Warren County senior lifestyles

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February 27, 2013February 27, 2013

A SUPPLEMENT TO THE RECORD-HERALD AND INDIANOLA TRIBUNE

Thomasine Durham, a resident at Windsor

Manor in Indianola, spendstime with her dog, Bup.Residents with pets are

more active and lesssecluded. Page 6.

Thomasine Durham, a resident at Windsor

Manor in Indianola, spendstime with her dog, Bup.Residents with pets are

more active and lesssecluded. Page 6.

4 • Wednesday, February 27, 2013

(BPT) — Do you dreamof the day you can retire,but aren’t sure how to getthere? You’re not alone.Many people find it easierto avoid reality when itcomes to planning for re-tirement.

“That can lead to bigmistakes in their retire-ment income planning,”said Zachary Gipson, vicepresident of retirementand wealth planning atUSAA.

Here’s a look at fivecommon myths that could

derail your expectationsfor income when you re-tire.

Myth 1: You won’t bearound long enough togo through your money.

The reality: Life expec-tancies are at recordhighs in the United States,so it’s important to ac-knowledge that you or afamily member mightspend as many years in re-tirement as you did work-ing. According to a 2010report by the National

Academy of Social Insur-ance, for a 65-year-oldmarried couple, there’s a48 percent chance thatone spouse will live to age90.

To help stretch yourmoney, consider incorpo-rating immediate and de-ferred annuities into yourplanning. Created to pro-vide guaranteed, lifelongincome in retirement,they also can offer guar-anteed growth while

5 common mythsthat can derailretirement income

See RETIRE, Page 5D

Wednesday, February 27, 2013 • 5

you’re saving for it, Gip-son said.

A long retirement ex-tends your exposure toone of financial plan-ning’s most subtle ene-mies: inflation. As you in-vest, it’s important toseek a mix of assets thatguard against the declin-ing value of the dollar andthat is in line with yourrisk tolerance and goals.

Myth 2: You shouldget out of stocks whenyou retire.

The reality: Stocks canhelp provide the long-term growth you need tomake your assets lastlonger since your retire-ment could span severaldecades.

You’ve probably heardyou should reduce yourinvestment risk as youage. But with traditionalpensions being replacedby 401(k) plans, you’rewholly responsible formaking asset allocationdecisions. As Gipson putit, “Everyone now has tobe a pension fund man-ager with their own mon-ey, and most people justaren’t equipped to dothat.”

Gipson agreed with thenotion of dampening port-folio risk at retirement,but that doesn’t mean get-ting rid of stocks entirely.

Rather, regularly review-ing, and if necessary, re-balancing your portfoliobased on your risk toler-ance can lock in gainsfrom strong-performingasset classes and allowyou to buy those that un-derperform at cheaperprices.

Myth 3: You can justkeep working.

The reality: Countingon being able to work aslong as you want is dan-gerous, Gipson said. Em-ployers are feeling pres-sure to cut costs, and withhigh unemployment,finding work is always achallenge. A disabilityalso could force you tostop working premature-ly.

Many people thinkthey can simply worklonger if they don’t haveenough money to retire.According to a recent sur-vey by the Employee Ben-efit Research Institute, 74percent of workers planto work at least part timeduring their retirementyears, and working in re-tirement has become anecessity for many.

Good planning doesn’trely on good fortune.Rather, your plan shouldboth keep you from hav-ing to work the rest ofyour life and deal with theconsequences of unex-pected surprises that pre-vent you from earning apaycheck.

Myth 4: An inheri-

tance will bail you out.The reality: You might

be hoping for an inheri-tance as a potential retire-ment boost. But hope isnot a strategy, and count-ing on an inheritance cancreate big problems if itdoesn’t come through.

Many people who ex-pect to inherit moneynever do so, Gipson said.And even for those whodo inherit money, it’s of-ten too little or comes toolate to make a differencein their retirement plan-ning, he said. The saferthing to do is to treat an in-heritance as an unexpect-ed bonus rather than rely-ing on it.

