I N S I D E …

By Robert FriedmanPeter BarenBregge has traded blues

bars with fellow tenor saxophonist Bill Clin-ton. Greg English teaches Reservoir HighSchool students both new age technologyand the ages-old techniques of the visualarts. And the Howard Bank invests in sup-porting the local arts community because itbelieves the arts help build the economy.

BarenBregge, the musical director ofthe Columbia Jazz Band; English, the artdepartment chair at Reservoir High School;and the 10-year-old Howard Bank havebeen chosen as the most recent HowieAward winners. The awards are presentedyearly at a Celebration of the Arts gala bythe Howard County Arts Council to out-standing artists, educators and business orcommunity supporters who have made sig-nificant impacts on the local arts scene.Also honored, posthumously, was Yong

Ku Ahn, the first music director of the Co-lumbia Orchestra, who was cited for a spe-cial Legacy in the Arts award.The awards ceremony was held recently

at Howard County Community College. Italso included a silent art auction and per-formances by local performers who areconsidered rising stars. The gala is thearts council’s main source of corporateand foundation funding, and supports itsgrants and education programs for chil-dren and adults throughout the year.

All that jazzBarenBregge, 66 — a professional mu-

sician whose “day job” is jazz editor for Al-fred Music, which publishes educationalmusic — was named the past year’s Out-standing Artist. He has made severalrecordings, and was former musical direc-tor and featured soloist where he playedsax, flute and clarinet for the U.S. AirForce’s Airmen of Note jazz ensemble. Among many other appearances, he

played in the band backing Frank Sinatraat Ronald Reagan’s presidential inaugura-tion; he improvised with Dizzy Gillespie,when the trumpet great was a guest withthe Airmen of Note; and he played backupalongside Patti LaBelle, Sammy Davis Jr.,Mary Chapin Carpenter. Henry Mancini,Mel Torme and Stevie Wonder.At one of his many White House gigs,

BarenBregge brought along an extra tenor

sax and asked the then-occupant, PresidentBill Clinton, whether he wanted to join inthe music-making. Clinton agreed. How did it go? Did the former president

swing on the sax? “He and I traded some fours on a blues

tune,” said BarenBregge. “I kept it simple.I didn’t want to upstage the president. Wehad a good time. The audience loved it.For a sitting president of the United States,he was damn good.”

Not easy to make a livingBarenBregge acknowledged that the

life of a jazz musician, which he considershimself, is far from a lucrative professionnowadays. “There are some jazz clubs in D.C.,” he

noted, but “it’s not like 50 to 60 years ago”(when the Washington area was a primesite for jazz clubs). The money is low andyou have to do a lot of other stuff, playweddings, etc., to survive.”He noted that he started playing jazz in

high school in Wilmington, Del., at a timewhen “you could hear jazz on the radio.” He got hooked on the music by listening

to, among others, the saxophone stylingsof Cannonball Adderley, Stanley Turren-tine and John Coltrane.While jazz is in decline in the U.S., Baren-

Bregge believes that “slowly” — and, hope-fully, surely — the music will make a come-back. He noted that “kids are still playing

Peter BarenBregge, the musical director of the Columbia Jazz Band, was recentlynamed Outstanding Artist for 2014, as part of the annual Howie Awards, presentedby the Howard County Arts Council. He has played saxophone with former PresidentBill Clinton and as backup with such luminaries as Stevie Wonder, Patti LaBelle andSammy Davis, Jr.

See HOWIE AWARDS, page 27

Howie awards honor artists

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More than 30,000 readers throughout Howard CountyVOL.5, NO.5

I N F O C U S F O R P E O P L E O V E R 5 0

The Howard County F R E E

MAY 2015

TECHNOLOGY 4k Understanding online shoppingk Helpful new software

FITNESS & HEALTH 8k Stents for stroke patientsk Saunas may help you live longer

THE SENIOR CONNECTION 15k Newsletter for Howard County seniors

LAW & MONEY 19k Mutual fund updatek Ways to avoid probate

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What I didn’t tell you in my column lastmonth, about the future of print media,was that I wrote it partially inpreparation for a speech Iwas to give on that topic at anational conference.It so happened that I flew to

Chicago for the conference onMarch 24, the very day Ger-manwings Flight 9525 was in-tentionally crashed into theFrench Alps by its co-pilot. I fly on commercial airlin-

ers several times a year forboth business and pleasure,and I am not a particularlynervous air passenger. But Ialways seem to be of two minds when I fly. First, I still find flying to be the amazing

and exhilarating experience I first feltupon taking off in an airplane as a child.And second, I confess that I pray withgreat fervor that this flight not be my lastexperience on earth, regardless of how ex-hilarating it might be!During these particular flights to and

from Chicago, I continued to have bothfeelings, only more so.

On the return flight, I boarded prior tosunrise on a Chicago morning enjoying a

light snowfall. My windowseat looked out on a wing en-crusted with snow as we trun-dled along the runway, head-ing for the “de-icing pad.” There, a line of planes

pulled up alongside a line ofwhite trucks, in whose cherry-picker baskets stood men bun-dled in padded orange jump-suits. They wielded hoses thatnoisily (and blessedly) blastedthe wing with what appearedto be hundreds of gallons ofde-icing fluid.

But once we took off through the grayclouds and left the dreary, windy city be-neath us, we were soaring above a fluffywhite carpet of cloud enjoying a glorioussunny day and a brilliant blue sky. For some reason, I am always astonished

to see that the sun is always shining in aclear blue sky above the clouds. Similarly, Iam always surprised come evening time torealize that the stars and the moon are al-ways there, too. It’s just that the sun’s rays

during the days so brighten our atmos-phere as to erase most of them from view.So many things hide in plain sight. By the time of this return trip, we knew

a lot more about the circumstances of theoriginally mysterious plane crash earlier inthe week. We knew, for example, that theco-pilot had acted intentionally, and that hehad a history of psychological problemshe had hidden from his employer. I read one account that quoted a former

girlfriend of his who had heard him say,“One day I’ll do something so that every-one will know my name.” Those telling facts reminded me sharply

of an earlier experience I believe I relatedonce before in this column. I ran into a fellow with whom I had a ca-

sual acquaintance. In one of our earlierconversations, he had described to me thecompany he had founded and still ran. Itsounded like a very successful operation,and I felt a twinge of jealousy. On this particular occasion, he didn’t seem

his usual chatty self. I casually asked himhow he was doing. He answered me in a wayI have never heard before or since. In a softmonotone, he said, “I’ve never been worse.” It took me a second to process the unex-

pected reply, and I gave him a quizzicallook as I muttered, “I’m sorry to hearthat.” We stood there for an awkward mo-ment, but were quickly interrupted byother people, so I slipped away. The next day, I learned the fellow had

committed suicide that very night.

I attended the funeral, both to show my re-spects and to try to better understand who hewas and why he would have done such athing. Of course I learned nothing of the sort. But I did learn a very important lesson:

When you are given a glimpse into anotherhuman being’s deep sadness or depres-sion, you don’t just mutter you’re sorryand walk away. You will never forgive your-self if you don’t at least ask, “Would youlike to talk about it?” I have had several opportunities since

then to do just that with other friends, andwhile I don’t think I’ve saved any lives, Ithink it’s made a difference. I wonder how many people might have

noticed something about the co-pilot, An-dreas Lubitz, that suggested he was de-pressed or suffering from a psychologicalmalady. Conditions of this sort are all toocommon in today’s world, and the condi-tions themselves keep many sufferers fromseeking treatment that could help them. The sun may always be shining some-

where above us, but when we’re walkingaround under a cloud, it’s hard to remem-ber that. Sometimes, maybe, a caring word or lis-

tening ear may cause a break in theclouds, or melt a layer of ice, and help pre-vent a tragedy.

Plane thoughts

FROM THEPUBLISHERBy Stuart P. Rosenthal

Letters to the editorReaders are encouraged to share their opinion on any matter addressed in the Beacon as well as on political and social issues of the day. Mail your Letter to the Editor to The Beacon, P.O. Box 2227, Silver Spring, MD

20915, or e-mail to barbara@thebeaconnewspapers.com. Please include your name, address and telephone number for verification.

Dear Editor:I attended an event at the HCCC cam-

pus on Saturday, April 12 and was verysurprised to see a team of men with indus-trial spray bottles on their backs, walkingaround campus spraying the ground. Oneof them told me it was a mixture ofRoundup and some other chemical beingused for weed control.This was very disturbing to me, be-

cause of recent studies I’ve seen about the

chemical compounds in Roundup and thehazards they present to humans and otherlife forms. Seeing the proximity of the lake situated

near the Whole Foods nearby, and the Lit-tle Patuxent watershed, I question thecommunity college’s widespread spraying,and hope residents will make their con-cerns known to administrators.

Roberta Masters-CullenVia e-mail

2 More at TheBeaconNewspapers.com MAY 2 0 1 5 — HOWARD COUNT Y B E A CON

BeaconThe Howard County

I N F O C U S F O R P E O P L E O V E R 5 0

The Beacon, P.O. Box 2227, Silver Spring, MD 20915(410) 248-9101 • Email: info@thebeaconnewspapers.comSubmissions: The Beacon welcomes reader contributions. Deadline for editorial and advertising isthe 1st of the month preceding the month of publication. See page 31 for classified advertising details.Please mail or email all submissions.

© Copyright 2015 The Beacon Newspapers, Inc.

The Beacon is a monthly newspaper dedi cated to in-form, serve, and en ter tain the citi zens of Howard County,Md. and is pri vate ly owned. Other editions serve GreaterBaltimore, Md., Greater Washington DC, and GreaterPalm Springs, Calif.Subscriptions are available via third-class mail ($12),

pre paid with order. Maryland residents add 6 percent forsales tax. Send sub scrip tion order to the office listedbelow.

Publication of advertising contained herein doesnot necessarily con sti tute en dorse ment. Signed col -umns represent the opinions of the writers, and notnecessarily the opinion of the publisher.

• Publisher/Editor ....................Stuart P. Rosenthal

• Associate Publisher..............Judith K. Rosenthal

• Vice President, Operations........Gordon Hasenei

• Director of Sales ................................Alan Spiegel

• Assistant Operations Manager ..........Roger King

• Managing Editor............................Barbara Ruben

• Art Director ........................................Kyle Gregory

• Advertising Representatives ........Doug Hallock,

................................................ Steve Levin, Jill Joseph

• Editorial Assistant ........................Rebekah Sewell

HAITI SISTER CITY PLANNING COMMITTEE

The Columbia Association is seeking volunteers for a planning

committee to look into the possibility of developing a sister-city relationship be-

tween Columbia, Md. and Cap-Haitian in Haiti. Made up of Columbia and Howard

County residents, the committee will work on a proposal to be presented in 2015.

Volunteers should have an interest in Haiti and be able to be active participants in

monthly evening meetings. For more information call (410) 715-3162 or send an

email to Laura.Smit@ColumbiaAssociation.org.

BEACON BITS

Ongoing

H O WA R D C O U N T Y B E A C O N — M A Y 2 0 1 5 Say you saw it in the Beacon 3

By Anne D’InnocezioOnline shopping has become as volatile

as stock market trading. Wild, minute-by-minute price swings on everything fromclothes to TVs have made it difficult forshoppers to “buy low.”

A growing number of retailers are usingsoftware that changes online prices basedon demand, competition, inventory andother factors. The main goal is to undercutrivals when necessary, and raise priceswhen demand is high and there’s no com-petitive pressure.

But the new online tools can change theprice on a single item — say, a sweater —dozens of times throughout the day. Andthat can leave shoppers confused about

when they can get the best deal. Take Aishia Senior, who recently

watched the price on a coat she wantedrise and fall several times between $110and $139 in a span of six hours on Ama-zon.com. She was so frustrated by theprice fluctuations that she ended up notbuying the coat on the site at all. “It’s defi-nitely annoying,” said Senior. “What exact-ly is making it go up and down?”

Retailers want to appease deal-hungryshoppers with the ever-lower pricesthey’ve come to expect since the reces-sion. But they also want to protect theirbottom line, which is difficult to do be-cause lower prices cut into profits.

Retailers used to check prices of their ri-

vals’ websites and then manually changethe prices online. But that was a tedioustask and many stores made price changesonly once a day.

Trend started by Amazon The idea of minute-by-minute monitor-

ing of online prices started with Ama-zon.com, which for years has used its ownsoftware to do so. Scott Stanzel, an Ama-zon spokesman, said, “We have a coststructure that allows us to adjust our pric-ing quickly.”

After years of losing customers to Ama-zon because of its ability to offer deep dis-counts, Wal-Mart and others have startedfollowing the online retailer’s lead. Eric

Best, CEO of Mercent Corp. — a softwarecompany that changes prices on two mil-lion products every hour — said the major-ity of his clients (which include OfficeDepot, Guess and HSN Inc.) make minute-by-minute pricing changes.

For instance, on a recent Monday, theprice of Beats Studio headphones fluctuat-ed between $269.95 and $199.95 with fourprice drops and five price increases onAmazon.com. Likewise, the price of aMeyer’s 15-Piece Cookware Set went be-tween $138.95 and $80.99 with three pricedrops and three price increases, accordingto Mercent.

Fluctuating online prices stump shoppers

See ONLINE SHOPPING, page 5

4 MAY 2 0 1 5 — HOWARD COUNT Y B E A CON

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By Anne Kates SmithRobots are an increasingly important

and widespread segment of the workforce.The auto industry remains the largest mar-ket for robots. But they can also be foundneutralizing land mines for the military, ful-filling orders in warehouses, and assistingin surgical procedures in hospitals.

The International Federation of Robot-ics estimates that 1.3 to 1.6 million indus-trial robots are in use. In 2013 (the latestyear for which figures are available), near-ly 180,000 robots were sold — the mostever in a single year. Spending on robotsworldwide is expected to jump from an es-timated $27 billion in 2015 to $67 billion by2025, says the Boston Consulting Group.

Here are two companies to watch (orpossibly buy):

CognexThe key to building a better robot is im-

buing it with humanoid senses — only bet-ter. While the human eye can see 30frames per second, for example, robots

today can see thousands of frames per sec-ond. Cognex (symbol CGNX; recent price,$51) is a leading developer of machine-vi-sion technologies used to monitor produc-tion lines, guide assembly robots, detectmanufacturing defects and track parts.

Factory automation should account formore than 80 percent of the company’s rev-enues in 2015, and that segment is growingby 20 percent a year, according to CanaccordGenuity, a Canadian financial-services firm.

The Cognex share price has risen 59 per-cent over the last year.

iRobotOn the home front, the robotics federa-

tion expects 31 million robots to be soldfor personal use from 2014 through 2017,most tasked with domestic chores.

You may be familiar with the Roomba vac-uum cleaner, made by iRobot (IRBT; $34).The company claims roughly 75 percent ofthe robot vacuum market. That’s less than20 percent of the U.S. market for higher-endvacuums, leaving plenty of room for growth,

even with vacuum leader Dyson scheduledto enter the robotics market later this year.

IRobot also makes bomb-disarming ro-bots for the military. That segment is strug-gling as U.S. defense spending declinesand troops are pulled from harm’s way.

But the company’s disciplined researchand development in that area are drivinginnovation in broader product lines fo-cused on three key robotic capabilities: theability to navigate, perceive the surround-ing environment, and interact with it.

For example, IRobot’s “telepresence” bots(they look like a mobile stand with a screen

on top) allow doctors to consult from afar, orbusiness people to meet or manage remote-ly. After mapping out your office (or factoryfloor or medical center), the bots can showup automatically for scheduled events, orsimply enable you to virtually roam distanthalls at will, interacting with those you meet.Anne Kates Smith is a senior editor at

Kiplinger’s Personal Finance magazine. Sendyour questions and comments to moneypow-er@kiplinger.com. And for more on this andsimilar money topics, visit Kiplinger.com.© 2015 Kiplinger’s Personal Finance. Dis-

tributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

HOWARD COUNT Y B E A CON — MAY 2 0 1 5 Say you saw it in the Beacon | Technology & Innovations 5

Robots become investment opportunity

Automated price changesWal-Mart Stores Inc. built its online

price monitoring tool two years ago. Andsince overhauling its e-commerce busi-ness last summer, the world’s largest re-tailer now can make price changes in a fewminutes that used to take up to 24 hours.“We have the ability to make thousands ofchanges on any given day,” said Ravi Jari-wala, a Wal-Mart spokesman.

