July/August 2015 60 PLUS In Omaha
-
Upload
omaha-magazine -
Category
Documents
-
view
217 -
download
1
description
Transcript of July/August 2015 60 PLUS In Omaha
WORLD TRAVELER HISTORIC PRESERVER
Susan Bray comes home
RETIREMENT on the road
JulyAugust 2015
PICKLEBALL more fun than drinking a
barrel of vinegar
VNA Complete In-home Care
402-342-5566 wwwtheVNAcaresorg
Companion Care Skilled Home Care Infusion Therapy Home HealthTechnology Hospice and Palliative Care
2014 best of ad v2 for yearindd 1 1242014 104245 AM
wwwgiglawncom | 40291LAWN1 (9152961)
Retire Your Lawn to the Prorsquos
100 Satisfaction Guarantee10 Discount for All Seniors
We can handle all your spring cleanup fertilizing landscaping and mowing needs
bull Fertilization amp Weed Controlbull Mulch Installation bull Spring Cleanupbull Sprinkler Turn On amp Inspectionbull Landscape Maintenance bull Weekly Mowing
bull Plant CutbackHedge Trimmingbull Aeration bull Power Raking bull Over-Seedingbull Drill Seeding bull Concrete Edging
plus more
S2 60PLUS | julyaugust 2015 | omahamagazinecom
Until next issue
GwenGwen LemkeContributing Editor 60PLUS In Omaha
REFLECTIONStraveling the highway of memories
T HE LEGENDARY SHOOT-EM-UP WESTERN writer Louis LrsquoAmour believed ldquoNo memory is ever alone itrsquos at the end of a trail of memories a dozen trails that each
have their own associationsrdquoMemory is a recurring theme in this issue of 60PLUS
Memories of travel Memories of adventure Memories of love And of love lost Even editor David Williams explores the mysteries of memory in closing this issue with The Grandpa Chronicles
We hope the recollections found on the pages that follow give you pause to reflect on your own experiences your own memories At our age after all we have so many more (as LrsquoAmour would put it) ldquotrailsrdquo to travel
May we suggest that you read this issue outdoors in the waning light of a summerrsquos day as you bask in the serene stillness of a beautiful sunset
What better trailhead could there be for launching a journey down memory lane
60PLUS FROM THE EDITOR
julyaugust 2015 | 60PLUS S3
FEATURE Susan Bray
World Traveler Historic Preserver S4
FINANCESDiscovering How to Apply for VA Benefits S8
HISTORY Ghost HostmdashThe Squirrel Cage Jail S10
COVER FEATURE Pickleball
More Fun Than Drinking a Barrel of Vinegar S14
HEALTH Skin Cancer Continues to Rise S18
FACES Retirement on the Road S20
THE GRANDPA CHRONICLES Lord Acton Said it Best S22
CONTENTS volume 3 bull issue 3
WORLD TRAVELER HISTORIC PRESERVER
Susan Bray comes home
S4 60PLUS | julyaugust 2015 | omahamagazinecom
by mandy mowers | photography by bill sitzmann
60PLUS FEATURE
julyaugust 2015 | 60PLUS S5
S USAN BRAY HAS NEVER been one to shy away from attention She built her life around standing out
As a blonde long-haired ldquohippie chickrdquo in the 1970s Bray stood out in some Asian and Middle-Eastern countries that had never welcomed a white woman traveling solo
Her adventures started after she left Nebraska and moved to Honolulu to live with her brother after college A few years later Bray married a physicist They eventu-ally relocated to Guammdashldquothe hottest place on Godrsquos green earthrdquo according to Bray And she would know
The travel bug bit hard soon after the couple divorced Shersquos visited more than 50 countries in her 70 years of life Most of her 50 coun-tries came in a span of five years during three different trips
She saw the cage in Titian where she believes Amelia Earhart was held captive by the Japanese until her death She was goosed by a camel in Afghanistan And she was horned in the rear by a water buffalo in Nepal
Bray most recalls the kindness of the people in Nepal Itrsquos her favorite country While there she rented a motorcycle and headed toward Mount Everestmdashat least until it broke down She says ldquoIt wasnrsquot a Harley Irsquoll tell yourdquo But even out in the remote rice paddies she quickly found help
She went to Agra to see the Taj Mahal It is the second most beautiful work of archi-tecture shersquos ever seen The most stunning edifice Bray saw was the Golden Pagoda in Burma (now Myanmar) ldquoIt was like eight to 10 stories high and it had a spiral staircase like the Guggenheimrdquo In an excited whisper she then adds ldquoIt was all plated gold Just startling when you see itrdquo
Traveling cost a lot She came home to her mother in Omaha in 1976 with about 45 cents to her name Thankfully pay phones only cost a dime at the time
Subconsciously Bray may have been studying art and architecture all over the world because she knew thatrsquos where her heart was Her passion led her to city planning in Omaha which evolved into historic preservation
Soon she grew restless and weary of Midwestern winters Bray bought a house in Hawaii and lived there until her mother
became ill To be closer to her she moved to La Jolla Calif
Quickly getting involved in historic pres-ervation once again ldquoI ended up being in charge of the restoration of downtown San Diegordquo Bray says ldquoI did an area called the Gaslamp Quarter It was all old buildings I didhellip96 of themrdquo
In her living room is a newspaper clipping from the San Diego Tribune the headline of which reads ldquoGunslinger of the Gaslamp Susan Bray is the guardian of downtownrsquos historical integritymdashlike her or notrdquo
She looks at the photo in the clipping and says ldquoThe guys working on this building gave me a pink construction hat So cuterdquo
Reflecting on Gaslamp Bray says ldquoThatrsquos my biggest contribution I changed the foot-print of a city And thatrsquos foreverrdquo
Bray thinks a lot about legacies because shersquos been diagnosed with a rare degenerative brain disease similar to Lou Gehrigrsquos called Orthostatic Hypotension Itrsquos terminal This news came after she already survived lym-phoma and breast cancer
Her doctor in California recommended that she live near her burial site So six years
ago she threw all her photos a small red chair and a blue stool in her car to come back to Omaha
Although she always appreciated the sense of community here she felt sad to find so many of her good friends had already passed away or moved Shersquos grateful for the new friends she has made and some friends from Westide High School shersquos reconnected with
Bray does not know the meaning of the term stranger ldquoI dialed the wrong number the other night in San Diego and I ended up talking to a 79-year-old woman for an hourrdquo she says
Even sales calls get a taste of her gusto ldquoMy daily joy is making people laughrdquo she says ldquoI think thatrsquos why God put me on this earthrdquo
So even though Bray has to ldquofill a bathtub to feel at homerdquo so far from the ocean shersquos made a home again in Omaha Inside her apartment Brayrsquos parakeet Big Boy sings in the background Combine that with the vintage blond art deco floorsmdashldquoI would only ever live in a historic propertyrdquomdashit could almost be a tropical getaway
S6 60PLUS | julyaugust 2015 | omahamagazinecom
60PLUS FEATURE
60PLUS featureMemory loss Stumbles and falls A spousewho doesnrsquot sleep at night Most of ushave people in our lives facing challengeslike these
Many older adults in our community are struggling to stay in their own homes even if they have the means to hire help
Home Care Assistance provides a level of care that enhances the independence of older adults includingthose with Alzheimerrsquos Parkinsonrsquos or who are recovering from stroke or surgery
Perhaps you know an older adult who would benefit fromldquoassisted living mdash at homerdquo Encourage that person tolearn more about how Omaharsquos premier home care company can help him or her continue to lead a full life
Call us We can help 402-763-9140 HomeCareAssistanceOmahacom
Soins
omamagcomsave
SUBSCRIBE TODAY
Donrsquot miss a single issue of Omaha Magazine
trade
Mayor Jean Stothert
Jim FlowersWeathers the Storm
Omaharsquos Best Doctorsreg
Omaharsquos 2013 BIG GIVE
Leading in a Manrsquos World
SEPTEMBEROCTOBER bull 2013
$2a$10$BV2a7VBdNEaP8TLqH43gOY8GyBeii959fEMuGFh6fTZktxU5toeU1BBQ0UgR09FUyBIRVJFTkVXTElORSBHT0VTIEhFUkU=n$2a$10$VQy5sjVaOIi93aOzrmXNOWOEUlVTxtUp4KLHYoUvJHGImzEGnKqU1BBQ0UgR09FUyBIRVJFTkVXTElORSBHT0VTIEhFUkU=n$2a$10$BSUej3mkaYgBL6SHdzkruVCLTOdrTeuMC7tENIJRio4k7r1S522U1BBQ0UgR09FUyBIRVJFTkVXTElORSBHT0VTIEhFUkU=n$2a$10$8lJaZ1bjql9MsIVt9chbEODEK1V4DMh2sWCqgO3EOkcmLDpuOcv2OU1BBQ0UgR09FUyBIRVJFTkVXTElORSBHT0VTIEhFUkU=n$2a$10$bokog0hs0YeIDLS08Mtz1OiPJn75Gm7kUVRGxWiMvmNK96K15omCU1BBQ0UgR09FUyBIRVJFTkVXTElORSBHT0VTIEhFUkU=n$2a$10$6PwNCHEGBFnlVxWvtvWyOIUae5YKMbG9AKx4P0QQdYkJFnuQBedGU1BBQ0UgR09FUyBIRVJFTkVXTElORSBHT0VTIEhFUkU=n$2a$10$0zda1EWkCNLfq3f8IgljO0gl8u8SQWc9tfTcstxEmJlYbx85kAKU1BBQ0UgR09FUyBIRVJFTkVXTElORSBHT0VTIEhFUkU=n$2a$10$8HQyCRFmAbwq2RC1u3RBOGPwfqXvS4nK4obI8uQeYNWIAST0cM2U1BBQ0UgR09FUyBIRVJFTkVXTElORSBHT0VTIEhFUkU=n$2a$10$UvJ6oFqd71pgpO03WVqRuAqoS2JG9CR1BvNEHKqLySgt2C7hVUWU1BBQ0UgR09FUyBIRVJFTkVXTElORSBHT0VTIEhFUkU=n$2a$10$FmIjrLTWACeLTrwoJXJu8b8hgthtLuGDBy0sV8EJZjyFkEni0NyU1BBQ0UgR09FUyBIRVJFTkVXTElORSBHT0VTIEhFUkU=n$2a$10$CjZNVV1n0igQ5i4xti7ehyyyTwczBJ4Or3CNfvQsAtx1fHkrPXmU1BBQ0UgR09FUyBIRVJFTkVXTElORSBHT0VTIEhFUkU=n$2a$10$uPCaJPhRy7F01s3YTceEkeAtZvK9r2seNkqA5w3PCqdyBr0eWmCOVER TEXT DECODED INSIDE
trade
JULYAUGUST bull 2014
war amp PeaceChuck Hagel battles for a future free of the quagmires of the past
OmaharsquostopDentiststrade
Best of Omahatrade Campaign 2015
The Loyal Royal Alex Gordon
Malorie MaddoxOmaha Stories
tradetrade
NOVEMBERDECEMBER bull 2013
The Road Home
Prescription Drug Abuse
Among Teens
Nebraskarsquos Premier Wealth Advisors
The Making of NebraskaJohn Jackson
julyaugust 2015 | 60PLUS S7
WADING THROUGH THE FLOODWATERS
discovering how to apply for VA benefits
C OMMIE SCHABENrsquoS 82-YEAR-OLD FATHER Ed is a Korean War veteran who served at Virginia
Beach He survived horrors untold but last year he almost died after his small intestine ruptured
Commie was determined to have him live at home with her after that but she says making that happen without some kind of assistance would have been difficult
ldquoIrsquod be really hurtingrdquo she says ldquoIrsquod be skimping and scraping really bad I probably would have had to put him in a home Irsquod rather have him here with merdquo
So she went to the US Department of Veterans Affairs website to see if she could
S8 60PLUS | julyaugust 2015 | omahamagazinecom
by ryan borchers | photography by bill sitzmann
60PLUS FINANCE
Olney often works with clients seeking to obtain veterans benefits and says a veteran and hisher spouse are eligible to receive $25000 a year for care A veteran by him or herself may receive a little over $21000 annually and the surviving spouse of a veteran may be eligible for over $13000 annually
Only about 5 percent of eligible veterans are taking advantage of these benefits
ldquoIn todayrsquos society as you grow older quite often the more care you need and some of our elderly people [are in] need of care and protecting their assetsrdquo Olney says
So why are so few veterans collecting this money
Olney thinks there are two reasons The first is that not many people know about the benefits
The second is that the process can be com-plicated Even though no one can charge for filling out the requisite paperwork oftentimes that paperwork can be confusing and incor-rectly entered or missing information may lead to the VA denying an applicant without an explanation
Olney says one of his recent clients was denied because of a piece of paper missing from the application
ldquoHe wouldrsquove quit right then and there but thatrsquos the way it is when you deal with government They donrsquot always give you all the factsrdquo
