September 2017 | Fifty Plus Richmond

Published by The Beacon Newspapers, Inc.

www.fiftyplusrichmond.com

SEPTEMBER 2017 • FREE

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SEPTEMBER 2017 — FIFTYPLUS

Will a free press survive?

I think it’s fair to say that America’s in the quickest, easiest, cheapest way, the bedrock commitment to a free press has less that news will be worth reading. never been under heavier asPresent company excepted, sault than it is today. that is.

Do we have a sound, indeAfter all, you now have in your pendent, even fierce press corps hand, or on your screen, a free that digs out the truth at any cost publication. At Fifty Plus, we do and spares no one? Or are we our best to provide vetted, timely, surrounded by faux news outtrustworthy information without lets, “bot” reporters, and marketwatering it down or aiming above ing pieces masquerading as everyone’s head. legitimate reviews?

We comb through hundreds Do we look to the press to inof stories each month from a form us and enlighten us? Or wide variety of reputable news do we read only those outlets FROM THE sources, and bring you what we that confirm our preconceived PUBLISHER feel are the best and most perBy Stuart P. Rosenthal notions? tinent, always keeping in mind These questions go to the our mission: to inform, educate heart of our democracy, and truly should be and entertain people over the age of 50. asked by every American, of whatever politiAnd yet, we are free. Literally. You can not cal stripe or belief. only read everything we publish online at any And asked not only of those producing the time without charge, but you can pick up a news sources we choose to read, but also of real newspaper, usually within a short disourselves: We need to look in the mirror and tance of where you live or work, at no cost. decide what we truly want, and what we’re No cost to you, that is. But maintaining a staff willing to pay for. of over a dozen professionals, printing more For a free press is certainly never free. It than 220,000 copies of four monthly editions (intakes money to hire and train reporters, to cover cluding the Beacons of Greater Baltimore, their expenses, to produce and edit a paper, to Howard County and Greater Washington, print and distribute or disseminate it to readers, D.C.), mailing copies to our subscribers, and and even to retrieve and recycle the waste. distributing the rest to more than 2,750 free disThe more we get used to getting our news tribution sites over an area exceeding 4,000

a publication of

The Beacon Newspapers, Inc.

Editorial Mission: Fifty Plus is dedicated to providing readers with accurate information, professional guidance, and useful resources. Our publication is intended to both reflect and enhance fifty-plus lifestyles, and to encourage reader dialogue and input.

Fifty Plus is published monthly and distributed free of charge. The advertising deadline is the 20th of each month for the upcoming issue. The entire contents of Fifty Plus are © 2017, The Beacon Newspapers, Inc. No portion may be reproduced in whole or in part by any means without the express written consent of the publisher. The views and opinions expressed by writers and columnists do not necessarily represent those of Fifty Plus or its staff.

Publisher/Editor: ........................Stuart Rosenthal Vice President of Operations:........Gordon Hasenei Sales Director: ..................................Alan Spiegel Managing Editor: ..........................Barbara Ruben Assistant Editor: ..........................Rebekah Alcalde Art Director: ....................................Kyle Gregor y Operations Manager:............................Roger King Advertising Representative: ................Wendy Bond Intern: ..............................................Alexis Bentz

Fifty Plus Richmond • PO Box 2227 • Silver Spring, MD 20915 PH: 804-673-5203 • info@fiftyplusrichmond.com © Copyright 2017 The Beacon Newspapers, Inc.

square miles — these things cost real money.

That’s where advertisers enter the picture.

Since Benjamin Franklin bought the Pennsylvania Gazette in 1729, America’s community newspapers have relied on the revenue provided by advertisers to keep the paper’s cost low, or free, to readers.

The model worked well for about 275 years.

Since about 2005, however, the growing world of digital communications and Internet advertising have steadily eaten into the revenues of newspapers of all types and sizes, from major dailies to local mom-and-pop publications.

All print publications have been affected.

Many have closed their doors or drastically scaled down their writing staffs and publication frequency due to lower advertising revenues.

In our case, thanks to wire services such as the Associated Press, Tribune News Service, and the like, we are able to purchase and bring you pertinent articles from highly reliable sources such as Kiplinger’s, Harvard Medical School and the Mayo Clinic.

We supplement these with our own writing, and that of area freelancers who write local human interest stories, theatre and art reviews, and announcements about local events and programs.

Our sales team, for its part, scours the local business community for potential advertisers who provide services or products particularly needed by our readers. This is the sole source of the revenue that makes it possible to produce and distribute Fifty Plus at no charge to our readers.

Why am I telling you all this, you ask?

Because it’s important that you know how essential the engine of ad revenue is to the survival of Fifty Plus and other free papers you may read. When you visit or call any of our advertisers that interest you, you can have a direct effect on our ability to continue publishing.

But this will only be true if you take a moment to mention — at some point in the process — that you saw their ad in Fifty Plus. That’s the only way our advertisers really know that their ad is successful.

And what if you see an ad in our paper and then visit their website to learn more or to make a purchase? Unfortunately for us, that’s basically impossible for advertisers to track unless you make a point of mentioning Fifty Plus in some fashion during the transaction.

See FROM THE PUBLISHER, page 29

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

Mail your Letter to the Editor to Fifty Plus, P.O. Box 2227, Silver Spring, MD 20915, or e-mail to info@fiftyplusrichmond.com. Please include your name, address and telephone number for verification.

Dear Editor: Thank you for your timely article on home remedies for bug bites (in the July issue). It’s comforting not to have to rush to the store for creams and salves when effective remedies are already sitting on the kitchen shelves.

I have used the vinegar and black teabag remedies, and they’ve worked for me.

Love Fifty Plus!

Frances Nunnally Richmond Dear Editor: Please publish a number that abused elderly people can call confidentially. A phone number they can call and talk to someone who can check on their welfare.

Also, a number that concerned people can call if they know someone elderly is getting abused.

Phyllis Uzcanga Richmond [The editor responds: The way to report suspected abuse, neglect or exploitation, and to obtain assistance, is by calling Richmond Adult Protective Services at (804) 646-7405 during regular business hours, or to call their 24-hour hotline at (888) 832-3858.]

Dear Editor: President Trump should write a letter to Muslims in the Middle East apologizing for our 27 years of war there.

It started with the Gulf War in 1990 over oil.

We drove the Iraqis out of Kuwait back into Iraq, killing over 100,000 Muslims. The Muslims struck back on 9-11-2001, killing 3,000 of us.

I dislike eating crow, but sometimes you have to. False pride is bad.

Straughan Richardson Henrico Dear Editor: A few weeks ago, an article appeared in the Richmond Times Dispatch newspaper, suggesting people wear the color red every Friday to show support for all the military. Here at St. Mary’s Woods, a few of us have started that noteworthy custom.

The purpose of this letter is to ask you, as editor of FiftyPlus, to give the above idea some publicity in your newspaper. Our military deserve a lot of credit, and this is one way we can honor them.

Thank you very much!

Mary Geary Richmond

www.FiftyPlusRichmond.com

FIFTYPLUS — SEPTEMBER 2017

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Feature Story An interview with author David Baldacci

By Martha Steger When David Baldacci sold his first novel, Absolute Power, for a $4 million advance in 1995 (with another million thrown in for film rights), it was one of the highest advance payments ever made for a first-time novelist.

That also made it a big deal for Richmond, which claims Baldacci as one of its own. He was born and raised here, and graduated from Henrico High School.

Baldacci received his B.A. in political science with a minor in history at Virginia Commonwealth University. Then he earned a J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law, after which he practiced law for 10 years in Washington, D.C. He was certainly not the first lawyer to become a famous novelist, but it was not a sudden change of direction for him. Baldacci said he always made time for writing, as far back as elementary school.

His novels for adults have been national and international bestsellers, translated into 45 languages in more than 80 countries. Over 110 million copies of them are in print; several have been adapted for film and television.

Baldacci says he is thrilled that TV’s most-honored program, “Hallmark Hall of Fame” (winner of 81 Emmy Awards) is airing The Christmas Train, a TV movie adapted from his novel by the same name, on Thanksgiving weekend — the Hallmark Channel’s highest-rated weekend of the year.

He also wrote the screenplay for the film adaptation of his novel Wish You Well — shot on location in southwest Virginia with Academy Award-winner Ellen Burstyn, Josh Lucas and Mackenzie Foy in the lead roles.

Next month, on October 14 — a month before the November 14 release of his 34th adult novel, End Game — the 57-year-old author will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award given each year by the Library of Virginia during its Annual Literary Awards. Past honorees include Nikki Giovanni, Jan Karon, Barbara Kingsolver, John Grisham and Tom Wolfe.

“David was the unanimous choice to receive the Lifetime Achievement Award for our 20th anniversary celebration,” said Amy Bridge, executive director of the Library of Virginia Foundation, which sponsors the event.

“His body of work and his popularity with

readers exemplify what the Lifetime Achievement Award symbolizes. Thirty-four novels for adults and six for younger fans — who didn’t love Freddy and the French Fries? — are an incredible oeuvre. We are so proud to honor David during this special celebration.”

This writer caught up with Baldacci by phone while he was vacationing at his family’s lake house in southern Virginia, where he has a workspace. Our interview follows.

Plucked from the headlines FiftyPlus: Are you prescient or just lucky? Your new novel End Game, to be released on Nov. 14, begins with the protagonist’s sensing a big change coming to the FBI. You were probably writing this a year before F.B.I. Director Comey was dismissed by President Trump.

Similarly, your first novel, Absolute Power, turned on the murder of a U.S. president’s mistress that coincided with the Bill Clinton-Monica Lewinsky scandal. Are these true-to-life plots more than coincidences?

Baldacci: One of my passions is keeping up with what’s going on in the real world and extrapolating what might happen later. I like being on the edge of the envelope — I read several newspapers online every day. People tell me they open their [news]papers and say, “I feel like I’m reading the next Baldacci novel!”

FiftyPlus: Did you have any mentors in learning to write, and did they provide insight on capitalizing on what’s happening in the real world?

Baldacci: Yes: Bob Holsworth [former political science professor] at V.C.U. When people ask if I took any creative writing classes, I say, ‘Not in the way you would think.’

Bob Holsworth’s philosophy is that you need to read a lot of books and think deeply about them. He required students to keep journals on their reading, present oral arguments, and critique one another’s presentations.

As I read for his classes, I analyzed how books were put together — all of which was not

only very helpful to my writing, but to being a lawyer. We always had Q&A in those oral arguments in [Holsworth’s] classes, and I learned how to handle challenges to my positions.

Ever ywhere I speak now, I take Q&A, and you never know what you’re going to get. I attach a lot of humor to my responses, but my college experience in Holsworth’s classes helped me learn to be good on my feet.

FiftyPlus: Do you have inside contacts at the F.B.I. and other agencies?

Baldacci: I do have contacts at the alphabet agencies [federal agencies known by their initials], but I spend a lot of time doing my own research.

FiftyPlus: Don’t you, like some other bestselling authors, use assistants for much of that research?

Baldacci: No, and the reason is that I don’t want a buffer between me and my information. My perspective would be different than that of the intermediary gathering the material.

A writer and a reader FiftyPlus: What’s on your desk at the moment?

Baldacci: Lots of files and copies of books — some, mine; some, not mine. There’s Robert Crais’s Sunset Express, Anthony Horowitz’s Magpie Murders — Horowitz is one of the best and most prolific writers anywhere; Bill Bryson’s Road to Little Dribbling, and J.D. Vance’s Hillbilly Elegy.

FiftyPlus: How do you find time to read when you research and produce two or three novels a year, not to mention other projects?

Baldacci: I carve out the time, either late in the afternoon or night and early in the morning. I’m usually out of bed by 6.

FiftyPlus: Didn’t you get up at 4 a.m. to write Absolute Power, as you were practicing law at the time?

Baldacci: Yes, that was the only [free] time slot I had, so I was committed to it for

three years. But I was really energized by my idea [for that novel].

FiftyPlus: Didn’t one of the principals at your law firm criticize your writing at some point?

Baldacci: Yes, I’d written a memo stating that I had received verbal agreement from a client on something by phone. The principal called me into his office and asked if I knew the difference between verbal and oral, and I explained what I knew the difference to be.

He said that was right, and that what I had received was an “oral” agreement, not a “verbal” one. He went on to say that he didn’t tolerate imprecision in his attorneys and not to let it happen again.

Later, he sent to my desk a copy of a book about how to write well. I thought it a bit of an overblown reaction to a memo.

Leaving the practice of law FiftyPlus: Why did you decide fairly early that a law career wasn’t for you? What gave you the courage to give it up for what could have been an uncertain future as a novelist?

Baldacci: I spent 10 years in a boutique D.C. law firm. Two of the main partners broke off and asked me to join them, which I did. But I left in ’95 when there was a lot of pre-publication work to do for Absolute Power.

I had cut my workweek down to three days, then to two — and finally decided I needed to make the break. I was working on my second novel at the time, so I talked to my wife and decided to go for it.

FiftyPlus:The publishing industry has changed a great deal since you published your first novel in 1996. What change do you think has been most significant?

Baldacci: W ithout a doubt it’s the rise of ebooks. Companies such as Amazon have tremendous power now. E-books have decimated the mass market, and they have really affected the sales of hard copies. Authors have to deal with online e-tailers as well as traditional publishers.

My agents do most of this for me, but my representatives pass any sort of marketing opportunity by me for approval first. As a former lawyer, I enjoy the business side of the industry.

FiftyPlus: Besides the coming world-preSee BALDACCI, page 11

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Technology &

Innovations Sleep gadgets promise better night’s rest

By Anne D’Innocenzio Pillows that track your snoozing patterns?

A bed that adjusts based on how much you twist and turn? Companies are adding more technology into their products, hoping to lure customers craving a better night’s sleep.

Some specialized businesses are making gadgets that promise to measure and improve the quality of slumber, while mass-market retailers like Best Buy are offering simpler ideas — like the effect different lighting can have on falling sleep. But with evergrowing options, people may find items are getting more sophisticated, but may not yet be proven.

The interest in sleep has intensified. The

number of sleep centers accredited by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine nearly tripled from 2000 to 2015, the group said.

People are more likely to brag about how much they spent for a mattress than on their clothes, according to Marian Salzman, CEO of Havas PR North America. “Sleep is the new status symbol,’’ she said.