Abt, a consumer electronics retailer inChicago, started using online pricing soft-ware from a company called Market Trackthat tracks all of its products. It said overholiday weekends it changes prices onseveral hundred items each day. “This isthe most efficient tool we have to gaugecompetition and adjust pricing,” said JonAbt, the retailer’s president.

All the price changing has made it diffi-cult for shoppers to predict when they canget the lowest prices, said William Pound-

stone, author of Priceless: The Myth of FairValue. After all, he said, even the retailersdon’t know from minute to minute, sincethe programs are automated.

“It’s like high speed trading,” Pound-stone said. “Sometimes, you lower theprice. Then, you may raise it back up.”

There are some predictable pricing pat-terns, though. Jenn Markey, vice presi-dent of marketing at 360pi, a price trackingcompany, says some stores time onlineprice changes to reflect the behavior ofcustomers. For example, some changeprices on videogames in the evenings in-stead of during the day.

Shoppers may also come to recognizepricing patterns of specific retailers. Wal-Mart and Amazon tend to spread pricechanges uniformly throughout the week,Markey said. But the majority of Sears on-line price changes happen on Tuesday,Thursday and Saturday. Meanwhile, Cost-co makes a majority of its online pricechanges on Saturday and Sunday.

— AP

Online shoppingFrom page 4

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Taking flightDo you ever hear a plane, look up in the

sky, and wonder where it’s going? WithFlight Radar 24, you can look online orwith apps for Apple and Android devices atflights around the world.

The site shows airplane icons dottingthe map, so that you can track, say, your

daughter’s flight back home to Chicago.Just click on an icon to view detailed infor-mation about the flight.

The site also shows airport delays. Toget the most out of the site, be sure to readthe FAQ and How it Works sections.www.flightradar24.com

Fight fraudand abuse

The federal government’s Consumer Pro-tection for Seniors page helps you learn

about the rights of older adults, detect andprevent Medicare fraud, and more. The pagelinks users to sites that fight elder abuse andadvocate for nursing home residents.

There is information on how to detectand fight Medicare and Social Securityfraud, and you can download a copy of the150-page Consumer Action Handbook ororder a free copy.www.usa.gov/Topics/Seniors/

Consumer.shtml

Healthy adviceKeeping up with health information can

be time consuming and a bit daunting. ButGreatist.com tries to make it simple and funwith great graphics and articles like, “29 In-sanely Easy, Healthy Meals for One” and“The 10-Minute Yoga Routine That WillHelp You Fall Asleep Fast.”

Greatist’s mission is simple: “We don’tthink you need six-pack abs to be happy. Be-cause Greatist celebrates choosing whatev-er healthy means to you. Our mission? Helpthe world think of health in a healthier way.”http://greatist.com

Becomemulti-lingual

Want to learn a few words in Swedish,Japanese or Russian? The site BaBa Dum

has five games in 13 languages that helpplayers pick up a smattering of a foreignlanguage.

Be forewarned that the site is almost en-tirely picture based, with no real direc-tions, but it is pretty intuitive.

Choose your language by picking theflag of the country you’re interested in.But if you don’t know that Portugal’s flag isred and green with a seal in the middle,you may be out of luck — or ask Googlefor guidance.

You can sign in to see to keep track ofyour progress.http://babadum.com

Be preparedWinter’s snow and ice may be a memory,

but that means the season of severe thunder-storms and hurricanes is just around the cor-ner. FEMA’s website provides helpful tips onpreparing for disasters — from storms to ter-rorism.

Learn about various types of disasters,ranging from chemical emergencies toearthquakes, hurricanes, tornados, wild-fires and more. Click on the menu on theleft side of the screen to get specific infor-mation on more than 20 types of disasters.Each item provides a list of potential haz-ards as well as what you can do before,during and after disaster strikes. www.ready.gov/be-informed

6 Technology & Innovations | More at TheBeaconNewspapers.com MAY 2 0 1 5 — HOWARD COUNT Y B E A CON

Beacon LinksBy Barbara Ruben

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Fraud and ID theftprotection

Financial abuse of seniors is on the rise,with seniors reportedly losing more than$2.9 billion annually to financial exploita-tion. Financial abuse includes unautho-rized credit/debit card charges, telemar-keting fraud, identity theft, fraudulent bankwithdrawals, home improvement scams,predatory lending, inappropriate invest-ments and estate planning improprieties.

EverSafe, a new company in Columbia,Md., protects older adults from fraud, iden-tity theft and unscrupulous telemarketers.Financial accounts and credit reports aremonitored around the clock for suspiciousactivity, defined to include excessive with-drawals, missing deposits, unusualcharges, and changes in spending patterns.

EverSafe’s software identifies abnormalpatterns of financial activity and potential is-sues with transactions. When an account islinked, EverSafe reviews the last 90 days ofhistory for suspicious activity and sets alertparameters to a personal profile. From thenon, EverSafe scans accounts daily.

No account numbers are available, nomoney can be moved, trusted advocates have“read-only” access to financial accounts, and

EverSafe verifies the identity of all users dur-ing the enrollment process using a knowl-edge-based authentication test.

At the member’s option, EverSafe sup-ports the assignment of a family memberor trusted advocate to assist in the moni-toring of financial accounts. In addition todaily alerts, the software also sends aweekly summary.

As soon as suspicious activity is identi-fied, an alert is dispatched to the accountholder and trusted advocates. They canthen mark the alert as OK, or red flag it forfollow up and remediation. When suspi-cious activity is marked with a red flag, theresolution process begins.

You can easily maintain notes, set fol-low-up dates, and request EverSafe’s sup-port to help you create your recovery plan.

There are three plans and pricing struc-tures: EverSafe Essentials offers 24/7 ac-count monitoring for $4.99 a month; Ever-Safe Plus, includes identity theft and ac-count monitoring and one credit bureaureport for $9.99 a month; and EverSafeGold, which includes two credit bureau re-ports along with identity theft and accountmonitoring for $19.99 a month.

See www.eversafe.com.

Preserving yourfamily’s story

Reflections, from KDB Software, is a bi-ographical tool developed by and for baby

boomers and seniors to help them tell boththeir own life stories and that of their par-ents, so that their family narratives can beshared with their children and grandchil-dren in what the company calls “wisdompreservation.”

You don’t have to be technically profi-cient to use the program, as it has been de-signed to be user-friendly. By answeringsimple interview questions, users can cre-ate an electronic “book” of their life, simi-lar to an encyclopedia and organized in vol-umes including: “Me,” “Family,” “Friends,”“Journey,” “Regrets,” “Bucket List,” “Ad-vice” and “Ramblings.”

Reflections works on a PC or Macintoshcomputer, and runs on a variety of webbrowsers (Firefox, Internet Explorer,Chrome or Safari), keeping the informa-

tion safe in “the cloud” and readily accessi-ble to authorized users and viewers.

The program comes in two varieties: In-dividual and Guide. The Individual pro-gram is for people who will be using itthemselves and entering their own infor-mation. The Guide program is for a friendor family member who will be entering in-formation for other people who eithercan’t, or don’t, use a computer. The cost foreither program is a one-time registrationfee of $199.

Both options can be used on an unlimit-ed basis and include no-cost access for anyfamily or friends who are invited to viewyour information. There is also unlimitedemail-based customer support.

To learn more, see www.my-reflec-tions.com.

HOWARD COUNT Y B E A CON — MAY 2 0 1 5 Say you saw it in the Beacon | Technology & Innovations 7

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Tech ShortsBy Carol Sorgen

BUSINESS DISCUSSION GROUPDiscuss business and economy and learn about the library sys-tems’ specialized online research tools. The group will meet on

Tuesday, May 19 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the East Columbia Branch Library,6600 Cradlerock Way, Columbia. Registration is preferred. To register or for moreinformation, call (410) 313-7700.

BEACON BITS

May 19

USING DNA IN GENEALOGYGuest speaker Dr. Margaret McMahon will discuss the use ofDNA in genealogy on Wednesday, May 20 at 7 p.m. in the Bain

Senior Center, 5470 Ruth Keeton Way, Columbia for the Howard CountyGenealogical Society meeting. Enjoy free refreshments, research stories, meetingand lecture. For more information, call (410) 381-7899.

SHREDDING EVENTHoward County residents are welcome to bring up to three bagsor boxes of paper to be shredded on Saturday, April 25 from 9a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Meadowbrook Park and Ride (take exit 1A

off Maryland Route 100), Ellicott City. For more information, visit www.howard-countymd.gov/shredding.htm.

BEACON BITS

May 20

Apr. 25

By Marilynn MarchioneStroke experts are reporting a major ad-

vance: Stents similar to the ones used toopen clogged heart arteries can also beused to clear a blood clot in the brain,greatly lowering the risk a patient will endup disabled.

Patients treated with these brain stentswere far more likely to be alive and able tolive independently three months after theirstroke, doctors reported at a recent Amer-ican Stroke Association conference.

The treatment was so successful thatthree studies testing stents were stoppedearly so the devices could be offered tomore patients. One study also found thedeath rate was cut almost in half for thosegiven the treatment.

“This is a once-in-a-generation advancein stroke care,” said the head of one study,Dr. Jeffrey Saver, stroke chief at the Uni-versity of California, Los Angeles.

An independent expert, Dr. LeeSchwamm of Massachusetts General Hos-pital, called it “a real turning point in thefield.” For many patients, “this is the differ-ence between returning home and not re-turning home,” although only certain

types of patients can be offered it, he said. Stroke care “needs to be completely

changed” to make the treatment morewidely available, said Dr. Walter Ko-roshetz, acting director of the National In-stitute of Neurological Disorders andStroke.

“This has taken stroke therapy to thesame place that heart attack therapy isnow,” he said.

Work faster, less damageMost of the 800,000 strokes in the U.S.

each year are caused by a blood clotlodged in the brain. The usual treatment isclot-dissolving medicine called tPA. Whenthat doesn’t work, doctors sometimes trydevices pushed through blood vessels topluck out the clot, but several studiesfound they didn’t help.

However, newer devices — metal meshcages called stent retrievers — open an ar-tery much faster and with less damage tothe blood vessel. Unlike heart stents,which stay in place to prop the arteryopen, the brain stents flatten the clot, trapit and are removed with it.

Two brands are sold in the U.S. —

Trevo, made by Stryker Corp. of Kalama-zoo, Michigan, and Solitaire, made by Co-vidien, now part of Minneapolis-basedMedtronic Inc. They won FDA approval in2012 based on their ability to remove a clot— not because there was evidence theyimproved patient outcomes.

Last fall, the first solid evidence thatthese devices actually improved patient re-covery arrived. A study in the Netherlandsthat tested a variety of clot removers,mostly stents, found these treatmentsgreatly lowered the risk of disability in pa-tients whose clots were not dissolved bytPA.

Stroke experts said at the time thatmore studies were needed to confirm thesuccess. The three new studies do that. Allwere stopped early because independentmonitors saw better results three monthslater in those treated with devices after tPAfailed to dissolve their clots.

Two studies tested just the Solitairestent, and the third tested a mix of devices,but mostly stents. Patients all sought helpfast, had clots that were not opened bytPA, and had no evidence of irreversiblebrain damage on CT scans.

Highlights of the studies— A study in the U.S. and Europe on 196

patients found 60 percent of those treatedwith a Solitaire stent were free of major dis-ability versus 35 percent of those given justtPA. Covidien sponsored the trial.

— A study led by Australian researchersof 70 patients found 71 percent of thosegiven a Solitaire stent were free of majordisability versus 40 percent of those giventPA alone. The Australian National Healthand Medical Research Council and otherspaid for the trial.

— A study led by Canadian doctors of316 patients found 53 percent treated witha stent or other clot-removing deviceswere free of major disability versus 29 per-cent of those given just tPA. Ten percent ofpatients given both treatments died versus19 percent of those given just tPA. Covidi-en and others paid for the study, and somestudy leaders have financial ties to thecompanies.

The Canadian and Australian studieswere published in the New England Jour-nal of Medicine.

8 MAY 2 0 1 5 — HOWARD COUNT Y B E A CON

THE WHOLE (GRAIN) TRUTHMyths and facts about whole grains andgluten-free claims to health

STATIN WARNINGWhile statins can reduce cholesterol,they may not be good for your heart

CANCER & EXERCISE Researchers think exercise may reduceside effects of breast cancer treatment

HOT AND HEALTHYFrequent hot saunas appear to increaselongevity; some reasons why

HealthFitness &

Game changer: Stents for stroke patients

See STENTS, page 11

By Judy Thalheimer, R.DThe label says, “no sugar added,”

“sugar-free” or “diet.” So what makes thefood or drink inside the package so sweet?Chances are it’s an artificial sweetener, achemically processed sugar substitute.

Also known as non-nutritive, non-caloricor high-intensity sweeteners, these syn-thetic sweeties are hundreds or even thou-sands of times sweeter than table sugar.

Artificial sweeteners are not carbohy-drates, so they don’t raise blood sugar lev-els. This makes them a good alternative tosugar for people with diabetes. They alsodon’t contribute to tooth decay and havevirtually no calories, so they’re a popularoption for weight loss.

Artificial sweeteners are everywhere — insoft drinks, juice drinks, gum, candies, yo-gurt, ice cream, baked goods, breakfast ce-reals and individual sweetener packets forhome use. The big question is, are they safe?

Safety testingAs with any food additive, a company

that wants to put an artificial sweetener ina food or drink has to get permission fromthe U.S. Food and Drug Administration.The FDA reviews all the scientific evi-dence provided by the company to makesure the product is safe.

Most testing is done on rats and mice,and the number of test subjects, theamount of the sweetener they are fed, andhow long the study lasts can have a big im-pact on the outcomes. Not surprisingly, dif-ferent studies show different results, whichcan create a lot of confusion for people.

Watchdog groups, such as the Centerfor Science in the Public Interest, rightlycall attention to studies that raise concernsabout safety, urging the FDA to reviewproducts as new information emerges. Atthis time, however, the National Cancer In-stitute says there’s no clear scientific evi-dence that any artificial sweeteners ap-proved in the U.S. cause cancer.

The FDA does set Acceptable Daily In-takes, so (as with most things) moderationis key.

Artificial sweeteners can help cut calo-ries or make it possible to have a sweettreat that doesn’t raise blood sugar, butdon’t overdo it, and keep an eye out fornew high-quality studies.