Allan Jackson director of the Douglas County Veterans Services says the VA requires certain forms and documents to establish a given veteranrsquos service time and discharge status The VA also requests verifi-cation of income and assets as well as medical information if the requested benefits are for care however he says there are limits to what a Veterans Service officer is allowed to ask of someone inquiring about benefits
ldquoWe canrsquot get into an individualrsquos historyrdquo he says ldquoWe canrsquot get into an individualrsquos income and assets Confidentiality comes into playrdquo
Even if you fill out all the paperwork Olney says how you answer a given question may alter your chances of receiving benefits For example the paperwork asks about your assets What is considered an asset If you own a given asset do you own 100 percent of it (The correct answer is no) Questions like those arenrsquot explained in the rules Olney says and a care advocate can help applicants determine their finances and incomes and how care costs affect their incomes If you tell the VA you make a certain amount of money the VA might deny you benefits because your income is too high Jackson stresses the importance of itemizing the ways in which your income is spent on care And if you factor in the cost of your care Olney says that might help your case
Olney says hersquos found the average vet-eran who successfully applies and submits the paperwork will start receiving benefits within 90 days And if more eligible members take advantage of the benefits there might be other advantages as well Not only would the veterans and their families be better off but there would be less strain on other federal programs like Medicaid and Social Security
As for Ed Commie says the VA sends visiting nurses to their home Her dad is also at the top of the list of eligible candidates to stay at the new VA home if it comes to that and if her mom were still alive the VA would have helped her get into assisted living
ldquoThey are entitled to thisrdquo Olney says ldquoItrsquos a thing theyrsquove sacrificed forhellipitrsquos something they have truly earned so why shouldnrsquot they have this benefit if theyrsquove truly earned itrdquo
obtain any assistance for her dad along the lines of a wheelchair or bathroom handlebars She sent them her phone number asking for some guidance
Dave Olney a local care advocate got in touch with her It turned out the VA could do a lot more for her and her dad than she realized
ldquoItrsquos just wonderfulrdquo she saysIt may not be the most widely known
aid program but the VA offers benefits to former members of the armed forces and their spouses to help pay for the cost of care The veteransrsquo benefits program helps eligible members pay for care costs like assisted living treatment after major medical conditions etc
julyaugust 2015 | 60PLUS S9
GHOST HOST
eeriness around every corner(in a place that doesnrsquot
have corners)
S10 60PLUS | julyaugust 2015 | omahamagazinecom
by judy horan | photography by bill sitzmann
60PLUS HISTORY
V ISITORS FROM OMAHA AND the spirit realm are welcome at the Squirrel Cage Jail Museum in Council Bluffs
Carla Borgaila says she has met several of the resident ghosts She remembers her hat being pulled from her head as she frantically tried to hold it on ldquoI could feel the fingers on my headrdquo she remembers ldquoBut no one was thererdquo Another time ldquoa guy came into my office and just stood thererdquo
Despite her personal experiences with ghosts Borgaila is a realist ldquoNinety percent is overactive imagination Nine percent we canrsquot explain but itrsquos not paranormal But then therersquos that one percentrdquo
Although a ghost has not spoken to her she has heard her name called But she never feels scared or threatened ldquoTheyrsquore like Casper the Friendly Ghost Therersquos no reason to be fearfulrdquo
Borgaila museum coordinator for the Historical Society of Pottawattamie County is responsible for arranging paranormal as well as regular tours of the quirky Squirrel Cage Jail Built in 1885 the jail on a turntable is now a museum
Adults who want to spend 8 pm to 4 am asking questions of alleged ghosts can call for an appointment But plan ahead Overnight paranormal investigation groups are already booked two months out The outing costs a minimum of $175 which covers the first seven people additional people are $25 each Youths age 16 and 17 are not allowed without a guardian only people age 21 and older can schedule an appointment
Some of the people who died in the build-ing may be lingering ldquoOne is an inmate who hung himself I firmly believe hersquos still there People describe him to a teerdquo Several ghostly jailers also hang around ldquoPeople see themrdquo
Groups spending the night at the Squirrel Cage Jail sometime pick up electronic voice phenomena ldquoYou donrsquot hear it then but it shows up in the background when later lis-tening to the audio recordingrsquo says Borgaila
Ghost hunting is not the only activity in the historical building Regular tours are available for individual visitors and groups of 15 or more Borgaila also has scheduled bridal showers and birthday parties
Even if ghost-less the buildingrsquos architec-ture is worth a visit Originally prisoners in pie-shaped cells got in and out when a hand crank turned to line the cell up with a single door on each of the three floors Because the cage rotated and jailers could view all the cells from one place fewer jailers were needed
The jail was built to be escape-proof but 60 inmates escaped over the years Inmates also had to be careful to avoid getting an arm or leg crushed by the rotating jail
The county jail was used from 1885 to 1969 Inmates still reside close by ldquoI run into them all the timerdquo she says ldquoItrsquos a badge of honor Theyrsquore proud they were in one of the most unique buildings in the United Statesrdquo
One of three remaining Lazy Susan jails it is on the National Register of Historic Places The Council Bluffs jail is the largest of the 18 built
CHECK IT OUT
SQUIRREL CAGE JAIL226 Pearl St in Council Bluffs
Open daily 10 am to 4 pm and Sundays 1 pm to 4 pm Closed Mondays major holidays and
the month of January
Tours are available year-round 712-323-2509
julyaugust 2015 | 60PLUS S11
with Travel and Transport
travelandtransportcom Located at 72nd amp Mercy | 4023994555 CORPORATE TRAVEL | EVENTS | LOYALTY | VACATIONS
For over 69 years Travel and Transport has made vacation dreams a reality In total our knowledgeable and seasoned travel specialists have visited over 50 countries on all seven continents and have sailed on over 50 cruises We provide our clients with the most advantageous pricing upgrades with leading hotels resorts spas cruise lines tour companies rail lines airlines and ground operators And through our partnership with Virtuoso we are able to offer exclusive amenities experiences and privileged access not available to the general public
The Plaza Napa Valley
Close To HomeNew York NY This summer spend your long days of sunlight in the city that never sleeps Visit New York City for the bustle of Times Square along with the wide-open spaces of the cityrsquos green areas Stroll through world-renowned museums take in a true Broadway show or shop to your heartrsquos content at some of the nationrsquos finest boutiques and department stores
Our RecommendationsThe PlazaNew York Hilton MidtownThe Westin New York at Times Square
Food amp Wine AdventureNapa Valley CA Spend your lazy summer days in peaceful Napa Valley part of Californiarsquos wine country region with its incredible weather and unforgettable scenery Saunter through wineries and take in the beautiful countryside before treating yourself to a souvenir at one of the eclectic shops in the cozy towns that dot the countryside Just a short drive to the coast you can also soak in the rolling waves of the Pacific Ocean Of course the area also boasts a great variety of dining options from artisan cafes to Tuscan fare to seafood Napa Valley is truly a dream for the foodie and wine enthusiast alike
Our Recommendations5-Day Napa Valley Experience with Kensington Tours7-Day Independent at The Westin Verasa Napa with Pleasant Holidays9-Day Trains Wineries amp Treasures of Northern California with Collette Tours
travelandtransportcom Located at 72nd amp Mercy | 4023994555 CORPORATE TRAVEL | EVENTS | LOYALTY | VACATIONS
Call today to book your getaway4023994555omahavacationstravelandtransportcom
Ultimate ExperienceGrand Voyage amp World Cruise For a truly once-in-a-lifetime experience spend the better part of a year traversing the world aboard a luxury cruise liner Visit Hawaii Fiji Australia Bangkok and countless other bucket list destinations aboard the Crystal Cruises linerhellipall in one trip Another option embark on a Grand Voyage with Holland America where yoursquoll swim in the Great Barrier Reef visit Egypt Greece Spain and many more Or go around the world in 180 days with Oceania for destinations like Iceland Cyprus India and the Seychelles When you return home from an experience like these you will have memories to last a lifetime
Our Recommendations95 or 103-Day World Cruise with Crystal Cruises (Round-trip from Miami or San Francisco)115-Day Grand Voyage with Holland America Line (Round-trip from Fort Lauderdale)180-Day Global Cruise with Oceania (Round-trip from Miami)
Grand Voyage amp World Cruise
travelandtransportcom Located at 72nd amp Mercy | 4023994555 CORPORATE TRAVEL | EVENTS | LOYALTY | VACATIONS
Call today to book your getaway4023994555omahavacationstravelandtransportcom
Ultimate ExperienceGrand Voyage amp World Cruise For a truly once-in-a-lifetime experience spend the better part of a year traversing the world aboard a luxury cruise liner Visit Hawaii Fiji Australia Bangkok and countless other bucket list destinations aboard the Crystal Cruises linerhellipall in one trip Another option embark on a Grand Voyage with Holland America where yoursquoll swim in the Great Barrier Reef visit Egypt Greece Spain and many more Or go around the world in 180 days with Oceania for destinations like Iceland Cyprus India and the Seychelles When you return home from an experience like these you will have memories to last a lifetime
Our Recommendations95 or 103-Day World Cruise with Crystal Cruises (Round-trip from Miami or San Francisco)115-Day Grand Voyage with Holland America Line (Round-trip from Fort Lauderdale)180-Day Global Cruise with Oceania (Round-trip from Miami)
Grand Voyage amp World Cruise
ldquo
PICKLEBALL more fun than drinking a
barrel of vinegar
S14 60PLUS | julyaugust 2015 | omahamagazinecom
60PLUS COVER FEATUREby kara schweiss | photography by bill sitzmann
I TrsquoS PLAYED ON A badminton-size court but with the net lowered to 34 inches at the center The paddles look like a hybrid
of racquetball racquets and table tennis pad-dles The rules are somewhat similar to tennis but the serve is underhand And the ball looks more like a whiffle ball than a vinegar-soaked cucumber Itrsquos Pickleballmdasha sport that is quickly gaining a large following with the local club Pickleball Omaha boasting around 225 members
The gamersquos origins date back to a 1965 Washington state backyard and even its
creators canrsquot quite agree on whether the name came from a family dog or a term associated with rowing Regardless of this pickleball has evolved over 50 years from an improvised family pastime to a thriving widely recog-nized passion The statewide organization Pickleball Nebraska was founded in 2012 and the sport has been part of Nebraskarsquos State Games of America (formerly Cornhusker State Games) since 2011 It is even going to be part of the State Games of Americarsquos national competition for the first time this summer when Nebraska serves as host state gt
julyaugust 2015 | 60PLUS S15
