Senior Life - Allen County Edition - December 2023

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Living Life After 50

December 2023 Sheila Gillett Incorporates Her Faith Into Her Lifestyle Choices See Page 11

Allen County edition ReAChing FoRt WAyne And SuRRounding CountieS Vol. 36, No. 8

AIMS FOR TOP PRIZE AGAIN

By ROD KING Feature Writer Canterbury School teacher Eric Becker has been sharing his passion for gingerbread construction after school with his students. He’s helping them create entries for the annual Festival of Gingerbread, which opened to the public Nov. 24 at the History Center in downtown Fort Wayne and runs until Dec. 17.

Becker’s after-school “enrichment class” has met three times with about half of the 14 students entering the competition. Though he has been a devotee of gingerbread construction for the past five years, this is a first for the enrichment class.

The Saginaw, Mich., native made his first gingerbread house, a replica of a Victorian home in Detroit, while teaching in Memphis, Tenn.

“I made my own gingerbread from an internet recipe that uses more flour than normal to make it stiffer and stronger. And, I added spices, ginger and cloves. It not only smelled good, but kept insects away, as well. It didn’t look bad, but I wasn’t really happy with the result so it never saw the light of day.

“My second house, which was also never entered in competition, was of an English country house in Norfolk, England. I photographed it and posted it on a local Facebook page in England. Much to my surprise, it went viral. A reporter from the British Broadcasting Corporation, f DENTS — Hal one from BBC radio, the TV News HELPING STU r te ents in his af and Norfolk Daily News called to of the 14 stud at s” ent clas interview me,” Becker said. school “enrichm l entered oo ch S When he moved to Fort Wayne Canterbury e Festival th in ns to teach at Canterbury three years their creatio of Gingerbread ago, he was excited to learn about competition. the annual gingerbread festival. His ing.

Photo by Rod K entry in the contest was an octagonal house, which won third place in the elite category.

“It was OK, but just wasn’t detailed enough to suit me,” he said.

Last year, Becker’s entry, — another Detroit Victorian house — not only earned him Best of Show but the award for the best historical representation and came with cash prizes of $300 and $250, respectively.

“I think my attention to detail earned me the top award,” he said.

Continued on page 3

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BEST OF SH OW — Eric Becker won tw o awards at la st year’s Festival of Gingerbread with his likenes s of Victorian house. an old Detroit He won best of show and the aw ard for historical representation.

Photo provided by Eric Becker.

2 ■ SENIOR LIFE ■

December 2023

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Key Positions

Creating and developing Korean War Monument a labor of love

By ROD KING Feature Writer Second Vice Commander Eric Johnson of the Veterans National Memorial and Shrine on O’Day Road has been living and breathing the creation, development and installation of the new Korean War Monument for the past 18 months. Everything came together for the dedication and unveiling ceremony Veterans Day, Nov. 11.

“It all started when Korean War veteran and benefactor, W. Paul Wolf, came up with the idea. He thought we needed something like they have in Washington, D.C., to honor those who served in ‘the forgotten war.’ Someone else suggested making the soldiers of fiberglass so they would be durable and save money.”

First Vice Commander Pat Frazier suggested, said Johnson, “we personalize the soldiers by putting the actual faces of local and area veterans on the figures.”

He added, “We started by getting the names of a dozen local and area Korean War veterans, contacting them for photos and information and obtaining the DD 214 documents that listed their dates of service, rank, where they served, the unit they were in and any medals earned.

Jeff ‘JJ’ Shaw, Attorney at Law

Getting photos of them when they were in service was the real key to the whole project.”

First to be chosen was U.S. Navy third class petty officer Walter “Bud” Mendenhall. He served on the minesweeper USS Camick.

“That one was easy because he’s long been active with the Veterans Memorial and serves on the board,” Johnson noted.

Next, he enlisted Lea Powers, a long-time friend from his days in marketing, to be the creative designer. She had previous experience with fiberglass statues because of her work on the IPFW Mastodons on Parade project 20 years ago. This project, however, brought new challenges because none of the 12, 7-foot-tall figures were going to be the same. A specific mold had to be created for each one, and they were constructed with 19 separate parts.

“Robert Thomas, curator of our museum, had uniforms, equipment and weaponry of that period, ensuring that everything was authentic,” Johnson said. “We dressed some of our veterans and friends in the clothing, posed them in a variety of action stances and took hundreds of photos, which were sent to fabricator Fiberglass Animals and Objects in Hastings, Neb., to make the

molds. We even had the veterans stand on the actual site and photographed them with a drone camera to get the exhibit spacing.”

Then everything got a little hairy, said Johnson, as the date for the dedication and unveiling neared.

“Originally, the soldiers were to be onsite Oct. 30 to give us plenty of time to get them securely attached to the circular concrete pads. We were notified that they would be in Fort Wayne Thursday, just two days before Veterans Day. They actually arrived Saturday morning at 8:45 a.m. standing bolted down to an open flat-bed trailer,” Johnson said.

They had a crew of veterans and family members waiting to unload the 125-pound figures and rush them to the monument site. They were all in place on their specific pads with an hour to spare before the 11 a.m. ceremony.

“Lea and I, Commander Greg Bedford, board members and volunteers all breathed a huge sigh of relief,” he added. “This has been one of the most fulfilling and meaningful projects I’ve worked on since becoming part of the Veterans National Memorial and Shrine in 2016. It was a tremendous labor of love for everyone involved.”

VIETNAM WAR VETERAN — Eric Johnson, a Vietnam War veteran, was involved in the creation, development and installation of the new Korean War Monument at the Veterans National Memorial and Shrine on O’Day Road. It was dedicated and unveiled Veterans Day, Nov. 11. Photo provided.

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December 2023

■ SENIOR LIFE ■ 3

Medicare Advantage vs.

Medicare Supplement

By MICHELLE M. WALTERS, PHR, CHRS, CCWS, CSIS Executive Vice President Health Insurance Shop OCTAGONAL ENTRY — Two years ago, Eric Becker won third place in the Festival of Gingerbread with an octagonal house.

Continued from page 1 This year’s creation is a 20-inch-tall, 15-inch wide by 20-inch-long likeness of another Victorian house in Detroit.

“I started working on it in early October and put in about 100 hours, evenings and weekends. The detail in the chimneys required using a Dremel tool and an airbrush to create a faux-brick effect,” he said.

He added, “I like to work with my hands and really enjoy creating these delicate houses. It takes a lot of patience, but doing the creating from ideas in my head is the fun part. As far as the Festival of Gingerbread is concerned, the rules are pretty simple. There are maximum and minimum size limitations, it must be made of gingerbread, should be edible, and be accompanied by a written description of the work.”

Baking with his mother as a youngster and his interest in art in high school combined to help him achieve success in gingerbread construction. He earned a bachelor’s degree in French and Spanish at Saginaw Valley State University and a master’s in both from the University of Illinois.

He teaches both languages at Canterbury.

Hours for the Festival of Gingerbread are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday.

Who would have thought that turning 65 and securing health insurance would be as complicated as it is? Gone are the days when our employer dictates what our benefit plan will be and gone are the days that we are enrolled as husband or wife under the same health insurance plan.

Aging into the Medicare era introduces choices.

Original Medicare. Medicare Supplement. Medicare Advantage. What is what?

In simplistic terms: Original Medicare provides coverage for hospitalization (Part A) and out-patient services (Part B). Medicare Supple-

ment plans supplement original Medicare by paying for the portion-covered expenses that Medicare would normally require you to pay.

Medicare Advantage plans contract with original Medicare to pay Part A and Part B covered expenses and generally also include prescription drug coverage and many other things that original Medicare does not cover (e.g. dental, vision, hearing, etc.).

Is one better than the other? Some will argue that one is but it is truly a matter of personal preference. When comparing the options, it is important to look at the benefits and limitations of each.

Enrollment in Medicare Advantage plans is always guaranteed during specific enrollment periods, while

application for Medicare Supplement plans is only guaranteed during a limited period. Outside of this limited period, applicants would be subject to medical underwriting and can be denied.

Both options cover original Medicare Part A and Part B services. Albeit in different ways.

Knowing which option is best for any individual is a roll of the dice. Working with a knowledgeable and experienced agent who focuses on your needs can provide the guidance that is needed.

Your State Health Insurance Program office and Medicare. gov are also available.

Still confused? Join us for one of our Medicare Education sessions Thursday, Jan. 11 or 18.

4 ■ SENIOR LIFE ■ December 2023

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Spotlight

Santa Bob brings joy to many children

By BETHANNE BRINK-COX Feature Writer Through the years, Santa Claus has taken on many looks, including his coloring and his costume. Yet, no matter how he looks, there will always be children who look at him and say, “That’s Santa.”

If you see the man known as Santa Bob, you’ll agree. For one thing, his beard is real, and children really respond

to that.

Santa Bob said, “I like dealing with children, and when I retired I needed something to keep me busy, so I started volunteering. The more I did, the busier I got. Last year, I worked up to Dec. 28. The appearances just kept going.”

He went to Santa School in Colorado, where much is learned and practiced and great Santas emerge. But it’s also true that Santa is a

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sense, a feeling, a connection with children, even if they’re too shy to speak to him.

“Those are things you can’t learn so much as just ‘be,’” Santa Bob said.

He appeared in Walmart for a couple of years, but as with so many other things, COVID really hurt the season.

“The closest the children could get to me was 6 feet, and I couldn’t hear them. All I could really do was say again and again, ‘I’ll see what I can do,’” he said.

