Senior Life - St. Joseph County - June 2024

Brenda Matuszkiewicz dedicates her life to helping children

By MARISSA SWEATLAND Staff Writer

A life-long resident of the South Bend area and IUSB alum, Brenda Matuszkiewicz has dedicated her life to bettering the lives of local foster children. Matuszkiewicz is the executive director of CASA St. Joseph County.

“I have been in the community working in the not-for-profit sector since 1989 and most of that work has been done with at-risk youth, families and traumatic situations going on in families’ lives,” Matuszkiewicz explained.

“I have been with CASA for 21 years. I have been here a while and it has been a long road.”

CASA stands for Court Appointed Special Advocates.

CASAs are every day community members appointed by a judge to advocate for children in need of care. CASA recruits, trains and supervises volunteers who serve as voices for abused and neglected children as they navigate their way through the court system.

“We have grown staff-wise, budget-wise, technology-wise,” Matuszkiewicz explained.

“I do not think we even had

email when I first started here.

Additional funding has been instrumental to our program. We receive a Victims Of Crime grant that allowed us to hire three people.”

Currently, CASA St. Joseph County is serving 400 children, with 200 more on the waitlist.

“The reasoning for that is we have employment openings.

Post-COVID has been very difficult to secure staff and volunteers,” Matuszkiewicz explained. “Volunteerism is down across the country in all aspects but we are always looking.”

Matuszkiewicz started her career at the Department of Public Welfare, where she determined families’ eligibility for all types of public assistance. She then transferred to Youth Service Bureau where she helped young moms become self-sufficient to avoid the child welfare system. She then started as a supervisor at CASA where she worked her way up to becoming executive director.

“I think I always had a strong interest in psychology. I have always had a strong interest in people and how they worked,”

Matuszkiewicz explained. “Working with people always has its nuances. I had a desire to see the program grow. I wanted to see more kids served. I wanted to see more volunteers. It has taken a while but it has happened.”

CASA St. Joseph County is consistently looking for more volunteers to be able to serve more of the community’s children and eliminate the waitlist. Community members can become a CASA volunteer in seven easy steps: fill out a volunteer application; schedule a volunteer interview; consent to background checks and screening; attend 35 hours of pre-service training; get sworn; receive a case and a supervisor; get started. The CASA volunteer application can be filled out online at in-stjoseph. evintosolutions.com/VolunteerApplication. The next pre-service training begins Tuesday, June 18. Classes will be held 9 a.m. to noon Tuesdays and Thursdays.

“I am very committed to my job,” Matuszkiewicz mentioned. “My job and my work is very important to me. Our work is needed, it matters.”

Nest egg can still grow after your retirement

By CECIL SCAGLIONE Mature Life Features

Retirement doesn’t necessarily signal the end of all efforts to add to your assets.

Whether you feel your nest egg is not big enough or subscribe to the you-can-neverhave-enough school, there are still opportunities to enhance your estate during retirement.

One of the first things most retirees can investigate is the possibility of moving into a smaller house.

If your home is paid for, there are a variety of ways to exploit this position to improve your standard of living.

You can check out the pluses and minuses of a reverse mortgage, which allows you to borrow against your mortgage

in regular payments, a lump sum, or a line of credit. The amount you take out does not have to be paid until you move out or the property is sold.

Or you can get your home appraised and shop around for a smaller, less expensive residence, pouring the difference in real estate prices into your retirement portfolio.

You might even consider moving to a less expensive part of the country. Compare real estate prices, and the income and property tax rates where you live now with other sections of the nation.

Besides pulling in a lump sum from the sale of your home and acquisition of a lower priced house, you can also cut other costs — taxes, insurance, and, in some cases, residential upkeep.

These savings will help boost your standard of living by lowering day-to-day expenses.

Another way to pay your bills in retirement is to work part time.

If you earn $10,000 a year, that’s $10,000 a year less you have to pull out of your nest egg and gives that amount an additional year to grow.

You can get answers to a lot of the questions these matters raise by checking with your financial advisor or online at aarp.org. Mature

BETTERING LIVES Brenda Matuszkiewicz has dedicated her life to bettering the lives of local foster children through her work as the executive director of CASA St. Joseph County. Photo by Marissa Sweatland.

Grow a green thumb with St. Joseph Valley Master Gardeners

By MARISSA SWEATLAND Staff Writer

The first Master Gardener Program was created by Dr. David Gibby, a retired Washington State extension educator, in 1972. A short six years later, Indiana adopted the program. By 1996, over two counties offered the program. By 2008, that number nearly tripled.

“The purpose of the Purdue Extension Master Gardener program is to train volunteers to assist the extension offices with consumer horticulture education needs in local communities,” Emily Evers, agri-

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.

Cameras and sensor systems can be installed that link with the 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 positioning 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.

culture and natural resources educator for Purdue Extension of St. Joseph County, explained. “Each county can determine whether or not they want an association for Master Gardeners. In St. Joseph County, we do and they are called the St. Joseph Valley Master Gardeners.”

The St. Joseph Valley Master Gardeners operate as an non-profit organization. The Master Gardeners help complete a number of different community service projects and build a sense of community together. The St. Joseph Valley Master Gardener Association was started in April 1996. Since then, it has been growing and more members join every year.

“We currently have 30 active Master Gardeners and 20 interns. COVID had an impact on the program with many people getting interested in gardening and more

people taking the class, but less volunteer hours getting done due to the shutdown,” Evers mentioned. “I would love to see the program grow even more and I think we are getting there! We had 23 take the course last year and 20 this year.”

The Master Gardener basic training course covers a variety of different topics that will surely keep the mind intrigued. Some topics covered include plant science, soil and plant nutrition, plant disease diagnosis, insect and weed identification and control, fruit gardening and lawn care.

“Every course is different but I try to incorporate some element of hands-on portions,” Evers said. “Like looking at flowers under a microscope, pruning techniques, stations that identify different weeds or diseases and taste-testing insects.”

Basic training classes will meet 6-9 p.m. Tuesdays, Aug. 20 through Nov. 19 at the Bremen Public Library, 304 N. Jackson St. Applications for the basic training course are due Wednesday, Aug. 14.

To apply, contact the St. Joseph County Extension Office, (574) 235-9605.

Once you complete the basic training course and pass the subsequent exam, you move up a rank and become a Purdue Extension Master Gardener Intern. You are then required to complete 40 volunteer hours within the first two years after passing the exam.

Once the volunteer hours are completed, Interns become Purdue Extension Master Gardeners. To maintain their status, Master Gardeners must report at least 12 volunteer activity hours annually, report at least 6 educational training hours

annually and complete and sign a volunteer agreement form each year.

“Many people want the information about gardening but do not wish to the volunteer work,” Evers explained. “Rather than signing up for the Master Gardener program, these people should let the Master Gardeners know they would like classes offered on gardening topics. If this situation meets your needs, contact the Extension Office and let them know what classes you might be interested in.”

The Extension Office also houses a large volume of publications and information on various horticultural and agricultural subjects that may answer your questions. For more information about the Master Gardeners program and other programs offered through Purdue Extension, call (574) 235-9605.

Agostino, Jermano seek to preserve history through Michiana Italian American History Project

By MARISSA SWEATLAND Staff Writer

“The more you dig, the more you uncover. Every family has a rich history worth telling,” said Joe Agostino, one of the head organizers of the Michiana Italian American History Project.

The Michiana Italian

American History Project is a collaborative effort between four social clubs: The DeAmicis Society, DiLoreto Club, Italian American Relief Association and the Italian American Heritage Society of Notre Dame/ Michiana. The clubs, in conjunction with Italia-Michiana, are seeking out stories and memories to be submitted to be

a part of the project.

“When Italians left Italy and came to America, they followed the railroad industry looking for employment,” Sam Jermano, one of the organizers of the project, explained. “South Bend, Mishawaka area had a booming railroad industry so many Italians settled here. We still have a strong presence.”

A website has been developed so community members can easily share their information for the project. A questionnaire is available on the site to guide community members through the information the project hopes to collect. Information such as family name, local city, Italian origins and narrative will be collected, sorted and produced into an exhibit for The History Museum.

The History Museum exhibit will premiere on Saturday, Aug. 3. The deadline to submit information to be displayed with the exhibit is Monday, July 1. The information form can be downloaded from italiaMichiana.com, filled out and emailed to info@italia-michiana.com or dropped off at any of the sponsoring clubs.

“Historically, Italians were not treated well. The largest single mass lynching in American history was the 1891 New Orleans lynching of 11 Italian Americans and Italian immigrants,” Agostino explained. “After being acquitted on a murder trial, an angry mob stormed where they were being held and killed them.”

“Due to the discrimination, a lot of Italians traded culture for acceptance,” Jermano add-

ed. “This project will highlight our culture, history, traditions, stories, recipes and memories.”

The exhibit is phase one of the project. The second phase of collecting history of Italian Americans involves filming individuals and families telling their stories. The long-term goal is to produce a video documentary. The entire project has been in the development stage since 2023.

For more information about the project, participating and next steps, visit the project’s website, italia-Michiana.com. Organizers of the project are working on creating a Facebook page.

“Maybe this project, the Michiana Italian American History Project, will inspire other groups to do their own ancestry project,” Agostino hoped.

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MICHIANA ITALIAN AMERICAN HISTORY PROJECT Sam Jermano, left, and Joe Agostino, right, look over the teaser display for the Michiana Italian American History Project. Forms to submit information for the project can be found on the project’s website, italia-Michiana.com. Photo by Marissa Sweatland.

Memory Care

Was ‘Band on the Run’ jinxed?

Paul McCartney and Wings

Did Paul McCartney ever consider “Band on the Run” to be jinxed? If he did, there had been a couple of good reasons to think so.

By RANDAL C. HILL

He and his Wings group were scheduled to fly to Nigeria to record “Band on the Run.” But some of the musicians never showed, so only Paul and Linda McCartney and Wings guitarist Denny Laine made the journey.

In the studio, McCartney sang lead and filled in on guitar, electric piano, bass and drums. (“I played a lot of stuff myself. It was almost a solo album. Almost.”) Not quite. Wife and partner Linda McCartney added synthesizers and electric piano to the tracks, and Denny Laine offered lead guitar. And both sang backup vocals.

“Band on the Run” became a five-minute-plus work that played out like a three-act mini-drama. There was the slow, meandering opening. A hard-rocking section kicked in next. Finally, a dynamic Eagles-like harmony drove the work to a powerful finale.

But as the trio was walking back to their hotel that night, they were robbed at knifepoint, with thieves snatching their tapes and vanishing into the darkness. Paul, Linda and Denny thus had to create a new recording from memory.

Flashback. At one time, the Beatles were a struggling band covering Top 40 hits in German bars. They eventually broke big in the UK in 1962, became teen idols throughout Europe the following year, and conquered America in 1964.

But when the Fab Four began their own music label — Apple Records — in 1968, they “officially” entered the world of Big Business. Consequently, the Beatles often had to endure boring meetings in stuffy boardrooms.

At one such gathering, George Harrison unknowingly handed McCartney a part of

Camping sites harder to find

By CECIL SCAGLIONE

Mature Life Features

If you’re planning to camp this summer, especially if you’re heading to campgrounds in the popular state parks, you need to keep some things in mind to help you find a spot and have an enjoyable layover.

The following advice is offered by the California Department of Parks and Recreation, but is probably applicable in most parts of the country.

• Decide where you want to camp, but stay flexible. Have an alternative park in mind in case your first choice is fully booked.

• If all the sites are full when you try to make a reservation, look for a first-come, firstserved campground and try to get there on a Tuesday or Wednesday, traditionally the quietest days of the week, to maximize your chances of finding a site.

