Active Life Spring 2021

ACTIVE LIFE SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT TO THE GLOBE

MAY 2021

Faith, positivity define Cavanaugh Giving back, blessing others at Worthington man’s core

By Jane Turpin Moore The Globe WORTHINGTON — If, as many wise people have suggested, attitude is everything, then Tom Cavanaugh has it all.“ If you’ve been blessed, it’s very easy to be a blessing to someone else,” said Cavanaugh, 69.

“It all comes back to learning to be a giver, extending that to the community and wanting to be a part of whatever the Lord lays on your heart to do. Then you can give of your time and resources in any way you choose.”

Cavanaugh, an active member of the Worthington community since 1978, knows he is blessed despite deeply felt personal loss, numerous medical interventions throughout his life for the cerebral palsy with which he was born and other trials he’s experienced.

Today, he continues his life of service as a frequent volunteer at the Center for Active Living (CAL) and Love INC while often exercising his sly wit. And he’s looking forward to the marriage of his only daughter, Megan, sometime in the next few years.

A true Hawkeye

Besides being the location of artist Grant Wood’s “American Gothic” farmhouse and the hometown of actor Tom Arnold (and the quirky MASH character Radar), the southwest town of Ottumwa, Iowa, is Cavanaugh’s childhood home.

“I’m the fourth of 10 kids,” said Cavanaugh before quipping, “My parents [Barb and Joe, the latter a World War II pilot from Philadelphia sent to Ottumwa’s naval air station] didn’t get cable till later.”

Born with cerebral palsy, Cavanaugh had no choice but to roll with life in his bustling family from the start; after all, before he was even quite 3, his mother had six kids under the age of 9.

“I have a disability, but it’s not stopped me,” said Cavanaugh. “It’s slowed me down some but hasn’t stopped me from doing anything.”

When he was about 4 years old, Cavanaugh was taken to the University of Iowa hospitals in Iowa City for the first of several surgeries to treat his cerebral palsy.

“My first one was in 1955 and my last one there was in 1969,” said Cavanaugh.

“It was kind of rough,” he admitted of the extended hospital stays each surgical pro-

cedure required.

“I hated to leave home, but once I got used to being away from my family, I didn’t want to go back.”

That was due, at least in part, to the excellent care he and other pediatric patients at the University of Iowa medical establishment received.

Plus, the budding sports fan, whose maternal grandfather had coached football, basketball and track, was introduced to the rabid fan culture of the Hawkeye athletic machine.

“I became a Hawkeye fan early on,” said Cavanaugh. “The hospital was right on the U of I’s campus and they had people who worked at the hospital who were connected with different sports.

“After 17 years of losing [football] seasons, Hayden Fry came to Iowa. He’d noticed how nuts the fans went when their team even got a first down,” Cavanaugh continued.

“Fry wondered what they’d do if they ever won a game.”

Under Fry’s leadership at Iowa from 1979-98, the Hawkeyes did win, often, and Cavanaugh admitted it would be fair to call him a “diehard Hawkeye fan.”

Besides cementing his athletic team loyalty, Cavanaugh’s childhood medical stints in Iowa City taught him another valuable life lesson — namely, whatever difficulty one might be battling, there is always someone with a harder fight.

“I met other kids who were probably worse off,” said Cavanaugh.

“This one guy had a pair of wooden legs.

“He’d strap them on, jump out of bed, grab his crutches and down the hall he went. At night, he’d take his legs off and walk on his hands; you do what you have to do, and that was ‘normal’ for him because that was all he knew.

“When you have a handicap, you just have to keep going, and if someone looks at you and says you’re not ‘normal,’ they don’t understand that it’s ‘normal’ for you.”

Submitted photo

Tom Cavanaugh is pictured taking a break from his volunteer activities at the Center for Active Living prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. Cavanaugh has been an active part of the Worthington community for decades and continues serving as he nears 70.

be in Worthington for about two years.”

Instead, Worthington became Cavanaugh’s home. While attending what is now Solid Rock Assembly Church, where he still worships today, Cavanaugh met the former Tami Eckerson. The two married in 1987.