Now Santa Bob said, “I work six different days at the Children’s Zoo. We’ve worked the Embassy of Trees. So much volunteer work.”

Mrs. Santa has her own very busy job, so Santa Bob appears alone.

He’s got some amazing experiences and stories.

“Once at the mall a girl asked me for a dead pig.

Seriously, she did. She said ‘I want to practice being a plastic surgeon.’ And you get harder situations than that, the choke you up kind like sitting with a child and helping with tube feeding, or a little boy asking me to have his parents stop fighting,” he said.

Most Santas have faced this kind of tough time, he said, like, “Can you bring daddy home from the war?’

“Those are the times every Santa wishes he could promise just that,” he said.

Santa Bob does his best to meet the needs of every possible appearance. He does them virtually or he will come to your home. He does parties, which include storytime and

ELF ON A SHELF — Santa Bob and the Elf on the Shelf compare notes about who’s been naughty and who’s been nice. Photo provided

by Santa Bob. handing out gifts. He’s visited hospitals and nursing homes, where Santa can make any age smile.

And while he’s big on hugs and sharing his lap, he respects the little ones who might be afraid of him; he’ll always try to find a way to get a picture without traumatizing a child.

“Santa doesn’t like to make a little one cry,” Santa Bob said.

He is not above sitting on someone else’s lap for a picture either. Santa has a great sense of humor.

He notices those who dressed up especially for him;

little girls like to wear their prettiest dress and how could you not enjoy that?

Santa Bob said if he comes to your home, he usually gets cookies (make note) and when the children come to see him, he usually gets letters. Those are very handy, because if the kids have been good, Santa can be sure he brings what they asked for, using that letter as a checklist.

When asked how long he’ll serve this way, Santa Bob’s answer was simple: ”As long as I feel good.”

For more information, visit fwsantabob.com or email fwsantabob@gmail.com.

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December 2023 ■ SENIOR LIFE ■ 5

Sports

Participation in several sports keeps Bluffton woman fit

By CATHY SHOUSE Feature Writer Deb Brown of Bluffton has not devoted herself to one sport. Instead, over the years, she has been active in various activities that help her to keep moving.

“I’ve gone through different phases in my life,” Brown said.

“I’m always changing things to fit into my schedule and lifestyle.”

Brown, 70, said one phase lasted from age 22, when she started her career in teaching, to age 31 when she got married.

“Before the YMCA was built in Bluffton, I would do step aerobics and spinning classes at 6 a.m. and then shower and head in to teach,” Brown said.

These days, she is involved in three activities that she often participates in all in the same week.

She goes to water aerobics, yoga, and pickleball. Sometimes, she has gone from water aerobics right to pickleball on the same day.

“In school I didn’t do any sports. In college, I took P.E. classes. I bowled and took

swimming,” Brown said.

She prioritizes being healthy and so maintaining an active life is part of that.

“During COVID, I just used my phone, and I did yoga about five or six times a week at home. I needed something to do,” she said. “We couldn’t go anywhere. I worked it into my daily routine.”

Her philosophy is simple: it’s never too late to try something, and she’s willing to learn from the ground up. When pickleball came on her radar as a potential sport for her, she came up with a plan to get started. In the summer, she took pickleball lessons at the Bluffton Parks Department.

Brown and her husband, Blair, don’t have children, but are engaged with multiple generations of family. They live near his family and are close with them. She assists some family members who are elderly and others who need help with various aspects of living.

She and Blair will sometimes walk together at the state park in Bluffton, but she is much more active with scheduled activities. She’s been involved for so long that she

has known many instructors in her classes for years. She’s also staying more social by getting to know those she exercises with.

She attends classes at Belmont High School in Decatur, which broadened her number of acquaintances. Since she has taught and lives in Bluffton, she welcomed the interaction with a new community.

“I have a new circle of friends,” she said.

Brown also counts tending her extensive property as part of her fitness. She and her husband have a two-acre prairie near their home, and she tends the native plants and grasses.

Brown sees herself as proof that anyone can incorporate sports into their life. She’s done different things at different times, which has worked well for her.

Staying as active as she is hasn’t always been easy. There are always other activities that she could fill her time with.

But she keeps her eye on her health and this means finding the best activity at whatever stage of life she’s in.

“I try not to let other things get in the way,” Brown said.

One more for the Gipper In a way I’m here because of President Ronald Reagan. Let me explain.

Growing up in Seymour, Iowa, famous people were only known to us as images appearing in magazines, newspapers, film and, eventually, television.

So, every time the late President Reagan popped up in a movie or occasionally on television, our mother would make some sort of comment about knowing the movie star when he was a sports announcer at WHO radio in Des Moines, Iowa’s capital.

He was known to his radio listeners as “Dutch” Reagan, Mom would say in a matter-offfact way. My sister and I would roll our eyes with a wink and a nod. Mom saw our disbelieving smirks but was not deterred.

When I got a little older, I asked Mom how she knew “The Gipper,” which was a moniker Reagan picked up from his movie role in “The Knute Rockne Story,” where he portrayed football star George Gipp. Mom said she knew him in the mid-30s during the

Great Depression.

“I was slinging hash at a coffee shop across the street from the radio station. Dutch came in every morning for breakfast,” she explained. “I usually took his order.”

When there was a slow time, Reagan would talk to Mom about what her aspirations were. At that time, she was in her mid-20s and was saving to go to cosmetology school.

But with money being so tight, she had almost given up. As her story went, Dutch would keep encouraging her to follow through with that dream.

She did, and after graduation, she was hired by a small beauty shop in Seymour. Had she not followed Reagan’s advice and not taken that job in Seymour, she would never have met my father.

Now leap ahead to 1974.

California Gov. Reagan was making a political speech in Phoenix where I was a newspaper editor. As luck would have it, his wife came and sat down beside me. With tongue-cheek, I passed my business card to Nancy Reagan and asked her if Dutch would remember Mom? “Oh yes,” she assured. “He never forgets people he meets.”

Two weeks later I got a letter from the California Governor’s office.

“I remember your mother very well,” he wrote. “Tell her I’m going back to Des Moines this weekend to celebrate WHO’s 50th anniversary. Give her my best regards.”

When I showed Mom the letter, her only remark was: “… told you so.”

STRIKE A POSE — Deb Brown, a retired teacher from Bluffton, is demonstrating a yoga pose called tree pose. Photo provided by Deb Brown.

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6 ■ SENIOR LIFE ■

December 2023

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UPDATES & HAPPENINGS IN THE AREA Editor’s note: Send listings of events, for nonprofit organizations only, to Senior Life, P.O. Box 188, Milford, IN 46542, or email Editor Phoebe Muthart by the 20th of each month, pmuthart@the-papers.com.

With the listing, include the contact person, area code and phone number.

—o— Woodlands Senior Activity Center The center is located at 710 N. Opportunity Drive, Columbia City. For more information or to make reservations, call (260) 248-8944 or visit whitleycountycouncilonaging.com/ senior-citizens-center.

Line dancing — 9 a.m.

Friday Euchre — 9-10 a.m. every Tuesday and Friday Bible Study w/ Cheryl — 9-10 a.m. Tuesday Pixie Bingo — 9:30-10:30 a.m. Wednesday Exercise w/ Brittney — 10-11 a.m. Monday, Dec. 11

Chair Exercise — 10-11 a.m. Wednesday, Dec. 13 and Monday, Dec. 18 Bingo — Noon Thursday, Dec. 14 Ice Cream — 1 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 14 Dominoes — 2-3 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 21 Euchre tournament — 1-2 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 21 Crafts, games and treats — 12:30 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 27 Chain Gang Barbershop Quartet — Noon Thursday, Dec. 28 Smorgasbord — 11:30 a.m.

Friday, Dec. 29 —o— Summit City Singers presents “The Colors of Christmas” concert from 2-3:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 9, at the Allen County Public Library Auditorium, 900 Library Plaza, Fort Wayne.

Songs include “Carol of the Bells,” “Frosty the Snowman,” “Joy to the World” and other songs of the season, including a Christmas sing-a-long. The con-

cert is free to the public. Light refreshments will be available following the concert.

—o— Fort Wayne’s Swinney Homestead will be open to celebrate the Christmas spirit.

Enjoy refreshments of delicious sweets, savories, and tea with the Victorian-costumed settlers, and see the historic home decorated in Christmas grandeur. It is open from 1:30-4 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Dec. 1-2. Seating is in tables of four and costs $25 per person; prepayment is required to hold a seat. Reservations are taken by calling (260) 432-4232 or (260) 7471501. The homestead is located at 1424 W. Jefferson Blvd., Fort Wayne. Visit settlersinc.org.

—o— The New Haven United Methodist Women in Faith will be hosting its annual Holiday Craft Bazaar from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 2, at the New Haven United Methodist Church, 630 Lincoln Highway

East, New Haven.

The event features over 40 tables of unique, handcrafted holiday items and a county kitchen with homemade pies, cakes, cookies and assorted goodies. Breakfast will be available from 8-10:30 a.m. and lunch from noon to 1:30 p.m.

All proceeds are used to support the missions work, both locally and globally, of New Haven United Methodist Women in Faith.

—o— Holiday Open House from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 2, at The Orchard Gallery of Fine Art, 6312-A Covington Rd., Fort Wayne.

Meet the artists and enjoy light refreshments and a 10% discount on all purchases.

