISH at (301) 628-3177.

— Barbara Ruben

BEACON BITS

Mondays

ALZHEIMER’S CAREGIVING TALKS Living with Alzheimer’s for Caregivers is a series of education programs that provides answers to the questions that arise in the

early, middle and late stages of the disease. Hear from those directly affected and learn what you need to know, what you need to plan and what you can do at each point along the way. The talks will take place on Mondays, from March 6 to May 1 (except March 27), from 4:30 to 6 p.m. at the Washington Senior Wellness Center, 3001 Alabama Ave. SE, Washington, D.C. For more information, contact the Alzheimer’s Association at lvajpeyi@alz.org or call (240) 428-1342.

THE SAVVY CAREGIVER a free, six-week Alzheimer’s and Dementia seminar series Presented by Lindsey Vajpeyi, BA, ADC/MC, programs and services manager, Alzheimer’s Association, National Capital Area

TuesdayS, T ues ue s April 4 – May 9, 2017 • 2-4 p.m.

Brooke Grove Rehabilitation and Nursing Center 18131 Slade School Road • Sandy Spring, MD 20860

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For more information or to register, contact Toni Davis at 301-388-7209 or tdavis@bgf.org by April 2.

This Th h clinical-level training will help you learn the skills needed to assee the abilities of your loved one, gain the confidence to set and assess al lt caregiving goals, and explore strategies to manage activities alter of daily living. You’re encouraged to attend all six presentations. of

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Health Studies Page

M A R C H 2 0 1 7 — WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N

THE PLACE TO LOOK FOR INFORMATION ON AREA CLINICAL TRIALS

Study aims to improve dementia diagnosis

By Barbara Ruben The earliest physiological indication of dementia is the clumping of amyloid protein fragments in the brain.

Usually, the brain breaks down amyloid and it gets eliminated from the body. But when it remains in sticky plaques, it can lead to decreased cognition and memory — hallmarks of Alzheimer’s disease. Other aging and brain disorders may also involve a buildup of such plaques.

Diagnosis of Alzheimer’s based on the presence of these plaques didn’t used to be

possible until autopsy. But today, researchers can inject a special dye containing radioactive tracers in one’s arm, and can then view amyloid plaques in the brain using PET (positron emission tomography) scans.

These scans are helping researchers learn more about amyloid’s role in Alzheimer’s and how to diagnose the condition. But for individuals who just want to know where they stand, Medicare and most health insurances do not pay for the $4,000 test.

The IDEAS study (Imaging Dementia

— Evidence for Amyloid Scanning) will continue research into dementia using PET scans. The study is being done to determine if images from the scans can lead to better diagnosis and treatments, and hence whether Medicare should someday cover the cost of such scans.

Large national study Nationally, 18,000 people are being recruited for the study. Locally, it is being conducted at three locations of Integrated Neurology Services — in Alexandria, Lorton and Falls Church, Va. — as well as at several other sites in Maryland and Washington, D.C. “The point of the study is to see if doctors are assisted by the PET scan in their diagnosis and treatment plan so that insurance would start covering this diagnostic test. Currently it is on the market and approved by the FDA, but not covered by insurance,” said Lindsay Wenger, clinical research coordinator with Integrated Neurology Services.

While the study does not offer compensation, the cost of the PET scan for Medicare recipients will be covered, except for the copay of $250. However, many Medicare secondary insurance plans will cover the copay.

Taking part in the study The study is seeking Medicare beneficiaries age 65 and older. They can fall into several categories of memory loss: Some will have ongoing memory problems or confusion for which their doctors have not found a cause for the symptoms.

Other participants may have a medical history and cognitive testing that supports a diagnosis of either dementia or mild cognitive impairment, but the cause is unclear.

Another group have possible Alzheimer’s disease, but the signs and symptoms are unusual.

In addition to one or two visits before the trial to perform lab work and an MRI, there will be four study visits. The first visit, once enrolled in the study, includes an assessment by the doctor and scheduling of the PET scan within 30 days.

The scan is done at a Washington-area radiology facility, such as the Metro Region PET Center in Annandale, Va., or Virginia Hospital Center in Arlington.

After the PET scan, participants return to Integrated Neurology to discuss the results and any recommended treatment changes. The final visit is three months after the scan for an assessment.

Those in the study need to consent to have their health information monitored

by Medicare for three years, as the agency examines whether getting the right diagnosis keeps other costs, such as prescriptions and ER visits, down.

Participants also have the option to let the American College of Radiology Imaging Network have an anonymous copy of their PET scan for further research.

For more information, or to volunteer to participate at an Integrated Neurology Services location, call (703) 313-9111.

For a complete list of sites where the study is taking place and to learn more, call (215) 574-3156 or see www.ideasstudy.org.

Say you saw it in the Beacon | Fitness & Health

WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N — M A R C H 2 0 1 7

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Is the dementia rate rising or falling? Yes. According to the Alzheimer’s Association’s 2015 Facts and Figures sheet: “The number of Americans with Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias will grow each year as the size and proportion of the U.S. population age 65 and older continue to increase.

The number will escalate rapidly in coming years as the baby boom generation ages.”

Despite these alarming projections, a report from a recent issue of the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) offered a few words of encouragement. Researchers from the longstanding Framingham study found that the rate of dementia has declined over the course of three decades.

Framingham researchers had been studying more than 5,000 men and women since 1975. The participants had physical exams, including tests for dementia every five years.

The researchers determined that the five-year rate of dementia was 3.6 percent between 1982 and 1986, 2.8 percent between 1991 and 1996, 2.2 percent between 1998 and 2003, and 2.0 percent between 2009 and 2013. Moreover, the average age when dementia was diagnosed increased from 80 to 85 over the 30 years.

Grounds for optimism Do these results fly in the face of the Alzheimer’s Association’s predictions?

Perhaps somewhat, according to Dr. David S. Jones at Harvard Medical School.

He notes that a 2005 report based on data from the National Long-Term Care Surveys showed that severe cognitive impairment among Medicare recipients had decreased significantly between 1982 and 1999.

The decrease in the rate of dementia was attributed largely to two things that we have some control over — education and heart disease. The decline was registered only in high-school graduates, but they made up most of the Framingham participants. The rate of cardiovascular disease — including stroke, atrial fibrillation, and heart failure — was also falling during the study period years.

In that sense, the results give further support to evidence that education, which may build up a “cognitive reserve,” pro-

BEACON BITS

Ongoing

COLON CANCER SCREENING

Detect colon cancer early with a free screening at Doctors Community Hospital. Colon or colorectal cancer is often preventable and curable, but it’s important to get regular colonoscopy screenings. To qualify, participants must be a Prince George’s County resident, age 50 or older, uninsured or underinsured, or younger than age 50 with a family history of colorectal cancer.

The hospital is located at 8100 Good Luck Rd. in Lanham, Md. For more information or to schedule an appointment, call (301) 552-7705 or visit www.DCHweb.org.

tects against dementia — and that cardiovascular disease, which restricts blood flow to the brain, may promote it.

Some evidence raises concern But even as rates of cardiovascular disease declined, rates of obesity and diabetes were beginning to creep up among the Framingham participants. Both are also risk factors for dementia, as well as for heart disease, and their continued rise could dampen or even reverse a decline in the dementia and heart disease rates.

Moreover, the overwhelming majority of Framingham participants are white and middle-class. Whether the results apply to people in other racial and ethnic groups and economic classes remains to be seen.

As the Alzheimer’s Association predicts, the numbers of people with dementia may ultimately increase simply because people

are living longer. At the same time, the Framingham researchers offer “cautious hope that some cases of dementia may be prevented or at least delayed.”

The Framingham results bolster the notion that what’s good for the heart is good for the head. If you’re pursuing a heart-

healthy lifestyle — following a Mediterranean-style diet, getting the equivalent of 150 minutes of moderate exercise a week, managing your stress, and engaging with friends and family — you’re likely lowering your risk of dementia in the bargain as well.

— Harvard Women’s Health Watch

BEACON BITS

Mar. 16

LOW VISION — FILM, SPEAKER AND LUNCH

The Prevention of Blindness Society of Metropolitan Washington presents “New Standard of Care for Low Vision” on Thursday, March 16 from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. at Friendship Heights Village Center, 4433 S. Park Ave., Chevy Chase, Md. This talk is with Dr. Adriana Wiseman of Low Vision Services, who will facilitate a conversation following a screening of the American Academy of Ophthalmology’s new video about low vision, “There Is Something You Can Do.” The event is Metro-accessible. To register and reserve a light lunch, call (301) 656-2797.

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Letters to editor From page 2 disease, I shall end my life at the appropriate moment while I still have control over my physical operations. Why not? I cannot think of anything worse than for my wife to be responsible for me while I sit in a chair, unable to function at all, but still breathing.

Louis Solomon Bethesda, Md. Dear Editor: I appreciate the Beacon and often file articles for future reading.

I enjoy reading the articles by Alexis Bentz. So neat to have a young woman relate so well to older adults. I bet her grandma is proud of her!

Thank you so much for your thoughtprovoking editorial, “Dignity versus quality of life” in your February edition. You

spoke of capital punishment, homicide, suicide and euthanasia. Each one is a way of taking a life.

I would like to add another way of taking a life. It is called abortion. “If the DNA of the baby in the womb is different than the DNA of the mother, how can it be the mother’s body?” This question was posed

by Eric Metaxas, speaker at the Walk for Life March.

I believe the dignity of the human person is rooted in his or her creation in the image and likeness of God. In the Bible, we learn how much God loves each one of us. We each are valued.

Thanks again for this interesting and informative paper for seniors.

Barbara A. Good Riverdale, Md. Dear Editor: The same world that practices both eu-

M A R C H 2 0 1 7 — WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N

thanasia and executions on humans treats the crawling, flapping and swimming creatures as both companions and food.

Donald E. White Fairfax City, Va. Dear Editor: Per the challenge to your readers last month: to have the conversation and think about end-of-life issues [From the Publisher, “Dignity vs. quality of life”], I assure you that I have thought about it long and hard.

A new bill will be introduced to the Maryland legislature this session that would allow a person of sound mind who has been diagnosed with a terminal illness by two doctors, and requests both verbally and in writing (with a 15-day waiting period), to receive a prescription for life-ending medication. There must be two witnesses to the request (at least one of whom is not a relative or has any financial interest) and the medication must be selfadministered.

A similar law has been in effect in Oregon for 18 years, and statistics show that out of the 510,000 Oregonians who died between 1998 and 2014, only 859 hastened their death by a doctor’s legal prescription, less than 0.2 percent. No one is forced to request the meds. No physician, pharmacist, or facility has to participate if it is

against their philosophy.

And if one requests the drugs and takes possession of them, there is no mandate to take them. This is meant to allow a dying person some choice and autonomy at the end of life.

I was concerned that your editorial referred to a growing number of suicides, and tied ending life with prescribed medication to suicide. Many suicides occur because of psychological rather than terminal illness.

Sometimes people commit suicide because they become ill, and the fear of the unknown and concern for what might be an untenable future is so very scary.

The end-of-life medication option is just one of the options, including hospice care, stopping eating and drinking, or ending all medical treatment, and all must be explained to the patient requesting life-ending drugs as described in the legislation.

I don’t know if I would ever use this law since I have no idea what the future holds for me. I am usually quite happy to let the universe unfold in a more natural way. But I would like to know that there is a safety net in case either physical or psychological pain was to become unbearable.

Norma Cohen Mt. Washington, Md.

BEACON BITS

Mar. 9

E-BOOKS LESSON

The Wheaton Library is offering a class on Thursday, March 9 from 10:30 a.m. to noon on how to download e-books from library websites for free. Bring your e-reader, iPad, Kindle or other device in addition to your library card. Registration is not required. Wheaton library is located at 11701 Georgia Ave. For more information, call (240) 777-0678.

Mar. 28

MICROSOFT WORD CLASS

The Arlington Central Library is holding a class “Beyond the Basics of Microsoft Word.” Participants will learn how to format and organize Word documents. The library is located at 1015 N. Quincy St. Attendance is first-come, first-served. For more information, visit http://bit.ly/2MicrosoftWordII or call (703) 228-5990.

Mar. 8+

ONLINE BANKING CLASSES

Ready, Set, Bank is a program that teaches how to get the most out of online and mobile banking, and addresses common fears, such as security and privacy. The course will be held on Mondays and Wednesdays from 10:30 to 11:45 a.m. at the Marilyn J. Praisner Library, located at 14910 Old Columbia Pike, Burtonsville, Md. For more information or to register, visit https://tinyurl.com/bankingclassregister.

WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N — M A R C H 2 0 1 7

Say you saw it in the Beacon | Fitness & Health

27

Supplements that make you look younger Maybe you thought beauty is only skin Medical Center, several scientific studies suggest that substances in milk thistle (especially deep, but it’s not. a flavonoid called silymarin) I can spot a smoker or a sunprotect the liver from toxins, inbather really fast, because the cluding certain drugs, such as free radical damage those beacetaminophen (T ylenol), haviors cause inside and out which can cause liver damage in make them look older than high doses. they should for their age.

Your liver processes everyA radiant youthful-looking thing that goes in your mouth face is actually an inside job. It — including alcohol, prescriphelps to drink fresh water, exertion medications, pesticides, cise regularly and eat healthy foods to get the nutrients that DEAR preservatives, additives and artificial colors. Your liver provide the building blocks of PHARMACIST detoxifies everything your healthy skin.

By Suzy Cohen Your gut and liver enzymes body doesn’t need.

This reminds me of that famous episode (glutathione and catalase) must remove toxins and free radicals every second of the day. on “I Love Lucy” where she’s struggling to Otherwise the junk inside your cells dam- keep up with the conveyor belt of chocolates coming down the line! When your ages your skin.

I’ve tried various supplements over the liver falls behind on its job, poisons come years (on and off) to keep my skin looking out through your skin, causing rashes and as good as it can. At 52, some level of aging itchiness. You’ll age faster.

Avoid milk thistle if you’re allergic to is inevitable, but it’s amazing what your face can look like if you neutralize free rad- ragweed, chrysanthemums, marigolds or icals before they age you and use high- daisies.

Collagen. Collagen is a natural compoquality skin care products.

Here are some of my favorite skin-lov- nent of skin that declines as you age, resulting in thinner, less elastic, more saggy ing herbs and nutrients: Milk thistle. It’s a food, but also a sup- skin. Two 2014 studies found that oral supplement. plementation with collagen may improve According to the University of Maryland skin elasticity and diminish wrinkles.

Silica. This makes hot springs pretty and blue in color. Silica is a trace mineral that helps soothe psoriasis, eczema and rashes when applied topically. Taken internally, silica helps you make collagen naturally, strengthening your nails.

Vitamin E. You may have heard that rubbing vitamin E oil directly on your skin can prevent scars. Taken orally, vitamin E is a powerful cellular antioxidant, which means it gobbles up free radicals that could otherwise damage your skin cells and lead to premature aging.

Zinc. It’s not just for your prostate or for colds! This mineral reduces skin inflammation and irritation, whether that’s associated with acne, pimples or rashes. It also plays a role in managing the production

and turnover of skin cells.

When I worked in nursing homes with residents who had painful diabetes-related wounds, or decubitis ulcers, we always gave them zinc and vitamin C supplements.

Be careful with zinc: don’t take too much. In fact, avoid it if you take ginkgo biloba, ibuprofen or warfarin, because it slightly increases the risk of bleeding.

If you’d like to read a longer version of this article, it’s available at my website, suzycohen.com. Please make sure to ask your doctor if these supplements are right for you.

This information is opinion only. It is not intended to treat, cure or diagnose your condition.

Suzy Cohen is a registered pharmacist and the author of The 24-Hour Pharmacist To contact her, visit www.SuzyCohen.com.

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M A R C H 2 0 1 7 — WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N

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Have you ever said to yourself “I’d love to get a computer, if only I could figure out how to use it.” Well, you’re not alone. Computers were supposed to make our lives simpler, but they’ve gotten so complicated that they are not worth the trouble. With all of the “pointing and clicking” and “dragging and dropping” you’re lucky if you can figure out where you are. Plus, you are constantly worrying about viruses and freeze-ups. If this sounds familiar, we have great news for you. There is finally a computer that’s designed for simplicity and ease of use. It’s the WOW Computer, and it was designed with you in mind. This computer is easyto-use, worry-free and literally puts

the world at your fingertips. From the moment you open the box, you’ll realize how different the WOW Computer is. The components are all connected; all you do is plug it into an outlet and your high-speed Internet connection.

Then you’ll see the screen – it’s now 22 inches. This is a completely new touch screen system, without the cluttered look of the normal computer screen.

The “buttons” on the screen are easy to see and easy to understand. All you do is touch one of them, from the Web, Email, Calendar to Games– you name it… and a new screen opens up. It’s so easy to use you won’t have to ask your children or grandchildren for help. Until now, the very people who could benefit most from E-mail and the Internet are the ones that have had the hardest time accessing it. Now, thanks to the WOW Computer, countless older Americans are discovering the wonderful world of the Internet every day. Isn’t it time

you took part? Call now, and you’ll find out why tens of thousands of satisfied seniors are now enjoying their WOW Computers, emailing their grandchildren, and experiencing everything the Internet has to offer. Call today!

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Say you saw it in the Beacon | Fitness & Health

WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N — M A R C H 2 0 1 7

29

Sheet-pan salmon and asparagus dinner

By Melissa D’arabian Some people derail their diets because they think healthy eating is complicated and time-consuming. That’s why sheet-pan salmon suppers are so terrific — they take minutes to make, and yet the healthy fats in salmon are filling.

This recipe features salmon alongside super-quick-cooking asparagus, which tastes sweet and less grassy when roasted.

Sheet-pan suppers are perfectly quick for weeknight eating, and versatile enough that you can swap out ingredients to match your tastes and your fridge.

Don’t have salmon? Use sea bass or cod, no problem. Just pay attention to the cook times, particularly as you swap out veggies — you may need to pre-cook hardier vegetables like broccoli or cauliflower. (Tip: you can do a quick microwave steam to par-cook slower-cooking ingredients like potatoes before placing them on the sheetpan.)

You can even use frozen fish fillets for this recipe if you add a little cooking time (use an instant meat thermometer to check for doneness).

Since my daughter is gluten-sensitive, I use almond flour for a bit of bread-less breaded texture on top of the salmon, but

feel free to use crunchy panko breadcrumbs if you prefer.

Herbes de Provence is my go-to dried herb blend. It can be found now in most well-stocked grocery stores, and is a worthy little splurge. Otherwise, use a mix of dried oregano, marjoram and thyme, and the results will still be delicious.

A final weeknight strategy: you can prep this whole dinner ahead of time on your sheet tray and stick it in the fridge. Then, when you get home, pop the whole thing into the oven for a dinner that is even faster than microwaving a frozen lasagna.

You’ll save both time and calories.

Easiest sheet-pan salmon Start to finish: 20 minutes Servings: 4 4 fillets salmon, skin removed, about 5 ounces each 1/3 cup almond flour or almond meal (can substitute panko bread crumbs) 1 1/2 teaspoons dried herbes de Provence (or dried oregano or thyme) 1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest 2 tablespoons lemon juice 1 bunch of asparagus, cleaned and trimmed, about 1 pound

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1 teaspoon olive oil 1/2 teaspoon salt, divided 1/4 teaspoon pepper lemon wedges for serving Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F, and cover a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Pat the salmon dry gently with a paper towel.

On a small plate, mix the almond flour, herbs, garlic, lemon zest, half the salt, and pepper with a fork until well-blended.

Sprinkle or brush the lemon juice evenly on top of the salmon fillets. Dip the top of the salmon fillets into the almond flour crumbs, gently pressing them into the top of the fillets, evenly dividing the almond flour and herb mixture among the fillets.

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Place the fillets on the sheet pan. Toss the asparagus with the olive oil and remaining salt. Place around the salmon fillets. Cook until salmon reaches 135 internal temperature and asparagus is tender, about 15 minutes. Serve with lemon wedges.

Nutrition information per serving: 293 calories; 133 calories from fat; 15 g. fat (2 g. saturated; 0 g. trans fats); 78 mg. cholesterol; 357 mg. sodium; 8 g. carbohydrate; 4 g. fiber; 3 g. sugar; 33 g. protein.

Food Network star Melissa d’Arabian is an expert on healthy eating on a budget. She is the author of the cookbook “Supermarket Healthy.’’ See more at www.melissadarabian.net.

