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Senior Perspectives A Senior Resources Publication Pam Curtis ...... Director, CEO Senior Resources 2014 Board of Directors editor 560 Seminole Rd., Muskegon, MI 49444 Michelle Fields 231-739-5858 Chairperson...... Scott Kling 231-733-3523 Vice Chair...... Anne Soles or 1-800-442-0054 www.SeniorResourcesWMi.org Sec./Treas...... Kathy Moore [email protected] muskegon County [email protected] • United Way Community Partner publisher • An Area Agency on Aging Linda Bailey Kathy Moore • An Equal Opportunity Employer Tim Erickson Dr. Doris Rucks Mark Williamson • Serving Muskegon, Oceana and Holly Hughes Sherry White Orshal Road Productions Ottawa Counties Linda Kaare designer oceana County Jay Newmarch Senior Perspectives accepts advertising simply CRE8 Design, LLC to defray the cost of production and distribution, Jose Barco Anne Soles Kalamazoo and appreciates the support of its advertisers. The Bernice Salisbury Theresa Steen publication does not specifically endorse advertisers proofreader or their products or services. ottawa County Bonnie Borgeson To advertise in upcoming Senior Perspectives Barb Boelens Dr. Gary Robertson writers publications, contact: Joel Elsenbroek Gary Scholten Al Schneider Scott Kling Cheryl Szczytko Mark Williamson Amy VanLoon Carol Rickey Orshal Road Productions Andrea Morrell 231-766-3038 or 231-578-4275 Bruce Konowalow 2014 program & planning advisory board Cathay Thibdaue No part of this publication may be reprinted or Cece Riley otherwise reproduced without written permission Beth Baldwin...... Spring Lake Chuck Stafford from the publisher. Barb Boelens ...... Allendale Clif Martin Diane Cunningham ...... Muskegon Dick Hoffstedt Submit articles for publication or letters to the Vickie DeCheney...... Muskegon Gil Boersma editor to [email protected] or to Senior Carolyn Mitchel...... Norton Shores Greg Hoadley Resources, 560 Seminole Rd., Muskegon, MI 49444, Rolina Vermeer ...... Grand Haven Holly Lookabaugh-Deur Att: Senior Perspectives. Gary Scholten...... Zeeland Isabelle Huddlestun Anne Soles...... Pentwater Jerry Mattson Cheryl Szczytko...... Caledonia Judy Brown Peter Theune...... Spring Lake Keith Sipe Bill Van Dyke...... Holland Linda Aerts Louise Matz Our mission is to provide a comprehensive and Maggie Jensen coordinated system of services designed to promote Mike Simcik the independence and dignity of older persons and Pearl Flaherty their families. Rolina Vermeer This agency does not discriminate against, exclude Vickie DeCheney from participation or deny benefits to any eligible Vonda Vantil on the cover: recipient of services on the basis of race, color, national Webb Scrivnor “Ablaze in Color” origin, age, sex or handicap. by Mark Williamson If you have a discrimination complaint, please contact Senior Resources of West Michigan, 560 Seminole Rd., Muskegon, Michigan, 49444, phone 231-739-5858 or 1-800-442-0054. Enjoy online at www.orshalrdproductions.com senior perspectives 2 september | october 2014 3

that had fed our nation for 200 years. The thrill of driving down tree-covered back roads resembling nature’s color tun- Unexpected Rewards nel was overwhelming. I stopped at opportunities to take photos of busy fruit and vegetable stands with every color of the rainbow represented. n In 1976, at 32 years old, I had a wife, two children and Barns that looked as if they could stand no more wind or snow were not far from I desperately wanted to improve my posture with educa- the main house. When we drove to a higher elevation, we saw farms resting in tion. valleys, giving the impression they could become the next Wysocki picture puz- Taking advantage of my G.I. Bill, I could go to college for zle. Hills had trees of all varieties, bursting with red, orange, crimson, yellow, and sixty continual months. I set a goal towards an Arts and green. At times, four colors could be found on the same tree. Humanities degree and was advised to take a course in When we returned home, my plan was to keep the photos in slide form. Picking Audio Visual Techniques for three credit hours. out the ones I chose to use and placing them in order on a lighted carousel was By more difficult than I anticipated. But all this was too simple; I didn’t want my mike The end of the first week made me wonder what I had got simcik myself into. This course required me to purchase a cam- work to appear ordinary. era for photo shoots, something I never had an interest in Having a wonderful collage of great classic composers’ music in LP, I put them before. Most of the class students were fresh out of high to good use. Using long play recordings, I took excerpts from Strauss “Voices of school, making me older than I wanted to feel. Spring,” Beethoven’s Pastoral Symphony, and Mendelssohn to re-record on cas- I walked into a camera store for the first time and, as a typical novice, I asked sette tape. Then I cut and timed the recordings to match the programmed slide a hundred questions. Fortunately, the sales guy was excellent in his knowledge show, so both would finish together. of photo equipment. This led me to purchase the newest item on the market, a I submitted my project to the class instructor. It now was my turn for the show- Canon A-1 body with a German made 35 mm to 140 mm telephoto lens. and-tell to the other students. My project took exactly 16 minutes and our teacher My journey began. was seriously impressed. So much was going on in my life then. I had a full time job, a part time job, I was Later that week, the instructor asked the class to re-convene in the auditorium. rehabbing our starter home, and carried 12 semester hours at school. One of the When I walked in, I noticed that the room was full of the school’s faculty members best things I did for the family was to buy a 1969 Ford E-300 cargo van and con- and some students. We sat up front, in seats reserved for our class. Soon the lights vert it to a camper. It had a Turtle Top that I installed myself, a sink, stove, closet, dimmed and a projector screen lowered on the center stage. The first photo ap- washroom, one bed for Denise and me, one for the kids, and room for our peared and music began to play from my home project. I started to shrink dog Pudgy. We put 250,000 happy camping miles on that in my chair. The room fell silent as a tomb. To be hon- van. est, it was 16 minutes of torture. One day in class, the students were asked to The show ended, the lights came on. Everyone in do a special project using any type of audio or the hall stood up and applauded. The slide show visual media we chose. This meant planning was hailed as the best one ever. These types of a road trip. Armed with my new camera and emotions stirred inside of me were rare. our new camper, this challenge had to be met. We are capable of more. Life can yield some “Un- On an ideal weekend in October, we headed expected Rewards.” for Wisconsin to the beautiful Horicon Marsh Mike Simcik is a retired Navy Veteran with a degree with 100,000 geese. The area was peppered in Arts and Humanities. He rebuilt and owned Twin with small towns connected by gravel roads, Gables Country Inn for 17 years and owned five other withered farms, red barns, old tobacco drying businesses. He enjoys building bamboo fly fishing rods, sheds, and road-side farm stands. All were to fishing, shooting clay sports, golfing and writing essays. become my photo palette in living color. My goal Mike and his wife are celebrating the 45th anniversary. was to paint a picture on cellophane, using slides, of the farms of America

senior perspectives 2 september | october 2014 september | october 2014 3 senior perspectives 4

Making purchases locally does make a difference!

n When you spend a dollar at a local business it in- and consider where your hard earned dollars are creases the amount of money that circulates in our traveling. Are you helping or hurting your friends local economy. It provides people you know with and neighbors? You can make a difference! For ex- jobs. At the same time, those jobs and businesses ample, if every person in Muskegon County spent contribute tax revenue that supports essential just $100 locally it would pump $10.5 million back in government services that benefit us all. to our local economy! This means your friends, neighbors and Here are a few things to consider when associates: making purchases… By • Receive a regular paycheck Cece • Is the business headquartered in your County? • Pay their bills on time Riley • Is the business headquartered in West Michigan? • Purchase goods & services from • How many of the businesses employees reside in local businesses your County? • Are they a small business (Under $800,000 in annual receipts)? • Create a more prosperous • Is the business a member of the local Chamber of Commerce? community! • Does the company invest or volunteer in community activities?

Shopping local is a basic If you are searching for local businesses, go to www.muskegon.org for a list principle that is too often of over 1,100 Muskegon Lakeshore companies. You can also get a list of lo- taken for granted. When cal businesses in your area from a Chamber of Commerce near you. you make purchases Cece Riley is the Communications Director for the Muskegon Lakeshore Chamber outside the community, of Commerce. One of the Chamber’s annual initiatives is to promote the importance that money leaves our and impact of local spending. community. Take a look at your purchasing practices

senior perspectives 4 september | october 2014 5

and matured, the kids became more of a workload. Though they were growing physically, their thought processes didn’t mature with their size, requiring us to move them around within the house as neither could walk independently. During their years at Wesley School, a learning/ teaching facility that provides services to the dis- By abled children in Muskegon County, we rarely gave Greg much thought to what was coming after gradua- Hoadley tion. (Most students in the program stay until they are 26 years old.) To us as parents, the process felt like a passing of several generations before the graduation milestone arrived. After all the challenges over the years, we now know both kids are happy with their placements in separate group The Tunnel homes. Since the placement of the kids, we have been slowly inching toward n Our children are severely multiply impaired from birth. For the most what we hope will be an emerging light at the end of the tunnel. Many part, I’ve never enjoyed going underground for any reason. Living “un- have suggested that we now can explore other avenues and challenges derground” with the kids for thirty years -- as in a tunnel-- was tougher that we may have missed over the years. This has been more difficult than anything we may ever know. My wife and I had nearly no one who than we had imagined. We now realize that the “tunnel” took time to could fully relate to what we were going through. Our routine consisted build and will take time to exit. Hopefully, it will take less time to leave of work, sleep and exhaustion. Friendships were pretty tough to culti- than it did to pass completely through. vate. Somehow we persevered. Greg is a former managing editor of a college newspaper, an amateur genealo- The early years were spent adjusting to the kid’s needs: meds, doctor vis- gist, and a want to be freelance writer. its, asking ten thousand questions, getting some answers. As they grew

senior perspectives 4 september | october 2014 september | october 2014 5 senior perspectives 6