“Art for the Holidays: Featuring Handmade Ornaments and Nativities” features artists from around the region showing off their holiday spirit.

Wooden nativities and holiday scenes by Jerry Krider are also

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Forget the ‘diet’ in diet soda

By CECIL SCAGLIONE Mature Life Features During her annual medical checkup recently, a relative was told by her primary care physician that he would like to convince her to junk junk drinks.

His target was soda, pop, carbonated liquid candy — those refreshments that advertisers have made look so tantalizingly eye- and taste-appealing for most of the last 100 years.

The recommendation was made at about the same time pop producers reported a soda sales slump for the first time in a couple of decades.

Nutritionists long have hollered at anyone who’ll listen that soda’s only benefit is the water in it.

Everything else in it is deemed detrimental.

Even diet soda is said to impede rather than assist weight loss because of chemical imbalances that get too complicated to explore.

Among the healthier alternatives researchers recommend are tea and coffee, and even booze. Several reports indicate moderate drinkers live healthier lives than heavy or non-drinkers.

However, while alcohol reportedly helps slow the absorption of food and keep blood sugar levels in check, it also lowers inhibitions, making it harder to resist tasty temptations.

Coffee is America’s number one source of antioxidants, according to the American Dietetic Association.

The bean brew has been lauded by some researchers for lowering the risk of several diseases. Lacing it with sugar and cream outweighs any benefits.

Milk, on the other hand, has long been considered a fountain of nutrients — the containers from the low- or non-fat shelves, of course.

Some forms of tea have been proclaimed to promote weight loss while most energy drinks and vitamin waters just lighten your wallet. The former can contain as much sugar and empty calories as soda and the latter command a higher price under the aegis of being “healthy.” So what’s left? The most beneficial and bountiful beverage known globally: water. You can add a slice of lemon to a glass of water, or a vitamin supplement, or even get it carbonated and not have to worry about calories.

Mature Life Features Copyright 2023

www.seniorlifenewspapers.com

December 2023 ■ SENIOR LIFE ■ 7

Dining/Leisure/Entertainment

When the clouds were just right

By TOM MORROW Mature Life Features The first television program I saw was in 1951. I was around 12 years old.

I grew up in the southeast region of Iowa where buying a TV set was a gamble at best.

There were no TV stations in the entire state. The nearest stations where in Omaha, about 190 miles away, and Kansas City, about the same distance.

It was far enough to guarantee a snowy picture. If the clouds were just right, we’d get a clear picture. Sound was usually better than whatever picture, but not always.

The first full program I experienced was a 15-minute “Perry Como Show” over WOW-TV in Omaha. This is the station where future TV star Johnny Carson got his first job as a staff announcer.

Unlike radio at the time, TV newscasts were relegated to no more than two 15-minute slots a day. The first TV news I saw was in 1952 from Omaha’s KMTW. No live news reader, just a camera set up in front of a teletype machine so viewers could read reports as they were ticked out.

TV could have been available for home consumption as early as 1939. Demonstration units were only display at the 1939 World’s Fair, but World War II put the new medium on hold until 1946.

Radio Corporation of America began building TV sets and telecasting equipment. National Broadcasting Company was TV’s first big network and became entertainment central in 1947. Its biggest comedian was Milton Berle, host of the “Texaco Star Theater” that was so popular it induced thousands of folks to buy TV sets.

NBC dubbed Berle “Mr. Television” while viewers called him “Uncle Milty.” The network gave him an unprecedented 30year contract in 1951 that paid him $200,000 a year whether he appeared on TV or not, a business decision network execs would later regret. By 1956, Berle’s weekly comedy hour was off the air but Uncle Milty continued drawing his annual salary.

In station availability, those of us living in hinterland America were at least two years behind the East and West coasts.

In the ‘50s, the price of TV sets averaged about $600.

Screen size grew gradually from eight inches up to 17 inches and, by 1955, the standard was 21 inches. That dimension became the most popular size until the 21st century when present-day flat screen home TVs dominate and have grown to 80 inches and more.

By the mid-50s, nearly every major city had at least one station. The NBC network was followed by Columbia Broadcasting System. The American Broadcasting Company was on the air by 1951. Color TV became easily available by 1965.

Popular TV programming for us kids included “The Lone Ranger,” “Howdy Doody” and “Captain Video.” Boxing, wresting and professional football on Sunday offered popular sports programming. Radio crossovers such as the weekly “Your Hit Parade” were highly popular.

Daytime programming included radio-style soap operas, along with early game shows such as “The Price is Right.”

Many stations didn’t go on the air until 4 p.m., when the test pattern was popular fare for us kids, who rushed home to marvel at the magic of the television. Imagine, a picture

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Early newscasters included John Cameron Swayze on NBC, Douglas Edwards on CBS, and Howard K. Smith, who moved from CBS to the fledging ABC. Special news programs such as Edward R. Murrow’s “See It Now” and more sophisticated programs such as “Omnibus” appeared.

From the early ‘50s, TV’s most popular program was “I Love Lucy,” starring Lucille Ball and husband Desi Arnaz.

To this day, it’s still being offered in syndication. CBS’s popular new program, “60 Minutes,” started in 1968, hosted

by Mike Wallace and Harry Reasoner.

The longest-running program is NBC’s “Tonight Show.”

The programs concept began in 1951, as “Broadway Open House,” hosted first by Morey Amsterdam and later Jerry Lester. In 1954 it was revised as “The Tonight Show” starring comedian and songwriter Steve Allen. In 1957, Allen stepped aside for Jack Paar’s more cerebral guest discussions. In 1962, the show’s most popular host, comedian Johnny Carson, began a 30-year run.

When Carson retired in 1992, comedian Jay Leno took over until 2014. To this day the

MILTON BERLE show continues with comedian Jimmy Fallon as its host.

Television has become a necessary part of our daily lives.

The number of homes without a TV set is negligible. The “Boob Tube” is as commonplace

to us as turning on a water faucet. Cable and satellite TV ensures nearly every set worldwide can receive a crystal clear picture. The clouds no longer figure into the equation.

Mature Life Features Copyright 2023

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8 ■ SENIOR LIFE ■

December 2023

www.seniorlifenewspapers.com

Elder Law

Medicare Insurance

Q. Does receiving inheritance jeopardize my Medicaid benefits?

Q. What are Medicare Advantage plans and how can some have “zero premium”?

A.

Most likely, yes. In Indiana, a single individual must have less than $2,000 in assets to receive Medicaid benefits. If your inheritance, combined with existing assets, causes your assets to exceed this limit, Medicaid benefits will stop. In order to reestablish benefits, you must reapply for Medicaid eligibility once the assets are reduced. Please note that waiving the inheritance, or gifting it to friends or family, will trigger penalties and will also result in a loss of benefits.

There are ways to avoid this loss. One way is to spend the inheritance on goods or services prior to the end of the month.

Other options include establishing an Arc Trust, Able account, or supplemental

A.

Janell M. Sprinkle

Attorney at Law jmsprinkle@beersmallers.com needs trust. These options are recognized

by Medicaid and allow ongoing access to inherited funds while preserving Medicaid eligibility. They each have their own specific rules, limitations, and purposes, so it is important to consult with an elder law attorney to verify whether they will work for you.

Suite 1100 110 West Berry Street Fort Wayne, Indiana 46802

Medicare Advantage (MA) plans offer an alternative way to pay for your health care expenses that would normally be covered under Original Medicare Part A & Part B. MA plans are sponsored by private insurance companies that contract with Medicare and must meet a strict set of standards each year to maintain the ability to offer plans to Medicare Beneficiaries. Star Ratings issued by Medicare to the MA plans provide consumers a quick way to gauge how well any particular plan has adhered to these standards.

But how can they offer these plans without any additional premium?

To qualify for a MA plan, you MUST be enrolled in Original Medicare and

Michelle Walters

Executive Vice President must continue paying your Part B premium. Since Medicare is no longer involved in paying for your health care services, they transfer your Part B premium to the MA plan.

To learn more, call us today.

Our consultation and education services are FREE!

Fort Wayne’s Medicare Enrollment and Education Center

3609 Lake Avenue Fort Wayne, IN 46805 (260) 484-7010 www.buyhealthinsurancehere.com

Telephone (260) 426-9706

DISCLAIMER: Janell Sprinkle and Beers Mallers, LLP Attorneys At Law, appreciate the opportunity to provide insight into legal topics of interest.

The content of this article is designed to provide information of general interest to the public and is not intended to offer legal advice about specific situations or problems. Janell Sprinkle and Beers Mallers, LLP Attorneys At Law, do not intend to create an attorney-client relationship by offering this information, and anyone’s review of the information shall not be deemed to create such a relationship. You should consult a lawyer if you have a legal matter requiring attention. Janell Sprinkle and Beers Mallers, LLP Attorneys At Law, also advise that any information you send to this newsletter shall not be deemed secure or confidential. Please visit our office to ensure complete confidentiality.

Professional Forum Interested Businesses Call Betty Foster 1-866-580-1138, Ext. 2403 A Monthly Question And Answer Advertorial Column

Senior Relocation

MEDICARE FRAUD Q. How can I prevent

Q. What are “Senior Relocation” services?

myself from falling victim to Medicare fraud?

A.

A. AIHS is part of a nationwide network called the Senior Medicare Patrol (SMP).

SMPs assist Medicare beneficiaries, their families and their caregivers with health care fraud, errors and abuse.

Here are some tips you can follow to prevent Medicare fraud: • Learn about different types of schemes so you can detect them.