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M A R C H 2 0 1 7 â&#x20AC;&#x201D; WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N

WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N — M A R C H 2 0 1 7

Say you saw it in the Beacon | Fitness & Health

31

Good ways to deal with grown children Dear Solutions: can get, the better off he’ll be. That’s How much are we expected to cater to where Grandma’s special, one-of-a-kind, our grown children’s wants? unconditional love has no My son wants to park his equal. very big truck in my driveAnd, oh, one more thing. way while I’m away for the Tell your son that whether winter. he’s friendly to you or not, his I have an arrangement child can be his passport to a with a plowing company that visit in that warm place where will plow the driveway when you’re spending the winter. the snow reaches a certain Good luck. I hope you’re a depth. I think the truck will good negotiator! be in the way, and they won’t Dear Solutions: SOLUTIONS be able to do the work, so I There are certain dishes

By Helen Oxenberg, said no to my son. that I’ve always cooked MSW, ACSW He got very angry at me, that my son always loved. and said he doesn’t want to He married recently, and I have a relationship with me anymore. know his wife is not interested in I’m very upset about that, but also about cooking and never makes anything the fact that he has my only grandchild. complicated.

He’s divorced, and I only get to see the I’m invited to their house during child when he visits my son.

Easter, and I’m wondering if it would How to handle this? be insulting to her if I made these — Feel like a Hostage dishes and brought them so he could Dear Hostage: have the food he loves.

Surely you’ve heard of “hostage negotiaI don’t know if I should just bring tions.” Two suggestions: 1. If this contin- them, say something to her first, or ues next winter, allow the truck to be not bring it at all. What is the right anparked in your driveway only until the first swer? big snow is predicted. After any necessary — Agnes plowing, he can put it back until the next Dear Agnes: big snow heads your way.

“Not bring it at all” is the right answer 2. Point out to your son that it’s hard — at least not yet. enough for his child to be part of a diFirst, invite your son and his wife to vorced family, and that the more love he your house for your food. Then ask your

Share your opinion.

Send a letter to the editor.

daughter–in-law if there’s something you can bring to the Easter gathering that will be helpful to her — including any food she would like you to make. Allow her to make suggestions, and follow those suggestions.

It may be that your son will get to eat your food only at your home when invited, because what you think is better for his taste buds may not be better for his marriage.

Dear Solutions: We saw your column at our mother’s house and hope you can give us some advice. Our parents have been separated for many years. Now, finally, my mother is going to sue my father for money he owes her.

My sister, brothers and I love them both, but don’t want to take sides. My mother keeps trying to tell us why she’s doing this, and my father keeps trying to tell us how he has no money.

We’re with my mother most of the

time. How can we get her to stop trying to involve us? Thanks for your advice.

— The Grown Up Kids Dear Grown Ups: Declare a neutral zone with your sister and brothers.

Tell your mother that you love her, and whatever she has to do for herself is OK with you. Tell your father you love him, and will continue to do so no matter how this turns out. Tell them both to please leave all of you out of it and refuse to give an opinion.

Recognize that your mother is trying to involve you because she’s afraid of losing your approval and love. Reassurance is what she needs. © Helen Oxenberg, 2017. Questions to be considered for this column may be sent to: The Beacon, P.O. Box 2227, Silver Spring, MD 20915. You may also email the author at helox72@comcast.net. To inquire about reprint rights, call (609) 655-3684.

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M A R C H 2 0 1 7 — WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N

Money Law &

COVER YOUR BASES Job application cover letters are a waste of time — unless you do it right DEBT COLLECTOR HEADACHES Federal law can protect you, if you know what to say and where to turn for help DRIVING A BARGAIN New and used car buyers ought to find good deals throughout this year HIGHER RATES FOR SAVERS Interest rates are on the rise, but you need to seek out banks that pay more

How to invest wisely in today’s market Many readers have written asking for ad- represent money you will need in 2017. vice about how to invest for consistent inWhat investments would benefit from this come in 2017 with minimal risk. scenario? Treasury inflationAs I have emphasized many protected securities (TIPS), or times, it’s impossible to reap mutual funds or ETFs investing high returns on your investin them, should do well. You ments — whether it’s in the won’t receive a great deal of inform of income or equity apcome or capital gains in these preciation — without assuminvestments, but you won’t be ing some risk. taking a great deal of risk, eiThat being said, it is possither. ble to anticipate likely occurOther investments that rences in 2017 and make inshould do reasonably well in THE SAVINGS vestments taking these into GAME this scenario are investments account. in high-quality bank loan portBy Elliot Raphaelson folios whose income is based Rising interest rates on variable interest rates. If What is likely? It is likely that the Feder- the Fed does increase rates, then the return al Reserve will increase short-term inter- on those loans will increase accordingly. est rates a few times in 2017. Most experts Will stock investments do better than following the Fed agree. bonds in 2017? No one can be sure. There If that is the case, then bond markets are reasons to believe that corporate profwill be volatile, and some long-term invest- itability will increase because it is likely ments — such as long-term Treasury that Congress will enact legislation that bonds — will likely decrease in value, even will reduce the corporate tax rate. if only in the short term.

The incoming administration camAccordingly, I would caution investors paigned on that basis, and most members not to have significant holdings in long- of the incoming Congress seem to agree. term bonds, especially if those holdings However, common stock prices are at a

pretty high level, in terms of price-earnings ratios, so there is no guarantee that stock prices will continue to increase in 2017.

As I have said many times, there are time frames in which bonds outperform stocks and vice versa, and no expert is right all the time.

That is why for the last 20 years in my own retirement I have maintained a balanced portfolio of stocks and bonds. I don’t pretend to know in which year one or the other category of investment will do better.

What stock sectors are best?

As for equities, which sectors are better to invest in? Many of the experts believe that when interest rates are expected to increase, the banking sector does well. However, bank stocks have already increased in value recently, so there is no guarantee that they will outperform other sectors in 2017.

I try not to concentrate my investments in one or two sectors, because it is difficult to predict which patterns will persist and for how long.

That is why I think it is prudent to invest in low-cost, well-diversified index mutual

funds or ETFs. For example, I like the Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund (VTSAX) because of its low costs and broad base of investments. Other fund families such as Fidelity and T. Rowe Price have similar offerings.

I also like investing in funds that have a long history of increasing dividends and low costs. For this reason, for many years I have invested in the Vanguard Dividend Appreciation Index Fund (VDADX).

Bond funds to consider As for bond investments, I generally prefer investments in intermediate-term funds, especially when it’s likely that interest rates will increase.

Two of my favorite funds for long-term investors are the Vanguard IntermediateTerm Investment Grade Fund (VFIDX) and the Vanguard High Yield Corporate Fund (VMEAX).

There is more risk in high-yield funds, but I have found that on a long-term basis, it is worth the higher risk.

Elliot Raphaelson welcomes your questions and comments at raphelliot@gmail.com. © 2017 Elliot Raphaelson. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Four best mutual funds for foreign stocks

By Steven Goldberg Remember the lost decade for U.S. stocks?

From 2000 through 2009, the total return including dividends of Standard & Poor’s 500stock index was a negative 9.1 percent, or an annualized loss of 0.95 percent.

“Today, we’re about to see another lost decade,” reports Jeff DeMaso, research director for the Independent Adviser for Vanguard Investors. “But this time it’s overseas.”

Of course, 2009 proved a wonderful year to buy U.S. stocks because the S&P 500 hit bottom on March 9, 2009, and is now closing in on eight straight years of gains. DeMaso argues that similarly, this year may well prove to be a propitious time to buy foreign stocks. I couldn’t agree more.

The divergence between foreign stocks and U.S. stocks has been stunning. Over the past 10 years, the S&P 500 has returned an annualized 7.2 percent.

During that same stretch, the MSCI EAFE index of foreign stocks in developed

countries has returned a meager 1.1 percent annualized. And the MSCI Emerging Markets index has done little better, returning an annualized 2.6 percent.

Because stocks around the globe peaked in October 2007 before plunging into the worst bear market since the Great Depression, 10year returns for foreign stocks are virtually certain to be underwater by this fall. (All returns in this article are through January 26.)

But expecting recent past performance to continue into the indefinite future is a classic investing mistake. I believe investors should always stay widely diversified, then put a little extra into parts of the market that are statistically cheap. Add a ton of patience and you’ll almost certainly wind up ahead over the long run.

Inexpensive compared to U.S. Today, foreign stocks are remarkably cheap relative to U.S. stocks. On earnings over the past 12 months, the S&P currently trades at a price-earnings ratio of 23 — higher than at any previous time except during the tech bubble of the late 1990s.

Meanwhile, the MSCI EAFE index trades at a price-earnings ratio of 20 — pricey, but not ridiculous. In comparison, emerging markets are cheap at 14 times trailing earnings.

Doug Ramsey, chief investment officer of the Leuthold Group, an investment research firm, looks at an average of earnings over the past four years together with consensus analyst estimates for the coming year. So-called normalized earnings smooth out the peaks and valleys of the

Today, foreign stocks are remarkably cheap relative to U.S. stocks.

economic cycle and are widely considered to be a better gauge of market value than other methods of measuring earnings.

On Ramsey’s calculation of normalized earnings, U.S. stocks trade at a P/E of 22.5, foreign stocks in developed countries trade at a P/E of 16, and emerging markets stocks change hands at a P/E of 11.5.

Of course, overseas stocks aren’t cheap without reason. The European Union is threatened by a wave of nationalism — the same trend that swept Donald Trump into the White House. Japan’s economy faces huge demographic headwinds, mainly due to an aging population. And emerging markets have suffered from a lack of demand from the developed world.

But the stock market is a discounting mechanism, rapidly digesting all available relevant information. That means the bad news is already reflected in share prices, and See MUTUAL FUNDS, page 34

Say you saw it in the Beacon | Law & Money

WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N â&#x20AC;&#x201D; M A R C H 2 0 1 7

33

Seven ways to file your taxes for free

By Sandra Block Most do-it-yourself filers prepare their own taxes for one and only one reason: They want to save money.

But tax software isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t cheap, and hidden costs can sometimes blindside you. You might be forced to upgrade to another product midway through your tax return, or to pay extra to file your state tax return.

Fortunately, the tax software business is fiercely competitive, and in an effort to attract new customers, software providers have expanded their free offerings. Depending on your circumstances, you may be able to prepare and e-file your federal and state tax return without paying a dime.

Make sure you read the fine print and disclaimers before you start plugging numbers into an online program. Otherwise, you could discover that you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t qualify for the free product, forcing you to switch to a paid version or to abandon your tax return midway through a program.

Neither option makes for a satisfying taxpaying experience.

And keep information security in mind throughout your tax prep and filing. Use a strong password for your software log-in (not â&#x20AC;&#x153;passwordâ&#x20AC;? or your dogâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s name).

Be wary of e-mails purporting to be from your software provider; so-called phishing e-mails are used by scammers to obtain your personal information. Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t click on links included in e-mails. If you need to communicate with the software provider, do it through the providerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s website.

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H&R Block More Zero Who can use it: Taxpayers who file 1040EZ or 1040A, and itemizers who claim the most common deductions on Form 1040 State tax return included: Yes In an audacious move to attract new online customers, H&R Block has significantly expanded eligibility for its free online program. Taxpayers who deduct mortgage interest, charitable contributions and/or medical expenses on Schedule A of Form 1040 can file a federal and state tax

return free. Block estimates that 87 million taxpayers will be eligible to use the new product.

Users can electronically import last yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s tax return, whether it was prepared using H&R Blockâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s program or a competitorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s product.

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TurboTax Absolute Zero Who can use it: Taxpayers who file 1040EZ or 1040A State tax return included: Yes This is a good option for taxpayers with simple tax returns. But youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll have to pay to upgrade to TurboTax Deluxe if you have investment or self-employment income, or if you contributed to a health savings account last year.

The free Absolute Zero product lacks some of the features that have made TurboTax the most popular tax prep program.

For example, you canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t electronically import last yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s return, even if you used TurboTax to prepare and file your return.

ing out tax forms.

For example, Credit Karma could use your income to trigger an offer for a specific credit card. If you sign up for the credit card, Credit Karma receives a fee. If that makes you uncomfortable, you can opt out and still use the tax-filing product.

But if you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t need help, this utilitarian program will help you get the job done free. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not as flashy as other online programs, but it does offer online support, and you wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t discover midway through the process that you have to upgrade to a paid product.

DIY Tax

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Who can use it: All taxpayers State tax return included: Yes This program, offered by tax preparation company Liberty Tax, is available to all taxpayers, even those with complex forms.

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Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s counting on DIY fatigue. A â&#x20AC;&#x153;find an officeâ&#x20AC;? link is always visible when you use this program, and a Liberty tax preparer can pick up where you left off â&#x20AC;&#x201D; for a fee, of course.

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See FILE TAXES, page 35

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M A R C H 2 0 1 7 — WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N

Mutual funds From page 32 if the news gets just a bit better than the market expects, foreign stocks should rally.

No one knows when foreign stocks will accelerate or when U.S. stocks will lose their mojo. But history shows that foreign and domestic stocks typically take turns leading each other, often for multiyear periods. Long-term returns for each are roughly the same. Emerging markets are already pulling ahead.

Over the past 12 months, they have returned 33.0 percent — 9.7 percentage points better than the S&P. Says Ramsey: “If you have a three- to five-year time horizon, you should do better overseas.”

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Below are some first-rate choices, starting with the lowest-risk options.

American Funds New Perspective F1 (NPFFX) is the cautious way to play foreign stocks. It invests roughly half of its assets in foreign stocks and half in U.S. stocks. Over the past 10 years, it has returned an annualized 6.3 percent — an average of 4.9 percentage points per year more than the MSCI All-Country World index.

Annual expenses are 0.84 percent. Like all American funds, it is sold primarily through advisers, but individual investors can invest through the Fidelity and Schwab online brokerages.

Fidelity International Growth (FIGFX)

manager Jed Weiss looks for unfairly tarnished stocks. Some are out of favor because of industry conditions; others are depressed because of company-specific crises.

Over the past five years, the fund has returned an annualized 7.0 percent — an average of 1.1 percentage point better than the MSCI EAFE index. Weiss currently has 20 percent of assets in U.S. stocks.

The fund is a member of the Kiplinger 25.

American Funds New World F1 (NWFFX) is a longtime favorite of mine. About half of its assets are in emerging markets stocks; the remainder is in multinational companies that do lots of business in emerging markets. The fund has consistently topped emerging markets stocks overall in bad markets, and has bested foreign stocks in developed countries in good markets.

Vanguard Total International Stock ETF (VXUS) is a great choice in an index fund.

For a mere 0.13 percent annually, it gives you the entire foreign world, including a 19 percent weighting in emerging markets. The fund owns some 6,000 stocks.

If you don’t like the exchange-tradedfund wrapper, you can buy the fund under the symbol VGTSX for 0.18 percent annually, or at the same price as the ETF through the admiral shares (VTIAX). The admiral shares require a $10,000 minimum investment.

Steve Goldberg is an investment adviser in the Washington, D.C., area. © 2017 The Kiplinger Washington Editors. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC

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File taxes From page 33

TaxAct Who can use it: Taxpayers who file 1040EZ or 1040A State tax return included: Yes TaxAct has expanded its free product to include tips and guidance on 19 “life events” — such as getting married or buying a home — up from two last year.

You can electronically import a previous year’s TaxAct return for $5. In the past, users who wanted to import a prior year’s tax return had to upgrade to a paid product.

While Form 1040A allows you to report income from investments and capital gains, if you itemize and/or have taxable income of more than $100,000, you must pay to upgrade to TaxAct Plus.

IRS Free File Who can use it: Taxpayers with 2016 adjusted gross income of $64,000 or less State tax return included: Varies, de-

pending on tax software company This year, 12 private tax software companies are participating in the Free File program. Each participant has its own criteria. TurboTax All Free, for example, is limited to taxpayers with AGI of $33,000 or less, or who are eligible for the Earned Income Tax Credit. eSmart Free File is available to anyone with AGI of $64,000 or less, as long as they’re between the ages of 18 and 54.

Some programs are only available to taxpayers who live in specific states. Find the right tool for you via the IRS’ look-up tool.

Free File isn’t limited to taxpayers with simple returns. If you itemize, or have income from investments or self-employment, you can prepare and e-file your federal tax return (and in some cases, your state tax return) free, provided you meet the AGI requirements.

Copyright 2017 The Kiplinger Washington Editors All contents copyright 2017 The Kiplinger Washington Editors, Inc. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC

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M A R C H 2 0 1 7 — WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N

Cover your bases with a good cover letter Q: What are your thoughts about the value of a cover letter?

A: My thoughts are mixed. I’ll tell you why.

The purpose of a cover letter is to spark the reader’s interest in your resume. By most accounts, though, the majority of cover letters are a repeat of the information on the applicant’s resume.

Since these letters throw no additional light on the resume, they’re quickly tossed out. This redundancy is such a common practice, many hiring managers now don’t even bother to scan the letter before they toss it out.

If your letter basically reflects information on your resume, I would have to agree that a cover letter is probably a waste of time.

On the other hand, a positive factor associated with all cover letters is that someone who prepares one is already showing a higher level of interest. Furthermore, with some structure, your cover letter could be a valuable addition to your application package.

For instance: • A cover letter structured as a marketing document that highlights features and benefits related to the job description could make a candidate stand out as someone who offers solutions.

• Resumes are boring. A good cover letter helps “personalize” the prospective employee.

How to write a good cover letter Basically, keep it short.

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The salutation: do they promote as the thing that sets If you don’t know the name of the hiring them apart from their competitors? manager, you can use something broad • Check on how the company has been like “Dear Hiring Manager.” performing.

Don’t use the impersonal “To Now, highlight the personWhom It May Concern.” This al assets you can bring to the wording could easily prompt the company to address their parreader to think, “This is probaticular needs. Make your bly going to be a form letter.” qualifications jump out at the The first paragraph: reader by shaping the details This introduction only to reflect on the company needs to be one or two senbased on the research you tences long. Basically, it tells have done. Spotlight text that the reader that you’re writing shows how you can conabout the open position of CAREER COACH tribute to their bottom line!

By Judy Smith ____.

The final paragraph: The second paragraph: This text should make a Overall, this paragraph should tell the positive statement that motivates the emreader why you’re qualified for the avail- ployer to contact you: able position, what work experience you • Reiterate (briefly) why you feel you’re have that fits the requirements listed in the a perfect fit for the position. job description, and why you want to work • Note that your resume is attached (via for their company in particular. the Internet) or enclosed (via the U.S. Mail) For example, you may want to show • Say you’re looking forward to interhow you have a demonstrated ability to see viewing for the position. the big picture, and a history of helping • Ask the reader to contact you. Provide companies increase their customer base. your email address and/or your phone But to really stand out, you’ll need to re- number. search their company so you can apply Thank the person for considering your your experience to their needs. application.

• Find out what their mission is.

• Identify their target audience. What See COVER LETTER, page 37

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WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N — M A R C H 2 0 1 7

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The best ways to deal with debt collectors

By Sarah Skidmore Sell It’s a scary place to be — in debt and afraid.

A new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau report found that more than one in four consumers felt threatened when contacted by debt collectors. The first-ever national survey of consumer experiences with debt collectors found that consumers often faced calls that came too often, at odd hours, and contained warnings of jail time and other threats.

Some were contacted for debts they didn’t owe. And many said that when they asked the collector to stop contacting them, the request was ignored.

CFPB Director Rich Cordray said the report casts a “troubling light” on the industry, and that the bureau is working to stop abuses. But what are your rights when facing off with a debt collector?

A few things to know:

You are not alone The CFPB says debt collection is a multi-billion dollar industry affecting 70 million consumers. And more consumers complain to the CFPB about debt collection than any other product or service.

The Federal Trade Commission, which

Cover letter From page 36

Review the letter Spell-check and proofread. Don’t rely on computer spelling and grammar checks to catch all the mistakes. (Note: Over the years, a number of employers have told me that only a single error or typo would be sufficient stimulus for them to immediately discard that resume!) You could ask a friend to proofread your letter as well.

Finally, I suggest you read your cover

enforces the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, also said debt collectors generate more complaints to its offices than any other industry.

You are protected The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act provides protection for those being pursued for personal debts, such as money owed on a credit card account, an auto loan or a mortgage. It doesn’t cover debts incurred to run a business.

You have rights Debt collectors can contact you by phone, letter, email or text message, as long as they follow the rules and disclose that they are debt collectors. It’s against the law for a debt collector to pretend to be someone else to harass, threaten or deceive you.

They may not contact you at inconvenient times or places, such as early in the morning or late at night. And they may not contact you at work if they’re told not to.