• Consider less popular campgrounds. If campgrounds in one area draw large crowds, look for campgrounds a bit far-

ther from major metropolitan areas, and perhaps somewhere where the weather is not quite as good.

• Avoid major holiday weekends, when crowds are guaranteed in many popular areas.

• Do your camping during the shoulder season, that time between the most popular and least popular months. In many areas, that means parts of spring or fall.

• If you still can’t find an open space, check back at regular intervals for any cancellations.

Mature Life Features Copyright 2024

“Band on the Run.” McCartney remembered, “It started off with, ‘If I ever get out of here.’ That came from a remark George made at one of the Apple meetings. He was saying that we’re all prisoners in some way.”

Lyrically, “Band on the Run” opened with the narrator already being incarcerated: “Stuck inside these four walls, Sent inside forever.”

When the song shifted to the next tier, we heard a prisoner’s lament:

“If I ever get out of here.”

In the final section, we learned of a “jailer man” and how a county judge held a grudge because he’ll have to “search forevermore” but will

never capture the elusive “band on the run.”

McCartney later explained that his lyrics involved police hassles and drug problems: “We were being outlawed for pot.”

(He preferred marijuana over booze.) “Our argument on ‘Band on the Run’ was that we’re not criminals … So I just made up a song about people breaking out of prison.”

McCartney later said of his musical creation, “It’s a million things, all put together … a band on the run — escaping, freedom, criminals. You name it, it’s there.”

To McCartney’s delight, his fans embraced the Apple single, which topped Billboard’s chart. Even ex-partner John Lennon,

often one of McCartney’s harshest critics, enthusiastically pronounced it “a great song.”

WINGS Denny Laine, Linda McCartney and Paul McCartney of Wings pose for a photo in 1977.

Photo by Gems/Redferns.

A Boomer Blast To The Past

Take advantage of county’s senior tax cut

By AMY DRAKE

St. Joseph County Council

Last November, the St. Joseph County Council passed a special tax credit for seniors 55 and older. What it does is assure taxpayers that the amount of property tax they pay on their homes will not increase by more than 2% from the previous year.

This does not include additional local referendums or levies, such as school referendums. It only affects taxes on the homestead portion of a tax bill.

The rules are: be at least 55, have a homestead on your property, and have lived in your house 10 years.

There are no income limits. This special legislation lasts for three years.

The auditor’s office is in charge of administering the program. Taxpayers can file for the new credit now, either in the county auditor’s office or online at sjcindiana.com/auditor. If you file for the credit by Dec. 31, it will apply to your

COUNCILWOMAN Amy

Drake is a St. Joseph County Councilwoman, representing District B, Clay Township, including parts of Granger and South Bend. She was elected in 2022.

tax bill in 2025.

What residents may learn through the process of investigating the new 55-andolder credit is that there is also an existing over-age-65 deduction that may be even more advantageous to the taxpayer, but it includes income limits and assessed value limitations. Taxpayers may only take either the age 55-plus credit or the 65-plus deduction. Those who are interested in learning about the differences can call the auditor at (574) 235-9668.

Remember that this property tax relief lasts three years. While property tax bills will be capped, assessments could continue to increase, depending on the market. That means keep an eye on your assessment and continue to appeal yearly as necessary. At the end of three years, when the temporary program ends, taxpayers will go back to paying full property taxes based on their regular assessments.

will present a lecture on archaeology in the Midwest at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, June 5. Photo provided.

The History Museum presents lecture on archaeology

Jay VanderVeen, Ph.D., RPA, professor, Department of Sociology and Anthropology, IU-South Bend, will describe items found in the Midwest during archaeology digs at “Insights in History,” taking place at The History Museum at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, June 5.

He will also explain why these are important in studying history. Admission is $3, general; $1, members. Reser-

vations are required by June 3. “Insights in History” is sponsored by THK Law, LLP.

A tour of mastodon bones and fossils will be on display. “Insights in History” is a monthly series featuring a lecture in conjunction with an exhibit at or area of The History Museum.

For information, call The History Museum at (574) 235-9664, ext. 6256 or visit historymuseumSB.org.

Travel through time

By CECIL SCAGLIONE Mature Life Features

As you motor around the country, visiting the grandkids or getting to see the sites on your to-do list or heading back for a class reunion, you can also travel back through time to trace your ancestry.

When you get to your home town, you can leaf through local records to trace your forebears back as far as they lived in that location. Having pored through

your lineage online or through family files, you can stop on the way there or the way back home in towns and cities mentioned in your chronicles.

It’s a good way to see America, or whatever country your forebears were from, as well as trace your ancestors.

On a grander scale, you can visit the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island Foundation to track some 65 million immigrants who were documented at the island from 1820 to 1957.

Mature Life Features Copyright 2024

Photo provided by Amy Drake.

MASTDODON BONES — The History Museum in South Bend

John VanDriessche still making waves in South Bend

By NATHAN PACE Staff Writer

John VanDriessche knew he wanted to coach his high school swimming team when he was a student there and once he took the job, he has not thought about giving it up. When asked about what keeps him coming back to the boys’ swimming program at South Bend Riley High School, VanDriessch said he gets that question frequently after 27 years of coaching.

“People have asked me that a lot and I really don’t know. We’ve had a lot of success and I guess winning is kind of intoxicating. When you do really well you keep looking for that feeling of after a big win. Nothing can replace that. Any coach can tell you that.”

VanDriessche is an alumnus at South Bend Riley and knew as a student he wanted to coach the program there. He was brazen enough to tell his coach, Dave Dunlap, he would take over for him one day as his senior season was wrapping up.

“Dunlap was the reason I became a coach,” VanDriessche said. “He knew I was going to Ball State to become a teacher and I said, ‘Do you know why I’m doing that? I am coming back to take your job.’”

He took over the job in 2000 after stints at Knox and Elkhart, and VanDriessche now has

enough perspective to identify his best teams he has coached.

“Our two state runner-up finishes were a pretty big deal for us in the 2000s. In ‘02 we got second place by a half point over North Central, we were a really good team. Our ‘03 team might have been the best team that I have coached overall here at Riley. Last year, the 2023 sectional championship was huge for us. It might have been the most perfect meet my kids have ever swam under me. We made zero mistakes and just swam lights out and beat a top 10 team in the state from Penn,” VanDriessche said.

In February, VanDriessche was named State Coach of the Year by the Indiana High School Swim Coaches Association.

VanDriessche credits his coaching success to a drive to just get better every day and improve weaknesses.

“I think any coach worth his salt has the same mindset,” VanDriessche said. “One of the questions during the interview process that would always get on my nerves would be ‘name one of your biggest weaknesses.’ I know there is a trap to that question to see how you really respond to it. That question always bothered me because if a coach feels there is a weakness, then why are they not addressing it?”

Another aspect of his teams

COACH OF THE YEAR —

South Bend Riley swim coach, John VanDriessche, added a Coach of the Year award from the Indiana High School Swimming Coaches Association in February. Photo provided by Double Edge Media.

VanDriessche works to instill is a positive team culture.

“Culture is king and that’s what we are trying to develop. Just show up everyday and do the work really. You have to be consistent with your expectations and it’s never easy. As soon as you stop fighting for your culture you lose it and it doesn’t take much time at all. Hopefully, the team can look back 10, 15, 20 years and say that was a special time. That’s what I really hope.”

In addition to coaching swimming, VanDriessche also teaches physical education at Riley and strength and conditioning. In 2006 he began the South Bend Swim Club with the goal of providing an affordable swim program for South Bend youth. The club is through a partnership with the South Bend Venues Parks and Arts.

“We honestly believe we are the least expensive team in the state, if not the country,” VanDriessche said. “I essentially work for free when I do this.”

Manners make travel more enjoyable

By CECIL SCAGLIONE Mature Life Features

Listening to travellers complain about how they were treated in some foreign land is akin to hearing kids complain about their teachers.

First off, keep in mind that the travellers were guests where they were. Just because the locals didn’t understand English is no reason to harp

about their rudeness. You might discover the travellers have no concept of what language was spoken in the country they visited. They didn’t try to learn a few vital words in that language, such as “please” and “thank you.”

Ignorance of one’s surroundings is an all-too-common trait of travellers.

A small sample of such mindlessness occurred not long

ago. A member of a small group ahead of us strolling along in the shadow of St. Peter’s in Vatican City proudly proclaimed loudly how thrilled she felt “walking in the footsteps of Jesus.”

Then she complained — loudly — to her tour guide that the Pope’s noon blessing from his high-up window was too far away to tell if it was really him.

Mature Life Features Copyright 2024

By RANDAL C. HILL

In 1978, after producing two poorly selling Village People albums that featured only a lead singer (Victor Willis) and some session musicians, French record producer Jacques Morali experienced an epiphany for his third effort: a Casablanca Records album called “Cruisin.’ ” And included in that breakthrough disc would be a megahit single that would knock down pop-culture barriers as it rocketed onto hit charts worldwide.

Jacques had recently strolled through Manhattan’s Chelsea neighborhood when he noticed the YMCA building on 23rd Street. As the YMCA was unknown to Europeans, he inquired inside and learned that the place offered inexpensive rooms and a safe haven for young men visitors.

When he learned later that it was also a place for gay men to connect, Morali sought to create a song to fit his little-known group. Jacques created most of “YMCA” in about 20 minutes,

then handed everything to Willis and told him to add some lyrics. Victor did just that —with a later quite-surprising admission. Morali had wanted to exploit the burgeoning New York disco scene, which was primarily confined to gay dance clubs in Greenwich Village (hence the act name Village People). Following a clever plan of action he had devised, Morali assembled a fiveman group after advertising in a local music publication. “Macho types wanted,” it stated. “Must dance and have a mustache.”

To sell “YMCA” as a campy song-and-dance number, Morali created a video portraying the Village People as a bunch of funloving guys who poked fun at macho-gay-fantasy personas.

The new version of the Village People included African American Willis (seen in videos as either a cop or a naval officer), Felipe Rose as the Indian chief, David Hodo as the construction worker, Randy Jones as the cowboy, Glenn Hughes as the leather-clad biker, and Alex Briley as the Black soldier.

Straight? Gay? Who cared? Fun was the focus here:

“Young man, there’s a place you can go

“I said, young man, when you’re short on your dough

“You can stay there and I’m

sure you can find

“Many ways to have a good time

“It’s fun to stay at the YMCA.”

“YMCA” became one of fewer than 40 singles to sell more than 10 million copies. It’s still a mainstay in ads, movies and television, and at weddings, parties and sporting events, fun-

lovers sometimes do the YMCA dance by waving their arms to spell out the letters.

In a 2017 interview, Victor Willis, a preacher’s son who cowrote the hits and delivered the goods in a gospel-like shout, explained, “ ‘YMCA’ wasn’t written to be a gay song because of the simple fact that I’m not gay. I

wrote it about hanging out in urban neighborhoods in my youth.

‘You can hang out with all the boys’ was a term about me and my friends playing basketball at the ‘Y.’ But I wanted to write a song that could fit anyone’s lifestyle. I’m happy the gay community adopted it as their anthem. I have no qualms with that.”

Professional Services

Q. What is a Special Needs Trust?

A. A special needs trust is a legal document designed to help individuals with disabilities maintain their eligibility for government assistance programs while still receiving financial support from their loved ones. There are two primary types of special needs trusts – first-party trusts and third-party trusts.

A first-party special needs trust is used when an individual with a disability has funds or assets of their own and wishes to preserve their eligibility for government assistance programs. In this case, the trust is funded using the beneficiary’s own assets, such as an inheritance, a legal settlement, or proceeds from a personal injury case. This type of trust is also known as a “self-settled” or “d(4)(A)” trust, referring to the specific provision of the federal law that allows for it.