Smart beds and pillows It’s a big business. One of the more expensive products is Sleep Number’s 360 Smart Bed, which runs from $3,449 to $4,999. It makes adjustments based on how restless people are while they’re sleeping.

The Zeeq pillow, which sells for $299 and

is from bedding brand REM-Fit, monitors snoring, and can gently vibrate to nudge someone into a different sleep position.

“I’m willing to spend more on sleep technology because it will hopefully help me fall asleep quicker, stay asleep longer, and be more rested when I wake up,’’ said Frank Ribitch, a self-described gadget junkie from Martinez, Calif., who tracks his sleep with apps connected to a Sleep Number bed and the Zeeq pillow.

Insufficient sleep is a public health concern, federal officials say, with more than one-third of American adults not getting enough on a regular basis. That can contribute to problems like obesity and diabetes.

And a study published by the Rand Corp. put the financial loss to U.S. companies at up to $411 billion a year.

Finding solutions could be a lucrative enterprise. Earlier this year Apple Inc. bought Finland-based Beddit, which was making an app and sleep monitoring device that’s placed under the sheet on top of the mattress. The $150 sensor begins tracking when a person lies down, and analyzes data such as the portion of time someone is in bed asleep before waking up. It also monitors heart rate, temperature, movement — and even snoring.

“Previously, it was about the sleeping pill, See SLEEP GADGETS, page 7

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Technology & Innovations | www.FiftyPlusRichmond.com

FiftyPlus Links & Apps

By Alexis Bentz

Links Get fit with BeFit In addition to cute cat videos and cooking demonstrations, YouTube offers hundreds of fitness videos on its BeFit channel, which you can watch any time at no cost. Pick from basics like strength training, ab routines, Pilates, beach body or barre workouts.

Or try something new like belly dance cardio, surfer girl workout, Krav Maga defense, ballet, or channel your inner aerialist at Cirque School.

There are options for working out if you only have 10 or 15 minutes, as well as longer workout sessions of up to an hour. The channel includes big name trainers like Denise Austin, Jillian Michaels and yoga guru Kino MacGregor. www.youtube.com/user/BeFit/videos

SEPTEMBER 2017 — FIFTYPLUS

Expanding access Listening in on the to treatments past Patients with serious or immediately lifethreatening diseases or conditions that currently have no treatments can gain access to information on potentially life-saving investigational drugs through a new online tool called the Expanded Access Navigator.

The development of the Navigator was a team effort led by the nonprofit Reagan-Udall Foundation for the FDA, in collaboration with patient advocacy groups, the pharmaceutical industry, FDA, and others in the federal government.

Expanded Access permits the product’s manufacturer, with the authorization of FDA, to provide an investigational drug for a patient, even though the drug is still in development or under review for FDA approval.

The patient side of the site explains the process to obtain drugs under Expanded Access, as well as how clinical trials work. The area for physicians goes into more detail about how they can obtain permission to try investigational drugs and the contacts they need.

This part can be helpful for patients to show their doctors and understand the process. http://navigator.reaganudall.org/

In this digital age, while some of the rare music on old 78 rpm records has been remastered onto LPs or CDs, there is still a large percentage that the general public has no way of hearing.

This is exactly what The Great 78 Project aims to rectify. The community project attempts to preserve the records as well as to digitalize and collect recordings of underrepresented musicians and genres so that they can be electronically accessed and researched without harm to the originals.

Visitors to the site can listen to more than 25,000 records that have been digitized, including ones by luminaries such as Lena Horn and Judy Garland, as well as lesser known musicians, such as Butterball Brown and his Orchestra. http://great78.archive.org/

Apps Preserve each day

Please patronize our advertisers.

Invented by University of Maryland jun-

ior Benjamin Taragin, Line A Day is a journal-like app that allows users to write the highlights of their days, and jot down their experiences, memories, and feelings. Line A Day gives users the opportunity to look back to see what their recorded memory, thought or feeling was on any given day.

Users can set a daily reminder to prompt them to write their line of the day. All entries are linked to the cloud, so they can’t be lost.

With the group feature, users can view other user’s entries, while they can see what you are up to.

While the basic app is free, a premium version costs $1.99, which removes ads and the character limit, while allowing users to add three photos each day, as well as audio.

Line A Day, free in the Apple App store

Get a notary, stat There’s no need to head out to the bank or search for a notary in the neighborhood. The Notarize app connects you with licensed notary agents who can confirm your identity, witness your signature via live video, and apply an electronic seal. Then they’ll send the notarized document to your computer, where you can print it out.

See LINKS & APPS, page 7

Personalized care to keep you safe and well at home • Age 55 and older • Live in the service area of a PACE organization • Eligible for nursing facility care in Virginia • Able to live safely in the community with the support of PACE services

Call us today and learn more about PACE

804-977-5900 riversideonline.com/pace

PACE is a program of the Commonwealth of Virginia and the Federal Government.

www.FiftyPlusRichmond.com | Technology & Innovations

FIFTYPLUS — SEPTEMBER 2017

Sleep gadgets From page 5 and people didn’t want to talk about sleep apnea,’’ Lasse Leppäkorpi, co-founder and now former CEO of Beddit, said before Apple bought the company. “Snoring is embarrassing.

But this has been an untapped opportunity.’’

Apple, whose own Apple Watch tracks activity and offers sleep-tracking experiences through third-party apps, declined to talk about the future of Beddit. Leppäkorpi noted before the acquisition that Beddit had been working with sleep labs like the MIT Lab, which used the devices to collect data on patients.

At the Stanford Sleep Medicine Center, neurologist and medical director Clete A. Kushida tests new therapies and medications.

Over the past two years, the analysis has expanded to wearable devices.

The scientists assess how well the devices match the center’s own overnight sleep studies, which use measures such as heart rate and brain wave activity to determine the length and the stages of sleep. Kushida’s conclusion? “Consumer wearable devices are not there in accurately detecting the stages of sleep,’’ he said.

The problem: They focus on motion, which can be deceptive, since a person could be lying in bed awake.

In fact, San Francisco-based startup Hello, the maker of a product aimed at tracking sleep via a clip attached to a person’s bed-

sheet, recently announced it was shutting down amid reports the device didn’t correctly track sleep patterns.

Still, Kushida believes that consumer products are getting better and will be able to accurately monitor and solve sleep issues in the next five to 10 years.

Sensory sleep products Separate from gadgets, some stores are highlighting sounds and smells they say can help people sleep better. Longtime insomniac favorite HSN Inc. offers a $299 Nightingale Sleep System that masks indoor and outdoor noises.

Best Buy has a Philips Lighting’s system that works with devices like Nest and Amazon Alexa to let people choose the colors and brightness of lights, and program them to turn off at certain times or respond to the sun.

And a company called Sensorwake is launching a product in the U.S. that releases smells like fresh linen that it says can help you sleep better.

If nothing worked and you’ve had a fitful night, you can at least be woken up more gently. The same company makes a $99 olfactory alarm clock, with scent options that include a strong espresso. But if you let it go for three minutes without shutting it off or hitting snooze, it’ll start making noise — good if you have a stuffy nose.

— AP

M A R K YO U R CAL EN DA R

Ogoing

TAXPAYER TOOL

Chesterfield County has recently unveiled an online tool that gives residents the opportunity to answer two simple questions to see how their individual tax dollars are working in the community. The site offers a breakdown of how a person’s taxes were used in the categories of government operations, public safety, health and welfare, community development, parks and recreation, schools, facilities and infrastructure. To learn more, visit blueprint.chesterfield.gov or contact Allie Gibson at (804) 717-6802.

Ogoing

HELP ORGANIZE DONATIONS

Help organize clothing, toy and book donations at the Sacred Heart Center, 1400 Perry St. in Richmond. Flexible hours. Contact Christina Manikus at (804) 230-4399 or visit www.shcrichmond.org for more information.

Links & Apps From page 6 This convenience comes at a cost: $25, versus $10 or less to get something notarized in person. In addition, some documents, including wills, are excluded.

Notarize, free in the Apple App store

Share your travel stories For those who love to travel, share stories and read about places far away, Lonely Planet’s free app, Trips, is for you.

The app gives travel inspiration sorted into the categories adventure, wildlife and nature, coasts and islands ruins, road trips, festivals and events, and hiking and cities. Additionally, it gives users the ability to create and publish professional-looking visual and text stories about their travel experiences.

Users can send their stories to others or post them on social media sites. Your stories may also be chosen by Lonely Planet’s editorial team to be featured on the app, unless you’ve put your profile on private.

Trips, free at the Apple App store; Android version expected later this year

Imagine trying to manage your health and your life when you struggle to read.

You can make a difference!

Become an Adult Literacy Tutor.

For more information, visit www.readcenter.org or call 804-288-9930.

When a stroke strikes, seconds count.

Doctors, nurses and health care professionals on the front lines encounter just about everything.

When a stroke strikes, doctors understand that Bon Secours St. Mary’s Hospital is a Joint Commission Comprehensive Stroke Center, recognized for the highest level of care for the most complex stroke cases.

In fact, every Bon Secours hospital in Richmond is a Joint Commission Primary Stroke Care Center.

When patients require stroke care, physicians choose Bon Secours.

We believe in our local physicians.

And you can believe in Bon Secours. bonsecours.com/stroke

Everyone needs and deserves a literate life.

Memorial Regional | Rappahannock General | Richmond Community | St. Francis St. Mary’s | Westchester Emergency Center | Bon Secours Medical Group

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SEPTEMBER 2017 — FIFTYPLUS

Fitness &

Health

PAIN MED DANGER Households where someone takes opioids for pain should have naloxone on hand, to help save a life in case of accidental overdose RESTORING HEARING When hearing aids cannot restore hearing well enough, cochlear implants might do the trick LGBTQ AND AGING Training for senior service providers on LGBTQ issues is now available

Taking steps to keep older workers safer

By Maria Ines Zamudio When managers at Bon Secours Virginia Health System started analyzing worker’s compensation cases, they noticed a bad combination: Lifting heavy and sicker patients was taking a toll on older nurses.

“We saw an increase in back injuries, and older workers were more likely to suffer from those injuries,’’ said Jim Godwin, vice president of human resources. “Not only that, but we thought if we can keep workers from sustaining (back) injuries when they are younger, they can continue working longer.’’

The company put into place a new protocol for moving patients. Nurses can now call in a “patient mobility team’’ to help.

Jacquelyn James, co-director of the Center on Aging & Work at Boston College, said there’s a recognition among employers such as Richmond-based Bon Secours Virginia Health System that the workforce is aging.

“That’s what’s driving the change right now,’’ she said. “Changes are needed. These workers are staying in their jobs.’’

The U.S. government estimates that by 2024, older workers will account for a quarter of the labor market.

More physical problems The natural process of aging could lead to physical problems, including gradually worsening vision and hearing impairment, reduced response time and balance, and other issues, according to gerontologists.

That “could potentially make a workplace injury into a much more serious injury, or a potentially fatal injury,’’ said Ken Scott, an epidemiologist with the Denver Public Health Department.

In 2015, about 35 percent of the fatal workplace accidents involved a worker 55 and older.

So companies such as Bon Secours Richmond Health System, a faith-based nonprofit healthcare system that manages several hospitals, are taking steps to make their workplace safer for older workers. About one-quarter of Bon Secours’ 13,000 workers are 50 or older, Godwin said.

“There is a chronic shortage of healthcare professionals, and that’s been true for the last 30 years since I’ve been working,’’ he said.

“We had to get innovative with ways to keep our positions filled.’’

Accommodations can help The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) said there are a variety of accommodations that employers can make to create a safer and more conducive work environment for older employees. Among its recommendations: • Flexibility on the job. NIOSH says this

includes schedules, location and tasks, among other things.

• Creating a work environment that lets people move rather than stay sedentary all day. That can include providing sit/stand work stations or onsite physical activity.

• Manage noise, slip or trip and other physical hazards.

• Ensure that the work environment is ergonomically friendly. That could include workstations, seating, flooring and lighting.

• Use teams and team work to problem solve.

• Promote healthy lifestyles and “accommodate medical self-care in the workplace and time away for health visits.’’

“Our emphasis is productive aging,’’ said James Grosch, co-director of NIOSH’s National Center for Productive Aging and Work.

— AP

Your skin reveals the state of your health Your skin reveals a secret about your health. heart disease, high cholesterol or circulatory It will expose you, even if you say you’re feeling disorder. “okay” to everyone.

People with cancer someI’m not referring to a tan. I’m times have grey or blue-tinged referring to skin tone, texture skin or lips, due to the lack of and color. oxygenated blood.

If you are pale, you may be Asthma requires the use of anemic and deficient in iron. It steroids (i.e., prednisone) shows up on your skin even if which can cause easy bruising. you mask the accompanying faThis problem also occurs from tigue with NoDoz or coffee. aspirin, ginkgo and fish oil, as Pale skin that is also dry may well as prescription anticoagube a clue to your hypothyroidism, lants taken to prevent a stroke which also causes fatigue and DEAR or heart attack.

PHARMACIST hair loss.

If you are alcohol- or nicotineHealthy folks have a good By Suzy Cohen dependent, you will look older supply of blood flow and oxygen than you should, and have saggy throughout their body, so their skin appears skin because these lifestyle factors attack rosy and pink, as opposed to people with your collagen and elastin. Drinking and smok-

Tell them you saw it in Fifty Plus!

ing age you inside and out.

Sun worshippers and smokers often have age spots and an uneven skin tone, which is from the ultraviolet light. But this oxidation isn’t only happening on your skin surface, it’s also happening to every single organ of your body, including your brain, heart, blood vessels and reproductive organs.

People who suddenly take on a yellow tone may have liver compromise from a drug they’re taking, or from alcohol use. If severe, it’s called jaundice and requires medical attention.

Perhaps you think beauty is only skin deep, but as I’ve shown you, it clearly isn’t. It is a reflection of your body’s general physical health. Radiant youthful-looking skin, hair and nails is actually an inside job.

Consider these supplements Reducing your exposure to free radicals can help you obtain gorgeous skin. But of course, you also need to make sure that you eat right and drink enough water to nourish

your body. You’ll also want to minimize the amount of synthetic chemicals (including prescription drugs) that you take.

There are a only a handful of supplements that I recommend to help with cell protection, collagen formation and general good health.

Among the best we have are biotin, collagen (but only high quality), silica, hyaluronic acid and/or lipoic acid. What you’re going for is a healthy glow to your skin, which — at the end of day — translates to a healthy body.