Debt collectors may not harass, oppress or abuse you, according to the FTC. That includes threats of violence or using obscene language. Federal law also limits the

letter aloud. You might uncover elements (like “tone of voice”) that you didn’t know you should consider.

One hiring manager summarized his views on cover letters perfectly: “A succinct, well-written cover letter that is lasertargeted to my specific job opening is rare and really gets my attention!”

That says it all.

Judy Smith welcomes your questions on searching for jobs. Email her at smithjudit@gmail.com or visit her website at www.judysmith.solutions.

number of calls a debt collector can place.

Collectors cannot lie to collect a debt, by falsely representing themselves or the amount you owe. And other than trying to obtain information about you, such as a telephone number or whereabouts, a debt collector generally is not permitted to discuss your debt with anyone other than you, your spouse, or your attorney.

How to take action Report any problems you have with a debt collector to your state Attorney General’s office, the Federal Trade Commission and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

Local readers may also contact the following offices: Mar yland Attorney General Con-

sumer Protection Office, www.marylandattorneygeneral.gov/Pages/CPD/default.aspx, 1- 888-743-0023.

Montgomery County Office of Consumer Protection, www.montgomerycountymd.gov/ocp, (240) 777-3636 Prince George’s County Consumer Protection Division Office, (301) 386-6200 Virginia Attorney General Consumer Protection, http://ag.virginia.gov/consumer-protection, 1-800-552-9963 Fairfax County Consumer Protection Division, www.fairfaxcounty.gov/consumer.htm, (703) 222-8435 Washington, D.C. Attorney General, Consumer Protection, https://oag.dc.gov/ consumerprotection, (202) 442-9828 — AP

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M A R C H 2 0 1 7 — WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N

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Say you saw it in the Beacon | Law & Money

WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N — M A R C H 2 0 1 7

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Meet with dozens of employers, including: AARP, AFLAC, Ambit Energy, Avon, The Beacon Newspaper, Bright Horizons, CVS Health, National Older Worker Career Center, Roy Rogers Restaurant, Sandy Spring Bank, Sibley Memorial Hospital Meet with dozens of information, training and resource organizations including: DHHS/Aging & Disability, JCA, Maryland Legal Aid, Social Security Administration, Vamoose

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M A R C H 2 0 1 7 — WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N

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Car buyers will find good deals this year

By Dee-Ann Durbin U.S. car shoppers will find plentiful deals, relatively low interest rates, and lots of high-tech choices in the market this year.

“It’s a good time to buy a car now, and it should be for the rest of the year,” said Jessica Caldwell, an analyst with the car-shopping site Edmunds.com New-vehicle sales hit a record of 17.55 million in the U.S. last year. While they’re not expected to top that this year, demand is still strong.

Many of the factors that fueled sales last year are still in place, like solid consumer confidence and low gas prices. New technology like Apple CarPlay and automatic emergency braking is luring buyers.

And many people still need to replace aging cars. The average age of a vehicle on U.S. roads climbed to 11.6 years in 2016.

Here are some things to watch in the car market this year:

Prices The average price people pay for a new car rose to $32,000 in December, a monthly record, according to the consulting firm LMC Automotive. Analysts say new-vehicle prices will continue to rise in 2017.

There are two main reasons: More customers are buying SUVs, which are pricier than cars. And they’re loading them up with features, like the premium audio and automatic lift gate package that adds $940 to the cost of a Toyota RAV4 SUV. As a result, more buyers are leasing, which helps lower the monthly payment.

The average monthly lease payment for a new car is currently $405, while the average monthly loan payment is $495, according to Experian Automotive.

Buyers are also lengthening the terms of their car loans to lower their payments.

The average new-vehicle loan term is now 68 months, up from 62 months in 2009.

About 1 percent of loans stretch out 85 months or more.

Incentives Prices may be at record levels, but — luckily for consumers — deals are, too.

Automakers were offering around $4,000 per vehicle in incentives at the end of 2016, and that could inch up even further this year, said Jesse Toprak, CEO of the carshopping site CarHub.com. Deals are often coming in the form of bonus cash, or low- or zero-interest financing.

Look for some of the highest incentives on slow-selling small and midsize cars, like the Toyota Camry and Chevrolet Sonic, as well as hybrids like the Ford C-Max. Incentives will likely pick up in March and April, when more buyers tend to head to dealerships.

Analysts say automakers are trying to be smarter with incentives, having been burned in the past. Deals are targeted at specific vehicles, regions, and even individual dealerships. Incentives could also taper off a bit if automakers cut car production to match the lower demand.

Used cars A big supply of vehicles leased two or three years ago is returning to the market.

Prices for used SUVs and trucks, which are in high demand, will likely stay stable this year, but used car prices will fall, said Michelle Krebs, a senior analyst with AutoTrader.com. Krebs said buyers will have to do their homework to see if they should buy a new or a nearly-new car.

New cars might have the latest technology, but a certified-pre-owned car might offer perks like free maintenance or a few months of OnStar or satellite radio. The current average monthly payment on a used car is $362, Experian said, up only slightly from a year ago.

One downside for consumers: Falling used-car values mean they’ll get less for vehicles that they’re trading in, said Patrick Min, a senior industry analyst at the car-buying site TrueCar.com.

Low gas prices, interest rates Low gas prices have fueled the U.S. SUV boom, and that’s likely to continue. Gas prices — which ended 2016 at $2.25 per gallon — are expected to average $2.38 per gallon this year and $2.41 in 2018, according to the U.S. Energy Department.

The Federal Reserve boosted its benchmark rate by a quarter-point last month, to a still-low range of 0.5 percent to 0.75 percent. The rate has been near zero since the recession.

Toprak said the impact on car buyers will likely be negligible. Even an increase of 2 percentage points would only add about $50 per month to a car payment, he said.

“That’s not going to stop people,” he said. But increasing interest rates could cause lenders to tighten their criteria, which could shut some buyers out of the market.

— AP

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M A R C H 2 0 1 7 — WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N

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WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N — M A R C H 2 0 1 7

43

Hunt for higher rates on bank accounts

By Margarette Burnette The year 2017 is shaping up as one of rising interest rates. For some people, that will mean loans and credit cards will become costlier. But for some bank and credit union customers, there’s also a benefit: the potential to earn more money.

“If you’re willing to shop around for a higher yield now” on checking and savings accounts, financial planner Eric Hutchinson said, “you get the immediate benefit of earning more money. You’ll also be positioning yourself to take advantage of future rate hikes.”

The Federal Reserve raised its benchmark interest rate for banks from 0.50 percent to 0.75 percent in December. Rising rates provide incentives for banks to increase their annual percentage yields on deposit accounts to attract customers, said Hutchinson.

Very low current rates That’s no guarantee that a bank will increase annual percentage yields (APYs).

In fact, the national average interest rate on savings accounts is 0.06 percent, according to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. — the same as before the Fed’s December rate hike. But Hutchinson said financial experts believe that rates will gradually increase over the next year.

Suppose you started 2017 with $2,000 in a basics savings account that had an APY of 0.06 percent. If you left the money untouched for a year, it would earn a meager $1.20 in interest.

But if you put the cash in a savings account with a higher yield — say 1 percent — you would earn about $20 in interest by the end of the year. It may not make you rich, but it’s a smart financial move. And if yields rise throughout the year, the money would grow faster.

Here are some tips to get higher rates on your deposit accounts: Review institutions of all sizes: Large banks are known for convenience and branch access. But many smaller credit unions and banks, and online-only institutions, beat larger competitors when it comes to interest rates.

Check the websites of nearby banks or credit unions for rates. You can also find more information and reviews about these institutions on comparison sites.

Watch out for monthly fees: Many financial institutions require a minimum bal-

ance of about $300 in savings accounts to avoid monthly maintenance fees.

If you don’t meet the requirement, the fees could add up to more than $140 a year.

That would probably erase all of your earnings and then some.

Know your time frame: Financial institu-

tions often offer higher interest rates on certificates of deposit. In exchange, you can’t touch the money for a certain amount of time, usually from three months to five years.

Read the fine print: Some banks and credit unions have better rates for customers with higher balances — usually

$50,000 or more. Make sure you’ll have, and be able to keep, the required amount in the account before opening it.

See FDIC’s site for weekly national interest rates: www.fdic.gov/regulations/resources/rates/#one — NerdWallet via AP

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DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA OFFICE ON AGING

Spotlight On Aging VOLUME XXVIII, ISSUE 3

A newsletter for D.C. Seniors

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE

March 2017

Cupid’s Kids

By Laura Newland Executive Director, D.C. Office on Aging Thanks to everyone who came out to the Performance Hearing for the D.C. Office on Aging (DCOA), and those who testified before the Committee on Housing and Neighborhood Revitalization and Chairperson Anita Bonds. After more than nine hours of testimony from District residents, seniors and service providers, I think it’s safe to say that our community is passionate about making sure the District is a place where all residents have an opportunity to age well and thrive.

I especially want to thank the seniors who were willing to share their stories about the important role DCOA plays in their lives. I know we have work to do, but it’s reaffirming to know that so many in our community are truly invested in this process. I look forward to the great work we can accomplish together to make D.C. the best city in the world to age! And we are making great strides.

Last year, we partnered with the Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) to pilot a program to reduce the risk of falls and mobility barriers in the homes of qualified seniors and people with disabilities. Thanks to Mayor Muriel Bowser’s commitment to aging in place, what was originally planned as a $1 million pilot, has become the largest DCOA program, with $8.7 million committed for fiscal year 2017.

This investment is unmatched anywhere else in the country, and will enable more seniors and people with disabilities to remain in their homes and in their communities, where they belong. If you are interested in learning more about the program, contact Home Care Partners at 202-638-0050 for more information on program benefits and how you can apply.

I was also happy to announce that Mayor Bowser has committed $4 million toward capital improvements of our Senior Wellness Centers. This substantial investment will go towards building upgrades as well as updates to the interior, which participants will help us choose.

My highlight of the hearing was the opportunity to hear so many different perspectives on how best to address the

needs of District seniors and people with disabilities, and the programs that have had an impact on their lives. We heard from seniors who began attending Senior Wellness Centers to exercise, but also found fellowship, new hobbies and a support system. We heard about experiences from a participant at the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Center in Ward 8, who enjoys spending time with other seniors “laughing, and joking, and learning new things.”

But we also heard that we need to do a better job reaching underserved and isolated seniors. We need to better engage LGBTQ seniors and ensure they have access to life-sustaining services in a safe and accepting environment. We need to think more broadly about our service-delivery model and ensure equitable access to services across the city. And we need to strengthen our advocacy and ensure that seniors in the District are informed about the policies and issues that will have an impact on their lives.

It’s important that we keep these conversations going beyond the Oversight Hearing. These are conversations that need to happen throughout the year in your communities, with your neighbors, families and friends, and with DCOA — particularly during this period of uncertainty at the federal level that may affect the lives of so many District seniors.

Continue to engage with DCOA and tell us about your experiences living in the District. Where do you see yourself in five, 10 and 20 years? What role do you see DCOA playing in your life and your future as you age? How will changes to federal policy change your long-term plans and impact your ability to age in place? These are important conversations that we must have every day.

We’ll continue to ask for your feedback and we’ll work hard every day to make sure your voices are heard, and that you are driving the conversation around aging. Let’s continue to work together, build partnerships, and find new and innovative ways to meet the evolving needs of our community in the District.

Mayor Muriel Bowser delivered Valentine’s Day cards made by D.C. Public School students to homebound D.C. seniors at Arthur Capper Apartments in Ward 6. As part of the Cupid’s Kids initiative by the D.C. Office on Aging, more than 4,000 Valentines cards were created by students at nine D.C. schools. The cards were delivered to recipients of home-delivered meals, and to case management and Adult Day Health Center clients.

DCOA would like to thank the following schools for helping lift the spirits of many homebound and isolated seniors throughout the District: Aiton Elementary, Beers Elementary, Capitol Hill Montessori at Logan, Garfield Elementary, Hearst Elementary, Hendley Elementary, Ross Elementary, Takoma Education Campus, and Tubman Elementary.

Seeking Centenarians The D.C. Office on Aging (DCOA) is seeking District residents who are 100 years of age or older to honor during our 31st Annual Salute to Centenarians being held in April.

If you know of residents who will have celebrated their centennial

birthday by April 30, 2017, please call Darlene Nowlin at (202) 724-5622 or email darlene.nowlin@dc.gov.

When registering centenarians, please provide the name, date of birth and contact information for each individual.

Search for Ms. Senior D.C. 2017 Are you a D.C. resident age 60 or older who is actively involved in your community? Are you interested in representing your peers as Ms. Senior D.C. 2017? If so, consider becoming a contestant in the next Ms. Senior D.C. Pageant! We are searching for the elegant lady who will represent the District of Columbia as Ms. Senior D.C. 2017. Contestants are judged on a personal interview, their

philosophy of life, their talent and evening gown presentations. The winner will represent the District of Columbia and compete in the Ms. Senior America Pageant. For more information on how to sign up, please call DCOA at 202-724-5622, email darlene.nowlin@ d c . g o v, o r v i s i t www.dcoa.dc.gov to complete an application.

WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N — M A R C H 2 0 1 7

Say you saw it in the Beacon

D.C. OFFICE

ON

Community Calendar March events 9th, 16th, 23rd, 30th 5 to 7 p.m.

This spring, Iona’s Take Charge/Age Well Academy is offering a new series for women who identify as lesbian/gay/ bisexual/trans/queer older adults.

“LGBTQ Women, Take Charge of Your Aging” will provide successful aging guidance and inspiration in a positive and supportive setting. Learn about adequate available housing, identify long-term care options, and explore the legal, financial, health and life changes associated with aging. The cost is $60 when you pre-register and pay online. At-the-door fee is $75. Scholarships are available. Iona is located at 4125 Albemarle St. NW. For more information, contact Elizabeth Frick at community@iona.org or call 202895-9420.

16th • 6 p.m.

The Chevy Chase and Georgetown chapters of NARFE (National Active and Retired Federal Employees) presents Mark Keen, who will speak about “How to Manage Your Finances More Effectively.” He will share timely information on financial topics relevant to retirees and those approaching retirement. Keen writes the monthly financial column “Managing Money” for the NARFE Association’s magazine. This free talk takes place at Iona Senior Services, 4125 Albemarle St. NW. NonNARFE members are welcome. For more information, call 202-518-2519.

18th • 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The Mount Sinai Baptist Church will hold a community health and wellness workshop. The church is located at 1615 3rd St. NW. For more information, call Jacqueline Nelson at 202-635-4962

13th • 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

The D.C. Office on Aging, the Mayor’s Office on Returning Citizens, Ser ve D.C., D.C. Central Kitchen, DOES Project Empowerment, Metro Access and Transport D.C. will discuss resources and services for inmates who are scheduled to be released. The discussion will take place in the D.C. Jail, located at 1901 D St. SE. If your agency or organization has a program to offer those soon to be released, contact alice.thompson@dc.gov or call 202-5351321.

18th • 3 to 3:35 p.m.

The D.C. Office on Aging will hold a presentation on their resources and services at the Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, located at 1708 S St. NW.

15th • Noon to 2 p.m.

The Southwest Waterfront AARP Chapter will present a series of programs at its March business luncheon meeting. The meeting will take place at Riverpark Mutual Homes in the South Common Room, located at 1311 Delaware Ave. SW. For more information, contact Betty Jean Tolbert Jones at bettyjeantolbertjones@yahoo.com or call 202-554-0901

27th • 10 to 11:30 a.m.

The D.C. Office on Aging, the Mayor’s Office on Returning Citizens, Serve D.C., D.C. Central Kitchen, DOES Project Empowerment, Metro Access and Transport D.C. will discuss resources and services for inmates who are scheduled to be released. The discussion will take place in the D.C. Jail located at 1901 D St. SE. If your agency or organization has a program to offer these soon to be released, contact alice.thompson@dc.gov or call 202-535-1321.

24th • 5:30 to 8:30 p.m.

Model Cities Senior Wellness Center, located at 1901 Evarts St. NE, will host Happy Hour. Come get your dance on with music by DJ Tyzer. The donation of $10 includes a light buffet and non-alcoholic frozen drinks. For more information, call 202-635-1900.

SPOTLIGHT ON AGING Spotlight On Aging is published by the Information Office of the D.C. Office on Aging for D.C. senior residents. Advertising contained in the Beacon is not endorsed by the D.C. Office on Aging or by the publisher.

500 K St. N.E., Washington, D.C. 20002 202-724-5622 www.dcoa.dc.gov Executive Director Laura Newland Editor Darlene Nowlin Photographer Selma Dillard

The D.C. Office on Aging does not discriminate against anyone based on actual or perceived: race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, marital status, personal appearance, sexual orientation, familial status, family responsibilities, matriculation, political affiliation, disability, source of income, and place of residence or business.

Sexual harassment is a form of sex discrimination which is prohibited by the Act. In addition, harassment based on any of the above protected categories is prohibited by the Act. Discrimination in violation of the Act will not be tolerated. Violators will be subjected to disciplinary action.

The Office on Aging is in partnership with the District of Columbia Recycling Program.

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AGING NEWSLETTER

March is Women’s History Month Remembering the Honorable

Hilda H. M. Mason Five-Term, At-Large D. C. Councilmember (June 14, 1916 – Dec. 16, 2007) Hilda H. M. Mason was a veteran of the civil rights movement, an inspiring teacher, a formidable D.C. Council Committee chairman, and the self-described “Grandmother of the world.”

In 1947, Hilda moved to Washington, D.C. and was accepted at Miner Teachers College, where she earned a B.A. in Elementary Education. She was immediately hired by the D.C. Public School System as an elementary school teacher, where she soon developed a reputation as a skilled, resourceful teacher, dedicated to improving the academic achievement of the students in her classrooms. By the spring of 1957, she earned an M.A. in Elementary Education from the D.C. Teachers College.

Hilda and her husband Charlie Mason contributed money to the civil rights and the anti-poverty movements for more than four decades in order to help bring about equal rights, equal opportunities, and equal justice for Americans of African descent, and an end to poverty among all peoples.

Hilda and Charles Mason were also instrumental in the creation of the University of the District of Columbia in the 1970s, and what became the David A. Clarke School of Law in the 1980s.

As Hilda’s involvement in community issues grew, she was urged to run for

the Board of Education, and was elected to represent Ward 4 on the Board in 1971. Hilda went on to be re-elected to the Board of Education in 1975. She helped fight for greater involvement of parents and the community in the education decision-making process; adequate funding for schools; periodic health examinations of students; further emphasis on extending the age range of the student population, particularly by increasing the availability of early childhood education; reduction in class sizes; and equalization of resources between schools in lower-income areas of the city and schools in more affluent areas.

When At-Large Councilmember Julius Hobson died in office in 1977, Hilda was chosen by the Statehood Party to succeed him. She was elected to the seat in a special election in July 1977. Hilda went on to be re-elected to the At-Large seat in 1982, 1986, 1990 and 1994. In fact, in 1990, Hilda beat Marion Barry in a head-to-head race, winning her fourth term as an at-large member of the D.C. Council, and garnering the distinction of being the only politician to defeat Marion Barry in a D.C. election! In that showdown, the “Grandmother of the World” beat the “Mayor for Life.”

Saluting Wellness Event Providers Each month, the Office on Aging presents health and wellness events across the city with the help of many government and community partners.

A special thanks to the Mayor’s Office of Community Relations and Services, D.C. Department of Insurance, Securities and Banking, D.C. Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency, Serve D.C., D.C. Public Service Commis-

sion, Office of the Peoples Counsel, D.C. Yellow Cab, Metro Access, Legal Counsel for the Elderly, The American Kidney Fund, Center for Vein Restoration and others for their commitment to providing free health screenings, information and resources to the community.

If you are interested in hosting an event, contact alice.thompson@dc.gov or 202-535-1321.

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M A R C H 2 0 1 7 — WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N

Travel Leisure &

Many sites are worth seeing in “flyover country.” See page 48.

All things French without going to France liquid mercury at night. The river’s tide can reach 20 feet, and ice breakers have to make it navigable in the winter.

Québec, the oldest port in Canada, is North America’s only walled city north of the Rio Grande. But the 2.9-mile wall today is not a barrier. It’s a key part of four centuries of history. A walk along the top offers spectacular views and perspectives.

The city is a UNESCO World Heritage site, full of historical superlatives — for example, the continent’s first stone church, oldest hospital, and Canada’s first Anglican cathedral and first girls’ school. And they all remain in some form.

PHOTO BY MEUNIERD

By Glenda C. Booth Starting in the 1600s, and escalating in the 1700s, the British and the French battled back and forth over eastern Canada.