Artificial sweetener safety guide1. Acesulfame-potassium. (Acesul-

fame K, Ace-K). Products: Sweet One, Sunett. FDA-ap-

proved 1988. Typically used in frozendesserts, candies, soft drinks, drink mixes,gelatin desserts, yogurt, chewing gum andbaked goods. Used with aspartame inCoca-Cola Zero and Diet Pepsi.Safety: The FDA reports that more

than 90 studies support the safety of Ace-sulfame-K. Watchdog groups are callingfor new studies to answer questions aboutpossible cancer risk and thyroid damage.2. Advantame. Approved by the FDA in

2014 for use as a sweetener and flavor en-hancer in foods, except meat and poultry.Safety: Before approving advantame,

the FDA reviewed 37 animal and humansafety studies. They also looked at whathappens to advantame in our bodies andwhether it is likely to cause cancer.3. Aspartame. FDA-approved in 1981. Products: Equal, NutraSweet, Amino-

Sweet, Sugar Twin. Used in powdereddrink mixes, soft drinks, breakfast cerealsand other dry packaged foods. Cannot beused in baked goods, because it breaksdown at high temperatures. The only sweet-ener in Diet Coke and Diet Dr. Pepper.Safety: According to the FDA, aspartame

is one of the most exhaustively studied sub-stances in the human food supply, with morethan 100 studies supporting its safety. Watch-dog groups, however, point to several studiesthat say it might increase cancer risk. Some

people report headaches from aspartame.Note: People with the rare genetic con-

dition phenylketonuria (PKU) should notconsume products containing aspartame.4. Neotame (Newtame).FDA-approved,

2002. This chemical cousin of aspartame isnot currently found in soft drinks and notused often in packaged foods because itdoesn’t taste quite like sugar. It can be usedin baked goods, but will most likely be mixedwith another artificial sweetener or sugar tocompensate for the taste.Safety: In determining the safety of neo-

tame, the FDA says it reviewed data frommore than 113 animal and human studiesdesigned to identify possible toxic effects.Watchdog groups say neotame appearssafe, but caution that it has not been testedby independent researchers.5. Saccharin.FDA-approved: before 1958.Products: Sweet and Low, Sweet Twin,

Sweet ‘N Low, Necta Sweet. Approved foruse in processed foods, beverages, fruitjuice drinks, and bases or mixes, and as asugar substitute for cooking or table use.Safety: Studies showing saccharin caused

cancer in rats nearly led to a ban in 1977.Thirty human studies have since found thatsaccharin is safe for human consumption.Note: It’s recommended that a 150-lb.

person not have more than 8.5 packets ofsaccharin a day according to safety levelsestablished for this sweetener.6. Sucralose. FDA-approved: 1999. Products: Splenda. The most common

artificial sweetener. Found in bakedgoods, kettle corn, frozen desserts, icecream, soft drinks and prepared meals,often mixed with aspartame or ace-K.Safety: The FDA reviewed 110 safety

Use artificial sweeteners in moderation

See SWEETENERS, page 10

HOWARD COUNT Y B E A CON — MAY 2 0 1 5 Say you saw it in the Beacon | Fitness & Health 9

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studies in approving the use of sucralose.Brand-new research found sucralosecaused leukemia in mice.Note:A small child who drinks more than

2-3 cans of sucralose-sweetened soda a daycould exceed the Acceptable Daily Intake.7. Sugar alcohols (erythritol, isoma-

lt, lactitol, mannitol, sorbitol, xylitol,and others). Not sugar or alcohol, thesesweeteners are reduced calorie, but notcalorie-free. Found in ice creams, cookies,puddings, candies and chewing gum la-

beled “sugar-free” or “no sugar added.”Today most sugar alcohols are made in a

lab, but many exist in nature so they’re nottechnically considered “artificial” sweeten-ers. Most sugar alcohols have no FDA ap-proval date because they are not regulatedas food additives.Safety: Safe, but may cause gastroin-

testinal distress if you consume too much.Reprinted with permission from Environ-

mental Nutrition, a monthly publication ofBelvoir Media Group, LLC. 800-829-5384.www.EnvironmentalNutrition.com.

© 2015 Belvoir Media Group. Distrib-uted by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

By Densie Webb, Ph.D., R.D.At first glance, whole grains like whole

wheat, barley, quinoa and brown rice maynot seem controversial, but misconcep-tions and half-truths abound, creating bar-riers to meeting the U.S. Dietary Guide-lines recommendation to consume at leastthree servings of whole grains a day.

Here’s what we learned on the subjectat the recent conference “Whole Grains:Breaking Barriers,” organized by Old-ways, a Boston-based nonprofit food andnutrition organization:Myth No. 1: Much of the wheat found

in food products is genetically modified(GMO).Fact: Not true. Despite what some pop-

ular, gluten-free diet books claim, there is

no GMO wheat commercially available inthe U.S.Myth No. 2: Today’s wheat crops have

been bred to contain more gluten than inthe past.Fact: Wrong again. The level of gluten

in today’s wheat crops is similar to what itwas in the 20th century. However, the aver-age consumption of gluten-containingproducts has increased, as gluten is addedas a thickener or stabilizing agent to a lotof processed foods — such as soy sauce,ketchup, spice mixes, processed meatsand chicory coffee.Myth No. 3: Eliminating gluten from

your diet, including that found in wholewheat, is a great way to help you lose weight.Fact: There’s no evidence that getting

rid of gluten will help you lose weight. Infact, research shows that people who con-sume whole grains, many of which containgluten, either lose weight or gain lessweight over time, compared to people whoconsume little or no whole grains.

If you lose weight on a gluten-free diet,it’s most likely because you’re eating fewercalories as a result of the recommended di-etary restrictions.Myth No. 4: Gluten-free products are

lower in calories.Fact: If only! A lot of gluten-free prod-

ucts are actually higher in calories thangluten-containing products, because of theextra fat and sugar sometimes added tomake up for the missing gluten — a pro-tein that helps provide structure and bodyto baked products. Read labels.Myth No. 5: Grain consumption trig-

gers inflammation.Fact: Actually, research shows that con-

suming whole grains can help reduce in-flammation in the body. Inflammation is as-sociated with a higher risk of several dis-eases, including cardiovascular disease,type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure.Myth No. 6: Whole grains are bland

and boring.Fact: It’s not your mother’s whole grains

you’re seeing on the shelves. The numberof flavorful, light whole-grain products hasgrown exponentially over the last severalyears. The variety you’ll find in almost any

supermarket is impressive, from whole-wheat pearl couscous and organic 7-grainpancake and waffle mix, to almond whole-grain bread and whole-grain waffles.Myth No. 7: Whole grains are dense

and heavy.Fact: While some whole-grain products

are much more dense than products madewith processed white wheat flour, todaythere are many products made with whole-wheat white flour (from a different strain ofwheat than most wheat products), whichare much lighter in color and flavor than thewhole grains of yesteryear, and still providethe health benefits of whole grains.Myth No. 8: Whole grains take too long

to cook.Fact: Again, while traditional whole

grains, like brown rice, take much longerto cook than their highly refined counter-parts, many whole-grain products, such asmulti-grain rices, brown rice and brownand wild rice mixes are now available thatcook in a minute or two in the microwave.Myth No. 9: All grains send blood sugar

on a roller coaster ride of peaks and valleys,and have a negative effect on health.Fact: It’s actually the opposite. Eating

whole grains helps maintain lower bloodsugar levels, and people who eat the mostwhole grains, whether they contain gluten ornot, are less likely to develop type 2 diabetes.

10 Fitness & Health | More at TheBeaconNewspapers.com MAY 2 0 1 5 — HOWARD COUNT Y B E A CON

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Myths and facts: whole grains vs. gluten

See GRAINS VS. GLUTEN, page 13

SweetenersFrom page 9

Sometimes blind faith leads to a disaster.Sometimes a miracle. Where will you end up?

If you’re one of the millions of people di-agnosed with high cholesterol,you will more than likely begiven a prescription statin pill.These work well to reducecholesterol, and come in manybrand and generic forms: Lo-vastatin for Mevacor, atorvas-tatin for Lipitor, pravastatin forPravachol, fluvastatin for Le-scol, simvastatin for Zocor,pitavastatin for Livalo, and ro-suvastatin for Crestor.

Statins affect many pathwaysin the body. They are stronganti-inflammatories, and arebeing tested for their use in cancer patients.As for cholesterol reduction, they work bycrushing a natural enzyme in your body thatwould otherwise produce cholesterol.

I want you to make a mental note, statinsdo not suck out gooey cholesterol from yourarteries, nor do they negate cheese fries. No,these drugs merely suppress the new pro-duction of cholesterol by your body. Here’swhere blind faith (take this pill and you’ll feelbetter) collides with scientific research.

Last month, a study was published inthe Expert Review of Clinical Pharmacol-ogy entitled, “Statins stimulate athero-sclerosis and heart failure: pharmacolog-ical mechanisms.” Repeat: “Statins stimu-late atherosclerosis and heart failure.”Whoa!

The researchers concluded, “The epi-demic of heart failure and atherosclerosisthat plagues the modern world may para-doxically be aggravated by the pervasiveuse of statin drugs.”

Known problems with statinsWhat an irony! The problem is that

many other studies have found similar dis-astrous effects of statins on the heart. Ithas to do with mitochondrial dysfunction,which means that the little generators inyour heart cells get sick.

Your heart is a very high energy mus-cle. It requires thriving mitochondria inorder to churn out ATP, your energy mole-cule. Statins are toxic to mitochondria be-cause they deplete coenzyme Q10, whichis needed for healthy mitochondria.

Statins also deplete a special proteincalled “Heme A” that totes oxygen and ironto your heart. Its long-term depletion inter-

rupts ATP production andleads to cellular fatigue,among other major problems.

You cannot survive long-term without adequate ATPproduction, so it needs to be re-stored. Fatigue, cramps, mus-cle weakness, memory loss,depression, cancer… you musthave ATP in your body or else!

Statins also inhibit thebiosynthesis of vitamin K2,which we manufacture if wehave healthy intestinal gutflora. Do you? I don’t know

anyone who has a perfect gut. K2 comes from fermented veggies. It pro-

tects our arteries from calcium plaques or

atherosclerosis. Without enough K2, statin-induced or not, we are compromised.

Today, we know statins also block veryspecial, powerful proteins known as seleno-proteins because they contain selenium.The most famous of those is called glu-tathione peroxidase, which protects muscletissue from free radical damage (oxida-tion).

Your heart is the busiest muscle in yourbody. It has to work 24/7. Your heart mus-cle cells are ‘burned’ from all the oxidation(due to the impairment of selenoproteinbiosynthesis), and this is a factor in con-gestive heart failure. This reminds me ofKeshan’s disease, which is heart failuredue to low selenium.

If you have to take statins, please usethe lowest dose possible. Be diligent aboutputting back the nutrients that statins in-terfere with, such as coenzyme Q10, sele-

nium and vitamin K2, along with otherheart-healthy nutrients.

However, there are exceptions to takingthese nutrients, so ask your doctor (yes,the same one that gave you the statin).

This is a classic case of drug mugging(where a medication depletes essential nu-trients), so I hope you will consider replen-ishing some of the affected nutrients, espe-cially if you have uncomfortable or newsymptoms. Talk to your physician aboutdosages of these vitamins, because this isa highly individual matter.

This information is opinion only. It is notintended to treat, cure or diagnose your con-dition. Consult with your doctor before usingany new drug or supplement.

Suzy Cohen is a registered pharmacistand the author of The 24-Hour Pharmacistand Real Solutions from Head to Toe. Tocontact her, visit www.SuzyCohen.com.

DEAR PHARMACISTBy Suzy Cohen

An important warning if you take statinsHOWARD COUNT Y B E A CON — MAY 2 0 1 5 Say you saw it in the Beacon | Fitness & Health 11

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Stent treatment is not for everyone, andit won’t help people who had a stroke sometime ago. It is not known if stents wouldhelp people who were not given tPA first,or those who seek help too late to get it.

The key to surviving a stroke is gettinghelp fast — tPA must be given within fourand a half hours after symptoms start.

For more stroke information online, seehttp://stroke.nih.gov and www.strokeas-sociation.org.

— AP

StentsFrom page 8

By Carol SorgenThe Baltimore VA Medical Center is cur-

rently recruiting postmenopausal breastcancer patients for a research study on theeffects of exercise on cancer-related fa-tigue and quality of life.

Breast cancer is the most common malig-nancy in women in the United States, and is

the second leading cause of cancer deaths. During and after treatment, women with

breast cancer frequently experience can-cer-related fatigue, stress and depression.They also show a decline in physical activi-ty and function, which significantly im-pacts quality of life.

The reasons for this fatigue are likely

due to multiple factors, such as physicaldeconditioning, loss of muscle mass, in-crease in inflammation throughout thebody, insulin resistance, and changes inmuscle and fat metabolism.

Medication causes joint painIn postmenopausal women, hormone re-

ceptor-positive tumors are the most com-mon breast cancers, and drug therapiesthat block the production or effects of es-trogen (known as aromatase inhibitors, orAIs) are the standard of care for long-termestrogen suppression in these patients.

Thanks to effective drugs like these andothers, there are estimated to be over 2.97million breast cancer survivors in the U.S.,and this number is expected to climb to3.79 million by January 2022.

The estrogen deficiency AIs cause, how-ever, results in multiple side effects, in-cluding joint and muscle aches, which canresult in less physical activity and physicaldeconditioning.

An article in the Journal of Clinical Oncol-ogy reports that up to 50 percent of womentaking AI suffer from joint pain and stiffnesswithin six months of beginning their treat-ment. Patients cite this as the most commonreason for not following their treatment plan.

Hence, researchers want to identify meth-ods to reduce side effects so that patientscontinue to follow their treatment plan andexperience as few side effects as possible.

Because exercise has been proven to bebeneficial for individuals suffering from os-teoarthritis, researchers are hopeful that itwill have the same benefit for those suffer-ing AI-related joint pain.

Current therapies mainly focus on help-ing patients who develop symptoms, rather

than prevention of those symptoms. Re-searchers hope that understanding the roleof exercise in preventing side effects fromAI will allow them to translate these find-ings into therapy guidelines.

What the study entailsParticipants in the Baltimore VA Medical

Center’s study will be randomly divided intotwo groups. The experimental group willparticipate in supervised aerobic and resist-ance training two times a week for 14 weeksat the VA Medical Center at 10 N. Greene St.

Participants in the second group will becounseled on American Cancer Societyand American College of Sports Medicinephysical activity and nutritional guidelinesat the beginning of the study, and will becontacted by a physician or nurse who willprovide support and encouragement dur-ing weeks two, six, 10 and 14.

Participants in both groups will be eval-uated on their level of fatigue, muscle per-formance and musculoskeletal symptoms.

To qualify for the study, patients must bebetween the ages of 40 and 80, experiencemild fatigue, and have stage I, II or III hor-mone receptor-positive breast cancer. Theymust have already completed standard sur-gery and chemotherapy (if needed), but mayundergo radiation therapy during the study.

Participants must also be non-smokers,have been postmenopausal for at least ayear, and not already be participating in aregular exercise program.

The exercise programs and counselingin the study are free. No additional com-pensation is provided.

For more information or to volunteer,contact Monica Serra, PhD, at (410) 605-7000, ext. 4199 or monica.serra@va.gov.

12 Fitness & Health | More at TheBeaconNewspapers.com MAY 2 0 1 5 — HOWARD COUNT Y B E A CON

Health Studies PageTHE PLACE TO LOOK FOR INFORMATION ON AREA CLINICAL TRIALS

Can exercise help beat cancer fatigue?

Share your opinion. Send a letter to the editor.

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Myth No. 10: Avoiding grains that con-tain gluten will lower your risk of severalchronic diseases, including cardiovasculardisease and type 2 diabetes.Fact: Your risk will be reduced only if

you’re avoiding highly processed refinedgrains, such as cakes, cookies and dough-nuts made with refined white flour,whether or not they contain gluten. Butdon’t confuse the idea of avoidingprocessed refined grains with avoiding allgrains. Whole grains, whether they con-tain gluten or not, can benefit your healthin a variety of ways.

Myth No. 11: All wheat, including wholewheat, is addictive and must be cut out of thediet in order to feel better and be healthy.Fact: Not so. Wheat has no addictive

properties. You may have read that re-searchers have identified a compound inwheat that can interact with opioid receptorsin the brain, which is where addiction takesplace. But the same compound is found inmilk, rice and even spinach. And no one wor-ries about becoming addicted to spinach!

Reprinted with permission from Environ-mental Nutrition, a monthly publication ofBelvoir Media Group, LLC. 800-829-5384.www.EnvironmentalNutrition.com.

© 2015 Belvoir Media Group. Distrib-uted by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

By Lindsey TannerFrequent sauna baths may help you live

longer, a study of Finnish men suggests. Itwould be welcome news if proven true — inFinland where hot, dry saunas are common-place, and for Americans who have beenshivering in a snowy Nordic-like winter.

Previous research suggested thatsaunas might improve blood vessel func-tion and exercise capacity, and lower bloodpressure in patients with hypertension.

The new study links long, hot saunabaths with even more benefits, includingfewer deaths from heart attacks, strokes,various heart-related conditions and othercauses.

The research was published in JAMAInternal Medicine.