Ryan Hahn Trust Administrator

A third-party special needs trust is funded by someone other than the individual with special needs, typically a family member or friend. This type of trust is ideal when the beneficiary with a disability has a friend or family member that wants to leave funds for their benefit. The third-party trust holds the funds and uses them to provide for the beneficiary with a disability without impacting their eligibility for government benefits. These trusts can be used to provide for the ongoing financial care and support of the individual with special needs and can be established during the lifetime of the family member or friend. Third-party special needs trusts can also go into effect after the passing of the donor family member or friend, if stated in the trust document.

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Q. Where are Senior Life Newspapers distributed?

A. Each Senior Life Newspaper is distributed to over 300 locations each month and is free for public pickup and supported by advertisers. Locations for distribution are chosen with the 50+ aged person in mind and include Grocery Stores, Libraries, Senior Centers, Restaurants, Senior Communities, Banks, Apartment Complexes, Doctor Offices, Drug Stores, Farmer’s Market, Resale locations, Churches, Convenient Stores, and Retail Stores. There are four distinct issues of Senior Life Newspaper including St. Joseph County (extending to LaPorte and Marshall in IN and Berrien & Cass in MI), Elkhart (extending to LaGrange, Noble, Kosciusko and Wabash in IN and St. Joseph MI, Allen (Ft. Wayne) County (extending into DeKalb, Noble, Whitley, Huntington, Wells and Adams Counties), and our Northwest issue covering Lake & Porter Counties. Total distribution each month is 84,150!

Call today for more information

FUN WAS THE FOCUS The Village People was a clever plan of action by Jacques Morali after learning about a YMCA in Manhattan. Fun was the focus of the song and about hanging out in urban neighborhoods. Photo from Wikopedia.

Helping you get the most out of your prescription drug benefits

(StatePoint) The health care system can feel uncoordinated and costly. One in 10 U.S. adults ration medication because they can’t afford their prescriptions, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In fact, the more a patient must pay at the counter, the more likely they are to abandon their treatment. Other Americans simply lack convenient access to primary care providers and pharmacies, and go undertreated as a result.

Pharmacy services companies exist to fill these gaps in care. Because these companies sit in the middle of the health care delivery system, they have the unique ability to spot and

solve problems across the supply chain to drive affordability and deliver improved clinical outcomes.

“Every day at Express Scripts, we use our clinical expertise and patient-centered programs to help the more than 100 million Americans we serve keep their health on track,” said Adam Kautzner, president of Express Scripts, a leading pharmacy services company.

Before filling your next prescription, check out these insights from Express Scripts:

• Check your coverage: At a time of rising drug costs and access barriers, some pharmacy services companies are helping people take their medications

as prescribed. Express Scripts, for example, was the first in the industry to cap the out-of-pocket costs of insulin and other diabetic treatments, saving people more than $45 million in two years.

“A prescription drug doesn’t work if it’s priced out of reach,” said Kautzner. “Reducing outof-pocket costs is the single best thing we can do to improve the health of people we serve.”

• Tools to stay adherent: Half of all treatments fail because people don’t take medication as prescribed and nearly one-quarter of hospitalizations are due to medication nonadherence, according to the American Hospital Association.

R. E. A. L. Services to withdraw From Indiana PathWays for Aging Program

R.E.A.L. Services, a cornerstone in supporting older adults in northern Indiana, has announced it will not participate in the newly restructured PathWays for Aging program. This decision was driven by a shift in funding that would not cover operational costs, forcing the nonprofit to make tough choices to uphold its financial stability.

Since 1966, R.E.A.L. Services has worked tirelessly to provide services that enrich the lives of older adults with a mission of helping them maintain their independence to the maximum degree possible.

As an area agency on aging, R.E.A.L. Services is the trusted local resource for aging Hoosiers in the community, providing information on services

available to them and ensuring quality of care. However, starting July 2024, the Indiana Family and Social Services Administration plans to transition these services to managed care health plans under the new PathWays for Aging program.

During months of preparation and negotiation with the managed health plans, it became clear that the prescribed rates for service coordination under PathWays would fall significantly short of the actual costs. Facing a substantial financial shortfall, the board of R.E.A.L. Services voted to opt out of the program to preserve the agency’s long-term sustainability.

This decision will lead to a reduction of 65 staff positions by July 5. R.E.A.L. Services

is actively assisting affected employees with out-placement services and support during this transition.

Despite this setback,

R.E.A.L. Services will maintain its robust portfolio of more than 25 programs, reaching over 30,000 individuals across northern Indiana. These initiatives range from meal delivery and transportation services to caregiver support and Alzheimer’s and dementia services, all designed to foster independence and enhance the quality of life for older adults.

R.E.A.L. Services offers services in 12 counties across northern Indiana, including Elkhart, Fulton, Jasper, Kosciusko, Lake, LaPorte, Marshall, Newton, Porter, Pulaski, Starke and St. Joseph.

Further, chronic conditions, such as cancer, diabetes, and heart disease have been on the rise for more than two decades — today, 60% of U.S. adults have at least one chronic condition. One of the biggest and costliest challenges with managing the rise of chronic conditions is ensuring patients get on and stay on the medicines they need.

Express Scripts is helping patients better understand and manage their conditions through comprehensive disease management, including condition-specific coaching, tracking medication adherence, and digital tools.

“By taking medications as directed and working with their pharmacist, patients stay healthier longer and spend less on health care, requiring fewer emergency room visits, hospitalizations and medical tests,” said Stephanie Smith Cooney, PharmD, senior director of independent pharmacy affairs at Express Scripts.

• Understand your pharmacy benefits: Prescription drug coverage is the most frequently utilized benefit that employers and health plans offer. On average, a pharmacy benefit is used approximately 11 times a year. Unfortunately, pharmacy care benefits, like all health care benefits, can be confusing. That’s why pharmacy services companies are taking steps to give patients greater clarity.

Starting this year, prescriptions from Express Scripts include an easy-to-understand digital pharmacy benefits statement with drug price information, out-of-pocket costs and the value delivered.

• Pharmacy access: Pharmacists often fill care gaps in their communities, particularly where there are shortages of physicians, such as in rural areas. One in five Americans live in rural areas, yet less than 10% of physicians practice in these communities. This means longer wait times to get an appointment and more difficulty accessing pharmacies.

A new effort, called the IndependentRx Initiative, is working to expand pharmacy care services to widely include such care as smoking cessation support, behavioral health screenings, biometric screenings, routine vaccinations and the administration of life-saving naloxone. The Express Scripts program will also increase what it pays rural independent pharmacies to make sure their businesses can continue to serve their communities.

To learn more, visit evernorth.com/affordableforall.

Ensuring equitable access to affordable, quality pharmacy care and health services will not only improve health, but it will also help individuals, families and communities thrive.

Local priest embraces the abundant life only to be found in Christ

By LAURIE LECHLITNER Staff Writer

“Since high school I’ve embraced John 10:10. Jesus tells us, ‘The thief comes to steal, kill and destroy. I have come that they may have life and have it to the full.’ Jesus came to give us abundant life. What God leads us toward as individuals is to rejoice in this crazy, riotous, abundant life we have through His grace,” stated Mother Jen Fulton, the priest at St. Michael and All Angels Episcopal Church, South Bend.

Her life in the past revolved around her Catholic church and school.

“My father also had a deep faith and commitment to our church in Wisconsin. But I knew that women weren’t allowed to be priests in the Catholic church,” she said.

She went to college at the College of St. Bendict in St. Joseph, Minn.

She was an English major and went on to get a master’s degree in English at the University of Illinois in Urbana/Champaign. After graduate school, Fulton taught high school English for seven years.

“I loved being in the classroom. But sometimes I felt bogged down with grading papers and tests. And then

there was the added responsibility of meetings with faculty and parents,” she said.

When her kids were born, Fulton quit teaching to be a stay-at-home mom.

“My husband and I decided we’d wait until our youngest child was in kindergarten before I went back to work,” she said.

After the Fultons began attending the Episcopal Church, she felt a call to the priesthood.

“Of course, feeling a call is only the beginning. I then had to go through the discernment process,” she recalled.

The discernment process started with a meeting with her parish priest.

“After our meeting, my priest decided that I might have a call from the Lord,” she said.

Then she met with the bishop and the Commission on Ministry. Then Fulton spent a year meeting with a committee of priests and lay leaders. After this process, she went back for the blessing of the Commission on Ministry and the bishop.

“Then I could go to seminary,” said Fulton, who enrolled in Nashotah House Theological Seminary in Wisconsin. “I was a hybrid-distant student. I spent a week at the seminary each quarter and did the rest of my studies online.”

Her first church was St. John

of the Cross, Bristol.

“I spent nine years there and dearly loved the work and people,” Fulton said.

She’s the new kid on the block at St. Michael and All Angels Episcopal Church, South Bend.

“Although St. John’s had a history of female priests in the past, I’m the first female rector at St. Michael’s. When I preach, I rarely use sports metaphors. But I often refer to motherhood. Through my years in ministry, I’ve learned to embrace my own strengths and never apologize . . . to own who I am,” she said.

Fulton’s favorite part of ministry is preaching and teaching.

“And an added bonus is that I don’t have to grade papers. I’m also assured that everyone wants to be there.”

Time management is sometimes a challenge for her.

“A priest wears many hats. We preach, teach, deliver the Sacraments, do pastoral care and some pre-marital counseling. We’re expected to be experts on prayer, liturgy, and best business practices,” she explained. She loves working with seniors.

“The elderly see the big picture, sharing their own unique wisdom with those who will listen,” she said.

think I am getting negatively charged

Yesterday, I walked in the house and casually asked Mary Ellen, “You haven’t had a chance to call the plumber yet, have you?”

By DICK WOLFSIE

“Why do you have to be so negative?” she asked.

“I’m not being negative, Mary Ellen. I don’t know what you mean. Didn’t I just ask a question?”

“See, there you go. In that one response you used three negative words. You could have said, ‘I am a positive person. I’d like to know what you mean. I always try to be agreeable.’”

This was not a discussion I was looking forward to. Not then, not ever. Oh dear, three nots.

Time for lunch.

“Mary Ellen, we don’t have any peanut butter, do we?”

I did it again. Maybe Mary Ellen was right. I asked for advice on how to change.

“Next time, Dick, simply ask:

‘Do we have any peanut butter?’” I was guilty as charged, of course, and she was not about to drop the topic. Not while she was on a roll.

“Mary Ellen, this is not fair. We’ve been married a long time, haven’t we? You haven’t ever mentioned this issue before.” Okay, that was three negatives right there. “This is not an easy thing to stop doing. Don’t you agree?”

I decided to show my wife that this was not really an uncommon way for people to communicate. Before she returned from shopping this afternoon, I purposely didn’t shut the garage door, and I didn’t turn the lights off in the kitchen. I also didn’t check the dishwasher contents before starting it. And I didn’t feed the cat. When she returned, I’d hear about all the things I didn’t do. And I’d be told, “don’t do them again.”

When Mary Ellen walked in the door, she approached me. I was ready for her to explode with negativity.

“In the future, Dick, please remember to close the garage door when you come home. And you left all the lights on in the house. Let’s try to save on electricity. By the way, the cat is meowing. Make sure to feed

her when I am gone. It also appears you ran the dishwasher half-loaded. We should always try to conserve water.”

“No, no, no, Mary Ellen; a typical wife would not respond that way when her husband messed up so many things.”

“That’s four negatives, Dick. You’re getting worse at this.”

I told Mary Ellen what I thought most wives would say in a similar situation.

“Don’t leave the lights on in the middle of the day, Dick.”

“Don’t leave the garage door open when you get home.”