“Of all the institutions I’ve been involved with, marriage was the best one,” said Cavanaugh.

Sadly, his happy union with Tami lasted just 15 years; she died of complications from lupus in May 2002, leaving Cavanaugh to raise their Moving on to only surviving child, Megan, who was 7 seven Worthington After graduating from years old.

“Lupus is hard on high school in Ottumsaid wa, Cavanaugh attended pregnancies,” Central College in Pella, Cavanaugh, mentioning Iowa, thereafter taking that he and Tami’s first daughter, Brittany, was a job in Sheldon, Iowa.

“After that work stillborn at eight and a opportunity, I inter- half months. They sufviewed at The Achieve- fered another miscarment Center in Worth- riage later, and Tami was ington and worked pregnant with twins — there for 20 years,” said one of whom was Megan Cavanaugh, chuckling.

— when her labor began “I thought I’d only at only 31 weeks’ gesta-

tion. Megan’s twin did not survive.

“The only difference between Megan and Brittany was that Megan was breathing and Brittany wasn’t,” said Cavanaugh, noting Megan’s birth weight — three pounds, 11 ounces — was actually two ounces short of Brittany’s.

“That reinforced my whole pro-life position.”

Cavanaugh’s personal convictions led him to serve two three-year terms on the board of Helping Hands Pregnancy Center. He also spent six years on the board of District 518’s Community Education program.

More recently, he has regularly volunteered at Love INC and the Center for Active Living (CAL).

“Each of these roles has given me quite a variety of things to do and connected me with different aspects of life in Worthington,” said Cavanaugh.

“We have several organizations here to help people, and I’ve been a

part of that,” he continued. “I like to give back, be active and find ways to help other people.”

Mary Luke, the CAL’s managing director, showers praise on Cavanaugh’s attitude and efforts.

“Tom is a breath of fresh air,” said Luke.

“He’s always willing to do what people need, and he really wants to provide support.”

Luke mentioned that Cavanaugh’s roles have ranged from helping her track attendance (the CAL had over 12,000 visits in 2019, she knows in part due to Tom’s help), assisting with administrative tasks and, during the 2020 pandemic, making outreach calls to CAL members to ensure people were doing OK. “Tom is active and follows through on his intentions,” said Luke.

In addition, Luke says Cavanaugh is witty, a wonderful dad, a zealous sports fan and “a down-to-earth guy.”

For his part, Cavanaugh has enjoyed seeing

the various folks who frequent the CAL. “Some are card players, some play dominos, some are passionate about pickle ball, some come for lunch,” he listed.

“People look forward to things like that, and it’s been hard on everyone in the past year to not have those activities.”

Trials and blessings

Cavanaugh shepherded his daughter Megan to a successful graduation from Worthington High School in 2013; she graduated in 2017 from Bethany Lutheran College, Mankato.

Recently, she launched Done Right Pest Solutions in the Twin Cities metro area with three partners, and became engaged to Caleb Wede, a fellow WHS Class of 2013 alumnus.

“There’s no date set yet,” said Cavanaugh, though he will be happy for her wedding when that day arrives.

POSITIVITY: Page 2

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ACTIVE LIFE

| WEDNESDAY, MAY 5, 2021

| THE GLOBE, WORTHINGTON, MINN.

DGLOBE.COM

Why seeing a geriatrician could be a good option Brandpoint It comes as second nature for most parents to take their children to a pediatrician at least once a year. The differences between children and adults are so stark that it makes sense to choose a doctor specially trained to treat younger patients.

Yet as we age, far too few of us apply this same logic when choosing a physician, even though our health needs often change dramatically in our later years. And we know from recent experience with the COVID-19 pandemic that the health complexities for older adults can make them particularly vulnerable to certain illnesses, demonstrating the need for a care approach as tailored as the individuals themselves.

“The kind of care you deliver to an older adult is definitely not the same as the care you give to a middle-aged person,” said Michael Stockman, M.D., a geriatrician and medical director with UnitedHealthcare Medicare & Retirement. “The physiology of older people is very different from people in other stages of life.”