About 2,300 Finnish men, in their early50s on average, were asked how often theyused saunas. The rates ranged from onceweekly to every day. During almost 20years of follow-up, more than 900 of themen passed away.

The researchers took into account char-

acteristics in addition to sauna use thatwould affect survival, including cigarettesmoking, weight, physical activity, bloodpressure and cholesterol, and income.

Longer, frequent saunas bestDeaths from heart attacks and other

cardiovascular problems were nearly twotimes more common in men who usedsaunas once weekly than in those whoused saunas at least four times weekly.Deaths from other causes were also morecommon in men who used saunas infre-quently.

The amount of time spent in the saunamattered, too. Fatal heart-related deathswere less common in men whose saunasessions lasted more than 19 minutes,compared with those who spent less than11 minutes in the sauna.

As for the reasons saunas might help,Dr. Jari Laukkanen, a University of East-ern Finland researcher and the lead au-thor, said it could be that high temperatureand humidity may cause beneficial physio-

logical changes in the cardiovascular sys-tem. But he said more research is neededto determine how and why saunas mightprolong survival.

They are clearly relaxing for many peo-ple, and the camaraderie they offer mayalso benefit health, said heart specialistDr. Rita Redberg, editor of the medicaljournal. “Clearly time spent in the sauna istime well spent,” she said.

What saunas work best?Sauna rooms were 79 degrees Celsius,

or 174 degrees Fahrenheit, on average forthe most frequent users, but slightly lowerfor men who only used saunas once week-ly. Finnish sauna rooms typically allowusers to regulate temperature by pouring

water on heated rocks. In Finland, nearly every home has a pri-

vate sauna, often a separate room built intothe basement. Families often use them to-gether, and older apartments often havecommon saunas.

The study is based on observational in-formation, and more rigorous research isneeded to determine if saunas, or some un-measured factor, might explain the results.The authors said similar studies are need-ed in women to determine if they wouldgain the same benefits.

They said the research doesn’t apply tosaunas that operate at lower temperaturesand don’t allow pouring water on rocks toregulate heat, nor to steam rooms or hottubs. — AP

Frequent saunas may increase longevityHOWARD COUNT Y B E A CON — MAY 2 0 1 5 Say you saw it in the Beacon | Fitness & Health 13

Bel Pre2601 Bel Pre Road

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BridgePark 4017 Liberty Heights Avenue

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Ellicott City3000 N. Ridge Road

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Forestville, MD 20747 301.736.0240

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South River144 Washington Road Edgewater, MD 21037 410.956.5000

800.989.7337communicarehealth.com

Caring places. Healing spaces.

MEMBERS OF THE

Serving with Pride.

Specializing in Skilled Nursing and Subacute Rehabilitation

Grains vs. glutenFrom page 10

Dear Solutions: My granddaughter is a lesbian and

is “out of the closet.” One of her best friends is straight,

and she doesn’t want her grandparents— with whom she lives — to knowabout my granddaughter because hergrandfather “hates gays.” The irony isthat her friend tells her that the grand-father likes her a lot. It took my granddaughter a long

time and a long struggle to come out

to our own family, and now she’s beingasked to go back in the closet for herfriend’s grandparent. Since we’re talking about the grand-

parent generation, she asked me forsome advice about how to handle this.Suggestions?

— EmmaDear Emma:

She should tell her friend that the closetdoesn’t have a revolving door — out is out!It might do her friend’s grandfather some

good to discover that “some of his bestfriends (or his granddaughter’s) are gay.”

However, that’s his problem,and that’s between her and hergrandfather. Your granddaugh-ter must be who she is even if itmeans not going to her friend’shome any more.

If her friend is a real friend,she’ll understand and won’task her to lie.Dear Solutions: What do you think about

age difference relationshipswhere the woman is olderthan the man? I’m 48 yearsold and divorced. My friend’snephew is 22, and as strange as itsounds, I’m very attracted to him. I can feel that he’s very attracted to

me also, but he’s very shy. Should Imake the first move, since he’s so shy?

— Older WomanDear Older Woman:

You’re right. He’s shy about 26 years!

If you really felt this was the right thingto do, you wouldn’t be asking. Male or fe-

male, 22 is very young, veryinexperienced, very vulnera-ble. Someone 48 and divorcedis practically from anotherplanet.

I know there are May-De-cember marriages that haveworked, but not many. Andwhen they do, it’s usually forunusual reasons.

Attraction and real love ismostly one-sided and short-lived in this kind of relation-ship. So don’t turn his head.Turn yours — in another di-

rection.© Helen Oxenberg, 2015. Questions to

be considered for this column may be sentto: The Beacon, P.O. Box 2227, SilverSpring, MD 20915. You may also emailthe author at helox72@comcast.net. To in-quire about reprint rights, call (609) 655-3684.

SOLUTIONSBy Helen Oxenberg,MSW, ACSW

Don’t give in to an elder’s discrimination14 Fitness & Health | More at TheBeaconNewspapers.com MAY 2 0 1 5 — HOWARD COUNT Y B E A CON

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HOWARD COUNT Y B E A CON — MAY 2 0 1 5 15

NEWS and EVENTS from the Howard County Office on AgingThe Senior

ConnectionSenior

ConnectionDepartment of Citizen Services Volume 5, No. 5 • May 2015

Older adults are a vital – and growing – part of our society. Since 1963, communities across the country, including Howard County, have shown their gratitude by celebrating

Older Americans Month each May. �e theme of this year’s celebration, “Get into the Act,” focuses on how older adults are taking charge of their health, getting engaged in their communities, and making a positive impact on the lives of others. �is year’s theme also re!ects on the 50th anniversary of the Older Americans Act, which was signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson in July 1965. Since that time, the Act has provided a nationwide aging services network and funding that helps older adults live with dignity in the communities of their choice for as long as possible. �ese services include senior centers, congregate meals, caregiver support, community-based assistance, preventive health services, elder abuse prevention, and much more.�roughout this issue you will "nd articles to help you learn more about how the O#ce on Aging helps residents “Get into the Act.” O#ce on Aging sta$ provide vital information and resources year-round in Howard County, but Older Americans Month o$ers our Department a unique opportunity to highlight the wide range of home- and community-based services older adults can access to live independently in their communities. By promoting inclusivity as well as health and wellness activities, we hope more older adults than ever before will "nd new and innovative ways to “get into the act” to bene"t from these programs. To �nd out more, visit http://acl.gov/olderamericansmonth or call Maryland Access Point at 410-313-5980 (voice/relay).

May is Older Americans Month – a wonderful time to recognize the

many contributions made by older adults. �is year we’re also celebrating major anniversaries of two pieces of federal legislation that have played key roles in enhancing the lives of older Americans.

�is year is the 80th anniversary of Social Security, which was created in 1935 as part of the New Deal. �e "rst one-time, lump-sum payment was made to a man named Ernest Ackerman, who received a payment in January 1937 for 17 cents! �is was a one-time, lump-sum payout — the only type of bene"t paid at that time. From that rather inauspicious start, Social Security has certainly grown! From 1937 through 2009, the Social Security program has paid out $11.3 trillion. (Visit www.ssa.gov/history for a lot more interesting information.)

Fi*y years ago this July, Congress passed the Older Americans Act (OAA) out of concern about the lack of support services for older adults. Since its passage, it has provided funding for a wide range of critical services that help older adults remain healthy and independent. In fact, many of the O#ce on Aging’s programs are made possible through the funding we receive through the OAA. You’ll "nd more information about them in this issue.

In honor of OAA’s 50th anniversary, this year’s Older Americans Month theme – Get into the Act – focuses on how older adults are taking charge of their health, getting engaged in their communities, and making a positive impact in the lives of others.

In Howard County, older adults are actively involved in all aspects of our community. We play key roles in organi-zations, on boards and commissions, and in faith groups. We understand that staying active helps us as much as it helps others. It’s never too late for you to “get into the act.” Start today!

A Message from

Lois MikkilaDirector, Howard County Department of Citizen Services

The Senior Connection is published monthly by the Howard County Department of Citizen Services and the Office on Aging.

This publication is available in alternate formats upon request. To join our subscriber list, email seniorconnection@howardcountymd.gov

Howard County Office on Aging, 6751 Columbia Gateway Dr., Columbia, MD 21046410-313-6410 (VOICE/RELAY) • www.howardcountyaging.org

Find us on www.Facebook.com/HoCoCitizen

Kim Higdon Henry, Senior Connection Editor kahenry@howardcountymd.gov

Advertising contained in the Beacon is not endorsed by the Howard County Office on Aging or by the publisher.

Celebrate and

16 MAY 2 0 1 5 — HOWARD COUNT Y B E A CON

�e Older Americans Act (OAA) funds critical services to help keep older adults healthy and independent—services like caregiver support, transportation, health promotion, bene�ts enrollment and more. Maryland Access Point of Howard County (MAP), the information and resource assistance service of the O�ce on Aging, addresses these issues and coordinates services for older adults and individuals 18 years and older with disabilities. MAP can help you navigate and understand public and private resource systems; our information specialists will assess your needs, provide resource information, and help you get connected to available resources.

In Howard County, MAP is a “gateway” to O�ce on Aging programs and information with its “no wrong door approach.” It also connects residents to resources such as the Caregiver Support Program, State Health Insurance Assistance (SHIP) Program for Medicare counseling, in-home assistance options, health and wellness o!erings, senior centers and social day program options, transportation options, long-term futures planning, and much more.

MAP’s highly trained information specialists have many years of combined experience in the �elds of aging, social work, and health care. Two of our sta! are bilingual in Korean; interpretation services are available for other languages as well. MAP serves people by telephone, on home visits, at senior centers, by e-mail, through education and outreach sessions or a combination of the above.

410.313.5980 VOICE/RELAY 844.627.5464 TOLL FREE

map@howardcountymd.gov www.marylandaccesspoint.info

MARYLAND ACCESS POINTMARYLAND ACCESS POINT

• Caregiver Resources and Support • Guardianship/Ombudsman• Medicare Education and Assistance • Short and Long Term Planning • Housing & Transportation Options • Reverse Mortgage Counseling • Home Modification & Repair • Aging in Place Consultation• Senior Centers • Social Day Programs • Health and Wellness Programs • Volunteer Opportunities

AGING AND DISABILITY RESOURCE CENTERYOUR GATEWAY TO

Information • Assistance • Resources

If you need this information in an alternate format, call 410.313.5980.

Plan for Today. Plan for Tomorrow.

The Bain Center 5470 Ruth Keeton Way

Columbia, MD 21044

www.howardcountyaging.org

Howard County Paws4ComfortThis program fosters special bonds between pets, their owners and the County residents they visit. If you are interested in volunteering, or wish to attend a free evaluation for your pet, contact:

Ingrid Gleysteen410-313-7461

igleysteen@howardcountymd.gov

Evaluations are held at the Bain Center 1ST WEDNESDAY of every month

Wednesday, 7:00 p.m. May 6 June 3 July 1

To better illustrate how MAP works, here is a story about a Howard County resident who worked with MAP (some details have been altered to protect her identity). Ms. K. is a 62-year-old woman who was living in a 2-bedroom apartment with her husband. While she had a small income of her own from disability, she relied on her husband for the remainder their living expenses. As her primary caregiver, he helped with the shopping, meal preparation and household chores.

When her husband died unexpectedly, Ms. K. was le" without his �nancial and personal support and had no savings to fall back on. Desperate for help, a neighbor suggested she contact Maryland Access Point. A short-term care manager visited Ms. K. at home to assess her situation, and determined from Ms. K. that she had signi�cant physical issues including being legally blind, diabetic, having high blood pressure and weakness in her leg from a stroke.

Since Ms. K. had no family in the area to turn to for help, the care manager reached out to the appropriate community agencies on her behalf. Together they created a comprehensive Options Counseling Action Plan, which included applying for public assistance bene�ts, arranging transportation to and from medical appointments and coordinating Meals on Wheels service. MAP’s care manager also worked with Ms. K’s apartment management to help her move into a more a!ordable 1-bedroom unit and mobilized volunteers to help her move. Today, Ms. K. is living independently in her apartment with limited in-home assistance.

Contact MAP at 410-313-5980 (voice/relay), Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. or email map@howardcountymd.gov.

Maryland Access Point Helps Identify Resources By Peggy Ho!man, Division Manager, Aging and Disability Resource Center

The Senior Connection

HOWARD COUNT Y B E A CON — MAY 2 0 1 5 17

The Older Americans Act of 1965 de!ned the need for programs to prevent or delay chronic conditions and promote health among older adults. "rough the Older

Americans Act and other legislation, the Administration on Aging (AOA) now supports a variety of programs to help older adults remain as healthy and independent as possible in their homes and communities. Managed by the O#ce of Nutrition and Health Promotion Programs (ONHPP), these programs include congregate and home delivered meals and nutrition education; behavioral health information; chronic disease and diabetes self-management education programs; disease prevention, health promotion, and falls prevention programs and more.

According to the National Council on Aging, nearly 92% of older adults have at least one chronic condition and 77% have at least two (i.e. arthritis, high blood pressure and diabetes). "e O#ce on Aging’s Health and Wellness Division was established to focus on people with chronic conditions, and help improve their functional health by expanding health and wellness opportunities. "is Division provides Howard County’s older adults with the tools necessary to live a vibrant life at any age. Together with our community partners, we o$er a wide variety of programs to help maintain an optimal level of physical and emotional health and slow the rate of functional decline as you age.

"e Division coordinates large scale community events like the 50+EXPO and WomenFest; o$ers mental health and peer support through the SeniorsTogether program; and works with volunteers to launch programs like the popular Cycle2Health.

Thursday, May 14, 2015 • 10 a.m.East Columbia 50+ Center

In the parking lot at 6600 Cradlerock Way, Columbia, MD 21045

This is a recreational program for the benefit of exercise and to explore the natural beauty and sights of Howard County. A $10 annual fee is required and will be collected at registration

and applied to the spring through fall riding season. Rides vary in length and difficulty.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT Jennifer Lee, Program Coordinator

410-313-5940 (VOICE/RELAY) • jlee@howardcountymd.gov

www.howardcountyaging.org/cycle2health

Please Join Us for the 2015 CYCLING SEASON KICK-OFF!

Keeping Howard County Healthy and WellBy Starr Sowers, Division Manager, Health & Wellness

With the aging of the Baby Boomers, the focus of the Health & Wellness Division is shi*ing to meet the needs of a more active older adult population. As the County’s Aging Master Plan survey has indicated, there is a strong need to focus attention on programs for those in underserved communities as well, including the homebound, those with low literacy skills and/or limited English pro!ciency, and the increasing Hispanic population.

To !nd out more about Health and Wellness programs in Howard County, visit www.howardcountyaging.org or call 410-313-5980.

Bereavement GroupWednesdays, starting May 20, 1:30 – 3:00 p.m.

Glenwood 50+ Center, 2400 Route 97, Cooksville, MD 21723Are you mourning the loss of a loved one? Join a support group  to explore life beyond grief.  This program is recommended for  

those bereaved more than two months but less than two years. Nominal fee applies; call 410-313-7466 to pre-register. 

Live Well, Age WellTuesday, May 26, 10:30 – 11:30 a.m.

Bain Center, 5470 Ruth Keeton Way, Columbia, MD 21044 !"#$%"$&''%"$()*$"+,&(-(./0*%-/*0'1'2%(0%3/-/0*%4'33%/0%'-'&5% 4!5%!2%5()%!*'6%%7)8/'0#'%/0"'&!#9(0%/2%$/*$35%'0#()&!*'86%% 

Free; light refreshments served.  To register, call 410-313-7213.

A Moment to HonorMonday, June 1, 10:30 – 11:30 a.m.