I have a more comprehensive version of this article available at my website. To receive it, sign up for my free newsletter at suzycohen.com and I will email it to you.

This information is opinion only. It is not intended to treat, cure or diagnose your condition. Consult with your doctor before using any new drug or supplement.

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

www.FiftyPlusRichmond.com | Fitness & Health

FIFTYPLUS — SEPTEMBER 2017

9

Tumor gene testing urged for targeted drugs fects, once a month.

Then the side effects eased and her tumors started disappearing. A year into the study, she was well enough to swim a mile for a Swim Across America cancer fundraiser.

“Nothing else had worked, so I guess we could say it was a last hope,’’ said Rosenbaum, who now wants other patients to know about the option.

Looking for genetic flaws Today, doctors diagnose tumors by where they originate — breast cancer in the breast, colon cancer in the colon — and use therapies specifically tested for that organ.

In contrast, the Food and Drug Administration labeled the drug Rosenbaum took, Keytruda, the first “tissue-agnostic’’ treatment for adults and children.

The reason: Seemingly unrelated cancers occasionally carry a common genetic flaw called a mismatch repair defect. Despite small studies, FDA found the evidence convincing that, for a subset of patients, that flaw can make solid tumors susceptible to immunotherapy doctors otherwise wouldn’t have tried.

“We thought these would be the hardest tumors to treat. But it’s like an Achilles heel,’’ said Hopkins cancer geneticist Bert Vogelstein.

And this summer FDA Commissioner

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By Lauran Neergaard Colon cancer. Uterine cancer. Pancreatic cancer. Whatever the tumor, the more gene mutations lurking inside, the better chance your immune system has to fight back.

That’s the premise behind the recent approval of a landmark drug, the first cancer therapy ever cleared based on a tumor’s genetics instead of the body part it struck first.

Now, thousands of patients with worsening cancer despite standard treatment can try this immunotherapy — as long as genetic testing of the tumor shows they’re a candidate.

“It’s like having a lottery ticket,’’ said Johns Hopkins oncologist Dr. Dung Le, who helped prove the new use for the immunotherapy Keytruda. “We’ve got to figure out how to find these patients, because it’s such a great opportunity for them.’’

One of these patients is Richmond resident Catherine “Katie’’ Rosenbaum. The 67-year-old retired teacher had her uterus removed when endometrial cancer first struck, but five years later tumors returned, scattered through her pelvis and colon.

She tried treatment after treatment until in 2014, her doctor urged the Hopkins study.

Rosenbaum took a train from Richmond to Baltimore for infusions every two weeks, and then, after some fatigue and diarrhea side ef-

On Sept. 16, Richmond endometrial cancer survivor Catherine “Katie’’ Rosenbaum will participate for the third time in Swim Across America. Proceeds from the swim will support immunotherapy clinical trials and research at the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore. Rosenbaum benefitted from one of the gene therapy trials, which put her metastasized cancer into remission.

Scott Gottlieb told a Senate subcommittee his agency will simplify drug development for diseases that “all have a similar genetic fingerprint, even if they have a slightly different clinical expression.’’

It’s too early to know if what’s being dubbed precision immunotherapy will have lasting benefits. But here’s a look at the science.

See GENE TESTING, page 10

10

Fitness & Health | www.FiftyPlusRichmond.com

Gene testing From page 9

Who’s a candidate?

Hopkins estimates about 4 percent of cancers are mismatch repair-deficient, potentially adding up to 60,000 patients a year.

Widely available tests that cost $300 to $600 can tell who’s eligible.

The FDA said the flaw is more common in colon, endometrial and gastrointestinal cancers but occasionally occurs in a list of others.

Le’s advice for patients is to ask, “have I been tested for this?�

Most tumors bear 50 or so mutations in various genes, Vogelstein said. Melanomas and lung cancers, spurred by sunlight and tobacco smoke, may have twice as many.

But tumors with a mismatch repair defect can harbor 1,500 mutations.

Why? When DNA copies itself, sometimes the strands pair up wrong to leave a “typo� — that is, a mismatch. Normally the body “spell checks� and repairs those typos. Without that proofreading, mutations build up — not necessarily the kind that trigger cancer, but bystanders in a growing tumor.

Your immune system could be a potent

M ARK YO UR CALE NDAR

Sept. 26

FLU SHOTS

Buford Road Pharmacy will be giving flu shots on Tuesday, Sept. 26 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Huguenot Baptist Church, located at 10525 W Huguenot Rd. in North Chesterfield. The shot is free if you bring your Medicare or insurance card; $25 with no insurance. You must register a week in advance by calling (804) 748-1623.

SEPTEMBER 2017 — FIFTYPLUS

cancer fighter except that, too often, tumors shield themselves. Merck’s Keytruda and other so-called checkpoint inhibitors can block one of those shields, allowing immune cells to recognize a tumor as a foreign invader and attack.

Keytruda’s success story Until now, those immunotherapies were approved only for a few select cancers — Keytruda hit the market for melanoma in 2014. They work incredibly well for some patients, but fail in many others.

Learning who’s a good candidate is critical for drugs like this that can cost $150,000 a year and sometimes cause serious side effects.

In 2012, Hopkins doctors testing various immunotherapies found the approach failed in all but one of 20 colon cancer patients.

When perplexed oncologists told Vogelstein of this, “a light bulb went off,’’ he said.

Sure enough, the one patient who fared

well had a mismatch repair defect and a “mind-boggling’’ number of tumor mutations.

The more mutations, the greater the chance that at least one produces a foreign-looking protein that is a beacon for immune cells, Vogelstein explained.

It was time to see if other kinds of cancer might respond, too.

The strongest study, published in the journal Science, tested 86 such patients with a dozen different cancers, including some who had entered hospice. Half had their tumors at least shrink significantly, and 18 saw their cancer become undetectable.

It’s not clear why the other half didn’t respond. Researchers found a hint, in three patients, that new mutations might form that could resist treatment.

But after two years of Keytruda infusions, 11 of the “complete responders’’ have stopped the drug and remain cancer-free for a median of eight months and counting. — AP

M A R K YO U R C ALE NDAR

Sept. 27+

Sept. 21+

STUDY THE U.S. CONSTITUTION

Learn about the language of the U.S. Constitution and talk politics in a class offered every Wednesday, from Sept. 23 through Nov. 15.

The class starts at 1:15 p.m. (end times vary) at the Chester Baptist Church, located at 4317 School St. in Chester. Pre-registration is required. Members pay $25; $40 for non-members. For more information or to pre-register, call (804) 706-6689.

TAI CHI LESSONS

Learn 24 movements that can be performed seated or standing to enhance balance, memory, energy and inner peace on Thursdays from 11 a.m. to noon from Sept. 21 through Oct. 26. The class costs $20, and sessions will be at the Chesterfield Baptist Church, 16530 Hull Street Rd. in Moseley.

Register at least one week in advance by calling (804) 748-1623. For more information, call (804) 339-2877.

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FIFTYPLUS — SEPTEMBER 2017

Baldacci From page 3 miere of The Christmas Train, are there other television and film projects in the works?

Baldacci: I’ve signed a deal with Sony Entertainment Television for an option for a TV series based on my John Puller franchise.

I’m also working with EuropaCorp on the outline for the pilot for a network series.

When they approached me, I was interested in the project, so I wrote a 30-page treatment — the whole pilot and the three-year arc for the series — while we were negotiating the deal. I figured I could use it somewhere even if the deal didn’t go through.

FiftyPlus: Is writing that fast and easy for you?

Baldacci: I write in big bursts. I just finished a thing with Scholastic that the representative told me they normally give a writer four months to do. She said they knew I write so fast that I could do it in two [months]. I did it in two weeks.

FiftyPlus: Do you spend a lot of time editing your work?

Baldacci: I edit as I write — and I love that part of my work. There’s a little Greek restaurant near my house where I often go to edit what I’ve written.

Recommendations for writers FiftyPlus: What are your suggestions for

www.FiftyPlusRichmond.com | Fitness & Health

Baldacci: I crave knowledge and informaolder adults who want to get published or develop their skills for a first novel? Do you tion. Every day I want to learn something new. think self-publishing is a good way to go — You need a breadth of knowledge to write.

FiftyPlus: You’ve also published six novgiven how limited the opportunities are for els for younger readers, notably the Vega getting published by the great houses?

Baldacci: Self-publishing is very different Jane Series. What is your interest in that marfrom what it was 10, even five, years ago. ket stylistically and thematically?

Baldacci: I like getting out of my comfort Amazon and Barnes & Noble and others zone, and [away from] the have self-publishing arms feeling that I’m writing that that work closely with writfirst novel over and over. ers on everything from edI also want to help iting to marketing the young people sort through finished product. the vast amounts of informaBut I would say don’t tion and misinformation out worry about “the best there from so many powerthing” to write about. Don’t ful, well-funded sources. chase a trend. If you think I’m all about showing that you can do a code book, reyou can’t make snap judgmember Dan Brown [The ment. You have to invest the Da Vinci Code] has been time to think about ideas. out there for a while. What’s I also want them to being made into movies know there’s nothing more now might not be the trend David Baldacci important than a free and when you finish your book.

Write what you’re passionate about. That independent press. We have people going way, you’ll be energized, and you won’t run around the world risking their lives to give us news, and we need to pay attention to that. out of gas.

FiftyPlus: Not all of your novels are FiftyPlus: Writers are usually told to write what they know about, but you said thrillers or for younger readers. Your novel many years ago that you enjoy doing just the One Summer spent 12 weeks on the New York opposite — immersing yourself in subjects Times hardcover fiction bestseller list. The you don’t know anything about. Why do you trade paperback edition spent seven weeks on the print paperback trade fiction list. What inenjoy that?

11

spired that story of tragedy, recovery and love?

Baldacci: The only reason that book happened was that my wife asked me to go to church early to save seats for our son’s confirmation. Confirmation in the Catholic Church is a very important rite of passage — a big deal. As I sat there, I thought about my dad, who had recently died (and my mom wasn’t doing too well at the time), and about my own mortality.

The premise of the novel is that life is very unpredictable, and you never really have full control. The story unspooled from there, and it all happened very quickly. I finished the novel in four months. Hallmark bought the rights to that, too. I don’t know anything yet about production dates.

FiftyPlus:Can you give us a hint as to what your spring 2018 novel will be about?

Baldacci: I’m getting the feeling that I should return to my Memory Man — Amos Decker.

FiftyPlus: You’ve been on a hot streak for a long time. With 34 books to your credit already, do you plan to continue writing, doing book tours, and speaking as you get older?

Do the ideas just keep coming?

Baldacci: I have no plans to retire. I just signed a new, long-term contract with my national and international publishers. Writing is such a part of my life. It’s not a job or a hobby — it’s a lifestyle that I can’t imagine ever giving up.

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Fitness & Health | www.FiftyPlusRichmond.com

SEPTEMBER 2017 — FIFTYPLUS

Be prepared to assist in opioid emergency Q: My spouse is taking multiple pain and will enhance the risk for other life-threatmedications after his recent surgery. I ening complications. heard about a medication I The effects are exacerbated should have in the house in if opioids are combined with case of an accidental overanti-anxiety agents, muscle redose. Can you tell me more laxants, sedatives, or medicaabout naloxone? tions containing codeine. Also A: As the number of opioidavoid taking opioids with alcorelated deaths continues to rise hol. nationally, a greater focus has been placed on effectively manOverdose symptoms aging misuse, reversing an Immediate medical attention overdose emergency, and disis essential to prevent death seminating patient education infrom an opioid emergency.

DR. RX formation. In 2016, Virginia Signs and symptoms associated

By Thuy Tran Gov. Terry McAuliffe declared with an opioid emergency may this challenge a public health include: emergency.

• Extreme drowsiness Opioids are a category of pharmacological • Slow or shallow breathing/gasping agents that include prescription pain medica• Constricted or “pinpoint” pupils tions such as codeine, fentanyl, hydrocodone, • Fingernails/lips turning blue methadone, morphine, oxycodone and tra• Slow heartbeat madol.

• Slurred speech Opioids work to minimize the body’s per• Unresponsiveness despite attempts to ception of pain, while also affecting systems wake the individual with a loud voice or sterinvolved with regulating mood, respiration nal rub (applying pressure by rubbing your and blood circulation. knuckles firmly across the sternum) At high doses and with accidental overdose, these agents will impair your central What is naloxone? nervous system and respiratory functions, In an opioid emergency situation, nalox-

one is the antidote used to reverse respiratory depression.

If you anticipate that naloxone will be needed, call 911 right away. Do not wait until after the first naloxone dose has been administered. Naloxone is not a treatment for opioid addiction. It does not reverse the effects of non-opioid overdoses.

Naloxone can be given via a nasal spray or an auto-injector into the muscle.

With its quick onset, you can expect spontaneous breathing to return within three to five minutes, and reversal effects to last up to 90 minutes. Closely monitor the individual’s response. Additional doses may be required if the signs and symptoms of an opioid overdose return.

How can naloxone be obtained?

In March, the Virginia Board of Medicine recommended that naloxone be dispensed to all patients prescribed with opioids at doses greater than 120 morphine milligram equivalents a day, those who are taking an opioid along with an anti-anxiety agent, or those who have a history of overdose or substance abuse.

In July, an updated statewide standing order increased naloxone accessibility by enabling pharmacists to dispense it without a

prescription. The Code of Virginia’s Good Samaritan Act allows the individual receiving naloxone to possess and to administer the antidote to a person suspected of experiencing an opioid overdose.

REVIVE! is Virginia’s Opioid Overdose and Naloxone Education (OONE) program.

It provides training for patients, caregivers and healthcare providers on how to recognize signs and symptoms of an overdose, and how to appropriately administer and respond with naloxone. (To learn more, visit http://dbhds.virginia.gov/individuals-andfamilies/substance-abuse.)

When taken as directed, opioids are effective in managing pain. But with misuse, abuse or unintentional overdose, they can produce life-threatening complications. Virginia is working to combat this epidemic by empowering the public with education on opioid overdose and training in naloxone use.

Thuy Tran is completing her second-year postgraduate residency training in academia at VCU School of Pharmacy. She earned her Bachelor of Science degree in neuroscience at the College of William and Mary, and doctor of pharmacy degree at VCU School of Pharmacy. Her professional interests include academia, ambulatory care and geriatric medicine.