Those differences are significant enough that the medical community developed a specialty called geriatrics, to address the needs of older adults.

Geriatricians, like Dr. Stockman, are licensed physicians who have completed additional training in managing the care of older adults.

That training makes geriatricians uniquely suited to help seniors manage the demands of their often-complex health issues.

One of those com-

plex issues is the care of chronic conditions, such as high blood pressure, diabetes and heart disease, which are much more prevalent in older people than the rest of the population. More than half of older adults have at least two chronic conditions. This group is also at higher risk for developing chronic diseases, along with other complex conditions such as cancer and Alzheimer’s disease.

Additionally, nearly 90% of adults 65 and older take at least one prescription medication, and more than half report that they take four or more, compared to one-third for those in the 50 to 64 age bracket.

Juggling multiple chronic conditions can be a challenge for the doctor and the patient.

One condition can sometimes make the effects of another condition worse, and the treatments or medications for different illnesses sometimes interfere with each other.

Decisions about how to customize a patient’s treatment aren’t necessarily black and white, requiring a doctor and patient to carefully balance risks and benefits. For example, some diabetes medicines can cause dizziness, meaning the doctor needs to focus not just on regulating the patient’s blood sugar but also on minimizing the risk of a fall, which is the most common cause of injury in seniors.

“I think geriatricians are the only medical specialty more interested in taking away medications you don’t need than giving you new medications. A lot of what we do is determining which medications are more likely to

Brandpoint

Geriatricians are licensed physicians who have completed additional training in managing the care of older adults. cause harm than help,” Stockman said. “One of the most important things for geriatricians is the concept of shared decision-making. We ask patients, ‘What trade-offs are you willing to make?’”

Sometimes, the tradeoffs are fairly simple — weighing the pros and cons of taking a certain medication or undergoing a specific screening, for example. But more often than not, they also incorporate a person’s overall quality-of-life goals. How important is it to maximize longevity? Comfort? How about independence?

Each person answers those questions differently, and geriatricians are trained to use the answers to guide their treatment recommendations and care plan.

In addition to the clinical aspects of an individual’s care are the complexities of variables commonly referred to as “social determinants of health” — things like access to healthy food, financial burdens, racial disparities, transportation limitations and more. Many older adults are dealing with these potential barriers to health, and as Stockman noted, a geriatrician can help support his or her patients in identifying and addressing these challenges alongside their regular care plan.

So, when should someone seek out a geriatrician for themselves or a loved one?

A significant change in health status could be a trigger for a geriatrician visit. But anytime an older adult feels his or her care is becoming

too complex or needs better coordination, a visit with a geriatrician could help.

“Geriatricians can be really good at balancing all of a person’s medical needs and different doctors in one overall care plan,” Stockman said.

Think you could benefit from seeing a geriatrician?

With 10,000 Americans turning 65 every day, the demand for geriatricians continues to grow. Unfortunately, these specialists are a comparatively rare breed. While there are more than 58,000 general pediatricians practicing in the United States, there are fewer than 5,600 geriatricians.

For this reason, finding a board-certified geriatrician to support your ongoing health care needs may be dif-

ficult, but many geriatricians will see a patient on a one-time or as-needed basis and then make recommendations to the patient’s primary care physician.

The American Geriatrics Society offers information about how to find a geriatrician on its website, healthinaging.org, and many larger hospitals and university medical centers have geriatricians on staff who will see new patients. If you’re enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan, be sure to confirm if a geriatrician you want to see is in your plan’s network and whether your plan requires you to first get a referral from your primary care physician before a visit with a geriatrician will be covered.

POSITIVITY

ing 70 in a few months faith,” said Cavanaugh, more than I deserve,” isn’t any more daunting who learned early on to said Cavanaugh.

From Page 1 to Cavanaugh than fac- use humor to shake off “That’s the center of Cavanaugh credits ing multiple surgeries other people’s misper- my ability to be posihis Solid Rock Assem- miles from home was ceptions of himself and tive. Life isn’t fair, but bly church family for when he was a young his abilities. you just have to do what “I can get out of bed helping him during his boy because his faith every day and know I you can and know it’s daughter’s earlier years. keeps him strong.