Question: Why should I pay the vet so much to vaccinate my dog when I can buy the same shots at the local store and do them myself? Just like with everything else, looks can be deceiving! Although the vaccines you can buy over the counter may seem the same as what your veterinarian uses, more often than not they are not. Most of the time they are products that are “old” technology -- vaccines that vet- erinarians used to use, but that have been replaced by more effective and broader spectrum control against the deadly diseases you need to protect your animals against, and, as such, they may not create full protection in your pet. Also, vaccines themselves are very sensitive, sometimes even modified live cultures, and improper handling in shipping or storage can damage how effective they are. Veterinary clinics and their staff and suppliers are educated in how to handle these medications. Your average supply store staff member may not have any idea how critical handling and storage procedure is. And they also may not educate YOU on it either. If it leaves the store and you don’t know how to store it, it can lose its value as soon as you leave with it. Also, who educates you on how and where to give the vaccine? Some vaccinations require intramuscular injection, others subcutaneous (under the skin). Veterinarians and their staff are trained to give injections to animals, and place different vaccines in different body locations. If your pet has a reaction to one of the shots given, we know which one it was so we can avoid it in the future. There are also critical schedules of vaccinations to ensure true immunity to disease. If you give your puppy vaccinations too young, or wait too long, or don’t give proper boosters, it may end up not protected at all The most important reason, however, is that when you go to your veterinarian for vaccines, you are not just paying for a properly handled, administered protectant. You are also paying for licensed professionals to assess your dog’s health and determine whether it is even healthy enough for a vaccination in the first place. If your dog is already ex- posed and sick with a disease, vaccinating that dog against it will not help. If your dog is sick with something else and its immune system is already under siege, it may not build effective immunity to what you are vaccinating it against, and the vaccine may make it feel worse! And, occasionally, healthy dogs can have reactions to vaccinations; a few even have severe allergic reactions to them. If your veterinarian has administered the vaccine and your dog reacts to it, treatment will be immediate and most likely be no charge to you. This critical health information will be recorded to avoid a potentially fatal problem in the future. Finally, when a vaccination is purchased by a veterinary hospital through their licensed suppliers and administered by one of their licensed staff according to the schedule recom- mended by the veterinarian and the vaccine manufactur- er, if your pet ever becomes sick with one of the diseases covered in that vaccine, it is guaranteed and your pet’s treatment is at no charge to you. Remember, if you purchase a vaccine from a store and administer it to your pet at home, if there are any prob- lems, be it an allergic reaction to it or an outbreak of the very disease you thought you were protecting your dog from, you then must elicit help from a veterinarian. This Have Senior may not be easy, depending on time of day, location, and whether a veterinarian accepts emergencies from people Perspectives Mailed who have not established a relationship with them. Even to Your Home if you can get an examination quickly, it will for sure cost In order to have Senior Perspec- you way more than you saved by using a store-bought tives mailed to your home, send vaccine in the first place. Not to mention that it could cost us your name, address, city, state your dog its life! Ask yourself if it is worth the risk before and zip code along with your you play doctor and take matters into your own hands. check for $5.00 to cover postage and handling, to: You can submit your questions by email to glenparkreminders@ Senior Resources, frontier.com or by mail at Glenpark Animal Hospital, 1550 W. 560 Seminole, Sherman Blvd, Muskegon, MI 49441. Muskegon, MI 49444. Senior Perspectives is mailed only to those with paid subscriptions.

senior perspectives 6 september | october 2014 7

Reflections Al Capone’s Summer Home

n Al Capone was the head of the “Capone Gang” in 1925. He made a fortune during but he said he trusted them to watch over me. I didn’t know anything about the heri- Prohibition in the years 1920-1933. He bought a lot of corn and grain from the farmers tage of the place. This hotel advertised a great place for bathing, a good beach, fishing, in the Freesoil and Fountain areas in Mason County, very close to where we lived. I hunting and serving good country foods. Jersey milk was on the food list and home- understand why they would sell him materials to make liquor made butter, fresh eggs, fruit and vegetables. I know this would be a good way to get when they were losing their farms and livelihood and were des- people to eat there as we had this great milk in our home and the fresh churned butter perate to survive. He stayed at this beautiful hotel on Round and home-baked breads. Lake during his trips around West Michigan. Fountain, a small This hotel still retains its beautiful old maple wood doors and the old time wavy glass in village, was about four miles from our farm. If my dad were alive the windows and doors. It has two beautiful sets of steps to go up on the front porch. I I could ask him if he knew any of the neighbors who sold materi- have pictures of it and it still looks well cared for. It is miles from any large city. I believe als to Capone. He never would have done it himself as he was so it is up for sale again. It would be a beautiful place for a large family. It has been well against the drinking of hard liquors. maintained and it still stands in memory of a different era in time. BY Al Capone was known as a snappy dresser and the few pictures Isabelle During this time in the 30’s I guess we were poor. We didn’t know it as we had farm that were found of him he would be wearing a suit and always HuddlestUn food, milk, butter, eggs, beef and pork, home baked bread. My mother sewed most of a hat. In 1932 Capone was taken to jail for income tax evasion. our clothes on her trusty sewing machine. I do remember one evening for supper we While he was in prison he was in very ill health. He died later at his home in Florida in had a huge bowl of cornmeal mush on the table and our parents talked about how deli- 1947. I did read something a lot of people didn’t know about him. He funded a lot of cious it was and weren’t we lucky we had it to eat. Of course it was good with butter, dinners for the poor in Chicago and kept many from starving during the Great Depres- sugar and rich cream to put on it. We thought it was a special treat. Maybe food stuffs sion. at that time were low. It was smart for our parents to praise our food. At that time my I know you are wondering “why is Isabelle writing about Al Capone?” Well, I guess dad was also responsible to feed his mother and two sisters who also lived on the farm my claim to fame is that our neighbors, Carl and Helen Anderson, asked me to go for a in the homestead house. drive with them one evening. I was about fifteen at the time we stopped at this pictur- Isabelle enjoys reading best-seller books, grandkids, writing, live theater and living in the country. esque home and restaurant on Round Lake and I believe I had a hamburger. I think Carl She can be reached at Senior Perspectives, 560 Seminole Rd., Muskegon MI 49444 had a beer. My dad wasn’t too happy when he heard I’d been in a place that served beer

senior perspectives 6 september | october 2014 september | october 2014 7 senior perspectives 8

much housecleaning that I feel more like your maid than your daughter. I just want to be your daughter again, at least on some days!” Only at that moment did the mother recognize the need to ease up on her preference for privacy enough to exercise her It’s a regard for family. We arranged for an in-home aide to take the edge off the household chores, and both mother and daughter have been thrilled with the outcome. Balancing Act! Similarly, I’ve listened to a son insist that his father sacrifice some frugality in order to maintain his independence more safely. And, perhaps the most heartfelt struggle of all is when a spouse views his or her desire for respite from the exhausting responsibili- n My three-plus years of living in West Michigan overlap with ties of caregiving as potentially compromising the couple’s “in sickness and in health” my three-plus years of working almost exclusively with older marriage vows. I have to explain that the restorative benefits of respite will enable adults. This makes it difficult for me to distinguish which of the spousal caregiver to continue honoring these cherished commitments instead of two factors produces certain characteristics in people. I catch crumbling prematurely under the load of impossible demands. myself wondering, “Is she ‘that way’ because of her age?” Or, “Is he ‘that way’ because he’s from West Michigan?” Whether it’s accepting a medical alert button or other piece of equipment, scheduling home-delivered meals, securing in-home assistance, exploring day center attendance, By More often than not, it’s a combination of both. This is because making a housing change, or considering any number of provisions offered by Care the two “cultures” share several priorities in common, such as judy brown Services of Evergreen and other West Michigan agencies, it’s not so much a matter of carefulness, conservatism, frugality, responsibility, self-suffi- relinquishing a value but of balancing it against other equally worthy values. ciency, independence, properness, privacy, and a high regard for family. While one culture might generate a trait, the other culture seems to make it A fitting analogy might be the way a tree is urged to stand straight by tugging on it more pronounced in an individual. with tension wires which pull in various directions. Only as all the “pulls” are allowed their proper role is the best result accomplished. When any of us feel a tug from cir- VERY The end result is that I deal with people who have some very, very, strong cumstances or loved ones to make certain changes, we may need to remind ourselves “ways.” To a certain extent, this is a good thing. The positive qualities of both West that a full range of values must work in harmony across the seasons of our life. If we Michigan people and older people far outweigh their negative tendencies. However, I decrease the role of one value, it’s very likely that we’re increasing the role of another. can’t help but recall the adage, “Our greatest strengths can become our greatest weak- nesses.” May West Michigan seniors’ regard for living life wisely always win out over any re- gard for stubbornness! A daughter and her elderly mother sat in my office a few months ago, discussing vari- ous in-home services that might assist the mother who, not surprisingly, was resistant Judy Brown is the Resource Coordinator for Care Services of Evergreen in Holland. You may to all possibilities. Finally, with tears welling up in her eyes, the daughter exclaimed, reach her at 616-355-5118 or [email protected] “Mom, I’ve proven my willingness to help you, even on a daily basis. But I’m doing so