In the end, the French won in what is today’s Québec province, at least culturally, making a trip to Québec City a vicarious visit to France.

The city, about 160 miles northeast of Montréal, is Québec’s provincial capital. Its twisting warren of cobblestone streets, chic boutiques, and sidewalk cafés exuding enticing aromas create a Parisian ambience.

Québec City also has soaring cathedrals, 18th and 19th century buildings, fine French cuisine, and the sounds of the mellifluous French tongue. The fleur de lis, symbol of the old French monarchy, adorns the flag. French is the official language of the Parliament’s debate.

Move over New Orleans! French explorer Samuel de Champlain founded Québec City in 1608, and the residents (called Québécois) consider the province to be the cradle of French civilization in North America. The city’s motto is: “Je me souvenir,” which translates to “I remember” — meaning, “I remember my origins, my history.”

The city’s location is stunning, 300 feet above the mighty, 2,500-mile-long St. Lawrence River. Champlain named it Kebec, the Algonquin word meaning “the river narrows here.”

Some say the St. Lawrence looks like

Roaming around town The ideal way — most say the only way — to fully absorb this city, its aesthetics and its vibes is by leisurely meandering along the labyrinthine streets of the historic Old Town, Vieux Québec.

A funicular, which opened in 1879 and travels at a 45-degree angle, connects Old Town’s two parts: Haute Ville (Upper Town) and Basse Ville (Lower Town).

The city’s architecture is distinctive — steep sloped roofs of tin, aluminum and copper that can last 200 years, modeled after French chateaus. The slopes and ladders on the roofs help deal with the typical winter’s 150 inches of snow.

Old Town is crammed full of 100-yearold granite buildings with mansard roofs

Québec City’s skyline is dominated by the hotel Château Frontenac. With its soaring turrets and copper roof, the 1893 hotel can been seen from anywhere in the city. It is located within the historic Old Town area, which is itself a UNESCO World Heritage site.

PHOTO BY SONGQUAN DENG

The Fontaine (fountain) de Tourny’s 43 water jets are illuminated at night. It stands in front of the Québec City Parliament Building, which was completed in 1877 and stands just outside the walls of Old Town. The fountain was added just 10 years ago.

reflecting the city’s French roots.

The “crown jewel” of the city’s architecture is the world-famous, iconic Château Frontenac hotel, which opened in 1893. With soaring turrets, it is perched like an elegant castle atop Cap Diamant (Cape Diamond).

The hotel’s signature copper roof is visible from all over the city. Tourists are welcomed and, in fact, expected to wander through the lobby — a place that usually has more tourists than hotel guests. A bit of trivia: Château Frontenac was designed by Bruce Price, father of manners guru Emily Post.

From 1693 to 1831, the French and British took turns constructing La Citadelle, a starshaped fort nicknamed “the Gibraltar of America” because of its strategic location above the river. Today, visitors can beef up on military life from colonial times to the present in the fort’s museums.

La Citadelle is still home to the Royal 22 Regiment, a squad also known as the Vandoos. Its ceremonial changing of the guard occurs at 10 a.m. daily in the summer.

The French and British clashed in the city’s Plains of Abraham multiple times.

For example, in 1759 the Brits scaled 300 feet up the cliff and, after a 15-minute battle, defeated General Montcalm.

There’s no sign of conflict today at what some call the “lungs of the city.” At 103 acres, it’s the tenth largest park in North America, and to locals is what Central

Park is to New Yorkers. It’s been the stage for artists like the Beatles, Celine Deleon, Rush and more.

Notre-Dame de Québec Basilica-Cathedral, built by the French in 1647 and rebuilt in 1925 after it burned to the ground, is the final resting place for four governors. The priest preached from its elegant pulpit, completed in 1784, before the microphone’s invention. Louis XIV gifted the pewter sanctuary lamp, one of the few pieces of the cathedral’s early history to survive the fire.

Earliest inhabitants The European invaders were not the first people in the region. The Museum of Civilization offers a tutorial on Canada’s 10 provinces and three territories, the history and people, including the First Nations.

Visitors learn from a model how the Iroquois lived in log houses near the river.

You can also gain insights into the Inuits’ lifestyle from over 500 objects on display, including a 3,000-year old copper necklace.

An Inuit stone lamp is fueled by whale oil because there’s no wood above the 56th parallel. These hardy people made snow goggles from bone to protect against the snow’s glow. Inukshuks, figures of piled stones, served as landmarks or navigational aids for Inuits in the Arctic snow.

See QUÉBEC CITY page 47

WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N — M A R C H 2 0 1 7

Québec City From page 46 There is no charge to tour the Parliament Building, Hôtel du Parlement, completed in 1886. Bilingual guides explain how laws are made Canada-style, based on the United Kingdom’s system.

A stained glass window — Champlain greeting North American native people — reminds visitors of the province’s French heritage (or invasion, depending on your point of view).

Busts of Franklin D. Roosevelt and Winston Churchill stand on the grounds because they planned World War II’s Normandy invasion here.

Gastronomy This is a place to seriously eat and eat seriously, to channel your inner Julia Child and Larousse Gastronomique.

In intimate cafés, cozy bistros and fine restaurants, classic French food and good wine can be found at all prices. Always popular and tasty are the tourtières, hearty meat pies of venison, beef, pork and even elk. Savory crêpes, pâtés, frog legs, escargots, quiches, cheeses and baguettes rarely disappoint.

Or in the pricier range, scrumptious Cognac-infused lobster bisque, caribou filet mignon, beef Bourguignon, deer tartare and duck confit delight. Fondues and raclettes are staples.

For dessert, chocolate mousse, multicolored macaroons, éclairs, truffles, petits fours and more abound.

Recreated First Nations village For a glimpse into some of the people the French encountered when they arrived, the Huron-Wendat traditional site, a 30-minute drive from Québec City, travels back in time to a recreated village of 1,000 Huron people on the Akiawenhrahk River.

The museum and log house are a journey into a proud First Nations’ culture.

Outside are examples of traditional gardens planted with corn, beans and squash — “the three sisters” that support each other (The beans climb the corn and fix nitrogen which the corn needs. The squash leaves help prevent weeds.)

The site’s restaurant serves wild game charcuterie, deer sausage, maple cream sauce, braised bison shoulder, and smoked meat sandwiches. Powwows are held once year in June or July.

If you go You can easily navigate in English as most locals are bilingual.

Visit www.quebecregion.com, and when in Québec City, start at the tourist information office, 12 Rue St. Anne, where a very efficient, helpful staff can provide information on tours, festivals, maps and more.

The Hôtel Clarendon at 57 Rue SainteAnne is a centrally-located base for touring

Say you saw it in the Beacon | Leisure & Travel

the city on foot, by bus or horse-drawn carriage. Rooms start at $101 in Canadian dollars, which is currently $72 in American money. See www.hotelclarendon.com or call 1-888 222-3304.

June to September are the most popular months for tourists, with high tempera-

47

tures in the 60s and 70s. Spring and fall have smaller crowds, but note that the average high temperature is 46 °F April and 51°F in October.

Roundtrip flights to Québec City from Dulles in late March start at $350 on the Canadian carrier Porter Airlines.

STRATFORD HALL PLANTATION, Apr 19 ..........................................................$109 pp Home of the Lees of VA. Includes lunch, Stratford Hall & George Washington’s Birthplace MACKINAC ISLAND, MICHIGAN, May 21–26 ..................................................$1150 pp Includes 2 Nights at the Grand Hotel. based on double Occupancy CANADA & NEW ENGLAND CRUISE, from Baltimore, Sept 21 – 30..............from $674 pp plus taxes. Based on dbl. occ. 9 Nights on RCCL’s Grandeur of the Seas, Includes all meals & entertainment.

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M A R C H 2 0 1 7 — WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N

Inexpensive, rising Rust Belt destinations year” list, along with Columbus, Ohio.

Even international visitors have discovered some of the region’s attractions: The Harley-Davidson Museum in Milwaukee draws visitors from around the world, as do the Motown Museum in Detroit, and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland.

PHOTO BY JEFF MILLIES

By Beth J. Harpaz Here’s why tourists should take the Rust Belt about as seriously as they take politicians these days: Because the food, art and sightseeing in “flyover country” is well worth your precious vacation days — not to mention cheaper than in trendier destinations.

In the last two years, I’ve visited Michigan, Indiana, Ohio and Wisconsin — sampling art museums, historic sites, architecture, hipster neighborhoods, ethnic culture and great food. I was mostly in big cities, but I was also able to enjoy botanical gardens, hiking and biking trails, along with spectacular Great Lakes waterfronts.

I live in Brooklyn, N.Y., but I can honestly say that neighborhoods like Fountain Square in Indianapolis and Midtown in Detroit give my home turf a run for the hipsters’ money.

Not to mention that the farm-to-table cuisine at a restaurant like Braise in Milwaukee is much better than what often passes for locally sourced meals in Manhattan — and at half the price.

And it’s not just me who thinks this part of the country deserves to be high on travel go-to lists. Indianapolis and Cincinnati turned up on Travel + Leisure’s list of best destinations for 2017. Cincinnati also turned up on Thrillist’s “where to go next

Flyover country?

Unfortunately I also find plenty of fellow Americans — especially those who live on either coast — who are more likely to cross Paris or Machu Picchu off their bucket lists than Indianapolis or Milwaukee.

“As soon as someone says ‘flyover country,’ I know you’re from New York or Los Angeles,” said Stephanie Klett, secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Tourism.

Folks who grow up near the ocean, she added, are often especially surprised when they first catch sight of one of the Great Lakes.

“When they fly into Milwaukee, they notice Lake Michigan,” she said. “They thought it was a little lake, but they see how massive it is.”

Understandably, the region is rarely a first stop in the U.S. for foreigners. But on a second or third trip — after they’ve done New York, Orlando and Vegas — that’s

The Milwaukee Art Museum is an architectural landmark. Its graceful Quadracci Pavilion, shown here, is a postmodern addition designed by Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava. Highlights of the building include a cathedral-like space with a vaulted 90-foot-high glass ceiling, a moveable sunscreen with a 217-foot wingspan that folds and unfolds twice daily, and the Reiman Bridge, a pedestrian suspension bridge that connects the museum to the city.

when tourists from Britain and Germany come “looking for a little bit of the real America,” said Toby McCarrick, executive director of the regional marketing organization Great Lakes USA. “It’s the small towns, the backroads, the real people. We want them to pull over and see Aunt Bee’s Cafe that makes home-

made cherry pie with Michigan cherries.”

Eating well The Midwest’s food scene doesn’t always get the attention other destinations receive, but I had many memorable meals See RUST BELT, page 49

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Say you saw it in the Beacon | Leisure & Travel

WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N — M A R C H 2 0 1 7

Rust Belt From page 48 on my travels there. In addition to Braise in Milwaukee, another spectacular dinner was in Cleveland at Michael Symon’s Lola.

But I don’t just go for upscale dining when I travel. I like the fun and funky spots too.

When in Detroit, you’ve got to sample coneys — what the locals call hot dogs — at either or both Lafayette Coney Island and American Coney Island. I also liked the crazy hot dog toppings at Happy Dog in Cleveland.

In Indianapolis, I loved the old-school goodness of corned beef at Shapiro’s, shrimp cocktail with the hottest horseradish on earth at St. Elmo’s, and the ‘50sstyle decor at Edwards Drive-In. And I’d get the pierogis at Sokolowski’s in Cleveland again in a heartbeat.

I also had fun shopping the food stalls in Cleveland’s beautiful, historic West Side Market. But it’s Wisconsin that holds a truly special place in my heart. Two words: cheese curds.

Works of art For me, there’s no better way to spend a day on vacation than wandering around a museum. And these cities don’t disappoint.

The Indianapolis Museum of Art is wonderful not only for its art collection, but for

sprawling grounds which include formal gardens, rustic trails, and a 100-acre park with outdoor installations like the haunting “Park of the Laments” — a walled field with stone walls and a tunnel.

I visited the Detroit Institute of Arts not long after a judge worked out a deal to save the museum’s most valuable works from being sold off to help solve the city’s fiscal problems. Knowing how close Detroit came to losing some of these jewels made seeing them truly special.

The Diego Rivera murals are perhaps the museum’s best-known works, but any visit should include a look at “The Wedding Dance” by Pieter Bruegel the Elder, “Annunciatory Angel,” by Fra Angelico, and Tintoretto’s “The Dreams of Men,” installed in a ceiling that was designed specifically for it.

If I had to pick a favorite art destination on my travels through the Rust Belt, though, it would have to be the Milwaukee Art Museum. Sure, the collection is wonderful — the spooky, unforgettable “Saint Francis of Assisi in His Tomb” and lots of Georgia O’Keeffe.

But here the building is its own work of art: a white, winged Santiago Calatrava structure that seems ready to soar, or sail, right into the water of one of those Great Lakes (in this case, Lake Michigan). It’s a sight that this New Yorker will not soon forget.

— AP

BEACON BITS

May 3

UNDERGROUND RAILROAD TOUR

Transeair Travel and Northwest Neighbors Village will host a daytrip to tour Harriet Tubman’s Underground Railroad sites, with historic visits in Cambridge, Md., on Wednesday, May 3. The bus will depart from Friendship Heights Village Center, located at 4433 S Park Ave., Chevy Chase, Md. The trip costs $155. Payments are due March 31. For more information or to reserve a spot, contact blubic@aol.com or call (202) 362-6100.

49

BEACON BITS

Mar. 20

ARLINGTON AGING FORUM

The Arlington County Agency on Aging and the Commission on Aging presents the 2017 Community Engagement Forum on Aging Issues on Monday, March 20 from 9:30 a.m. to noon at the Central Library Auditorium, 1015 N. Quincy St. The Community Engagement Forum features keynote speaker Melissa Andrews, CEO and President of LeadingAge Virginia, followed by breakout sessions that focus on social inclusion, housing and economic stability, intergenerational experiences, and legislation and policy. Free parking and light refreshments will be provided. After the discussion, there is an option to tour the library and eat lunch. Reservations are required in advance for lunch; register by March 13. For more information and to RSVP, call (703) 228-1747 or email arlaaa@arlingtonva.us.

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Leisure & Travel | More at TheBeaconNewspapers.com

M A R C H 2 0 1 7 — WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N

A geezer relearns the driving rules in Italy

By Ed Perkins Italy is one of the world’s top destinations: Great beauty, great history, great people, and great food – what’s not to like?

And one of the best ways to enjoy this fabulous country is to rent a car and drive through some of the great places.

But if you decide to do this, you have to modify some of your usual driving habits.

The last 10 days driving in Southern Italy reminded me of the “rules” here: 1. Rent an automatic. I don’t care if you’re a dedicated stick-shift addict, Italian touring requires too much start-and-stop and slow-down speed-up driving to make stick shifting practical. You need to devote 100 percent of your attention to what’s in front of you and in back of you to cope with

changing the gears every two or three minutes.

2. Get used to being tailgated. I can’t begin to count the times someone tailgated me for a few blocks, as if they had to pass, then turned off on a side street. Or maybe they did pass, then still turned off almost immediately.

3. If you’re touring the countryside, stay in the countryside. Even in the smaller cities, the center areas almost always feature stop-and-go levels of traffic in narrow, crowded streets. If you really want to do city and town centers, forget the rental car and get a railpass.

4. Be prepared for automatic gas. Although Italy has lots of full-service stations, you often find that the only available

fuel supply is at an automated and unattended pump station. Many such stations accept U.S. credit or debit cards, but not all of them. To be sure you can gas up when you want, always have enough euros to put into the “banknotes” slot.

5. Those big, busy service complexes you see every 10 or 20 miles along the Autostradas exact a stiff penalty for convenience. Typical prices along regular highways run about 1.40 euros a liter, but on the autostrada, the price is more like 1.70 per liter.

6. Expect bumps. Except for the Au-

tostrada, most regular highways, at least in the region where I visited, were rough and full of bumps and holes.

7. Be assertive. Watch local drivers and learn: Often, the only way to make a (legal) turn into traffic is to just start turning, figuring someone will let you in line. If you timidly wait for a gap, you may be there an hour.

8. Relax and enjoy. If this report sounds like a put-down, it really isn’t. I love Italy, its drivers, and its roads. Just respect how their system works, and go with the flow. (c) 2016, Tribune Content Agency, LLC

BEACON BITS

Mar. 21

BOOK SALE

Friends of the Beatley Central Library are holding a spring book sale from Tuesday, March 21 through Sunday, March 26. Members’ preview will take place on Tuesday, March 21 from 4 to 8:30 p.m. ($15 memberships available at the door). The sale will be open for the public on March 22 and 23 from 10 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.; March 24 from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.; March 25 from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; and March 26 from 1 to 4:30 p.m. Books cost $3 or less for most days and $1 on Sunday. The library is located at 5005 Duke Dr., Alexandria, Va. For more information, call (703) 746-1702 or visit www.beatleyfriends.org.

Mar. 15

FAIRFAX COMMISSION ON AGING

The Fairfax Commission on Aging meets on Wednesday, March 15 from noon to 3 p.m. in the Craft Room at the Lincolnia Senior Center, 4710 North Chamberliss St., Alexandria, Va. The public is welcome to attend and comment after the session. For more information, visit www.fairfaxcounty.gov/OlderAdults and or call (703) 324-5632.

WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N — M A R C H 2 0 1 7

Say you saw it in the Beacon | Leisure & Travel

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Premium economy set to become better Late last year, American Airlines an- inches of shoulder-level space. Although nounced that it would offer a true premi- SeatGuru shows smaller width differences on most planes, premium econum economy service on wideomy’s double armrests and body planes starting this year. other spacings mean that the You can probably expect width difference is greater. And Delta and United to copy; a few lines do even better than that’s what they do. the standard.

Adding true premium econThese days, the norms for omy will bring the three U.S. seating in premium economy giants up to par with Air Canaare pretty consistent. Most da and many major European lines install seats at 38-inch and Pacific competitors. pitch, with the number of seats I talk about “true” premium in each row dependent on the economy because all three gi- TRAVEL TIPS plane model: ants — along with Alaska, Fron- By Ed Perkins • Six seats per row on tier, Hawaiian and JetBlue — have been offering a diluted form of im- B767, configured 2-2-2.

• Seven seats per row in A330/340, proved economy, which I call “stretched” A350, the upper deck of A380 and B787, economy.

It merely adds three to six extra inches configured 2-3-2.

• Eight seats per row on A380 lower of front-to-rear spacing, or “pitch,” to standard, narrow economy seats. A few lines deck, B747, and B777, configured 2-4-2.

Although I can’t detail every line’s servinclude premium cabin service and a few extras; others just add the legroom. Prices ice extras, almost all lines offer improved adjust dynamically, but seldom go over a meal service, more generous baggage allowances, and often priority boarding and surcharge of $100.

But even stretched economy is a tight fit dedicated check-in lines.

True premium economy thus fills the for many travelers. The regular economy seats are at least two inches too narrow to ever-growing gap — actually a chasm — serve American male travelers, and those between economy and business class, for few extra inches of legroom don’t help which the emerging norm is seats that recline to a flat bed. much on an overnight flight.

What’s true premium economy?

How much does it cost?

That’s why so many airlines are adopting true premium economy on wide-body planes used for intercontinental flights.

The typical front-to-rear spacing for true premium economy is seat rows at 38-inch pitch, compared with 28 to 31 inches for most economy services and 34 to 36 inches for stretched economy.

The typical width is three to four extra

But true premium economy’s superior product comes at a price. My recent comparison of prices for next summer showed that the fare surcharge over regular economy ranged from 37 percent to 264 percent, with an average of 78 percent.

Air France touts its premium economy for “40 percent more room.” But 40 percent more room for 78 percent more

money is not an easy sell.

That’s why the premium economy cabins on most lines are small, probably catering to some combination of business travelers whose expense account can’t handle business class and a few upscale leisure travelers.

For the immediate future, you can expect both stretched and true premium economy to coexist. American intends to retain both on at least some of its long-haul planes. Delta and United will likely announce something this year.

Stretched economy will remain an option on most domestic 737, 757 and A320-family planes. Southwest remains a holdout, at least for now.

On intercontinental routes, Aeromexico,

Air China, China Southern (all but 777300ER), El Al, Finnair, KLM, Latam and Philippine, are, so far, sticking with stretched economy.

Aer Lingus, Asiana, Iberia, Korean, South African and the big Gulf lines haven’t done anything yet, but you can expect many of them to add true premium economy in a year or two.

Premium economy is a big improvement over regular economy. Whether it’s big enough to justify the extra cost is up to you. But it sometimes goes on “sale,” so keep checking your options.