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Clever design enables it to fit into SUV’s, mini-vans, crossovers and hatchbacks.

www.FiftyPlusRichmond.com | Fitness & Health

FIFTYPLUS — SEPTEMBER 2017

13

When normal hearing aids aren’t enough Dear Mayo Clinic: I’m 72, and have worn hearing aids for about a decade. Over the past several years, my hearing seems to be getting worse.

Although I’ve tried several different kinds of hearing aids, I can’t hear well with them anymore.

A friend suggested I ask my doctor about a cochlear implant. I thought those were just for people who are deaf. Could a cochlear implant help someone like me?

How does it work?

Answer: It’s possible that a cochlear implant could be a good alternative to hearing aids in your situation.

When they were introduced in the 1980s, it’s true that cochlear implants mainly were used for people who had complete hearing loss.

Today, however, they often are used to help people who have more advanced hearing loss that cannot be corrected with hearing aids.

Your ear has three areas: the outer, middle and inner ear. Sound waves pass through the outer ear and cause vibrations at the eardrum.

The eardrum and three small bones of the middle ear transmit the vibrations as they travel to the inner ear. Within the inner ear, the vibrations pass through fluid in a snailshaped structure, called the cochlea.

Attached to nerve cells in the cochlea are

thousands of tiny hairs that help translate sound vibrations into electrical signals that are sent to your brain through your auditory nerve. The vibrations of different sounds affect these tiny hairs in different ways, causing the nerve cells to send different signals to your brain. That’s how you distinguish one sound from another.

How implants work In most people who develop hearing loss, the hairs in the cochlea are damaged or missing, usually as a result of aging and exposure to loud noise, or for genetic reasons. That means the electrical signals can’t be transmitted efficiently to the brain, and the result is hearing loss.

A cochlear implant bypasses hair cells that don’t work anymore and gives the brain the ability to perceive sound once again.

The implant has two main pieces: an external processor that fits behind your ear, and an internal receiver implanted under the skin behind your ear.

The processor captures and processes sound signals and then sends those signals to the receiver. The receiver sends the signals to tiny electrodes that are placed directly into the cochlea when the device is implanted.

Those signals are received by the auditory nerve and directed to your brain. Your brain

interprets those signals as sounds.

Small, easily implanted All of the parts of a cochlear implant are small, and the processor that fits behind your ear looks somewhat similar to a hearing aid.

Because of the small size of these devices, they are relatively inconspicuous, particularly in people with long hair.

Cochlear implantation requires a relatively short outpatient surgical procedure. A small incision is made behind the ear to insert the device. Most people experience little discomfort from the surgery, and its overall risk is low.

The device usually is turned on several weeks following surgery. After the device is

turned on, you will be able to hear; however, hearing improvement continues for six months to a year after surgery.

Cochlear implants are a well-established technology. At first, physicians and researchers only recommended them for people who had total hearing loss. Over the years, though, research has shown that cochlear implants can be useful for people who still have some hearing.

They can be particularly helpful for people who have difficulty understanding speech in everyday listening situations, despite using good hearing aids.

Talk to your doctor or a medical profesSee HEARING AIDS, page 14

M A R K YO U R CAL EN DA R

Ongoing

WATCH THE WILD Become a Nature Abounds Watch the Wild volunteer. Observe

wildlife and nature behavior, and report changes via mail or email in a chosen location (e.g., a backyard, park, lake, or frequently traveled route). These observations help to provide insight into how our eco-systems are changing and how humans can adapt. For more information, contact the volunteer team at (814) 765-1453 or visit www.natureabounds.org.

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Fitness & Health | www.FiftyPlusRichmond.com

SEPTEMBER 2017 — FIFTYPLUS

Advocates form group on LGBTQ+ Aging Many senior members of the LGBTQ+ community have lived a lifetime of stigma and discrimination. This puts them at a greater risk of physical and mental distress, social isolation, depression and anxiety, poverty and chronic illness. Fear of encountering an unwelcoming healthcare or business service provider can lead many LGBTQ+ elders to delay seeking necessary care, or make them reluctant to disclose their sexual orientation or gender identity.

This overarching fear is heightened among Transgender older adults. The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force and the National Center for Transgender Equality, say 50 percent

M ARK YO UR CAL EN DAR

Oct. 2

10TH ANNUAL GOLF CLASSIC The 10th Annual Golf Classic will be held on Monday, Oct. 2 at the

Highlands Country Club, 8136 Highland Glen Dr. in Chesterfield. Check in starts at noon, and the event begins at 1 p.m. Singles, twosomes, and three- to four-player teams are welcome; a BBQ dinner will be served. The registration deadline is Sept.

15. Cost: $85 per player. To register, call (804) 796-7156 or email chsvexecutivemanager@gmail.com. For more information, call Megan Kitchen at (804) 796-7156.

of respondents reported having to teach their medical providers about transgender care. Additionally, when they were sick or injured, 28 percent of respondents reported that they postponed medical care to avoid discrimination.

To address this, the council will be providing LGBTQ+ cultural proficiency training throughout the greater Richmond area, and raising awareness about organizations whose employees have been trained. For example, Senior Connections, The Capital Area Agency on Aging, has employees trained in LGBTQ+ cultural proficiency. But there remains a gap between those organizations and providers that make the effort to become LGBTQ+ aware and the community’s awareness that they’ve made the effort. The council will seek to close this gap.

Roland Winston, has worked as an LGBTQ advocate for years. He is currently a member of both the Henrico and Chesterfield Councils on Aging and is affiliated with SALT (Seniors and Law Enforcement Together) — part of the Attorney General’s TRIAD program. He also sits on the board of the Greater Richmond Senior Center.

Robyn Deane is an HR facilitator for a major home improvement retailer, where she played an important role in changing the corporation’s non-discrimination policy to include gender identity in 2009. She has been a member of the board at Richmond’s LGBTQ community center, Diversity Rich-

Hearing aids From page 13 sional who specializes in hearing loss to find out if you would be a good candidate for a cochlear implant.

The great majority of people who receive a cochlear implant find that they are able to communicate better with the people around them, and more fully participate in conversations and other daily activities that require

PHOTO COURTESY OF ROBYN DEANE

The Virginia Council on Aging for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, Queer/Questioning, and Others has been formed to become the provider of choice for LGBTQ+ cultural proficiency training. Its objective is to seek out and train appropriate senior service providers — whether a nonprofit organization, business or governmental agency — to become more skilled and knowledgeable regarding LGBTQ+ aging issues.

In addition, the council will serve as a registry for organizations that have undergone the training, as well as develop and implement an effective means of promoting them among the LGBTQ+ senior population.

Robyn Deane

mond, since 2010, has been a frequent speaker regarding transgender issues, and has often been seen advocating for Transgender and LGBTQ+ legislation during General Assembly sessions.

For more information, email roland.winston@gmail.com, or call him at (804) 2473926.

This article was provided by Senior Connections.

the ability to hear clearly.

— Matthew Carlson, M.D., Otorhinolaryngology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn.

Mayo Clinic Q & A is an educational resource and doesn’t replace regular medical care. E-mail a question to MayoClinic Q&A@mayo.edu. For more information, visit www.mayoclinic.org. © 2017 Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research. All rights reserved. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

M A R K YO U R C ALE NDAR

Sept. 27+

HULA HOOP CLASS

Get exercise, improve your balance and increase your flexibility by taking hula hoop classes every Wednesday from Sept. 23 to Nov. 15. Classes run from 9 to 10:50 a.m. at the Chester Baptist Church, 4317 School St. in Chester. Pre-registration is required. Members pay $25; $40 for non-members.

For more information or to pre-register, call (804) 706-6689.

Sept. 26

SQUARE DANCE OPEN HOUSE

Bring your family and square dance the night away on Tuesday, Sept.

26 from 7:15 to 9:15 p.m. at Quioccasin Middle School, 9400 Quioccasin Rd. in Henrico. The open house is free and offers a fun way to get fit. For more information, call (804) 514-8326, email tuckahoesquares@gmail.com, or visit www.tuckahoesquaredanceclub.com.

A special supplement to Fifty Plus

15

Advance Care Planning

Dear Fifty Plus Readers and Community Friends: We are indeed grateful to Fifty Plus for supporting Senior Connections in presenting this special supplement about “Advance Care Planning” and the importance of early Tim Ford, a chaplain at VCU Health, joins conversations in making Dr. Thelma Watson, Executive Director, our wishes known about Senior Connections, for recent presentation.

End of Life concerns. End of Life de- ously funded several training and edcisions will be easier if we make dis- ucational programs for the initiative cussions about the end of life a part known as Faith to Fate — an of our living — the earlier, the better. award-winning effort that has been Senior Connections extends appre- recognized by the Commonwealth ciation to Honoring Choices® Vir- Council on Aging and the National ginia for leading the Commonwealth’s Association of Area Agencies on efforts on advocacy and education Aging (n4a).

The Faith to Fate Advance about Advance Care Planning. Honoring Choices® Virginia, an initia- Care Planning initiative has retive of the Richmond Academy of sulted in the convening of annual trainMedicine, works collaboratively with ing sessions and community forums.

Bon Secours Virginia Health System, These sessions have enhanced the HCA Virginia Health System and Vir- professional development of social ginia Commonwealth University workers, nurses, pastors, lay faith leadHealth System for Advance Care Plan- ers as well as providers of hospice, ning services. Senior Connections guardian and other human services.

These sessions have been dipartners with Honoring Choices® Virginia by providing community out- rected to individuals who interact on reach and education with a focus on an ongoing basis with older adults, supporting the needs of older adults, caregivers and families. Faith to Fate is a growing partnership caregivers and their families.

We also take this opportunity to ex- with local churches and other faith tend special thanks to the Virginia groups that is focused on advance Center on Aging at Virginia Com- care planning and the provision of monwealth University for supporting documents such as wills, powers of Senior Connections’ Advance Care attorney, and advance healthcare diPlanning work with the African rectives. A related activity is the exAmerican Faith Community. The Vir- tremely successful Senior Law Day ginia Center on Aging is a statewide Program developed and impleAgency, created by the Virginia Gen- mented by Attorney Andy Nea, of eral Assembly as part of the School Williams and Mullen. This awardof Allied Health Professions at Vir- winning program assists more than 450 older adults annually. ginia Commonwealth University.

Thank you for reading this special The Center on Aging’s partnership with Senior Connections helps to pro- section to learn more about Advance tect and improve the quality of life for Care Planning. We can direct the care older Virginians and caregivers. The See DR. WATSON, page 17 Virginia Center on Aging has gener-

Presentation of Dr. Louis Sullivan on April 18, 2017 at the University of Richmond Forum on Advance Care Planning Sponsored by Senior Connections, The Capital Area Agency on Aging Thank you for inviting me to be here And as we speak, you are doing it again. tonight, as we celebrate the 10th annual Na- Virginia is fast-emerging as a leading state tional Healthcare Decisions Day. This week, in the nation for embracing professional adthere are events like this one vance care planning as a stanbeing held in towns and cities dard practice of care. In the from coast-to-coast. Perhaps a few western and northern parts of of you might not know that this Virginia, you have the Virginia POST Collaborative, which is successful nationwide program now implementing the National got its start right here in your own POLST Paradigm in communihometown of Richmond, Virginia. ties throughout the CommonIt was created by Nathan Kotwealth. In Hampton Roads, you tkamp, an attorney with the have As You Wish, promoting McGuire Woods Law Firm. UnDr. Sullivan awareness of advance medical difortunately, due to a prior scheduled event in Washington, D.C., Nathan is rectives with the support of the Sentara and not able to be with us tonight. While we will Riverside Hospital Systems and the regional surely miss him, I am certain that his pres- Area Agencies on Aging. And here in Cenence will be felt, at least in spirit. As I have tral Virginia, you have Honoring Choices been given to understand, he was front-and- Virginia that is committed to best-practice center in the actual launch of the Faith to advance care planning conversations delivFate Initiative at Senior Connections, when ered in hospitals and communities under it first got started here four years ago. And the world-leading Respecting Choices so I say “Good Evening” to you all, and to model.

I first learned about the Faith to Fate Nathan as well.

It seems that Virginia is quite fond of Advance Care Planning Initiative last year. starting new things! Although some of my This is a community-based advance care Northern friends would likely argue with planning initiative to help get medical dime, I think all of you will agree with me rectives into the hands of those who would when I say that Virginia’s “Founding Tradi- be least likely to do this on their own, to be tion” actually began some five-hundred both compelling and sincere.

As many of you know well, I have dediyears ago, and not very far from here, with the very birth of our nation at Jamestown cated a considerable degree of my own perSettlement. Of course, you have founded sonal and professional time and effort over many other things since then, including as the years to the important and difficult work I’m told, that most refreshing beverage of eliminating minority health disparities. called “lime-ado.”

See DR. SULLIVAN, page 16

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Senior Connections

www.FiftyPlusRichmond.com

Dr. Sullivan From page 15

This has involved the pursuit of significant changes that need to be made both within, and outside of, the academy — addressing the stark under-representation of women and minorities in the health

professions, and increasing the level of access to clinical and preventive healthcare for the poor, rural, minority and other historically under-represented population groups.

It also has involved changes in government. I am proud to have played a leadership role in the 1993 establishment of

SEPTEMBER 2017 — FIFTYPLUS

the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities, while I served as U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services.

Tonight, let us be quite clear about this: As we welcome the universal development and adoption of professional advance care planning protocols as

24 East Cary Street, Richmond, VA 23219 Central Office: 804-343-3000 Toll-Free: 1-800-989-2286 TDD: 804-343-3008 Fax: 804-649-2258 www.seniorconnections-va.org www.facebook.com/pages/Senior-Connections-VA http://twitter.com/#!/sccaaa

The Resource for Aging Well

`

Who We Are Senior Connections is the designated Area Agency on Aging for Planning District 15 that includes the City of Richmond and the Counties of Charles City, Chesterfield, Goochland, Hanover, Henrico, New Kent and Powhatan.

Senior Connections is a private, nonprofit, 501(c)(3) organization governed by a Board of Directors with guidance from a diverse Advisory Council. As a nonprofit, the Agency accepts donations of items, services, monetary gifts and memorials.

Senior Connections provides direct services, information/referral, education and advocacy for older adults, caregivers and individuals with disabilities.