senior perspectives 8 september | october 2014 9

n How often do we have the opportunity to pass on our passions in life? Do you get a thrill out of seeing one of your children or grandchildren express an interest in one of your favorite leisure activities? I do. And recently my husband had such an op- portunity. My husband Tom is an avid hunter. He began shooting skeet at 11 years old and hunt- ing soon followed. He’s hunted ducks, partridge, rabbits, pheasants, crows, deer, bear and elk. His most recent prize is a 17 point-deer shot with a bow in Iowa last year. So, as you can imagine, he was thrilled when our only grandson showed an interest. A few years back, Tom was sighting in a pellet rifle in the backyard. Our then 8-year old grandson Drew came to visit and seemed to be fascinated Tradition by the pellet rifle. So, Grandpa told him all about the gun, how it works, and what each part is called. He set him up with a pillow rest on the picnic table and let him shoot into a target in the dune behind our house. “Come and see this!!” Grandpa hollered to Grandma. “This kid is hitting the bulls-eye!” And, so began a bond and a mutual interest. Every time Drew came to visit, he would check with Grandpa to see if he could shoot. Last year Drew turned 12 years old and Grandpa started thinking about taking him on the spe- cial youth hunt. He checked out the availability of a Hunter Safe- By ty Course, which is a requirement, and found one near Drew’s Louise Matz home in Grand Haven. Next hurdle was to ask his parents, who were not hunters. They gave their approval and even agreed to attend the Hunter Safety Series with Drew -- another requirement. Grandpa was ex- cited! So was Drew! To celebrate the upcoming trip, Grandpa took Drew skeet shooting. After the Hunter Safety Course, he took Drew to a rifle range to sight in the rifle he would use. The Youth Hunt opened on a Saturday. Because they would be hunting in the Upper Peninsula, it would be a long weekend in September, requiring a Friday for the drive and possibly a Monday off from school. They spent time discussing the trip, what gear to bring, what the blinds were like and the terrain, how early they would get up, and how they would hunt. I’m not sure who was having more fun, Drew or Grandpa. Grandpa worried that something would go wrong and the trip would be canceled. Then, he worried that Drew might not get a shooting opportunity. On the eve of the trip they were both so excited I didn’t think they would sleep. Luckily, the stars were aligned, the weather was good, and the deer cooperated. Drew shot a deer the morning of the second day! What memories they made together! What stories they had to tell! And, will they go again? Of course, now it’s TRADITION! Louise and her husband Tom love the outdoors. They are bow hunters and also love to fish, par- ticularly in the Florida Keys. Louise enjoys spending time with her family, reading, travelling, and playing golf and pickleball.

senior perspectives 8 september | october 2014 september | october 2014 9 senior perspectives 10

“It’s the foundation of what we do. The expanded space is an architectural symbol of LifeCircles PACE this foundation.” “Despite chronic medical needs, participants can remain living independently in the place of their choice, perhaps for the rest of their lives!” said Larry Yachcik, President/ $5 Million Expansion CEO, Porter Hills Retirement Communities and Services, and LifeCircles PACE Board Member, commenting about the results of LifeCircles PACE. “Nothing compares to and Renovation the promise and hope seniors and their families have when they partner with LifeCircles.” Design highlights of the expansion include: • Increased access to natural light, which will n LifeCircles PACE kicked off their 12,000 square foot expansion and renova- improve the holistic and therapeutic environ- tion project in July at their Muskegon facility with fanfare, speeches, and a few mental experience. shovels of dirt. LifeCircles PACE is an innovative approach to elder healthcare • An improved drop-off area, complete with management. It includes a day center, medical clinic, homecare program, and heated walks, parking for buses, and a canopy case management functions for qualified elderly participants living indepen- to protect participants from the weather. dently in the center’s designated service area of Mus- • Access to outdoor green space specifically de- kegon County and Northern Ottawa County. signed for the needs of participants, as well This $5 million expansion paves the way for Life- other areas for staff respite. Circles PACE to serve an additional 125 elderly par- LifeCircles Program of All-inclusive Care for the El- ticipants with complex healthcare needs. At capacity, derly (PACE) centers on the belief that it is better for LifeCircles PACE will actively support 350 qualified frail elderly individuals to be served while continuing to participants at any given time. live independently in the community whenever safely “To put it simply, the LifeCircles PACE model works. possible. This participant-centered approach focuses on Elders have comprehensive, well-coordinated care engaging seniors in a comprehensive program of health delivered to them in a way that honors their choic- management, socialization, and personal care that is es, celebrates their individuality and supports them unique in the Lakeshore region. Our service area in- through their health care challenges,” said Luke cludes Muskegon and Northern Ottawa Counties. For Reynolds, Executive Director of LifeCircles PACE. more information, visit www.lifecircles-pace.org.

senior perspectives 10 september | october 2014 11

So how do you work on quad function? Test yourself first. Can you sit and fully and completely straighten your knee repeatedly, 12 times, without rest All the Right or ache? If so, BRAVO! Choose one of the 4 levels of exercise based on how well you did with this simple activity. Level 1: If you struggled to straighten 100 % you may have weakness in one Moves! part of the muscle group called the Vastus Medialis. (Huh?) This is important PART 1 for the last few degrees of full function. Start with resting you leg out in front By holly of you – propped up – and just try to lift your heel over and over again until lookabaugh you can do this repeatedly for 30 seconds. Then progress to level 2. n With so much information everywhere you look - deur – TV, newspaper, billboards – about health and well- Level 2: Practice straightening your leg to the count of 8 – all the way up ness, it can be so challenging to do what is best for President of 1.2.3.4. and all the way down 1.2.3.4 to fully engage the muscle group – no Generation Care YOU. YOUR body. YOUR age. YOUR state of health. swinging! That’s cheating. When you can do 12 reps, rest, 12 more, rest, and So we become paralyzed and don’t do what we need 12 more – on both legs (one at a time), then move on to level 3! to do to MOVE forward. Level 3: Find some stairs or a higher surface where you can bend your leg Consider taking a simple but very specific approach to your strength first. and put your foot up – maybe the third step. Make sure your foot is secure Strength is the foundation of independent function. Without key muscle abil- and hold on to something like a railing or wall. Gradually lean forward on ity, we can’t do other good things for our heart and lungs or our balance, be- the leg on the step until you are holding more and more body weight, then cause we are unstable and unable to support ourselves. push back and stand straight up – back to starting position. Do this to the count of 1.2.3.4. going The 3 part series of “All the Right Moves” focuses on the KEY muscle groups to lean/ bent position, essential to function, why they matter, and how to know where to start based then 1.2.3.4. to return on what you can do right now. Today! As with all exercise programs, if you to straight position. are unsure of your health or you are in a complicated health state, of course Try to really challenge check with your doctor or physical therapist first. The exercise approach that yourself. When you will be used in this series is based on function, and using your own body and can do 3 sets of 12 on gravity to progress the movements. You do not need to join a gym or buy each leg, you have things to move better, efficiently, safely, and MORE in your life. graduated to level 4. CRITICAL MUSCLE GROUP #1: Your quadriceps Level 4: This will Commonly referred to as the “quads,” this muscle group makes up the bulk sound simple, but it is quite challenging. Find a sturdy chair where you can of the front of your thigh. If yours is a little jiggly, you are not alone! The ac- scoot your bum close to the front of the chair (not to edge!). Plant your feet tion of the muscle is to primarily straighten the knee, and part of it also bends firmly as if you were getting up. TRY NOT TO USE YOUR ARMS and bend the hip. This is a critical functional muscle group because of these key roles it forward and move from sitting to standing. Repeat. Move as quickly as you plays in daily function. can from sitting to standing. When you can do that for 2 minutes – up and • Essential for all transfers – sitting to standing; controlling your movement to down –you have fantastic, critical strength of your quadriceps! sitting from standing especially Did you know that just 30 minutes of physical activity every day can help • A foundation of strength for walking your overall health – blood pressure, digestion, sleep, feeling of well being? • Bending, reaching – provides a framework of stability New studies show us that it is ALL ABOUT JUST MOVING. So keep tuned • Climbing stairs; controlling coming down stairs into this column, and we’ll keep moving together! • Both standing or any activity where you need to move quickly • Quad strength plays a KEY ROLE in preventing arthritis of the knee or mini- All questions and comments to [email protected]. Holly is a Board Certified mizing its impact Geriatric Clinical Specialist and Physical Therapist and owns Generation Care, PLC.

senior perspectives 10 september | october 2014 september | october 2014 11 senior perspectives 12

Tanglewood Café new menu items! OPEN TO THE PUBLIC let the adventure begin!

This is a FREE open house week to the 50+ population to come and try a new adventure at Tanglewood Park! Come one day or every day! Watch our website for information www.agewellservices. org & register for our free E-News & check out our Facebook Page AgeWell Services at Tanglewood Park for details!

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Full espresso bar • 10% senior discount every day Active Aging Week $ 00 September 22-26 1 off any $5 or more purchase Join us for: Coupon not valid for Tanglewood Park employees. Cannot be combined with any other offer or discount. Senior Café Specials Daily Expires October 31st, 2014. $1 Member / $2 Non-Members classes all week Demonstrations Seminars Pork BBQ Sandwich Tender pulled pork topped with smoked Gouda Daily Door Prizes Tanglewood cafe’ cheese, French’s fried onions and tangy BBQ features: sauce and served on toasted French bread Massages with your choice of side. $5.79 Strawberry Fields Salad It’s So Gouda Ice Cream Social Fresh spring mix, oven roasted almonds, fresh Thinly sliced roast beef topped with melted strawberries, dried cranberries, red onion and smoked Gouda cheese and sun-dried tomato Fitness Equipment Demonstrations feta cheese served with poppy seed dressing. mayo on toasted French Bread and served Wii Games $6.30 with your choice of side. $5.89 Computer Technology Help And Much more! weekly specials and soup calendar at agewellservices.org All events will be held at Tanglewood Park! Like us on Tanglewood Park • 560 Seminole Rd., Muskegon More details coming soon! Facebook! www.tanglewoodpark.info ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Monday-Friday 7 a.m.- 3 p.m. • 231-733-8644

Check out AgeWell on Facebook! Are you getting the AgeWell weekly e-newsletter from us? If not, sign up at www.agewellservices.org. senior perspectives 12 september | october 2014 13