lt Pickleball Nebraska President Bill Holt (pictured on the cover) discovered the sport in 2008 while wintering in Arizona It was popular with the retirement crowd there he says but relatively unknown back home in Nebraskamdashwithout an organized following or designated courts So Holt and his wife Nancy created a makeshift playing field on an Omaha tennis court that spring and began introducing friends to the sport Interest has grown steadily since
ldquoThere was no place to play pickleball in Nebraska that I was aware of and nobody I knew playedrdquo Holt says ldquoWe now have 10 places to play listed (on the USA Pickleball Association website at uspaaorg) and there are actually more than thatrdquo More informa-tion on this pastime is available at pickleball-nebraskawordpresscom and players can now also find local places to participate through the clubrsquos page on Facebook
Like Holt Camille Culprsquos association with pickleball originated in Arizona Her hus-band Wayne played the game for the first time on a business trip six years ago intro-duced Camille and soon the couple found other enthusiasts in Omaha Culp was one of the first women to play locally and she
says introductory clinics open play sessions and a welcoming community have helped the sport grow in the area Women now make up more than half of Pickleball Nebraskarsquos membership
ldquoThatrsquos the pickleball thing always chat up whoever stops byrdquo says Culp who now serves as the grouprsquos treasurer ldquoThey can try it right away and see what they think and of course in my opinion 95 percent of them are hookedrdquo
Holt says club members range from 30-something to 82 and most participants play doubles A high degree of physical condi-tioning isnrsquot necessary to start but the game can be very intense and local players self-classify as A-level B-level or somewhere in between to determine if they should play recreationally or competitively
ldquoAnybody can join The typical person is 60-65 and has played sports Irsquove always been fairly active in one thing or anotherrdquo Holt says ldquoAnyone can learn to playhellipitrsquos great for all agesrdquo
ldquoItrsquos relatively easy to learnrdquo Culp agrees ldquoI only see the sport getting more popularrdquo
S16 60PLUS | julyaugust 2015 | omahamagazinecom
60PLUS COVER FEATURE
This certification is an honor a testament to our high standard of care mdash and a reminder that we must always strive to exceed our own expectations to better care for you Our twelve experienced highly-skilled cancer specialists are dedicated to complete cancer treatment and research with over 100 clinical trials available
CHI Health Cancer Center - Bergan (402) 393-3110Methodist Estabrook Cancer Center (402) 354-8124Midwest Cancer Center Papillion (402) 593-3141Midwest Cancer Center Legacy (402) 334-4773Health Park Plaza-Fremont Health (402) 941-7030
Margaret Block MD
M Salman Haroon MD
Ralph J Hauke MD
Timothy K Huyck MD
Robert M Langdon Jr MD
Kirsten M Leu MD
John M Longo MD
Geetha Palaniappan MD
David A Silverberg MD
Gamini S Soori MD
Yungpo Bernard Su MD
Stefano R Tarantolo MD
Benefit from everything we can offer as the largest independent QOPI-certified cancer practice in Nebraska
Receive the Highest Level of Cancer Care
NEBRASKA CANCER SPECIALISTS IS QOPIreg CERTIFIED
Nebraska Library CommissionTalking Book and Braille Service
402-471-4038 bull 800-742-7691nlctalkingbooknebraskagov bull wwwnlcnebraskagov
Reading is for Everyone Your Libraryreg
Talking Books are free for anyone who
has difficulty holding a book turning
a page or seeing regular print The
recordings are loaned and returned
through the mail ndash postage-free ndash or
can be downloaded
julyaugust 2015 | 60PLUS S17
WhenExperience Counts
Experience our State-of-the-Art Facilities
600 Brookestone Meadows PlazaElkhorn NE 68022 | (402) 289-2696wwBrookestoneMeadowscom
QUALITY LIFE | QUALITY CARE | EXCELLENT TEAMS | QUALITY REPUTATION | STEWARDSHIP
4330 South 144th StreetOmaha NE 68137
(402) 614-4000wwBrookestoneVillagecom
Proud Members of the Vetter Health Services Family
PhysicalOccupationalandSpeechTherapy Careaftertotaljointreplacement Strokerecovery Strengtheningaftercancertreatment Careaftersurgery Recoveryfromafallorextendedillness
Visit ourwebsite
to find outmore about us
OmahaBVampElkhornBM_Ad - Omaha 60+ Mag_111612_60+ Omaha Magazine Ad - BSV amp BSM 3112014 354 PM Page 1
Trouble Getting Up amp Down the StairsRegain your independence and the rest of your home
Largest showroom in the nationMultiple modelsone sure to fit your needs
Call for special pricing
12739 Q Street4024081990
wwwkohllscom
Recipient of
PLATINUM AWARD
T ONY LAZZARETTI KEPT AN eye on the mole on his chest for some time When it started getting bigger he made an
appointment with his doctor to get it checked A biopsy confirmed that it was melanomamdashthe deadliest form of skin cancer
Lazzaretti 70 years old at the time said he was never a ldquosun bunnyrdquo but he remembers getting some bad sunburns
Lazzaretti had surgery to remove the mole and several lymph nodes but a couple of years later the cancer returned This time the cancer was too extensive to remove with surgery says Alissa Marr MD an oncolo-gist at Nebraska Medicine specializing in melanoma and lung cancer
ldquoWe started him on a new immunomodu-latory drug and he has had no reoccurrence
SKIN CANCER CONTINUES
TO RISEgreatest increases among women and
men over 65
S18 60PLUS | julyaugust 2015 | omahamagazinecom
by susan meyers
60PLUS HEALTH
since thenrdquo she says ldquoThis is a remarkable story of how advanced treatments have become Over the past four years there have been six new drugs introduced for metastatic melanoma that have been very effective in a select group of patientsrdquo
The cases of melanoma have steadily increased over the past 30 years notes Dr Marr The greatest increases have been among white women between the ages of 15 and 39 years and in men over age 65
While the cause for the increase is not known better identification use of tanning beds and having one or more blistering sun-burns as a youth appear to boost the risk Some research shows that people who use tanning beds are 74 percent more likely to get melanoma than those who donrsquot use them notes Dr Marr
ldquoIf melanoma is caught at an early stage and treated with proper surgical resection it is highly curablerdquo she says
Melanoma typically starts as a mole See a doctor if you experience any of the ABCDErsquos of a mole asymmetry border irregularity color variation diameter (anything larger than a pencil eraser) and evolution mean-ing a mole that is changing itchy or bleeds
The highest incidence of this cancer occurs on the back of the legs in women and on the trunk and back for men However it can occur on any area of the body even those that have not been exposed to the sun says Marr If you get a suspicious mole removed it needs to be an excision or punch biopsy by a qualified physician in order to get an accurate evaluation
Basal and squamous cell skin cancers the most common forms of skin cancer typically occur on chronically sun-exposed areas such as the head neck ears and arms and are directly related to amount of sun exposure Suspicious symptoms include a shiny waxy scar-like spot that may be yellow or white with irregular borders a smooth bump that is indented in the middle a reddish patch that wonrsquot go away and may be painful or itchy or a sore that takes more than three weeks to heal
ldquoEveryone should have a full body skin exam every year by their doctor to check for skin cancerrdquo says Dr Marr ldquoThe goal is to find it before it progresses and when it is still very treatablerdquo
Now Lazzaretti tells his kids every chance he gets stay out of the sun stay away from tan-ning beds and wear sunscreen
julyaugust 2015 | 60PLUS S19
wwwNebraskaLowVisioncom 402-905-2794
Nebraska Low Vision wishes Mike Riley and
the Nebraska Cornhuskers Football Team much
success in 2015
S20 60PLUS | julyaugust 2015 | omahamagazinecom
60PLUS FACESby anna hensel | photography by bill sitzmann
RETIREMENT on the road
F RITZ SAMPSON SAYS HE likes to travel slowly but the words ldquotravelrdquo and ldquoslowlyrdquo can conjure up thoughts of
lounging over three hour-long dinners in Italy or spending an entire afternoon wandering through a village in France
For 65-year-old Fritz ldquotraveling slowlyrdquo means moving about 200 miles a day across Europe and Asia by motorcycle
Last March Fritz undertook a 115-day motorcycle journey through south-ern Europe the former Soviet bloc and Mongolia but his plans were cut short by more than three weeks after an accident in Mongolia
Itrsquos an itinerary that sounds crazy but when explained calmly by Fritz seems per-fectly reasonable
ldquoWhether itrsquos breaking a shoulder or get-ting stopped by police or running out of food things are going to happenrdquo Fritz says ldquoAnd thatrsquos why you take the trip because itrsquos an adventurerdquo
According to Sampson and his wife of 40 years Mary he always had a daring spirit
ldquoThatrsquos what I loved him for was his sense of adventurerdquo Mary says ldquoNo one is compa-rable to Fritzmdashhersquos all out for the experience
The couple met on the Model United Nations Team at Creighton University and married in 1975 right out of college They and their two children moved to Germany in 1998 while Fritz pursued a degree in inter-national tax law His career took him every-where from China to Belize but he still craved different ways to see the world
A long-distance cyclist he rode for years all over the United States But as he aged he turned to a new mode of transportation motorcycling
He bought a new Harley Davidson in 2007 and in 2008 rode with his son Marty from Omaha to Tierra del Fuego an island chain
off the southernmost point of South AmericaldquoOne of the reasons I do thismdashI like meet-
ing people on the roadrdquo Fritz saysAfter his South American excursion Fritz
was itching to do a similar trip elsewhere He read about two motorcycle adventures on travel blogs that looked really interestingmdashone to the Russian far east another in outer Mongoliamdashand decided to combine the two by retiring and traveling to 17 countries He planned to begin in Ireland meet Mary in Turkey and eventually end up in Mongolia and Russia but had no other itinerary
That meant he spent a week in Bulgaria because he felt like it He chose to go to Kazakhstan instead of Turkmenistan because he met a fellow motorcyclist who was headed
there And when he told local policemen in Turkey the name of the hostel where he was staying they told him he shouldnrsquot sleep there and took him to a friendrsquos house where they hosted a barbecue for him
He also had a run-in with corrupt police in Azerbaijan lost 22 pounds and experienced that fateful fall in Mongolia that cut his trip short and left him with a broken shoulder
Therersquos only one thing hersquos cutting out of his routine off-roading on his motorcycle which led to his accident But he still wants to ride on motorcycle trips across the continental United States Alaska and Mexico
After all he says those are ldquoeasyrdquo rides
julyaugust 2015 | 60PLUS S21
I rsquoVE NEVER OWNED A video camera of any kind Okay so Irsquove just been reminded that my cell phone gizmo has such a device
but having never used it I still qualify as a video virgin
Sony introduced the first consumer cam-corder in 1983 the year my youngest child was born This made our family a prime target for being an early adapter in what became something of a video mania Almost over-night a populist paparazzi were born where every dad (Why was it always the dads) at every kindergarten holiday program was armed with a cinder-block-sized camera that instantly made him some kind of Fellini wanna-be