The Agency receives federal funding under the provisions of the Older Americans Act and state funds administered by the Virginia Department for Aging and Rehabilitative Services (DARS). Federal funds from the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) support the Foster Grandparent Mentors Program and the Retired and Senior Volunteer Program. Funding is also provided by city and county governments as well as corporate and foundation funders.

Senior Connections’ Strategic Focus Areas: Visibility and Marketing Programs and Services Funding and Resources

` `

Our Vision “Seniors with improved quality of life.”

Our Mission

“Empowering seniors to live with dignity and choice.”

Senior Connections is dedicated to helping seniors maintain independence and quality of life. We assist older adults with diverse needs and place special emphasis on those who may be isolated and physically or economically at-risk. Information about issues and resources is available to everyone. We also assist caregivers and individuals with disabilities.

Programs & Services Our Programs and Services address individual needs. We identify the most appropriate solutions with these Programs and Services: Finding Options and Resources No Wrong Door Program Information/Referral Care Coordination Medicare and Insurance Counseling

Support to Stay Home Home Delivered Meals Friendship Cafés/Meals/Activities Telephone Checking Personal Care Check Writing/Budget Assistance Ride Connection for Medical Appointments Assistance for Caregivers Resources Respite Support Identification of

Advocacy and Support Public Guardian Medicare Fraud and Abuse Prevention Senior Law Day/Legal Assistance Long Term Care Ombudsman

Getting Involved Foster Grandparents/Mentors Retired Senior Volunteers Senior Employment/Job Readiness

Education and Information Computer Classes Health/Wellness Classes Mature Life Newsletter Website

Additional Resources Wave Coalition: Collaborative partnership to celebrate aging as a lifelong opportunity (www.agewellva.com) y Virginia Easy Access (www.easyaccess.virginia.gov) y Senior Center Of Greater Richmond, Inc. (804-353-3171) y Virginia Navigator (www.VirginiaNavigator.org) y Virginia Call Center (Dial 2-1-1) y Age

accepted standards of care within health settings across America, we are, right now, in very grave danger of adding advance care planning to the already large and unfortunate list of our nation’s entrenched minority health care disparities.

We must seize the emerging national momentum toward institutionalized advance care planning as a golden opportunity for us to get it right, and steer away vigorously from allowing advance care planning to become yet another rigid healthcare disparity barrier. And so I applaud all of you, Virginia’s healthcare leaders, medical professionals and advance care planning specialists, who are committed tonight to making sure that this does not happen here.

As many of you also know, another longstanding struggle where we have sought significant improvement is in the area of achieving Truly Informed Consent on the basis of good doctor-patient communications. This is best achieved through meaningful personcentered conversations that, ideally, will include family members and loved ones.

For some time now, it has been my personal view that we are well past the time now for effectively joining the Science of Medicine with the Art of Conversation. To do that, we must integrate what we know, with what we say, with what we believe. Later in the program our panel will describe what each of these things is in more detail. So for now, I want to touch on them from a more global perspective:

WHAT WE KNOW Generally speaking, it is no secret that we really don’t do very well when it comes to meaningful communications between doctors, patients and their families. But what we know is that when we get this right, there are measurable benefits for patient health and family satisfaction with the overall medical experience.

We know what we mean when we refer to a “good death” versus a “bad death,” just as we know how difficult it is to reduce the number of so-called bad deaths. We know that despite every U.S. citizen having the federal and state legal right to use advance directives to guide their future medical care, fewer than a third of them have actually availed themselves of this right.

August 2017

See DR. SULLIVAN, page 17

Senior Connections

FIFTYPLUS — SEPTEMBER 2017

Dr. Sullivan From page 16

WHAT WE SAY At a conference in our nation’s capital sponsored last fall by the Coalition for the Transformation of Advance Care, one of the session speakers asked the packed audience a curious question: “If you could push a magical button right now that would prevent you from ever dying, and allow you to live forever right here on earth, would you push it?” Not a single per-

son raised a hand. I wonder what would happen if we asked that same question of those here tonight.

The speaker went on to ask, “Then why is it that we push so very hard and fight so aggressively and at such a high cost against our own inevitable death?” Now, at first blush, this

or herself can accurately define or describe as a life that is still worth living — becomes no

longer possible. We must keep our eye trained on that fine line throughout the course of medical treatment, Dr. Gawande would say, if we are to do no harm to the patient’s body, as well as his mind, his soul, and his spirit.

We will do this best when we can more consistently align what patients say they want, with what they actually get. This often means less treatment rather than more treatment. Dr. Gawande is caution-

WHAT WE BELIEVE When we consider what a person believes, we are talking about much more than just their personal religion, if they even follow any corporate religious tradition at all. Certainly within the context of the Faith to Fate Program, under whose banner we have all gathered here this evening, faith in the traditional sense is key to the education and awareness efforts of the program’s objectives, as well as to the advance care planning conversations we all must have with believers who seek our professional help.

Faith and spiritual beliefs are of central importance to the sound medical care and the positive outlook that is so vital to good treatment outcomes — a point that, through the years, has been substantially validated by the research.

Still the concept of what we believe, within this context, is much broader than that, isn’t it? It involves our overall worldview: where do we believe our individual place is within this larger society? What does our history teach us about what we have come to believe about the limits to our own good healthcare? How has our culture, ethnicity, clan or personal humanity influenced what we now believe to be true about traditional healthcare and its complex, and too-often de-personalized, systems and individual encounters? Do I personally believe that wealth, education and power is the only means by which I can ever hope to get the very best healthcare available? Do I believe that this is how really good medical care is actually distributed, irrespective of whether I believe that this is either right or wrong?

No doubt, I, and probably each of you here tonight, will have more questions than we will have answers about all of this. And the truth is, the only way we will ever bridge these historically entrenched divides is with more and better conversations; advance care planning conversations — and conversations of other kinds — held between and among

ourselves as professionals, around the kitchen table with our families, across the cubicle walls in our offices with friends and associates, in coffee houses and restaurants, and yes too, in hospitals, nursing homes, churches and other places of worship, rehab facilities, outpatient clinics and playgrounds.

Yes, wherever we are gathered together in our everyday lives, is the good and the right place for initial planning conversations. The future awaits us, and will expect us to be ready. Good and well-understood conversational communications truly have tremendous magical powers to transform our world, from the bottom up.

Today, as we recognize another National Healthcare Decisions Day, we celebrate this transformational power being delivered into physician offices, our medica facilities, healthcare systems, patient-doctor relationships, our homes and our communities.

In this, I am reminded of the comparison and contrast between improvisational jazz music and a seasoned jazz orchestra. Each kind of music can be enjoyable in its own right, with the separate improvising of each instrument heralding its own unique qualities, while the orchestrated teamwork of these same instruments can create wonder ful blended harmonies.

When it comes to our shared goals in the promotion of more and better advance medical care planning conversations for patients, doctors and families, we will do best by blending our strengths, combining our talents, knowledge, access and resources than we will by separately improvising on our own. Our goal is to produce a symphonic Advance Care Planning masterpiece.

So I leave you with this charge: MAKE GREAT MUSIC!

Thank you for allowing me to share my thoughts with you tonight.

Request for Free Information and Assistance

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may seem like a ridiculous question — of course we all absolutely want to live a good life for as long as we possibly can.

Still, it points directly to the disconnect between what we say we want, and what we actually want.

No doubt, you are all familiar with the fine work being done by Dr. Atul Gawande to promote more and better advance care planning conversations. He has lately taken this up as his professional calling. I understand there have been a number of important seminars here in Richmond based on Dr. Gawande’s national call to action on this topic.

Central to his message is that we must all — patients, doctors and family members — remain constantly attentive to when living a good life — a life that only the patient him-

ing us to know when to back off…to listen to the patient’s conversation…and to honor the patient’s wishes to the fullest extent possible.

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www.FiftyPlusRichmond.com w

Senior Connections, as the designated Area Agency on Aging for the Richmond Metropolitan Region, provides a range of services, activities, resource information and volunteer opportunities.

If you would like to receive additional information about Senior Connections or Advanced Care Planning, please return the form below, or contact us: Telephone: (804) 343-3000 Email: aphelon@youraaa.org Please send me following information:

r r

I would like more information about Senior Connections.

I would like more information about Advanced Care Planning.

Name: ______________________________________________________ Mailing Address: _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ Email:________________________________________________________

From page 15

that we desire at the end of life if we clearly communicate our wishes to our family, document these wishes in writing, and have the Advance Medical Directive readily

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Dr. Watson

available as a reference for our healthcare providers and key family members.

Early conversations about end of life wishes may be difficult, but they are essential. Please join us.

Sincerely,

Telephone Number: _________________________________ Complete this form and mail to: Senior Connections • Attention Angie Phelon 24 E. Cary Street • Richmond, VA 23219

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Senior Connections

SEPTEMBER 2017 — FIFTYPLUS

Planning for the unexpected

By Robin Clair Cummings

Let’s talk…

ful life events we plan for — birthday parties, weddings, births, retirement — we don’t always pause to plan for the unexpected. A medical crisis can strike at any age, and it’s critical for your loved to know what decisions you would want them to make on your behalf.

Probably the first time most of us think about future medical decisions is when we make a decision about organ donation with our first driver’s license.

Likely, the next time you So where to begin? thought about planning for a Imagine you experienced future medical crisis was a traumatic, sudden medical when you were admitted to event — such as a car acciRobin Clair the hospital for a surgery and dent — and your chances of Cummings were asked at registration, survival were less than 5 per“Do you have an advance medical direc- cent. You are incapable of making your tive?” Or maybe it was when you had own decisions, and it is clear you will your first child, or visited your attorney have little or no recovery. to draft a will.

Ask yourself : When would it make Hopefully at each of these opportuni- sense to continue certain treatments in ties you took the time to reflect on what an effort to prolong life and seek recovyou thought would be important to ery? When would it make sense to stop have conveyed on your behalf if you or withhold certain treatments and accouldn’t speak for yourself. And hope- cept death when it comes? fully you shared this information with Under any circumstance, what kind of the person you would like to speak for comfort care would you want — including you in such a case. medication, spiritual and environmental When we think about all the wonder- options?

The Gift of the Conversation

By Dr. Kenneth Olshansky

Second, it was important for us to sit When I was younger, I gave very down with our children as a family and little thought to how I ask them to honor our would approach my endwishes. Too often, if family of-life decisions if I bemembers aren’t on the came disabled by disease same page as to what Mom or by an accident. or Dad expressed, unAs I grew older and exwanted crises could develop perienced friends and relamong family members. atives going through An advance medical didif ficult end-of-life isrective is a gift not only to Dr. Kenneth sues, it became clear to yourself but also to your Olshansky me how important it was family and physicians who to share with my wife and children will be carrying out your wishes. what my wishes would be if end of We never know when illness or an life decisions needed to be made. To accident might arise, so we are that end, my wife and I had that im- never too young to have the converportant “conversation” sharing our sation. wishes with each other.

This can easily be done with the We thought the best way to see help of an attorney or an organization that our wishes were fulfilled would such as Honoring Choices Virginia be two-fold. The first was to create through the Richmond Academy of an advance medical directive, which Medicine. would spell out what our wishes Kenneth Olshansky, M.D., is a retired would be in terms of what treat- physician, and trustee of Honoring Choices ments or withholding of treatments Virginia and Richmond Academy of Mediwe might desire. cine Trust.

As you think about these questions, think beyond “what if I’m a ‘vegetable’?” or “I don’t want to live on machines.”

These phrases mean very different things to different people.

So be as specific as you can when considering the interventions you do or don’t want. Considering Honoring Choices partners have over 200 facilitators who past experiences with can help you have the conversation at no charge to you. care or a loved one’s care can help you define your responses putting together an advance directive.

Senior Connections, our local Area clearly.

Agency on Aging, and Honoring Choices Next, think about who you want to speak for you when you cannot speak for Virginia, a collaborative of the Richmondyourself. It is critical that this person area hospitals, are two community-wide know what your wishes are and affirm options to help you have a confidential, that he or she can act on your behalf. Re- free conversation about creating your admember, your advance medical directive vance medical directive and starting the only comes into play if you are unable to conversation with your loved ones. We make your own medical decisions. In all also offer educational programs to help other instances, you will have full control your community, faith or civic organization get the conversation started. of your own medical care.

It’s never too late to plan — until it is As you complete your advance medical directive, please know that this doc- too late. Take the time today to give your ument can change over time. Revisit family the lasting gift of knowing how to your decisions regularly — at least once care for you when you may need them a decade, after a new diagnosis, after a the most….Start the conversation today. marriage or divorce, if you have a decline in your health, and after the death For more information: Honoring Choices® Virginia is a colof a loved one.

Make sure your health-care agent, laborative of the Richmond Academy of your primary care physician, your hos- Medicine, Bon Secours Richmond pital of choice, and your attorney each Health System, HCA Virginia and VCU have a copy of your directive. The med- Health. We are here to help you have ical team can only act on your decisions these important conversations, at no charge to you. if it knows what they are.

Contact us at (804) 622-8141, or learn Still not sure how to get started? There more at www.honoringchoices-va.org. are many great resources available in our Robin Clair Cummings, MSHA is the dicommunity. Your primary care physician or attorney may be able to help you with rector of Honoring Choices Virginia.

Advance Care Planning Articles of Interest Many Avoid End-Of-Life Care Planning, Study Finds

People with chronic illnesses are only slightly more likely than healthy individuals to put their wishes down on paper in a living will. But to be effective, people need to have conversations with their loved ones about their values and what matters to them at the end of life.

http://bit.ly/EndofLifePlanning Hospice care: Comforting the terminally ill

Hospice care might be an option if you or a loved one has a terminal illness. This article from the Mayo Clinic explains how hospice care works and how to select a program. http://bit.ly/MayoHospiceArticle

www.FiftyPlusRichmond.com

FIFTYPLUS — SEPTEMBER 2017

Money Law &

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STOCK MARKET ADVICE Vanguard’s new chief investment officer discusses trends in the stock market, the role of bonds, investment fees and more

CAR REPAIR TIPS To make sure you’re not overpaying when you take your car to the shop, get a second opinion — in person or online

FAQs about Medicare: Filling the gaps

By Kimberly Lankford Every day, my in-box is filled with questions from readers about the nuances of Medicare. The following frequently asked questions concerning signing up or changing your coverage will help you navigate the system and deal with tricky issues.

Q: Why do I need Medigap insurance?