“You can’t go through have a purpose because all going to work out in “The Lord brings you stuff and still be pos- the Lord has blessed the end; that’s the most through all kinds of itive unless you have me beyond measure — important thing.” things, and friends, the people you get to know, your church family — they all came alongside Megan and me and Our qualified health care professionals are here helped out with things to provide a helping hand in any way they can. that dads don’t know as much about,” he said.

We provide quality care 24 hours a day In 2015, Cavanaugh’s PLUS •Rehabilitation Services left hip was surgically •Social Services •Special Diets replaced, and a 2019 fall •Therapeutic Activities resulted in the break of •Medicare & Medicaid Approved his right femur.

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Submitted photo

Tom Cavanaugh, an avid sports fan, enjoyed a closeup meeting with TC Bear during a past Twins Caravan stop at the Worthington Area YMCA.

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Running a mile a day doesn’t keep shingles away Why healthy adults are at risk for shingles Brandpoint At age 67, rock music enthusiast, avid runner and California native Jon was brought to his knees by shingles, a disease that approximately one in three people in the United States will develop in their lifetime.

Jon maintains a healthy and active lifestyle. He is the first American to reach 50 consecutive years of running at least one mile every day. Despite this healthy lifestyle, he contracted shingles and was shocked by how much damage it caused a physically fit man like himself.

“I felt a stinging sensation after a long bike ride. It was a hot Sep-

tember day and I figured I had been exposed to poison oak. I continued on without thinking it could be something more.”

Anyone who has gotten chickenpox is at risk of contracting shingles, also known as herpes zoster. When chickenpox becomes dormant within the nerves, it can reactivate later in life, causing shingles.Shingles typically presents as a painful, itchy rash that develops on one side of the body and can last for two to four weeks.

“My experience with shingles was excruciating. I experienced a range of symptoms, from trouble sleeping because of the blisters to

crippling pain throughout my body.”

When the pain did not subside, Jon visited his doctor, who confirmed that he had shingles.

Jon’s active lifestyle immediately changed.

He refrained from going out in public and could only take cold showers because hot water would reactivate the irritating blisters.

“Shingles took over my life. I felt helpless in my own body. This was truly a paralyzing feeling for me.

“My experience with shingles ended up lasting about six months.

Though I am feeling much better today, I can still feel the stiffness left by shingles in my right glute.”

Approximately 10% to 18% of patients with shingles experience post-herpetic neuralgia, a pain lasting from at

Brandpoint

“My experience with shingles was excruciating,” says Jon, a 67-yar-old rock music enthusiast, avid runner and California native. least three months up to several years.

“My biggest regret is that I took my health for granted. I didn’t take the time to learn about shingles symptoms or how likely it was for people my age to develop this virus.”

The truth is, anyone 50 years or older, even if you’re a healthy, active person, is considered at risk for shingles.

Jon learned firsthand that shingles doesn’t play favorites. Now, as a GSK spokesperson, Jon works to educate adults about shingles, the risks of the disease and the importance of talking to a doctor about vaccination.

If you’re 50 years of age and older, talk to your doctor about vaccination against shingles. Vaccination will

help reduce the risk of developing shingles and the potential long-term pain from post-herpetic neuralgia, a common complication caused by the disease.

For more information, visit www.ShinglesDoesntPlayFavorites.com.

This is one person’s experience; other people’s experience with shingles may be different. Content sponsored by GSK.

Three ways to help your loved ones age in place Brandpoint In what seemed like an instant, the COVID19 pandemic turned the world upside down. In addition to completely changing the way we work, shop and interact with others — just to name a few — it’s also forcing seniors to rethink their living arrangements and plans for the future, and changing the way we care for our elderly parents.

Given the recommendations around social distancing and documented outbreaks in nursing homes and other care facilities, more and more seniors are opting to age in place or, in other words, remain in their homes.

But that’s easier said than done. Whether we’re in a pandemic or not, adjustments need to be made to ensure they have the support to do so safely.