“Don’t forget to feed the cat.”

“Don’t run the dishwasher half-loaded.”

“Sorry, Dick,” she responded, “I’m a positive person. I would ne...ne...”

“Yes, say it, say it, Mary Ellen! Say the word ‘never.’ It will help you get out of this positive rut you are in.”

“Ne...nearly every day I strive to be optimistic. And I do that by using positive words. Do you see the difference?”

I wanted to say “I don’t,” but that would have really gotten me in trouble.

Instead, I decided to play it safe and repeat something smart I said almost 44 years ago: “I do.”

PARISH PRIEST Jen Fulton is the new kid on the block at St. Michael and All Angels Episcopal Church, South Bend. She’s also the first female rector there. She loves preaching and teaching. She also enjoys working with senior citizens, who share their own unique wisdom with those who will listen. Photo provided by Jen Fulton.

NUTSHELL

Dining/Leisure/Entertainment

June MPHPL programs for adults

Below is the MishawakaPenn-Harris Public Library June calendar of events for adults. Check mphpl.org for the most up-to-date information regarding events. Registration required for events. Registration can be secured at (574) 259-5277.

Bittersweet Branch Events

“Bingo,” 5:30-6:30 p.m. Wednesday, June 19. Join MPHPL for an hour of bingo and beverages. Winners will receive small prizes and raffle tickets for a chance to win a door prize.

“Paint with Us,” 10:30-11:30 a.m. Wednesday, June 26. Embrace your artistic side painting a mini canvas with the option of creating your own design or working with a vinyl template. All experience levels welcome.

Harris Branch Events “Chapter Chats Book Club,” 10:30-11:30 a.m. Thursday, June 13. “The Elegance of the Hedgehog” by Muriel Barbery can be picked up in advance at the Harris Branch front desk.

Mishawaka Library Events

“Saturday Morning Book

Club,” 10:15-11:15 a.m. Saturday, June 1. Discuss June’s book selection, “World of Wonders” by Aimee Nezhukumatathil. Books can be picked up in advance at the front desk of the Mishawaka Library. Summer Reading Kickoff Party is anytime between 10 a.m. to noon or 3-5 p.m. Friday, June 7. Enjoy donut hole decorating for all ages and crafts and stories for the little ones. An hour-long “edu-taining” program with musician and special guest, Jeanie B. will start at 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. She will offer an interactive

St. Patrick’s County Park canoe, kayak rentals begin

Canoe and kayak rentals are now open for the season and will be available through Oct. 6, weather and river conditions permitting.

St. Patrick’s County Park will be offering canoe and kayak rentals with three different trip options on the St. Joseph River. Short trips (four miles) are available Friday to Sunday from either Keller Park to St. Patrick’s County Park or from St. Patrick’s County Park to The Niles Dam.

Long trips (10 miles) will be available Saturday and

Sunday from Keller Park to The Niles Dam. Rental hours will be from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. with long-trip rentals ending at 2 p.m. All equipment must be returned by 7 p.m.

Short trip rental fees will be $25/single kayak and $30/double kayak or canoe. Long trip rental fees will be $35/single kayak and $40/double kayak or canoe. Stand-up paddleboards will be $25 and available Saturday and Sunday for short trips only. Rentals include vessel, paddle, required life jacket, and shuttle service. Regular

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 15th of every month at pmuthart@the-papers.com. With the listing, include the contact person, area code and phone number.

RiverBend Cancer Services, 3516 E. Jefferson Blvd., South Bend, offers the following events this month: 10 a.m. Mondays, seated strength; 11:15 a.m. Mondays, breath works; 1 p.m. June 3, Shabby Chic Planter; 4:30 p.m. June 3, Gyna Girls; 5:30 p.m. Mondays, gentle yoga; 10:30 a.m. and 11:45 a.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays, chair yoga; 1 p.m. Tuesdays, Mary’s Garden Club; 10 a.m. Wednesdays, Knitting Krew; 5:30 p.m. June 19, general cancer support group; 9 a.m. Fridays, Walking Club; 1 p.m. June 10 and 24, zen coloring; 1 p.m. June 17, wind chime craft; 2 p.m. June 19, Kim’s Bra Boutique; 2 p.m. Wednesdays, dominoes; 5:30 p.m. June 12, summer picnic; noon June 24, Birthday Club.

—o—

The South Bend Symphony Orchestra celebrates the country’s independence with the Shein Trust Community Series

“Salute to Freedom” concert at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, July 3, at the Morris Performing Arts Center. Under the baton of Music Director Alastair Willis, the orchestra will captivate audiences with patriotic tunes, tributes to the armed forces, popular songs, and a special performance by South Bend’s Danny Lerman. This is a free,

family-friendly concert.

—o—

“Birdies, Brews and Bites,” Mishawaka Business Association’s annual golf outing, will be Wednesday, Aug. 21, at Eberhart-Petro Municipal Golf Course. Lunch will be at noon and scramble start is at 1 p.m. For information, visit mishawakabusiness.org.

—o—

Summer Solstice Hike, 8:30–10 p.m. Thursday, June 20, St. Patrick’s County Park Brown Barn. Fee: $5 per person.

Celebrate the longest day of the year with a one-mile serene, self-guided night hike. Roast a hot dog over the campfire, enjoy lemonade, and make a sun catcher. Registration and payment required by June 17.

—o—

“Pudding and Paddle,” 5-7 p.m. Wednesday, June 26, Ferrettie/Baugo Creek County Park Hofferth Shelter. Fee: $25 per person.

It’s National Chocolate Pudding Day. Enjoy delicious dirt pudding and venture down Baugo Creek out to Baugo Bay on a kayak. Registration and

gate fees will also be in effect. Want to book a group outing? Group rentals are available Wednesday to Sunday. To check availability and make a reservation, call (574) 6543155. Have your own vessel? Shuttle service is $12 per vessel. Looking for fun paddling practice? Pond rental is $7 an hour. For additional information, visit sjcparks.org or call (574) 654-3155. St. Patrick’s County Park is located on Laurel Road, north of Auten Road, in South Bend.

payment required by June 21.

—o—

The Art of Fly Fishing, 5-7 p.m. Thursday, June 27, Ferrettie/Baugo Creek County Park Baugo Station. Fee: $120 per family (up to three people); includes fly rod and reel and fly-tying kit

Join fishing experts from Reelin’ Family Fun to learn how to fly fish, and how to tie a simple fly, which will have the bluegills jumping; take home a fly rod and reel, plus a flytying kit and access to ongoing advice and instruction; bring your fishing license. Registration and payment required by June 6.

—o—

St. Patrick’s County Parks is hosting an Early Bird Canoe and Kayak trip Saturday, June 8. Arrive at the park at 7 a.m. The shuttle will leave St. Patrick’s County Park promptly at 7:30 a.m. and the trip will be from Keller Park to St. Patrick’s County Park. The cost is $20 for a single kayak, or $25 for double kayak or canoe. To register, call (574) 654-3155; pre-registration and pre-payment required.

musical experience that will have everyone up and moving to the beat. Visit mphpl.org to register. Information regarding Jeanie B. show ticket redemption will be sent to registrants.

“Paint with Us,” 4:30-5:30 p.m. Tuesday, June 11. Embrace your artistic side painting a mini canvas with the option of creating your own design or working with a vinyl template. All experience levels welcome.

“Wake-Up Weekend Trivia,” 10:30-Noon Saturday, June 22. Nothing beats a morning of snacks, beverages and music trivia. Participants will have to guess songs from various decades. Feel free to bring family and/or friends but know that you will be competing against them; there will be no teams during this trivia.

“Cooking Classics: Pasta Salad,” 10:30-11:30 a.m. Monday, June 24. Experiment with different flavors and irresistibly delicious goodies; limited to library cardholders. Summer Reading Challenge

The MPHPL Summer Reading Challenge kicks off June 3. Challenge cards can be picked up at any MPHPL location or can be downloaded online by visiting mphpl.org/summerreading.

This year’s challenge runs through Monday, Aug. 5. All ages can take part. Adult participants must have a library card. Prize redemption begins Monday, June 10. All participants that complete the challenge and turn in their cards earn a free book from a pre-selected list.

On May 9, 2024, REAL Services celebrated four individuals who give back to our community. This year, the organization held its 29th annual Age of Excellence Awards event. Although this year looked different than in the past, the mission of the event stayed the same—to honor true heroes right here in our own community. The following individuals and com panies were honored this year

Becky Zaseck Professional of the Year Award

The Becky Zaseck Professional of the Year Award is dedicated to a professional who has demonstrated dedicated service to older adults in our community. REAL Services honored Healthy U RX, a local pharmacy, for their dedication to supporting REAL Services through their USAging Vaccine grant. Because of Healthy U RX, over 800 vaccines have been provided to older adults at over 30 vaccine clinics.

Wyatt Mick Volunteer of the Year Award

The Wyatt Mick Volunteer of the Year Award honors an individual who dedicates their lifetime to serving others, especially those in greatest need. This year, Lisa Gammon was honored for her dedication to the REAL Services Adult Guardianship program.

Sargent Shriver Lifetime Achievement Award

The Sargent Shriver Lifetime Achievement Award honors an individual who has spent the majority of their life in service to low-income populations. The award recipient this year this Judith Fox for her dedication to research and advocacy for lowincome individuals and families in our community.

Les Fox Hoosier Lifetime Award

The Les Fox Hoosier Lifetime Award honors an individual who has dedicated a lifetime of service to the community. This year, REAL Services honored Terry McFadden, who recently retired from

WNDU. Not only has Terry served the local community, but he has served REAL Services through his support of serving as the Master of Ceremonies for Age of Excellence for the past 28 years.

REAL Services looks forward to their 29th Age of Excellence event in April or May of 2025.

Madelyn Martinec Development Director, REAL Services

INDEPENDENCE | DIGNITY | STRENGTH

INDEPENDENCE | DIGNITY | STRENGTH

Although focused on older adults, everyone is welcome!

Although focused on older adults, everyone is welcome! Come and learn while you enjoy a healthy snack.

Come and learn while you enjoy a healthy snack. There is no cost for this program.

There is no cost for this program.

June 13: Get to Know REAL Services (Kroc Center South Bend)

June 13: Get to Know REAL Services (Kroc Center South Bend)

June 20: Why Sleep Matters (OWLS Club Elkhart)

June 20: Why Sleep Matters (OWLS Club Elkhart)

YOU can win $25,000 with the REAL Big Raffle! Coupons are $50 each and benefit Meals on Wheels and other programs at REAL Services!

YOU can win $25,000 with the REAL Big Raffle! Coupons are $50 each and benefit Meals on Wheels and other programs at REAL Services!

June 25: Expressive Arts (Elkhart Public Library Elkhart)

June 25: Expressive Arts (Elkhart Public Library Elkhart)

First early bird drawing: May 25

First early bird drawing: May 25

Second early bird drawing: June 26

June 28: Get to Know REAL Services (1Roof South Bend)

June 28: Get to Know REAL Services (1Roof South Bend)

Call (574) 284 -7189 to register or learn more.

Call (574) 284 -7189 to register or learn more.

Second early bird drawing: June 26

Final grand prize drawing: July 31

Final grand prize drawing: July 31

Call (574) 284-7104 or email events@realservices.org to request your coupons .

Call (574) 284-7104 or email events@realservices.org to request your coupons .

Come to the Table! Join us for lunch!

Come to the Table! Join us for lunch!