A: Even with Medicare, you still have to pay deductibles and co-payments. Most people buy a Medicare supplement (Medigap) policy to pay those costs, plus Part D prescription-drug coverage because Medicare generally doesn’t cover drugs. Or you can sign up for a private Medicare Advantage plan, which provides both medical and drug coverage.

Medigap policies are sold by private insurers and come in 10 standardized versions (A through D; F; G; and K through N). With the coverage, you can use any doctor or facility that accepts Medicare.

Every Medigap plan with the same letter designation must provide the same cover-

age, even though different insurers may, and often do, charge varying prices for the same coverage. Many state insurance departments have Medigap price lists by insurer (go to www.naic.org and click “map” for links).

Part D prescription-drug plans are sold by private insurers, and have average premiums of $34 per month. You can compare premiums and out-of-pocket costs for your drugs under each Part D plan available in your area at www.medicare.gov/find-a-plan.

Medicare Advantage plans combine medical and drug coverage, and may also provide coverage that isn’t available through Medicare, such as for some dental and vision care. Premiums for Advantage plans average $38 per month, which tends to be lower than for Medigap plus Part D, but you may have more outof-pocket costs.

Also, the plans usually have a limited network of doctors and hospitals, and you may have higher costs (or no coverage) if you

choose to go out of network. You may also need a referral to see a specialist.

You can shop for a Medicare Advantage plan at www.medicare.gov/find-a-plan. For an analysis of the best values based on typical costs for people in good, fair and poor health, go to www.medicarenewswatch.com.

Q: I’ve been paying high premiums for my Medigap Plan F. Can I switch to another policy to save money?

A: Maybe. There’s a huge price range for Medigap policies, and you may be able to save by switching. But depending on your health and the state where you live, your options may be limited.

Insurers cannot reject you or charge more because of preexisting conditions if you buy a Medigap policy within six months of signing up for Medicare Part B. But after that, your health can affect your costs and coverage options. If you’re still healthy, you may qualify for a better deal with another insurer.

Some insurers will let you switch to a less-

comprehensive policy without medical underwriting — for example, your current insurer may let you switch to a high-deductible Plan F, for which you pay a $2,200 deductible in 2017 before Medigap coverage kicks in.

Median premiums are $610 per year for a 65year-old man, compared with $2,184 for the standard Plan F, according to Weiss Ratings.

Plan N has coverage similar to that of standard Plan F, but you pay the Part B deductible ($183 in 2017) and a $20 co-payment for each physician visit, as well as $50 for emergency-room visits. Median premiums are $1,448 per year.

Your state may offer special opportunities to switch, regardless of preexisting conditions. However, Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia do not have additional switching rules.

(Learn more from your state health insurance assistance program at www.shiptacenSee MEDICARE FAQs, page 20

Assistance for long-term care of veterans It is no secret that a significant percentage financial aid to veterans who have served on of older adults require some form of long-term active duty during war-time — even if only care. Unfortunately, because of one day was served during their the significant expense, many intime of duty — to help offset the dividuals don’t obtain this care cost of long-term care. because they believe other necSpecifically, veterans who essary needs have a higher prineed assistance with activities ority. such as bathing, dressing, eatMany veterans who need this ing, toileting and other activities care don’t realize that they may may be eligible. Veterans who be eligible for veteran’s benefits are bed-ridden, or have limited that will help them pay for longeyesight may also be eligible, as term care. The spouses of vetwell as veterans who are paerans and their widows may THE SAVINGS tients in a nursing home and/or GAME also be covered. assisted living facility for either According to the VA, many By Elliot Raphaelson physical or mental conditions. veterans and their spouses who would be eligible for these benefits, known as Benefit amounts and conditions Surviving spouse: $1,153 per month “Aid and Attendance Pension,” have not apSingle veteran: $1,794 plied for them.

Married veteran: $2,127 The objective of this pension is to provide

Two veterans, married: $2,846 These benefits are not subject to income taxes.

Veterans are eligible to file for this benefit if they served on active duty for at least 90 days, and received an honorable discharge, provided that they served at least one day beginning or ending during a period of war.

Their spouses are also eligible. A surviving spouse is eligible to file for this benefit if he/she was married to a veteran at the time of their death.

Benefits are also based on the financial status of the veterans’ family, taking into consideration both income and asset considerations.

The general rule regarding assets is that there should be less than $80,000 in assets, excluding home and vehicles. There are exceptions, however, so a veteran should apply even if assets are above the $80,000 limit.

For a single veteran, the income limit is

less than $15,773/year. For a married veteran, the countable income should be less than $19,770. Again, there are exceptions, and your eligibility will also depend on your age, life expectancy, and the costs you are incurring for healthcare.

Help with filing for benefits There are three steps required to request this benefit: gathering the required documents; filling out the correct application forms; and mailing the forms to the state Pension Management Center.

There are multiple ways to file. You can use the resources of the VA, a veterans service organization, a VA-accredited claim agent, or an attorney.

By law, no one is allowed to charge a veteran or spouse for completing or expediting See VETERAN CARE, page 20

Law & Money | www.FiftyPlusRichmond.com

Veteran care From page 19 the VA pension paperwork. However, you can incur fees from a claim agent or attorney if you request other services.

Filling out the forms properly is a complex job, so you should consider using assistance from one of these sources.

If you apply, and your application is re-

Medicare FAQs From page 19 ter.org, or call 1-800-633-4227 for contacts.)

Q: The doctor I want to use isn’t covered by my Medicare Advantage plan.

When can I switch to a different plan?

A: You generally can’t switch to an-

SEPTEMBER 2017 — FIFTYPLUS

jected, you will have to wait a year to reapply.

Accordingly, you should be very careful when you file your initial application.

It will take approximately six to eight months for your application to be reviewed. Benefits will be retroactive to your initial filing date.

An excellent source for assistance is American Veterans Aid (www.americanveteransaid.com), a VA-accredited claim agent that specializes in this pension. They will help you

determine your eligibility, assist you in filling out the forms, and follow through after the application is filed.

In addition, there are Veteran Service Officers (VSOs) throughout the U.S. who can help. These individuals are compensated by state and local organizations. They are welltrained, and they can assist you.

Don’t assume you are better off filling out the forms by yourself. VSOs are trained to as-

sist you not only regarding the Aid and Attendance Pension program, but other veteran benefits as well. Contact the local Department of Veteran Affairs to identify the VSOs in your area, or visit www.va.gov/ogc/apps/accreditation/index.asp.

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

other Medicare Advantage plan until open enrollment in the fall, which runs from Oct. 15 to Dec. 7, 2017, for 2018 coverage. There are a few exceptions: You can switch plans if you qualify for a special enrollment period, such as if you move to an address that isn’t in your plan’s service area.

You can also switch to a Medicare Advan-

tage plan with a five-star quality rating anytime during the year. But there are only 17 five-star plans in the U.S. in 2017. Locally, these include Kaiser Permanente Medicare Plus and Erickson Advantage Freedom (available only to residents of Erickson retirement communities).

You can look up “Medicare health plans” by zip code at www.medicare.gov/find-a-plan.

If you join a Medicare Advantage plan when you are first eligible for Medicare and switch back to traditional Medicare within 12 months,

you can buy a Medigap policy and a Part D plan within 63 days of the change.

Each year from Jan. 1 to Feb. 14, you can switch from Medicare Advantage back to traditional Medicare and get a Part D drug plan. But you could be rejected or charged more for Medigap because of a preexisting condition. For more about the rules, see Medicare Interactive at www.medicareinteractive.org. © 2017, Kiplinger. All Rights Reserved. Distributed By Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

M ARK YO UR CALE NDAR

Sept. 16+

BEGINNING GENEAOLOGY CLASS

The Chesterfield Historical Society of Virginia present a seven-week beginners genealogy class on Saturday mornings from 10 a.m. to noon, starting Saturday, Sept. 16 in the society research library in the Historic Trinity Church, 10111 Iron Bridge Rd. in Chesterfield. The class assists beginners who need help with organizing information, compiling a family history and documenting their family story. Registration is required; fee is $25. Register/pay with PayPal at www.chesterfieldhistory.com or call instructor Bette Kot at (303) 520-2903 to volunteer or learn more.

M A R K YO U R C ALE NDAR

Sept. 26

UNDERSTANDING MEDICARE

There will be a free course on understanding Medicare enrollment, different parts of Medicare, and insurance options from 11 a.m. to noon at Huguenot Baptist Church, 10525 W Huguenot Rd. in North Chesterfield. For more information, call (804) 212-8815 or (804) 751-4753. Register at least a week in advance by calling (804) 748-1623.

TECHNOLOGY SIMPLIFIED – BIGGER AND BETTER

Wow! A Simple to Use Computer Designed Especially for Seniors!

Easy to read. Easy to see. Easy to use. Just plug it in!

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 easy-to-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. 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

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www.FiftyPlusRichmond.com | Law & Money

FIFTYPLUS — SEPTEMBER 2017

21

Vanguard looks ahead at the stock market

By Stan Choe It’s easy to get lulled by the gentle and seemingly unstoppable ride higher that investors have been enjoying with almost all their funds. But it can’t last forever.

Greg Davis, the new chief investment officer at investing giant Vanguard, isn’t predicting when the next downturn for stocks will happen, but he says investors need to be ready for it given how expensive the market has become.

So if swelling stock prices mean they make up a much bigger part of your portfolio than before, and you wouldn’t be able to stomach a 10 percent drop without panicking, consider paring back on them.

The largest mutual fund by assets, Vanguard’s Total Stock Market Index fund, has already returned 11.4 percent so far in 2017, for example. That’s close to its best performance for any of the past three full years.

In his role, Davis oversees more than $3.8 trillion in assets, including the stock index funds that made Vanguard famous and bond funds run by managers looking to beat the market.

That’s close to the size of Germany’s economy.

Davis is no stranger at Vanguard. He previously oversaw its bond investments. He recently talked about his outlook for markets and fund investing. Answers have been edited for clarity and length.

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Q: Nearly every investment is going up, from stocks in the U.S,. to bonds from emerging markets, to stocks in Europe. Is it worrisome that everything is doing so well at the same time?

A: I don’t see that as worrisome, those things being in sync. The bigger concern is that valuations have gotten a bit stretched, on the equity side as well as the fixed-income side.

That’s a bigger concern to me than all these things moving in tandem. Much of that can be attributed to the very loose monetary policy from central banks around the world. That’s put a very strong bid across these markets.

So it’s not a surprise, but there is a need for caution and a need for customers to be comfortable with the amount of risk in their portfolios. It’s something they should be looking at.

You can never predict when a downturn will come, but it will eventually come, and investors need to make sure they’re not too far ahead of their skis.

Q: Conventional wisdom says that the U.S. stock market is more over valued than in Europe and other countries. Do you agree?

A: If you look at Europe, those markets look a bit more attractive than the U.S. market. The way we would talk to investors is: You want to

be diversified around the globe. You want to have the diversification so that if there is a downturn in the market, you don’t do inappropriate things at inappropriate times.

Q: “Inappropriate things” means selling low whenever stocks take their next tumble?

A: Absolutely.

Q: And when you’re telling people to “stay diversified,” that sounds like shorthand for making sure you have enough bonds in your portfolio to ease the sting of any downturn for stocks. Can bonds still be that stabilizer if yields are so low?

A: If you go back and look at the worst months for the equity markets, high-quality bonds provided a strong ballast to an investor’s portfolio. If you’re in one of those environments where U.S. stocks go down 6 percent, you typically have high-quality bonds showing slightly positive returns.

It’s an asset class that’s not expected to go down, even in a low-rate environment. After the “Brexit” vote, even when yields (on European bonds) were negative, high-quality bonds still held up even as equities sold off.

Bonds have historically done their job, even when they’re yielding low amounts or even negative yields.

Q: Investors seem to be throwing in the towel on funds run by stock pickers, and they’re choosing index funds instead. Do you think index funds will continue to be the overwhelming favorite for where investors put their new dollars?

A: Our view is that investors are clearly voting that paying high costs in an environment where returns are expected to be muted is not the best option for them, and we’re seeing them move to lower-cost funds.

If you have a higher cost structure, it’s harder for you to outperform your market.

And if you do, you have to take on substantially more risk to achieve those returns.

Q: Do you think the industr y could ever get to a point where someone offers a fund with zero fees, to be a loss leader and bring in customers for their other funds?

A: You already have people doing lossleader strategies now. You have companies adding new funds that are clones of existing funds that are at a lower price to try to be a loss leader. The reality is you have to look at the entire complex and ask if it’s enduring.

The industry broadly is still too-high cost, across the board. There’s still opportunity for many prices to go down.

— AP

22

Law & Money | www.FiftyPlusRichmond.com

SEPTEMBER 2017 — FIFTYPLUS

How not to get ripped off for car repairs

By Tom Krisher It’s the moment every car owner dreads.

The mechanic comes out of the garage to say your ride needs repairs costing hundreds of dollars.

Then two big questions pop into your brain: Are the fixes really needed? Am I being overcharged?

There might not be a way around getting the car fixed, but there are ways to stay in control of the situation. But it takes some work and planning both before and after the big repairs come. Here are some tips:

Get to know a mechanic Establish a relationship and find a repair shop you can trust — or risk big problems.

Good old word-of-mouth still is probably the best way to pick a garage, said George Geropoulos, service adviser at Ted’s Auto Clinic in northwest Chicago. Ask like-minded friends and neighbors where they go.

With or without a recommendation, check online and find shops in your area that have

mechanics with Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) certification. Also look for AAAcertified garages and other training for technicians. Check online reviews.

Shops that rely heavily on a particular neighborhood for their customers will take extra care to make sure people are happy.

When you find a garage, take your car in for an oil change and inspection. See if the people seem honest and are willing to take time to explain a problem. “It’s like a dating relationship,” said Jill Trotta, director of the automotive group at RepairPal.com, an online service that provides price estimates for auto repairs.

The oil change is like having coffee with someone. Getting a small repair done is like going to dinner. A major repair can establish a long-term relationship. “If you do your due diligence up front, when something bad goes wrong, you can feel more comfortable,” Trotta said.

Getting to the truth Say the mechanic said that grinding noise

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in your front end signals your brake pads need to be replaced. How do you know he’s telling the truth? Brake pad replacement is almost always accompanied by resurfacing or replacing the rotors, the round things that brake pads grab onto. That can drive the price up more.