• Treat your Medicare card like a credit card, don’t lose it.

• Never share your Medicare number over the phone.

• Read your Medicare Summary Notice carefully and check for charges you don’t recognize.

If you suspect that you may be a victim of Medicare fraud, speak up!

Valerie O'Brien SMP Counselor 260-745-1200 Our on-staff SMP Counselor is happy to help you. It is easy to feel embarrassed if you fell for a scam, but reporting the issue is an important step to making sure that others don’t fall victim too.

Medicare fraud and abuse affects everyone. If you have questions or think you may have fallen victim, don’t wait, Just Call Us! 260-745-1200

Several years ago, some friends whom had moved from their home to a local retirement community had an interesting conversation with me regarding their experiences in making their transition. One of the things that stood out in my mind was the fact that very little of the things they needed done was completed on a schedule that fit their needs. Also, coordinating all of the things that they needed to do was a bit overwhelming. And then it struck me that nearly everything that they needed accomplished were exactly what I was doing or had training in.

Having many years of experience in moving furniture in my younger years, a successful career in real estate, and a successful career in auctioneering and appraising, it didn’t take me long to see that all of my abilities were just what the doctor ordered for my friends. Hence the term “Senior Relocation” was born.

Tim McCulloch, Owner Our systems include professional and courteous moving services, real estate brokerage, real estate and antique appraisals, auctioneering services, floor planning assistance and climate controlled storage. These services are all geared to assist the mature adult market in helping make the transition to retirement living much easier.

Whether you need all of our services or just a few, you can feel free to call us for a free analysis. We can show you how to sell your home in 30 days for your price, coordinate a professional and courteous move, along with any other services you may need to help your transition be as simple and as worry free as possible. Call (260) 441-8636 for a free consultation.

Tim McCulloch, Owner Call Us For An Estimate Today

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December 2023 ■ SENIOR LIFE ■ 9

COSS gives back to area nonprofits Council on Senior Services recently blessed 20 area nonprofits by awarding grants to them to assist the organizations in helping seniors they serve in the greater Fort Wayne community and surrounding areas.

Each organization is required to fill out a grant application and indicate what program it intends to use the money to support within its nonprofit. The COSS board then selected recipients based on need and use of money for the greater good of seniors, such as hearing aids, transportation expenses and health services, including mental health, grief counseling and more.

The awarding of grants took place at the COSS Nov. 21 meeting.

The 20 nonprofits receiving grants were Long-Term Care Ombudsman, Hope Alive, Aging and In-Home Services, St. Anne Communities, Byron Health Center, Fort Wayne Neuropsychology, Mental Health America of Northeast Indiana, Foster Grandparents, Cancer Services of Northeast Indiana, Homebound Meals, Volunteer Center, Turnstone Center for Children and Adults with Disabilities, OPS Adventures, Home Instead, St. Vincent de Paul Society of Fort Wayne, Community Transportation Network, Give Hear and Healthy Visions Midwest Inc. Excess funds generated from the sale of advertising in the COSS Senior Resource Guide

earlier this year allowed COSS to award the grants and give back.

COSS is an area nonprofit which produces a yearly senior guide that is free for seniors.

The guide can be found at area libraries, hospitals, community centers, and elder law attorneys.

The resource guide is a wonderful way for seniors to easily find services they’re needing or looking for in specific categories, like senior residential communities, social activities, in-home care, hospice, food pantries, and more. Seniors can get a copy at the Allen County Public libraries, The Community Center, Aging and In-Home Services, and Citizen Square, which is restocked monthly.

FOSTER GRANDPARENTS GRANT — Lori Stock, left, Council on Senior Services president, presents Danielle Lyons of Americorp Seniors a check for its Foster Grandparents Program for the grant its organization was given. Photo provided by COSS.

Professional Forum Interested Businesses Call Betty Foster 1-866-580-1138, Ext. 2403 A Monthly Question And Answer Advertorial Column

AGING SERVICES ADVANCE CARE PLANNING Q. dianacan PatIhdo Wato ys prepare for Q. InWhat Aand gingensure commemy rciaend-of-life ls note changes to service for trwishes aditionaare l Mfollowed? edicaid services.

WA. herAdvance e can ICare findPlanning more(ACP) is the inprocess formaby tiowhich n? you determine your

wishes in regard to medical care and A. Indiana PathWays for Aging will be a treatment. This process is a series of

Managed Long-Term Services and conversations you On haveJuly with loved Supports program.

1,your 2024, ones about those wishes so Services that someone Indiana’s Family and Social can speak for(FSSA) you when cannot Administration will you partner withspeak for yourself.

Managed Care Entities Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield, Humana and It is important that to during your ACP United Healthcare coordinate benefits, conversations, you appoint someoneand you such as those covered

by Medicaid Medicaid Waiver, andbehalf an individual’s trust to speak on your and that other benefits sucha as Medicare. person is called Health Care Representative.

Frequently Asked Questions can be found atThere www.in.gov/pathways/frequentlyare no “rules” or eligibility asked-questions/ requirements regarding age or health status to begin your own Advance Care In Planning. the section General Program, you will ACP is always evolving, both find “What isand a Service Coordinator?”

The personally legislatively.

It is listed answer is:to“A Service Coordinator encouraged update your wishes as is a your person who will with you to create personal andwork health situations a change. personalized Service ifPlan help status For example, yourtomarital coordinate Home anddeclines Communitychanges oryour if your health or Based Services.

Thewant Service Plan will help improves you may to adjust develop a plan of care of services and accordingly. supports that best meet your needs and goals.”

Connie Benton Wolfe Katie Hougham President & CEO Vice President, PACE Operations Aging & In-Home Services of NEIN 260-745-1200 Ext. 450 If you are currently receiving Waiver At AIHS your we incorporate ACP into allisof services, Service Coordinator our programs.

We have (CM) resources likely a Case Manager from your available help you through this local AreatoAgency onwalk Aging.

You may conversation with continue your loved request your CM asones. your We also have trained staffafter available to help Service Coordinator PathWays is facilitate these conversations. launched by informing the Enrollment Coordinator.

We know these conversations aren’t To provide to the always easyfeedback to have, but theyState are about these changes, the Public Comment essential for maintaining the integrity of Period is open 14, help your wishes.

Justuntil CallDecember Us if you need 2023.

Comments can be emailed starting your own ACP conversation.to backhome.indiana@fssa.in.gov.

8101 W. Jefferson Blvd. Fort Wayne, IN 46804 www.agingihs.org | 260.745.1200

Professional Forum . . .

Your exclusive opportunity to present common questions or concerns “Adults 50 Years And Better” may have relating to your product(s) or service.

Advertising with us is a Breeze Q. Isn’t your paper only read by older senior citizens on limited incomes?

A.

According to audit statistics, 80% of our readers are under the age of 75. 65% of our readers have a household income of over $50,000 per year. Nearly 40% of these readers earn more than $75,000 per year.

Are households with an income larger than $50,000 your target market? If so, consider advertising in Senior Life! Call or send me an e-mail today!

Betty Foster, Account Executive Serving Fort Wayne and Surrounding Counties 260-494-9321 slallen@the-papers.com

www.seniorlifenewspapers.com

10 ■ SENIOR LIFE ■ December 2023

www.seniorlifenewspapers.com

The year in review —

Eating well is a form of self-care

We all need to put our healthcare in the forefront of our busy days, which is easy to say, yet some days are nearly impossible. Right? I am right there with you.

It’s true that every bite improves or damages our health and our fight against disease in the long-term, so let’s recap a few items as we think about the holidays and 2024.

• Constant eating is bad on the gut biome. Your body needs time to digest and use the energy you have consumed already.

Fifty percent of Americans eat

Fort Wayne Northeast

WHATEVER IS IN THE FRIDGE — This was our ‘whatever’s in the fridge is for dinner bowl’. Warm farro grain, warm broccoli, raspberries, walnuts, tomatoes, power greens, radishes, avocado, cucumbers and feta drizzled with balsamic vinegar. eat soup all winter long. Make bread that has five ingredients instead of 25 ingredients.

It’s so easy — whole unprocessed food, but the world makes it so hard. Hang in there and be your best self.

Wishing you all good health,

Churubusco & Columbia City

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happiness, and God’s blessings in the new year.

Cat Wilson lives in South Bend and transitioned from a vegetarian diet to eating a plant-based diet over two years ago. She may be contacted at cwilson@the-papers.com.

LIVING

By Cat Wilson

women need 25 grams and men need 35 grams — minimum. Get it from food. Eat more plants.

• Sugar — we could talk about it all day. Visualize it — a can of soda has 39 grams of added sugar, divide that by four, it equals nearly 10 teaspoons of sugar in one can! Use that formula for every can, box or package you pick up. Women should get no more than 25 grams (6 teaspoons) a day and men 36 grams (9 teaspoons).

• Table salt is composed primarily of sodium chloride.

Daily recommendation is 2,300 mg per day, which is 1 teaspoon.

Only 13 percent of the salt we consume comes from the shaker we use at home. The biggest culprits are restaurants, processed and packaged foods.

Be aware.

• Every bite counts — make it be a whole food. Add vegetables to everything. Eat raw & cooked. Fill up with fruit & vegetables and you won’t have room for the high calorie/ low nutrient foods. Make and

Apartmement

From My Table To Yours

from 8 a.m. to 10:45 p.m., nearly 15 hours.

• Reduce your eating window to no more than 12 hours by either pushing breakfast to mid-morning or eating earlier in the evening and then being done — nothing else — done.