I refused to join the Betamax Age because my makeup is one where I want to remember things the way I want to remember thingsmdashnot necessarily how they actually happened
Ample video of my kidsrsquo childhood years exists from the cameras of extended family members and a couple of clan get-togethers have been marred when some idiot got the
bright idea that we should all watch old videos together Irsquom sure any good shrink would have a field day getting inside my head but the experience of viewing those picnics and parties and plays unfold on screen washellipwell ldquodisturbingrdquo is not at all too powerful a word
Itrsquos not that I am a dispassionate stoic For whatever weird reason being confronted with a filmed retelling of events rearranges my mental furniture in an unsettling almost visceral way
That tyranny of memory has only grown over the years and wersquove all witnessed the rise of the camera-obsessed malady Irsquoll call the Fear of Missing Out Syndrome In a sickness typified by living vicariously through a view-finder itrsquos as if film and only film is capable of proving even to ourselves the existential reality of a person place or thing
ldquoI saw Pope Francisrdquo ldquoI saw Pres- ident Obamardquo ldquoI saw Garth Brooksrdquo people exclaim
No you didnrsquot You saw only mere pixels while struggling to center a celebrityrsquos image
on your camera You had exactly the same experience I had when I saw almost identical footage on CNN or the local news except that my experience was better in that it was rendered by seasoned videographers on pro-fessional equipment You were there but you werenrsquot there
Just check out the June 15 Sports Illustrated cover online Get my point
Our society has become one of dim imagi-nations reflected in the even dimmer glows of electronic gadgets
As some dude named Lord Acton once claimed ldquoHistory is not a burden on the memory but an illumination of the soulrdquo I kinda dig that Lord Acton guy even if his name sounds like a super-classy moniker for a faux-British-bad-guy rassler on WWE
At least according to his lordship I donrsquot have an almost pathological relationship with memory I have an illuminated soul
LORD ACTON SAID IT BESTlife through a viewfinder
S22 60PLUS | julyaugust 2015 | omahamagazinecom
by david williams
60PLUS THE GRANDPA CHRONICLES
julyaugust 2015 | 60PLUS S23
DIRECTORY
Elk Ridge Village on the Lake Retirement CommunityElk Ridge Village provides Independent and Assisted Living and Alzheimerrsquos Care and is committed to providing services of the highest quality
19303 Seward Plaza402-312-1198402-216-8835wwwelkridgeseniorlivingcom
Brookestone MeadowsBrookestone VillageSkilled nursing communities provid-ing short-term rehabilitation including physical occupational and speech ther-apy as well as long-term nursing care
wwwBrookestoneVillagecom402-614-4000 bull OmahawwwBrookestoneMeadowscom402-280-2696 bull Elkhorn
Home Care Assistance
Our services are distinguished by the caliber of our caregivers the respon-siveness of our staff and our expertise in Live-In care We embrace a positive balanced approach to aging centered on the evolving needs of older adults
402-763-9140homecareassistanceomahacom
EJ Militti JrFinancial AdvisorThe Militti Group at Morgan Stanley
Wealth and Estate Planning Risk-Management Executive Services Foundations amp Endowments
(402) 399-1513wwwmorganstanleyfacommilittigroup
Saint Jude Hospice
Rooted in Christian Love and Guided by the Holy Spirit our Radical Loving Care brings healing to those when their hope has changed from a cure to comfort
10506 Burt Circle402-609-4818saintjudehospiceorg
Steven D Wegner DDS
Dr Wegner has 35 years of clinical experi-ence and thousands of hours of continuing education He knows how to help seniors and all ages to achieve and keep a healthy smile
11840 Nicholas StSuite 210Omaha NE 68154402-498-0400
Travel and Transport
Travel and Transport is proud to be the 5th largest travel agency in the US servicing clients throughout the country as well as globally
travelandtransportcom 402-399-4500
Nebraska Cancer SpecialistsNebraska Cancer Specialists is dedicated to providing complete cancer treatment for patients medical oncology radiation oncology surgical specialists and diagnostic services
5 Convenient LocationsFor address and phone infovisit our websitenebraskacancercom
Kohllrsquos Pharmacy amp Homecare
8 locations amp free delivery Providing retail amp compounded prescriptions all medical equipment amp supplies
402-408-1990 wwwkohllscom
Home Instead Senior Care
If yoursquore looking for someone to help you or a loved one a few hours a week or need more comprehensive assistance Home Instead Senior Care can help
Metro 4024983444West 4029324555
Nebraska Low Vision
Regain the Joy ofreading and writing today
In Home Demo Call 402-905-2794wwwNebraskaLowVisioncom
hillcresthealthcomProviding the regionrsquos widest array of aging-related services
One family Many servicesHillcrest Country EstatesContinuing care retirement communityfeaturing the Grand LodgeHwy 370 amp 60th Street Papillion(402) 885-7007
Hillcrest Health amp RehabIn-patient rehabilitation1702 Hillcrest Drive Bellevue(402) 291-8500
Hillcrest Physical TherapyOutpatient physical occupational and speech therapy1804 Hillcrest Drive Bellevue(402) 682-4210
Hillcrest Victoria GardensMemory support assisted living1702 Hillcrest Drive Bellevue(402) 682-4295
Hillcrest Mable Rose amp The ClubAssisted living memory support amp adult day servicesHwy 370 amp 48th Street Bellevue(402) 291-9777
Hillcrest Home CareSkilled home health and in-home personal careServing 9 counties in NE and IA(402) 682-4808
Hillcrest Hospice CareCompassionate end-of-life supportServing 7 counties in NE(402) 934-2282
The Grand LodgeIndependent Living
Now Open(402) 885-7007
Enhancing L ives
VNA Complete In-home Care
402-342-5566 wwwtheVNAcaresorg
Companion Care Skilled Home Care Infusion Therapy Home HealthTechnology Hospice and Palliative Care
2014 best of ad v2 for yearindd 1 1242014 104245 AM
wwwgiglawncom | 40291LAWN1 (9152961)
Retire Your Lawn to the Prorsquos
100 Satisfaction Guarantee10 Discount for All Seniors
We can handle all your spring cleanup fertilizing landscaping and mowing needs
bull Fertilization amp Weed Controlbull Mulch Installation bull Spring Cleanupbull Sprinkler Turn On amp Inspectionbull Landscape Maintenance bull Weekly Mowing
bull Plant CutbackHedge Trimmingbull Aeration bull Power Raking bull Over-Seedingbull Drill Seeding bull Concrete Edging
plus more
S2 60PLUS | julyaugust 2015 | omahamagazinecom
Until next issue
GwenGwen LemkeContributing Editor 60PLUS In Omaha
REFLECTIONStraveling the highway of memories
T HE LEGENDARY SHOOT-EM-UP WESTERN writer Louis LrsquoAmour believed ldquoNo memory is ever alone itrsquos at the end of a trail of memories a dozen trails that each
have their own associationsrdquoMemory is a recurring theme in this issue of 60PLUS
Memories of travel Memories of adventure Memories of love And of love lost Even editor David Williams explores the mysteries of memory in closing this issue with The Grandpa Chronicles
We hope the recollections found on the pages that follow give you pause to reflect on your own experiences your own memories At our age after all we have so many more (as LrsquoAmour would put it) ldquotrailsrdquo to travel
May we suggest that you read this issue outdoors in the waning light of a summerrsquos day as you bask in the serene stillness of a beautiful sunset
What better trailhead could there be for launching a journey down memory lane
60PLUS FROM THE EDITOR
julyaugust 2015 | 60PLUS S3
FEATURE Susan Bray
World Traveler Historic Preserver S4
FINANCESDiscovering How to Apply for VA Benefits S8
HISTORY Ghost HostmdashThe Squirrel Cage Jail S10
COVER FEATURE Pickleball
More Fun Than Drinking a Barrel of Vinegar S14
HEALTH Skin Cancer Continues to Rise S18
FACES Retirement on the Road S20
THE GRANDPA CHRONICLES Lord Acton Said it Best S22
CONTENTS volume 3 bull issue 3
WORLD TRAVELER HISTORIC PRESERVER
Susan Bray comes home
S4 60PLUS | julyaugust 2015 | omahamagazinecom
by mandy mowers | photography by bill sitzmann
60PLUS FEATURE
julyaugust 2015 | 60PLUS S5
S USAN BRAY HAS NEVER been one to shy away from attention She built her life around standing out
As a blonde long-haired ldquohippie chickrdquo in the 1970s Bray stood out in some Asian and Middle-Eastern countries that had never welcomed a white woman traveling solo
Her adventures started after she left Nebraska and moved to Honolulu to live with her brother after college A few years later Bray married a physicist They eventu-ally relocated to Guammdashldquothe hottest place on Godrsquos green earthrdquo according to Bray And she would know
The travel bug bit hard soon after the couple divorced Shersquos visited more than 50 countries in her 70 years of life Most of her 50 coun-tries came in a span of five years during three different trips
She saw the cage in Titian where she believes Amelia Earhart was held captive by the Japanese until her death She was goosed by a camel in Afghanistan And she was horned in the rear by a water buffalo in Nepal
Bray most recalls the kindness of the people in Nepal Itrsquos her favorite country While there she rented a motorcycle and headed toward Mount Everestmdashat least until it broke down She says ldquoIt wasnrsquot a Harley Irsquoll tell yourdquo But even out in the remote rice paddies she quickly found help
She went to Agra to see the Taj Mahal It is the second most beautiful work of archi-tecture shersquos ever seen The most stunning edifice Bray saw was the Golden Pagoda in Burma (now Myanmar) ldquoIt was like eight to 10 stories high and it had a spiral staircase like the Guggenheimrdquo In an excited whisper she then adds ldquoIt was all plated gold Just startling when you see itrdquo
Traveling cost a lot She came home to her mother in Omaha in 1976 with about 45 cents to her name Thankfully pay phones only cost a dime at the time
Subconsciously Bray may have been studying art and architecture all over the world because she knew thatrsquos where her heart was Her passion led her to city planning in Omaha which evolved into historic preservation
Soon she grew restless and weary of Midwestern winters Bray bought a house in Hawaii and lived there until her mother
became ill To be closer to her she moved to La Jolla Calif
Quickly getting involved in historic pres-ervation once again ldquoI ended up being in charge of the restoration of downtown San Diegordquo Bray says ldquoI did an area called the Gaslamp Quarter It was all old buildings I didhellip96 of themrdquo
In her living room is a newspaper clipping from the San Diego Tribune the headline of which reads ldquoGunslinger of the Gaslamp Susan Bray is the guardian of downtownrsquos historical integritymdashlike her or notrdquo
She looks at the photo in the clipping and says ldquoThe guys working on this building gave me a pink construction hat So cuterdquo
Reflecting on Gaslamp Bray says ldquoThatrsquos my biggest contribution I changed the foot-print of a city And thatrsquos foreverrdquo
Bray thinks a lot about legacies because shersquos been diagnosed with a rare degenerative brain disease similar to Lou Gehrigrsquos called Orthostatic Hypotension Itrsquos terminal This news came after she already survived lym-phoma and breast cancer
Her doctor in California recommended that she live near her burial site So six years
ago she threw all her photos a small red chair and a blue stool in her car to come back to Omaha
Although she always appreciated the sense of community here she felt sad to find so many of her good friends had already passed away or moved Shersquos grateful for the new friends she has made and some friends from Westide High School shersquos reconnected with