Send e-mail to Ed Perkins at eperkins@mind.net. Also, check out Ed’s new rail travel website at www.rail-guru.com. © 2017 Tribune Content Agency, LLC

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M A R C H 2 0 1 7 — WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N

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WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N — M A R C H 2 0 1 7

Say you saw it in the Beacon

A special supplement to The Beacon newspaper

53

The West Campus Music Project brings joy to residents in innovative ways.

Please turn to page 4.

March 2017/No. 44

For Ben Terner, family history is a matter of short stories “1929, the year of my birth, marked the beginning of the Great Depression,” writes Ben Terner, 87, in the first of a series of short stories that form the basis of his autobiography. “Despite that fact, life has been good to me,” he continues. “I had good parents, good friends, a caring extended family, and more than my share of good fortune.” Words of regret never enter the conversation.

Terner moved from Silver Spring to Revitz House in 2015, but since the late 90s he has been teaching its residents how to write about their families—not as a pieced-together chronology of events, but rather as short, colorful narratives about relatives, their important relationships, formative influences and experiences, and the challenges that defined their lives. In brief, he teaches his students how to do precisely what he has done himself since leaving the work force in 1993 – documenting his heritage through story telling.

Terner outlines the process in the syllabus to his weekly 16-session class entitled Writing Your Family History Stories w/Ben. Here’s a snippet: “Storytelling is an art, but anyone can learn it,” he writes. “First, you introduce your subject. Then you develop the characters and tell what they did. Finally, you conclude with a brief summary, a statement, or a good punch line.”

“Life has been good to me,” says Ben Terner of Revitz House.

Born in Pittsburgh, Terner grew up in Uniontown, Pennsylvania. Drafted into the army at the height of the Korean War, he managed to delay enlistment until five days after completing graduate work at the University of Michigan. That was his first lucky break; the second was discovering, while refueling in Honolulu en route to battle, that peace talks had just begun, and troop transports to Korea were abruptly halted.

Turner was now free, in sunny Hawaii no less, to audition for the 264th Army Band.

“That got me out of the infantry and playing trumpet with the band,” he recalls. “I always felt very fortunate. If this had happened one day later, I would have ended up in Korea.”

Terner’s luck continued after returning from service in 1953. He earned a law degree, moved to Washington to work for the federal government, advanced steadily, and ultimately served as a judge for ten years on the District of Columbia Contract Appeals Board. Retired, he shifted his energies to family research.

Membership in the Jewish Genealogy Society of Greater Washington sparked ideas for research and expanded resources, but Turner also began noticing that many of his fellow members were producing ponderous histories dense with names and dates. “To me, what was interesting about my family were the different people, what they were like and what they did for a living.” So, moving beyond collection of raw data, he shifted his focus to crafting vivid portraits of his parents, grandparents, sisters, and aspects of his past, including early passions, memorable holiday gatherings, and school adventures.

In 1999, after delivering a well-received lecture at Revitz House, Terner was invited back to develop a course on family history. He has been teaching such a course, there and elsewhere, for nearly two decades.

Today, as a Revitz resident himself, Terner happily reports that he feels right at home on our campus. Seated comfortably in his cozy apartment, surrounded by books and memorabilia, he reflects on the many advantages and conveniences now available to him. In particular, he can nurture his lifelong love of jazz and classical music by attending concerts at Strathmore and the Kennedy Center—courtesy of CESLC transportation. “The group ticket rates are great, too,” he adds with a grin.

To learn more about Revitz House and the Terner class, please call Mary Sweeney at 301.770.8450. n

INSIDE: People in the news | A music project | Sharing expertise | Calendar HEBREW HOME • SMITH-KOGOD & WASSERMAN RESIDENCES • COHEN-ROSEN HOUSE ELDERSAFETM CENTER • HIRSH HEALTH CENTER • LANDOW HOUSE • REVITZ HOUSE • RING HOUSE

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M A R C H 2 0 1 7 — WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N

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Geriatric medical care is our specialty.

For optimal health, older adults need convenient access to quality medical and rehabilitative services suitable to their needs. At the Hirsh Health Center—a medical outpatient practice specializing in primary geriatric care— our physicians address individual preferences and offer treatment with respect, empathy, and compassion. New patients are always welcome.

Call 301.816.5004 to schedule your first appointment.

First person

Successful outcomes:

I grew up in Highland Park, Illinois, in a home where my grandparents were always present for holiday and Shabbat dinners or simple weekend get-togethers.

I enjoyed listening to their life stories and, as I grew older, to their insights on how to live a meaningful life.

I often point back to these childhood memories as the wellspring for my passion for caring for older adults and the reason why I made eldercare my chosen career.

Bruce J. Lederman Today, as the CEO of Charles E. Smith Life Communities, I find my passion mirrored by my fellow CESLC team members, as we work together to live our value of derech eretz (service excellence) to meet and exceed the expectations of our residents and their families.

Our commitment to those we serve doesn’t go unnoticed, as this past year Landow House and Cohen-Rosen House received perfect survey results from the Maryland State Office of Health Care’s quality survey for assisted living facilities.

Just as impressive, the Hebrew Home of Greater Washington scored a 97 percent approval rating for family satisfaction in the Maryland Health Care Commission’s Annual Survey and a near perfect survey result from the Maryland State Office of Health Care’s annual quality survey of skilled nursing facilities.

These are just a few highlights recognizing the work that we do every day in each of our residences. We are a community of caregivers who support one another and live our mission: to fulfill Jewish values by providing quality services for older adults and their families.

Almost 30 years ago, in my first job as nursing home assistant administrator, a Rolodex (remember those?) with the names and personal information of the residents we cared for sat on my desk. I still have that Rolodex and I can remember every single one of the residents we served. When I travel back to Chicago, I often have breakfast with my former colleagues and, as we fondly remember those residents, we reflect on how our lives and careers were shaped by our relationships with them.

I am very fortunate to have found a new home where the values I’ve lived throughout my career are the same values shared by my colleagues, volunteers, members of our Board of Directors and Board of Governors, and a community that for 107 years continues to support the mission and goals of Charles E. Smith Life Communities.

Bruce J. Lederman, JD President/CEO, Charles E. Smith Life Communities

LifeTimes is published quarterly by the Hebrew Home of Greater Washington, Inc., dba Charles E. Smith Life Communities. The Hebrew Home is a registered charity in Maryland and Virginia. A copy of the Home’s financial statement is available from the Maryland Secretary of State or the Virginia State Office of Consumer Affairs.

Joseph B. Hoffman, Chair Bruce J. Lederman, President/CEO Lisa S. Friedman, I nterim Director, Development Emily L. Tipermas, L ifeTimes Editor © 2017 by Hebrew Home of Greater Washington 6121 Montrose Road, Rockville, MD 20852

Contact us: info@ceslc.org | www.smithlifecommunities.org

Page 2 | March 2017

Post-Acute Care Center Making great strides For many years, Paul Meyer, the former executive director of the President’s Committee for the Employment of Persons with Disabilities, would do all his work seated on a couch hunched over a coffee table. For this postural insult to his back, he has paid a steep price.

Fourteen years ago, Meyer’s neck began to ache, the pain worsened, and he wound up requiring spinal fusion surgery.

‘‘

I can’t speak more highly about the post-acute staff... the whole department is top notch.

— Paul Meyer

’’

Paul Meyer worked hard to regain his ability to walk at the Post-Acute Care Center.

He recovered, but in April of 2016, after lifting heavy furniture and boxes to help his daughter move to a condo, he inflicted new injury to his spine that was so severe it necessitated a second surgery. Yet, by mid-September, Meyer’s hands were tingling and his legs were progressively weakening. “Doc,” he informed his physician, “I’m getting worse.” On September 19, he collapsed in his living room, paralyzed on the left side, and was rushed back to the hospital for a third surgery.

Three days later, still paralyzed and flat on his back, an ambulance transported Meyer to the Post-Acute Care Center at the Hebrew Home of Greater Washington.

Fortunately, this story has an uplifting ending. In Meyer’s words: “I started out looking at the ceiling and now I walk 60 feet with a cane.”

After receiving the green light to start a tailored rehab regime, Meyer was coached through an intensive physical and occupational therapy program, explains Ann Matesi, the executive director of Campus Rehabilitation Services. This program “implemented a variety of techniques focused on neuromuscular re-education which resulted in a return of strength and balance,” she adds.

“I can’t speak more highly about the post-acute staff,” said Meyer. “The whole department is top notch.” He reserved special praise for physical therapist Chintu Philip, shown at left in the photo, who supervised Meyer’s therapy for 12 weeks.

“He’s fantastic and the key to my success.” n

SHOW YOUR SUPPORT! Charles E. Smith Life Communities is dedicated to serving older adults who have spent their lives loving and caring for others. Now it is our turn to step up and care for them with gratitude, compassion, and respect. Donate today at www.smithlifecommunities.org.

WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N — M A R C H 2 0 1 7

Say you saw it in the Beacon

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Personalized therapy. Positive outcomes.

The Post-Acute Care Center at the Hebrew Home of Greater Washington is your first step on the road to recovery. Orthopedic rehabilitation plays a critical role for patients after joint replacement surgery in helping patients regain strength and mobility. Our orthopedic program includes: Medical Management, Pain Management, Education, Physical Conditioning, Discharge Preparations, and Prevention of Infection.

For more information, contact us at 301.770.8476.

People in the news Meet the new COO

Deanna Enlow, Senior Vice President, Operations and Chief Operating Officer

“This is where I should have been my whole career,” says Deanna Enlow, speaking with passion about joining Charles E. Smith Life Communities as our new Senior Vice President, Operations and Chief Operating Officer.

From the moment she perceived that ours is an organization guided by Jewish values—tikkun olam (repairing the world), tzedek (justice), limud (growth and learning), and derech eretz (showing respect through service excellence)—Enlow noted the direct alignment between our mission and her own convictions regarding the responsibility

‘‘

We are very excited to have to enhance quality of life for those who have raised us. Indeed, someone of Deanna’s caliber. whereas CESLC’s mission stems — Tom Keefe, Human Resources from our history and traditions, Enlow’s stems from the warm and loving relationship she enjoyed with her grandparents and the values they instilled in her.

According to Tom Keefe, Vice President of Human Resources, Enlow comes to us with an extensive background in operations management, strategic planning, and sales and marketing in the senior living and healthcare industry. She will work with leadership teams of the Hebrew Home and all housing residences on campus to build upon our considerable achievements and develop fresh approaches to evolving demographics and staff development. “We are very excited to have someone of Deanna’s caliber,” said Keefe in welcoming her to the campus. n

’’

The Association of Jewish Aging Services (AJAS) has named Warren R. Slavin the recipient of its 2017 Dr. Herbert Shore Award of Honor for his distinguished career at Charles E. Smith Life Communities. AJAS will present the award in April at its annual conference. “I am sure I speak for all of you when I say I look forward to seeing [Warren] receive this well-deserved honor,” said Donald J. Shulman, President and Chief Executive Officer of AJAS. Since retiring from CESLC as President/CEO, Mr. Slavin holds the title of CEO Emeritus. n

‘‘

Warren R. Slavin, CEO Emeritus

I am sure I speak for all of you when I say I look forward to seeing Warren receive this well-deserved honor.

— Donald J. Shulman, AJAS

’’

As part of an international exchange program, a group of nursing students from South Korea recently toured the Hebrew Home of Greater Washington to see an example of long-term care services available to older adults in the US. “Visiting the Hebrew Home as part of the students’ program was highly recommended by the president of our college,” said Steve Kim, Director of International Studies at Columbia College, located in Vienna, Virginia. Along with a tour, students also met with CESLC staff members representing senior management, the Post-Acute Care Center, and the medical team. n

When Manager of Volunteers Monica Mayer learned that MLK Day: A Day On, Not a Day Off was to become Montgomery County Volunteer Center’s springboard for projects to benefit local nonprofits, she signed on. Her idea: decorate tissue boxes for patients in the Post-Acute Care Center to brighten their day. Volunteers decorated over 100 boxes with messages using googly eyes to say, “Eye hope you get well soon.” n

LifeTimes | Page 3

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Ring House…Independent, yet so connected.

Ring House blends convenience with comfort and style. Our freshly appointed apartments invite residents’ distinctive touches. Available home care services and a medical practice in the building assure an extra measure of independence. At Ring House, you are close to the people and places you love.

Call 301.816.5052 to learn more.

On our campus We are surrounded by the love of music The West Campus Music Project, a yearlong program of Charles E. Smith Life Communities, is an innovative undertaking for 2017, designed to bring music into the lives of Ring House, Landow House, and Cohen-Rosen House residents in ways that are simultaneously inspiring, stimulating, and emotionally elevating.

Initiated by Musician-in-Residence Lauren Latessa, the Music Project aims to cultivate “unique, meaningful, and long-term relationships between professional classical musicians and residents” through experiences that are rare in similar independent living and assisted living settings. “That sets us apart,” says Latessa. “I hope we can demonstrate to others around the country how a vibrant musical scene can engage residents in senior living communities and be an integral part of a healthy lifestyle.”

‘‘

I see the arts as a powerful source of healing…It turns out the arts are a powerful way of improving and enhancing emotional well-being.

’’

— Dr. Vivek Murthy, 19th Surgeon General of the United States

Latessa, an accomplished cellist, holds degrees from Peabody Conservatory, Northwestern University, and John Hopkins University. Her talents have been widely praised by the Tarisio Trust, the Association for Jewish Aging Services, and National Arts Strategies (NAS).

As part of the Music Project, she will work side by side with pianist Jessica McKee, who earned advanced degrees in collaborative piano at the University of Maryland, and violinist Sara Matayoshi, a five-year veteran of the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra and Certified Music Practitioner skilled at creating live therapeutic music sessions. On a weekly basis, the trio will provide residents with one-to-one singing and instrumental lessons, group classes, and open rehearsals.

Additionally, they will present six recitals in 2017 for residents, their families, and staff.

Their two-hour rehearsals, held three times a week, will be open to all residents who care to drop by. My goal, says Latessa, “is to develop an energetic dialogue through the study and practice of music.”

Stay tuned for announcements regarding dates and times of upcoming concerts. n

Musicians Lauren Latessa on cello and Sara Matayoshi on violin serenade Landow House resident Marsha Phillips.

Page 4 | March 2017

Revitz House Administrator Diane Stern with resident Sid Levy in what will be the new social hall.

Time for Transformation The dust is flying at Revitz House as a construction crew works to complete Phase III of a multi-phase undertaking to update the structure, functionality, and aesthetic appearance of this popular and distinctly affordable independent-living residence on the campus of Charles E. Smith Life Communities.

Residents are cheerfully coping with inevitable inconveniences, from hallway detours to the temporary shift of mailbox location, as they patiently await newly expanded amenities and comforts.

Built in 1978, Revitz House is a vibrant community that welcomes older adults ages 62 and up, including those with disabilities. It has 250 one-bedroom apartments, all pet friendly, featuring full kitchens, wall-to-wall carpeting, and individually controlled heating and air conditioning. To boost the well-being of residents, there are recreational programs to suit every interest, outstanding support services, and the following features that bring added value: 24-hour front desk receptionist, courtesy bus transportation to shopping, banks, and grocery stores, organized trips to cultural venues, a personal emergency response system, free parking, and more. “I should note,” emphasizes Administrator Diane Stern, “that we are the only senior residence in the area offering so many advantages at such reasonable rates.”

Phases I and II of the renovation focused on a complete overhaul of the rehabilitation and wellness center, the addition of a soaring entry canopy to accommodate emergency vehicles, installation of laundry rooms on each floor, a makeover of residential corridors, and tech updates to the fire alarm and emergency communication systems.

Phase III targets the first floor to reconfigure the entrance and lobby, restructure the living room area for daytime and evening activities and social gatherings, renovate the café, and make space for a new social hall, measuring approximately 1,800 square feet, for large-group events and musical performances.

In Phases IV and V, set to begin in the summer of 2017, the lower level dining room and kitchen will be revamped. “We expect this entire effort will greatly enhance the quality of life for residents,” says Stern. “It’s going to be lovely, lovely, lovely.” n

W A S H I N G T O N

BEACON — MARCH 2017

Say you saw it in the Beacon

57

At Landow House and Cohen-Rosen House, the right amount of assistance makes a big difference in life.

Landow House features gracious one- and two-bedroom apartments, an exceptional package of personal services, Kosher dining, leisure programs, and 24-hour nursing supervision and individual attention. Cohen-Rosen House for memory care is an intimate residence with 18 studio apartments that thoughtfully combine elegance and memory-care design. Call 301.816.5050 for details.

Gift planning with impact Beneficiary designations and you

Elana Lippa, director of Gift Planning

Work hard and save wisely. For many, these are the principles that organize and define the direction of our lives. If you are among those disciplined enough to follow them, you will one day face questions regarding the distribution of your accumulated assets. Thus, the term “beneficiary designation gift” is something to understand as you start formulating an estate plan.

‘‘

A beneficiary designation gift is an ideal way to establish a personal legacy of generous support.

’’

— Elana Lippa

What is a beneficiary designation gift?

It is a gift drawn from assets held in retirement accounts, commercial annuity contracts, bank and brokerage accounts, and insurance policies. These assets, all contractually controlled, pass to heirs and charity via beneficiary designation rather than through an estate.

This is a key point, and it is why beneficiary designation gifts are so simple and affordable to make and to receive. Moreover, for individuals who care deeply about certain charities and causes, this kind of gift is an ideal way to establish a personal legacy of generous support.

What’s the process for setting up this type of gift?

• Contact the person who helps you with the account or policy.

• Request a new beneficiary designation form or locate it on the company’s website.

• C omplete and return the form. Follow up in 30 days to verify change has been made.

• When you pass away, your gift is paid or transferred directly to the designated recipient.

Why would someone want to transfer assets via beneficiary designation rather than distributing all assets through the estate?

Gifts to designated beneficiaries do not go through probate and are received within three months; a bequest could take at least one year to arrive.

Another advantage is that beneficiary gifts rank among the most flexible of all charitable gifts. Even after you set up the gift, you can still take distributions or withdrawals from the account. You can also change your mind at any time if an unexpected expense or obligation comes up that requires you to alter the size of the original gift.

Should differences in taxation be considered in determining whether to leave assets to heirs or a charity?

Yes. In most cases, it is preferable to leave retirement plans and commercial annuities to charities because of tax laws; assets best left to heirs include real estate, tangible personal property, bank and brokerage accounts, and life insurance since they are not subject to additional income tax.

How do I fill in the beneficiary designation form?

Each form is different. Generally, the form requires the individual’s or organization’s social security number or tax ID number, respectively.

Forms typically allow you to designate primary and contingent beneficiaries, as well as decide whether you would like to leave a percentage of assets to one or more heirs and/or charities.

NOTE: It is important to check your beneficiary designations regularly to be sure they are up to date. If you experience a major life event such as a divorce, be sure your beneficiary forms are correct.

If you wish to name Charles E. Smith Life Communities as a beneficiary of one of your accounts, please contact Elana Lippa at lippa@ceslc.org or 301.770.8342. She will answer your questions and also explain how your beneficiary gift earns you membership in the Builders of the Future Society, which carries with it many benefits, along with our gratitude for becoming a vital supporter of CESLC’s mission to provide quality care and services to older adults. n

Donor spotlight After 30 rewarding years, Jane Rosov retired from the National Library of Medicine where she served as information specialist. She is a member of the Builders of the Future Society.

“My parents were residents of Ring House and the Hebrew Home of Greater Washington, both for post-acute and long-term care. I began volunteering at Charles E. Smith Life Communities shortly after my mother died because I had observed and have come to increasingly appreciate the high level of CESLC’s care and concern for the residents.

In 2016, I decided to make CESLC a beneficiary of my Thrift Savings Account, which is the federal retiree equivalent of a 401K or 403B. My two children will eventually receive other more tax-advantaged assets.

It gives me great satisfaction to be able to give back in this way.”

Jane Rosov, donor

LifeTimes | Page 5

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As a Senior Living Community, Charles E. Smith Life Communities has the votes.

A full-time, on-site medical staff contributes to our expertise in the field of aging. Our programs and services are open to all; respect for the dignity of each individual is an integral part of our mission. Please visit www.smithlifecommunities to learn about the full range of our outstanding living options.

Sharing our expertise The dining experience As clinical nutrition manager at the Hebrew Home of Greater Washington, Marilyn Bobbin frequently counsels residents who report a “disconnect” between what they see on a plate and what they wish it to be. “The best way I know to bridge the divide,” she says, “is to speak up.”