Do not eat within two hours of going to bed.

• Forget about KETO. Logic alone tells you consuming vast amounts of fat, animal meat and all the cheese you can consume will not make for a healthy body. It is not sustainable, does not give you the micro nutrients you need, it has a higher all-cause mortality rate, causes fatigue, hair loss, and a 30 percent higher rate of birth defects.

• Don’t be afraid of the good, complex whole food carbs like the simple potato or beans; be afraid of simple trashy carbs like over-processed breads, desserts and sugary drinks. You already know this, but it’s hard and they are everywhere.

• Speaking of fiber: per day

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Fort Wayne Northeast

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December 2023 ■ SENIOR LIFE ■ 11

Faith

Gillett’s faith is her source and filter

By CATHY SHOUSE Feature Writer Sheila Gillett incorporates her faith into her lifestyle choices. When she retired from her career as a teacher, she ended up taking a postretirement position with her faith in mind.

“I started as secretary at Queen of Angels Catholic School in October of 2019, after retiring from teaching in May of that same year,” she said. “I just couldn’t stay away from the educational environment, and then the bonus was that in my new job, I could openly express my faith, pray with others, and go to Mass, while at work.”

The church setting was familiar, since she and her husband, Brian, have been parishioners there for 31 years of their 32-year marriage.

“We have three children who all attended Queen of Angels School from preschool through 8th grade and were involved in Boy Scouts, sports, and service opportunities as they came along,” Gillett said.

On any given day, she may be covering for a co-worker who is out, interacting with the students, or helping with the school newsletter. When asked if she considers modeling her faith to the students she interacts with as part of

her work, she agreed wholeheartedly.

“Definitely,” Gillett said.

“If we follow what Jesus told the Pharisees when they questioned him about the greatest of God’s commandments...’Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’

This is the first and greatest commandment. The second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ That’s my mission: to love God and to show kindness and love to those around me.”

For Gillett, living out her beliefs is a family affair. Her entire family has continued to participate in the church in multiple ways.

“We are all very involved in our church and school,” she said. “Our youngest daughter is an altar server, my husband is a minister of hospitality and member of our Knights of Columbus organization. I serve as a lector, known as a proclaimer of the word, during Mass.”

She is guided by various principles, she said. “The peace prayer, or sometimes called the Prayer of Saint Francis, is my go-to prayer as I try to live what is said: ‘Lord, make me an instrument of your peace; where there is hatred, let me sew love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is doubt,

CHURCH SECRETARY — Sheila Gillett, secretary at Queen of Angels Catholic School, reviews the newsletter with Dennis Wiegmann, the school’s principal. Photo provided by Sheila Gillett. faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; where there is sadness, joy....’”

In the world today, it is very hard to avoid the dangers of going with the flow,

Worship Anew expands its central publication into a magazine Thanks to a grant from the Lutheran Women in Mission, Worship Anew is expanding its central print piece, Broadcaster, into a monthly magazine, beginning in December.

The 24-page magazine will feature articles and resources that strengthen and support the spiritual, mental, and physical well-being of aging adults and those who minister and care for them.

“The growth of the Broadcaster Magazine as an expanded publication is designed to serve as an inspiration and guide in our shared walk with the Lord,” said Matthew Leighty, executive director.

“We are deeply grateful to the Lutheran Women in Mission whose unwavering support has played a vital role in this important endeavor.”

Broadcaster is mailed to subscribers monthly as a free publication. To learn more or to subscribe, visit worshipanew.org/broadcaster.

Since 1980, Worship Anew, headquartered in Fort Wayne, has been broadcasting weekly worship services for aging adults who seek to help them live an abundant life in Christ. Today, Worship Anew reaches thousands of people each week across the nation

she said.

“I think being a child of God helps protect us, guide us, and gives us the grace we need to live a life of holiness and to hopefully bring others to know Christ as well, so that we can all enjoy the promise of eternal life in

heaven,” Gillett said.

For Gillett, just about everything she does comes down to faith.

“My faith is the source and filter of everything I do in my home, in my work, and with others out in the community,” she said.

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Jim and Tom Keefer —

The more different they are, the more they are the same

By VINCE LABARBERA Feature Writer The Keefer brothers, Jim and Tom, have been a part of the Fort Wayne Area Community Band’s tuba section since the band’s inception in 1979.

These two charter members have similar musical beginnings and backgrounds yet they differ in other ways.

Both brothers are Fort Wayne natives. Jim, seven years older, attended St. Peter’s Catholic Elementary School and entered the former Central Catholic High School, graduating in 1969.

Tom also enrolled at St. Peter’s, but when the school was closed after Tom had completed fifth grade, he transferred to St. Patrick’s Catholic Elementary School.

Tom attended Bishop Dwenger High School; he graduated in 1976.

Both brothers began playing instruments other than the tuba. Jim played the violin from about the fourth or fifth grade through eighth grade. Tom started playing the trumpet in fourth grade.

In their respective high school bands, each switched to the Sousaphone at the request of Band Director Joseph Woods, who was short Sousaphone players. Jim, in fact, had begun playing violin in the high school orchestra but switched to band at the request of Woods. Incidentally, the tuba traditionally is a concert band or orchestra instrument, meant to be played while sitting on a chair with the bell facing upward. The Sousaphone is thought to have been invented by American composer John Philip Sousa. The tuba is larger and cylindrical, while the Sousaphone is smaller and conical.

Tom was in the Dwenger Marching, Concert and Dance bands all four years.

Following high school, Jim went to the former Indiana University-Purdue University at Fort Wayne for three semesters, studying civil engineering from 1969-1971.

Following a mandatory transfer to Purdue University, he graduated with a BSCE degree.

Tom also attended IPFW and Purdue University, also graduating with a bachelor’s degree in engineering.

Jim immediately went to work as a civil engineer for the Indiana Department of Transportation. With the exception of 13 months at Hagerman Construction from 1990-1991, he worked his whole career at INDOT, retiring in 2014 with more than 40 years of service. Tom has been employed for 41 plus years as a civil engineer in the construction department at INDOT and has not yet retired.

He and wife, Peggy, were married in 1974. They also attend St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church. Jim volunteers as an usher at church, holds membership in the Knights of Columbus, does charity work and AARP tax preparation.

They have three children and 12 grandchildren.

Tom also volunteers as an usher at St. Charles and is a member of the Knights. He played a major role in the restoration of the old Wolf and Dessauer Santa Claus and Reindeer display, seeing it through to completion. He and his wife, Diane, married in 1984. They have two children and four grandchildren.

Both are active at church.

In addition to playing in the FWACB, both Jim and Tom have played a couple of times at midnight Mass on Christmas Eve at St. Charles and performed with the Salvation Army Band for the lighting of

the downtown Santa display.

They’ve each also played with the American Legion Band for the Honor Flight returnee, and for tuba Christmas concerts.

Both brothers saw the small article in a Fort Wayne newspaper in 1979 announcing the formation and first rehearsal at IPFW of a community band in Fort Wayne. He turned out to be the founding conductor of the Fort Wayne Area Community Band and the brothers are two of eight remaining charter members still playing with the band.

The band’s tuba section has fluctuated from just the two to a maximum of five.

“Probably at least 50 players have come and gone,” Jim recalled.

“Remarkably, after 44 years, the band is still going strong,” said Tom.

TUBA PLAYERS — Keefer brothers Jim, left, and Tom have been a part of the Fort Wayne Area Community Band’s tuba section since the band’s inception 44 years ago. Following a recent Holiday concert in Auer Performance Hall on the local Purdue-Indiana University campus in Fort Wayne, the tuba players are shown here with Principal Conductor Dr. Scott Humphries dressed as Santa Claus, a tradition he practices after every holiday concert. Photo provided.

Plan your search for a financial planner

By CECIL SCAGLIONE Mature Life Features Choosing a financial advisor is a major life decision. It can determine your financial trajectory for years to come, so your choice is important.

Plodding ahead without one can dim your financial future.

A recent Northwestern Mutual study revealed that twothirds of U.S. adults admit their financial planning needs improvement. That means only one-third of Americans work with a financial advisor.

While advisors are prohibited by law from making promises of returns, research suggests that people who work with a financial plan-

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ner feel more at ease about their finances and could end up with 15% more money to spend in retirement.

The value of professional investment advice varies with each individual circumstance and portfolio composition.

When searching for a financial advisor, consider carefully your investment objectives and risk factors. Perform your own due diligence before making your choice.

Hiring an advisor who is not a fiduciary means they could recommend decisions that may not be in your best interest.

A fiduciary is defined as an individual who is ethically bound to act in another person’s best interest. Registered fiduciary financial advisors must avoid conflicts of interest and disclose any potential conflicts of interest to clients.

It’s not always a good idea to hire the first advisor because they’re used by your brother-in-law or to take on the first one you meet. Take your time and interview a handful until you feel you’ve found one who understands your goals and needs.

Look for a financial advisor with a speciality that works for you. Many specialize in retirement planning while others work best with smallbusiness owners or individuals with high net worth. Then check their strategy. Do they prefer aggressive trading in growth stocks or do they prefer to spread out their investments in stocks, bonds and mutual funds?

During your meeting, ask to see their credentials and licenses, then have them explain how they’re paid.

Mature Life Features Copyright 2023

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December 2023 ■ SENIOR LIFE ■ 13

Janis Joplin: Revenge of the nerd Just weeks before her untimely death in 1970, singer Janis Joplin made one final journey back to her

By RANDAL native Port C. HILL Arthur, Texas, this time for her 10-year reunion at Jefferson Davis High School.