Bray does not know the meaning of the term stranger ldquoI dialed the wrong number the other night in San Diego and I ended up talking to a 79-year-old woman for an hourrdquo she says
Even sales calls get a taste of her gusto ldquoMy daily joy is making people laughrdquo she says ldquoI think thatrsquos why God put me on this earthrdquo
So even though Bray has to ldquofill a bathtub to feel at homerdquo so far from the ocean shersquos made a home again in Omaha Inside her apartment Brayrsquos parakeet Big Boy sings in the background Combine that with the vintage blond art deco floorsmdashldquoI would only ever live in a historic propertyrdquomdashit could almost be a tropical getaway
S6 60PLUS | julyaugust 2015 | omahamagazinecom
60PLUS FEATURE
60PLUS featureMemory loss Stumbles and falls A spousewho doesnrsquot sleep at night Most of ushave people in our lives facing challengeslike these
Many older adults in our community are struggling to stay in their own homes even if they have the means to hire help
Home Care Assistance provides a level of care that enhances the independence of older adults includingthose with Alzheimerrsquos Parkinsonrsquos or who are recovering from stroke or surgery
Perhaps you know an older adult who would benefit fromldquoassisted living mdash at homerdquo Encourage that person tolearn more about how Omaharsquos premier home care company can help him or her continue to lead a full life
Call us We can help 402-763-9140 HomeCareAssistanceOmahacom
Soins
omamagcomsave
SUBSCRIBE TODAY
Donrsquot miss a single issue of Omaha Magazine
trade
Mayor Jean Stothert
Jim FlowersWeathers the Storm
Omaharsquos Best Doctorsreg
Omaharsquos 2013 BIG GIVE
Leading in a Manrsquos World
SEPTEMBEROCTOBER bull 2013
$2a$10$BV2a7VBdNEaP8TLqH43gOY8GyBeii959fEMuGFh6fTZktxU5toeU1BBQ0UgR09FUyBIRVJFTkVXTElORSBHT0VTIEhFUkU=n$2a$10$VQy5sjVaOIi93aOzrmXNOWOEUlVTxtUp4KLHYoUvJHGImzEGnKqU1BBQ0UgR09FUyBIRVJFTkVXTElORSBHT0VTIEhFUkU=n$2a$10$BSUej3mkaYgBL6SHdzkruVCLTOdrTeuMC7tENIJRio4k7r1S522U1BBQ0UgR09FUyBIRVJFTkVXTElORSBHT0VTIEhFUkU=n$2a$10$8lJaZ1bjql9MsIVt9chbEODEK1V4DMh2sWCqgO3EOkcmLDpuOcv2OU1BBQ0UgR09FUyBIRVJFTkVXTElORSBHT0VTIEhFUkU=n$2a$10$bokog0hs0YeIDLS08Mtz1OiPJn75Gm7kUVRGxWiMvmNK96K15omCU1BBQ0UgR09FUyBIRVJFTkVXTElORSBHT0VTIEhFUkU=n$2a$10$6PwNCHEGBFnlVxWvtvWyOIUae5YKMbG9AKx4P0QQdYkJFnuQBedGU1BBQ0UgR09FUyBIRVJFTkVXTElORSBHT0VTIEhFUkU=n$2a$10$0zda1EWkCNLfq3f8IgljO0gl8u8SQWc9tfTcstxEmJlYbx85kAKU1BBQ0UgR09FUyBIRVJFTkVXTElORSBHT0VTIEhFUkU=n$2a$10$8HQyCRFmAbwq2RC1u3RBOGPwfqXvS4nK4obI8uQeYNWIAST0cM2U1BBQ0UgR09FUyBIRVJFTkVXTElORSBHT0VTIEhFUkU=n$2a$10$UvJ6oFqd71pgpO03WVqRuAqoS2JG9CR1BvNEHKqLySgt2C7hVUWU1BBQ0UgR09FUyBIRVJFTkVXTElORSBHT0VTIEhFUkU=n$2a$10$FmIjrLTWACeLTrwoJXJu8b8hgthtLuGDBy0sV8EJZjyFkEni0NyU1BBQ0UgR09FUyBIRVJFTkVXTElORSBHT0VTIEhFUkU=n$2a$10$CjZNVV1n0igQ5i4xti7ehyyyTwczBJ4Or3CNfvQsAtx1fHkrPXmU1BBQ0UgR09FUyBIRVJFTkVXTElORSBHT0VTIEhFUkU=n$2a$10$uPCaJPhRy7F01s3YTceEkeAtZvK9r2seNkqA5w3PCqdyBr0eWmCOVER TEXT DECODED INSIDE
trade
JULYAUGUST bull 2014
war amp PeaceChuck Hagel battles for a future free of the quagmires of the past
OmaharsquostopDentiststrade
Best of Omahatrade Campaign 2015
The Loyal Royal Alex Gordon
Malorie MaddoxOmaha Stories
tradetrade
NOVEMBERDECEMBER bull 2013
The Road Home
Prescription Drug Abuse
Among Teens
Nebraskarsquos Premier Wealth Advisors
The Making of NebraskaJohn Jackson
julyaugust 2015 | 60PLUS S7
WADING THROUGH THE FLOODWATERS
discovering how to apply for VA benefits
C OMMIE SCHABENrsquoS 82-YEAR-OLD FATHER Ed is a Korean War veteran who served at Virginia
Beach He survived horrors untold but last year he almost died after his small intestine ruptured
Commie was determined to have him live at home with her after that but she says making that happen without some kind of assistance would have been difficult
ldquoIrsquod be really hurtingrdquo she says ldquoIrsquod be skimping and scraping really bad I probably would have had to put him in a home Irsquod rather have him here with merdquo
So she went to the US Department of Veterans Affairs website to see if she could
S8 60PLUS | julyaugust 2015 | omahamagazinecom
by ryan borchers | photography by bill sitzmann
60PLUS FINANCE
Olney often works with clients seeking to obtain veterans benefits and says a veteran and hisher spouse are eligible to receive $25000 a year for care A veteran by him or herself may receive a little over $21000 annually and the surviving spouse of a veteran may be eligible for over $13000 annually
Only about 5 percent of eligible veterans are taking advantage of these benefits
ldquoIn todayrsquos society as you grow older quite often the more care you need and some of our elderly people [are in] need of care and protecting their assetsrdquo Olney says
So why are so few veterans collecting this money
Olney thinks there are two reasons The first is that not many people know about the benefits
The second is that the process can be com-plicated Even though no one can charge for filling out the requisite paperwork oftentimes that paperwork can be confusing and incor-rectly entered or missing information may lead to the VA denying an applicant without an explanation
Olney says one of his recent clients was denied because of a piece of paper missing from the application
ldquoHe wouldrsquove quit right then and there but thatrsquos the way it is when you deal with government They donrsquot always give you all the factsrdquo
Allan Jackson director of the Douglas County Veterans Services says the VA requires certain forms and documents to establish a given veteranrsquos service time and discharge status The VA also requests verifi-cation of income and assets as well as medical information if the requested benefits are for care however he says there are limits to what a Veterans Service officer is allowed to ask of someone inquiring about benefits
ldquoWe canrsquot get into an individualrsquos historyrdquo he says ldquoWe canrsquot get into an individualrsquos income and assets Confidentiality comes into playrdquo
Even if you fill out all the paperwork Olney says how you answer a given question may alter your chances of receiving benefits For example the paperwork asks about your assets What is considered an asset If you own a given asset do you own 100 percent of it (The correct answer is no) Questions like those arenrsquot explained in the rules Olney says and a care advocate can help applicants determine their finances and incomes and how care costs affect their incomes If you tell the VA you make a certain amount of money the VA might deny you benefits because your income is too high Jackson stresses the importance of itemizing the ways in which your income is spent on care And if you factor in the cost of your care Olney says that might help your case
Olney says hersquos found the average vet-eran who successfully applies and submits the paperwork will start receiving benefits within 90 days And if more eligible members take advantage of the benefits there might be other advantages as well Not only would the veterans and their families be better off but there would be less strain on other federal programs like Medicaid and Social Security
As for Ed Commie says the VA sends visiting nurses to their home Her dad is also at the top of the list of eligible candidates to stay at the new VA home if it comes to that and if her mom were still alive the VA would have helped her get into assisted living
ldquoThey are entitled to thisrdquo Olney says ldquoItrsquos a thing theyrsquove sacrificed forhellipitrsquos something they have truly earned so why shouldnrsquot they have this benefit if theyrsquove truly earned itrdquo
obtain any assistance for her dad along the lines of a wheelchair or bathroom handlebars She sent them her phone number asking for some guidance
Dave Olney a local care advocate got in touch with her It turned out the VA could do a lot more for her and her dad than she realized
ldquoItrsquos just wonderfulrdquo she saysIt may not be the most widely known
aid program but the VA offers benefits to former members of the armed forces and their spouses to help pay for the cost of care The veteransrsquo benefits program helps eligible members pay for care costs like assisted living treatment after major medical conditions etc
julyaugust 2015 | 60PLUS S9
GHOST HOST
eeriness around every corner(in a place that doesnrsquot
have corners)
S10 60PLUS | julyaugust 2015 | omahamagazinecom
by judy horan | photography by bill sitzmann
60PLUS HISTORY
V ISITORS FROM OMAHA AND the spirit realm are welcome at the Squirrel Cage Jail Museum in Council Bluffs
Carla Borgaila says she has met several of the resident ghosts She remembers her hat being pulled from her head as she frantically tried to hold it on ldquoI could feel the fingers on my headrdquo she remembers ldquoBut no one was thererdquo Another time ldquoa guy came into my office and just stood thererdquo
Despite her personal experiences with ghosts Borgaila is a realist ldquoNinety percent is overactive imagination Nine percent we canrsquot explain but itrsquos not paranormal But then therersquos that one percentrdquo
Although a ghost has not spoken to her she has heard her name called But she never feels scared or threatened ldquoTheyrsquore like Casper the Friendly Ghost Therersquos no reason to be fearfulrdquo
Borgaila museum coordinator for the Historical Society of Pottawattamie County is responsible for arranging paranormal as well as regular tours of the quirky Squirrel Cage Jail Built in 1885 the jail on a turntable is now a museum
Adults who want to spend 8 pm to 4 am asking questions of alleged ghosts can call for an appointment But plan ahead Overnight paranormal investigation groups are already booked two months out The outing costs a minimum of $175 which covers the first seven people additional people are $25 each Youths age 16 and 17 are not allowed without a guardian only people age 21 and older can schedule an appointment
Some of the people who died in the build-ing may be lingering ldquoOne is an inmate who hung himself I firmly believe hersquos still there People describe him to a teerdquo Several ghostly jailers also hang around ldquoPeople see themrdquo
Groups spending the night at the Squirrel Cage Jail sometime pick up electronic voice phenomena ldquoYou donrsquot hear it then but it shows up in the background when later lis-tening to the audio recordingrsquo says Borgaila
Ghost hunting is not the only activity in the historical building Regular tours are available for individual visitors and groups of 15 or more Borgaila also has scheduled bridal showers and birthday parties
Even if ghost-less the buildingrsquos architec-ture is worth a visit Originally prisoners in pie-shaped cells got in and out when a hand crank turned to line the cell up with a single door on each of the three floors Because the cage rotated and jailers could view all the cells from one place fewer jailers were needed
The jail was built to be escape-proof but 60 inmates escaped over the years Inmates also had to be careful to avoid getting an arm or leg crushed by the rotating jail
The county jail was used from 1885 to 1969 Inmates still reside close by ldquoI run into them all the timerdquo she says ldquoItrsquos a badge of honor Theyrsquore proud they were in one of the most unique buildings in the United Statesrdquo
One of three remaining Lazy Susan jails it is on the National Register of Historic Places The Council Bluffs jail is the largest of the 18 built
CHECK IT OUT
SQUIRREL CAGE JAIL226 Pearl St in Council Bluffs
Open daily 10 am to 4 pm and Sundays 1 pm to 4 pm Closed Mondays major holidays and
the month of January
Tours are available year-round 712-323-2509
julyaugust 2015 | 60PLUS S11
with Travel and Transport
travelandtransportcom Located at 72nd amp Mercy | 4023994555 CORPORATE TRAVEL | EVENTS | LOYALTY | VACATIONS