Medication management

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), nearly half of Americans take at least one prescription drug, and one in four take three or more. However, studies have consistently shown that 20% to 30% of prescriptions are never filled and about 50% of medications for

Brandpoint

To help your loved one stay on track with their medication regimen, an automatic medicine dispenser may be an appealing option. chronic disease are not taken as prescribed.

“Medication compliance is one of the most frequent reasons for decompensation with chronic medical illnesses,” said Mitchell Hyatt McClure, M.D., Chief, Hospital Medicine at Hartford Hospital.

To help your loved one stay on track with their medication regimen, consider an automatic medicine dispenser like Pria by BLACK+DECKER. Pria is a smart pill dispenser and home health care assistant designed to empower seniors to maintain their independence at home. Not only does it dispense the right dose at the right time, but it also allows caregivers to stay connected through twoway video calls, reminders and check-ins.

When using Pria for more than 90 days,

users’ average adherence rate was 82% — up from 39% when used for fewer than 45 days.

Caregiver presence also positively influences medication adherence when using Pria. Users with one caregiver had an average adherence rate of 79.4%, users with two caregivers were at 80.9% and users with three caregivers were up to 88.2%.

“An electronic pill dispenser like Pria can be invaluable for patients in promoting better health by improving medication compliance and reinforcing good health habits. The ability to additionally use Pria as a tool to communicate is an added benefit to combat social isolation, a problem that already existed in our elderly patients, but has been made increasingly

worse by the COVID pandemic,” said McClure.

Meanwhile, in Worthington, a medication management program offered by Sterling Drug — thanks to a partnership with A.C.E. of Southwest Minnesota and a grant from the Worthington Regional Health Care Foundation — creates personalized multi-dose cards that allow people to see clearly what day of the week and time of day (morning, noon, evening or bedtime) that they should take medications.

“There are a number of reasons that make this medication packaging program a great fit for many people, including complicated medication regimens, busy schedules, reduced vision with age or memory impairment, to name a few,” Sterling Drug Pharmacist Jason Turner said. “The merits of the program are many, but the ones that hit home with me are that we are adding to our patients’ safety in taking their meds correctly and also in many cases allowing people to remain more independent in their own homes with this professional service.”

Remote monitoring According

to

the

care. However, simple home modifications can make it easier — and safer — for seniors to age in place. And when it comes to home modifications, the possibilities are endless.

When deciding which modifications to make, walk around the house with your loved one and identify their specific pain points. If they fear slipping in the shower, add a shower chair; if the front steps lack support, install railings; if their hardwood floors are slippery, lay down no-slip mats for traction. There are a number of options, both temporary and permanent, that can help your loved one stay in their home safely and comfortably.

The coronavirus pandemic has put our aging population at great risk, so it should come as no surprise that many seniors have opted to age in place. While it may be uncomfortable for family caregivers to accept this decision, it can be incredibly fulfilling and liberating for seniors when planned for properly. By utilizing available technology and making modifications where necessary, most seniors can Home modifications remain happy, healthy Most homes aren’t and independent in designed for long-term their own homes.

National Council on Aging (NCOA), an older adult dies from a fall every 19 minutes. In fact, falls are the leading cause of fatal injury and the most common cause of nonfatal trauma-related hospital admissions among older adults. Furthermore, falls — with or without injury — can greatly impact seniors’ quality of life. A fear of falling creates a sense of uneasiness that often leads to a decrease in activity, which can, in turn, lead to physical decline, depression, social isolation and feelings of helplessness.

But caregivers can provide active loved ones with confident mobility simply by investing in a remote monitoring device. Whether it’s a necklace equipped with GPS, a smartwatch that can detect a fall and automatically alert emergency services, an in-home device that connects directly to emergency response operators or a combination of the three, your loved one will be able to age in place with the peace of mind that they have access to help should they need it.

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ACTIVE LIFE

| WEDNESDAY, MAY 5, 2021

| THE GLOBE, WORTHINGTON, MINN.

DGLOBE.COM

Still playing after all these years Nearing 80, Benton performs on accordion at venues around region tine. This past Thursday afternoon (April 29), WORTHINGTON — Benton was in a familiar Galen Benton has cer- spot at Ecumen Meadtainly kept himself ows, performing songs active since his retire- on his accordion from ment, but he’s happy to multiple eras and genres.