Bobbin, a seasoned dietitian of 21 years, and her staff of five registered dietitians (RDs) are committed to ensuring that all older adults in our care have a satisfying dining experience at every meal.

Each resident, she says, arrives at the Hebrew Home, whether for long-term care or Marilyn Bobbin earned a master’s short-term rehab, with certain expectations. degree in Food Service Administration According to Bobbin, when they sit down at the University of Maryland. In her spare time, she enjoys reading novels, to a meal, along with an appetite “they bring creative writing, hiking and cycling, their lifelong relationship with food to the cooking, and eating. table.” By this, Bobbin is referring to childhood memories, the interconnection of food with favorite cultural traditions, and attitudes about which foods taste good or are good for you. While Make friends with it is true that not everybody knows about the USDA Food the residents around you Pyramid, “everybody,” says and join them at meals.

Bobbin, “has a desire for a satisfying meal.”

Good conversation makes Bobbin and her team reassess the meal plan for everything taste better. each Hebrew Home resident — Marilyn Bobbin, MS, RDN, LDN on a quarterly basis or more frequently as needed, looking for any change in overall health that may signal a need for dietary modification. Especially rewarding are those cases where their intervention directly benefits an individual’s medical condition and quality of life. A good example that Bobbin likes to use is this: When Mrs. Z moved to the Hebrew Home several years ago, staff discovered that she was perilously underweight. Over the first two years, as she began to eat the food prepared in our kitchen, she gradually achieved a healthy weight. She continues to work with her dietitian and now she opts for bypassing the sugary desserts at lunch and dinner and choosing fruit instead.

Mrs. Z and her son were delighted that an easy change helped provide fewer calories, more fiber, and a safe weight loss.

Mrs. Z has a comfortable routine today. Each morning her geriatric nursing assistant carefully sets up her breakfast plate exactly the way she likes it, and at lunch time her favorite entrée, a tuna sandwich, has become a daily menu selection; in addition her son often brings in a special treat when he visits. The RD talks with him regularly to make sure they continue working as a team to help Mrs. Z maintain a steady weight while relishing her food.

Bobbin reports that employing an approach based on communication and accommodation contributes to successful nutritional plans for other residents, too.

‘‘

’’

Page 6 | March 2017

Marilyn Bobbin’s TOP

4 TIPS for creating a positive food experience:

Talk to your geriatric nursing assistant (GNA) and dietitian so they get to know you and understand your food preferences. The more they learn, the more they will be able to find ways to make your meal experience health-promoting and pleasant.

I f you have family or friends nearby, ask them to bring you a favorite treat every now and then.

I f someone comes around with a survey, state your opinions and suggestions honestly. The food and nutrition staff pay attention to feedback and take it seriously. ake friends with the residents around you and join them at meals.

M Good conversation helps everything taste better. n

Aging in America:

Mental Health Crisis in a Geriatric Population Strategies for Clinicians and Caregivers 7th Annual Sara and Samuel J. Lessans Healthcare Symposium for Clinicians and Caregivers

Friday, May 5, 2017 | 7:00 a.m.

– 2:00 p.m.

Early morning physician track: 7:00 a.m. | General registration: 8:00 a.m.

Physicians, nurses, social workers, nursing home and assisted living administrators, care managers, and caregivers are invited to join us for an important discussion: • Hear about the latest research surrounding mental illness and the geriatric population.

• Understand the factors surrounding mental illness in older adults and what services are available.

• Gain insight into the issues causing this crisis and how this ties into other public health issues.

• Learn about the unique dangers confronting older adults with mental illness.

W A S H I N G T O N

BEACON — MARCH 2017

Say you saw it in the Beacon

59

Remember This

Just Because You Say It, Doesn’t Make It So Speaker: Susan I. Wranik, MS, MA, CCC-SLP April 5, 2017 at Landow House │ 5:30 p.m. Supper | 6:00 p.m. Program Join us for this free program exploring the communication challenges for individuals coping with memory loss and their caregivers.

RSVP: 301.816.5052.

Quality services

In our mailbox

Bringing kids and older adults together Stacey Watson, manager of Lifestyle & Leisure on West Campus, has a goal to make sure Ring House residents’ days brim with enriching, meaningful programming. “We want them to have the opportunity to try new things that they may never have done on their own, but also continue the activities they engaged in prior to moving to our campus,” she says. For residents who have always loved interacting with small children, an intergenerational program offers potential for gains at every level.

In April 2016, Watson set in motion an ongoing initiative in collaboration with Early Childhood Director Ora Cohen Rosenfeld and Curriculum Director Sandy Lanes of the Bender JCC of Greater Washington in which 4-year-old students and Ring’s older adults meet monthly to enjoy lively activities together, alternating between locations. Music, baking, holiday celebrations, drama, games, and sing-alongs have topped the schedule. The happy faces and enthusiasm from young and old alike indicate the effort thus far has paid off.

Intergenerational programming is “mutually beneficial for young children and older adults,” Watson explains. “We’re excited about “As the children continue seeing familiar faces and building upon our success and creating deeper relationships with the residents, we expanding into new directions.”

notice the children beaming as they develop a deeper understanding of mitzvot. ‘I feel like my smile,’ said one child.” — Michelle Hoffman, teacher

Benefits for CHILDREN: • Increased self-esteem and self-worth

Hi, I am Len and Shirley Kahan’s daughter in Cleveland. My husband and I visited them [on West Campus] this past weekend. I just want to tell you what a treasure you have in Lauren [Latessa]. She is a first class musician who has chosen to share her artistry with the elderly and brings such joy to them. She engages with each resident on a personal level and radiates joyfulness. Her eagerness

to include family members, such as myself, in her musical programs is a wonderful way to help family members connect with each other and share an experience, especially when these visits are infrequent. Thank you for appreciating the value of music and art (and youthful enthusiasm) to the residents of CESLC. Sincerely, Linda

Linda M. Sandhaus, MD is Associate Professor of Pathology, University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center.

Happy Purim!

Queen Esther seeking permission to speak. Narrative glass mosaic by artist Lilian Broca, from the Queen Esther Mosaics. Courtesy of Lilian Broca, www.lilianbroca.com

On March 12, celebrations will mark the Jewish festival of Purim, which commemorates the unraveling of a plot to annihilate the Jews of

• Improved behavior

Benefits for older ADULTS: • Improved health and fewer falls among older adults in shared sites

• Increased involvement in schoolwork

• More positive effect among older adults with dementia

• Improved reading scores

• Increased connectedness and less isolation

ancient Persia. If you plan to don a costume, savor some fruit-filled hamantaschen, and read the Book of Esther, remember that Jews are traditionally encouraged to donate to charities they support. Your gift to Charles E. Smith Life Communities will: • deliver programs and services that are uniquely Jewish and superior in quality.

• offer older adults the dignity of choice in residential living along with superior primary, home health, and post-acute care.

• care for the most vulnerable and needy older adults.

• offer advocacy and temporary shelter to victims of elder abuse.

• Enhanced feelings of self-worth

Learn more by contacting Lauren Fielding, director of Annual Giving, at fielding@ceslc or 301.816.7746. n

• A ppreciation for older people • Enhanced sense of belonging in their communities

LifeTimes | Page 7

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M A R C H 2 0 1 7 — WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N

More at TheBeaconNewspapers.com

Our calendar MARCH Preventing Elder Financial Exploitation: 15 How to Protect Your Clients and Their Assets from Harm

Elder SAFE™ Charles E. Smith Life Communities

Breakfast Seminar: 8:00 – 10:00 a.m.

Charles E. Smith Life Communities | Registration: www.smithlifecommunities.org This program, moderated by Tovah Kasdin, director of the ElderSafe Center™, is sponsored by the Health Facilities Association of Maryland and is approved by the Maryland Board of Social Workers for Category One continuing education.

RSVP: 301.816.5052 Being Mortal: A Closer Look at Palliative Care 23 Interfaith Clergy Lunch and Seminar Screening: Being Mortal, a PBS documentary Registration: www.smithlifecommunities.org This program is supported by JSSA Hospice.

28

Being Mortal focuses on Atul Gawande, a Boston surgeon and staff writer for The New Yorker, as he explores the relationships doctors have with patients nearing the end of life.

™

Lending a Hand with Dr. Durbhakula: Common Conditions of the Upper Extremity Presented by: Mahidhar M. Durbhakula, MD, Ortho Bethesda Buffet: 6:00 p.m. | Program: 6:30 – 7:30 p.m.

RSVP: 301.816.5052

MAY

5

2017 Sara and Samuel J. Lessans Healthcare Symposium Aging in America: Mental Health Crisis in a Geriatric Population: Strategies for Clinicians and Caregivers Keynote: Steven S. Sharfstein, MD President Emeritus, Sheppard Pratt Health System Registration: www.smithlifecommunities.org Steven S. Sharfstein, MD

House at Ring House 16 Open Tour our independent living residence. | 1:00 – 3:00 p.m.

RSVP: 301.816.5052 OPEN HOUSE>>

Meeting 17 Annual Save the Date!

4:00 p.m. | Wasserman Residence

APRIL

5

JUNE

Just Because You Say It, Doesn’t Make It So: Communicating with Dementia Remember This Lecture Speaker: Susan I. Wranik, MS, MA, CCC-SLP Buffet & Registration: 5:30 – 6:00 p.m.

Program: 6:00 – 7:00 p.m.

Landow House Theater RSVP: 301.816.5052

GET INVOLVED TODAY Appreciation 23 Volunteer Luncheon 24 – 28 Volunteer Appreciation Week to Holocaust Survivors 30 Tribute Brunch at Ring House

6

Builders of the Future Society Luncheon Save the Date!

7

Game Day at Ring House Mah Jongg, Bridge, Canasta, Scrabble, & more 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. | Lunch at noon, $5 1801 E. Jefferson Street, Rockville Free transportation from Leisure World, 9:30 a.m.

RSVP: 301.816.5052

in Parkinson’s Disease 22 Cognition Remember This Lecture Speaker: Gregory Pontone, MD, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine Landow House Theater | RSVP: 301.816.5052

EVERY MONTH

REMEMBER THIS

1st Sunday of the month — Jewish War Veterans Meeting 10:00 a.m. | Ring House, Rockville Veterans and interested persons welcome.

Online now at www.smithlifecommunities.org: Registration for all events | Volunteer and career opportunities

Contact us: 301.770.8448 | www.smithlifecommunities.org n H ebrew Home Post-Acute Care Center and long-term care 301.770.8476

Page 8 | March 2017

House n Cohen-Rosen 301.816.5050

™ Center n ElderSAFE

n H irsh Health Center 301.816.5099 301.816.5004

n L andow House 301.816.5050

n R evitz House 301.770.8450

n Ring

House 301.816.5012

To register and learn more about community events, resident programs, and news for families, visit www.smithlifecommunities.org.

Follow CESLC on:

WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N — M A R C H 2 0 1 7

Say you saw it in the Beacon

Style

61

Arts &

Annette Bening stars in 20th Century Women, set in 1970s Santa Barbara.

See story on page 64.

A top-notch Show Boat cruises at Toby’s

A racially charged story The 1927 premiere of Show Boat on

Broadway has been called a watershed moment in the history of American musicals. Compared to the trivial and unrealistic operettas, light musical comedies and “Follies”-type musical revues that defined Broadway in the 1890s and early 20th century, Show Boat was a very different and ambitious show.

It also shattered racial boundaries by featuring black and white actors on the same stage. No show before had done this, or given such a sympathetic voice to its black characters.

The show opens with the boat’s black stevedores (dockhands) singing how they “work while the white folks play… Gettin’ no rest till de Judgment Day.” Their song shows how difficult and unfair their lives are, and immediately inspires compassion.

But the show quickly moves onto Captain Andy — played to perfection by Robert John Biedermann — who introduces the audience to his cast of actors.

Among them are the show boat’s leading man, Steve Baker (Justin Calhoun), and roughneck engineer Pete. It is revealed that Pete has been stalking Steve’s wife Julie La Verne (the very likeable Julia Lancione), the

show’s leading lady, and a sudden fight breaks out between the two men.

A note on the use of racist terms: As years have gone by, some of Show Boat’s

lines have been altered to be more racially sensitive, especially changing the n-word to “colored folk” or other derivatives.

See SHOW BOAT, page 62

PHOTO BY JERI TIDWELL

By Rebekah Alcalde With its the soaring score, complicated love stories and realistic portrayal of racism, Show Boat, now on stage at Toby’s Dinner Theatre, treats the audience to an epic story that is both fun and dynamic, but also serious.

Show Boat tells the story of those living aboard the Cotton Blossom, a 19th century show boat travelling the Mississippi River.

The musical follows the “family” of performers and staff over a 40-year period — from their show boat’s height as a fixture of river-town entertainment in the 1880s, to the late 1920s, when the Roaring Twenties were in full bloom, and the rise of film rendered such crafts obsolete.

Show Boat — which features thoughtful lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II and excellent music by Jerome Kern — is presented at Toby’s with terrific acting and superb vocals, particularly by the performers portraying the black workers on the boat. Equally impressive is its social commentary on racism, which continues to feel relevant today.

In one of Show Boat’s most famous songs, “Can’t Help Lovin’ Dat Man,” leading lady Julie La Verne, played by Julia Lancione, tells her young friend Magnolia (Abby Middleton) to be careful about love. Looking over their shoulders is standout Samantha McEwen Deininger as the boat’s cook, Queenie. Show Boat, which follows the lives and struggles of the performers and workers living on a travelling show boat, is at Toby’s Dinner Theatre through March 19.

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Arts & Style | More at TheBeaconNewspapers.com

Show Boat From page 61 Toby’s mostly follows suit, except when Pete uses the original word to insult the ship’s black cook, Queenie. Its use vil-

M A R C H 2 0 1 7 — WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N

lainizes Pete as a character, and provokes an audible gasp from the audience.

Also in Act I, we meet handsome and charming gambler Gaylord Ravenal, who falls in love with Captain’s Andy’s sheltered daughter Magnolia, nicknamed Nola. Most

BEACON BITS

Apr. 19

MS. VA. SENIOR PAGEANT INFO

Seniors 60 and older are invited to a free information session about the 2017 Ms. Virginia Senior America Pageant on Wednesday, April 19 in Falls Church, Va. Attendees will learn what is needed to be a contestant, and how to best showcase their talent and inform of their life experience. The actual pageant will take place on Friday, June 30. For complete information and to RSVP, call (703) 549-7012 or email ms.virginia.senior.america@gmail.com by Wednesday, April 12.

Mar. 16+

MUSIC CLUB PERFORMANCE

The Friday Morning Music Club meets on Fridays, but holds performances every third Thursday of the month at Old Town Hall.

This month’s performance will take place on Thursday, March 16 from noon to 1 p.m. Old Town Hall is located at 3999 University Dr., Fairfax, Va. For more information, visit www.fmmc.org.

of the main plot line follows their bittersweet relationship — from their romantic Romeo and Juliet-style meeting, to their later more complicated and difficult adult lives.

Russell Rinker nails Ravenal’s initial gentlemanly persona, but his voice does falter a few times throughout the show. He consistently makes up for it, however, with his excellent acting.

Abby Middleton’s Magnolia nicely balances Ravenal’s boisterous voice with her pure and easy soprano. To her credit, Middleton is obviously well-trained classically and has one of the best vocal ranges of the cast.

Towards the end of Act I, Nola tells Julie about her new beau, and Julie warns her to be careful about giving away her heart, since it can be difficult to retrieve. Here, Lancione shines with “Can’t Help Lovin’ Dat Man,” a bluesy melody you will hear a few more times throughout the show.

Standout performances Thanks to the Cotton Blossom’s other

lifestyle

Your NEW begins here

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communLi are SMOKties FREE

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APARTMENT HOMES FOR THOSE 62 AND BETTER

dynamic duo, Frank and Ellie, comic relief is always around the corner in many otherwise dramatic scenes of Act II. Jeffrey Shankle plays the boat’s villain Frank, complete with over-the-top gestures and scowls, and Elizabeth Rayca is infectious as the hilarious Ellie, a rising star. Rayca’s performance of “Life Upon the Wicked Stage” is particularly fun and memorable.

The show’s standout performance, though, is by actor Marquise White as the black dockhand Joe. His rendition of “Ol’ Man River” is stunningly beautiful and emotionally stirring. He’s honestly reason enough to come see the show.

The exceptional Samantha McEwen Deininger plays Joe’s wife Queenie and is the show’s other standout performer. You can often hear her lovely voice in the background before, after and even between scenes. Kern and Hammerstein always intended for the black actors to serve as the show’s Greek chorus, commenting on the action, and Deininger often solos this part.

It’s also worth noting that Queenie and Joe’s romance is the show’s most authentic relationship.

Toby’s may not do anything earth-shattering with this production of Show Boat, but it is nonetheless beautiful and a must-see for the songs and solos alone. It also firmly keeps the black characters in the spotlight, even as they serve in the background and as the unspoken heroes of the plot.

Seeing the show

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BALTIMORE COUNTY Catonsville 410-719-9464 Dundalk 410-288-5483 Fullerton 410-663-0665 Miramar Landing 410-391-8375 Randallstown 410-655-5673 Rosedale 410-866-1886 Taylor 410-663-0363 Towson 410-828-7185 Woodlawn 410-281-1120

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Show Boat continues through Sunday, March 19 at Toby’s Dinner Theatre, located at 5900 Symphony Woods Rd. in Columbia.

The show runs seven days a week with evening and matinee performances. Doors open at 6 p.m., Monday through Saturday, for dinner prior to the evening performances, which begin at 8 p.m. For Sunday evening performances, which begin at 7 p.m., doors open at 5 p.m. for dinner.

On Wednesdays and Sundays, there are matinee performances, which open for brunch at 10:30 a.m., with shows beginning at 12:30 p.m.

Reservations are required. Ticket prices range from $43.50 (for children under 12) to $62, depending on the performance.

Ticket prices include buffet dinner or brunch, tea and coffee. Specialty drinks, like this show’s Strawberry Banana Piña Colada (aptly named the “Cotton Blossom”) are priced separately.

While not five-star cuisine, Toby’s buffet-style meals offer something for everyone. Our meal featured prime rib, roast beef, marinated mushrooms, a variety of vegetables and salads, and more. Dessert is included (except specialty treats). You can also arrange to have coffee or tea brought to you during intermission.

At Toby’s, the show’s actors also wait on tables. Their tips constitute much of their pay for their performances, so be sure to tip well.

For more information or to reserve tickets, call (410) 730-8311 or visit www.tobysdinnertheatre.com.

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Say you saw it in the Beacon | Arts & Style

WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N — M A R C H 2 0 1 7

Francesca Zambello, Artistic Director

Terence Blanchard/Michael Cristofer PHOTO BY KEN HOWARD

Champion TO WIN IN THE RING, HE HAD TO HIDE HIS TRUTH.

March 4–18, 2017 in the Opera House In English with Projected English Titles | New WNO Production Major support for WNO is provided by Jacqueline Badger Mars.

David and Alice Rubenstein are the Presenting Underwriters of WNO. WNO acknowledges the longstanding generosity of Life Chairman Mrs. Eugene B. Casey.

WNO’s Presenting Sponsor

Support for Champion is provided by the National Endowment for the Arts, Nancy and Harold Zirkin, and The Robert N. Alfandre Family.

Support for JFKC: A Centennial Celebration of John F. Kennedy is provided by Ambassador Elizabeth Frawley Bagley, Chevron, The Blanche and Irving Laurie Foundation, and Target.

A PART OF

KENNEDY-CENTER.ORG | (202) 467-4600 For all other ticket-related customer service inquiries, call the Advance Sales Box Office at (202) 416-8540.

64

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M A R C H 2 0 1 7 — WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N

Annette Bening moved by her current film

A rebellious character Dorthea is based on Mills’ mother, who died of cancer in 1999. He remembers her as mercurial and a trickster, and was happy to find that Bening had some of that

in her, too.

“She’s like a real rebel,” said Mills, who also directs. “I got the sense that there’s this non-compliance and a rascal in there, which was the key for me, and I hoped was there. Meeting her just proved it. I mean that as the biggest compliment.”

Dorthea is the kind of character who’s impossible to summarize. She winces at the ugliness of punk, but attempts to understand it anyway. She’s truly impressed when she discovers how her son has been forging her signature, but also tells him to not do that anymore.

She loves Humphrey Bogart and wonders, sometimes, if she’s stuck in life.

She’s both classical and modern. She is someone her son is trying to understand, and she’s trying to understand him back.

Dorthea recruits two women in Jamie’s life — an angry 20-something named Abbie (Greta Gerwig), and his disaffected peer Julie (Elle Fanning) — to help him become a good man.