For over 69 years Travel and Transport has made vacation dreams a reality In total our knowledgeable and seasoned travel specialists have visited over 50 countries on all seven continents and have sailed on over 50 cruises We provide our clients with the most advantageous pricing upgrades with leading hotels resorts spas cruise lines tour companies rail lines airlines and ground operators And through our partnership with Virtuoso we are able to offer exclusive amenities experiences and privileged access not available to the general public
The Plaza Napa Valley
Close To HomeNew York NY This summer spend your long days of sunlight in the city that never sleeps Visit New York City for the bustle of Times Square along with the wide-open spaces of the cityrsquos green areas Stroll through world-renowned museums take in a true Broadway show or shop to your heartrsquos content at some of the nationrsquos finest boutiques and department stores
Our RecommendationsThe PlazaNew York Hilton MidtownThe Westin New York at Times Square
Food amp Wine AdventureNapa Valley CA Spend your lazy summer days in peaceful Napa Valley part of Californiarsquos wine country region with its incredible weather and unforgettable scenery Saunter through wineries and take in the beautiful countryside before treating yourself to a souvenir at one of the eclectic shops in the cozy towns that dot the countryside Just a short drive to the coast you can also soak in the rolling waves of the Pacific Ocean Of course the area also boasts a great variety of dining options from artisan cafes to Tuscan fare to seafood Napa Valley is truly a dream for the foodie and wine enthusiast alike
Our Recommendations5-Day Napa Valley Experience with Kensington Tours7-Day Independent at The Westin Verasa Napa with Pleasant Holidays9-Day Trains Wineries amp Treasures of Northern California with Collette Tours
travelandtransportcom Located at 72nd amp Mercy | 4023994555 CORPORATE TRAVEL | EVENTS | LOYALTY | VACATIONS
Call today to book your getaway4023994555omahavacationstravelandtransportcom
Ultimate ExperienceGrand Voyage amp World Cruise For a truly once-in-a-lifetime experience spend the better part of a year traversing the world aboard a luxury cruise liner Visit Hawaii Fiji Australia Bangkok and countless other bucket list destinations aboard the Crystal Cruises linerhellipall in one trip Another option embark on a Grand Voyage with Holland America where yoursquoll swim in the Great Barrier Reef visit Egypt Greece Spain and many more Or go around the world in 180 days with Oceania for destinations like Iceland Cyprus India and the Seychelles When you return home from an experience like these you will have memories to last a lifetime
Our Recommendations95 or 103-Day World Cruise with Crystal Cruises (Round-trip from Miami or San Francisco)115-Day Grand Voyage with Holland America Line (Round-trip from Fort Lauderdale)180-Day Global Cruise with Oceania (Round-trip from Miami)
Grand Voyage amp World Cruise
travelandtransportcom Located at 72nd amp Mercy | 4023994555 CORPORATE TRAVEL | EVENTS | LOYALTY | VACATIONS
Call today to book your getaway4023994555omahavacationstravelandtransportcom
Ultimate ExperienceGrand Voyage amp World Cruise For a truly once-in-a-lifetime experience spend the better part of a year traversing the world aboard a luxury cruise liner Visit Hawaii Fiji Australia Bangkok and countless other bucket list destinations aboard the Crystal Cruises linerhellipall in one trip Another option embark on a Grand Voyage with Holland America where yoursquoll swim in the Great Barrier Reef visit Egypt Greece Spain and many more Or go around the world in 180 days with Oceania for destinations like Iceland Cyprus India and the Seychelles When you return home from an experience like these you will have memories to last a lifetime
Our Recommendations95 or 103-Day World Cruise with Crystal Cruises (Round-trip from Miami or San Francisco)115-Day Grand Voyage with Holland America Line (Round-trip from Fort Lauderdale)180-Day Global Cruise with Oceania (Round-trip from Miami)
Grand Voyage amp World Cruise
ldquo
PICKLEBALL more fun than drinking a
barrel of vinegar
S14 60PLUS | julyaugust 2015 | omahamagazinecom
60PLUS COVER FEATUREby kara schweiss | photography by bill sitzmann
I TrsquoS PLAYED ON A badminton-size court but with the net lowered to 34 inches at the center The paddles look like a hybrid
of racquetball racquets and table tennis pad-dles The rules are somewhat similar to tennis but the serve is underhand And the ball looks more like a whiffle ball than a vinegar-soaked cucumber Itrsquos Pickleballmdasha sport that is quickly gaining a large following with the local club Pickleball Omaha boasting around 225 members
The gamersquos origins date back to a 1965 Washington state backyard and even its
creators canrsquot quite agree on whether the name came from a family dog or a term associated with rowing Regardless of this pickleball has evolved over 50 years from an improvised family pastime to a thriving widely recog-nized passion The statewide organization Pickleball Nebraska was founded in 2012 and the sport has been part of Nebraskarsquos State Games of America (formerly Cornhusker State Games) since 2011 It is even going to be part of the State Games of Americarsquos national competition for the first time this summer when Nebraska serves as host state gt
julyaugust 2015 | 60PLUS S15
lt Pickleball Nebraska President Bill Holt (pictured on the cover) discovered the sport in 2008 while wintering in Arizona It was popular with the retirement crowd there he says but relatively unknown back home in Nebraskamdashwithout an organized following or designated courts So Holt and his wife Nancy created a makeshift playing field on an Omaha tennis court that spring and began introducing friends to the sport Interest has grown steadily since
ldquoThere was no place to play pickleball in Nebraska that I was aware of and nobody I knew playedrdquo Holt says ldquoWe now have 10 places to play listed (on the USA Pickleball Association website at uspaaorg) and there are actually more than thatrdquo More informa-tion on this pastime is available at pickleball-nebraskawordpresscom and players can now also find local places to participate through the clubrsquos page on Facebook
Like Holt Camille Culprsquos association with pickleball originated in Arizona Her hus-band Wayne played the game for the first time on a business trip six years ago intro-duced Camille and soon the couple found other enthusiasts in Omaha Culp was one of the first women to play locally and she
says introductory clinics open play sessions and a welcoming community have helped the sport grow in the area Women now make up more than half of Pickleball Nebraskarsquos membership
ldquoThatrsquos the pickleball thing always chat up whoever stops byrdquo says Culp who now serves as the grouprsquos treasurer ldquoThey can try it right away and see what they think and of course in my opinion 95 percent of them are hookedrdquo
Holt says club members range from 30-something to 82 and most participants play doubles A high degree of physical condi-tioning isnrsquot necessary to start but the game can be very intense and local players self-classify as A-level B-level or somewhere in between to determine if they should play recreationally or competitively
ldquoAnybody can join The typical person is 60-65 and has played sports Irsquove always been fairly active in one thing or anotherrdquo Holt says ldquoAnyone can learn to playhellipitrsquos great for all agesrdquo
ldquoItrsquos relatively easy to learnrdquo Culp agrees ldquoI only see the sport getting more popularrdquo
S16 60PLUS | julyaugust 2015 | omahamagazinecom
60PLUS COVER FEATURE
This certification is an honor a testament to our high standard of care mdash and a reminder that we must always strive to exceed our own expectations to better care for you Our twelve experienced highly-skilled cancer specialists are dedicated to complete cancer treatment and research with over 100 clinical trials available
CHI Health Cancer Center - Bergan (402) 393-3110Methodist Estabrook Cancer Center (402) 354-8124Midwest Cancer Center Papillion (402) 593-3141Midwest Cancer Center Legacy (402) 334-4773Health Park Plaza-Fremont Health (402) 941-7030
Margaret Block MD
M Salman Haroon MD
Ralph J Hauke MD
Timothy K Huyck MD
Robert M Langdon Jr MD
Kirsten M Leu MD
John M Longo MD
Geetha Palaniappan MD
David A Silverberg MD
Gamini S Soori MD
Yungpo Bernard Su MD
Stefano R Tarantolo MD
Benefit from everything we can offer as the largest independent QOPI-certified cancer practice in Nebraska
Receive the Highest Level of Cancer Care
NEBRASKA CANCER SPECIALISTS IS QOPIreg CERTIFIED
Nebraska Library CommissionTalking Book and Braille Service
402-471-4038 bull 800-742-7691nlctalkingbooknebraskagov bull wwwnlcnebraskagov
Reading is for Everyone Your Libraryreg
Talking Books are free for anyone who
has difficulty holding a book turning
a page or seeing regular print The
recordings are loaned and returned
through the mail ndash postage-free ndash or
can be downloaded
julyaugust 2015 | 60PLUS S17
WhenExperience Counts
Experience our State-of-the-Art Facilities
600 Brookestone Meadows PlazaElkhorn NE 68022 | (402) 289-2696wwBrookestoneMeadowscom
QUALITY LIFE | QUALITY CARE | EXCELLENT TEAMS | QUALITY REPUTATION | STEWARDSHIP
4330 South 144th StreetOmaha NE 68137
(402) 614-4000wwBrookestoneVillagecom
Proud Members of the Vetter Health Services Family
PhysicalOccupationalandSpeechTherapy Careaftertotaljointreplacement Strokerecovery Strengtheningaftercancertreatment Careaftersurgery Recoveryfromafallorextendedillness
Visit ourwebsite
to find outmore about us
OmahaBVampElkhornBM_Ad - Omaha 60+ Mag_111612_60+ Omaha Magazine Ad - BSV amp BSM 3112014 354 PM Page 1
Trouble Getting Up amp Down the StairsRegain your independence and the rest of your home
Largest showroom in the nationMultiple modelsone sure to fit your needs
Call for special pricing
12739 Q Street4024081990
wwwkohllscom
Recipient of
PLATINUM AWARD
T ONY LAZZARETTI KEPT AN eye on the mole on his chest for some time When it started getting bigger he made an
appointment with his doctor to get it checked A biopsy confirmed that it was melanomamdashthe deadliest form of skin cancer
Lazzaretti 70 years old at the time said he was never a ldquosun bunnyrdquo but he remembers getting some bad sunburns
Lazzaretti had surgery to remove the mole and several lymph nodes but a couple of years later the cancer returned This time the cancer was too extensive to remove with surgery says Alissa Marr MD an oncolo-gist at Nebraska Medicine specializing in melanoma and lung cancer
ldquoWe started him on a new immunomodu-latory drug and he has had no reoccurrence
SKIN CANCER CONTINUES
TO RISEgreatest increases among women and
men over 65
S18 60PLUS | julyaugust 2015 | omahamagazinecom
by susan meyers
60PLUS HEALTH
since thenrdquo she says ldquoThis is a remarkable story of how advanced treatments have become Over the past four years there have been six new drugs introduced for metastatic melanoma that have been very effective in a select group of patientsrdquo
The cases of melanoma have steadily increased over the past 30 years notes Dr Marr The greatest increases have been among white women between the ages of 15 and 39 years and in men over age 65
While the cause for the increase is not known better identification use of tanning beds and having one or more blistering sun-burns as a youth appear to boost the risk Some research shows that people who use tanning beds are 74 percent more likely to get melanoma than those who donrsquot use them notes Dr Marr
ldquoIf melanoma is caught at an early stage and treated with proper surgical resection it is highly curablerdquo she says