Bain Center, 5470 Ruth Keeton Way, Columbia, MD 21044:(0(&%"$'%2/*0/;#!0"%,'(,3'%/0%5()&%3/<'%4$(%!&'%0(%3(0*'&%4/"$%)26 

=$'%'-'0"%<'!")&'2%!%*)'2"%2,'!.'&%,3)2%9>'%<(&%?)/'"% &'@'#9(0%"(%>)2/#A%/08/-/8)!3%2$!&/0*%!08%!%*&(),%!#9-/"56%% 

Free and open to all; light refreshments served.   RSVP to Elaine Widom, 410-313-7353.

www.howardcountyaging.org/seniorstogether=(%&'?)'2"%!%2/*0%3!0*)!*'%/0"'&,&'"'&%(&%("$'&%!##(>>(8!9(02% 

"(%,!&9#/,!"'A%#!33%BCD+ECE+FBGG%(0'%4''.%/0%!8-!0#'6

!"#$#%&$'%$"()#*$'+),)$&)!!#),,$)-)#',$  !"#"$%"&'()'%*"'+"$,-!#.-/"%*"!' !-/!012

The Senior Connection

18 MAY 2 0 1 5 — HOWARD COUNT Y B E A CON

VAC Protects EldersBy Ofelia Ross Ott, Division Manager,

Home and Community Based Services

Every person has the right to live a life free from abuse, exploitation and neglect. While most are able to protect

themselves from these types of victimization, there are many who cannot — especially adults who are vulnerable due to a disability, their age, or an impairment or illness.

In 2005, the Howard County Vulnerable Adults Committee (VAC) was created to address neglect, abuse, and exploitation issues, as well as increase protection e!orts for those who are limited in their ability to take care of themselves. "e committee brings together agencies throughout Howard County, including the Police Department, O#ce on Aging, Adult Protective Services, State’s Attorney’s O#ce, Grassroots, Family and Children Services, and O#ce of Law, as well as additional non-pro$ts to review ongoing cases involving vulnerable adults. "e Committee provides a 360 degree look at each situation to ensure that services from all resources are provided in order to increase long-term success.

Each of these member organizations has made a commitment to provide strategic leadership, oversee e!ective inter-agency collab-oration, share best practices in policy and procedures, and provide training in the community and to professionals serving vulnerable adults. As part of this e!ort, the Vulnerable Adults Committee will host the 2nd annual “Protecting Vulnerable Adults: Elder Abuse Awareness Conference,” on June 12 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Sheraton in Columbia. "e conference is designed for professionals and advocates serving older adults. For more information or to register, visit www.howardcountyaging.org/eldersafety.

!e VAC is chaired by Lt. Jennifer Reidy of the Howard County Police Department. For more information, call 410-313-2207 (voice/relay) or email VAC@howardcountymd.gov.

Get Into the Act at Senior CentersBy Barbara Scher, Senior Center Division Manager and

Terri Hansen, Senior Center Plus Division Manager

Recognized by the Older Americans Act (OAA) as focal points in the community, senior centers have become one of the most

widely used services among America's older adults. Nationwide, nearly 11,000 senior centers serve over 1 million older adults every day. In Howard County, seven senior (or 50+) centers and three senior center plus sites connect older adults to a wide variety of resources, information and services that help them stay healthy and independent, including recreation; lifelong learning; nutrition counseling and congregate meals; volunteerism and more. Enrichment opportunities abound — participants can express themselves through the arts, discuss today’s political issues, and exercise their minds and bodies. Senior centers create an atmosphere that a#rms the dignity and self-worth of older adults, while supporting their desire to maintain their independence in the community. "e OAA’s Congregate Meal Program and Nutrition Services help to reduce hunger and food insecurity among older adults while promoting socialization and independent living.

Senior Center PlusSenior Center Plus sites provide structured therapeutic activities for older persons who, due to a physical and/or cognitive disability, are unable to manage the traditional senior center setting independently. "e three Plus sites, located in Ellicott City, Glenwood and North Laurel, support the independence of older persons with functional disabilities, and provide respite to their family caregivers. With a 1:8 sta! to participant ratio, the four hour, fee-for-service program is better able to meet individual needs and abilities.

Kindred Spirits Social Club"e O#ce on Aging o!ers the Kindred Spirits Social Club as a place for people diagnosed with an early stage memory disorder to interact with others walking the same journey. Developed in cooperation with the Alzheimer’s Association of Greater Maryland, the Club provides socialization, companionship, support, and activities in a safe and nurturing environment. "is four hour, fee-for-service program is o!ered at the Glenwood 50+ Center on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. For more information, call 410-313-5440 (voice/relay).

Register Now for the 2nd Annual PVA Conference!

Friday, June 12, 2015 • 8:00 AM - 4:00 PMSheraton Columbia, 10207 Wincopin Circle, Columbia, MD 21044

REGISTER ONLINE AT

https://eventbrite.com/event/16163129355/For more information, contact Ofelia Ross Ott

410-313-6052 • oross@howardcountymd.gov

Advocates • Fiduciaries • First Responders • Medical Professionals

FREE Admission • Limited Seating

PRESENTED BY THE Howard County Department of Citizen Services Office on Aging, the Howard County Mental Health Authority and the Howard County Police Department

If you need an interpreter, or other accommodations to attend, contact Maryland Access Point (MAP) at map@howardcountymd.gov or 410-313-5980 at least one week in advance.

www.howardcountyaging.org/eldersafetywww.howardcountyaging.org/eldersafety

HOWARD COUNTY SENIOR CENTERSBain Center ....................................5470 Ruth Keeton Way, Columbia .....410-313-7213

East Columbia 50+ Center .............6600 Cradlerock Way, Columbia ........410-313-7680

Elkridge Senior Center ....................6540 Washington Blvd., Elkridge .......410-313-5192

Ellicott City Senior Center ...............9401 Frederick Rd., Ellicott City ........410-313-1400

Glenwood 50+ Center ....................2400 Route 97, Cooksville ................410-313-5440

Longwood Senior Center ................6150 Foreland Garth, Columbia .........410-313-7217

North Laurel 50+ Center ................9411 Whiskey Bottom Rd., Laurel .....410-313-0380

SENIOR CENTER PLUS SITESEllicott City Senior Center Plus .......410-313-1425Glenwood Senior Center Plus .........410-313-5442North Laurel Senior Center Plus ......410-313-7218

www.howardcountyaging.org/seniorcenters

The Senior Connection

By Stan ChoeSometimes, nearly everyone wins. Last quarter was a winner for the vast

majority of mutual-fund investors, as 87percent of all funds delivered gains. Risingstock markets around the world and adrop in interest rates drove the returns,continuing a years-long run for funds.

To be sure, the gains were typically small-er than what investors enjoyed earlier in thisbull market. But they were widespread. Ofthe 95 different fund categories that Morn-ingstar tracks, 84 logged gains on average.

Those with losses were often in nicheareas, such as Latin American stock fundsor emerging-market bond funds, and likelyplay only a supporting role in portfolios.

Largest fund shows trendConsider the mutual fund that’s a cen-

terpiece of many retirement accounts: Van-guard’s Total Stock Market Index fund. It’sthe largest fund by assets — nearly doublethe size of the No. 2 fund — and it deliv-ered its 10th quarter of gains in the last 11despite starting the year slowly.

It was down more than 3 percent in mid-January, hurt by worries about plungingprofits for energy companies. The fundtracks the performance of the broad U.S.stock market, and 7 percent of its portfoliois in the oil and gas industry.

But stocks recovered as the quarter pro-gressed, and the fund ended up returning1.8 percent. It got a particular boost fromsmaller companies in its portfolio. It owns

everything from Tel-Instrument Electron-ics, which has a market value of about $20million, to Apple, which is more than30,000 times larger.

Tel-Instrument Electronics stock jumped20 percent last quarter, more than Apple orthe large-cap Standard & Poor’s 500 index.It was a similar trend across the market,and small-cap stock funds generally beattheir large-cap rivals.

Small cap stocks excelThe average small-cap growth stock

fund returned 5.8 percent, versus 3.5 per-cent for the average large-cap growth stockfund. That’s a turnaround from last year,when small-cap stocks were generally list-less due to worries that they’d become tooexpensive relative to their earnings.

The surging dollar helped fuel demandfor small-cap stocks. The dollar jumped toits highest level against the euro in morethan a decade, and it also set multi-yearhighs against the Japanese yen, Canadiandollar and other currencies.

That hurts U.S. companies that do lotsof business abroad because sales made ineuros or yen are worth fewer dollars thana year ago. Such companies are typicallybig, while small-cap stocks generally domore of their business in the UnitedStates, so their revenue isn’t as affected.

A look at some of the other trends thatdrove fund performance last quarter: Foreign stock funds led the way. Central banks in Europe and Japan are

pushing big stimulus programs for theireconomies, sending their stock marketshigher. Japanese stock funds returned an av-erage 10.9 percent last quarter, the best per-formance of any fund category. Europeanstock funds returned an average 4.8 percent.

Funds that “hedge” to negate the effectof shifting currency values had even high-er returns. While the falling euro helpsrevenues for European exporters, it alsoerodes returns of European stocks whentranslated into dollars. Healthcare stock funds are still hot. Healthcare stock funds have been some

of the best, not only over the last quarterbut also over the last year. They returnedan average 10.7 percent from Januarythrough March, second-best among 95fund categories. Over the last year, they’vereturned 32.4 percent, also good for sec-ond place.

Earnings for healthcare companies aregrowing faster than for the rest of the mar-ket, attracting investors. But stock priceshave shot up so quickly that worries arerising they’ve become too expensive.

Even the Federal Reserve has madesome noise. Nearly a year ago, in July

2014, it said that valuations “appear to bestretched” in biotechnology. The NasdaqBiotechnology index has surged about 35percent since then. Bond funds are defying expectations. Rising interest rates are one of the

biggest fears for bond-fund investors.They can cause losses by knocking downthe price of existing bonds.

Coming into the year, much of WallStreet projected that interest rates wouldrise. The economy was strengthening, andthe Federal Reserve was expected to raiseits key short-term interest rate for the firsttime since 2006.

But the Federal Reserve indicated inMarch that it may move slower in increas-ing rates than many expected. Several eco-nomic reports also came in weaker thanexpected, and interest rates dropped dur-ing the first quarter. That drove most bondfunds to gains last quarter, with long-termbond funds delivering the biggest returns. Index funds are still the top choice

for investors. Investors continued their march into

Most mutual funds doing well this year

HOWARD COUNT Y B E A CON — MAY 2 0 1 5 Say you saw it in the Beacon 19

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SeeMUTUAL FUNDS, page 20

index funds last quarter, and out of fundsrun by stock pickers. Nearly $23 billionflowed out of actively managed U.S. stock

funds in the year’s first two months, while$12 billion went into their index-fund rivals.

Index funds offer lower expenses thanactively managed ones. And over the last10 years, they’ve also offered better per-formance. — AP

Probate is a process by which propertyis distributed to a decedent’s beneficiaries.In most situations, it is time-consuming, of-fers no benefits, and can re-sult in expensive, avoidablelegal expenses.

In probate, the will is filedwith a local court; the dece-dent’s property is identifiedand appraised; debts are paid;challenges to the will’s validityare adjudicated; and the re-maining assets are distributedas the will specifies.

Normally, probate takes ap-proximately up to a year, oftenlonger. The executor appoint-ed in the will is responsible forhiring a probate attorney, when required.

Even with a modest estate, attorney feescan be substantial. Probate costs vary bystate, but you can expect them to be ap-proximately 5 percent of the value of prop-erty in the estate.

Steering clear of probateThere are ways to avoid probate, and it’s

in the interest of your heirs toinvestigate these options. Anexcellent source is 8 Ways toAvoid Probate (Nolo) by MaryRandolph, J.D. Here are a fewstrategies.• A living trust. A living

trust is a revocable trust, mean-ing you can change it at any timewhile still living. You specify thebeneficiary of any assets in thetrust agreement, as you wouldin a will. After your death, the as-sets go directly to your inheri-tors without probate and withouta waiting period. You can name

alternate beneficiaries.Court challenges to living trusts are

rare. It is generally more difficult to chal-lenge a living trust than a will in court.

A living trust does not eliminate the needfor a will. Almost no one transfers everything

to a trust. Any assets not transferred to yourtrust won’t pass under the terms of the trustagreement. You can use a “pour-over” will di-recting any remaining property be pouredover into your living trust.

A disadvantage of the living trust is thatis more work, and more expensive, to cre-ate and maintain than other probate-avoid-ance alternatives. Although it is the mostflexible way to avoid probate, not everyoneneeds one. Ask your attorney.• Naming a beneficiary for your retire-

ment accounts.When you establish a retire-ment plan, you will be asked to name benefi-ciaries (and optional alternative ones). Youmay change beneficiaries at any time up toyour death. A will does not override benefici-ary elections you make on these forms! Anybeneficiary changes must be made on theforms associated with your retirement ac-count. If you have a named beneficiary, theaccounts will not go through probate.• Payable-on-death accounts. Bank

account assets, including certificates of de-

posit, can easily be kept out of probate bysimply designating them as payable-on-death and telling your bank the name ofyour intended beneficiary. Your benefici-ary will have immediate access to thefunds after your death.

The only disadvantage is that you can’tname an alternate beneficiary. So if youroriginal beneficiary dies, advise your bankto change the beneficiary.• Transfer-on-death registration for

stocks and bonds. Unless you live inLouisiana or Texas, you can name some-one to inherit your stocks, bonds or bro-kerage accounts without probate.• Property held in joint ownership.

The following ways to own property injoint ownership avoid probate: joint tenan-cy with right of survivorship; tenancy bythe entirety; and community property withright of survivorship (applicable only infive states). Ask your attorney for advice.

© 2015 Elliot Raphaelson. DistributedBy Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Plan ahead to avoid probate’s costs, delays

THE SAVINGSGAMEBy Elliot Raphaelson

20 Law & Money | More at TheBeaconNewspapers.com MAY 2 0 1 5 — HOWARD COUNT Y B E A CON

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By Christopher J. GearonPeople enrolling in traditional Medicare

should buy a supplemental insurance poli-cy to cover the substantial gaps left by de-ductibles and co-payments, according toconsumer advocates.

But choosing a private Medigap plancan be daunting.

That’s what Joyce Katen discoveredwhen she turned 65 last May. “I got so con-fused,” says Katen, a clothing manufactur-ing consultant in New York City. Sheturned to the Medicare Rights Center(www.medicarerights.org), a consumergroup that helped her choose a policyamong numerous offerings.

Like others approaching age 65, Katenfirst needed to decide how she’d protectherself against Medicare’s large coveragegaps. Most beneficiaries have two options.

They can go with a private Medicare Ad-vantage plan, which covers all Medicarebenefits, provides drug coverage and lim-its out-of-pocket costs. Or they can opt fortraditional Medicare and buy a separateMedigap policy and a Part D prescription-drug plan.

For Katen, that decision was easy. Ad-vantage plans restrict your selection ofproviders, and Katen said she wanted to beable to use any doctor she chooses, as tra-ditional Medicare allows.

Filling in the gapsThen came the hard part for Katen:

choosing a supplemental insurance policy.Medigap policies are sold by private insur-ers in 10 standardized benefit designs,named A through N. With some excep-tions, coverage and price generally in-crease as you move up the alphabet.

Plans C and F are held by a majority ofthe 9 million Medigap beneficiaries. Bothpay the deductible for Medicare Part A,which covers hospital costs, and for PartB, which covers outpatient costs. The de-ductible for Part A is $1,260 for each ben-efit period in 2015, and the annual Part Bdeductible is $147. (Plans E, H, I and Jare no longer sold, but if you hold one,you can continue to keep it in mostcases.)

To figure out which policy is best foryou, consider your “health status, familymedical history and risk tolerance,” saidCasey Schwarz, policy and client servicescounsel for the Medicare Rights Center.

Healthier beneficiaries who rarely needmedical care may be best suited for high-deductible plans. Plans K and L are high-deductible policies that have lower premi-ums but impose higher out-of-pocketcosts. Plan F also offers a high-deductibleversion.

But new beneficiaries should not

choose a plan based solely on their healthtoday. As long as you buy a Medigap poli-cy within six months of enrolling in Part B,an insurer cannot reject you or charge youmore because of medical issues. However,if you become ill and want to switch to aplan with better coverage, an insurer canboost the cost or turn you down.