Martin’s Meanderings When kids read books n It was a surprise when one of my doctors, a lot younger than So how about something for the girls? Nancy Drew to the rescue. Nancy began her I am, mentioned the Tom Swift stories that he loved as a kid. super sleuthing in 1930 and she’s still going strong today. She has changed a lot over We were talking about some kind of gadgetry and no fictional the years, and books and merchandise with her name on it are sold all over the world. character dreamed up more things that later came to pass than I heard an interview with the woman who wrote the series. Her pen name, Carolyn By young Tom Swift. Tom first appeared in 1910. He had a photo Keene, was also used by several other writers. She apparently owned the rights to the clif telephone, electric rifle, great searchlight, submarine, a wizard stories and she granted TV producers permission to air them only by agreeing to follow martin camera and a lot more that kept young boys fascinated. Tom’s her strict guidelines about what Nancy would and would not do. As with the stories for tales have been updated at least four times over the years, begin- boys, everything you wanted to know about Nancy’s entire history is online. ning with the Tom Swift Jr. series and going into Tom Swift IV. The author was Victor Here is the most interesting thing about Nancy Drew, the Hardys, Tom Swift, Bobbsey Appleton, a penname that lasted through it all. I wonder if maybe my doctor, Twins, Rover Boys and some that I didn’t know about. They were all created by the who says he still has the books, owns the original ones or later versions. Some same fellow, Edward Stratemeyer. That was his real name but you won’t see it of the first Tom Swifts are worth a few hundred dollars on the collectors mar- on any books. Stratemeyer is said to have sold 500 million copies of over a thou- ket. I hope the ones I had are in the hands of some happy collector. sand books but he didn’t exactly write them. He formed a syndicate and hired The Hardy Boys series was another big seller. It came along in 1927. One of ghost writers to do the stories about the characters that he came up with, all us- the later books has Tom Swift and The Hardy Boys working together in ing pen names. The writers were paid $125 for each book and one of them what’s hyped as an ultra-thriller, The Alien Factor. The Hardy boys’ fa- said he could turn one out in a week. Not bad for the Depression era. ther was a detective. The brothers shared his interest in solving crimes If you have original copies of these gems, pass them along to your and figuring out mysteries. They got so good at it that their names grandchildren. Insist that they read them even if they laugh at how old still live in various media. They were helped by what one reviewer fashioned they are. By the time the kids get old those classics might be called their platonic girlfriends. You can be sure there was no hanky worth big money. panky going on with these fine upstanding young Americans. If you are a serious student or fan of those classics you can join a group of pas- Clif’s blog about introverts can be found at www.pbomf.blogspot.com. He says his sionate followers who will tell you more than you want to know. next column will be a number of things. Stay tuned for that.

Seniors Safe & Secure

The Tri County Protection Team is providing a training Friday, Septem- ber 26th from 9am-2pm at the Folkert Community Hub on Seminole Rd. in Muskegon. You can register by calling 231-733-8643.

PRESENTERS and/or TOPICS • Presented by Prosecutor D.J. Hilson. • Scams & Schemes & Identity Theft, featuring State Trooper Martin Miller • Who Ya’ Gonna’ Call? Learn about services available in our community & how to access them & pick the best for you! • Medicaid and Advance Directives • Funeral Pre-Planning • Ten Steps to Stay at Home Longer (step one is coming to this event!)

The Tri County Team represents Muskegon, Ottawa and Oceana Coun- ties and they educate, advocate, and work to protect and prevent abuse, fraud and exploitation of vulnerable adults. Training is provided by a grant from Senior Resources, an Area Agency on Aging, and facilitated by AgeWell Services.

senior perspectives 12 september | october 2014 september | october 2014 13 senior perspectives 14

A Small Red Kayak Parts a River’s Quiet Waters n It had been a brutal winter…snow and ice everywhere. Indi- It was late morning, cool and damp. Two small deer drank at the water’s edge as they cations were that spring would never show its warm face again. cautiously eyed the small red kayak as it slid effortlessly through the algae covered river. During that winter, the small red kayak waited patiently for its time The green slime parted as the bow moved forward revealing a muddy bottom. A low, back on the water. It stood propped up in a shed. It knew its time grey mist blanketed the water up past the banks on either side. Cattails poked their was near. It was only ten feet long, flat bottomed but very difficult seed pods up through this covering. Loose-strife was rampant. It was unseen by anyone to capsize. It had been thoroughly cleaned last fall and now it was except the two deer that watched and waited. ready. It continued moving forward, first slightly to the left and then slightly to the right as Suddenly in mid-spring, the ice in the river began to break up the paddle was shifted from side to side. The paddling stopped, the deer vanished, and float down stream. Soon the river was ice free. At last, the BY and it began to float lazily with the current. Ahead something moved ever so slightly. Dick The mist parted enough to reveal a mag- small red kayak was strapped to the car-top carrier, and it was on HOFFSTEDT its way for spring’s first outing. How great it was to be moving nificent blue heron standing on one leg, again. staring down, searching for its next meal. It froze as the small red kayak came closer, Spring slowly moved along towards summer, and the river began to take on a new and its long beaked head turned and life. Dragonflies darted from here to there and once in a while would hitch a free ride watched the unwanted visitor. It made on the prow. Squirrels and chipmunks scampered along the banks searching for their its decision. The wings began to stretch day’s provisions. Above them, perched on a high branch, was a vigilant red-tailed out to their incredible length, and then hawk waiting to make its move. Cardinals, blue jays and countless other birds either the unmistakable sound of their flapping sat and warbled their haunting calls or flew in search of something to sustain them. broke the morning silence. It left the wa- Once in a while a frog would leap from nowhere into the current with a small splash ter with a loud splash and sluggishly be- to prove its existence. Turtles were slowly edging up a broken tree branch, waiting came airborne with water dripping from patiently for the sun to break through the mist. A bevy of playful otters peered out of its body and legs. In a split second, the fog their river-bank home. They only used the river for hunting or travelling. swallowed up the blue heron. Before it began its journey, the small red kayak was checked for all the necessary items… paddles, seat cushions, camera, binoculars, lunch, sunhat and anything else that might Richard A Hoffsted. Engineer by profession/ add pleasure to the trip. As it departed, a slight fog had enveloped the river. It was Retired. Married 59 years, 4 daughters, twin sons, 5 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. alone. No signs of humans on the river or on land. Interests include music, reading, theater, film and writing.

senior perspectives 14 september | october 2014 15

From My Perspective By Rolina n The pleasure of a song, the lilt of a voice, the insistent cry Vermeer of the crow’s caw, the tinkle of a tiny wind chime: they are subtle audible influences in the course of a day. Just before drifting off to sleep at the end of my day, the sounds collected in my reverie reflect the overall tone of the day’s experiences. Early morning birdsongs cheerily jump start my day. Talk radio informs and keeps me company as I go through my morning routines. Honking horns alert me to be- ware, and positive greetings welcome my presence in the work and market place. The end of the day finds me in a few moments of quiet conversation, then prepar- ing dinner with news reports and an evening of televised entertainment or musical choices to offer soothing respite at day’s end. And woven in between are the noisier sounds of daily life: the clocks tick and doors slam and the computer keyboards click in staccato. Phones ring, conversations work out the details of life and the washer and dryer signal their accomplishments. Deeper still, the air-conditioner or furnace hums, far away footsteps track and faucets run gushing water: on and off and on again. I can even hear, if I listen intentionally, my heart beating, my breath, in and out, the soft juiciness of a swallow and almost the opening and closing of my blinking eyes. Am I listening? As I lie in the soft darkness, do I hear the preciousness of all these signs and signals of my rich life? Or are they drowned out by the arguments and monkey talk that fills my inner life; the inner chatter that is mostly clatter and stirs and swirls and kicks up waves of uncontrolled rabble and spirals into negativity that demands constant feeding? How easily my spirit is distracted by these defen- sive and accusatory inner monologues! Now tossing and turning and punching a pillow over the hollow emptiness I say. “NO!” I fling the covers off and take steps away from my dark cell. Putting on the tea kettle and lighting a small candle, I determine that my life will not be pulled into the abyss of negativity and recrimination. I will choose light, happiness, goodness and all that is sweet and beautiful. I will right wrongs; I will seek and give forgive- ness and present flowers to my imagined accusers. I’m sorry. Please forgive me. I love you. Thank you. From my perspective, it’s the only way to hear the beauty all around me. Rolina Vermeer is the Activities Center Director at Four Pointes Center for Successful Aging in Grand Haven, MI [email protected]

senior perspectives 14 september | october 2014 september | october 2014 15 senior perspectives 1616

Keith’s World The Grange Theatre

n There were 73 seats with red velvet coverings in the the- atre at The Grange Manor in Little Tew, England. This is the village where Pam and I lived while in England in 1971 and Top: The Grange with Sam & Mina Schutter (Pam’s Parents) 1972. The owner of the manor Left: Hay Fever with me on stage converted the butler’s quar- Bottom Left: Pam by the conservatory prior to cast party By ters, pantry, and keith maids’ work area sipe Many years ago, the Lord of the Manor owned the house, into the theatre. village and countryside. Villages were usually made up of a church, pub, In the rear of the theatre was the con- post office and other types of stores to accommodate its citizens. As time trol room where the lights and sound moved on many changes came to pass. The farming properties were sold are controlled. On the right side of the off in smaller units and eventually it became as it is today, a village. stage was a door that led directly into The Grange Manor ended up on a five acre lot. Fred and Val Temlet became the main kitchen. To the left of the the owners in 1957 and lived there for many years. My wife Pam and I stage was another door that led you to met them in 1971 when we rented a flat. The cost of the flat was around 35 a room with a second grand stairway pounds a month, and at the exchange rate back then it was around $85.00 to the second floor. These were doors a month. From my research I would put it at around $2.000 a month today. that actors/actresses entered onto the What a big difference! stage during a performance. The main entrance to the theatre brought you past the bar The Grand Theatre was the official name given to the theatre. Recitals as room (built by the landlord and me using an old panel door with much character for the well as musicals plays were a big draw. Beauty and the Beast and Hay Fever were two plays facade and dark wood for the top of the bar). I was a part of during my time there. While living at “The Grange” we found there to be 30 rooms in all. The first floor had The performance nights were a great joy, and we played from Wednesday through Satur- a library, kitchen, music room, withdrawing room, dining room, two stairways, parlor, day. But the practices were the most fun for it was there where you met people and made hallways and a couple other rooms. many new friends such as “The Banbury Cross Players” who participated in the plays at The Grange Theatre. On the second floor was a very large room that was used as a ballroom at one time and then made into a nursery where the children of the manor would play when not outside. As Pam and I grow older we now share the wonderful times and blessings from our days Just off that room was a smaller area where the children would spend their time when of living in England. they were sick; it looked like a detention room to me. The main bathroom and other bed- You may reach Keith at [email protected]. Keith enjoys writing, photography, fly- rooms were also on the second floor. The third floor was mainly used for maids’ quarters ing, cooking and living in downtown Muskegon. and then beyond them was the attic.