St Joseph County

St Joseph County

Mishawaka: 100 Center

Mishawaka: 100 Center

Konnie (574) 259 -1611

Konnie (574) 259 -1611

Battell Center 904 N Main St (574) 256-2325

Battell Center 904 N Main St (574) 256-2325

North Liberty: 300 S. Main St. (574) 381-8980

North Liberty: 300 S. Main St. (574) 381-8980

Osceola: United Methodist Church 421 Beech Rd (574) 674-6503

Osceola: United Methodist Church 421 Beech Rd (574) 674-6503

Walkerton: 606 Washington St. (574) 220-2240

Walkerton: 606 Washington St. (574) 220-2240

South Bend: Sanctuary at Trinity Towers 316 S. Dr. Martin Luther King Blvd. St (574) 234 -7278

South Bend: Sanctuary at Trinity Towers 316 S. Dr. Martin Luther King Blvd. St (574) 234 -7278

LaPorte County

Fairington Apartments 1220 Fairington Circle (574) 291 -5597

Fairington Apartments 1220 Fairington Circle (574) 291 -5597

LaPorte: Cambridge Square Apt. 1111 Longwood Dr Bldg B (219) 380-1885

LaPorte County LaPorte: Cambridge Square Apt. 1111 Longwood Dr Bldg B (219) 380-1885

Marshall County Argos: B & R Community Bldg. 194 S. Michigan St. (574) 892-9669

Marshall County Argos: B & R Community Bldg. 194 S. Michigan St. (574) 892-9669

Karl King Riverbend Tower 515 E Monroe (574) 232 -4934

Karl King Riverbend Tower 515 E Monroe (574) 232 -4934

Michigan City: Simeon Square 1207 S Woodland (219) 380 -1439

Michigan City: Simeon Square 1207 S Woodland (219) 380 -1439

Bourbon: Senior Center on 805 N. Harris St., (574) 342 -7031

Bourbon: Senior Center on 805 N. Harris St., (574) 342 -7031

Bremen: Oakhaven Apartments

Charles Black Center 3419 W Washington (574) 229 -5911

Charles Black Center 3419 W Washington (574) 229 -5911

Heritage Place at LaSalle Square 3224 Ardmore Trail

Dorothy (574) 286 -0916

Heritage Place at LaSalle Square 3224 Ardmore Trail Dorothy (574) 286 -0916

SMRT Center 301 Grant Ave. (219) 207-1720

SMRT Center 301 Grant Ave. (219) 207-1720

Bremen: Oakhaven Apartments 500 S Montgomery St (574) 993-2944

500 S Montgomery St (574) 993-2944

Plymouth: Garden Court West 400 W. Washington St (574) 935-0047

Plymouth: Garden Court West 400 W. Washington St (574) 935-0047

June Menu All meals are served with milk. Suggested donation $4.25

June Menu All meals are served with milk. Suggested donation $4.25

What

By MONA HARTER District Manager, South Bend Social Security Office

An overpayment occurs when Social Security pays a person more money in Social Security benefits or SSI payments than should have been paid. The amount of the overpayment is the difference between the payment received and the amount that was due.

Social Security is required by law to adjust benefits or recover debts when an overpayment occurs. If you receive an overpayment notice, it will

explain why you’ve been overpaid, the overpayment amount, your repayment options, and your appeal and waiver rights.

After receiving an overpayment notice, you can:

• Repay the overpayment in full or through a repayment plan by check, money order, credit card or by monthly reductions from your Social Security benefit. You may be able to make a full or partial repayment using Pay.gov or your bank’s online bill pay option. We offer flexible repayment plans, including payments as low as $10 per month.

• Appeal the overpayment if you don’t agree that you’ve been overpaid, or you believe the amount is incorrect. You can request a non-medical reconsideration online or you can submit a completed SSA-561, Request for Reconsideration, to your local Social Security office.

• Request that we waive the overpayment if you believe you are not at fault for causing the overpayment AND you cannot afford to pay the money back or it is unfair for some other reason. You can ask for a waiver by submitting a completed SSA-632, Request for Waiver of Overpayment Recovery, to your local office. If your overpayment is $1,000 or less, we may

be able to process your waiver request quickly by telephone. You can contact your local office or call us at (800) 772-1213, 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday.

• Request a different repayment amount if you are unable to meet your necessary living expenses due to the current repayment amount. If you are unable to repay the debt within 60 months* due to the negotiated repayment amount, you will be asked to complete form SSA-634, Request for Change in Overpayment Recovery Rate. You can find the form at ssa.

gov/forms/ssa-634.pdf.

*This is a recent policy change. Previous policy required the completion of the SSA-634 if the overpayment could not be repaid within 36 months.

To learn more about overpayments and our process, visit our Understanding SSI Overpayments webpage at ssa. gov/ssi/text-overpay-ussi.htm, read our Overpayments fact sheet at ssa.gov/marketing/ assets/materials/EN-05-10106. pdf, or watch our Overpayment video at www.youtube.com/ watch?v=pxYYcjqkFvM.

Assisted Living, nursing And rehAbiLitAtion guide

Aperion Care - Arbors Michigan City

1101 E. Coolspring Avenue, Michigan City, IN 46360 (219) 874-5211 • www.aperioncare.com

Short Term Rehab, Long Term Care, On-Site Therapy 7 Days A Week, Orthopedic Rehab, Post-Stroke Rehab, Nurse Practitioner Oversight, Wound Care, Respiratory Care, IV Therapy, Cardiac Rehab, Newly Remodeled Communities, Memory Care

Hamilton Grove

31869 Chicago Trail, New Carlisle, IN 46552-0836 (574) 654-2200 • www.greencroft.org/hamiltongrove

Independent Living, Assisted Living, Rehabilitation, Skilled Licensed Nursing, On-site Therapies, Long Term Care and Respite Care.

Maintenance Free Living, HUD and accepting the Medicaid Waiver

Holy Cross Village at Notre Dame 54515 933 N., P.O. Box 706, Notre Dame, IN 46556 (574) 287-1838 • www.holycrossvillage.com

Dujarie House, Independent Living, Assisted Living, Respite Care, Rehabilitation Unit, Alzheimer’s Unit, Skilled Licensed Nursing, Intermediate Care, Therapies: Speech-Occupational-Physical, Long Term Care, Respite Care, Private Rooms, Pet Visitation Allowed, Residential Apartments

Hubbard Hill Retirement Community

28070 CR 24 ., Elkhart, IN 46517 (574) 295-6260 • www.hubbardhill.org

Rehabilitation, Healthcare, Assisted Living, Memory Care, Maintenance Free Homes, Licensed, Locally Owned, Non-Profit, Faith Based, Physical, Occupational, Speech Therapies, Memory Care Support Group, Pet Friendly, There’s No Place Like Hubbard Hill

Healthwin

20531 Darden Road, South Bend, IN 46637 (574) 272-0100 • www.healthwin.org

A Specialized Care Facility. Rehabilitation Unit, Skilled Licensed Nursing, Intermediate Care, Therapies: Speech-Occupational-Respiratory-Physical, Long Term Care, Respite Care, Private/Semi-Private Rooms, Pet Visitation Allowed, Medicare and/or Medicaid

1540 S. Logan Street, Mishawaka, IN 46544 (574) 257-8629 cking@hellenicseniorliving.com

Assisted Senior Living, Licensed Studio and One Bedroom Apartments. Family Environment, Dining Room, Activities.Must Meet Income Requirements. Call Or Email For A Tour Today.

Lily Assist Apartments

Live Independent with a Helping Hand Tawnya Thayer RN BSN • Argos, IN (574) 952-2929 • Tawnyathayer14@gmail.com

Truly an Affordable Option! One and Two Bedrooms, Private Front Porch, Private Back Patio, Ground Floor, All Appliances Included (with Washer and Dryer), Central Air. Call for more information.

Majestic Care of South Bend

52654 N. Ironwood Road, South Bend, IN 46635 (574) 277-8710 • www.Majesticcare.com

Rehabilitation Unit, Skilled Licensed Nursing, Intermediate Care, Therapies: Speech-Occupational- Respiratory-Physical, Long Term Care, Respite Care, Private/Semi-Private Rooms, Pet Visitation Allowed, Medicare and/or Medicaid

How to keep feet and ankles in tip top shape this summer

(StatePoint) Summer fun and chores alike come with potential hazards to feet. According to the American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons, here’s how to protect feet and ankles from the most common seasonal hazards: Be DIY Safe DIY projects like power washing, roofing and decking require ramped up safety measures. Always wear closed-toed shoes with traction to prevent injuries, splinters, puncture wounds and falls. Mowing can be particularly hazardous. The U.S. Consumer Products Safety Commission estimates more than 37,000 Americans suffer a power mower-related injury annually.

“Lawnmower blades whirl at 3,000 revolutions per minute. Yet, we see patients who’ve been hurt operating a mower barefoot,” said Matthew Dairman, DPM, FACFAS, a boardcertified foot and ankle surgeon and a Fellow Member of the American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons. “Foot injuries range from dirty, infectionprone lacerations to severed tendons to amputated toes.

People need to take lawn mowing safety seriously because

the injuries can, indeed, be very serious.”

To avoid becoming a statistic, follow these sensible guidelines:

• Don’t mow a wet lawn.

Losing control from slipping on rain-soaked grass is the leading cause of foot injuries caused by power mowers.

• Wear heavy shoes or work boots—no sneakers or sandals.

• Never pull a running mower backward.

• Keep the clip bag attached during operation to prevent projectile injuries.

• Use a mower with a release mechanism that automatically shuts it off when hands let go.

• Always keep children away during mowing.

• If an accident occurs, even a minor one, consult a foot and ankle surgeon right away.

Wear Sunscreen

Many people skip their feet when applying sunscreen, but did you know that the skin on your feet is highly susceptible to melanoma? In fact, it’s the most diagnosed and fatal site of this form of skin cancer. Other types of skin cancer can also be found on the foot, including squamous cell and basal cell carcinoma. To keep your feet safe this summer:

• Lather up with sunscreen from head to toe — literally.

• Check your feet and toes regularly for abnormal looking moles or freckles, even under toenails and on your soles. Promptly schedule an appointment with your foot and ankle surgeon to have suspicious marks examined.

• Schedule routine exams so your foot and ankle surgeon can track suspicious, changing marks. Early detection is key.

Limit Flimsy Footwear

While it’s nice to let feet breathe in flip flops and they’re a great choice for locker rooms and pools to avoid fungus and athlete’s foot, they shouldn’t be your main footwear of choice all summer.

Flip flops lack arch support and stability, so wearing them too often can cause stress on the plantar fascia—the band of tissue extending from the heel to the base of the toes. This can result in plantar fasciitis, causing heel pain upon getting up in the morning and after inactivity.

To avoid developing issues, which can take a long time to treat and subside, consider wearing structured sandals

with proper shock absorption and arch support. If you can’t live without flip flops, wear them sparingly to keep your feet in good shape. And if you’ll be traveling, pack tennis shoes for sightseeing, hikes and other weight-bearing activities.

Be Mindful of Diabetes

People living with diabetes should never go barefoot, because their nervous system may not “feel” an injury and their circulatory system will struggle to heal breaks in the skin.

“Most patients living with diabetes know they shouldn’t walk barefoot but can be more inclined to disregard this precaution in summer. However, third-degree burns on the soles of feet can occur in a matter of minutes,” says Dairman. This summer, be smart. Take care of your feet so they take care of you. If you suffer a foot and ankle injury this summer, visit FootHealthFacts.org for valuable foot and ankle health information and to find a physician near you.

Travel through time

By CECIL SCAGLIONE Mature Life Features

As you motor around the country, visiting the grandkids or getting to see the sites on your to-do list or heading back for a class reunion, you can also travel back through time to trace your ancestry.

When you get to your home town, you can leaf through local records to trace your forebears back as far as they lived in that location. Having pored through your lineage

online or through family files, you can stop on the way there or the way back home in towns and cities mentioned in your chronicles.