Katen decided to go with the fully-

loaded Plan F. Katen, who is healthy, saidshe would rather pay more for comprehen-sive coverage and not worry about footingthe bill if she gets sick.

“I can’t imagine not having the cover-age,” Katen said. She pays UnitedHealth-care, which sells policies under the AARP

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The ABCs of picking a Medigap policy

See ABCs OF MEDIGAP, page 22

SAVE MONEY ON INSURANCELearn from experts how to spot insurance scams and savemoney. This event is free and will take place on Thursday, April 30

from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. at the Elkridge Senior Center, 6540 Washington Blvd.,Elkridge. For more information, call (410) 313-5192.

INVESTING BASICSOn Monday, April 27, in partnership with MakingChange, RoyYenoli will present an overview of basic investing. The event willtake place at the Miller Branch Library, 9421 Frederick Rd.,

Ellicott City at 7 p.m. Registration is preferred. To register or for more informa-tion, call (410) 313-1950.

LONG REACH VILLAGE CENTER RENEWAL PLANHoward County Executive Allan H. Kittleman would like to getinput from Howard County residents about the Long Reach VillageCenter. Meetings will be held on Thursday, April 30, May 28, June

11 and Sept. 17 from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Stonehouse Village Center, 8775Cloudleap Ct. #7, Columbia. For more information, call (410) 313-2350 or visitmthompson@howardcountymd.gov.

BEACON BITS

Apr. 30

Apr. 27

Apr. 30+

name, a monthly premium of $261, in addi-tion to the monthly $104.90 Part B premi-um she pays to Medicare.

Find a plan that fits your needsDepending on the plans offered in your

area, Plan N could be a middle ground formany healthy beneficiaries.

“Plan N provides very good coverage andis more affordable than Plan F,” said

Ross Blair, senior vice president ofeHealthMedicare.com, a division of onlinebroker eHealth Inc. Plan N provides much ofthe same coverage as Plan F, but it doesn’tcover the $147 Part B deductible. It alsocharges a $20 co-payment for doctor visitsand a $50 co-payment for emergency roomvisits that don’t result in hospital admissions.

In New York City, UnitedHealthcare of-fers a Part N plan for $178 a month, com-pared with Katen’s $261 premium for PlanF. Katen could still come out ahead withPlan N if she had two emergency room vis-its and 40 visits to the doctor.

Once you choose your plan category, itusually makes sense to go with the companyoffering the cheapest price for that plan.Under federal law, all plans offered under thesame letter must offer the same benefits.Prices for the same policy can vary widely,however. For example, annual Plan F premi-ums range from $1,752 to $3,768 in Rockville,Md., and from $2,472 to $6,552 in Miami.

Three pricing methodsBesides checking the initial premium, ask

the insurer which of the three pricing meth-ods it uses for the plan you’re considering. Attained-age pricing bases the premi-

um on your age when you buy the policy,with rates rising as you grow older. Premi-ums can also increase because of inflation.

With issue-age pricing, the premiumis based on the age at which you buy thepolicy (the younger you buy, the less ex-pensive), and it will not change as you age,except for inflation. Community-rated policies charge the

same price to everyone regardless of age,and your annual premium can only in-

crease for inflation.“We would encourage going with a com-

munity-rated plan, with an issue-age planbeing the next best thing,” Blair said. Hecompares attained-age policies to variable-rate mortgages, which start off at a lowprice but can escalate considerably.

To understand how your costs maychange over time, ask for a three- to five-year rate history for each policy you’reconsidering. Also ask for quotes as if youwere age 70, 75 and 80.

Some insurers will offer discounts — fornonsmokers, for women and for those whohold several policies with the company,such as homeowners and auto insurance.

While companies in most states can con-duct medical underwriting if you apply fora plan after the initial six months are over,there are some exceptions. You can buyMedigap coverage without underwriting ifyou’re in a Medicare Advantage plan andyou move out of its service area, or if yourinsurer stops selling the Medigap plan youcurrently have.

Another exception is if your retiree healthcoverage from a former employer ends. Andsome states, such as New York, prohibit un-derwriting after the six-month period.

To compare policies in your area, visitwww.medicare.gov/find-a-plan/ques-tions/medigap-home.aspx. To get addi-tional help, get in touch with your localState Health Insurance Assistance Pro-gram through www.shiptalk.org.

You’ll find rules in your state by visitingthe website of the National Association ofInsurance Commissioners (www.naic.org).

© 2015, Kiplinger. All Rights Reserved.Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

22 Law & Money | More at TheBeaconNewspapers.com MAY 2 0 1 5 — HOWARD COUNT Y B E A CON

ABCs of MedigapFrom page 21

FREE CURB-TO-CURB TRANSPORTATION

Columbia Association’s Senior Advisory Committee is sponsoring

a curb-to-curb transportation shuttle to cultural events for groups of four or more

seniors 60+ in Howard County. The service is for evenings (after 4:30 p.m.) and

weekends only, and the service is free. To request or cancel a ride, call (410)

715-3087 and a Senior Advisory Committee member will call back to confirm. All

reservations and cancellations are recorded to determine need, and repeated

cancellations or “no shows” will affect the future locations of the service.

BEACON BITS

Ongoing

FIVE ONE-ACT PLAYSTry it Out Theatre will present Act 4! It’s All About You, Mom onFriday, May 8 at 8 p.m. and Saturday, May 9 at 3 p.m. at the Red

Branch Theatre, 9130-I Red Branch Road, Columbia. Topics generally rated PG-13. Tickets are $15 for general admission and $12 for seniors and students. Formore information, call (410) 997-9352 or visit www.TIOTheatre.com.

WHITE HOUSE VISITOR’S CENTERTake a trip to the White House Visitor’s Center on Wednesday,May 6 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and take an interactive virtual tour

of the White House, view White House artifacts, and shop at the HistoricalAssociation retail store. Lunch is on your own. Security check and photo ID arerequired. Buses will pick up at the Bain Center, 5470 Ruth Keeton Way, Columbiaand the Normandy Shopping Center, Ellicott City. Cost is $49 and walking isrequired. For more information, call (410) 313-7279.

BLOOD PRESSURE SCREENINGBlood pressure screenings will be held at the Ellicott City SeniorCenter, 9401 Frederick Rd., on Tuesdays from 9 a.m. to noon. For

more information, call (410) 313-1400.

WII CLUBHave fun bowling, playing tennis or playing baseball without evengoing outside. Improve your hand-eye coordination playing Wii on

Tuesdays from 10 to 11 a.m. at the Bain Center, 5740 Ruth Keeton Way,Columbia. For more information, call (410) 313-7311 or email Cathy Vigus at cvi-gus@howardcountymd.gov.

BEACON BITS

May 8+

May 6

Ongoing

Ongoing

By Robert Friedman Aboard the Queen Mary 2, Roger

McGuinn, former leadman of the Byrds,sings a shanty of tough and tender times atsea. Then we adjourn to the ship’s ball-room for a white-gloved serving of after-noon tea, finger sandwiches and sconeswith clotted cream, while a young womanwith long tresses strums the harp.

It’s a small part of another day aboardthe Cunard line’s 14-deck, 1,130-foot long,148,528-ton flagship during an eight-night,seven-day transatlantic crossing from NewYork to Southampton, England. The QM2is the only passenger liner that still makesregularly scheduled crossings, from Mayto January.

Departing at 5 p.m. from a new pier inthe Red Hook section of Brooklyn (today’shumongous cruise ships no longer fit com-fortably beside the Manhattan docks), theliner carried a near-capacity 2,382 passen-gers and a crew of some 1,200 — a 1-to-2crew-to-passenger ratio.

This wasn’t my first Atlantic crossing,but it was for Donna, my companion, and Icould glimpse in her eyes the awesomewonder of an initial crossing.

Since it was summer, the sea was mostlycalm, but the wind still whipped up littlesudsy caps as we cut through the trueblue, and a huge reddish-copper sheet

draped at least one sunset sky. There were sunny days and foggy days,

rainy days and windy days, as the shipsailed on with just a slight rumbling swaybeneath our feet.

A winter crossing could be a bit rockier.Still, a New York Times article noted thatthe North Atlantic’s “heaving beauty ismesmerizing. It’s a volcano of sorts.”

While there were some young familiesaboard, seniors predominated on ourcrossing. Some had to traverse the decksand enter the dining areas, bars and the-aters using walkers or in wheelchairs. Butthey all seemed to get around.

Donna and I prefer being devoured by agood book, watching movies and justwalking, rather than heavy socializing. Wehad plenty of opportunities for those pas-times. The QM2 library is the largest atsea (over 8,000 books) and the ship’s Illu-minations Theater not only shows moviesafternoons and evenings, but also housesthe world’s only floating planetarium.

We rounded the promenade deck everymorning after breakfast three times, equalto about a mile — and took long treks tofind our way around the ship’s 14 decks.We also lounged on padded deck chairs,taking in the sun when it shone and thesalty smell of the wind off the sea whilereading our books

Activity bonanzaBut other onboard activities were so var-

ied and numerous, you just had to attendat least a few.

For Donna, daily watercolor paintingclasses returned her to a love of makingart that had been interrupted over theyears for life’s mundane necessities, likemaking a living and raising a family.

I actually found myself Lindy hoppingpart of one night away to “In the Mood” andother swing classics, played by the ship’s bigband in the Queen’s Room, which the QM2says has the largest dance floor in what is, ofcourse, the biggest ballroom at sea.

And still the activities — more classicfolk-rock music by McGuinn; Q&A ses-sions with former Star Trek helmsmanGeorge Takei; a one-hour breeze-throughof Hamlet by the Royal Academy of Dra-matic Art; jazz sessions by Julliard Schoolfaculty and students; lectures on the livesand times of Hollywood icons Cary Grant,Judy Garland and Bette Davis, with snip-pets from their films; cornball show-biz re-vues; a sublimely silly parade of femalepassengers in their best, and worst, hatsfor the Royal Ascot Ball — and on and ontill the midnight hour nightly.

Bars galore, five swimming pools, ahealth spa, hot tubs, a casino, and all sortsof meet-up groups — coffee klatches forlone travelers; Alcoholics Anonymousgatherings; get-togethers of Friends ofDorothy LGBT (supposedly named aftergay idol Judy Garland’s Dorothy in TheWizard of Oz).

Some 30 passengers, all male, wereshooting the breeze and downing cocktailsat one very informal Friends of Dorothymeeting. Paul, an apparently successfulmiddle-aged businessman from PalmSprings, Calif., said he frequently takescruises and ocean crossings with his hus-band. He said that several women have at-tended the once semi-secret, now-ubiqui-tous Friends of Dorothy get-togethers onmost of these cruises.

Paul introduced me to his husband Phil,also a prosperous looking near-senior,“We’ve been together 24 years,” said Paul,“and last year, finally, we were allowed toget married.”

Dining choices aboundWhile relatively few of the Downton

HOWARD COUNT Y B E A CON — MAY 2 0 1 5 Say you saw it in the Beacon 23

TravelLeisure &TravelLeisure &

Want to get rental car insurance coverageat the best price? See story on page 25.

The Queen Mary 2 departs for the seven-day trans-Atlantic crossing from New Yorkto Southampton, England. It is the only passenger ship that still makes regularlyscheduled crossings between the major world ports.

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Most Queen Mary 2 passengers dine in the multi-level Britanna Restaurant, wheredinner entrees include roast duck à l’orange and broiled lobster tail, shrimp & scallopfeuillantine.

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Crossing the Atlantic in style on the QM2

See QM2, page 24

Abbey crowd had exclusive rights to a cou-ple of fancy dining rooms, the vast majori-ty of passengers dined in the double-deckBritannia Restaurant, where the waiterssnapped napkins onto your lap as soon asyou were seated.

There were also specialty restaurants(all Asian, all Indian, all Italian, one operat-ed by celeb chef Todd English) for anextra $10 to $30 per meal. You had to buyyour own wine, and you could order it atthe table or press the “wine line” button onyour cabin phone and discuss your choicewith a sommelier.

The food and the service were mostlyfirst-class. There were two dinner sittings,at 6 and 8:30 p.m. Donna and I chose thelater one. We appeared in the Britannia

mostly only for dinner, since we got up toolate for the restaurant’s breakfast, whichended at 9:30 a.m. Turning ahead theclock by one hour at noon on five days alsomessed with meal hours.

But no problem. If you missed a Britan-nia meal, the Kings Court, a busy cafete-ria, served breakfast from 4 a.m. until11:30 a.m. You did suffer the indignity ofhaving to tote your tray to a table. Lunchcould also be picked up there until 3:30p.m., just about when tea time kicked in atthe Queen’s Room.

Whenever you entered a dining area, abottle of Purell was at the door, and in thefirst two or three days, an attendant gaveyour hands an extra spritz. That was tokeep at bay the feared, highly contagiousnorovirus that has spread among cruisepassengers on several recent, highly publi-cized occasions.

When Jack and Sylvia, our dinner com-panions from Sarasota, Fla., found out thatDonna and I were from the D.C.-area,much political talk followed. It was lefties(us) against righties (them).

Jack, a Dick Cheney lookalike, jokinglydubbed us “limousine liberals” (my 1995Toyota Camry would be thrilled by the up-grade), and we pronounced Sylvia andJack to the right of Rush Limbaugh.

But guess what? We actually got along,laughing a lot during meals and findingdeeper truths about one another than thepolitical corners we often push one anoth-er into.

Note to Congress: It’s not that difficult.All you have to do is eat, drink and laughtogether as you glimpse the sea sweepingby through the bay windows.

At one lunch, we met Tony, a middle-aged Londoner, who told us with a MichaelCaine accent that he was now spendingmuch of his time attending lectures andenrolling in classes. “I just finished study-ing about 19th century British colonialismin Southeast Asia,” he said proudly.

When I told him I had lived in PuertoRico, and that many people there believethe island is a U.S. colony, Tony respond-ed: “Six a one, ‘alf dozen of the other.”

The large majority of the passengerswere Brits and Americans, but there werealso hundreds of Germans aboard, sincethe QM2 docked at Hamburg after its stopat Southampton. While most of the Britsand Germans were going home after tour-ing the U.S., for many of the Americans,the crossing was the first leg of a Euro-pean visit.

Our tablemates were sailing to Ham-burg, where they would rent a car, drive toSwitzerland, then to France and possiblyVenice. “Time is not of the essence,” saidJack, who just turned 70. “What’s most im-portant is relaxing and enjoying ourselveswhile we travel.”

A relative bargainDonna and I, both members of the

shrinking middle class, didn’t have to gointo hock to make the trip. I found a greatdeal less than three weeks before the shipsailed — $699 for each of us — less than$100 a day for transportation to Europe, aninside “stateroom,” entertainment (exceptfor drinks), and food, food and food. Therewere even free launderettes on the cabindecks.

Donna and I were ready for a vacationand, remembering the good old days onocean liners, I looked up online “transat-lantic crossings.” The bargain fare was of-fered by Vacations to Go, a Houston-based travel agency. A couple of e-mailsand we were set to go. For another $40per passenger, we booked with theagency bus fare from Southampton toLondon, a two-hour ride. The bus waswaiting at the dock.

Our 157-square-foot QM2 cabin was theleast expensive type on the liner, whoseother accommodations with balconies andeven duplex suites could range into thethousands of dollars per passenger.

We had a double bed, work table, TV,telephone, small fridge, and ample closetspace, already stocked with bathrobes andslippers. Not too much drawer space.Bathroom and shower, of course. Forseven days, it was cozy and livable, espe-cially if you didn’t pack too much, whichyou shouldn’t.

Figuring out the attireFor the men, a suit and a sports jacket

should do, along with everyday wear, de-pending on the season. Since most of thetrip is through the North Atlantic, asweater and windbreaker are advisable,even in high summer.

For women — well, how dressy do youwant to get in the evenings? The QM2’ssuggested dress code is probably the mostformal at sea. It is dressier than a cruise in,say, the Caribbean.