Myth 5: Your taxeswill be lower in retire-ment.

The reality: Big gov-ernment deficits makefuture tax increasesmuch more likely. Also,taking money out of re-tirement accounts, suchas traditional IRAs and401(k)s, creates taxableincome that can push youinto higher tax brackets.

One suggestion Gipsonoffered is to consider con-verting part of your eligi-ble retirement assets to aRoth IRA. By doing so,you’ll pay taxes now, butyou’ll create a tax-freepool of money to tap in re-tirement. Diversifyingwith both Roth and tradi-tional IRAs is a possibleway to handle future taxuncertainty.

RETIREContinued from Page 4D


Windsor Manor in Indi-anola recognizes the ben-efit of pet ownership forseniors is well-document-ed; they’ve also seen itfirst-hand. According tothe American VeterinaryMedical Association, re-search shows it can lowerblood pressure, reducecardiovascular disease

and feelings of stress,lower cholesterol levelsand improve socializationand overall health.

That translates to few-er doctor appointments,increased sense of re-sponsibility and alert-ness, reduced sense ofloneliness, increased ac-tivity during the day, plusgood old-fashioned fun!

“We feel the positivesof residents having pets

far outweigh any negativ-es,” said Windsor ManorLife Enrichment Coordi-nator, Daphanie Chirch.“Knowing we accept theirpet makes moving in a lotless scary and reducestheir stress. The transi-tion is easier because theresident views their ani-mal as a loved one and notjust a pet.

“We notice that resi-dents with pets are moreactive, less secluded andeven our residents whodon’t have pets enjoy thecompany of the animalshere at Windsor Manor,”she added.

Thomasine Durham, a

resident at Windsor Man-or, says she wouldn’t havemoved in without her dog,Bup, a rat terrier. “While Ihave other family thatlives away, Bup is myfamily here. He’s goodcompany and makes liv-ing here less monotonous;he’s a little bit of home.”

Not everyone has a be-loved pet already, but be-fore you rush out and buythat dog, cat, or bird foryour loved one, make sureyou are making the rightpet adoption decision.

According to AARP,senior citizens need and

The right pet can providecompanionship to seniorsSeniors feel less isolated andenjoy more physical activitywhen they care for a pet

By Jerilee MaceSpecial to The Record-Herald

Thomasine Durham, a resident at Windsor Manor in

Indianola, holds her dog. The facility allows residents to

keep pets. Pets provide companionship and encourage

physical activity. MICHAEL ROLANDS/RECORD-HERALDSee PET, Page 9D


A 100-year-old residentat Vintage Hills Retire-ment Community of Indi-anola celebrated Valen-tine’s Day by makingscarves and donatingthem to a local church.

Velma Newman, origi-nally from Indianola, hascalled Vintage Hills homesince June 2012. She hasbeen knitting scarves for90 years and has since

made thousands.Newman is just one of

many active residents atVintage Hills.

Since arriving at Vin-tage Hills in July 2011,Newell Foust has writtenone book about his life,and he is currently writ-ing another to share withhis family and friends.

“It’s a book about mylife. It’s about humorousthings that happened tome,” Foust said last week.“I guess I led a pretty in-

teresting life.”Foust organized a com-

munity craft fair at Vin-tage Hills last Octoberand is organizing anotherone this fall, with the pro-ceeds being donated to theAlzheimer’s Association.

Foust, who grew up inLiberty Center andworked as a CPA, said heregularly attended nu-merous craft shows,where he sold wood bird

Projects, eventskeep Vintage Hillresidents activeBy Kevin [email protected]

Velma Newman has been knitting scarves for 90 years. PHOTO COURTESY OF VINTAGE HILLSSee SENIORS, Page 8D


houses and squirrel feed-ers.

Vivian Reinaberger, aresident since February2011, does everythingfrom greeting guests atthe door and directingthem around the commu-nity, to setting up andtearing down events andcalling bingo.

“She’s at the windowfirst thing in the morningwanting to know what shecan do,” said Annette Gro-chala, executive director.