“I come here once be a little extra busier every month in normal these days.

After COVID-19 times,” Benton said. restrictions limited “Of course, everything Benton’s opportuni- was on hold from March ties to provide musical 2020 … and I didn’t do entertainment to folks one of these for severthroughout southwest al months. This is the Minnesota and north- third time I’ve been west Iowa during this here now in the past past year, he’s now get- three months.” ting back to his old rouBenton’s entertainBy Ryan McGaughey rmcgaughey@dglobe.com

Ryan McGaughey / The Globe

Galen Benton performs on his accordion Thursday, April 29, 2021, in the south dining room at Worthington’s Ecumen Meadows.

ment venues go far beyond Ecumen Meadows, of course, as he also plays before staff and residents of Golden Horizons, South Shore Care Center, Crossroads Care Center and Sunshine Apartments, all in Worthington. He’s also been a regular at other locales across the region, too, since his 2007 retirement from teaching music at Minnesota West Community & Technical College.

ACCORDION: Page 6

Three major benefits of the Extra Help program Brandpoint

ified Medicare beneficiaries afford the costs related to their prescription drugs, including premiums, deductibles and co-pays.

There is a full and a partial coverage version of the plan available, depending on your income level and assets, but both versions have huge potential for savings. For example, if a medication would normally cost $12,000 a year out of pocket, through the Extra Help partial program, your payment could be reduced to about $1,900.

With full Extra Help, you would pay $0.

Most people who qualify for the full program are automatically enrolled, because they are already enrolled in Medicaid and Medicare, or another support program. But many people What is the Extra are eligible for the partial program and don’t Help program?

Run by the Social realize it, missing out on Security Administration, big savings. An individthe Extra Help program ual might be eligible for — also known as the the program if they have Low-Income Subsidy an annual income under program — helps qual- $20,000 and less than

Maintaining your quality of life can become more challenging as you age. In addition to routine living expenses, your medical bills may begin to pile up, consuming more and more of your limited income.

This can be worrisome for Medicare beneficiaries, who remain the only insured population without a cap on out-ofpocket spending. Older adults are more likely to require medications for multiple conditions, which means multiple co-pays. And these extra bills can create a significant burden. The good news is that you may qualify for Medicare’s Extra Help program, which could help lower your medication costs by 85% or more.

$15,000 in assets, but there are some exceptions, and the limits are higher for couples. Want to check your eligibility? Start with this free, interactive quiz.

How does this program cover the costs?

The Extra Help program can help save money, but there is a lot more to it than that.

Here are a few other benefits it can provide: It pays for Part-D premiums: Most Medicare recipients have to pay a monthly fee as part of their premium. These premiums can be expensive depending on the prescription. Fortunately, the Extra Help program pays a portion of this premium. However, how much the program pays for can vary, as different states have different amounts they’re willing to set aside.

It gives qualified patients a special enrollment period: Most Medicare recipients can only enroll in prescription drug coverage during

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You may qualify for Medicare’s Extra Help program, which could help lower your medication costs by 85% or more. open enrollment between Oct. 15 and Dec. 7. But with the Extra Help program, participants have a Special Open Enrollment period that runs through the first nine months of the year.

It eliminates late enrollment penalties: If you’ve enrolled late for Part-D Medicare benefits before, you’ve probably paid a penalty fee. The fee is 1% of the national

filling out an application. This can seem overwhelming at first, but the PAN Foundation’s education hub can help. It includes videos that explain the There is a path to process, an eligibility affordable treatment checker and an interWith all the valuable active checklist to get benefits the Extra Help you ready to apply. And program can provide, if you get approved, the qualifying requires get- benefits can help you ting your financial doc- save a lot of money over uments in order and the years. base beneficiary premium, which was $32.74 in 2020. But for those who are part of the Extra Help program, these fees usually get eliminated.