Melanoma typically starts as a mole See a doctor if you experience any of the ABCDErsquos of a mole asymmetry border irregularity color variation diameter (anything larger than a pencil eraser) and evolution mean-ing a mole that is changing itchy or bleeds
The highest incidence of this cancer occurs on the back of the legs in women and on the trunk and back for men However it can occur on any area of the body even those that have not been exposed to the sun says Marr If you get a suspicious mole removed it needs to be an excision or punch biopsy by a qualified physician in order to get an accurate evaluation
Basal and squamous cell skin cancers the most common forms of skin cancer typically occur on chronically sun-exposed areas such as the head neck ears and arms and are directly related to amount of sun exposure Suspicious symptoms include a shiny waxy scar-like spot that may be yellow or white with irregular borders a smooth bump that is indented in the middle a reddish patch that wonrsquot go away and may be painful or itchy or a sore that takes more than three weeks to heal
ldquoEveryone should have a full body skin exam every year by their doctor to check for skin cancerrdquo says Dr Marr ldquoThe goal is to find it before it progresses and when it is still very treatablerdquo
Now Lazzaretti tells his kids every chance he gets stay out of the sun stay away from tan-ning beds and wear sunscreen
julyaugust 2015 | 60PLUS S19
wwwNebraskaLowVisioncom 402-905-2794
Nebraska Low Vision wishes Mike Riley and
the Nebraska Cornhuskers Football Team much
success in 2015
S20 60PLUS | julyaugust 2015 | omahamagazinecom
60PLUS FACESby anna hensel | photography by bill sitzmann
RETIREMENT on the road
F RITZ SAMPSON SAYS HE likes to travel slowly but the words ldquotravelrdquo and ldquoslowlyrdquo can conjure up thoughts of
lounging over three hour-long dinners in Italy or spending an entire afternoon wandering through a village in France
For 65-year-old Fritz ldquotraveling slowlyrdquo means moving about 200 miles a day across Europe and Asia by motorcycle
Last March Fritz undertook a 115-day motorcycle journey through south-ern Europe the former Soviet bloc and Mongolia but his plans were cut short by more than three weeks after an accident in Mongolia
Itrsquos an itinerary that sounds crazy but when explained calmly by Fritz seems per-fectly reasonable
ldquoWhether itrsquos breaking a shoulder or get-ting stopped by police or running out of food things are going to happenrdquo Fritz says ldquoAnd thatrsquos why you take the trip because itrsquos an adventurerdquo
According to Sampson and his wife of 40 years Mary he always had a daring spirit
ldquoThatrsquos what I loved him for was his sense of adventurerdquo Mary says ldquoNo one is compa-rable to Fritzmdashhersquos all out for the experience
The couple met on the Model United Nations Team at Creighton University and married in 1975 right out of college They and their two children moved to Germany in 1998 while Fritz pursued a degree in inter-national tax law His career took him every-where from China to Belize but he still craved different ways to see the world
A long-distance cyclist he rode for years all over the United States But as he aged he turned to a new mode of transportation motorcycling
He bought a new Harley Davidson in 2007 and in 2008 rode with his son Marty from Omaha to Tierra del Fuego an island chain
off the southernmost point of South AmericaldquoOne of the reasons I do thismdashI like meet-
ing people on the roadrdquo Fritz saysAfter his South American excursion Fritz
was itching to do a similar trip elsewhere He read about two motorcycle adventures on travel blogs that looked really interestingmdashone to the Russian far east another in outer Mongoliamdashand decided to combine the two by retiring and traveling to 17 countries He planned to begin in Ireland meet Mary in Turkey and eventually end up in Mongolia and Russia but had no other itinerary
That meant he spent a week in Bulgaria because he felt like it He chose to go to Kazakhstan instead of Turkmenistan because he met a fellow motorcyclist who was headed
there And when he told local policemen in Turkey the name of the hostel where he was staying they told him he shouldnrsquot sleep there and took him to a friendrsquos house where they hosted a barbecue for him
He also had a run-in with corrupt police in Azerbaijan lost 22 pounds and experienced that fateful fall in Mongolia that cut his trip short and left him with a broken shoulder
Therersquos only one thing hersquos cutting out of his routine off-roading on his motorcycle which led to his accident But he still wants to ride on motorcycle trips across the continental United States Alaska and Mexico
After all he says those are ldquoeasyrdquo rides
julyaugust 2015 | 60PLUS S21
I rsquoVE NEVER OWNED A video camera of any kind Okay so Irsquove just been reminded that my cell phone gizmo has such a device
but having never used it I still qualify as a video virgin
Sony introduced the first consumer cam-corder in 1983 the year my youngest child was born This made our family a prime target for being an early adapter in what became something of a video mania Almost over-night a populist paparazzi were born where every dad (Why was it always the dads) at every kindergarten holiday program was armed with a cinder-block-sized camera that instantly made him some kind of Fellini wanna-be
I refused to join the Betamax Age because my makeup is one where I want to remember things the way I want to remember thingsmdashnot necessarily how they actually happened
Ample video of my kidsrsquo childhood years exists from the cameras of extended family members and a couple of clan get-togethers have been marred when some idiot got the
bright idea that we should all watch old videos together Irsquom sure any good shrink would have a field day getting inside my head but the experience of viewing those picnics and parties and plays unfold on screen washellipwell ldquodisturbingrdquo is not at all too powerful a word
Itrsquos not that I am a dispassionate stoic For whatever weird reason being confronted with a filmed retelling of events rearranges my mental furniture in an unsettling almost visceral way
That tyranny of memory has only grown over the years and wersquove all witnessed the rise of the camera-obsessed malady Irsquoll call the Fear of Missing Out Syndrome In a sickness typified by living vicariously through a view-finder itrsquos as if film and only film is capable of proving even to ourselves the existential reality of a person place or thing
ldquoI saw Pope Francisrdquo ldquoI saw Pres- ident Obamardquo ldquoI saw Garth Brooksrdquo people exclaim
No you didnrsquot You saw only mere pixels while struggling to center a celebrityrsquos image
on your camera You had exactly the same experience I had when I saw almost identical footage on CNN or the local news except that my experience was better in that it was rendered by seasoned videographers on pro-fessional equipment You were there but you werenrsquot there
Just check out the June 15 Sports Illustrated cover online Get my point
Our society has become one of dim imagi-nations reflected in the even dimmer glows of electronic gadgets
As some dude named Lord Acton once claimed ldquoHistory is not a burden on the memory but an illumination of the soulrdquo I kinda dig that Lord Acton guy even if his name sounds like a super-classy moniker for a faux-British-bad-guy rassler on WWE
At least according to his lordship I donrsquot have an almost pathological relationship with memory I have an illuminated soul
LORD ACTON SAID IT BESTlife through a viewfinder
S22 60PLUS | julyaugust 2015 | omahamagazinecom
by david williams
60PLUS THE GRANDPA CHRONICLES
julyaugust 2015 | 60PLUS S23
DIRECTORY
Elk Ridge Village on the Lake Retirement CommunityElk Ridge Village provides Independent and Assisted Living and Alzheimerrsquos Care and is committed to providing services of the highest quality
19303 Seward Plaza402-312-1198402-216-8835wwwelkridgeseniorlivingcom
Brookestone MeadowsBrookestone VillageSkilled nursing communities provid-ing short-term rehabilitation including physical occupational and speech ther-apy as well as long-term nursing care
wwwBrookestoneVillagecom402-614-4000 bull OmahawwwBrookestoneMeadowscom402-280-2696 bull Elkhorn
Home Care Assistance
Our services are distinguished by the caliber of our caregivers the respon-siveness of our staff and our expertise in Live-In care We embrace a positive balanced approach to aging centered on the evolving needs of older adults
402-763-9140homecareassistanceomahacom
EJ Militti JrFinancial AdvisorThe Militti Group at Morgan Stanley
Wealth and Estate Planning Risk-Management Executive Services Foundations amp Endowments
(402) 399-1513wwwmorganstanleyfacommilittigroup
Saint Jude Hospice
Rooted in Christian Love and Guided by the Holy Spirit our Radical Loving Care brings healing to those when their hope has changed from a cure to comfort
10506 Burt Circle402-609-4818saintjudehospiceorg
Steven D Wegner DDS
Dr Wegner has 35 years of clinical experi-ence and thousands of hours of continuing education He knows how to help seniors and all ages to achieve and keep a healthy smile
11840 Nicholas StSuite 210Omaha NE 68154402-498-0400
Travel and Transport
Travel and Transport is proud to be the 5th largest travel agency in the US servicing clients throughout the country as well as globally
travelandtransportcom 402-399-4500
Nebraska Cancer SpecialistsNebraska Cancer Specialists is dedicated to providing complete cancer treatment for patients medical oncology radiation oncology surgical specialists and diagnostic services
5 Convenient LocationsFor address and phone infovisit our websitenebraskacancercom
Kohllrsquos Pharmacy amp Homecare
8 locations amp free delivery Providing retail amp compounded prescriptions all medical equipment amp supplies
402-408-1990 wwwkohllscom
Home Instead Senior Care
If yoursquore looking for someone to help you or a loved one a few hours a week or need more comprehensive assistance Home Instead Senior Care can help
Metro 4024983444West 4029324555
Nebraska Low Vision
Regain the Joy ofreading and writing today
In Home Demo Call 402-905-2794wwwNebraskaLowVisioncom
hillcresthealthcomProviding the regionrsquos widest array of aging-related services
One family Many servicesHillcrest Country EstatesContinuing care retirement communityfeaturing the Grand LodgeHwy 370 amp 60th Street Papillion(402) 885-7007
Hillcrest Health amp RehabIn-patient rehabilitation1702 Hillcrest Drive Bellevue(402) 291-8500
Hillcrest Physical TherapyOutpatient physical occupational and speech therapy1804 Hillcrest Drive Bellevue(402) 682-4210
Hillcrest Victoria GardensMemory support assisted living1702 Hillcrest Drive Bellevue(402) 682-4295
Hillcrest Mable Rose amp The ClubAssisted living memory support amp adult day servicesHwy 370 amp 48th Street Bellevue(402) 291-9777
Hillcrest Home CareSkilled home health and in-home personal careServing 9 counties in NE and IA(402) 682-4808
Hillcrest Hospice CareCompassionate end-of-life supportServing 7 counties in NE(402) 934-2282
The Grand LodgeIndependent Living
Now Open(402) 885-7007
Enhancing L ives
Until next issue
GwenGwen LemkeContributing Editor 60PLUS In Omaha
REFLECTIONStraveling the highway of memories
T HE LEGENDARY SHOOT-EM-UP WESTERN writer Louis LrsquoAmour believed ldquoNo memory is ever alone itrsquos at the end of a trail of memories a dozen trails that each
have their own associationsrdquoMemory is a recurring theme in this issue of 60PLUS
Memories of travel Memories of adventure Memories of love And of love lost Even editor David Williams explores the mysteries of memory in closing this issue with The Grandpa Chronicles