But while it is about her era, Bening doesn’t necessarily see herself in the film.

Instead, it’s got her thinking about her family, and how she relates to her own parents, who are still alive (Dad’s 90, Mom’s 87), and her four children with husband Warren Beatty.

“There’s a deep love, but there’s almost a longing and a searching. Do you really know them? Do they really know you?”

Bening wondered.

On set, no one ever knew how Bening was going to play a scene. She changed it up every time, which her co-stars and director weren’t expecting for someone with so much classic training.

“If you tell Annette to go sit over there, she’ll go sit somewhere else, in a great way, and with the intention to keep the

BY FEATUREFLASH PHOTO AGENCY

By Lindsey Bahr In 1979, Annette Bening was 21 years old. A year earlier, she had moved from San Diego to San Francisco to study classical drama.

She remembers it as a time of tremendous change and uncertainty — and big moments, like the day Harvey Milk and George Mascone were killed. But for the most part, her head was in Chekov and Shakespeare and Shaw and Arthur Miller.

So when she read the script for Mike Mills’ 20th Century Women, now in theaters, it caught her off guard. Set in 1979 Santa Barbara, he was writing about a time she lived through and a place she lived not too far from, but looking at it in a way she’d never considered.

The story about a 55-year-old single mother, Dorthea (Bening), and her 15year-old son Jamie (Lucas Jade Zunman) was set against a macro backdrop of anxiety, punk rock and Jimmy Carter telling the country that they were in a crisis of confidence.

“Somebody was contextualizing and teaching me about this period that I was in in my life in a way that nobody else had done before,” Bening, now 58, said on a recent, rainy afternoon in West Hollywood.

“That’s why [Mills] wanted to use that Jimmy Carter speech — because he’s talking about searching for meaning and the materialism of the moment. They’re all looking for meaning in their lives, like most of us are, but he’s using that point in history when things are really turning.”

Annette Bening stars in 20th Century Women as the single mother of a teen. Writer and director Mike Mills, who based the film on his own experiences growing up in California in the 1970s, was nominated this year for a Best Original Screenplay Academy Award for the film.

scene alive for herself and to make each take its own experience,” recalled Mills.

Gerwig said that it’s her way of looking for new “lifeblood.” “She’s always finding the truth at the minute that it’s happening,” she said.

In her prep, Bening worried about Dorthea’s contradictions and paradoxes, but realized in time that that’s “where the gold is.”

“I wanted to be very empty and very clear-headed and not decided,” she said.

“The further I get away from those [acting] lessons that I very much needed, the more liberated I feel. And I don’t feel tied down by any of that.”

moment. On the family front, she’s tremendously proud of her husband’s film Rules Don’t Apply, in which she has a bit role, and takes its financial shortcomings in stride.

“He has been well rewarded in his life and he knows that,” she said. “And, really, at this point in his life, movies mean a lot to him — it’s his work — but he’s got the kids and me.”

She’s also relishing this moment of great freedom that comes when the kids get a little bit older and the parents are allowed to “let go.”

“Also, internally you know yourself a little better, you feel a little more free, you feel less concerned with what other people

A good time for Bening Things are going well for Bening at the

See ANNETTE BENING, page 67

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Say you saw it in the Beacon | Arts & Style

WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N — M A R C H 2 0 1 7

65

Sergey Khachatryan

Alisa Weilerstein

Mason Bates

LeAnn Rimes

A Salute to Slava Weilerstein plays Shostakovich Schubert’s Ninth Symphony

A Salute to Slava Prokofiev’s First Piano Concerto Shostakovich’s Fifth Symphony

Christoph Eschenbach, conductor Alisa Weilerstein, cello

James Conlon, conductor Lise de la Salle, piano

LeAnn Rimes

T. PICKER SHOSTAKOVICH SCHUBERT

BRITTEN

Emil de Cou, conductor

Old and Lost Rivers Cello Concerto No. 1 Symphony No. 9

March 9 & 11 March 11: ForeWords free pre-concert discussion at 6:45

Bruckner’s First Symphony Mozart’s Third Violin Concerto Christoph Eschenbach, conductor Nurit Bar-Josef, violin MOZART BRUCKNER

Violin Concerto No. 3 Symphony No. 1

March 16–18 March 16: AfterWords free post-concert discussion

COFFEE CONCERT Mar. 17 at 11:30 a.m.

Four Sea Interludes from Peter Grimes Piano Concerto No.1 Symphony No.5

April 6–8

With a career spanning more than two decades and 44 million albums sold, award-winning singer LeAnn Rimes appears with the NSO Pops for a concert of her biggest hits.

April 6: AfterWords free post-concert discussion April 7 & 8: ForeWords free pre-concert discussion at 6:45

April 28

PROKOFIEV SHOSTAKOVICH

Beethoven’s Violin Concerto Cristian Ma˘celaru, conductor Sergey Khachatryan, violin Mason Bates, electronica BEETHOVEN SIBELIUS M. BATES SMETANA

Violin Concerto The Oceanides Liquid Interface Die Moldau

April 20 & 22 April 20: AfterWords free post-concert discussion April 22: ForeWords free pre-concert discussion at 6:45

TICKETS ON SALE NOW! KENNEDY-CENTER.ORG (202) 467-4600 Tickets also available at the Box Office.

Groups call (202) 416-8400.

For all other ticket-related customer service inquiries, call the Advance Sales Box Office at (202) 416-8540.

David and Alice Rubenstein are the Presenting Underwriters of the NSO.

Lead support for A Salute to Slava is provided by

The NSO Music Director Chair is generously endowed by Victoria and Roger Sant.

New Artistic Initiatives are funded in honor of Linda and Kenneth Pollin.

The Blue Series is sponsored by United Technologies Corporation.

Additional support for A Salute to Slava is provided by Blavatnik Family Foundation and BP plc.

AARP is the Presenting Sponsor of the 2016-2017 NSO Pops Season.

FRIDAY MORNING COFFEE CONCERTS Join your friends for coffee and a la carte continental breakfast in the KC Café beginning at 10 a.m. before attending the 11:30 concert together!

66

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M A R C H 2 0 1 7 — WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N

A few bad trips on the dating-go-round Linda and I had fallen out of touch, so it dates via online fix-up websites. was great to find her e-mail in my unIf you thought that only 20-somethings opened basket. try to meet a mate this way, She proposed a catch-up join the club. I had never lunch. I jumped at the chance. known anyone Linda’s age We had been workplace who tried such a tactic, much buddies more than personal less succeeded. buddies. I knew that she was But Linda told me that a 60a 64-year-old widow. I knew something pal of hers had just that she lived alone. What I hit the jackpot. She met Mr. didn’t know is whether she Late-In-Life Right last month via hoped or planned to change a site that advertises all over TV. either of those states.

They are as giddy as two HOW I SEE IT I soon found out. kids, Linda reported. He even

By Bob Levey Linda had better not visit a does the dishes! casino any time soon. Her luck is lousy.

As for Linda, it was one train wreck after She has had an unending string of bad another.

BEACON BITS

Mar. 11

ST. PATRICK’S DAY PARADE

The City of Gaithersburg, in partnership with Rio Washingtonian Center and the Harp and Shamrock Society, will host the 17th Annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade beginning at 10 a.m. on Saturday, March 11 at Rio Washingtonian Center, off I-370 and Washingtonian Blvd. Dozens of units will march in the parade, including Celtic dancers, bagpipe bands, school groups, clowns, fire trucks, equestrian units, service organizations, and more. The parade will be emceed by Tommy McFly, Kelly Collis and Jen Richer of 94.7 Fresh FM’s “The Tommy Show.” Following the parade, there will be live entertainment on the Lakefront Plaza until 1 p.m. For more information, call (301) 258-6350.

Guy One sounded great if you believe the self-written profiles that these sites require. Retired college professor, nonsmoker, “financially comfortable,” fine wine aficionado, big fan of history, big reader, world traveler.

So they met for a meal. It took Linda about 15 minutes to figure out that the guy sitting across from her was not the guy who had written the profile.

“He couldn’t string two sentences together,” she told me. “I don’t think he used a two-syllable word once.”

As for being a wine connoisseur, forget it.

“He was belting Budweisers,” Linda says.

When the meal drew to a close, Linda summoned her courage. “You didn’t write your own profile, did you?” she asked.

Guy One took a long pull on his Bud. He admitted that he had paid a ghostwriter $100 to “recreate” him. He also admitted that he had paid the same friend another $100 to doctor the photo he had posted.

There’s a word for what this man did.

It’s called lying.

There’s another word that Linda managed to utter right about then. “Goodbye,” she said.

Well, maybe Guy Two would be better, she figured.

He was worse.

Uncommunicative, unattractive, didn’t

look as if he had shaved, didn’t look as if he had showered. Again, the scene was a restaurant. Again, the conversation dragged and halted on multiple occasions.

Linda is a very polite person, so she didn’t just get up and leave. Dinner done, she walked alongside Guy Two as they headed to a nearby multi-deck garage. He was parked on 2. She was parked on 3.

They got onto the elevator, wordlessly.

The door opened at 2. Mr. Wonderful got off and kept walking, without saying goodbye, without saying thanks, without even looking back.

How rude can you get?

This rude: Guy Three.

He had looked promising when Linda had click-searched three days earlier. Hey, nothing ventured…They met for dinner.

For about two minutes, hope surged.

The man was handsome. He was clean. He smiled. He refilled Linda’s wine glass without being asked.

Then Linda began to notice something.

The guy was talking about himself. And only about himself. Without stopping.

Without even drawing a deep breath.

Linda heard all about his childhood, his pet monkeys, his cars, his adult children who were bringing Wall Street to its knees.

See BOB LEVEY, page 67

Bob Levey From page 66 Not once did he ask Linda anything about her. Not once.

After an hour, Linda deposited three $10 bills on the table and said, “Thanks.” She didn’t wait to hear if Guy Three said, “You’re welcome.”

Linda says she’s done with dating sites, although not with dating. She would love

Annettte Bening From page 64 think. It’s a new stage of life...like this fabulous new opportunity. Sometimes you think being younger is always better. Not necessarily.”

Bening particularly likes to hear from

to find a great guy, she says.

She’s willing to make allowances for religion, politics, hair color, lack of hair, tubby tummies, all sorts of things.

But she is going to let the “meet” happen naturally, if it happens at all.

No more fake profiles. No more doctored photos. No more little boys disguised as 60-year-old men.

Bob Levey is a national award-winning columnist.

those who’ve been affected by her work.

It’s what she wants from art, too.

“I love going to the movies, to plays, to concerts. And when I go to those things, I want to be changed, I want to be moved,” Bening said. “That idea that we can move people? That’s the whole reason we do it.”

— AP

67

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WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N — M A R C H 2 0 1 7

BEACON BITS

Mar. 30

PEGGY LEE TRIBUTE

Foggy Bottom West End Village presents a Peggy Lee musical tribute featuring vocalist Delores King Williams and pianist and musical director Howard Breitbart, on Thursday, March 30 at 7:30. Listen to music from the Lee’s six decades of songs, such as “I Love Him So,” “I’m a Woman” and “Mañana” in an intimate nightclub setting. There will also be wine and non-alcoholic beverages. This event will take place at St. Paul’s Parish, located at 2430 K St. NW, Washington, D.C. Admission costs $30 for guests and $10 for members.

For more information, visit www.fbwevillage.org or call (202) 333-1327.

Mar. 11

PIANO TRIO

The Polaris Piano Trio will perform on Saturday, March 11 at the Kirkwood Presbyterian Church, 8336 Carrleigh Pkwy. in Springfield, Va. at 3 p.m. For more information, email concerts@kirkwoodpres.com, visit www.kirkwoodpres.com, or call (703) 451-5320.

FROM PAGE 68

ANSWERS TO CROSSWORD

BEACON BITS

May 4

SAFARI NEARBY

Montgomery County presents a daytrip safari at Wildlife Park in Halifax, Pa. on Thursday, May 4. Experience exotic encounters, wildlife that you can touch, adventure you can feel on interactive Safaris! Nearly 150 acres of rolling hills are scattered with herds of buffalo, elk, eland, yak, watusi and more. Monkeys, tigers, ostriches, zebras and many interesting creatures reside along 50 acres of zoo-type settings, continuously educating and entertaining park visitors. Lunch is on your own at the park food stand, or bring your own. The charter bus will depart from Olney Manor Park, 16601 Georgia Ave., Olney, Md. at 7:15 a.m. and return at 6:30 p.m. Register early. The trip costs $55 for residents and $77 for non-residents. For more information, call (240) 777-4926.

ANSWERS TO SCRABBLE

R O L L A W A I F E V E A S A L L T E A M E M O S P R A C O S T O U T O S T A R T A G A G E R E D

T R I B E I N S F A C E

U N C L M O L A S P R I N A M C E R E A K S D T I A N F N G F O R E C M I N E S P R I N A L E D L E A K S O B R A N E M Y

E R G

A T T F A P R I H I N E D W A R Y O E A D G Y E S P R I T O D S E

W O O I N G

E M E R G E

D U R K A E W N G O S T A

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M A R C H 2 0 1 7 — WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N

Crossword Puzzle

PUZZLE PAGE

Daily crosswords can be found on our website: www.TheBeaconNewspapers.com Click on Puzzles Plus

GET THE FACTS ABOUT

ACTIVE RETIREMENT LIVING

at Ashby Ponds, Greenspring, or Riderwood.

Call 1-877-575-0231 or visit EricksonLiving.com to request your FREE brochure! See our ad on page 12.

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1 Start a Monopoly turn 5 Claudius, to Caligula 10 Shock and ___ 13 Plan to meet with Godot 15 Root canal locale 16 Male turkey 17 Sudden desire to play instead of study 19 Item on a podiatrist’s top-10 list 20 30% of the land on Earth 21 Merced, CA airport code 22 Like Snow White 23 ___ kidding aside 25 When Florida’s beach population swells 28 Alternative to coffee or me 29 Home security co.

30 Be contingent upon 31 Office note 33 Ending for thesp- or lesb35 Employee of the US government 36 What all of this puzzle’s theme answers do 41 “I would like to purchase ___, Pat” 42 XVII x LIII 43 ___ place or mine?

45 “Peace if possible; truth at all ___” (Martin Luther) 48 Portia DeGeneres ___ de Rossi 50 Rap sheet letters 51 Emerge from a cake 55 Frost : winter :: ___ : summer 56 Name above the title 57 Ginger drink 58 Modifies beer for St. Patrick’s Day 60 Identify the person in a photo 61 Start to take on water 65 Improve (as wine) 66 More common name for the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act 67 Task list items 68 Type of blood cell 69 Lex Luthor, to Superman 70 ___ record (qualify for the Guinness book)

1 UK defenders in the Battle of Britain 2 Have a car loan 3 Dorm room lighting 4 Prevarications 5 Arbiter of what’s really fair 6 14th tropical storm, in some years 7 Activate a web link 8 Destinations for lovers (or bowlers) 9 A little bit of work 10 Achieve a goal 11 Pursuing (romantically) 12 Exit the cocoon 14 Nickname for the Cleveland Indians 18 Rider on a crowded subway car 22 Start of a 3-day weekend 23 20’s dispenser 24 Writers Harper and Spike 26 “GATE”, crashed 27 “That was a close one” 32 Public speaker 34 Grp. of 16 football teams 35 2000’s top-rated sitcom 37 I Left My Heart ___ (T. Bennett tune) 38 Potent beginning 39 Lemonade stand location 40 John Wayne nickname 44 Extremely undercooked 45 Name below the title 46 Power failure 47 Planned out ahead of time 49 Filming location for The Mummy Returns 52 Beauty parlor 53 West Point freshman 54 Improve the arsenal’s stock 59 A love god 61 Good reveal on Card Sharks 62 “Kick” start 63 ___ a dry eye in the house 64 Govt. property overseer

Answers on page 67.

Answer: What an overloaded dock can create -- PIER PRESSURE Jumbles: PRIOR SHEEP POROUS EMPIRE

Say you saw it in the Beacon | Arts & Style

WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N — M A R C H 2 0 1 7

69

BEACON BITS

Ongoing

INCOME TAX HELP Community Tax Aid, Inc. provides free tax

assistance on Saturdays from noon to

By Rick Detorie

2:30 p.m. at Rockville Memorial Library for individuals making $35,000 or less and families making $52,000 or less. The library is located at 21 Maryland Ave., Rockville, Md. Registration is not required. For more information, call (240) 777-0140.

Ongoing

OXFORD TREASURES EXHIBIT

The Folger Shakespeare Library is holding an exhibition featuring 500 years of treasures from the University of Oxford, which is open from now until Sunday, April 30. To mark the 500th anniversary of the founding of Corpus Christi College, Oxford, a selection of 50 manuscripts and early printed books from its library, ranging in date from the 10th to the 17th centuries, is being brought to America for the first time. Works include an illuminated copy of Chaucer’s Canterbury

BEACON BITS

BEACON BITS

Mar. 14

AARP SERVICE PROJECT AND DINNER

Mar. 10

The Gaithersburg Chapter 5358 of AARP will hold its monthly

CampaignZERO presents an educational talk on being an effective healthcare advocate for your loved one on Friday, March 10 from 1 to 2 p.m. at Herndon Senior Center, located at 873 Grace St., Herndon, Va. One-third of hospital patients are accidentally harmed during care.

Learn how to be a better advocate for care. For more information, contact Gwendolyn at (703) 222-1300.

Tales in Middle English, Galileo’s first

meeting on Tuesday, March 14 from 4 to 8 p.m. Join other seniors at the

observation of the moon using a tele-

Benjamin Gaither Senior Center, located at 80-A Bureau Dr., to create “literacy

scope and many more. Admission is

bags” for Head Start children at four local schools. Dinner features a choice of

free. Folger Shakespeare Library is

chicken parmesan or vegetable lasagna with sides, salad, garlic bread, hot or

located at 201 East Capitol St. SE,

cold drinks, and desserts, and will begin at 5:30 p.m. The cost is $10. A brief

Washington, D.C. For more informa-

business meeting will be held at 6:10 p.m., followed by music with Dale Jarrett.

tion, visit www.folger.edu or call (202)

For more information, contact Annette Thompson at (301) 977-7936 or (301)

544-7077.

938-0893 or annettethompsonphd@yahoo.com.

HEALTHCARE ADVOCACY

Classifieds continued from page 70.

Wanted FINE ANTIQUES, PAINTINGS AND QUALITY VINTAGE FURNISHINGS wanted by a serious, capable buyer. I am very well educated [law degree], knowledgeable [over 40 years in the antique business] and have the finances and wherewithal to handle virtually any situation. If you have a special item, collection or important estate, I would like to hear from you. I pay great prices for great things in all categories from Oriental rugs to Tiffany objects, from rare clocks to firearms, from silver and gold to classic cars.

If it is wonderful, I am interested. No phony promises or messy consignments. References gladly furnished. Please call Jake Lenihan, 301-279-8834. Thank you.

CASH FOR JEWELRY: Buying jewelry, diamonds, gold, platinum, silver, watches, coins, flatware, etc. We make house calls. Ask for Tom. Call anytime 301-654-8678 or 301-6540838.

BUYING VINYL RECORDS from 1950 through 1985. Jazz, Rock-n-Roll, Soul, Rhythm & Blues, Reggae and Disco. 33 1/3 LPs, 45s or 78s, Larger collections of at least 100 items wanted. Please call John, 301-5966201.

BUYING MILITARY MEMORABILIA WW2, WW1, Civil War uniforms, weapons, photos and items associated with US, German, Japanese or items of other Military History. DAVE, 240-464-0958.

Wanted STAMP COLLECTIONS, AUTOGRAPHS purchased/appraised – U.S., worldwide, covers, paper memorabilia. Stamps are my specialty – highest price paid! Appraisals. Phone Alex, 301-309-3622. Stampex1@gmail.com.

LADY WHO LOVES FINE CHINA and crystal would like to buy yours. Especially interested in figurines and dishes by the following makers: Herend, Johnson Brothers, Lenox, Lladro, Meissen, Rosenthal, Royal Copenhagen, Shelley, Spode, Wedgewood, Baccarat, Lalique and Waterford stemware and miscellaneous. Bone china cups and saucers, quality dog and cat figurines and sterling silver flatware and hollowware also. 301-785-1129.

MILITARY ITEMS WANTED: Collector seeks to purchase military uniforms; flight jackets, patches, insignia, medals, etc. from the Civil War through Vietnam. Especially seeking U.S. Army Air Corps, USMC, Airborne, and German/Japanese/Italian items from WWII. ALSO BUYING old Boy Scout, Airline Items, Toys, Lighters. Call Dan, 202841-3062.