Reinaberger also lovespostcards. She regularlyparticipated in postcardshows in Cedar Rapidsand Wichita, Kan., whereshe bought and sold postcards. At her peak, shehad “thousands” of post-cards.

Former Fifth JudicialAssociate Judge John

Crouch recently hosted acribbage tournament atVintage Hills, and claimsto be one of top Wii bow-lers at the retirementcommunity.

“Time goes fast whenyou are having fun,” hesaid.

Crouch also helpedcoach mock trial at Indi-anola Middle School for10 years. Crouch, from In-dianola, served 35 yearson the bench in the fifthjudicial district.

“We made state everytime I was one of thecoaches, but they had a lotof good coaches,” Crouchsaid.

Crouch said he likesthe size of Vintage Hills.

“I like it because we’rethe smallest of the bigthree around here andyou’re not fightingcrowds ever,” he said.“It’s a nice, quiet, peace-ful place.”

Vintage Hills resident Vivian Reinaberger greets guests,

gives tours and calls bingo among her various activities.

MICHAEL ROLANDS/RECORD-HERALD PHOTOS

Newell Foust and John Crouch are two of the active

residents at Vintage Hills. Foust wrote a book about his life

and raised money for Alzheimer's research with a craft fair.

Crouch, a former judge, helped coach the Indianola Middle

School mock trial team.

SENIORSContinued from Page 7D

VINTAGE HILLSEXPANSION

A new three-story co-opliving facility is currentlyunder construction at VintageHills.

Annette Grochala, executivedirector, said the facility isscheduled to open in Augustand would be open to peopleages 55 and older. She isn’tsure exactly how many unitswill be available.

“They live independentlythere,” she said. “They wouldbe able to purchase services,like meals and housekeep-ing.”


appreciate the companyof a pet probably morethan any other age group.An important thing to con-sider for an elder who isgetting a pet is the antici-pated lifespan of the cho-sen animal. Will someonewho selected a pet at age65 still be willing and ableto care physically and fi-nancially for the animal atage 75 or 80?

At Windsor Manor thissituation has always re-solved itself. “Often an-other resident or staffperson will adopt a pet ifneed be,” says Chirch.Windsor Manor currentlyhas five pet residents.

The AARP also cau-tions to never get any typeof pet for an elder citizenwithout consulting withthe individual first. If

they are in agreement andare willing to assume allthe responsibilities of car-ing for an animal, takethem with you when yougo to a kennel or breederand let them select thekind of pet that appeals tothem. A loving pet candefinitely bring its ownermany years of satisfac-tion and affection.

“I think the most im-portant thing to consideris matching the pet withthe ability and function of

the individual,” said Dr.Scott Moline, a veterinari-an at Kindness Pet Clinic.“Research the character-istics, needs and habits ofeach type of pet and selectthe one that is the best fit.

“In general, smallerbred adult dogs that arenot hyper or mature catsmake the best pets if theindividual is mobile,” hecontinued. “When mobil-ity decreases, owning abird or even a fish canmake a huge difference inthe cognitive function ofthe individual because ofthe socialization itbrings.”

If a pet adoption iswell-thought out, it canbring a great deal of joyinto a senior’s life.

As this site (www.dog-adoption-and-training-guide.com) says,pet adoption is a bit likedating; there has to besome chemistry or itwon’t work.

PETContinued from Page 6D

“When mobilitydecreases, owning abird or even a fishcan make a hugedifference in thecognitive function ofthe individual.”DR. SCOTT MOLINE,veterinarian at Kindness Pet

Clinic


The search is on forIowa’s outstanding sen-ior volunteer.

The Salute to SeniorService program, spon-sored by Home InsteadInc., the franchisor ofthe Home Instead Senior

Care network, honors thecontributions of adults65 and older who give atleast 15 hours per monthof volunteer service totheir favorite causes.