senior perspectives 16 september | october 2014 17

Senior G Perspectives P A G E Answers on Page 27 M E

Ode to a Crossword By Luke Paul Bryan, edited by Timothy E. Parker “fall is in the air” word search ACROSS 58. Modest place I live in 25. Have a light repast September Football Autumn Halloween 1. Flat____pancake 61. Persona’s counterpart to Jung 26. Former name of Tokyo Apples Labor Day United Nations Day Candy Corn 4. Base eight System 63. Items in a caddie’s load 29. React with awe Back to School Bosses Day Yom Kippur Hay Ride 9. Bean thrown by Scotsmen 64. “Go right, mule!” 30. Grandpa Simpson’s first College October Color Tour Cider 14. Youtube offering, briefly 65. Scare off name, briefly Dorm Room Patriot Day Trick Gords 15. El ____ (painter) 66. “Divine Comedy” author 33. Goddess of abundance and Columbus Day Backpack Treat 16. Clownish miming 67. Wiggly catch fertility 17. Doctors’ org. 68. Far from slim 34. Dravidian language 18. Campus buildings 69. Western lilies 36. Long time, geologically 19. Super stars? 70. 911 response initials 38. It’s a blast 20. It’s classified 39. Kind of artist 23. Actor Banderas DOWN 40. Brit’s service discharge 24. Funeral Vehicle 1. Virtual-reality substitute 41. Abbr. after an attorney’s name 27. Take ten 2. Music legend Nina 42. Romanian money 28. Beastly bellow 3. Turs a book into a film, e.g. 46. Herbs of the mint family 31. Give a glowing review 4. Home of Weber 48. Shaped like a 32. Extremely spicy State University mozzarella stick 35. Woodwind instrument 5. Early spring bloomers 50. Orbital high point 37. Feds’ document producer 6. Abject fear 51. Convert to cash 38. “Enjoy the Silence” band 7. Brand bought by 52. Angler’s baskets 41. Cambrideshires ___ Wile E. Coyote 54. Site of many Chicago Cathedral 8. Unable to find one’s way touchdowns 43. ___ gin fizz 9. Paddle propel it 56. Slow, musically 44. 112.5 degrees from S 10. Footless 57. Retreats in the desert 45. Dispatched 11. Coffee, tea or milk, e.g. 59. USNA students 47. “go back one step, computer” 12. Historical period 60. Highlands hillside 49. Cleo’s Antony 13. Manhattan liquor 61. Ruckus 53. Cape Cod clam 21. “___ story goes…” 62. Pen tip 55. Radio announcer’s blunder 22. Harley-Davidson trim

senior perspectives 16 september | october 2014 september | october 2014 17 senior perspectives 18

n It’s not often that a car will spend almost 65 years near where it was purchased new, “Pull the shift lever into Reverse and the car stays there,” the owner says. but Terry Kesteloot’s 1950 Lincoln has spent its entire life in the Muskegon area. Kesteloot added 1948 Cadillac “Sombrero” style wheel covers, adding to the car’s lux- In late 2005, he was shopping for a 1950 Mercury when a buddy told him there was one ury look. The seats were recovered by Luker Custom Canvas in Montague. Seat belts listed for sale in the local paper. Kesteloot called, only to find out it was a 1950 Lincoln, were also installed. not a Mercury, as advertised. Since he had already made plans to go to South Carolina A personal addition to the car from his son-in-law to check on another Mercury, he did not follow up on the car in the ad. Bill and daughter Kate is a 1950 Michigan license The trip south turned out to be a waste of time, as the car he found there was a junker. plate, BK 7459, given to him as a Father’s Day Once back home, he immediately called to see if the Lincoln was still available. It had not present in 2010. The letters BK are a reminder of been sold, so he went to check it out. who got it for him. “The car is stable and easy to drive. It will cruise at 70 to 75 miles an hour all day long,” says Kes- A Special teloot. One of the places he cruised to is the annual James Dean Run in Fairmount, Indiana, where Lincoln the old Lincoln is in its element. Kesteloot and his pride and “I was blown joy can be found at several away when I saw local car events during the it,” he said. “It was in summer season. excellent shape, still with the Jerry, a Ford Motor Com- original, solid body panels.” pany retiree, has had many He made a deal to buy the car, keeping stories published in news- its local history intact. papers and magazines. Be- BY sides freelance writing, he en- jerry The car looks almost stock, with some of the trim joys working on old cars. mattson removed, but there is something different that most old- car people can’t put their finger on. Upsetting to Lincoln afi- cionados, it is apparent the headlights have been changed. Kesteloot did not like the stock look, and had the headlight sections on the fenders re- placed with those from a 1953 Mercury. At the same time, emblems were removed from the hood and the deck lid, as was the Lincoln script on each of the front fenders. The Lin- coln was then painted a custom-mixed dark green. The bodywork and painting were done by Dave Cole at Custom Collision in Muskegon. Nearly all of the running gear is stock. The rear springs were replaced to lower the car about three inches. The engine is a 337 cubic-inch flathead rated at 152 horsepower. This engine, first seen in Lincoln automobiles in 1949, was also used to power the large Ford F-7 and F-8 trucks used for hauling semi-trailers. The transmission is the stock production unit, even though it is a four-speed General Motors Hydra-Matic. Ford Motor Company was not sure its own transmission would hold up with the large engine it had in the Lincoln. Interestingly, the transmission does not have a Park position. With the car stopped, you park it by shifting into Reverse, which engages the parking pawl.

senior perspectives 18 september | october 2014 19

The 2014 n4a Aging Innovations and Achievement Awards recognizes Area Agencies on Ag- ing (AAAs) and Title VI Native American aging programs that develop and implement cutting-edge approaches to support older adults, people with disabilities and their fam- ily caregivers. A part of the criteria for the selection of the honorees was the ease with which other agencies could replicate the program in their communities. “With the implementation of the Affordable Care Act underway, our members are inves- tigating new ways to position themselves in the long-term and health care marketplaces, as well as to strengthen long-standing services to meet the needs of America’s rapidly growing older adult population,” said n4a’s Chief Executive Officer Sandy Markwood. “Our members work tirelessly, and with little fanfare in their communities, and this pro- gram enables us to shine a well-deserved spotlight on their ground-breaking work,” Ms. Markwood added. “Senior Resources’ 28 page Options for Long Term Care booklet is a direct response to older adults and family caregivers requesting printed information on available services, a list- Senior Resources Receives Prestigious ing of aging and disability resources, information on the cost of care and potential eligibil- ity for financial assistance,” stated Senior Resources CEO, Pam Curtis. “Our counselors Aging Innovations Award from use this resource for educating people on in-home care services, out of home care op- tions, types of payment options, and eligibility requirements for government assistance the National Association of Area programs such as Medicaid Waiver and PACE. All printing costs for this colorful and fact-filled booklet are covered by local senior serving businesses listed on the back cover.” Agencies on Aging (n4a) The booklet is also available on the agency website under the Publications tab: www. seniorresourceswmi.org n Senior Resources announces that its Options for Long Term Care program recently As an Area Agency on Aging serving Muskegon, Oceana and Ottawa counties, Senior received recognition from the National Association of Area Agencies on Aging (n4a) with Resources assesses community needs, develops and implements an area plan for service an Aging Innovations Award, the highest honor presented by n4a to member agencies. delivery, serves as a focal point for information, provides care coordination, arranges in- The awards program is sponsored by CST your Link to Life (CST-LTL). Options for Long home care services, counsels on Medicare/Medicaid benefits and serves as an advocate Term Care was among the top 13 of 45 local aging programs to receive honors during the agency for the elderly and disabled. Senior Resources is also a designated agent for the n4a Annual Conference & Tradeshow held July 12-16, 2014, in Dallas, TX. Department of Community Health’s MI Choice (Medicaid Waiver) program.