It’s a good way to see America, or whatever country your forebears were from, as well as trace your ancestors.

On a grander scale, you can visit the Statue of Liberty or Ellis Island Foundation to track some 65 million immigrants who were documented at the island from 1820 to 1957. Mature Life Features Copyright 2024

Assisted Living, nursing And rehAbiLitAtion guide

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Seniors’ divorce rate increasing

By CECIL SCAGLIONE

Mature Life Features

It’s called gray divorce and it’s spreading.

One out of 10 people getting divorced is older than 65, and the number is growing. One third of all divorces involve individuals 50 years or older.

If you’re in either age category and still married, you might be OK for the rest of the year, because January has become known as Divorce Month among lawyers and advisors who deal with this matter.

A few major reasons for the rising divorce rate among aging adults have been listed by Las Vegas-based financial advisor Andrew Hatherly.

Topping the list is the increased acceptance of divorce in our society. Older adults will continue to be more accepting

of divorce as the people around them experience divorce.

A growing share of older adults are in second or third marriages, which are more likely to end in divorce than first marriages. While about 45% of first marriages fail, that number rises to the mid60% level for second marriages, and higher for third marriages.

The increased participation of women in the workforce also contributes to the increase in gray divorce, according to Hatherly. Divorce is a more feasible option when women have the economic freedom to support themselves outside of marriage.

Increased life expectancy decreases the likelihood that marriages will end because of death and increases the exposure to the risk of divorce.

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If you’re in a marriage where your goals and dreams show little sign of developing or potentially flourishing, you might be encouraged to get out while you’ve still got time. If you’re 60 years old, in excellent health and have a reasonable expectation of living to at least 80, you’ve got at least a quarter of your life left and might want to make the most of it.

The nest is empty. For couples who’ve avoided getting divorced for the sake of the children, that reason diminishes when the kids go away to college.

A rise in the industry of personal development. Books, articles, educational programs all encourage people to live up to their potential, to follow their dreams and to reject those people, such as a spouse, who may be stunting their

personal growth.

The distinctive marriage patterns of Baby Boomers, who merged into the 65-andolder population in 2019, are marked by high levels of divorce and remarriage that continues as they age.

Meanwhile, middle-aged people nowadays are starting to be replaced by members of Generation X, born from 1965 to 1980, and they have come of age during an era of declining divorce and remarriage rates.

This suggests the divorce rate for the middle-aged group may continue to stagnate, while gray divorce for older adults, who are now primarily Baby Boomers, continues to grow.

The economic implications indicate that couples are rebuilding their financial and personal lives late in the game.

The financial nest egg they

might have built while working is suddenly cut in half by divorce and there is little time to recover. This may mean suffering a reduced standard of living at a time when they are also dealing with the emotional issues resulting from the failure of the marriage.

Not only has gray divorce smashed the marriage bond, the separated seniors pay a social penalty as well. Their adult children, other family members and friends are affected by the negativity.

Divorcees may wonder if they’ll ever find another partner or fear that they’re destined to live the rest of their lives in a state of loneliness. Added to all that is the issue of declining health combined with the financial and emotional stress.

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Mature Life Features Copyright 2024

Time to save is all the time

By CECIL SCAGLIONE

Mature

Life Features

It’s never too late or too early to start saving.

If you haven’t started, put a couple of bucks away right now. And you never can save too much.

Saving can be as simple as pouring pennies into a piggy bank or cramming money under the mattress.

That simple stratagem should grow to include a plan to set aside and invest a certain amount of cash regularly during your earning years so you can enjoy your non-earning retirement years.

This also calls for a periodic review to see where you stand. Things change, and changes during your work and after-work life affect how much you’re going to need.

Acquiring a non-immune disease or falling off a ladder and crushing a hip will mean higher medical bills for the rest of your life. That might mean having to increase the amount you save now to make sure you can pay all your bills when you leave the labor force.

If you’re already retired and survived a heart attack or stroke, your medical costs already have been affected so you’ll probably have to eliminate

previously made travel plans from your financial budget. Being retired doesn’t mean you can quit saving and spend to the limit you set for yourself before you quit work. You can still save money by not trading in your automobile every two or three years.

While reviewing this section of your retirement budget, consider how far you’re going to have to drive each year. If it’s minimal, you might consider eliminating the cost of car and liability insurance, parking, monthly payments, auto maintenance and fuel by selling the vehicle. That money and the savings can buy you more than

enough cab fares without the responsibility of ownership.

Many seniors have discovered trips to the grocery store no longer are a problem. They use their telephone or computer to order and the victuals are delivered — for no charge in some cases.

Other ways you can still save in your Social Security years is to cut back on the number of times you eat out.

Cutting back on gifts for Christmas, birthdays, graduation, weddings and other special occasions can also mean savings. It does no good to make a gift or charitable donation above your means. In most cases, a card or

telephone call will do.

If you feel cutting back on costs will cut into your social life, you can still have coffee with cronies, just not as often. Volunteering your time and talent to an organization whose work you support will expand your social circle. But you’ve already sold your car, you say. Don’t worry, someone will pick you up.

Or call a cab and you’ll probably be given a ride home.

These are just a few of the facets to consider when you review your savings plan, whether you’re living on it now or haven’t put away a penny yet.

Mature Life Features Copyright 2024

Caregivers face difficult decisions

By CECIL SCAGLIONE

Mature Life Features

Being sick sucks. Any sixyear-old knows that.

Taking care of someone who’s sick also sucks.

Some 40 million people in this country know that — that’s how many provide unpaid help and support to someone.

This includes the spouses who have faced terrible truths with their loved ones who were told they had a deadly disease.

While the ill individual is

the one who’s facing a death sentence, his or her partner also undergoes excruciating pain. They have to make critical decisions under ponderous pressure, which makes it difficult to maintain their own health.

Both can ease the strain by talking about their situation, asking each other how to keep each other comfortable and what they would like to do.

The couple may decide to make one last visit to the grandchildren. Or they could agree to spend their last

time together as quietly and activity-free as possible. The “patient” may emphasize that they are willing to remain medicated as long as possible but does not wish to suffer any pain at any point.

It’s during this period that details of their last wishes may be viewed and reviewed.

Family conflicts can erupt at such times.

The couple might agree that extending the patient’s life isn’t worth it if any chance of recovery from the disease is meaningless. They may have

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the incurable Lou Gehrig’s disease that drugs can put off for a year and the couple decide not to take that route. Some children or siblings may create problems by trying to pressure the caregiver into providing the prescribed medication.

The most difficult situation most people face at times like this is to determine when life is no longer worth lingering on.

The caregiver can feel frightened and alone during such times, but there’s help and support available.

Hospitals have ethics com-

mittees that can help you and members of your family reach consensus on what should be done. Hospice organizations also offer experienced staffers to help navigate you through troublesome times. Many people lean on their church pastor for advice.

To avoid distractions throughout this process, keep focused on what the best fit is between your loved one’s wishes and well-being and the array of medical options available.

Mature Life Features Copyright 2024

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Courtesy smooths the road for RV travel

By IGOR LOBANOV Mature Life Features

“You may be on vacation, but don’t leave your manners at home,” urges the late veteran recreational-vehicle traveler Bernice Beard in her book, “301 Ways to Make RV Travel Safer, Easier and more Fun.”

Much of her writing involves nuts-and-bolts type of information ranging from campground advice to using electronic equipment, and is paired with various travelogue narrations from her travels. Suggestions are based on her own experience, but tips from readers and others are included.

Among her suggestions for exhibiting courtesy on the road:

• Especially when staying in “mixed use” campgrounds, don’t run your generator, various appliances, or the vehicle’s engine late at night or early in the morning. You are sharing the area with tent campers, who are there to enjoy the peace and quiet, and closeness to nature that the campground allows.

• Similarly, keep in mind that using the auxiliary generator at rest stops can stir up dust in areas where others may be trying to eat their lunch.

• Drive slowly on dirt roads in the campground so you won’t stir up too much dust for other campers or vehicles that may be following you.

• Never dump refuse or other

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material except at a dump station or sewer connection in the campground.

• When visiting fellow campers, ask if they would like to see the inside of your vehicle. In return they may invite you to see theirs. This way, each of you may gain some ideas that you can adopt for your camping style.

• When driving in a caravan, stay at least a quarter of a mile behind the vehicle in front of you. Leaving that amount of space gives you and the driver ahead of you time to maneuver in the event of stopped traffic or unexpected road conditions, and lets those wishing to pass you have more room to get in and out of your lane.

• If there are three or more vehicles close behind you, pull over and let them pass.

• When a trucker passes you, blink your headlights (at night, flash your high beams) to let him know his vehicle has cleared yours and it’s safe to pull back into your lane. If a driver gives you a double blink of his lights, he’s saying, “thank you.”

Included among suggestions about getting along with those traveling with you are:

• Keep in mind that one of the basic tenets of camping is freedom, where each person can choose to relax, cook, read, or remain inside while others may wish to sit out by the campfire.

• RV travel can involve several people, perhaps with diverse personalities, being together day and night in a small space. To get along they need to exhibit patience and accept one another. Even people who have known each other for years may find they are learning new things about their companions.

• You may find certain habits of others bother you. To stay friends, you need to be able to overlook such annoyances. Beard suggests a little trick that can help you do this. Tell yourself that no one except you is perfect; and so as a perfect person you can be gracious toward those imperfect fellow travelers.

• If you’re uncertain whether you can get along with another couple for an entire trip, plan to go together one way, then return independently. That way, everybody can count on having their own schedule for part of the trip.

• Before starting out on a trip with friends, ask each person what he or she wants to have included in the trip itinerary. Have them write it out, even if it’s only a tentative plan. You can change destinations as you go along.

Her final bit of advice: the RV lifestyle means that domestic duties are not gender-related. Everyone pitches in whenever necessary.

Mature Life Features Copyright 2024

Affordable dental coverage gives older adults a reason to smile

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(StatePoint) Maintaining your health and vitality as you age includes taking care of your mouth. Neglecting dental health can make you susceptible to gum disease, lead to poor nutrition, put you at risk for infections, and even impact your emotional well-being.

Yet, many older adults aren’t receiving proper oral care. Research from the Kaiser Family Foundation shows that more than one in five Medicare beneficiaries have not visited a dentist in five years, primarily because of cost.

Many people lose their dental coverage when they retire. Fortunately, affordable options are available, according to Dr. J.B. Sobel, chief medical officer with Cigna Health Care’s Medicare business.

“While original Medicare doesn’t cover routine dental care, Medicare Advantage plans include everything in Original Medicare and more,” Sobel said. “Many MA plans include some dental coverage, often at no extra cost. Some plans will allow you to see any provider of your choosing, while others require you to use providers within a certain network. Some MA plans even provide no-cost transportation to the dentist.”

Once you have access to dental care, there are compelling reasons to take advantage of it, according to Dr. Cary Sun, chief dental officer with Cigna

Dental and Vision, including the following: Preventing gum disease and other oral health issues. Forgoing recommended routine teeth cleanings can increase the risk for cavities, gum disease, infection, and swelling of the gums (gingivitis). This can escalate into problems, like tooth loss and the need for root canals or crowns, costing thousands of dollars.

If you have a chronic medical condition, like diabetes, gum disease can also put you at greater risk of infection, as bacteria can enter the bloodstream through poor oral hygiene. Therefore, it’s important to get regular cleanings with your dentist, to brush your teeth twice daily with a fluoride toothpaste, and to floss daily to remove plaque from between teeth. An electric toothbrush or water flosser may make brushing and flossing easier. Addressing dry mouth. Many older adults take multiple medications. This can result in a condition called “dry mouth,” which can make it hard to chew, swallow or even talk. Dry mouth can also raise the risk of tooth decay and oral infections. A dentist can help you address this with saliva substitutes or lifestyle changes, such as sipping water and reducing or avoiding tobacco, caffeine and alcohol.