Nominations are ac-cepted through March

31. State winners will beselected by popular voteat SalutetoSeniorService.com. Online votingwill take place fromApril 15 to 30. Fromthose state winners, apanel of senior care ex-

perts will pick the nation-al Salute to Senior Ser-vice honoree.

Home Instead Inc. willdonate $500 to each of thestate winners’ favoritenonprofit organizations,and their stories will be

posted on the Salute toSenior Service Wall ofFame. In addition, $5,000will be donated to the na-tional winner’s nonprofitcharity of choice.

To view the contest’srules, visit Saluteto

SeniorService.com.Completed nominationforms also can be mailedto Salute to Senior Ser-vice, P.O. Box 285, Belle-vue, NE 68005. For moreinformation, call 515-978-7991.

Residents encouraged to nominate senior volunteers


(BPT) — More babyboomers and older adultsare taking a proactive ap-proach to heart health.Living a heart-healthylifestyle in your goldenyears and dealing withany type of diagnosishead-on is the smart wayto keep your heart pump-ing strong for many yearsto come. Following thesefive easy steps can helpyou take control.

1. Exercise yourheart by stayingactive.

Increasing your heartrate through daily exer-cise can help keep yourheart healthy and help youlive longer. Good heart-healthy activities includewalking, swimming and

bicycling. Stay motivatedby exercising with afriend.

2. Eat heart-healthyfoods.

Fresh fruits and vege-tables are fantastic forheart health. Make it yourgoal to eat a variety of col-ors every day. Wholegrains and fish rich inomega-3 fatty acids alsoare good choices.

3. Consult yourdoctor aboutheart-healthysupplements.

As we age, sometimesour bodies can’t absorb vi-tamins and minerals aswell as when we wereyounger. Many people

take vitamin D and a low-dose aspirin daily oncethey hit their 50s or 60s.Ask your doctor for rec-ommendations.

4. Schedule yourannual physical.

An annual physical isthe cornerstone of pre-ventative care. At yourappointment, make sureyou get your blood pres-sure and cholesterolchecked. Have your doc-tor explain what thosenumbers mean for you.

5. Don’t be afraid toask questions.

No matter what, whenit comes to the health ofyour heart, ask questions.If you are diagnosed witha slow heartbeat and need

a pacemaker, talk withyour doctor about your op-tions and determine if apacemaker that is ap-proved for use in an MRImay be right for you.

Marilyn Rose of Rich-ardson, Texas, ate healthy,exercised regularly andscheduled yearly physi-cals, but at age 80 she fre-quently felt tired andshort of breath. Rose wasscheduled for an echocar-diogram, a heart test thatallows the doctor to seethe movement of theheart, and it was then thatshe learned she had a con-dition called bradycardia,or a slow heartbeat. Roseneeded a pacemaker tohelp her live a full life, butshe learned that histori-cally, pacemakers havenot been approved in theU.S. for use with MRIs.

She was concerned; sheknew at her age the likeli-hood that she might needan MRI at some point washigh.

After talking with herdoctor and asking plentyof questions, Rose learnedthat the FDA had ap-proved the first pacemak-er that was fit for use inthe MRI environment.

Today, after getting herpacemaker, she’s feelinggreat and is back to herregular life, swimming,knitting and playing withher five grandkids. Herfriends call her the “Ener-gizer bunny,” and with herpacemaker she says shefeels better than she didbefore. For Rose, askingthe right questions made alife-changing difference.

Rose’s story is just oneexample of how the deci-

sions you make today canimpact your health tomor-row. She is now part of aneducational campaigncalled “Join the Pace Mak-ers,” because she wants toshare her experience andhelp inform others aboutheart health and their op-tions when it comes tochoosing a pacemaker.

Whether you want totake on your golden yearswith a heart-healthy out-look, or you are a child ofaging parents and youwant them to live a long,full life, these tips canhelp you reach your goals.If you know someone whoneeds a pacemaker, youhave an opportunity tomake a difference.

Learn more and be-come a Pace Maker atwww.JoinThePaceMakers.com.

5 steps to taking control of your heart health

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Warren County senior lifestyles