Thank you for reading the Beacon!

WB 3/17

70

More at TheBeaconNewspapers.com

CLASSIFIEDS The Beacon prints classified advertising under the following headings: Business & Employment Opportunities; Caregivers; Computer Services; Entertainment; For Sale; For Sale/Rent: Real Estate; Free; Health; Home/ Handyman Services; Miscellaneous; Personals; Personal Services; Vacation Opportunities; and Wanted. For submission guidelines and deadlines, see the box on page 71.

CAVEAT EMPTOR! The Beacon does not knowingly accept obscene, offensive, harmful, or fraudulent advertising. However, we do not investigate any advertisers or their products and cannot accept responsibility for the integrity of either. Respondents to classified advertising should always use caution and their best judgment.

EMPLOYMENT & REAL ESTATE ADS: We will not knowingly or intentionally accept advertising in violation of federal, state, and local laws prohibiting discrimination based on race, color, national origin, sex, familial status or handicap in connection with employment or the sale or rental of real estate.

Business and Employment Opportunities ANGEL IN DISGUISE. Widely talented managing/administrative personal assistant / light caregiver (no nursing), for 61-year-old altruistic professional now disabled/bedridden (non contagious) in her Takoma Park home. Woman & long-term preferred. ~16 hours (3 p.m. à?) on 3 ideally nonconsecutive weeks. $18 (à$20)/hr SE. Starts immediately. Email Aldenwrite@aol.com for details.

EACH DAY, ARC OF MONTGOMERY COUNTY directly supports over 500 children, youth, adults and families by providing childcare, work skills training, employment opportunities, community living services, resources, advocacy and respite care. Are you a dedicated and motivated person looking for an opportunity to support children, youth and adults in addressing their diverse needs while helping them reach their full potential? If so, come be a part of our dynamic team! The Arc of Montgomery County has several job opportunities with a wide variety of schedules available to work.

Please go to our website at www.thearcmontgomerycounty.org and complete an online application form today. EOE M/F/Disabled.

Caregivers “A” HOME HEALTH CARE – Experienced nurses, CNA, GNA are available 24/7. Cooking, companionship, personal care, housekeeping, driving. Full/Part-time or live-in. Flat rate for live-in care. 15 years’ experience. 240-533-6599.

TRANSPORTATION SERVICES FOR SENIORS. Here and Now Home Care specializes in providing transportation services for seniors: doctors’ appointments, drop off and pick up for day surgeries, rides home after hospital discharge, grocery shopping, rides to airports, rail or bus stations, recreation, entertainment, meetings or events, errand services, escorts to lunch or dinner, escorts to religious services, readings and discussions. Any other incidental transportation at an affordable cost. Please call 240507-7120.

NURSE/CAREGIVER – LICENSED. With 25 years experience seeks position. Day or night.

Excellent references. Honest, reliable and compassionate. Call Babeth at 240-351-7295.

CHEVY CHASE HOME CARE – reliable certified caregivers at time of illness, infirmity, loneliness. Personal assistance, ALL AGES, 4- to 24-hour shifts, homes, hospitals, nursing homes.

MD, DC, No. VA. Tel.: 202-374-1240. www.ChChHomecare.com.

M A R C H 2 0 1 7 — WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N

Caregivers

For Sale/Rent: Real Estate

Personal Services

ELDERLY CARE – FEMALE CARE PROVIDER, English speaking with car. I cook, clean and take to appointments. I’m experienced in taking care of people with MS, Alzheimer’s and other health problems. Excellent references.

301-275-7283.

GET A FAST OFFER ON YOUR NOVA HOUSE today! We buy your house as is. No need to repair. No commissions. Free no-obligation consultation. Female owned, references.

Call 703-969-5847 or email IBuyFairfaxHouses@gmail.com.

24/7 RIDE FOR SENIORS. Doctors appointments/hospitals, shopping, religious services, errands, entertainment, airports, rail, bus stations, appointments of any kind. Affordable.

Drop-off, pickup. Call 240-418-1038 day/night.

English and Spanish speaking.

ARE YOU LOOKING FOR A LOVING, CARING, compassionate, dependable and reliable caregiver with years of experience and references for your loved one? Has experience with MS, Alzheimer’s, diabetics and other health problems. Please call, 301-908-9134.

LOOKING TO TAKE THE LEAP? I’ll take you on a tour of the community, show you floor plans, discuss campus amenities, & offer how to best coordinate your move. I will set up an automated online search for you, preview units, and contact you to arrange a showing when there is a match. I also offer exceptional service selling your home. I’m a Seniors Specialist, Buyer Broker, Top 1% of Agents Nationwide, and a Leisure World resident! You can see my current listings in this issue. Contact me: 301-580-5556, SueHeyman@aol.com, www.SueHeyman.com, Weichert Realtors.

LOCAL MOVING SERVICES. Continental Movers. Free boxes. Local, long distance. Hauling, pickups and deliveries. $80 x two men, onehour driving time. 202-438-1489, 301-340-0602.

DARNESTOWN, GAITHERSBURG, POTOMAC, North Potomac. New to area caregiver, companion for loved one. Experienced, trusted WM with good work ethic and experience. References available. CompassionateMale@gmail.com.

CAREGIVER – EXPERIENCED NURSE, available 24/7. Cooking, companionship, personal care, housekeeping, driving. Full/part-time or live-in. Flat rate for live-in. 20 years experience.

301-803-9000 or 240-510-7125.

Computer Services PROBLEM WITH YOUR PC/MAC OR NETWORK? Computer Systems Engineer will come to you with help. Call: David G at 301-642-4526.

Events JOIN THE GAITHERSBURG CHAPTER OF AARP. Annual dues $10 (individual) and $15 (couple). Contact Denise Clarences (301-5980206) to learn more about the chapter and its many community service, advocacy, social and trip activities, to request a new member application form and to register for its monthly meeting.

Come to any or all parts of the meeting held the second Tuesday of each month from 4 p.m. until 8 p.m. at the Gaithersburg Benjamin Gaither Senior Center at 80-A Bureau Drive, Gaithersburg, MD 20878. Dinner served at 5:30 p.m. Cost is $10.

LEISURE WORLD® — $164,900. 2BR 2FB “E” in “Greens.” Treetop view, wood floors throughout, updated appliances, table space kit + dining room. 1244 sq ft. Stan Moffson, Weichert, Realtors. 301-928-3463.

LEISURE WORLD® — $299,000. 2BR 2FB “QQ” in Vantage Point East. Open table space kitchen, new paint, master bath with separate tub and shower, 1335 sq ft. Stan Moffson, Weichert, Realtors. 301-928-3463.

LEISURE WORLD® — $249,900. 2BR 2FB “F” in Turnberry Courts. Close to the elevator, table space kitchen with window, lots of closets, 1315 sq ft. Stan Moffson, Weichert, Realtors.

301-928-3463.

WE BUY STERLING SILVER FLATWARE, tea sets, single pieces of silver, large pieces of silver plate. Attic, basement, garage. You have something to SELL, we like to BUY. Call Greg, 717-658-7954.

$725 SILVER SPRING/ASPEN HILL (Leisure World) – Nicely furnished room in lovely townhome in gated retirement community in Leisure World. Female only. Must be 55 years or older.

Non-smoker. Available April 15th. $725 per month.

Utilities included. Call Nancy at 301-598-4433.

TRADITIONAL MAHOGANY Entertainment Center for TV/Electronics. Double doors with inlay design. Ample storage. Size 42” w x 85” h, 23” depth. $550, OBO. NW DC. Call 202-3628195.

SUITLAND — AFFORDABLE SENIOR 62+ apartments. 2BR, $1110 per month, income limits apply. Tour today! Walking distance to Metro, bus stop onsite. Swimming pool, movie theater, café, beauty salon and more. windsorcrossingsenior.com, 877-759-9281, EHO. FORT WASHINGTON —1 BEDROOM senior 55+ apartments, move today! $1156 a month with full kitchens near National Harbor and shops. Newly renovated building features movie theater, beauty salon, and fitness center. Pet friendly and smoke free. Call to schedule tour Income limits apply, vouchers welcome 855-8287735 woodsidevillageapartments.com EHO. RENTAL CONDO AVAILABLE Premier Community of Leisure World for adults 55+. 2 bedroom, 2 bath, laminate flooring, SS appliances, granite counters, abundant cabinets, decorative backsplash, full-size washer/dryer, closet organizers, crown molding/chair rail, breathtaking view year-round enclosed sunroom. Your own parking space. No smoking. No pets. Utilities and cable included in rent. Call 301-3123843 to schedule an appointment.

RENTING ONE SPACIOUS BEDROOM. Walk-in closet and a full bath for $680 per month. Utilities included. Non-smoker, no pets.

Quiet neighborhood. Please call 240-350-9392.

Wanted

LEISURE WORLD® — $195,000. 2BR 2FB “B” in “Overlook, fresh paint, golf course view, 1035 sq ft. Stan Moffson, Weichert, Realtors.

301-928-3463.

LEISURE WORLD® —$274,900. 2 BR 2FB “EE” model in “Turnberry” with garage. Across from the elevator. Open kitchen, golf course view. 1244 sq ft. Stan Moffson, Weichert, Realtors. 301-928-3463.

For Sale

APPLY TODAY! NEW AFFORDABLE senior apartments opening Summer. Rainier Manor for households with at least one member over 62. 1 & 2 bedrooms, full kitchens. Amazing amenities, including greenhouse, fitness, events & more.

Pet friendly & smoke free. Income limits apply.

877-868-2884, rainiermanor.com, EHO.

PACKING SPECIALIST. DC, MD, VA. Experienced packers, excellent references. We pack kitchen, books, pictures, decorations etc. Packing material available. Wardrobe boxes 50% off.

Sort it out (household goods). Moving in, moving out. Cleaning services 50% off. www.packingamazon.com, packingamazon@gmail.com. Call Carmen Alberto, 571-229-8021.

HIGHEST CASH PAID FOR ANTIQUES, JEWELRY, ESTATES. I have been advertising in the Beacon for 20 years. Montgomery County resident – will travel to D.C., MD, VA. Buying following items: Furniture, art, jewelry, gold, sterling silver, old coins, vintage pocket and wrist watches, old tools, books, camera, military items – guns, rifles, knives, pocket knives, swords etc.

Also buying: old toys, dolls, trains, comic books, photographs, autographs, musical instruments, guitars, violins, etc. Also old sports memorabilia and equipment – baseball, golf, football, fishing etc. Please call Tom at 240-476-3441.

For Sale/Rent: Real Estate

HYATTSVILLE — TOUR TODAY! Beautiful senior apartments 62+ with immediate availability. 1&2-bedroom open floor plans, full kitchens, patios & balconies. Walking distance to shopping, bus stop on site. Vouchers welcome. Rollingcrest Commons, 855-389-5340, rollingcrestcommons.com, EHO.

MASSAGE THERAPY in your home. Prevent and alleviate pain, discomfort, muscle spasms, arthritis pain and stress of affordable price. Call 240-510-7125 for appointments.

SKINCARE EQUIPMENT. New sterilizer. 3 therabath wax machines + wax. Professional steam vaporizer. Stylish case. Cosmetic jars deluxe. Lots of products from Europe. All in excellent condition. Call 703-591-6321.

PRIME BURIAL SITE. PARKLAWN Memorial Park, Rockville, MD. Sale price is one-half off list price. Call Jim, 301-881-4148.

2 SALVADOR DALI woodblock prints from Dante’s Divine Comedy. Signed and framed.

Asking $900 for the pair. Can email pictures if desired. Call Steve, 410-913-1653.

Personal Services TURN YOUR SILVER AND OLD GOLD jewelry into cash and do something good for yourself.

Gold 4 Good buys gold and silver jewelry, including broken pieces, all sterling silver, gold watches and gold and silver coins. I will come to your house and give you a free evaluation of what I can pay. If you decide to sell, I can buy your items at that time, but there is no obligation. Licensed with both Maryland and Montgomery County (lic. #2327). Call Bob, (240) 938-9694.

HOUSE CLEANING SERVICE – Looking to clean house. Good references and experience.

Please call Vio, 301-706-6317.

PIANO LESSONS – Want to learn to play piano without the stress of recitals and auditions? I teach beginners from 9 to 90. Theory taught along with pieces, not separate books. Studied piano at University of Maryland and the Washington Conservatory of Music. Patient, understanding. My Kensington home. Very reasonable rates. Email for more information: blackandwhitekeys4U@gmail.com or call 301-942-2589.

SENIOR’S ERRAND AND GROCERY shopping. Too tired of running errands and grocery shopping? Delegating these tasks to me will make your everyday life easier. I have 5-plus years experience with seniors. Please give me a call at 301-905-8810 for a free consultation.

CASH FOR RECORDS, CDs, DVDs AND TAPES. Best price guaranteed. Free appraisals.

All types of music, 33, 45, 78 & CDs. Call Steve 301-646-5403. Will make house calls.

WE PAY CASH for antique furniture, quality used furniture, early American art, pottery, silver, glassware, paintings, etc. Single items to entire estates. Call Reggie or Phyllis at DC 202726-4427, MD 301-332-4697.

WE BUY GOLD AND SILVER JEWELRY. Costume too. Gold and silver coins, paper money, military, crocks, old bottles and jars, etc.

Call Greg, 717-658-7954.

TIRED OF POLISHING YOUR SILVER? Turn it into cash, which does not tarnish. I will come to your home and give you a free evaluation of what I can pay. I buy all gold and silver jewelry, including broken pieces, all sterling silver, gold and silver coins, gold watches, etc. I am licensed with both Maryland and Montgomery County (lic. #2327). If you decide to sell, I can buy your items at that time, but there is no obligation. Call Bob, Gold 4 Good, (240) 938-9694.

GET A FAST OFFER ON YOUR NOVA HOUSE today! We buy your house as is. No need to repair. No commissions. Free no-obligation consultation. Female owned, references.

Call 703-969-5847 or email IBuyFairfaxHouses@gmail.com.

WANTED: OLDER VIOLINS, Guitars, Banjos, Mandolins, etc. Musician/collector will pay cash for older string instruments. Jack, 301- 279-2158.

BUYING VIOLINS, COINS, FOUNTAIN PENS – Cash paid. Also guitars, old toys, comics, baseball cards, memorabilia, golf, football, fishing, firearms, swords. Tom, 240-476-3441.

CASH FOR ESTATE BUYOUTS, estate cleanouts, jewelry to furniture, one item or whole estate. Free Estimate, Will Travel. 301-520-0755.

COLLECTOR BUYING MILITARY ITEMS: Helmets, weapons, knives, swords, bayonets, web gear, uniforms, etc. from all wars and countries. Also Lionel Toy Trains, and coin operated machines. Will pay top prices for my personal collection. Discreet consultations. Call Fred, 301-910-0783.

Classifieds continued on p. 69

WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N — M A R C H 2 0 1 7

Say you saw it in the Beacon

BEACON BITS

Mar. 15

CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING RATES

AARP LUNCHEON

The Southwest Waterfront AARP Chapter will hold its March Business Luncheon Meeting on Wednesday, March 15 at noon.

The program will feature Lauren C. Vaughan, Secretary of the District of Columbia, speaking on city resources and community services; Douglas Klein, U.S. Attorney, Department of Justice, speaking on fraud and elder exploitation and protection; and Shannon Redd, AARP D.C. associate director, discussing an “Introduction to the AARP Fraud Watch Network.” Current AARP members, new prospective members and visitors are welcome. This event will take place at River Park Mutual Homes’ South Common Room, located at 1311 Delaware Ave. SW, Washington, D.C. Lunch costs $5. For more information, contact chapter president Betty Jean Tolbert Jones at bettyjeantolbertjones@yahoo.com or (202) 554-0901.

Ongoing

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Deadlines and Payments: Ad text and payment is due by the 20th of each month.

Note: Only ads received and prepaid by the deadline will be included in the next month’s issue. Please type or print your ad carefully. Include a number where you can be reached in the event of a question. Payment is due with ad. We do not accept ads by phone or fax, nor do we accept credit cards.

Private Party Text Ads: For individuals seeking to buy or sell particular items, or place a personal ad. Each ad is $15 for 25 words, 25 cents for each additional word.

Business Text Ads: For parties engaged in an ongoing business enterprise. Each ad is $35 for 25 words, 50 cents for each additional word.

Note: Each real estate listing counts as one business text ad.

MARKETING VOLUNTEER

Alexandria’s campaign on adolescent pregnancy is looking for skillbased volunteers to build a communications plan for 2017 through 2018. The volunteer needs to develop a community-facing communication plan for print, social media, community groups, pitching news articles, etc. For more information, visit http://keepit360.org call (703) 746-5030.

Send your classified ad with check or money order, payable to the Beacon, to:

The Beacon, D.C. Classified Dept.

P.O. Box 2227, Silver Spring, MD 20915-2227 For information about display advertising, or to request a media kit, call (301) 949-9766.

ADVERTISERS IN THIS ISSUE Clinical Studies Alzheimer’s Caregiver’s Survey.24 Exercise Memory Study...........25 MS, NOH and dementia Studies ...................................24

Computer Help TechMedic4u..............................7

Dental Services Cavallo, Joseph P., DDS...........29 Friedman, Stephen, DDS .........20 Lee Dentistry............................27 Oh, Judy, DDS .........................22

Events Boomer Business Summit........36 50+ Employment Expo...........................38-39, 43

Financial Services Capital Bank...............................4 Children’s National Hospital....33 First Maryland Disability Trust......................34 Geddes & Company .................33 PENFED Credit Union ............35

Funeral Services Fram Monuments .....................34 Garden of Remembrance .........31 Going Home Cremation...........37

Government Services DC Office on Aging ...........44-45

MC311 .....................................43 Montgomery County Aging and Disability Services ...........11,14 Montgomery Parks...................31

Home Health Care Ameristar Healthcare Services 15 A Second Me . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 Best Senior Care . . . . . . . . . . .18 Elder Caring .............................12 Options for Senior America .....51

Home Services

Quantum Property Mgmt............40 Residences at Thomas Circle, The ..................27 Riderwood..........................12, 68 Springvale Terrace....................21 Tall Oaks ..................................24 Tribute at the Glen ...................16 Tribute at One Loudoun...........19 Victory Terrace.........................37 Waltonwood .............................18

Legal Services

Homefix Custom Remodeling ...8

Law Firm of Evan Farr.............34 Law Offices of Paul Riekhof ...33

Housing

Medical/Health

Asbury Methodist Village ..........6 Ashby Ponds.......................12, 68 Aspenwood Senior Living........15 Bayleigh Chase ........................34 Brooke Grove Retirement Village .......................17, 23, 48 Buckingham’s Choice ..............34 Chesterbrook Residences ...........6 Churchill Senior Living ...........26 Culpepper Garden ....................21 Fairhaven ..................................34 Falcons Landing .........................3 Friendship Terrace....................21 Gardens of Traville, The...........16 Greenspring........................12, 68 Homecrest House .....................64 Kensington Park.......................10 Olney Assisted Living..............20 Park View .................................62

I Hate Knee Pain ........................7 Medical Eye Center..................31 River Medical Group ...............13 Silver Spring Medical Center...23

Miscellaneous Misler Adult Day Center ..........36 Oasis Senior Advisors ..............16 Options Prime Time ...................8 Senior Zone..............................66

Real Estate Express Homebuyers ...............30 Long & Foster/Eric Stewart .35, 50 Long & Foster/Inderjeet Jumani......................................6 Weichert/Sue Heyman..............22

Restaurants Original Pancake House...........50

Retail/Pawn/Auction City of Fairfax ..........................61 Dan Kugler Design Center ..41, 72 Perfect Sleep Chair, The...........42 Quingo Flyte Scooter ...............52 Quinn’s Auction Galleries ........26 SAS Shoes................................13 WOW Computer.......................28

Skilled Nursing & Rehabilitation Communicare Health ...............29 HealthSouth Rehab Hospital....22 Manor Care Health Services ....19 Village at Rockville, The .........14

Subscriptions Beacon Subscription ................69 Washington Jewish Week.........51

Theatre/ Entertainment Kennedy Center .................63, 65 Potomac River Jazz Club, The.......................61 Toby’s Dinner Theatre ..............64

Tour & Travel Eyre Travel ...............................49 Festive Holidays .......................51 Nexus Holidays ........................47 Shillelaghs, The Travel Club ....47 US Navy Memorial ..................47 Vamoose...................................49 Walper Travel ...........................49

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