The 27-year-old superstar had fled small-town life as a social outcast but was returning as a counterculture icon.

Weeks before the reunion, she had appeared on The Dick Cavett Show, where she claimed she had been “laughed out of class, out of town and out of the state.”

Moving to San Francisco, her career had skyrocketed after she began fronting the allmale band Big Brother and the Holding Company, her mezzosoprano voice blasting out such blues-based classics as “Ball and Chain” and “Piece of My Heart.”

In high school, Joplin had been a whip-smart student — she belonged to the Future Teachers Club and graduated from Jefferson David a year early — but was never accepted by the peers who had always called the social shots. Often seen as a reclusive eccentric on campus, she once said, “I was a misfit. I read. I painted. I thought.”

Joplin hung out with other

teenagers on the school’s social periphery. One particular pal was a collector of record albums by such blues artists as Bessie Smith, Billie Holiday and Big Mama Thornton. (In 1953, Thornton had cut the original “Hound Dog.”) At 17, while showering at home one night, something happened that changed Joplin’s life: “I discovered I had this incredibly loud voice!” Later, she said, “I started singing blues because that was always what I liked.”

The head of the 1970 reunion committee who had mailed the get-together announcement had insisted to newspaper journalists, “This is NOT a reception for Janis Joplin.”

Janis, though, made a regal entrance that night, surrounded by bodyguards, reporters and paparazzi.

Many of her former classmates were no doubt shocked to see the girl they had once teased mercilessly hadn’t just overcome their tormenting, she had become everything they would never be. (Joplin had admitted that she was attending to see “all those kids who are still working in gas stations and driving dry-cleaning trucks while I’m making $50,000 a night.”)

Janis had arrived with purple and pink feathers crowning her head, oversized rose-tinted glasses framing her acne-scarred face, and bracelets jangling on both wrists. She was welcomed by some, but she also felt the chill of those who

stood apart, much as they had before, and made comments about her. One of them asked her “what she had been up to” for the past decade?

At evening’s end, Joplin was given a car tire, a gag gift offered to the attendee who had traveled the furthest distance that day.

Two months later, Janis Joplin died from a heroin overdose, alone in a Los Angeles motel on a Saturday night. Four months later, she had the Number One single in America, the Kris Kristofferson-composed “Me and Bobby McGee.” In Port Arthur, some felt proud to have known her.

Others probably couldn’t have cared less.

JANIS JOPLIN ON APRIL 5, 1969.

PHOTO FROM EVENING STANDARD/GETTY IMAGES

Some simple steps can relieve ankle arthritis pain

By CECIL SCAGLIONE Mature Life Features The pain and debilitation caused by arthritic ankles can be treated several ways now, according to the American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons.

Unlike hips or knees, where arthritis comes from normal wear and tear, arthritic ankles usually are precipitated by

a previous injury, such as a fracture or sprain that has caused long-term ligament and cartilage damage. Pain in an arthritic joint that can limit movement occurs as cartilage deteriorates and gets thinner.

The ankle bones lose their protective covering and may eventually rub together, causing pain and inflammation.

Patients with mild arthritis can be treated with cortisone

shots to relieve inflammation and with ankle braces to support movement.

Minimal arthroscopic surgery can remove motioninhibiting cartilage fragments and painful bone spurs.

For severe cases, surgical options include a fusion procedure that locks the bones together or a total joint replacement.

Mature Life Features Copyright 2023

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Health & Fitness

Grief can be managed, it’s up to you

By CECIL SCAGLIONE Mature Life Features

do is face the fact that you’re mourning. Don’t fight your feelings as they gush onto you.

They’ll range from self-pity to anger at the entire universe.

They may strike right away or lay in wait to spring out at some unexpected later date.

How long they last can be up to you.

Most everyone — experts as well as those who have experienced such a loss — suggest you conjure up and catalog the pleasant memories and con-

One of life’s cruelest blows is the loss of a loved one.

The death of a spouse, sibling or special friend over the holiday season can be more devastating.

It not only destroys the merriment and mirth of the annual celebration, it burns in a sad memory for all future commemorations.

The first thing you have to

sider how lucky you are to have had that person enrich your life. Be thankful for the happy times as you recall them.

Monitor your actions to help pull yourself out of your mournful state. Keep trying to have the best day you can, because your feeling of loss is not going to go away. Celebrate your advances as you manage your grief.

You may never whistle or hum a happy tune again, but don’t feel guilty when you final-

ly get through the day without feeling tired all the time.

Returning to your daily routine will help get you closer to normalcy — eat, sleep, and exercise like you used to. Go shopping, have coffee with friends, and call relatives like you used to.

If somebody in your circle is experiencing the same loss, reach out and share some time with them. Talking about your loss, and theirs, can help both of you climb out of grief.

There’s no need to place the deceased person on a pedestal.

The simple thing to remember is that they were your friend and you enjoyed time together.

You’re managing your grief well if you catch yourself smiling or laughing again.

There are many support groups dedicated to helping you through your mourning period.

If your loved one died of a disease or accident, there likely is an organization linked to that particular event or disability that can provide comfort and counsel to get you through your trying time.

Mature Life Features Copyright 2023

Hazardous home sweet home

By CECIL SCAGLIONE Mature Life Features The majority of injuries — slips, falls, burns, poisoning, bruises and cuts — to people older than 75 occur at home because that’s where they spend most of their time.

Home accident prevention requires changes in both behavior and the environment, reports the Center for the Advancement of Health.

Among its recommendations is that households draw up an

escape plan in the event their home catches fire. While more than 95 percent of respondents to a survey said they had smoke alarms, less than 20 percent said they check the alarms every three months to make sure they work.

Other simple steps to take toward improving safety at home is to install grab bars in bathrooms and hand rails along any stairs around the house. And don’t leave shoes and clothing lying around to trip over.

Mature Life Features Copyright 2023

Neighborhood dictates lifestyle activities

By JAMES GAFFNEY Mature Life Features People who live in neighborhoods with good lighting, trustworthy neighbors and plenty of parks and playgrounds are more likely to walk and get regular exercise, according to a survey

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conducted by researchers at the University of South Carolina.

Folks who had physically active neighbors and sidewalks in their community and who used a nearby mall for walking were more likely to be regular walkers.

Regular walkers were those who reported walking 30 or more minutes at any pace five or more days per week.

Residents were considered physically active if they reported 30 minutes or more of moderate physical activity five or more days a week or 20 minutes or more of vigorous physical activity three or more days a week.

Overall, nearby neighborhood features — those within a halfmile radius or 10-minute walk from home — were more likely to affect physical activity and walking than were community features like swimming pools or bike trails within a 10-mile radius or 20-minute drive from the home.

Younger residents also were more likely to be physically active.

The findings suggest programs to encourage more physical activity should target nearby locations, such as private recreational facilities, parks, playgrounds and sport fields, as well as adequate lighting.

Mature Life Features Copyright 2023

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December 2023 ■ SENIOR LIFE ■ 15

Travel through time in Cape May

By PHYLLIS HOCKMAN Mature Life Features Look up!

That’s my one bit of advice to visitors to Cape May, NJ. But first, a little history.

Cape May is the nation’s oldest seashore resort. It has been catering to vacationers since pre-Revolutionary days.

Its shady tree-lined streets and colorful homes became the playground of presidents.

Ulysses S. Grant, Franklin Pierce, James Buchanan, Chester Arthur and Benjamin Harrison all sought refuge there from the humidity of District of Columbia summers.

Although the town grew beyond its colonial trappings, it became stuck in the late-19th century Victorian Era when it was rebuilt after being razed by fire for the third time. With more than 600 structures, most of which have been refurbished, Cape May has been designated a National Landmark City, the only U.S city to be designated entirely as a national historic district.

Street after street and house after house enchants, charms and captivates visitors intrigued by the intricate detail

that distinguishes one from the other.

Despite the similarity in architectural style, there is infinite variety in their presentation. Most of the homes, ablaze in multiple shades of browns, greens and mauves, sport some strange appendage on the roof alternately identified as a turret, cupola, gazebo, or belvedere. This is why you look up.

So many of the interesting adornments — the extra little touches — are near the roof as well as everywhere else. Wraparound porches adorned with decorative balustrades and whimsically designed gingerbreading give each structure its distinctive personality. Bay windows are surrounded by individualized brackets and barge boards that vary in size, detail and decor.

The diversity of the slits, slices, slats and slots that contributes to the intricacy of design defining each structure is bound to fascinate even those who have never given a single thought to architectural motif.

As one guide summed up the Victorian philosophy: “If a little is good, more is better, and too much is still not enough.”

The Washington Street Mall, a pedestrian walkway in the center of town, is reminiscent of what a beach-town boardwalk might have been like in the 1890s. The outdoor benches, cafes and shops decked out in their Victorian finery reflect an earlier easier era.

To personalize the transformation in time, walk down Hughes Street after dark. Its only illumination, provided by gas lamps — and occasionally, the moon — lets you picture yourself returning to a time when life was simpler, the pace was slower, the streets safer and all was well with the world, even if just for the moment.

Cape May recently found some new history to celebrate.

The Harriet Tubman Museum opened in 2021 in a neighborhood that was not only the center of the African-American community but played an outsize role in the abolitionist movement in the mid-19th century, spearheaded by Ms. Tubman herself. After attaining her freedom, she worked as a hotel maid here to earn money to finance her journeys farther south to help free more slaves.