During the day, people were in casualclothes, including jeans and shorts. But at6 p.m., the dress code kicked in. Whilethere were no fashion police around to citeyou for being under-dressed, most of thepassengers got spiffed up for dinner.

How veddy British was the trip? Well,there were four formal dress nights on oureight-night crossing, meaning floor-lengthor cocktail dresses for the women and ei-ther tux or dark suit-and-tie for the men.On the other nights, guys had to wear jack-ets but could go tieless. If you wanted to gotieless and jacketless on any night, youhad to dine cafeteria-style.

Just about all of the room stewards andmuch of the restaurant staff were from thePhilippines. Jose, our cabin guy, said weshould call him Joe. Juan, one of our wait-ers, introduced himself as Johnny.

Internet service was available for pas-sengers in a computer lounge. It was pret-ty pricey. There were time plans rangingfrom $47.95 for 120 minutes to $167.95 for480 minutes. You could also pay as yougo, 75 cents a minute, which may be OK ifyou just want to say a quick hello to thefamily.

But if you can’t remain Internet free forthe week (unfortunately, who can?) I sug-gest the 120-minute plan. We paid as wewent, and didn’t seem to be on line thatlong, but wound up with a $70 bill.

I was able to receive and make calls onmy smartphone for $2.49 a minute.

When you get the feeling, as you willat times, that you are in a floating luxuryresort, find a quiet place on a forwarddeck where you can smell the ocean, feelthe wind on your face, and view the part-ing waves, the flaking whitecaps, theendless sea. You’ll get a sense of thejourney — one of life’s pleasures, un-available on today’s cramped, time-warp-ing jet flights.

Currently, the lowest price listed on Cu-nard’s website for the crossing is $999 foran inside cabin. (Last-minute specials likeours may be available if you wait untilshortly before sailing and search online.)

For reservations and more informationfrom Cunard, call 1-800-728-6273 or seewww.cunard.com.

24 Leisure & Travel | More at TheBeaconNewspapers.com MAY 2 0 1 5 — HOWARD COUNT Y B E A CON

QM2From page 23

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“Don’t buy the rental company’s grosslyoverpriced collision damage waiver (CDW);instead, rely on the coverageyou get for no extra costthrough your credit card.”

For decades, that’s beenthe mantra of most travel writ-ers. It’s still the best overallapproach for most travelers —but not for all, and not always.

Yes, almost all AmericanExpress, Diners Club and Visacards still cover damage to arental car, as do many Master-Card and Discover cards. Butsometimes you either don’t want to — orcan’t — rely on your credit card’s coverage:

Most credit card collision coverage is sec-ondary, meaning it pays only what you can’tfirst recover from other insurance, and youmay not want to risk a big hit on your regu-lar auto insurance for damage to a rental.

Secondary coverage means you mayhave to pay the full amount of damage upfront and claim reimbursement later.

Most credit card coverage requires thatyou decline the rental company’s CDW, butbase rates for rentals in some foreign coun-tries include some CDW, which you cannotdecline. That CDW has a high deductible,however, and some credit card issuers re-fuse to cover it because you didn’t decline it.Rental companies sell “Super CDW” tocover the deductible, but at very stiff prices.

The basic problem here is that rentalcompanies grossly overcharge for colli-sion coverage. Typically, you pay at least$15 a day, and often up to $30 a day —sometimes even more than the base rentalrate. It’s a huge profit center for them.

A cheaper choiceI recently reported that collision cover-

age — primary coverage — is availablefrom third-party agencies at a far lower costthan the amounts rental companies charge.

In response, I heard about a driver whofaced the foreign rental problem, and in-

stead of buying Super CDW for more than$200 a week, bought a third-party policy

from Protect Your Bubble(protecctyourbubble.com) for$7.99 a day. Sure enough, heput a scrape on the car. Whenhe returned it, the agent added621 euros to his bill — 580euros for the repairs and a 41euro “administrative charge.”

When he got home, hedownloaded a claims form,scanned all the relevant docu-ments, and emailed it back toProtect Your Bubble. In about

two weeks, he received a check coveringthe 580-euro repair charge in full but notthe administration fee.

His conclusion: Fair enough — ProtectYour Bubble came through without anyhassle and was a far better deal than therental company’s Super CDW. The only ir-ritation was that initial hit on his creditcard; the claims process was painless.

Other optionsProtect Your Bubble isn’t the only

source for low-cost third-party rental carcoverage:

• Some comprehensive travel insurancebundles include an add-on CDW option.

• CSA Travel Protection sells $35,000 ofcollision-only coverage for $9 a daythrough TripInsuranceStore.com.

• When you rent from a big online travelagency (OTA) such as Expedia or Priceline,these days the agency typically offers its ownprimary CDW option for around $10 a day.

• Auto Europe quotes rates with andwithout no-deductible CDW. In Italy, forexample, the price difference is $48 aweek for a compact car.

• Another independent company, InsureMy Rental Car (insuremyrentalcar.com)quotes zero-deductible coverage at $32 aweek or $114 per year, but coverage is only$25,000, which may not be enough in a badcollision. That agency offers an alternative

of an annual policy, for a tad under $100 ayear.

• UK-based Worldwide Insure (world-wideinsure.com) offers an alternative forSuper CDW in Europe for 15 pounds(about $24) for a week or 38 pounds annu-ally to travelers age 25 to 84.

The take-away here is straightforward.If you can accept secondary coverage, andit covers you fully, your credit card re-mains the lowest-cost way to protect your-self against big damage claims.

But if, for any reason, you want primarycoverage, or your credit card doesn’t offercomplete coverage, third-party collisioncoverage can protect you against damageclaims for far less than the rental car com-panies charge.

S e n d e - m a i l t o E d P e r k i n s a teperkins@mind.net. Perkins’ new book forsmall business and independent profession-als, “Business Travel When It’s YourMoney,” is now available through www.my-businesstravel.com or www.amazon.com.

TRAVEL TIPSBy Ed Perkins

Consider third-party rental car insuranceHOWARD COUNT Y B E A CON — MAY 2 0 1 5 Say you saw it in the Beacon | Leisure & Travel 25

Tell them you saw it in the Beacon!

By Robert FriedmanThe mother has just flown in on beauti-

ful blue-violet wings to feed her open-beaked fledgling, who actually looks per-turbed, perhaps at a long waiting time forthe meal.

The avian scene of the lilac-breastedrollers, caught last year by Columbiaphotographer Jerry Weinstein with hisNikon D800 at the Maasari Mara GameReserve in Kenya, is one of his 10 imagesof exotic and localbirds now on exhibitat the Robinson Na-ture Center.

The b i r ds havewinged in, via Wein-stein’s photographiceye, from among suchvaried places as thesouthern coast of Ice-land (Atlantic puffins),Serengeti NationalPark in Tanzania (thepin-tailed whydah), ElCalafate, Argentina(the southern lapwingand the rufous-tailed hawk) and from theMaryland Zoo in Baltimore (a snowy owl).

An avian avocation“My wife, Etarae, and I like to travel,”

the 73-year-old Weinstein said. “Photogra-phy is an important component of our trav-els.”

“I’ve always been entranced by birds,”

said the photographer. “They are nature’spaint brush. They offer a huge variety ofcolors, patterns, shapes and sizes.

When I see a bird I want to follow it, see-ing where it’s going, how it’s doing its birdthing without being interrupted bymankind.”

Capturing birds in flight by cameracan be daunting, said Weinstein. “Youhave to know your subject, be aware ofthe light, the composition, make sure the

w i n g s a r e n o tb l ock ing the i rbodies. You haveto try to capturein sharp detail thefineness of theirfeathers. I don’tknow how manyphotos of them I h a v e t h r ownaway.”

T h e r e t i r e dPentagon econo-mist has been con-centrating his pho-tography on na-

ture, in Howard County and around theworld. For over five decades, Weinsteinhas been pointing one Nikon or another atbirds, in flight and at rest, as well as lionsand tigers looking back at him, monkeyscavorting, giraffes entwining necks, andother mostly zoo animals, as well as the in-sides and outside of flowers and naturallandscapes.

Sharing nature tohelp preserve it

He acknowledged thathe has not focused muchon the human species int he mo r e t h an f i v edecades he has been tak-ing, developing, printingand framing his pictures.He has tried to capturethe noble and the playfulof two- and four-leggedcreatures.

“There is enough ugli-ness in the world,” hesaid. “I prefer to go forthe beauty side of na-ture.”

He added: “I’ve al-ways believed in the de-sign of nature, how evendown to the minutest de-tail, nature has done itsbeautiful things.”

One of his principalgoals, he said, is to showwhat is worth preserv-ing in a world that nowthreatens animals andnature through shrink-ing habitats and climatechange, which are upsetting migration pat-terns and territorial homes.

“It is my fervent hope that when peopleare more aware of the great beauty thatsurrounds us, they will be more likely to

preserve it for themselves, for others andfor future generations,” he said.

Weinstein began taking his photos as a

Photos capture the world of the winged

Photographer Jerry Weinstein focuses his lens on the nat-ural world, capturing birds, flowers and zoo animals. Anexhibit of his bird photographs is on display at the Robin-son Nature Center through June.

Arts & Style Ibsen’s Ghosts at Everyman Theatre is a19th century soap opera. See review onpage 29.

26 More at TheBeaconNewspapers.com MAY 2 0 1 5 — HOWARD COUNT Y B E A CON

See PHOTOGRAPHER, page 27

PH

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This photo of two puffins is part of theexhibit.

PH

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youngster visiting the Botanical Gardens Zooat Brooklyn’s Prospect Park. He kept snap-ping through the years, while visiting differ-ent countries, and then in Columbia, where

he moved in 1973. He also played a role in de-veloping early Columbia’s fledging communi-ty by helping start its first synagogue.

Weinstein’s bird photos will be on exhibitthrough June 28. For bird fanciers, the com-plete lineup of images also includes a blue-bird photographed in Columbia, a great

blue heron from Chincoteague, Va., a sad-dle-billed stork from Kenya, and a white ibis,caught on camera at Ft. Myers Beach, Fla.

The Howard County Recreation andParks’ Robinson Nature Center, whichhosts art exhibits accenting the beauty ofthe natural world, is located at 6692 Cedar

Lane, near Route 32. It is open Wednes-days through Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 5p.m., and on Sundays from noon to 5 p.m.Admission to the trails and building is $5.

For more information, call (410) 313-0400or see www.howardcountymd.gov/robin-sonnaturecenter.htm.

jazz in high school bands.” In fact, he wasgoing later that day to judge a jazz musiccompetition at Chantilly High School inFairfax, Va. He added that adults, whomay not be able to earn a living jamming,still play the music as a hobby, if nothingelse.

“I think jazz — Duke Ellington, CountBasie, John Coltrane, Sonny Rollins — willstill be played 50 years from now” he said,emphasizing that (D.C.-native) Ellington“is our Beethoven.”

BarenBregge is proud of the fact that hedirects the Columbia Jazz Band, which iscomposed “95 percent” of Howard Countyresidents ages 35 to 70, all of whom are“excellent musicians.” The ensembleplays concerts and outdoor dances andhave had four performing tours aroundEurope, the leader noted.

The band includes, among other side-men, a doctor researching heart disease, asocial worker, computer scientists, lawyers,

music educators and a retired minister.

Teaching the next generationGreg English, who was honored as Out-

standing Arts Educator, has been teachingin and around Howard County elementaryand high schools for the past 15 years, thelast nine of them at Reservoir High School.An Elkridge resident, the 37-year-old Eng-lish also practices what he teaches, whichis painting and photographer. But he notedthat “I always wanted mostly to be an artseducator.”

While he believes that computers couldbe used in making original work of arts, heteaches the more traditional, manual tech-niques. “It’s important to have that founda-tion” before trying to digitalize whatever itis that creates a true work of art, theteacher said.

He offers technological help for studentswho want to use the Internet for online port-folios of their art and photography work.

Whether it’s through the digital orhands-on route, “I love to open the eyes ofstudents to art,” said English. “It could

have such a powerful effect on them.”English noted that many of today’s stu-

dents appeared to be less patient and fo-cused than students when he first began toteach.

“Art is all about putting in time and ef-fort to learn skills,” he said.

Nevertheless, “those students who arewilling to listen will be at least as creative”as those who came before them. The rest-lessness of many of his students, he said,is compensated by “more innovation andrisk-taking among the budding artists inthe classrooms.”

Howard Bank President and CEO MaryAnn Scully accepted the business awardfor the institution and announced at theceremony that the bank was beginning ascholarship fund for fine arts students atHCCC. The bank will seed the scholarshipwith $20,000, Scully said, and she encour-aged area businesses to contribute to whatshe called “The Celebration of the Arts asan Economic Anchor Scholarship Fund.”

She noted: “The arts do not just lift usup and out of ourselves . . . the arts also

connect and serve as intermediaries andalso build economies.”

Scully, who lives in Clarksville and wasinducted in the Howard County Women’sHall of Fame in 2007, also pointed out thatbesides the jobs created in organizations,the arts can bring in the money with worksthat become tourist attractions. They canalso attract and keep going “a creativeclass of bright, educated earners that cantransform a community.”

Legacy in the Arts award honoree YongKu Ahn was a longtime resident of Colum-bia who died in 2013 at the age of 85. A vir-tuoso violinist who founded and conductedthe Columbia Orchestra, Ahn was also aninternationally recognized teacher. He hadbeen a member of the faculty at PeabodyConservatory of Music in Baltimore for 34years. He was born in what is now NorthKorea.

Information on the Howie Award nomi-nation process for 2015 will be availablebeginning this summer. For more informa-tion, see http://hocoarts.org/celebra-tion_of_the_arts.php.

HOWARD COUNT Y B E A CON — MAY 2 0 1 5 Say you saw it in the Beacon | Arts & Style 27

Howie awardsFrom page 1

PhotographerFrom page 26

SYMPHONIC POPSThe Columbia Orchestra will present well-known hits from films,Broadway, jazz and classics, featuring vocalist Delores King

Williams and the Columbia Jazz Band. The event will take place on Saturday, May16 from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. at the Jim Rouse Theatre, 5460 Trumpeter Lane,Columbia. Tickets range from $10 to $25. For more information or to purchasetickets, visit www.columbiaorchestra.org.

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Experience this funny,insightful, and

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28 Arts & Style | More at TheBeaconNewspapers.com MAY 2 0 1 5 — HOWARD COUNT Y B E A CON

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By Dan CollinsAs any theater student can attest, 19th-

century Norwegian playwright HenrikIbsen was not known for light fare. Ibsenchallenged the repression of the Victorianage, the morals of family life, the tradition-al roles held by men and women in society— the stuff of stuffy university English Litterm papers.

Yet Ibsen has been lauded as second onlyto Shakespeare as a playwright. His A Doll’sHouse is said to have been the world’s mostperformed play by the early 20th century.And Ibsen is still performed before full hous-es even today, including Baltimore’s Every-man Theater where Ibsen’s Ghosts continuesits run now through May 3.

What does Ibsen have to say to modernaudiences, raised on reality television, TMZcelebrity scandals and the Kardashians? Ac-tually, quite a lot, if Ghosts is any indication.

A 19th-century soap operaThe plot of Ghosts is elegantly simple: a

mother welcomes home her “prodigal son,”as Osvald Alving (played by Danny Gavi-gan), a not-so-starving artist fresh from alengthy trip to Paris, describes himself. Butwhy he has returned home becomes thehidden force that moves the entire play.

Everyman favorite Deborah Hazlettplays Osvald’s mother, Mrs. Helene Alv-ing, who has an affinity for reading “un-righteous” books that the local reverend,Pastor Manders (James Whalen), believes

only stir Helene’s “rebellious soul.”Of course, there’s a lot for Mrs. Alving

to be rebelling against — being stuck on alarge estate where a gray rain never stops,living in a foreboding Jayne Eyre-typemanor where everything appears to be col-ored dark depression brown.

But wait, it gets worse, though enter-tainingly so.