Facilitating good nutrition. Proper nutrition is important

for everyone, but particularly for older adults. A healthy mouth makes it easier for you to eat well and enjoy food, while gum disease or ill-fitting dentures can make it hard to chew. If you’re having difficulty eating for any reason, your dentist may be able to help you. Screening for certain cancers. Cancers of the mouth are more common in older adults. As with all cancers, early detection is critical to effective treatment. An annual oral cancer examination can help detect early signs.

Maintaining your confidence. Having healthy teeth boosts confidence and fosters better communication. You may be more likely to go out, stay active, and meet and interact with new people when you’re proud of your smile.

To find MA plans offered in your area, visit Medicare. gov. For information on Cigna Healthcare plans, go to CignaMedicareInformation.com.

“The case for maintaining your dental health is clear and convincing,” Sun said. “Once you’re covered by Medicare, secure dental insurance coverage and see your dentist as recommended to maintain your overall health. Through regular preventive care, you may even be able to avoid more costly and serious procedures later. It’s never too late to get started on a path toward better oral hygiene.”

Family structure shapes retirement plan

By CECIL SCAGLIONE

Mature Life Features

The differences between a functional and dysfunctional family prompt powerful opinions from a wide range of diverging views.

But there appears to be consensus forming from at least one perspective, according to studies: Planning for retirement is tougher and more complicated for middle-aged Americans who are single or married with children from previous relationships than it is for those with “traditional” families.

Those 40- to 65-year-olds with non-traditional families face more saving and investing challenges and are less likely to have a clear retirement vision. They also are

less likely to have specific income vehicles, such as a 401(k)s, pension plans and annuities.

A lot of attention has been paid to the role gender plays in retirement planning, but family structure is also critical and often overlooked, said Sandra Timmermann, director of the former MetLife Mature Market Institute that conducted a study.

“This research shows that retirement planning for people in mid-life is strongly influenced by family dynamics. We should not be ignoring how former spouses, stepchildren, and having no children influence savings and income for retirement as well as estate planning.”

Three mid-life segments of almost 1,600 respondents

were identified in the study: traditional families, two parents with children from their current relationship; blended families, two parents with at least one child from a previous relationship; and single women, widowed, divorced or never-married women with or without children.

Among the survey’s major findings:

1. Blended families and single women report a significant disadvantage in retirement planning.

• Nearly seven out of 10 traditional families (66%) feel at least somewhat prepared for retirement, compared with 56% of blended families and only 40% of single women.

• More than half of traditional families have a clear idea of what they hope to

Workout for workaholics of all ages

By JAMES GAFFNEY Mature Life Features

Past-retirement-age Judy retired from her 9-to-5 job several years ago. But it wasn’t long before the budding entrepreneur went to work setting up several home-based businesses that keep her even busier than during her younger working years.

This leaves little time for all of the things she had planned to enjoy during her so-called golden years. Not the least of which is exercise.

For many people like Judy, finding time to get in the recommended 30 minutes a day of exercise can be almost as difficult as discovering the lost city of Atlantis. But, according to experts at the Loyola University Center for Health & Fitness in Maywood, Ill., just because you’re glued to your desk doesn’t mean you can’t exercise.

Taking a break from work for even a few minutes can help you feel better and increase your energy level.

Here are some exercises in the three main fitness categories — cardiovascular, strength and flexibility — that allow you to work out at or near your desk.

Cardiovascular

1. Stand whenever possible. Standing opens the front of the hips.

2. Take the stairs. Five to seven times a day is a good goal.

3. March in place or take a brief walk around your office to increase your energy and blood flow.

4. To increase your heartrate:

— Pretend you have a jump rope and jump on both legs or try alternating legs;

— Do jumping jacks. For a lower-impact version, raise your right arm out to the side while tapping your left toe out to the side, then switch sides;

— Do the football shuffle. With feet shoulder-width

apart, slightly bend your knees and take quick steps with your feet.

Strength

1. Strengthen legs by standing with feet hip-width apart. Sink your hips back as if sitting in a chair. Lower slightly and return to standing.

2. To strengthen your arms, shoulders and chest, sit in a chair without wheels and place your hand on the arms. Use your arms to lift your bottom off the chair seat and lower yourself back down. Aim for 15 repetitions.

3. Work your knees by sitting tall in a chair and straighten one leg, hold it for two seconds and lower. Repeat with your other leg.

4. Stretch your back and shoulders by squeezing your shoulder blades together and then away from your ears. Hold each position for three seconds and release. Repeat this 15 times.

Flexibility

1. Sit in a chair and stretch

both arms overhead, reaching back. Hold this for 10 seconds. Grab your right wrist with left hand and stretch deeper through your right side, hold for 10 seconds, and repeat with your other side.

2. Hold your arms in front of you and gently circle your wrists in both a clockwise and counter-clockwise motion. Stretch your hands by making fists then opening them as wide as you can.

3. Sit tall in a chair, keeping your weight even in both hips, and gently turn your body to the right. Deepen the stretch by using your left hand to hold the right chair arm. Hold this for 15 seconds, then switch sides.

4. To release neck tension, sit tall in your chair, drop your right shoulder down. You can even sit on your right hand to pull it down a bit. Tilt your head so your left ear is going towards your left shoulder. Hold for 15 seconds, then switch sides.

Mature Life Features Copyright 2024

experience when they retire, compared with only 38% of single women and 48% of blended families.

• Only two out of 10 single women and 29% of blended families contribute consistently to their retirement accounts, compared with 41% of traditional families.

• Roughly one in five blended families and single women expressed concern about the lack of safeguards to ensure that an ex-spouse will not lay claim to income or savings meant for themselves or their children.

2. Single women report specific challenges. They say they lack the safety net of a second income that their married peers have. A common sentiment is, “Because I am a widow, I do not have the buffer of a second income from a partner.”

• Twice as many single

women — 25% — do not own retirement savings/investment vehicles, compared with 13% of blended families, and almost three times that of traditional families (8%).

3. Help is wanted for “families like mine.”

• A significant portion of all families report a desire for financial advice tailored to their specific needs.

• Slightly more than half of single women long for retirement advice and tools designed for them.

• 45% of traditional families and 43% of blended families seek the same thing.

As one blended family respondent put it, “There is a lot to plan for...how long should I work, how much to save, how much to help my children vs. help myself and my future so my children are not taking care of me.”

Mature Life Features Copyright 2024

Elderly face age discrimination

By CECIL SCAGLIONE Mature Life Features

Discrimination of any sort is insidious and covered by an assortment of other excuses.

Ask left-handers what they had to put up with from teachers and students as they sweated and stuttered their way through school. Talk to short people about the jokes and jibes tossed their way by siblings and strangers.

Sit and listen to the insensibilities suffered by anyone with a disability or disfigurement — a hare lip, a large prominent birthmark, a shrunken finger, anything.

And think about being discriminated against because of your age. It can start long before you become a senior citizen.

The world long has been aware of the career challenge

facing Hollywood actresses when they no longer look like they’re in their sexy 20’s and 30’s.

As the nation’s population ages, the focus on ageism has become sharper.

There are rumbles about who will take care of the elderly, and what will be considered sufficient care.

A few of the oldest folks among us recall living on the farm and having the family responsibility of caring for both the property and parents handed down from father to son to grandson. With the move to cities, the trend turned to “warehousing” the elderly — finding a good institutional home to meet the needs of the ageing.

The workplace also became less fertile ground to nourish the experience of long-time employees. To dodge the bullets of age discrimination charges and court actions, companies simply eliminated the jobs held by the younger, and lower paid, staffers who complained the oldsters were uncreative barriers to promotions. Take a look at who’s laid off or given furloughs or buyouts when corporations announce they’re downsizing for economic reason — the older workers.

Middle managers have always resisted having personnel on their teams who are older — more experienced — than themselves.

Another issue is the dwindling work force expected to fund government programs in place to care for the elderly, e.g, Social Security.

Forecasters expect senior citizens will outnumber children for the first time in the early 2030’s.

This adds weight to ageism — the diminishing younger population gets to resent the ageing phalanx.

To meet the demand, multifaceted senior-living facilities are being built — country-club type complexes, independent living communities, assisted living centers and combinations of these.

More than 1 million of today’s 50 million seniors live in some such facility. That number is expected to double in the next decade.

Still, some 15 million individuals 65 and older live by themselves.

The medical support and health services for all these is not keeping up with the needs and demands.

Mature Life Features Copyright 2024

Colorado wine warms you up after saddle sessions

Text and Photos

By CECIL SCAGLIONE

Mature Life Features

If you want to have fun riding a horse, grab the grandkids and head for the carousel nearest you.

If you want to enjoy riding a horse, head for a dude ranch — a real working ranch like this one, not a flossy facility with spa, bowling alleys, golf course and movie theater.

Latigo Ranch is nestled some 9,000 feet above sea level, a couple of hours north of Denver. It’s been turning tenderfeet into horse-sensible riders since 1929 by walking, loping and trotting through the aspen- and fir-coated hills with such distracting views that the half-ton horse under you learns to relax with its rider.

“We get a lot of seniors,” said co-owner Randy George, who also wrangles up the meals that satisfy both stomach and spirit. “A lot of grandparents with grandchildren.”

In many cases, the youngsters go riding while the seniors rock and read on the porch of one of the cozy cottages — they’re called bunkhouses here — under the mountain-propped skies.

It’s never too late to learn the rudiments of riding, however. To satisfy your interest, visit their website at latigotrails.com.

Working a horse is not like training a dog, George said. “A horse doesn’t understand punishment.

“A horse wants to be comfortable. It doesn’t like to be uncomfortable.”

You’re here to learn how to ride, and you’re also training your horse. A horse will only do two things: what you let it do or what you tell it to do.

Horses don’t like to be ridden. They don’t go out and look for riders, we were told.

There are a couple of “nevers” to wrap in your wrangler’s word-book. Never walk behind a horse. Give its rear a wide berth. And never walk up too quietly to a tethered horse. It could be asleep and you’ll startle it. Since horses are prey animals, they’re built to bolt, and they spook easily.

Mounting from the right is more tradition than technique. Back in the days when men wore swords, most people were right-handed and their swords were worn on the left. They got in the way if you tried to mount or dismount on the right side of the horse.

Learning all this is worth it after you’ve poked all the precautions into your psyche and introduced yourself to the horse by approaching it from the front and sliding onto the smooth leather saddle that gives you a view from about twice your height.

After, of course, you’ve snugged up your stampede string. This is a hat or cap retainer that slips under your chin so your headgear won’t blow off and startle your horse or any of those around you. Keeping a “smile” in your reins, which you hold like an

cream cone, you squeeze your legs to signal the horse to move forward. Prod it with your heels if it doesn’t respond, and kick it a bit harder if it still doesn’t move.

A lesson you learn aboard the beast is that its eyes are built so it can look back at you. It monitors you constantly. Look where you want to go before pulling your reins to turn that way, because the horse is looking at you to see if that’s the way you want to go.

The sense of satisfaction that comes with smoothly straddling a creature you can whisper to as you soak in the scenery is akin to that of learning how to ski or snorkel. It’s a gut glow.

Before getting to the next steps in my skill- and relationship-building with horses — overnight camping treks, cutting cattle, and rounding up strays in the surrounding hills — it was time to sample another side of northern Colorado.

As planned, we drove to the western edge of the state to tour the wineries peppered around Grand Junction, where the Gunnison River joins the Colorado. These oenological outposts are less pretentious and more fun than their more formal cousins in Northern California.