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______The Gyro what’s going on? 6-8 soft Pita breads 1 grilled marinated leg of lamb Autumn special events 1 cup sliced sautéed onions FOR ACTIVITIES IN YOUR AREA, CONTACT Grill marinated leg of lamb to desired doneness. Grilling Sauté 1 cup of onions until light brown. Thinly slice THE FOLLOWING: By Bruce Konowalow, Dean of Culinary Arts 5-6 oz. of lamb and place on grilled or warmed from Culinary Institute of Michigan AgeWell Services: (231) 755-0434 or pita bread. Top with sautéed onions and top with 1-800-442-6769 cucumber- mint sauce and apricot chutney. Wrap pita n It is never too late in the year to grill. In fact on a nice Coopersville: Contact the Senior Center at around and enjoy. fall day there is nothing better than the aroma of grilled (616) 997-3609 leg of lamb mingled with the perfume of autumn air. Evergreen Commons, 480 State, Holland Marinated Leg of Lamb Lamb is a versatile protein that is easy to digest. It is (616) 396-7100 available all year long and when eaten as part of a bal- 3 lb. leg of lamb boned and butterflied Fellowship Reformed Church, anced diet is a good source of lean protein. According 2 tbsp. chopped garlic 4220 Apple Ave. Phone (231) 788-4783 to the American Lamb Board, “On average, a 3-ounce 1 tbsp. fresh chopped rosemary Fifth Reformed Church, serving of lamb has only 175 calories and meets the Food 2330 Holton Rd, Muskegon 1 tbsp. fresh thyme leaves and Drug Administration’s (FDA) definition for lean. Four Pointes, 1 cup olive oil According to FDA guidelines, lean meat has less than 10 1051 S. Beacon Blvd. (616) 842-9210 ½ cup red wine grams of fat, less than 4.5 grams of saturated fat, and less Georgetown Senior Center, 2 tbsp. salt than 95 milligrams of cholesterol per 100 grams (or 3.5 7096 8th Street, Jenison (616) 457-1170 1 tbsp. cracked black pepper ounces).” Choose the leaner cuts like the leg and the loin Hesperia Seniors, (231) 854-0007 if you want to control your fat intake. Unless you pur- Mix all ingredients, coat, and place in 1 gallon zip top Lakes Community Church of the Naza- bag. Place in leg of lamb and marinate 6-12 hours in chase USDA graded Prime lamb, most lamb tends to be rene, 2270 S. Milliron (231) 773-2812 refrigerator. Grill to medium rare. naturally lean. McGraft Park City Centre, Although much of the lamb sold in grocery stores and big 2204 Wickham, (231) 755-8453 Dried Pear & Apricot Chutney box stores like Costco is imported from either New Zea- Mona Shores Golden Agers, land or Australia, I prefer American grown and raised Norton Shores Library, (231) 780-3173 1 cup diced dried pear lamb. I can buy it unfrozen and the taste is fantastic. In Northside Senior Center, 1 cup diced dried apricot the United States lamb is raised by over 80,000 growers, 1910 Ruddiman, (231) 744-8613 1 cup port wine most of them being small family owned businesses. The Oakridge Golden Eagles, 1 cup water notion that only “spring lamb” is the preferred quality is 1050 Carr Rd. (231) 788-7150 ½ cup diced green apple no longer true. Great quality lamb can be raised and har- Orchard View Seniors, 1 tsp. saffron threads vested throughout the year. Lambs are 3-12 months old 1074 Shonat (231) 760-1493 1 tbsp. cracked black peppercorns when they are harvested so the meat is naturally tender. Oceana Council on Aging, ½ cup sugar The older the animal the tougher the meat. Yearling mut- 621 East Main St., Hart (231) 873-4461 Grated orange peel from 1 orange ton and mutton are stronger tasting and less preferred by Pentwater Friendship Center, Juice from one orange the average consumer. Rush & Park Streets (231) 869-7901 The leg of lamb is an excellent cut that has good flavor, White Lake Senior Center, Add all ingredients to a sauce pan. Bring mixture to 8741 Ferry Street (231) 894-9493 a boil and simmer until fruit is soft and most of the low fat content, and adapts well to high heat cooking ______liquid is evaporated. No need to refrigerate. methods like grilling and roasting. For grilling outdoors I prefer a 3 pound boneless, butterflied leg of lamb. Ask your butcher to trim off all the external fat and split the Cucumber Yogurt Sauce leg open into a nice flat piece. 1 cup plain yogurt I favor marinating the leg for a little extra flavor. That 1 tbsp. chopped mint being said, keep marinating times to a maximum of 12 ½ cup grated onion hours. Over-marinating can make the meat mushy and ½ cup grated, seeded, peeled can over-flavor the meat to the point that it masks the cucumber natural flavor. 2 tsp. sugar The recipe I have provided is good for any time of the Salt and pepper to taste year. The sauces can be made a day in advance of the Mix all ingredients together. cooking. Try my version of the classic Greek/American Refrigerate until ready to use. Gyro Pita sandwich.

senior perspectives 20 september | october 2014 21

Intergenerational Interaction

n Something special happens when an older person gets to be around a younger person or a baby. It can be a beneficial experi- ence and a positive engagement. It may give the elderly person an opportunity to share wisdom and their stories of what it was like when they were young. Sometimes just having a younger person around brings out the kid in them. Intergenerational in- teraction can have a positive influence on a person with dementia also. A child or a baby can instantly put a smile on a person’s face By and lift their mood. It can even help them remember their own Andrea children or childhood. Morrell

I was fortunate enough to observe this first hand when I brought Our Friend’s my now almost 5-month-old daughter into work. I can see the House positive influence she brings to our participants at “Our Friend’s House” Adult Day Care. There is almost instant smile when they first spot her, and then the “baby talk” starts in that sweet way most adults do. It is quite wonderful to see this reaction. After a little bit of time with the baby the questions and comments start. They ask if she is my first and one and only. They ask how old she is and enjoy seeing her reac- tions. Then they start to remember their own children. Comments include how many kids they had, their names, and how one of them raised five children and don’t how they did it, but they did! We also have a teenage volunteer who the participants enjoy having around. They en- joy her young laughter while playing cards, helping out in activities and uplifting ev- eryone’s mood. Having a younger person around brings a positive engagement for the participants. Baby or teenager, the intergenerational interaction brings such a benefit for the elderly with or without dementia. Children can really bring joy to everyone’s lives. I have been very fortunate to see this and hope others can see this, too. Andrea Morrell has worked with Oceana County Council on Aging for 8 years, with 3 years at “Our Friend’s House” Adult Day Care in Hart, MI. She lives in New Era with my husband of 5 years and daughter who is 5 months old. MMAP minutes n Medicare Annual Enrollment period is here! Don’t miss your op- portunity to look at all the options available to you. The Annual En- rollment period is October 15th through December 7th. During this time Medicare beneficiaries can see what Medicare Advantage plans and prescription drug plans are available for 2015. By vickie By the end of September, all insurance plans must have sent out their decheney “Annual Notice of Change” (ANOC) notifying beneficiaries of any changes to the current plan that they are in. The changes can include the price of the plan and the medications the plan covers as well as changes in deductibles and co pays. This is a very important notice to read and keep. After reading your ANOC you might want to see what else is available that might better serve you. This can be done from Oct. 15-Dec. 7. If you find a different plan and want to change, that is also done from Oct. 15 through Dec. 7, with the actual change starting 1/1/15. So how does someone do this? All of the options can be found on the Medicare website which is www.medicare.gov or you can call your local MMAP office for assistance. MMAP counselors can answer questions and help you with the comparison process. MMAP trained counselors will not tell anyone what to do or what to choose. They will, however, gladly help you understand the options and the process. MMAP serves those in Oceana, Muskegon and Ottawa counties. This is a free service. Our toll free number is 1-800-803-7174. Vickie DeCheney is the Regional Coordinator for MMAP in our area and has been for the past 5 years. Prior to this she was employed by the Dept of Human Services. Weekends will usually find her at the cottage outside Hesperia on Darlington Lake. Vickie loves spending time with her many grand kids. senior perspectives 20 september | october 2014 september | october 2014 21 senior perspectives 22

appropriated funds to make the necessary repairs. Waugoshance Point lighthouse In order to effect more permanent repairs as possible with the technology available, the decision was made to encase the entire structure in 3/8” thick boiler plate, riv- has been through it all eted together and leaving sufficient space between the iron and the masonry for filling with a layer of concrete. Bids were let for the contract on July 1, 1883. Buhl Iron Works n After a number of groundings in the early 1820’s at the Company of Detroit was the lowest bidder at $213,000, and was awarded the contract. northwestern tip of Michigan’s lower peninsula, shipping inter- The iron armor was custom bent and punched at the iron works shop. More than ests began petitioning the government to construct navigational 24,000 rivet holes had to be punched in, form-fitting the iron skin. Thousands of aids at Waugoshance Shoal. Extending west from the shoal lie pounds of iron, hundreds of barrels of Portland cement, hundreds of barrels of sand, eight miles of treacherous islands, islets and shoals. thousands of bricks, and barrels of lime were used. Two forty-two long boilers, two During the later half of the nineteenth century, the Wau- By fog signal engines, and all the hardware and supplies were shipped to the site. goshance light station marked the turning point for ships travel- chuck With the commissioning of the larger and more powerful White Shoal light a few ing through the Straits of Mackinac and along the eastern shore stafford miles to the north, Waugoshance Light became obsolete and was thus decommis- of Lake Michigan between the Beavers and the mainland. sioned in 1912 and has been inactive ever since. The area has a water depth of mostly twelve feet or less and was one of the most Local citizens believe that the ghost of keeper Wobbleshanks, who drowned in 1894, dangerous parts of the Straits. Larger freighters required considerably deeper water still haunts the lighthouse. and bypass Waugoshance as they make a “Gray’s Reef Passage” about two miles to In October 1891, the Lighthouse Board stationed Lightship LV56 on the White Shoal. the west. Built earlier that year by the Blythe-Craig Shipbuilding Company in Toledo, it was Today, vessels are armed with communications and navigation equipment -- marine one of three identical vessels commissioned in that year in the area of the Straits. radios and Global Positioning Systems. They were forced to try to get through the Over the years, scores of lightkeepers have served at Waugoshance. Some served many reefs around Waugoshance to reach safer waters. Up bound vessels, on the other only a short time before deciding the isolation was not for them. Others like James hand, could seek shelter in the vicinity of Mackinaw City, Mackinac Island or St. Hel- Davenport became career keepers. Davenport was born on Mackinac Island in 1847 ena islands. and was appointed keeper of Petite Point Au Sable Lighthouse (Mears) where he At the time, lighthouses were un- remained until 1879. der the control of the U.S. Treasury. The Waugoshance light remained undisturbed until the early 1940’s when, at the Though the technology for building start of World War II, it became a target for strafing practices by the military. The underwater cribs was well known in resulting fire destroyed the interior of the tower and keeper’s dwelling. the early 1800’s and structures had been built off the East Coast, this was Some years later the Waugoshance Lighthouse was placed on the National Register northern Lake Michigan. A lighthouse of Historic Places – and soon forgotten. The concrete pier has completely disinte- at Waugoshance would have to sur- grated vive the destructiveness of the ice that In early 1983, the bullet-ridden boilerplate shell began to peel from the structure, develops each winter. once again exposing the brick to the elements. The plating has since slipped into As an interim measure, the wooden Lake Michigan and anything else of value has either been either removed by van- vessel Lois McLane, which had been dals or destroyed. converted into a lightship, was placed That year the Coast Guard recommended that the light station be demolished. This at Waugoshance Shoal in 1832, thus has not yet happened. The Great Lakes Lighthouse Keepers Association has request- taking her place in history as the first ed permission to remove the historic birdcage lantern room if and when the tower lightship in history to serve on all the is demolished. Great Lakes. She remained there during the shipping season for almost two decades. In 2000, the Waugoshance Lighthouse Preservation Society was formed, with its In 1850, it was decided to construct a more permanent lighthouse on the shoal. Wau- goal to preserve what is left of the monumental station. goshance was the first lighthouse on Lake Michigan to be built on a submerged crib. Having been associated with the out-of-doors his whole life, mainly through the efforts of his A cofferdam was constructed around the crib. Cement was then applied to the surface parents, it was only natural that Chuck Stafford became an outdoor writer and photographer. of the shoal in order to create a smooth, flat base on which to build the lighthouse. Pre- He has been associated more than 45 years in television, magazine and newspaper writing. stressed limestone slabs, each weighing close to twelve tons, were set on the cement foundation, and bolted to the cement and to each other. The Waugoshance lighthouse was completed in 1851. The conical tower was 76 feet FOR YOUR PEACE OF MIND tall, with a diameter of 20 feet at the base and 15 feet at the parapet. The huge walls s7ILLS 4RUSTS 0OWERSOF!TTORNEY were 5 feet thick at the base and over two feet thick at the top. It has a very rare origi- nal “bird cage” lantern, one of the styles used in the 1850’s. Only two other examples s'UARDIANSHIP #ONSERVATORSHIP of this lantern architecture survive on the Great Lakes. s0ROBATE!DMINISTRATION#ONTESTS The lantern was equipped with the first Fourth Order Fresnel lens to be installed in s-EDICAID0LANNING !PPLICATIONS !PPEALS any Great Lakes lighthouse. Displaying a fixed white light, varied by a white flash every 45 seconds, the impressive French optic was visible to mariners at a distance of sixteen miles. Law Office of David P. Covell, PLLC Exposed to the full fury of Lake Michigan storms and to huge fields of ice every 4HIRD3TREETs3UITE -USKEGON -) spring, the crib began to deteriorate. Year after year, the ice made its grinding assault (231) 727-3108 on the crib that supported Waugoshance Lighthouse. In 1865, the Lighthouse Board senior perspectives 22 september | october 2014 23