CAPE MAY DIAMONDS — Cape May diamonds are semi-precious quartz stones that resemble cubic zirconia diamonds. They’re found along the water’s edge. Photo by Victor Block.

For bird-watching addicts, nearly 400 species of birds fly in during peak migration periods to be added to sightings lists. Cape May is listed as one of the top 10 birding hot spots in North America.

Its singularity doesn’t end there. There’s also the Diamond Droop at Sunset Beach in Delaware Bay. Cape May diamonds are semi-precious quartz stones that resemble cubic zirconia diamonds. They’re found along the water’s edge. Dull and cloudy when dry, they become

bright and translucent when wet. Jewelry made from the stones after they have been cut and polished has been featured on the QVC Television Shopping Network, but you don’t have to tune in to get some.

You can take your shoreline stash to the Sunset Beach Gift Shop and they’ll tell you how you can have a brooch or pair of earrings made to order.

And there’s always the reminder of why you came here — the beach. Several miles of rolling waves and white sand — very white sand.

Mature Life Features Copyright 2023

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16 ■ SENIOR LIFE ■ December 2023

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Brain trust, exercising your brain

I love to walk up and down the bookstore aisles, occasionally removing something from the shelves to sample, IN A hoping it fits NUTSHELL my tastes.

By DICK The people WOLFSIE at Barnes & Noble are totally okay with this, but that habit has gotten me kicked out of Kroger about six times.

Recently, I decided to search the shelves for a book that might help me address a problem I am facing. My memory is

not what it used to be. I tried Prevagen, but that was a total waste of money. They tout the product as made from jellyfish, one of the few animals in the world with no brain.

I did find one book, “Keep Your Brain Alive: 83 Neurobic Exercises.” For a fathead like me, this is the perfect read. The author contends that there is not enough unpredictability in our lives. We get into a rut because our brains take the easiest paths — the routes we are most accustomed to.

Dr. Larry Katz throws in some cerebral references to axons, dendrites and synapses to make it all sound very scientific, but it was lost on me. On a biology exam in college, I labeled the parts of the inner ear but it

turned out it was a picture of a woman’s reproductive system. I did get partial credit.

This book encourages you to use each of your senses in new and innovative ways. One of the author’s suggestions is to brush your teeth with your nondominant hand, thus creating new neural pathways. I tried it one night and found the experience instructive. I then used my other hand to clean the toothpaste out of my nose and inside my ear.

In order to enhance your appreciation of good food, said Katz, stick plugs in your ears.

This permits you to fully enjoy what is on your plate, focusing only on taste. I totally forgot to tell Mary Ellen I was doing this so I didn’t hear a word she

said during dinner for almost a week. Fortunately, she didn’t notice the difference. The book also suggests that to fully experience the texture of food, you should hold your nose when you eat. My wife did notice this on that first night when she had prepared what I assume was a delicious dinner. She was not happy, but I got a nice note from Grub Hub thanking me for all my subsequent take-out orders 10 nights in a row.

There is also a chapter on sex. Katz encourages you to have a romantic dinner with your partner, and “to be sure to enjoy some flowers and candles.” I choked down a few rose petals, but the candles made me gag. For another novel experience, Katz suggests you switch

cars with a nearby friend for a day so you can have a new tactile experience behind the wheel. Of course, remember to tell your neighbor before you do this, or you can then look forward to really feeling something new: your hands cuffed behind your back.

My favorite suggestion is to eliminate the traditional grocery list. Instead of jotting down the name of each item, write a description instead so you can fully appreciate its qualities. I tried that.

On my shopping list I wrote: “It’s about the size and shape of a soccer ball, tannish, heavily veined and dimpled.” I was talking about a cantaloupe, but it sounded a lot like my rear end.

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December 2023 ■ SENIOR LIFE ■ 17

Grandparenting good for kids

By JAMES GAFFNEY Mature Life Features One day a year has been set aside to honor a generation that gives of itself 365 days a year.

Most folks can tell you when Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Labor Day and a few other civic holidays fall. But when is Grandparent’s Day? It was signed into officialdom

by President Jimmy Carter.

It’s celebrated annually on the Sunday after Labor Day to honor those unsung heroes and heroines whose many sacrifices have made life easier and better for succeeding generations.

Many people would be puzzled by the prospect of what

to give as a gift. In fact, if one were to ask any grandparent what he or she would like for Grandparents Day, the odds are the reply would be, “Something I can give my grandchildren, something that will make them healthier and happier.”

People forget that what makes grandparents happy is seeing their grandchildren (and their children, of course) happy, experts say.

Reports vary, but consensus tells us that some 10% of children under 18 years of age are cared for totally or at least partially by their grandparents. Almost 6 million children under 18 live in grandparentheaded households.

Grandparents often end up

taking care of their grandchildren for long periods of time.

Watching active youngsters can be challenging at any age.

The widespread use of drugs accounts for much of the rising incidence of grandparenting, and nearly half are grandparents without partners and are caring for two or more children.

The rise of the cell phone has made it somewhat easier to keep tabs on the activities and location of youngsters under their grandparents’ care. A growing concern, however, is the fact that children tend to grow away from their grandparents in their teens. But, according to an Oxford University study, maintaining grandparental contact contributes to

the child’s well-being.

A commonly held misconception is that grandparents should find parenting easier since they’ve been through it

already. But health, financial and housing restrictions as well as changing cultures belie this view.

Mature Life Features Copyright 2023

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18 ■ SENIOR LIFE ■ December 2023

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‘Time in a Bottle’ Jim Croce’s signature single Jim Croce One night, Ingrid Croce sat her husband down at the kitchen table on their Pennsylvania farm. For A Boomer Blast five years, To The Past the two had

By RANDAL tried in vain C. HILL to have a child. That night, though, Ingrid had good news: They were about to become parents.

Jim Croce was so overcome with emotion that he composed “Time in a Bottle” on the table that night, telling how he wished that that fleeting moment of euphoria could last forever: “If I could save time in a bottle “The first thing that I’d like to do “Is to save every day till eternity passes away “Just to spend them with you.”

Of course, as we all know, life doesn’t work that way and that we are given only a certain number of days together: “But there never seems to be enough time “To do the things you want to do once you find them “I’ve looked around enough to know “That you’re the one I want to go through time with.”

Their blessed event was a boy. The happy couple named him Adrian.

Jim Croce was a struggling singer/songwriter who first performed with his wife. In 1966, the two recorded an album — “Facets” — and released it on their own Croce Records label.

The disc went nowhere. Three years later, they signed with Capitol Records, but their “Jim and Ingrid Croce” LP met the same fate, and Capitol dropped them.

Jim decided to try his luck as a solo artist, in the meantime driving trucks, working construction and teaching middle school to make ends meet while

waiting to make music his full — time occupation.

“Time in a Bottle” ended up on Croce’s first successful album, “You Don’t Mess Around with Jim.” The title track on ABC Records had been a rollicking Top Ten novelty hit, but “Time in a Bottle” ended up being buried on the second side of the LP. Nobody at ABC Records ever thought of it becoming a 45 someday.

Fast-forward a couple of years, and Jim Croce had become a musical superstar.

In September 1973, he and his small backup band were headlining shows at various college campuses in the south. All were scheduled to fly from a venue in Louisiana to another in Texas, but their small chartered plane struck a tree on takeoff from a regional airport, and everyone on board perished.

Adrian Croce had turned 2 years old just eight days earlier.

Coincidentally, one week before the crash, ABC-TV had aired a now-forgotten Movie

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INGRID AND JIM CROCE WITH SON ADRIAN. PHOTO FROM JIMCROCE.COM of the Week. It was called “She Lives!” and starred Desi Arnaz, Jr., in a story of a young woman stricken with cancer.

The film’s producers had come across “Time in a Bottle” from Croce’s first hit album and had secured permission to add it to the movie’s soundtrack.

The following day, radio stations were bombarded with callers asking to hear the heartbreaking tune again. ABC Records quickly issued “Time in a Bottle,” which raced to the peak of the Billboard chart and became Croce’s signature single.

Technology helps keep you at home

By CECIL SCAGLIONE Mature Life Features As the aging population grows, so grows the need for facilities and workers to provide senior care.

Complicating matters is the fact that many folks intend to grow old at home.

Technology may have come to the rescue for folks who are still alert and physically unchallenged.

Camera and sensor systems can be installed that link

with their children, siblings or caregivers who monitor the household. There are devices available to dole out the proper medication at the proper time.

When seniors leave the house, they can use cellphones, wristwatches and global position systems to help monitors keep track of their moves.

Medical alert bracelets help seniors get help when they fall, sensors can be installed to automatically turn off stoves, and devices can be installed to prevent bathtub overflowing.

Mature Life Features Copyright 2023

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December 2023 ■ SENIOR LIFE ■ 19

Travel

Elegant Oliver Mansion typical of wealthy industrialists in late 1800s To get an upclose and personal look at how rich people lived in the late 1800s and early 1900s, drive to South Bend and GREAT tour the ESCAPES Oliver Man- Text and Photos sion. While

By ROD KING you’re in the neighborhood, have lunch at Tippecanoe House, the former home of the Studebakers.

In fact, why not just spend the day and tour the Studebaker Museum, too?

J.D. Oliver made his money manufacturing plows, the kind pulled by horses. His were more durable than the iron ones made by competitors thanks to a chilling process developed by his father, James.