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THE GLOBE, WORTHINGTON, MINN. | WEDNESDAY, MAY 5, 2021

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‘It’s not a death sentence’

Alyssa Goelzer / The Forum

Brenda Keller, a Moorhead woman who has early-onset Parkinson’s Disease enjoys the nice day by sitting outside on her deck on April 27, 2021, in Moorhead. April is Parkinson’s Awareness Month.

Non-motor symptoms early on include depression, anxiety, sleep disturbances and constipation.

Later, the risk of dementia increases, but it’s different from Alzheimer’s dementia, where there is significant memory loss.

“Their dementia tends to affect executive functioning, which includes things like planning, organization and judgment,” Harlow said.

Parkinson’s isn’t typically a genetic condi-

tion, passed down in one’s family.

However, there may be something in people’s genetic codes that makes them more susceptible to something in the environment, Harlow said.

One example of that is a higher rate of Parkinson’s among farmers who’ve been exposed to herbicides and pesticides.

One study found Nebraska, South Dakota and North Dakota have the highest per capita rates of Parkinson’s

disease, she said.

Keller’s symptoms began seemingly abruptly 15 years ago.

When she reached out to give something to her husband, her hand started shaking and she had pain in her arm.

“From there, it took a long time to get diagnosed,” she said.

She sought answers over the next year or so from several doctors, including at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, where initially, she was thought to have a much more

serious degenerative brain disease.

When she found out it was early onset Parkinson’s, she was actually relieved, she said.

Though young onset might seem more serious, symptoms actually progress much more slowly over time than those who develop it at an older age, Harlow said.

Keller has been receiving care and treatment at Sanford Health for the past ten years now and takes three different medications to keep

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ACTIVE LIFE

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5

Moorhead woman with Parkinson’s celebrates her ‘normal’ life

By Robin Huebner The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead MOORHEAD — Brenda Keller is determined to keep Parkinson’s disease from changing the way she lives her life, and with the help of medication, regular exercise and a positive attitude, it’s working.

Keller, 61, of Moorhead, is among the estimated one million Americans dealing with the chronic, degenerative movement disorder.

Her diagnosis at age 46 was considered an early onset form of Parkinson’s, a condition that usually affects people after age 60.

Keller said her symptoms haven’t changed much over the years, and during this Parkinson’s Disease Awareness Month of April, she’s grateful for that.

“I’m still doing almost all the same things that I’ve been doing all along, so I don’t let it stop me too much,” she said.

Dr. Tanya Harlow, a neurologist at Sanford Health in Fargo, specializes in movement disorders, spending nearly 70% of her time with Parkinson’s patients like Keller.

Accepting Parkinson’s And Making The Most Of It She said Parkinson’s develops in the basal ganglia or part of the brain that controls smooth movements, due to a loss of dopamine-producing cells there.

Clinical symptoms include tremor at rest, often starting on one side of the body, muscle stiffness and bradykinesia, or slowness of movement.

In later stages, posture and balance are affected.

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her symptoms at bay.

One doesn’t work as well when a patient eats high protein foods, so she has to adjust her diet accordingly.

How would things go if she wasn’t on the medications?

“I’d be shaking a lot more… shuffling and shaking,” Keller said.

Exercise is also key, according to Harlow, especially activity that gets a person’s heart rate up.

It may even slow progression of the disease, she said.

Keller gets her exercise through walking and playing with her grandchildren.

She’s also able to work part-time as an administrative assistant.

“I would say from my point of view, it’s not a death sentence... that you can work through it and still be pretty much normal... if you’re lucky enough,” she said.

Parkinson’s itself is not a fatal condition, Harlow said; however, patients can die from complications of swallowing difficulties leading to aspiration pneumonia, or falls, causing broken bones or a brain bleed.

Still, life expectancy of someone with Parkinson’s is generally only about a year and a half less compared to the general population, she said.

The focus, then, is helping patients with the condition live their best lives.

“I can’t cure them, but I can improve their quality of life, and that’s really what we want to be doing,” Harlow said.

Readers can reach reporter Robin Huebner at rhuebner@ forumcomm.com

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ACTIVE LIFE

| WEDNESDAY, MAY 5, 2021

| THE GLOBE, WORTHINGTON, MINN.