Susan and the green envelope I’ve been writing stories based on fables, but I a $1,000 dollar bill was there, along with a second certificate. She hurried into the think it’s time to write a real fable—complete with a house, meaning to call Larry, but she could hear he was on the tractor. Not wish- moral, just the way old Aesop would have done. It ing to keep her good fortune a secret, she walked quickly to the corn field and will be a modern fable, but it will still start with. . . waved her hands for him to stop. To cut the story short, Susan showed Larry the bill, and they agreed to repeat n . . . Once upon a time, there was a lady named Susan, what they had done on Monday. And, every other day for seven days, Susan who lived with her husband, Larry, on a small farm near mailed the certificate and received a thousand dollars in return. It was then that a small town. One Monday morning, Susan went to the Larry suggested she mail the $1,000 dollar bill instead of the certificate, hoping mailbox and discovered a bright green envelope. Curious, By to get some even bigger bill. Then, he suggested, that they keep webb she opened it and took out a brightly covered certificate doubling it until they had a million dollars. scrivnor with the following message on it in big letters: “Mail this to Susan agreed and couldn’t wait to mail the green enve- yourself and receive a good prize.” lope. Two days later, however, when the green enve- When husband, Larry came in for lunch, she lope appeared, it contained only the certificate— showed the certificate to him, and he said, but with no message. The next day, Susan met “I doubt if it’s worth bothering with, but the mailman and explained what happened. you never know. Just for fun, you might She hoped he might know something as well mail it.” There was a blank return about the mysterious green envelope. envelope with the certificate, so Susan filled “Well,” he said, shaking his head, “as it out and mailed it in town when she went good old Aesop used to say: Greed oft in to buy some ingredients for canning pickles. o’er reaches itself. There was no green envelope Tuesday, but when Webb Scrivnor is a former music teacher, former editor of Pen- she got the mail Wednesday, a green envelope was insula Poets, a freelance writer and author of the novel Drako. there. Imagine her surprise when she opened it and

What You Think You Are

n Each day we receive a Daily Enlightenment in our email from receive thank you notes from our families that I am reminded of the quote that appear a member of our management team, something designed to in- so frequently on counted cross stitch, “Be not forgetful to entertain strangers for thereby spire us or lift our load. I had to read today’s several times before some have entertained angels unaware.” Having entrusted the care of family to Harbor the message really sunk in: “You are not what you think you are. What Hospice, I can assure you that angels do walk among us when we are most in need. By you think, you are.” The quote is taken from the book, Create a Life Patients facing end of life have offered incredible insight as they have shared their stories Linda You Can’t Wait to Live by Zig Ziglar. Aerts with me. I remember each one of them by heart. They have all had a hand in shaping who Over my 13 years at Harbor Hospice, I have had the distinct honor I have become; perhaps none more than Kathy, who within one hour, forever changed from Harbor of meeting some remarkable people who have worked for and the way I look at life. Some people just have that kind of magnetism and personal power Hospice been served by our agency. It has truly been a humbling and life- – Kathy is one of them. At 48 her life expectancy is short, yet she is living every moment changing experience. So often our patient care staff and volunteers with gusto and a passion that quite literally lights up the room – her spirit for living is contagious! You will be able to read about Kathy when her story comes out in our Touch- ing Lives magazine in October. I guarantee you will feel the same way. In spite of her diagnosis, Kathy made the decision to live the remainder of her life as she wished it to be lived. To borrow from Zig Ziglar, “What you think, you are.” This is my last issue writing for Harbor Hospice. As I sincerely hope you can tell, I love this agency and will still be around to support it; however, I have decided that I would like to try my hand at writing children’s books. Should I get overly tired of eating beans and weenies, I may re-enter the workforce, but until then I am creating the life that I can’t wait to live. It has been my pleasure to serve. Linda M. Aerts is the Executive Assistant at Harbor Hospice where she has been employed since 2001. Her passion is working in the garden where nothing else matters. For questions or to con- tact Linda, please call (231) 728-6839 or e-mail [email protected]

senior perspectives 22 september | october 2014 september | october 2014 23 senior perspectives 24 Join the Fun At the White Lake Area Fall Fest Saturday, September 27, 2014

n September 27th is the date for the 34th annual White Lake Area Fall Fest. With a va- riety of music to entertain families and individuals, a Farmer’s Market, over 40 vendors participating in the Arts and Crafts Festival and Hay Rides, this is always a favorite. Fall Fest events begin as early as 10:00 a.m. The Arts and Crafts Festival runs from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. with crafters displaying a variety of goods. Shop the marketplace with various vendors and artists selling items including holiday decorations, jewelry, cloth- ing, photography, wood crafts, food dips, and more. Visit the Farmer’s Market and the apple cider mill, along with local food vendors for a variety of fall foods and decorations. Downtown businesses will also offer specialties throughout the day including the Hokey Pokey’s Alley Sale where shoppers may find the unexpected. Double JJ will provide free hayrides running from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. in the parking lot on the corner of Hanson Street and Division. Refreshments provided. Bubbles the Clown will be back, creating balloon animals for the kids. Food vendors will be open for business at 10:00 a.m. and run throughout the day. The morning kicks off with Team Hannah as they invite participants to get their running or walking shoes on and join in on a 5K Run/Walk to raise awareness and help find a cure for Tuberous Sclerosis Complex. The event begins at 9am at Funnell Field in Whitehall. Live entertainment will keep the crowds entertained throughout the day with local favor- ites featuring Mike Snell playing from 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. The 11th Annual Harvest Moon Classic Tournament is for those interested in disc golf. For tournament registration and more information regarding this fun and growing rec- reational sport, visit www.discgolfscene.com. Evening entertainment can be found at the Howmet Playhouse or rock the night away at any of the local pubs. Pumpkins to Roll in Downtown Montague Saturday, October 11th, 2014 When the “ready-set-go” volunteers holler “ready-set-go,” veteran pumpkin rollers unleash a pack of rolling pumpkins down the Dowling Street Hill in downtown Mon- tague. This quiet West Michigan town comes to life in October when hundreds of resi- dents and visitors wait in line to roll a small orange gourd down the town hill. For years, Montague residents have told stories of late night “rollings” when youngsters raced to outwit authorities by sending pumpkins off the back of pick-up trucks. Now, the ROLL is sanctioned and ribbons and buttons are awarded to the winners of each heat! This fun-filled event kicks off with many activities and events for kids and adults all morning and into the afternoon. • The Farmer’s Market opens at 8 am on Church Street with produce from area farms. • Pumpkins will be rolled, dragged, and carefully carried to the big scale for their weigh-in at Lipka’s Old Fashioned Soda Fountain by 9 a.m., when the winner of the largest pumpkin in the area will be awarded “The Montague Pumpkin Cup”! • Pumpkin Pies will be arriving at the White Lake Senior Center between 9 – 10 a.m. for the 10:30 judging. The Bake Sale at the Senior Center will run from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Pies by the slice or whole will be put up for sale as of 11 a.m. • The Michigan Child ID Program will also be held from 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. This free pro- gram will be conducted on Ferry Street and is hosted by the Masonic Lodge (#198). Deputy Ottinger from the Muskegon County Sheriff’s Department and his K9 Rex will also be here to meet the public. senior perspectives 24 september | october 2014 25