Turns out Mrs. Alving’s Mr. Alving was notexactly an adherent to Puritanical Christianvalues, either. The stereotypical “pillar of thecommunity,” the late Mr. Alving had more incommon with Hugh Hefner and ArnoldSchwarzenegger — who fathered a child withthe family maid — than Cotton Mather.

Speaking of maids, Sophie Hinderberg-er plays Regina Engstrand, the Alving fam-ily servant and ward of Mrs. Alving sincechildhood. She’s an independent and prag-matic woman who is driven to excel andraise her social station.

Tossed about like a cork in these unset-tling waters is Whalens’ Manders. Walkingever ram-rod straight, head held high, heis like a fixed moment in time, dwelling ina world of eternal familial and societal val-ues that cannot change, nor should, atleast in his opinion.

Naïve, he is a “bleeding heart” as Mrs.Alving calls him, a term she uses not to be-rate, but out of affection — an affectionIbsen indicates might have at one timebeen something more than platonic.

And what’s an Everyman production

without a scene-stealing performance byresident company member Bruce RandolphNelson? Nelson plays Jakob Engstrand, abearded brigand with a bum leg, a Machi-avellian mind and a sly tongue to match.

Like father, like son?Which brings us back to Osvald Alving,

the prodigal son. Osvald, who appears toshare Oscar Wilde’s tailor, is pallid, per-turbed, and generally preoccupied as hepaces the stage, his demeanor as dreary asthe rainy weather. Something ails Osvald’sbody and spirit, and what that malady isfinds its roots in the failings of his father.

There is a moment when Osvald makesan off-stage advance toward Regina, and inthat moment, Hazlett’s Mrs. Alving reacts

as though she has seen a ghost, which, aswe learn more details about her late hus-band’s “degeneracy,” she has.

This play was said to be shocking and scan-dalous to the audiences who first experiencedit, and it’s easy to see why. Issues ranging fromincest to adultery, children born out of wed-lock, alcoholism, “free love,” suicide, tempta-tion of a man of the cloth, even STDs, are allfood for thought in Ibsen’s Ghosts.

Kudos to director Donald Hicken, whokeeps the pace quick despite an exposi-tion-heavy exchange or two.

Everyman Theater is located at 315 WFayette St., Baltimore, Md. Tickets rangefrom $40 to $60. Ask about senior discounts.

To purchase tickets, call (410) 752-2208or visit www.everymantheatre.org.

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ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY

Furnace Branch 410-761-4150

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Ashland Terrace 410-276-6440

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Randallstown 410-655-5673

Rosedale 410-866-1886

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Towson 410-828-7185

Woodlawn 410-281-1120

EASTERN SHORE

Easton 410-770-3070

HARFORD COUNTY

Bel Air 410-893-0064

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HOWARD COUNTY

Colonial Landing 410-796-4399

Columbia 410-381-1118

Ellicott City 410-203-9501

Ellicott City II 410-203-2096

Emerson 301-483-3322

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Bladensburg 301-699-9785

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HOWARD COUNT Y B E A CON — MAY 2 0 1 5 Say you saw it in the Beacon | Arts & Style 29

S T R U T G E E S E A S SP A I N E R E M I X L A WU P T H E V O L U M E L Y EN A Z I I C E P R A I S E

P I K E R E S T S T O PA L T S E R P O S S EB A H T S T E N O R E SO V E R I N O N E S G R A V EW A R E A R T O T T E R

E A T M E A S A E R AO U T T H E L I G H T SU N U S E D R E O T B S PI S R A B L I N D E Y E T OJ A N C O A S T B L E A KA Y S T Y P E S B E R R Y

ANSWERS TO SCRABBLE

ANSWERS TO CROSSWORDFROM PAGE 30

Rebellious souls haunt Ibsen’s Ghosts

SYMPHONIC POPSMAY 16, 2015 at 7:30pm

Jim Rouse Theatre, 5460 Trumpeter Road, Columbia, MD410-465-8777       www.columbiaorchestra.org

Order your tickets now to reserve the best seats!Tickets range from $10-$25 ($2 service fee may apply)

Selections from Into the Woods, Carousel, Porgy and Bess, and more. Featuring Delores King Williams, and 

the Columbia Jazz Band Delores King Williams vocalist

30 More at TheBeaconNewspapers.com MAY 2 0 1 5 — HOWARD COUNT Y B E A CON

HB5/15

Scrabble answers on p. 29.

Crossword PuzzleDaily crosswords can be found on our website:

www.TheBeaconNewspapers.comClick on Puzzles Plus

Answers on page 29.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13

14 15 16

17 18 19

20 21 22 23

24 25 26

27 28 29 30 31

32 33 34 35 36 37

38 39 40 41

42 43 44

45 46 47 48 49

50 51 52 53

54 55 56 57 58 59

60 61 62 63

64 65 66

67 68 69

2. Spanish appetizer3. Ostentatious display4. Frumpy5. There’s one in “two”6. Root seller7. Conger chaser8. Down Under bird9. TV family since 198910. Makes an effort11. Settle on similar sounds12. Authority13. Clean a fireplace18. MN athlete23. Create a box of candies25. It is found twice in Mississippi26. Olympian’s weapon27. Take ___28. Molten chocolate29. Retail rejections of The King

or The Jedi33. Special rewards34. Demolition team’s tool36. “Only those who dare to fail greatly

can ___ achieve greatly” (RFK)37. Red Cross supplies39. Recipient of “Jr.”, perhaps40. Pitcher Hershiser41. The one who lost the game46. Caught in ___47. T-Men48. In stilettos50. Board of appeals51. “Once it’s said, you can’t ___ it”52. Rhyme for “my eyes” in Daydream

Believer53. Project Runway goal57. Saloon selective58. General promotion59. Moving like a snail62. Once around the track63. Relent, like the tides

Take Turns by Stephen Sherr

Across1. Move like Jagger6. Mother and Silly11. He has no common sense14. He wrote “Common Sense”15. Create the disco version16. Fundamental principle17. Crank it!19. Honestly, it’s a “concentrated aqueoussolution of sodium hydroxide”20. Strict grammarian21. “The rocks”22. Give a lifetime achievement award24. Place for gas, coffee, and cigarettes27. Space next to the space bar30. Long Sun. talk31. Manhunters32. Thai payment34. Toe total35. Hematite and magetite38. Protest retroactively42. Gates’ was soft; Dell’s was hard43. Watercolors and ice sculptures44. Aquatic mammal45. Wonderful words on a cake47. Innocent ___ lamb49. Sinkerballer’s stat.50. Close down for the night54. Brand new55. Vintage car56. Vanilla qty.60. South of Leb.61. Neglect64. Girl between Marsha and Cindy65. Roll downhill66. Cold and barren67. Fonzie’s approvals68. Prepares a manuscript69. It’s stuffed in a muffinDown1. Rode a ferris wheel

PUZZLE PAGE

HOWARD COUNT Y B E A CON — MAY 2 0 1 5 More at TheBeaconNewspapers.com 31

KIND, DEPENDABLE, EXPERIENCEDcaregiver for live-out care or live-in care for aflat rate. Hygiene care, Meal preparation,Housekeeping, Errands, Appointments, Med-ication reminders. Call 301-490-1146.

PROBLEMS WITH YOUR PC/MAC ORNETWORK? Computer Systems Engineer willcome to you with help. Call: David G at 301-642-4526.

TAXES, ACCOUNTING, BOOKKEEPING,eldercare. CPA 38 years, reasonable rates. Call410-653-3363.

2 SALVADOR DALI woodblock prints fromDante’s Divine Comedy. Signed and framed.Asking $900 for the pair. Can email pictures ifdesired. Call Steve 410-913-1653.

BALTIMORE’S BEST JUNK REMOVAL –Clean Outs: Whole House, Emergency,Attics/Basements. Furniture and Junk Re-moval, Yard Waste Removal, General Hauling,Construction Debris Removal. Free estimates.10% Senior Discount. Licensed, Bonded and In-sured. Call Jesse, 443-379-HAUL (4285).

SANFORD & SON HAULING & RECY-CLING. Trash + Junk removal, house & estatecleanouts, garage + basement cleanouts. Demoli-tion – Shed, deck fence + pool removal. Licensed +insured. Free estimates over the phone. Call 7days a week, 7 am to 7 pm. 410-746-5090.

LEARN ENGLISH – SPANISH – ITALIAN –FRENCH – PORTUGUESE Conversational.Grammatical. Private lessons. ReasonableRates. Tutoring students. 443-352-8200.

WE BUY JEWELRY, SILVER, GOLD, ANDCOSTUME. Coins, Paper Money Too. Watches,Clocks, Military Badges and Patches Old andNew. Call Greg, 717-658-7954.

OLD AND NEW, WE BUY STERLING SIL-VER FLATWARE,Tea Sets, Single Pieces of Sil-ver, Large pieces of Silver Plate. Attic, Basementor Garage. Call Greg, 717-658-7954. You havesomething to SELL, we are looking to BUY.

VINYL RECORDS WANTED from 1950through 1985. Jazz, Rock-n-Roll, Soul, Rhythm& Blues, Reggae and Disco. 33 1/3 LPs, 45s or78s, Larger collections of at least 100 itemswanted. Please call John, 301-596-6201.

BUYING ANTIQUES, ESTATES – Cash paidfor jewelry, gold, silver, old coins, pens, toys,dolls, old sports golf, baseball, any collections.Call Tom, 240-476-3441.

BUYING MILITARY MEMORABILIAWW2,WW1, Civil War uniforms, weapons, photos anditems associated with US, German, Japanese oritems of other Military History. DAVE, 240-464-0958.

COLLECTOR BUYING MILITARY ITEMS:Helmets, weapons, rifles, shot guns, knives, swords,bayonets, web gear, uniforms, etc. from all wars andcountries. Large quantities are okay. Will pay topprices for my personal collection. Discreet consulta-tions. Call Fred, 301-910-0783.

FINE ANTIQUES, PAINTINGS AND QUAL-ITY VINTAGE FURNISHINGS wanted by aserious capable buyer. I am very well educated[law degree] knowledgeable [over 40 years inthe antique business] and have the finances andwherewithal to handle virtually any situation. Ifyou have a special item, collection or importantestate I would like to hear from you. I pay greatprices for great things in all categories from ori-ental rugs to Tiffany objects, from rare clocks tofirearms, from silver and gold to classic cars. If itis wonderful, I am interested. No phony promis-es or messy consignments. References gladlyfurnished. Please call Jake Lenihan, 301-279-8834. Thank you.

CLASSIFIEDSThe Beacon prints classified advertising

under the fol low ing headings: Business &Employment Opportunities; Caregivers;Computer Services; Entertainment; ForSale; For Sale/Rent: Real Estate; Free;Health; Home/ Handy man Services; Mis-cellaneous; Personals; Per son al Services;Va ca tion Opportunities; and Want ed. Forsub mis sion guide lines and dead lines, seethe box on the right.

CAVEAT EMPTOR!The Beacon does not know ing ly ac cept

ob scene, of fen sive, harmful, or fraudulentadvertising. How ev er, we do not in ves ti -gate any ad ver tis ers or their prod ucts andcan not ac cept re spon si bil i ty for the in teg -ri ty of either. Re spon dents to clas si fied ad -ver tis ing should al ways use cau tion andtheir best judg ment.

EMPLOYMENT & REAL ESTATE ADS: We will not knowingly or intentionally ac-

cept ad ver tis ing in violation of federal, state,and local laws pro hib it ing dis crim i na tionbased on race, color, national origin, sex, fa mil -ial sta tus or handicap in connection with em-ployment or the sale or rental of real estate.

TO PLACE A CLASSIFIEDDeadlines and Payments: Ad text and payment is due by the 5th of each month.

Note: Only ads received and prepaid by the deadline will be included in the next month’s

issue. Please type or print your ad carefully. Include a number where you can be reached in

the event of a question.

Payment is due with ad. We do not accept ads by phone or fax, nor do we accept

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Private Party Text Ads: For individuals seeking to buy or sell particular items, or place a

personal ad. Each ad is $10 for 25 words, 25 cents for each additional word.Business Text Ads: For parties engaged in an ongoing business enterprise.

Each ad is $25 for 25 words, 50 cents for each additional word. Note: Each real estate listing counts as one business text ad.

Send your classified ad with check or money order, payable to the Beacon, to:

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Clinical Research Studies

IDEAL Health Study . . . . . . . . .12Elderly Falls Prevention Study . .12

EventsCOGS Meeting . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14

Funeral Services Harry H. Witzke’s Family Funeral Homes, Inc. . . . . . . . . .21Going Home Cremations . . . . . . .6Sol Levinson & Bros., Inc. . . . . .10

Home Health CareA-1 Action Nursing Care . . . . . .13Homewatch Caregivers . . . . . . . .10Options for Senior America . . . . . . .5

Housing Brooke Grove . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32Charlestown Independent Living/Erickson . . . . . . . . . . . .21Gatherings at Quarry Place . . . . . .9

Heartlands of Ellicott City . . . . .20Homecrest House . . . . . . . . . . . . .8Homewood at Willow Ponds . . . . .7Ivy Manor Normandy . . . . . . . . .25Park View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29Shangri-La Assisted Living . . . . .4Shriner Court/Quantum . . . . . . .26Somerford Place/5 Star Senior Living . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11Vantage House . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6

Legal Services Frank, Frank & Scherr Law Firm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19Law offices of Rick Todd . . . . . .19

Medical/HealthAudiology First, LLC . . . . . . . . . .7BW Eye Center . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8Maryland Relay Dial 711 . . . . . . .4Medical Eye Center . . . . . . . . . .14Salt Sanctuary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22

PharmaciesEllicott City Pharmacy . . . . . . . .12CVS/pharmacy . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24

RetailColumbia’s Village Centers . . . .14WOW! Computer . . . . . . . . . . . .28

Senior Services The Senior Connection . . . . .15-18

Skilled Nursing& Rehabilitation

CommuniCare . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13

Theatre/Entertainment

ChesapeakeShakespeare Company . . . . . . .27Columbia Orchestra . . . . . . . . . .29Columbia Pro Cantare . . . . . . . .26Hippodrome . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3Toby’s Dinner Theatre . . . . . . . . .27

Tour & TravelCoal Country Tours . . . . . . . . . . .25Eyre Tour & Travel . . . . . . . . . . .25Homestead . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20

ADVERTISERS IN THIS ISSUE

32 More at TheBeaconNewspapers.com M A Y 2 0 1 5 — H O WA R D C O U N T Y B E A C O N

May 2015

UPCOMING SEMINARS & EVENTSat Brooke Grove retirement village

As experts in senior care and memory support, Brooke Grove Retirement Village is pleased to offer seminars and events that promote physical, spiritual and mental well-being.

All seminars and events will be held at Brooke Grove Rehabilitation and Nursing Center, located at 18131 Slade School Road on the Brooke Grove Retirement Village Campus.

Please register with Toni Davis at 301-388-7209 or tdavis@bgf.org.

Living Well Seminar: “Unlocking Your Inner Pharmacy:

Pills and Skills”May 13, 7-8:15 p.m.

Lifestyle choices—or skills—don’t necessarily replace pills, but developing these skills can help improve certain

medical conditions and equip you to talk confidently with your physician. Light supper at 6:30 p.m.

FREE. Register by May 11.

Alzheimer’s support groupMay 20, 3:30-4:30 p.m.

Sponsored by the Alzheimer’s Association, this free group provides support,

understanding and helpful information for caregivers and those touched by this

disease. Confidentiality assured.

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Support for the caregiver seminar: “Caring for Yourself

as You Care for Others”May 19, 2-3 p.m.

This seminar will identify ways to find balance as a caregiver, including accepting help from others, knowing your limits and making time for yourself.

FREE. Register by May 17.

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Gentle Yoga ClassesMondays & Wednesdays, 3-3:45 p.m.

May 4 – June 10, 2015

Six-week session: $89 • Walk-ins: $8.50 per class

Enjoy the health benefits of yoga in this class for beginners and those with stiffness or movement limitations. All poses may be done using a chair.

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18100 Slade School Road Sandy Spring, MD 20860

301-260-2320 www.bgf.org