A good mechanic will take you into the garage, show you worn-out parts, and explain the problems if you ask. If you’re not there, ask the shop to send you cellphone pictures of the worn pads and other parts.

Make note of exactly what parts are being replaced.

If it’s an expensive repair and you’re still a little skeptical, tell the mechanic you need to wait for your next paycheck to get the repair done, or you’re just not ready to do it now.

Then get a second opinion, even if the next shop charges you for it, said Ron Montoya, senior consumer advice editor for the Edmunds.com automotive website.

A simple Google search also will tell you if the problem the garage pointed out is common for your car, Geropoulos said.

Don’t overpay Once you’ve determined that the repair is needed, there are ways to make sure the price is right. There are several websites

such as RepairPal that have data on what prices you should be charged. Costs can vary widely across the country, so in addition to make, model and model year, the sites ask for your ZIP Code.

RepairPal even has a mobile app for smartphones, so you could do the price check right inside the shop. Some sites give you estimates from several nearby shops.

RepairPal uses the same database that garages use to figure out how long a repair should take. The site shows you the hourly labor rate and part cost data that comes from repair garages. It’ll give you a price range for what the repair should cost.

You can also call another shop or two and ask what they’d normally charge for the same repair on your model. Trotta, whose service makes money by certifying garages and charging them $199 per month to be a recommended shop on the RepairPal site, said the site calculates a fair price for quality repairs done with quality parts.

The lowest price may not be the best deal.

Trotta said some garages will sell inferior, less-expensive parts that won’t last as long.

“The cheapest thing to do when getting your car repaired is to fix it right the first time,” she said.

— AP

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FIFTYPLUS — SEPTEMBER 2017

Travel

23

Leisure &

Where and how to best view fall foliage.

See story on page 26.

A trip along Virginia’s own space coast Stopping overnight in either Hampton or Cape Charles also meant that my husband and I didn’t need to travel so hard and fast to get to Chincoteague — 191 miles from Richmond, or 3.5 hours in what Internet-mapping sites call “the usual traffic.”

We’ve found nothing is “usual” in traffic on I-64E, especially between April and the end of October. We’ve had it take five hours in the past, but that did include three 15-minute breaks. And we always caution folks to note how the speed limit drops after passing through the Hampton area.

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE HAMPTON CVB

By Martha Steger Labor Day is far from the end of beach season — especially when there are many more attractions than the beach in Virginia’s coastal areas.

I am reminded, for example, of Virginia’s key role in the race for space whenever my husband and I travel through Hampton Roads and on the road to Chincoteague at the northern tip of Virginia’s Eastern Shore.

On September 12, 1962, President John F. Kennedy said in a Rice University address, “We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard.”

This month’s 55th anniversary of JFK’s inspirational comment was a good pretext for a road trip to two Virginia attractions on opposite sides of the Chesapeake Bay — the Virginia Air and Space Center in Hampton, and NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility near Chincoteague. The trip featured plenty of sights, seafood, and Indian-summer weather to enjoy along the way.

From the sea to the stars

PHOTO COURTESY OF CHINCOTEAGUE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

We left early to make the 10 a.m. Hampton harbor cruise offered Tuesdays through Saturdays through October. It costs $25 for those 60+; $27 for other adults.

We headed aboard the double-decked Miss Hampton II for a 2 1/2-hour narrated tour that passes Hampton attractions such as Blackbeard’s Point, where the notorious pirate’s head was displayed on a pike after his capture off the coast of the Outer Banks.

We de-boarded to visit Fort Wool in Hampton’s harbor, where President Andrew Jackson occasionally escaped the White House. Back aboard, we enjoyed the sea breeze in passing local fishing boats, large commercial cargo ships, and the awesome gray fleet at the world’s largest naval installation — Naval Station Norfolk. The captain’s up-to-date information on the types of ships we passed in port was most impressive.

Sandwiches and snacks are available onboard, but we grabbed

Oyster shuckers do their thing at the annual Chincoteague Oyster Festival, to be held this year on Oct. 7. Oysters from the area are known for their briny flavor.

The double-decker Miss Hampton II passes by an aircraft carrier on its 2 ½ hour tour of the Hampton harbor.

lunch later at the concession inside the Virginia Air & Space Center, the official visitor center for NASA Langley.

The VASC beckoned with more than 100 hands-on exhibits and two galleries, including “Space Quest: Exploring the Moon, Mars & Beyond!” We marveled at the Lunar Excursion Module Simulator that America’s first astronauts used at NASA Langley Research Center to practice landing on the moon.

Our next-favorite exhibit was the Apollo 12 Command Module from the second manned mission to the moon, followed by the Mars meteorite and three-billion-year-old moon rock brought back by Apollo 17.

Anyone with pre-school children or grandchildren should bring them to the original, half-hour animated series that follows young spaceship cadets at the Stardust Bay Space Academy as they soar through the Solar System. (Adults as well as children also enjoy riding Hampton’s nearby antique carousel, but it’s being refurbished now — look for it back in the park sometime next spring.)

If you choose to stop in the Historic Hampton area for the night, try the new Brown Chicken Brown Cow restaurant — owned by Carlyle Bland, who also owns Venture Kitchen & Bar and Marker 20. It’s only a few blocks from the Crowne Plaza Hampton Marina Hotel, where we stayed.

Before leaving Hampton, if time is important, check traffic conditions on I-64 via www.virginiadot.org, or VDOT’s Radio 511 for traffic updates. Consider Rt. 264/664as options.

To sea by car Sometimes we have traveled farther before stopping for the night, continuing onto U.S. Rt. 13 across the Chesapeake Bay-Bridge Tunnel from Little Creek to Kiptopeke, at the southern tip of the Delmarva Peninsula, which was explored by Captain John Smith in 1608. (The Bridge Tunnel’s one-way toll is $12 going; $5 on return, depending on length of stay. But toll changes go into effect Jan. 1, 2018.)

See COASTAL VA., page 24

Leisure & Travel | www.FiftyPlusRichmond.com

Coastal VA. From page 23 The 1964 engineering marvel that makes the 23-mile experience possible — including tunnels, bridges and a manmade island — reminded us of the cutting-edge technology of the 1960s’ era, when Kennedy’s challenge to put men on the moon not only jumpstarted America’s space program, but further inspired this project that took us to sea via car.

We sometimes opt to stretch our legs on the island, where stopping is permitted. The habitat of concrete, steel, asphalt and rocks also makes an inviting rest stop for birds.

We’ve observed pelicans and mergansers in addition to different species of seagulls as various ships pass through the channel.

The Eastern Shore of Virginia Visitor Center — on the right side of Rt. 13 (northbound) after the tunnel — makes a convenient restroom and information stop, too.

If you have time to stop at the Eastern Shore of Virginia National Wildlife Refuge, also on the right after your crossing, check out the wildlife viewing from a car window, from one of the telescopes at the visitor center, or on a hike down one of the trails. A bit of World War II and Korean history pops up in a bunker on the wildlife trail in the form of a gun barrel that used to be on the U.S.S. Missouri during those wars.

Across Route 13 on the bay side is Kiptopeke

SEPTEMBER 2017 — FIFTYPLUS

State Park, with more outdoor recreation possibilities, including a handicapped-accessible swimming beach. Excellent accommodations options here range from tent camping to cabins, lodges and a yurt. We previously stayed in a trailer we rented for a night.

But book early, as this is a very popular park. As part of the Eastern Shore Birding Festival, Oct. 7 will be the free Family Program at Kiptopeke State Park, with exhibits and activities for all ages — “The Flight of the Raptor” returns by popular demand.

Cape Charles and Chincoteague Another lodging option is one of Cape Charles’ several bed and breakfasts. The 1912 Colonial Revival Cape Charles House is a favorite of ours, and innkeepers Carol and Bruce Evans’ recipe for “Baked Eggs in Goat Cheese Grits” — found on their website www.capecharleshouse.com — is one we’ve made our own.

Although Cape Charles has several very good restaurants for dinner, Sunset Beach Inn and Grille sits directly on the bay, onehalf mile north of the CBBT on the southbound side. It deserves the reputation of its name for sunset dining.

Sunset Beach also has a popular petfriendly RV park with many amenities, including kayak rentals on the property. Check its website www.sunsetbeachva.com for party weekends including live music.

With Cape Charles’ small-town charm, railroad-and-ferry history — not to mention the 35-million-years-ago event documented on a town historical marker — it’s hard to get away early in the morning unless you tell yourself you’ll check it all out on the way back.

An hour’s drive north, we landed at Wallops Flight Facility Visitor Center situated on the right side of Rt. 175, the road to Chincoteague Island. With more than 15,000 rocket missions since 1945, Wallops is NASA’s most active launch range — but don’t try to time a trip to match a launch-time. I learned early from NASA bulletins that scheduled launches are unpredictable, depending on weather and other variables.

Visitors can easily spend more than two hours at the center, with its free exhibits, films and programming — including a 25minute film on the life and death of stars.

With a wide range of accommodations on Chincoteague — from campgrounds to bedand-breakfasts to national-chain hotels and local motels — it’s not hard to find a place unless it’s high-summer season or a special event, such as the upcoming oyster or birding festivals.

Fresh local seafood abounds on the Eastern Shore. We’re big “seaside” oyster fans because of the bivalves’ briny flavor captured from their continental shelf feeding grounds.

So we save our oyster appetites for destinations like this, with Atlantic Ocean oysters.

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Depending on the amount of time available the next morning — and whether grandkids are in tow — we choose among a wide variety of attractions, ranging from the restored, 143foot-tall Historic Assateague Lighthouse on the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge, to the Museum of Chincoteague Island, which provides an engaging look at life on the island with its oyster-rich history, and the famous “Misty of Chincoteague” made famous by Marguerite Henry’s 1947 book of that name. Today, the refuge is home to more than 300 wild ponies.

If you go The Miss Hampton II will continue offering its popular summer evening Crabtown Cruises ($35) in September and October, but dates were not finalized at press time. For upto-date information, check www.downtownhampton.com/do/crabtown-cruises.

The 45th Annual Chincoteague Oyster Festival, to be held rain or shine on Oct. 7, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., at Tom’s Cove Park on Chincoteague, is a great time to savor the flavor of oysters in a multitude of ways, from raw to roasted and fried (tickets $45, children under 5, free). www.chincoteagueoysterfestival.com The 2017 Eastern Shore Birding and Wildlife Festival, Oct. 6-8, will offer free guided hikes at Kiptopeke State Park, the Eastern See COASTAL VA., page 25

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FIFTYPLUS — SEPTEMBER 2017

Coastal VA. From page 24 Shore of Virginia National Wildlife Refuge, and the Nature Conservancy’s Brownsville Preserve. Guided birding boat trips will be offered

by Seaside Ecotours, Broadwater Bay Ecotours and Eastern Shore Adventures.

Schedules, fees (for boat trips) and registration information will be added to www.esvabirdingfestival.com soon. Updates are made to the Facebook page when available.

Here are more websites where you can

learn more about the area: • Hampton Tourism: www.visithampton .com • Virginia Air & Space Center: www. vasc.org • Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel: www. cbbt.com/travel-information/toll-schedule/ • NASA Wallops Flight Facility: https:// www.nasa.gov/centers/wallops/visitorcenter, • Chincoteague Tourism: www.chincoteaguechamber.org • Eastern Shore of Virginia Tourism: www.esvatourism.org

DOCUMENTARY SERIES | SEPTEMBER 17-28, 2017

MA RK YOUR CALEN DAR

Sept. 18+

BEGINNERS WATERCOLORING For those with little or no watercolor experience, attend this class and

create beautiful paintings. The class will be held Mondays from Sept. 18 to Oct. 23 from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at Huguenot Baptist Church, 10525 W. Huguenot Rd. in North Chesterfield. For more information, call (804) 212-8815. To register (must do so one week in advance) call (804) 748-1623.

Sept. 28

FAIRGROUNDS FUN Health screenings, flu shots, games, dancing, prizes and entertainment will be provided at this free event located at the Chesterfield

Connecting cultures, generations and perspectives

County Fairgrounds, 10300 Courthouse Rd. in Chesterfield, on Thursday, Sept. 28 from 9 a.m. to noon. At 9:30 a.m., there will be a warm-up and walk of the fair grounds. For more information, call (804) 768-7878 or email SeniorAdvocate@chesterfield.gov.

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Leisure & Travel | www.FiftyPlusRichmond.com

M

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Breakthrough technology converts phone calls to captions.

SEPTEMBER 2017 — FIFTYPLUS

New amplified phone lets you hear AND see the conversation.

By Ed Perkins It’s time to plan and reserve fall foliage trip accommodations and tours. And not just to New England — you can find good fall foliage viewing throughout much of the U.S. and Canada. Peak viewing dates move gradually from North to South between mid-September and mid-November. And you can view foliage displays in your car, on a bus tour, or on a train.

Where to go. Start by checking TripSavvy’s annual “Top spots in the USA for fall foliage” page, which rounds up the usual suspects, from New England to Yosemite to Alaska, with links to local sources throughout the country. See the page at www.tripsavvy.com/top-spots-forfall-foliage-united-states-3301223.

Also check the National Park Service at www.nps.gov, which touts foliage opportunities at dozens of parks. Log on for details, including best times to visit each park.

When to go. Several sources post fall foliage calendars or maps to help you decide when to hit each area. Start with the Foliage Network (www.foliagenetwork.com), with separate regional reports for the Northeast, Midwest and Southeast.

Also good: Stormfax, (www.stormfax.com/ foliagemap.htm), with both a national map and links to state and regional fall foliage websites and hotlines. The online weather channels also typically post fall foliage calendars.

How to see it. Most people think of fall foliage as a road trip. Fall foliage websites typically include driving directions, many with links to local visitor activities. Lock in your accommodations as early as you can, and be sure to avoid football weekends at any prominent university towns.

For several years, Amtrak has added its only full-length dome car to one trainset used for the daily New York-Montreal Adirondack day train, which passes through good leaf scenery, but, as usual, Amtrak announces its plans quite late. Last year, the dome car was on the route from Sept. 29 to Nov. 1.

Other Amtrak options passing through good foliage areas during daylight hours include the daily daytime Vermonter between St Alban’s, Vermont and New York; and the daily Ethan Allen Express, between Rutland and New York. In both cases, southbound trips offer the best viewing.

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Other possible foliage opportunities include the Pennsylvanian between Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, and the California Zephyr daytime segment from Denver to Green River.