• Pumpkins will be painted by youngsters on Ferry Street where the White Lake Op- timist Club sponsors the “Pumpkin Painting” event and contest. Pumpkin Painting will begin at 10 a.m. with judging at noon. • Greenridge Realty will host the carving event for pumpkins that have been carved at home and brought to town by 11 a.m. for the contest, which will be displayed and judged at noon. Prizes will be awarded to the winners. • Back by popular demand this year are HAYRIDES! Double JJ will be providing lei- sure rides on a wagon down by the Farmers Market on out to boat launch and back. Festival attendees are sure to enjoy this added feature from 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. • Throughout the events, the Nuveen Center will host a Youth Art Fair where bud- ding artists will exhibit their works on Ferry Street from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Also being featured at the Nuveen Center is the ever so popular “Face Painting” which livens up the event and is always a favorite among youngsters and the young at heart. • Entertainment abounds with various performers! The Muskegon Barbershop Cho- rus Singers will roam around, strollin’ the streets. The Cedar Creek Cloggers will be at the bottom of the hill from 9:45 a.m. – 10:45 a.m. dancin’ and cloggin’ away. • The Book Nook and Java Shop welcomes all Blue Ribbon winners to stop in for a complimentary cup of hot cocoa. Other “pumpkin spiced” specialties will be avail- able such as steamers, lattes, chai, smoothies and yummy baked goods. Outdoor entertainment will liven up all the festivities that are going on. • Adding to the fall-like events on Ferry Street, attendees will want to check out the old fashioned operating cider mill with demonstrations to begin at 10 a.m. • Everyone is invited to participate in the Seed Spitting Contest to begin at 10 a.m. in front of Lipka’s Old Fashioned Soda Fountain on Ferry Street. Tri County Feed provides plenty of seeds for contenders to spit away! Set up in downtown Montague on Ferry Street, Pumpkin Central is headquarters for “Registration Team” for the Pumpkin Roll. Montague High School DECA volunteers will open registration at 9:30 a.m. for those who want to participate in the “roll.” The Pumpkin Roll begins at 11 a.m. and continues until all pumpkins have rolled. Registra- tion fee is $1.00/roll with your own pumpkin and $2.00 if a pumpkin is purchased. The roll is divided according to age groups: 3 years and under; 4 to 6 years; 7 to 12 years; 13 to 18 years; 19 to 69 years; and 70 and over. This 19 year old event is a community favorite where folks come from near and far to enjoy and take in the festivities.

Depot to Depot Fall Color Tour October 4, 11, 18 The ninth annual Depot to Depot Muskegon County Fall Color Tour will be held on three Saturdays, October 4th, 11th, and 18th. Take a journey through West Michigan’s winding roads to view the vibrant colors of fall. This color tour will take you to see the deep oranges and reds of the woods, calming atmosphere of the dunes, and cooling glisten of Lake Michigan. To begin your scenic trip you can start at either of two locations. Begin at either the Mus- kegon Union Depot, home of the Muskegon County Convention and Visitors Bureau, or the Train Depot, home of the White Lake Area Chamber of Commerce. Travel on Ruddiman or Giles, Scenic Drive and Southshore Drive. Along the way make sure to get your map stamped at the seven distinguished loca- tions. Once you have collected your stamps turn your map in at either depot location for a chance to win area passes and gift certificates. You have the option of taking your stunning ride through West Michigan by driving, or riding a bike. This self-guided free tour can be enjoyed at any time of the day. For more information, contact us at 231-724-3100 or check out www.visitmuskegon.org or 231- 893-4585 or check out www.whitelake.org.

senior perspectives 24 september | october 2014 september | october 2014 25 senior perspectives 26

about the destination, but the journey.” Traditionally, a pilgrimage requires a person to Soul Food leave what’s familiar or routine, to face discomfort, and to sleep away from a familiar bed. This practice helps with one’s spiritual discernment, as it challenges one’s faith. Reflections upon how spiritual From a small book I have been enjoying lately, called The Place We Call Home, (Spiritual Pilgrimage as a Path to God, by Murray Bodo, OFM, 2004) I found this pilgrim’s credo: growth improves our health “I am not in control. I am not in a hurry. I walk in faith and hope. I greet everyone with peace. I bring back only what God gives me.” n In a book called Walking a Sacred Path, Dr. Lauren Artress writes I do not believe that one has to journey to far-off sacred places to find the Spirit of God. about rediscovering the labyrinth as a spiritual tool (Riverhead After all, “God so love the world …” not a particular country, historic shrine, or people. I Books, 1995). Lauren said, “It is my responsibility as a spiritual be- confess, however, that my choice of returning to a Canadian National Park on the North- ing to clear out the static from my center, to realize my inaccuracies eastern shore of Lake Superior this September, home of the indigenous people called of perception, to rid myself of resentments and insecurities, and to Ojibwa, has become a pilgrimage for me. ask for the release of the pebbles in my heart when I am unforgiv- ing. This will allow me to keep focused on the Divine.” I may write On my first visit to Pukaskwa N. P. in August of last year, my spirit discerned that God sometime in the future, just about the experience of a labyrinth, had gifts there for me to discover. The first gift By came when one of the staff invited me to return but I mention Lauren’s wonderful book because it reminds me of Gil Boersma, to serve as a Volunteer Camp Host for a two- the importance of physical movement, even for the nurture of our M.Div., B.C.C. soul. There are practices, exercises and tools for the health of our week assignment. This has for me a sacred ap- spirit, which in turn benefit our overall health. Spiritual peal, and I pray it will improve my health; in Director for mind, body, and spirit. In the physical realm, everything we see is temporary; nothing LifeCircles-PACE lasts forever. What we cannot see is eternal, and growing spiritu- Photo I took above Hattie Cove, Ontario and the ally will open up this truth. Our souls help us to find balance, endurance, meaning and Park’s Interpretive Center down by the water. hope. While we still live in the temporal world, it is helpful to find ways and means of Soul Food is written by Rev. Gil Boersma, (M.Div., stimulating spiritual formation. One of these ways is called a pilgrimage. BCC) a retired pastor with extensive experience in Over the centuries people from many cultures have taken long journeys to places that healthcare chaplaincy. He continues to pursue expe- have generally been recognized by others as sacred. Anthropologists have learned that a riences and education to deepen his spiritual life, and pilgrimage provides a special time of separation from a person’s usual social surround- practices Spiritual Direction with individuals and ings and relationships. Joining other pilgrims for a sacred purpose offers the opportunity groups upon request. He can be reached by sending to become aware of one’s spiritual life. I have long enjoyed the saying “Life is not so much a text to, or calling (231) 557-5640.

Enjoy Home Delivery of Senior Perspectives! Have Senior Perspectives mailed to your home. Send us your name, address, city, state and zip code along with your check for $5.00 to cover postage and handling, to:

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senior perspectives 26 september | october 2014 27

Is a New Social Security Social Security Card in Your Cards? Questions & Answers n To help combat the rising threat of fraud and identity theft, So- Question: How can I calculate my own retirement cial Security will no longer issue Social Security number printouts benefit estimate? beginning in August 2014. If you need written confirmation of Answer: We suggest you use our Retirement Estimator at www.socialsecurity.gov/ your Social Security number—perhaps your new employer needs estimator. Our Retirement Estimator produces estimates based on your actual Social Se- verification—and you can’t find your Social Security card, you can curity earnings record, so it’s a personalized, instant picture of your future estimated apply for a replacement. benefit. Also, you can use it to test different retirement scenarios based on what age The question is -- do you really need a replacement? In most cases, you decide to start benefits. For example, you can find out your estimated monthly BY you don’t need your card as long as you know your number. For payments if you retire at age 62, 70, or anytime in between. Visit www.socialsecurity. Vonda all intents and purposes, your number is your card. Usually pro- gov/estimator. VanTil viding your number and identifying information is enough. Social Security In the event that you really do want or need a replacement card, Question: My application for Supplemental Security Public Affairs either for yourself or for a child, you can find all of the details you Income (SSI) based on my disability was recently denied. Specialist need at www.socialsecurity.gov/ssnumber. The “Social Security Can I appeal the decision? Number and Card” page provides information on how to obtain a Answer: Yes, if you disagree with a disability decision made on your claim, you can replacement card and what specific documents you need to provide. appeal it. The steps you can take are explained in our online publication, Your Right Need a Social Security card for your new baby to claim him or her as a dependent on to Question a Decision Made on Your Supplemental Security Income (SSI) Claim, available your tax return or to apply for government or social service benefits? In most cases, an at www.socialsecurity.gov/pubs. Also, you have the right to be represented by an application for your newborn’s Social Security card and number is taken in the hospital attorney or other qualified person of your choice. You can request your appeal online. when you apply for your baby’s birth certificate. If not, you can request one for your Simply visit the online services page at www.socialsecurity.gov/onlineservices. Then child the same way you do for yourself. select the “Appeal a decision” link and follow the simple instructions. To learn more, read our online publication, Your Right to Representation, available at www.socialsecu- Whether you need a Social Security card for yourself or your child, it’s easy—and rity.gov/pubs. free—to apply for one. But consider whether a new Social Security card is really in the cards for you. It may be that your “card” is already with you—in your head. Question: What is the difference between the disability While you’re at our website, open your free my Social Security account at www.socialse- application and the disability report? Do I have to complete both? curity.gov/myaccount. It can help you plan for retirement, check your earnings history, Answer: request your Social Security Statement, and more. Yes, you will need to complete both when you apply for disability bene- fits. To receive Social Security disability benefits, you must file a disability application. Learn more about your Social Security card and number at www.socialsecurity.gov/ A disability report provides information about your current physical or mental condi- ssnumber. tion, and we need this to process your disability application. You should complete Vonda VanTil is the public affairs specialist for West Michigan. You can write her c/o Social a disability application, a disability report, and an authorization for release of your Security Administration, 3045 Knapp St NE, Grand Rapids MI 49525 or via email at vonda. medical records to file a claim for disability benefits. You can do all of this online. To [email protected] learn more, and to apply online, visit www.socialsecurity.gov/applyfordisability.

Answers for Word Search , Crossword Puzzle and Suduko on Page 17

senior perspectives 26 september | october 2014 september | october 2014 27 senior perspectives 28

senior perspectives 28 september | october 2014