The company became the largest plow manufacturer in the world. The early versions cost $6. When Oliver died in 1932, he was the richest man in Indiana.

Built in 17 months between 1895 and 1896, the Romanesque Queen Anne-style mansion is constructed of native Indiana granite field stones. It sits on 2.5 acres that include formal sunken gardens, a tea house, pergola, tennis lawn and fountain at 808 W. Washington St. They named the 38-room home Copshaholm.

Unlike many historic mansions around the country that display furnishings from a specific period, Copshaholm is full of furniture and accents owned by the family. That’s because members of the Oliver family resided in the house for 72 years. The house was never abandoned, suffered weather damage or vandalism. It was later given to the South Bend Historical Museum and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Oliver didn’t scrimp on the structure or its furnishings.

The ceiling in the dining room, for instance, features five mahogany beams, the walls are covered with woven tapestries and the upper sashes of the bay windows are leaded glass.

The 14 fireplaces were mainly for atmosphere because the building had central heat. Book cases, which are full of J.D.’s original books, match the curve of the exterior wall and the oak floors feature a parquet border. Much of the furniture in the house was chosen by the Olivers on a trip to Europe in 1899.

The polished wood floor, high ceiling and plaster relief give Oliver’s personal study on the first floor a decidedly English feel. His original “partners”

MAHOGANY FIREPLACE— Oliver mansion has 14 fireplaces.

They were mainly for atmosphere because the house has central heating.

SET FOR A FEAST—The large, expandable dining table is set as it would have been for special dinners. All of the furnishings are original to the house. Much of the furniture was chosen by J.D. and his wife on a European trip in 1899.

PLOW COST FARMERS $6 — J.D. Oliver made his fortune manufacturing plows. His plows were more durable than his competitors, thanks to a chilling process developed by his father, James. When J.D. died in 1932 he was the richest man in Indiana.

38-ROOM OLIVER MANSION — The Romanesque, Queen Annstyle Oliver mansion in South Bend was constructed of native Indiana granite field stones. It took 17 months to build between 1895 and 1896. desk dominates the room and the sterling silver plaque by Tiffany and Company on the back of the chair is engraved with his name.

Perhaps the most interesting feature of the large kitchen is the 10-door refrigerator, which was originally the home’s icebox. During the 1930s, the kitchen was remodeled.

Stainless-steel counter tops were installed along with Art Deco light fixtures. Mrs. Oliver met regularly here with the butler to discuss dinner menus and upcoming parties. They employed a staff of 15.

Guests arriving for gatherings at Copshaholm entered the house from the covered portico and porch into a small reception area. Instead of walking directly into the main room, they took a short set of steps at the side of the room and entered half-way up the elegant staircase so they could be properly announced to party guests, while making a grand entrance down the stairs.

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The mansion is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday. Tickets for an hour-and-a-half tour can be purchased in the Historical Museum behind the house.

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MAIN ENTRANCE HALL — An elegant mahogany entry leads to the staircase to the second-floor bedrooms. Unlike many mansions around the country, the Oliver mansion was occupied by members of the family a total of 72 years. It was never abandoned or subject to vandalism. It’s now owned by the South Bend Historical Museum and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

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Finance

At home or on the go — Social Security is online

By MONA HARTER District Manager, South Bend Social Security Office When you retire, if you become disabled, or if someone you depend on dies — we are there when you need us. With your personal and secure my Social Security account, you can access your information, benefits, and important services from just about anywhere.

Having a personal my Social Security account allows you to: • Compare future benefit estimates for different dates or ages when you may want to begin receiving benefits.

• Check the status of your benefits application or appeal.

• Review your earnings history.

• Request a replacement Social Security card (in most states).

If you already receive ben-

efits, you can also: • Get a benefit verification or proof of income letter.

• Set up or change your direct deposit.

• Change your address.

• Get a Social Security 1099 form (SSA-1099).

You can even use your personal my Social Security account to opt out of receiving certain notices by mail, including the annual cost-ofliving adjustments notice and

the income-related monthly adjustment amount notice.

These notices are available in your Message Center when you sign into your account. We will email you when you have a new message, so you never miss an important update.

It’s easy to sign up for a my Social Security account. Please let your friends and family know that they can create their own my Social Security account today at ssa.gov/myaccount.

own, there are a few things you should think about if you already haven’t.

You should know the dates and deadlines for optional and required minimum retirement-plan withdrawals to avoid unnecessary additional taxes.

The applicable age for when you must begin taking RMDs from traditional and Roth 401(k) accounts or traditional IRAs has changed so you should talk this over with your tax advisor. You may be subject to additional taxes if RMD deadlines are missed.

Don’t have a tax consultant?

Get one.

If you haven’t retired yet, familiarize yourself with how Social Security income rises or falls depending on the age at which you decide to begin receiving benefits.

And get to know Medicare’s various programs and deadlines.

There is a simple exercise you can do to determine how much you need to save before leaving the work force. Add up your monthly expenses and multiply that by 12 to get your annual total. Then multiply that by 25 to get the sum you’ll need for a financially comfortable retirement.

Retirement regulations, rules and deadlines that affect your

income after you quit working begin to apply at age 50. At this stage, you can play catch up with some individual and employersponsored retirement plans. It’s also a good time to start working with a financial advisor to go over your needs, goals and tax ramifications.

At 59, withdrawals from your individual retirement account or employer-sponsored retirement plan are no longer subject to 10% early withdrawal tax, though you still may owe regular income tax on the distributions.

Age 62 is the minimum age at which you can choose to begin receiving Social Security retirement benefits. But for each year you postpone taking this benefit up till age 70, your monthly check will be larger.

If you retire at 62, you might need to buy a private health insurance policy to tide you over until you’re eligible for Medicare at age 65.

Social Security information is available at home or on the go.

Road to retirement can be rocky

By CECIL SCAGLIONE Mature Life Features

Some people plan their retirement, some retire in stages, while others just quit work and hope.

Whether you fit any of these categories or a special one of your

FINANCIAL PLANNING FOR LIFE’S MILESTONES.

Medicare covers much of the cost of physician and hospital care and other health services but it comes in categories A, B, C and D. The rules for signing up and receiving benefits through each one can be complex. The Medicare.gov site offers basic information about the program.

Your retirement age for full Social Security benefits depends on the year you were born. If you were born between 1943 and 1954, your full retirement age is 66. If you were born between 1955 and 1959, your full retirement age is 66 plus two months for each year after 1954. If you were born in 1960 or later, your retirement age is 67.

If you wait until you’re 70 before claiming Social Security benefits, you’ll get the biggest possible monthly check, which could be almost 80% more than if you began collecting your benefits at age 62.

Mature Life Features Copyright 2023

Stop banking robbery Scott Wray

swray@contewealth.com (888) 717-2921 | (260) 413-1220 ConteWealth.com Securities offered through Registered Representatives of Cambridge Investment Research, Inc., a broker/dealer, member FINRA/SIPC. Advisory services offered through Cambridge Investment Research Advisors, Inc., a Registered Investment Advisor. Conte Wealth Advisors and Cambridge are not affiliated.

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Senior Relocation Program

By CECIL SCAGLIONE Mature Life Features While interest rates soar, so does the number of fees for services banks keep charging, such as $30 for bounced checks or the 38 cents a colleague was charged for a $600 check that was inadvertently made out for $600.20.

Banks also charge for over-theminimum number of monthly visits to the bank and over-theminimum transactions made in

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the overage.

And go look for another financial institution if yours is charging you a minimum-balance fee, which can range as high as $10 if your balance falls below the minimum for just one day in the month.

Check the cost of a cashier’s check before getting one from your bank. If there’s any charge, get a money order at the post office for $2.

Mature Life Features Copyright 2023

much a parent’s health has declined. This prompts adult children to begin discussing with their parents concerns and a need for change. These types of conversations may take place slowly over time as parents process their own wants and needs regarding necessary changes.

At times, it may be a relief for aging parent(s), but at other times, they may need the process to go slowly and with gentle care. One thing to remember is that change is hard, and it seems that the older we become the more time we need to process changes. Though change can be difficult, to be in control of the changes that occur in our lives is much better than being forced to change because of

health issues or other circumstances.

I recently met with a lovely lady who had made the decision to downsize into a retirement home. She was very sharp and in good health. As we talked, I sensed she wanted to be in control of her own life, and rightly so. She recognized staying in her present home was not realistic.

In her own best interest, she set in motion the wheels of change.

We talked about what those changes involved, what steps she needed to take and the order of those steps. In effect, we created a game plan so everyone was on the same page. This is the part of my job I enjoy the most — helping people reach their goals.

‘Tis the season

By KURT NESS Ness Bros. Realtors and Auctioneers Senior Relocation Program

Our Services Include

a month. Remember that these charges are made so they can keep your money in their coffers.

So, when faced with such fees, shop around for alternative banking sources. Tell your bank you don’t want to swap your credit card for a debit card if they’re going to charge you every time you have an overdraft in your checking account. Banks charge this overdraft fee even when you have more than enough in your savings account to cover

It’s hard to believe in a few short weeks we’ll be celebrating Christmas. Holidays are a time of family gathering, a time of catching up, seeing loved ones we may not have seen for some time.

It is also during this time of the year we at Ness Bros. Senior Relocation Program get phone calls from adult children, who are concerned about their parents’ well being.

One of the issues that may crop up is adult family members, who live away from their parents, coming home for the holidays.

They’re surprised to notice how