In 2015, SmarterTravel.com listed “Best Fall Foliage Train Rides in North America.”

Among them: The Mount Washington Cog Railway, New Hampshire (www.thecog.com); the Durango & Silverton, Colorado (vdurangotrain.com); the Essex Steam Train, Connecticut (www.essexsteamtrain.com); Adirondack Scenic Railroad, New York (www.adirondackrr.com/); Blue Ridge Scenic Railway, Georgia (www.brscenic.com); Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad, Ohio (www.cvsr.com); and the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad (www.gsmr.com).

But dozens of other tourist railways around the country also feature fall foliage packages. In most cases, these are short oneday, out-and-back excursions. The Collis P. Huntington Railroad Historical Society is running a series of all-day “New River” foliage excursions (www.newrivertrain.com/nrt.shtml) using vintage mainline railcars in West Virginia on two October weekends. While dome cars are sold out, coach seats are still available on the Oct. 29 excursion as of press time.

Vacations by Rail (www.vacationsbyrail. com) run several foliage excursions with at least some travel by rail, and Rail Travel Tours (www.railtraveltours.com) runs several tours with rail travel on VIA Rail Canada. Uncommon Journeys (www.uncommonjourneys.com/) features several rail and cruise combos. The agency FallFoliageCruis (www.fallfoliagecruise.com), a division of Vacations to Go, lists a diverse set of foliage cruises in New England and Canada.

Dozens of local and national operators run bus tours, many including accommodations.

Just Google “fall foliage tours” or see a travel agent.

Where to stay. You know how to locate whatever accommodations you prefer: hotel, motel, resort, B&B, campground. The prime locations fill quickly, so book sooner rather than later. Often, an inclusive tour package is the best way to make sure you’ll get accommodations where you want them. © 2017 Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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ADMINS AND DRIVERS NEEDED

There is an urgent need for drivers and office assistants at the Shepherd’s Center of Chesterfield, located at 6800 Lucy Corr Blvd. in Chesterfield. Drivers transport seniors to medical appointments and the grocery store. For more information or to volunteer, call (804) 706-9198.

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FIFTYPLUS — SEPTEMBER 2017

Style

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Arts &

Jersey Boys returns to Richmond, at the Altria Theater from Sept. 29 to Oct. 1.

Exciting fall season of theater and music

By Catherine Brown As temperatures cool and new routines settle in, local theaters kick off their fall seasons with shows new and old. What better time to enjoy the thrill of a premiering performance or the comforting pleasure of an old favorite!

VA Repertory Theater’s season opens with Shakespeare in Love, the reimagining of the romance between poet and playwright William Shakespeare and his muse Viola de Lessups.

New York-based director and choreographer Jen Wineman oversees the Richmond production of this show, based on the 1998 Oscar-winning film of the same title. She describes the performance as “a love letter to theater and to the power of inspiration…filled with humor, romantic magic, workplace drama, and, of course, a dog.” What more could you ask for?

The roles portrayed in the movie by Gwenyth Paltrow and Joseph Fiennes will be played by Broadway’s Betsy Struxness, who appeared in the original casts of Hamilton and Matilda, and Virginia native Brandon Carter, known for performances in The Three Musketeers and Macbeth at the Classical Theatre of Harlem.

The show runs from Sept. 13 to Oct. 8.

Take the grandkids If families visit over the holidays, take them to Virginia Rep’s production of familyfavorite Mary Poppins, with performances from Nov. 17 to Dec. 31.

Based on the Disney movie starring Julie Andrews and books by P.L. Travers, this engaging performance features such memorable songs as “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious,” “Chim Chim Cheree,” and the riveting “Step in Time” (where chimney sweeps dance across London rooftops). The production is directed by Chase Kniffen, Associate Artistic Director, choreographed by dancer Lisa Rumbauskas.

Tickets for either Shakespeare in Love or Mary Poppins range from $36 to $62. Patrons 65 and older receive $5 off all Wednesday shows. Also check eligibility for Tom Tickets — tickets for seniors who otherwise could not afford to attend.

These shows are at Virginia Rep’s Main Stage, 114 W. Broad St., Richmond.

Virginia Rep’s Cadence Season, co-produced with the Cadence Theatre Company, kicks off with Fun Home, winner of the 2015 Tony Award for Best Musical.

Written by Lisa Kron with music by Jeanine Tesori, this funny, uplifting show explores a woman’s struggle to connect with her father, and her growing awareness of her own sexuality. Tickets cost $40. Performances are at the Theatre Gym in the main theater.

At the Hanover Tavern, Virginia Rep presents Miracle on South Division Street from Dec. 1 to 31. In this rollicking play written by Tom Dudzick and directed by Debra Clinton, a deathbed confession reveals a secret that calls into question a long-standing family legend.

Tickets start at $42, with $5 off for those 65 or over at Wednesday and Thursday performances. The Hanover Tavern is located at 13181 Hanover Courthouse Rd., Hanover.

To learn more about Virginia Rep’s shows, visit http://va-rep.org or call the box office at (804) 282-2620.

Jersey Boys returns Were you among the 31,000 theatregoers to see the Jersey Boys premier in Richmond three years ago? If not, you will soon have another chance!

The Altria Theater’s season kicks off with a return of the Tony-award-winning musical about singer Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons. At-

tend one of the four shows over the weekend of Sept. 29 to Oct. 1 and enjoy listening to catchy tunes you love to sing in the shower, like “Big Girls Don’t Cry,” “Sherry,” and “Walk Like a Man.” Ticket range from $48 to $83.

The Broadway in Richmond program at the Altria includes Rodgers and Hammerstein’s The Sound of Music from Dec. 8 to 10. This musical, adapted to the big screen in the highly successful 1965 movie starring Julie Andrews, delights viewers with inspiring and moving songs, such as “Edelweiss,” “Climb Ev’ry Mountain,” and “My Favorite Things.” Tickets for The Sound of Music, which will be performed at the Altria See UPCOMING THEATER, page 29

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SEPTEMBER 2017 — FIFTYPLUS

All ferns work well in shaded gardens

By Lela Martin Fall is a great time for planting, and there’s nothing like ferns to make your shade garden appear lush and appealing. Ferns first appear in the fossil record 360 million years ago. There are currently around 12,000 species of them.

Ferns have neither flowers nor seeds, so we use a different vocabulary when describing them. The frond, which varies in size, is the part of the fern that we notice as the leaf.

These fronds arise from rhizomes, which are comparable to stems in flowering plants. Fiddleheads are the coiled fronds of young ferns, which resemble the scroll on the end of a violin.

Fronds are either fertile or sterile. The undersides of fertile fronds bear clusters of spores called sori. Sori look like little brown dots and contain millions of dust-like spores, through which ferns reproduce. Like those of flowering plants, a fern’s roots are underground.

Hardy ferns are those that can survive outside temperatures. Some hardy ferns die back in the fall and regrow in the spring, while others remain evergreen throughout the year.

Ferns can grow in a variety of landscapes, climates and growing conditions. All ferns, however, prefer well-drained soil high in organic matter. Most require a moist, shady spot to grow.

If grown in a good environment, ferns have few pest problems. Deer typically bypass ferns. Occasionally though, slugs will eat the young fronds of hay scented ferns and ebony spleenwort.

Most ferns are slow-growing and can take several years to reach their mature size. While most ferns average between one and three feet tall and wide, some, such as resurrection fern, grow only a few inches tall. Others, including royal and ostrich ferns, can tower to six feet.

Ferns for your garden Here are a few hardy native varieties to consider.

Royal Fern (Osmunda spectabilis) One of the most widespread of all living species, royal fern is found on every continent except Australia. The fronds are cut twice into large rounded leaflets, resulting in foliage that resembles that of the pea family.

Deciduous, royal fern grows from a symmetric clump known as a crown from which both fertile and sterile fronds grow. The sterile fronds can reach up to five feet tall. Much shorter, the fertile fronds turn brown as the season progresses, resembling flowers or feathers.

Royal fern prefers even moisture and can even tolerate periods of standing water. It can grow in sun.

Cinnamon Fern (Osmundastrum cinnamomeum)

A deciduous fern, the cinnamon fern forms large clumps from black rootstock and can grow from two to six feet high.

Fertile fronds appear first as upright, silvery, furry fiddleheads. As they mature, the fronds turn from green to a dramatic cinnamon or chocolate brown color. The infertile fronds bend outwards in a vase-shaped circle enclosing the fertile fronds.

Cinnamon fern can grow in full sun to full shade, preferring acidic soils. It hosts six species of native caterpillars.

Ebony Spleenwort (Asplenium platyneuron) A dainty evergreen upright fern that grows from 10 to 18 inches high, ebony spleenwort is one of the most drought-tolerant ferns. The stalk or rhizome turns a shiny black with age.

With its interesting dark foliage, this fern is good for light, airy cover. It thrives in welldrained, humus-rich soil, and does not grow well in clay.

Arching erect fertile fronds arise from the center of the plant. They remain green late into the season. The sterile fronds are shorter than the fertile fronds, and they are flat and spreading.

Evergreen Wood Fern (Dryopteris intermedia) The evergreen wood fern is seldom damaged by deer or rabbits. In fact, its foliage is considered toxic to mammals.

It forms a broad crown that is covered with light brown scales and grows in a clumping habit. The arching fronds are attractive, growing in a vase shape and ranging in color from bluish green to dull olive green.

Evergreen wood fern grows from 18 to 24 inches tall, and prefers moist, well-drained humus in partial to full shade. It serves as a host to three species of native caterpillars.

Hay Scented Fern (Dennstaedtia punctilobula) A deciduous fern, hay scented fern can create a carpetlike mat one to three feet in height.

The soft hairy surface of the fronds is distinctive. In late summer, it becomes more ragged in appearance, but it provides the scent of freshly cut hay when the drying fronds are crushed.

Adaptable to rocky soils, it can be aggressive in favorable conditions. It is an excellent replacement for the invasive ground covers English ivy and periwinkle (Vinca minor).

Note: Because the fiddleheads of some ferns are carcinogenic, eating fiddleheads from the wild is not recommended.

Copyright © 2017, Lela Martin, who is a Master Gardener with the Chesterfield County office of the Virginia Cooperative Extension.

From the publisher From page 2 This is difficult, I grant you, when there’s no human contact. But perhaps you can say something in a comment box, or write a review of the transaction, or even send an email to customer service: anything to let the seller know that you learned of them through Fifty Plus.

Upcoming theater From page 27 Theater, go on sale October 20.

Other performances at Altria Theater include ZZ Top, Wynton Marsalis, and John Cleese.

The theater is located at 6 N. Laurel St., Richmond. Visit www.altriatheater.com or buy tickets by phone, 1-800-514-ETIX (3849).

At the Firehouse During the Firehouse Theatre’s Season of Possibilities, Artist-in-Residence Bo Wilson presents the world premiere of Food, Clothing, and Shelter from Sept. 6 to 17. Set in 1927, the play, directed by Joel Bassin, tells the story of the Yankee Doodle Circus train that derails outside of Vinton, Indiana.

In the three connected “one-acts,” different members of the circus troupe work to get their needs — food, clothing and shelter — met by the citizens of the small Midwestern

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FIFTYPLUS — SEPTEMBER 2017

You will also find useful information in our paper provided by nonprofits and government agencies in the area, such as through this month’s Senior Connections insert placed by the Capital Area Agency on Aging.

These organizations also need to know you look to Fifty Plus to obtain this information.

Some readers find it easier to simply write or email us now and then with a quick testi-

monial: telling us how an article, insert or even advertisement saved them money, improved their health, taught their doctor something, or just made their day.

Any or all of these efforts can help us retain our advertisers, who truly keep Fifty Plus free. Or almost free, for it turns out that I am asking something in return from you and from every other reader of our paper.

Patronize those advertisers who have something to offer you. And please take a moment to mention Fifty Plus when you do. It can make all the difference.

We thank you.

town. Watch the Firehouse transform into a big top, while sideshow performers busk throughout the theater and magicians take the stage.

In October, the Firehouse presents Eugene O’Neill’s Desire Under the Elms, directed by VCU Professor Josh Chenard.

Rooted in the tragic Greek myth Phaedra, Desire tells the story of greedy Ephraim Cabot, whose sons and new wife fight to inherit the old man’s New England farm.

“O’Neill’s text is so dramatic and so beautiful. Finding that balance between theatricality and the truth of human experience is a wonderful challenge,” Chenard said.

Tickets for both shows range from $30 to $35, with a military discount of $5 off. Firehouse Theatre is located at 1609 W. Broad St., Richmond. For tickets, visit www.firehousetheatre.org or call (804) 355-2001.

Is classical music more your scene? The Richmond Symphony’s concerts include the

classically-trained strings trio Time for Three on Oct. 28, and a performance of Mozart’s Mass in C Minor on Nov. 11 and 12.

Tickets range from $10 to $80. Senior rates

(approximately 10 percent off) apply to patrons 65 and older. Visit www.richmondsymphony.com or buy tickets by phone, 1-800-514-3849.

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Crossword Puzzle Daily crosswords can be found on our website: www.TheBeaconNewspapers.com Film School 1

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Down 1 Culturally acceptable 2 Takes during the riot 3 ___ to the Moon (Groundbreaking 1902 moving picture) 4 GQ and SI 5 Senseless 6 Mr. Claus, to pals 7 John Deere’s were made of steel 8 ___ of Office 9 Pick up the tab 10 Skirt fold 11 Like last year’s styles 12 ___ fly (run-scoring out in baseball) 13 “Can you say that again?”

21 Prefix for -potent or -present 22 Item in a ballerina’s wardrobe 26 Culturally unacceptable 27 Japanese car maker 28 Fancy popcorn holders 29 Brief newspaper bio.

31 Proofer’s second thought 32 Pony Express delivery 33 Bone: Prefix 34 Hand-gesture of peace 35 Uses needles and thread 36 Heavyweight champion during the US bicentennial 37 One of Hamlet’s options 42 Quiet down, please 43 Poppy products 44 Fitness centers 45 Select the bride and groom 50 “Dallas” family name 51 Burn slightly 52 Cousin to a weasel or badger 53 Present a Lifetime Achievement Award 54 Perform better than 55 “It’s always one thing or the ___” 57 Top selling liquid laundry detergent 58 German beer 59 Walk down the aisle 60 ___ and Peace 61 Gold fund, reserved for one’s golden years

Answers on page 29.

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