Galen Benton holds his accordion.

Photos by Ryan McGaughey / The Globe

A gathering of Ecumen Meadows residents listens to Galen Benton perform.

ACCORDION From Page 4

“I had taken accordion lessons when I was 10 years old and played until I got out of high school, and then didn’t do much with it until I retired from the college,” Benton explained.

“Then, I went out and got all this electronic equipment, so I had to learn how to run it and also get a repertoire of music ready. I started doing a little bit here and there — I played in Windom, Heron Lake, Lakefield, Sheldon (Iowa), Correctionville, Iowa, and in Pipestone at the Good Samaritan Center.

“My next birthday, I’m going to be 80, so I’ve cut down quite a bit and am kind of reducing my commitments,” he continued. “I still play in town … and I’ll

still go to the veterans’ home in Luverne because they’re veterans and I like to do that for them. I’ll also play at Country View Manor and Heartwood Heights, both in Sibley (Iowa).”

Benton has been a face of local music — and made plenty of sounds of it — for more than 50 years. He and wife Sherry arrived in Worthington in 1970, when he was hired at the Worthington Junior High School.

“Roger Gruss was the principal at the time … and (superintendent) Shirl Held hired me,” Benton remembered.

“He was one of the best administrators they ever had. What a gentleman.”

Benton taught at the junior high school until 1974 and, after an eightyear hiatus from teaching, he started at Minnesota West in August 1982.

Along the way, Benton

DGLOBE.COM

has done plenty of performing as well as teaching. He played string bass in the house band for Memorial Auditorium Performing Arts Center’s “Corn Off the Cob” variety show for many years, and has been a long-time member of the Fulda Big Band. Many who have sat in Worthington’s Chautauqua Park on Wednesday summer nights may also know that Benton directed the “Amazing” Worthington City Band for 14 years.

Both Galen and Sherry have also participated in the bell choir at Worthington’s First United Methodist Church for 30 years, and Galen has performed as part of the Worthington Brass Band Quintet for more than 25 years.

And, he loves the opportunity to play an instrument he first learned in long ago,

oftentimes in front of people he first met long ago.

“All these guys at that table (pointing gesture) today, I know,” Benton remarked after his Thursday show. “Arlo Mogck, George Bents, Bruce Lease, Martin Aaser … Russ Rickers — I’ve known those people for years. There are quite a few people from (his) church that live here, too.”

With each of those people comes the potential for a variety of music tastes. Benton said he aims to play a cross-section of music that includes country (he often includes Willie Nelson’s “On the Road Again” in a set), sacred and spiritual, polkas, waltzes, old standards and some big band (“like ‘String of Pearls’ by the Glenn Miller Band,” he added). He’ll even do a

little rock ‘n roll, citing Bill Haley and the Comets’ famed 1950s hit “Rock Around the Clock” as a tune he’ll perform.

“I play old tunes from the early 1900s and through the ’50s and ’60s and even newer — today, I played ‘Islands in the Stream’ by Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers, and that’s from 1983,” he said. “That’s a good tune.

“I ended today with ‘I’ll Fly Away,’ which is a song about eternal life, and the life we’re entering on the way to heaven,” he went on.

“When I get done playing, people often want me to play it again.”

Benton gets other memorable feedback, too, as a result of the music he squeezes out of his $8,000 accordion that will also, thanks to presses of the right buttons, make sounds akin

to a guitar, flute, cathedral organ and much more. Hearing the personal stories that relate to songs he performs is enjoyable, he said.

“I once played ‘Begin the Beguine’ and Ken Thompson (a long-time — and late — Worthington resident) told me afterwards, ‘That’s the first tune I danced to with Helen (wife),” he explained. “And today I played ‘San Antonio Rose’ and a woman told me how it brought back memories. ‘My husband and I were down in San Antonio; this was in the early ’40s during World War II, and on every street corner you heard that song.’

“I read a devotion a few days ago that said, ‘God uses humor to lubricate our soul,’ Benton said. “Music does the same thing for me.

It lubricates my soul.”

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