While sipping a sirah at Grande River Vineyards, we visited the rows of vines outside the main office that were labelled with the description and derivatives of the dozens of varieties of grapes grown here. Honey-based wine designed to drench ice cream was the main attraction at Meadery of the Rockies and Carlson Vineyard offered a cherry wine that becomes deliciously decadent by dipping the rim of the glass in melted chocolate before pouring.

Between stops for sips, you can drive up to Colorado National Monument, the massive bluff overlooking the Grand Valley, for vast vistas of this land of clouds, canyons, mountains and mesas.

Mature Life Features Copyright 2024

CHROME ON THE RANGE

“Chrome on the Range” bison greets visitors in downtown Grand Junction, Col.

LATIGO RANCH The view from Latigo Ranch peers over mountains toward Denver a couple of hours south.

GREAT ESCAPES

Text and Photos

By ROD KING

NORMANDY BEACHHEAD, JUNE 16, 1944 — “I took a walk along the historic coast of Normandy in the country of France. It was a lovely day for a stroll along the seashore. Men were sleeping on the sand, some of them sleeping forever. Men were floating in the water, they didn’t know they were in the water, for they were dead.

“The water was full of squishy little jellyfish about the size of your hand. Millions of them in the center of each of them had a green design exactly like a four-leaf clover. The good-luck emblem. Sure, hell yes.

“I walked for a mile-and-a-half along the water’s edge of our many-miled invasion beach. You wanted to walk slowly for the detail on that beach was infinite.

“The wreckage was vast and startling. The awful waste and destruction of war, even aside from the loss of human life, has always been one of its outstanding features to those who are in it. Anything and everything is expendable. And we did expend on our beachhead in Normandy during those first few hours.”

Those were the opening paragraphs of Ernie Pyle’s newspaper dispatch the day after the Allies stormed the Normandy beach in World War II. The story, which went to hundreds of newspapers in the U.S., was entitled “The Horrible Waste of War.”

This article and many others, along with the stories behind them, are on display at the Ernie Pyle World War II Museum in his hometown of Dana. The house in which he was born in 1900 sits next door to the museum and is also open to the public. The Friends of Ernie Pyle are dedicated both to preserving

the memory of America’s most beloved WWII civilian newspaper correspondent and the GI’s whom he admired and wrote about in his daily column.

Inside the first of two Quonset huts that comprise the museum is a 10-minute video presentation of Pyle’s life as a roving reporter and then as a war correspondent starting in England, slogging through France, Italy and Sicily and finally in the Pacific Theater.

Pyle never dealt with the statistics of the war, but had a way of relating what was going on to the folks back home through the eyes of the everyday soldier.

The hands-on museum features vignettes of the war from a sandbag dugout in Italy similar to one where he wrote many of his columns, and a room-long diorama of the Normandy beach head to a scene of a GI encampment with a Jeep and the final display, which is a sign that reads, “At this spot, the 77th Division lost a buddy, Ernie Pyle, 18 April, 1945.”

That’s when Pyle was killed by an enemy machine gunner on Shima, an island near Okinawa. He was 44 years old.

Throughout are enlargements of articles like the rather humorous one he wrote about the work horse of the infantry, the Jeep, and another about how the night Capt. Waskow was brought down the mountain on the back of a mule and the reaction of his men to his death. Pick up a field phone and hear the voice of wellknown actor William Windom of “Murder She Wrote” fame relating the stories behind the scene in front of you.

For a microcosm of World War II and Pyle’s view of the action, plan to visit the Ernie Pyle World War II Museum in Dana. Head over to Interstate 69 and take it south to Interstate 465 at Indianapolis and go west to US 36 (Rockville Road). Then drive west for about an hour and 20 minutes through the towns of Rockville and Montezuma to IN 71N (County Road 300W) and turn right (north). Just a couple minutes up the road is Dana.

Cross the railroad tracks and you’ll see the house and museum on the left.

It is open May 3 through

Veterans Day, Nov. 11. Hours are from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and from noon to 5 p.m. Sunday. No admission fee.

HONORARY SIGN — Members of the 77th Division erected this sign to recognize their good friend Ernie Pyle.

CHILDHOOD HOME Ernie Pyle was born in 1900 at the home of his grandparents. It was moved into Dana and is furnished as it would have been in that era.

SANDBAG SHELTER — Vignettes, such as this one of a sandbag shelter in Italy where he wrote some of his articles, highlight the life of Pyle and GI’s during the war.

WORLD WARE II CORRESPONDENT Ernie Pyle featured the ordinary GIs in his articles as he slogged with them through France, Italy, Sicily and the South Pacific. A movie called “GI Joe” was based on Pyle’s columns starring Burgess Meredith as Pyle.

It’s just a matter of time

By TOM MORROW

Mature Life Features

About the only time most of us take the time to take notice of “time” is when we must keep an appointment, find out when our favorite television program is aired, or cuss out the confounding “Daylight Savings Time,” which we changed recently for the umpteenth time since World War I about a century ago.

But there’s much more to time. The globe is divided into time zones — longitudinal north-south geographic sectors that observe a uniform area for legal, commercial and social purposes. There are 24 time zones circling the globe.

Each zones covers 15 degrees (60 miles a degree) longitudinally. However, they often follow the boundaries between states and countries and their subdivisions instead of strictly sticking to longitude degrees because it is convenient for areas in frequent communication to keep the same time … like railroads, airlines and communications networks.

The British Royal Observatory in Greenwich, England, which was founded in 1675, established “Greenwich Mean Time,” which is the solar time at that geographic location. Astronomers developed GMT as an aid to mariners to determine their longitudinal location at sea. Today, U.S. military units refer to GMT as “Zulu Time.” So, no matter the location on the globe, there always is a time constant for all military personnel.

In the 19th century, as transportation and telecommunications improved, it became increasingly inconvenient for each location to observe its own solar time. In November 1840, the Great Western Railway started using GMT kept on portable chronometers. This practice was soon followed by other railway companies in Great Britain and became known as “Railway Time.”

In August 1852, time signals were first transmitted by telegraph from the Royal Observatory. By 1855, Great Britain’s public clocks were using GMT but it didn’t become England’s legal time until 1880.

Time-keeping on North American railroads in the 19th century was complex. Each railroad used its own standard of time, usually based on the local time of its headquarters or, more important, its terminus. The railroad’s train schedules were published using its own time. Some junctions served by several railroads had a clock for every railroad company, each showing a different time.

In 1863, Charles F. Dowd proposed a system of hourly standard time zones for North American railroads. He took this action without consulting the railroads. Rail officials weren’t consulted on the mat-

ter until 1869.

In 1870, Dowd proposed four ideal time zones for the United States, having north-south borders with the first centered on Washington, D.C. But, by 1872 the first time zone was centered on the meridian 75 degrees west of Greenwich. Dowd’s system was never accepted by North American railroads.

Instead, U.S. and Canadian railroads implemented a version proposed by the Traveller’s Official Railway Guide. The borders of its time zones ran through major cities’ railroad stations.

Canadian-born Sanford Fleming proposed a worldwide system of time zones. His proposal divided the world into 24 time zones. All clocks within each zone would be set to the same time as the others

but differing by one hour from those in the neighboring zones. He advocated his system at several international conferenc-

es, including the International Meridian Conference, where it received some consideration. Today, his system has not been

directly adopted, but some maps divide the world into 24 time zones.

Continued on page 24

Crossroad Tours

Horse Progress Days

Join us on July 4-6th on a journey to Horse Progress Days, located in Gordonville, PA. We will leave the evening of the 4th so you can enjoy all day Friday and part of Saturday and then head home Saturday afternoon! Our price includes bus fare! You will be required to book your own hotel within a 10 mile radius of HPD. The bus will drop and pick you up there!

Peru Circus

Peru Amateur Youth Circus and Circus City Festival, Inc.! We are home to one of the most wonderfully unique youth programs in the world. Every year local youth get the opportunity to practice and perform in all varieties of circus acts from tumbling to the flying trapeze! In mid-July, the youth showcase their talents with a week full of performances in our very own permanent big top!

June 15, 2024 — Indy Zoo

June 15, 2024 — Toledo Zoo

June 22, 2024 — Dayton Air Show

July 4-6, 2024 — Horse Progress Days

July 20, 2024 — Peru Circus

August 10, 2024 — Chicago Air & Water Show

August 31, 2024 — Chicago Jazz Festival

Diamond Tours Trip

September 22-28, 2024 — New Hampshire & The White Mountain

October 12-22, 2024 — Albuquerque & Santa Fe, NM

December 8-14, 2024 — Charleston, SC

Feb. 22-Mar. 2, 2025 — San Antonio, TX

STANDARD TIME ZONES OF THE WORLD

Everwise names new market president in South Bend, Elkhart

Everwise Credit Union has announced that Amber Pulford has been appointed to the newly created role of market president for South Bend and Elkhart. Pulford assumed her new position in March.

In her role, Pulford will lead business development, market relations and civic/community engagement efforts in the South Bend and Elkhart region. She will ensure that the Everwise

brand is well represented and guide Everwise strategic growth priorities across the Michiana region by actively supporting the success of service, lending and banking teams.

Pulford comes to Everwise with more than 15 years of experience in market management, business development and strategic planning, and has spent much of her career in community banking. She spent nearly nine

years at Centier Bank, where she was responsible for the sales, service and operations of a defined group of 12 branches, as she led and coached her team to achieve goals. Pulford was also accountable for the recruitment and development of branch managers and their staff to attain goals for consumer and small business products and services, fee revenue, cross-sales, household growth, customer satisfaction

and retention and profitability. Just prior to joining Everwise, Pulford was with Cressy Commercial Real Estate serving as the director of corporate advancement.

“We’re excited to welcome Amber to the Everwise team,” said Jason M. Osterhage, president and chief executive officer of Everwise. “Her extensive background in market management and business development, combined with her deep roots in community banking, make her an outstanding fit for our organization. Amber’s strategic mindset and commitment to fostering strong local connections align perfectly with our goals for the Michiana region. Having her on board will further strengthen our commitment to serving our members and driving positive impact in the community.”

just

Continued from page 23

Pulford earned a Bachelor of Science in organizational leadership and supervision from Purdue University and is an alumna of the Graduate School of Banking at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wis.

By 1900, almost all inhabited locations on Earth had adopted a standard time zone, but only some of them used an hourly offset from GMT. Many applied the time at a local astronomical observatory to an entire country, without any reference to GMT.

It took many decades before all time zones were based on some standard offset from GMT, also known as “Coordinated Universal Time.” By 1929, the majority of countries had adopted hourly time zones, except Iran, India and parts of Australia which have time zones with a 30-minute offset to

Others, such as Spain and Argentina, use standard hourbased offsets, but not necessarily those that would be determined by their geographical location. The consequences in some areas can affect the lives of local citizens and, in extreme cases, contribute to larger political issues, such as in the western reaches of China. In Russia, which has 11 time zones, two zones were removed in 2010, but were reinstated in 2014.

Today, all nations currently use the UTC time zone system, but not all of them apply the concept as originally conceived. Several countries and subdivisions use half-hour or quarterhour deviations from standard time. China and India use a single time zone even though the extent of their territory far exceeds the ideal 15 degrees of longitude for one hour.

When I was a boy, my grandfather could look up at the sun and tell within 30 minutes, what time it was. He’d check himself by looking at his pocket watch as the trains came through town. Those were bygone days.

When I was with him, I never missed a meal. He always knew when to call “Bean Time.” Of course, the sounding of the town’s work siren helped when it sounded at 7 a.m., noon, and 5 p.m., telling everyone when to begin and end work … but that’s another story.

AMBER PULFORD