We hope the recollections found on the pages that follow give you pause to reflect on your own experiences your own memories At our age after all we have so many more (as LrsquoAmour would put it) ldquotrailsrdquo to travel
May we suggest that you read this issue outdoors in the waning light of a summerrsquos day as you bask in the serene stillness of a beautiful sunset
What better trailhead could there be for launching a journey down memory lane
60PLUS FROM THE EDITOR
julyaugust 2015 | 60PLUS S3
FEATURE Susan Bray
World Traveler Historic Preserver S4
FINANCESDiscovering How to Apply for VA Benefits S8
HISTORY Ghost HostmdashThe Squirrel Cage Jail S10
COVER FEATURE Pickleball
More Fun Than Drinking a Barrel of Vinegar S14
HEALTH Skin Cancer Continues to Rise S18
FACES Retirement on the Road S20
THE GRANDPA CHRONICLES Lord Acton Said it Best S22
CONTENTS volume 3 bull issue 3
WORLD TRAVELER HISTORIC PRESERVER
Susan Bray comes home
S4 60PLUS | julyaugust 2015 | omahamagazinecom
by mandy mowers | photography by bill sitzmann
60PLUS FEATURE
julyaugust 2015 | 60PLUS S5
S USAN BRAY HAS NEVER been one to shy away from attention She built her life around standing out
As a blonde long-haired ldquohippie chickrdquo in the 1970s Bray stood out in some Asian and Middle-Eastern countries that had never welcomed a white woman traveling solo
Her adventures started after she left Nebraska and moved to Honolulu to live with her brother after college A few years later Bray married a physicist They eventu-ally relocated to Guammdashldquothe hottest place on Godrsquos green earthrdquo according to Bray And she would know
The travel bug bit hard soon after the couple divorced Shersquos visited more than 50 countries in her 70 years of life Most of her 50 coun-tries came in a span of five years during three different trips
She saw the cage in Titian where she believes Amelia Earhart was held captive by the Japanese until her death She was goosed by a camel in Afghanistan And she was horned in the rear by a water buffalo in Nepal
Bray most recalls the kindness of the people in Nepal Itrsquos her favorite country While there she rented a motorcycle and headed toward Mount Everestmdashat least until it broke down She says ldquoIt wasnrsquot a Harley Irsquoll tell yourdquo But even out in the remote rice paddies she quickly found help
She went to Agra to see the Taj Mahal It is the second most beautiful work of archi-tecture shersquos ever seen The most stunning edifice Bray saw was the Golden Pagoda in Burma (now Myanmar) ldquoIt was like eight to 10 stories high and it had a spiral staircase like the Guggenheimrdquo In an excited whisper she then adds ldquoIt was all plated gold Just startling when you see itrdquo
Traveling cost a lot She came home to her mother in Omaha in 1976 with about 45 cents to her name Thankfully pay phones only cost a dime at the time
Subconsciously Bray may have been studying art and architecture all over the world because she knew thatrsquos where her heart was Her passion led her to city planning in Omaha which evolved into historic preservation
Soon she grew restless and weary of Midwestern winters Bray bought a house in Hawaii and lived there until her mother
became ill To be closer to her she moved to La Jolla Calif
Quickly getting involved in historic pres-ervation once again ldquoI ended up being in charge of the restoration of downtown San Diegordquo Bray says ldquoI did an area called the Gaslamp Quarter It was all old buildings I didhellip96 of themrdquo
In her living room is a newspaper clipping from the San Diego Tribune the headline of which reads ldquoGunslinger of the Gaslamp Susan Bray is the guardian of downtownrsquos historical integritymdashlike her or notrdquo
She looks at the photo in the clipping and says ldquoThe guys working on this building gave me a pink construction hat So cuterdquo
Reflecting on Gaslamp Bray says ldquoThatrsquos my biggest contribution I changed the foot-print of a city And thatrsquos foreverrdquo
Bray thinks a lot about legacies because shersquos been diagnosed with a rare degenerative brain disease similar to Lou Gehrigrsquos called Orthostatic Hypotension Itrsquos terminal This news came after she already survived lym-phoma and breast cancer
Her doctor in California recommended that she live near her burial site So six years
ago she threw all her photos a small red chair and a blue stool in her car to come back to Omaha
Although she always appreciated the sense of community here she felt sad to find so many of her good friends had already passed away or moved Shersquos grateful for the new friends she has made and some friends from Westide High School shersquos reconnected with
Bray does not know the meaning of the term stranger ldquoI dialed the wrong number the other night in San Diego and I ended up talking to a 79-year-old woman for an hourrdquo she says
Even sales calls get a taste of her gusto ldquoMy daily joy is making people laughrdquo she says ldquoI think thatrsquos why God put me on this earthrdquo
So even though Bray has to ldquofill a bathtub to feel at homerdquo so far from the ocean shersquos made a home again in Omaha Inside her apartment Brayrsquos parakeet Big Boy sings in the background Combine that with the vintage blond art deco floorsmdashldquoI would only ever live in a historic propertyrdquomdashit could almost be a tropical getaway
S6 60PLUS | julyaugust 2015 | omahamagazinecom
60PLUS FEATURE
60PLUS featureMemory loss Stumbles and falls A spousewho doesnrsquot sleep at night Most of ushave people in our lives facing challengeslike these
Many older adults in our community are struggling to stay in their own homes even if they have the means to hire help
Home Care Assistance provides a level of care that enhances the independence of older adults includingthose with Alzheimerrsquos Parkinsonrsquos or who are recovering from stroke or surgery
Perhaps you know an older adult who would benefit fromldquoassisted living mdash at homerdquo Encourage that person tolearn more about how Omaharsquos premier home care company can help him or her continue to lead a full life
Call us We can help 402-763-9140 HomeCareAssistanceOmahacom
Soins
omamagcomsave
SUBSCRIBE TODAY
Donrsquot miss a single issue of Omaha Magazine
trade
Mayor Jean Stothert
Jim FlowersWeathers the Storm
Omaharsquos Best Doctorsreg
Omaharsquos 2013 BIG GIVE
Leading in a Manrsquos World
SEPTEMBEROCTOBER bull 2013
$2a$10$BV2a7VBdNEaP8TLqH43gOY8GyBeii959fEMuGFh6fTZktxU5toeU1BBQ0UgR09FUyBIRVJFTkVXTElORSBHT0VTIEhFUkU=n$2a$10$VQy5sjVaOIi93aOzrmXNOWOEUlVTxtUp4KLHYoUvJHGImzEGnKqU1BBQ0UgR09FUyBIRVJFTkVXTElORSBHT0VTIEhFUkU=n$2a$10$BSUej3mkaYgBL6SHdzkruVCLTOdrTeuMC7tENIJRio4k7r1S522U1BBQ0UgR09FUyBIRVJFTkVXTElORSBHT0VTIEhFUkU=n$2a$10$8lJaZ1bjql9MsIVt9chbEODEK1V4DMh2sWCqgO3EOkcmLDpuOcv2OU1BBQ0UgR09FUyBIRVJFTkVXTElORSBHT0VTIEhFUkU=n$2a$10$bokog0hs0YeIDLS08Mtz1OiPJn75Gm7kUVRGxWiMvmNK96K15omCU1BBQ0UgR09FUyBIRVJFTkVXTElORSBHT0VTIEhFUkU=n$2a$10$6PwNCHEGBFnlVxWvtvWyOIUae5YKMbG9AKx4P0QQdYkJFnuQBedGU1BBQ0UgR09FUyBIRVJFTkVXTElORSBHT0VTIEhFUkU=n$2a$10$0zda1EWkCNLfq3f8IgljO0gl8u8SQWc9tfTcstxEmJlYbx85kAKU1BBQ0UgR09FUyBIRVJFTkVXTElORSBHT0VTIEhFUkU=n$2a$10$8HQyCRFmAbwq2RC1u3RBOGPwfqXvS4nK4obI8uQeYNWIAST0cM2U1BBQ0UgR09FUyBIRVJFTkVXTElORSBHT0VTIEhFUkU=n$2a$10$UvJ6oFqd71pgpO03WVqRuAqoS2JG9CR1BvNEHKqLySgt2C7hVUWU1BBQ0UgR09FUyBIRVJFTkVXTElORSBHT0VTIEhFUkU=n$2a$10$FmIjrLTWACeLTrwoJXJu8b8hgthtLuGDBy0sV8EJZjyFkEni0NyU1BBQ0UgR09FUyBIRVJFTkVXTElORSBHT0VTIEhFUkU=n$2a$10$CjZNVV1n0igQ5i4xti7ehyyyTwczBJ4Or3CNfvQsAtx1fHkrPXmU1BBQ0UgR09FUyBIRVJFTkVXTElORSBHT0VTIEhFUkU=n$2a$10$uPCaJPhRy7F01s3YTceEkeAtZvK9r2seNkqA5w3PCqdyBr0eWmCOVER TEXT DECODED INSIDE
trade
JULYAUGUST bull 2014
war amp PeaceChuck Hagel battles for a future free of the quagmires of the past
OmaharsquostopDentiststrade
Best of Omahatrade Campaign 2015
The Loyal Royal Alex Gordon
Malorie MaddoxOmaha Stories
tradetrade
NOVEMBERDECEMBER bull 2013
The Road Home
Prescription Drug Abuse
Among Teens
Nebraskarsquos Premier Wealth Advisors
The Making of NebraskaJohn Jackson
julyaugust 2015 | 60PLUS S7
WADING THROUGH THE FLOODWATERS
discovering how to apply for VA benefits
C OMMIE SCHABENrsquoS 82-YEAR-OLD FATHER Ed is a Korean War veteran who served at Virginia
Beach He survived horrors untold but last year he almost died after his small intestine ruptured
Commie was determined to have him live at home with her after that but she says making that happen without some kind of assistance would have been difficult
ldquoIrsquod be really hurtingrdquo she says ldquoIrsquod be skimping and scraping really bad I probably would have had to put him in a home Irsquod rather have him here with merdquo
So she went to the US Department of Veterans Affairs website to see if she could
S8 60PLUS | julyaugust 2015 | omahamagazinecom
by ryan borchers | photography by bill sitzmann
60PLUS FINANCE
Olney often works with clients seeking to obtain veterans benefits and says a veteran and hisher spouse are eligible to receive $25000 a year for care A veteran by him or herself may receive a little over $21000 annually and the surviving spouse of a veteran may be eligible for over $13000 annually
Only about 5 percent of eligible veterans are taking advantage of these benefits
ldquoIn todayrsquos society as you grow older quite often the more care you need and some of our elderly people [are in] need of care and protecting their assetsrdquo Olney says
So why are so few veterans collecting this money
Olney thinks there are two reasons The first is that not many people know about the benefits
The second is that the process can be com-plicated Even though no one can charge for filling out the requisite paperwork oftentimes that paperwork can be confusing and incor-rectly entered or missing information may lead to the VA denying an applicant without an explanation
Olney says one of his recent clients was denied because of a piece of paper missing from the application
ldquoHe wouldrsquove quit right then and there but thatrsquos the way it is when you deal with government They donrsquot always give you all the factsrdquo
Allan Jackson director of the Douglas County Veterans Services says the VA requires certain forms and documents to establish a given veteranrsquos service time and discharge status The VA also requests verifi-cation of income and assets as well as medical information if the requested benefits are for care however he says there are limits to what a Veterans Service officer is allowed to ask of someone inquiring about benefits
ldquoWe canrsquot get into an individualrsquos historyrdquo he says ldquoWe canrsquot get into an individualrsquos income and assets Confidentiality comes into playrdquo
Even if you fill out all the paperwork Olney says how you answer a given question may alter your chances of receiving benefits For example the paperwork asks about your assets What is considered an asset If you own a given asset do you own 100 percent of it (The correct answer is no) Questions like those arenrsquot explained in the rules Olney says and a care advocate can help applicants determine their finances and incomes and how care costs affect their incomes If you tell the VA you make a certain amount of money the VA might deny you benefits because your income is too high Jackson stresses the importance of itemizing the ways in which your income is spent on care And if you factor in the cost of your care Olney says that might help your case
Olney says hersquos found the average vet-eran who successfully applies and submits the paperwork will start receiving benefits within 90 days And if more eligible members take advantage of the benefits there might be other advantages as well Not only would the veterans and their families be better off but there would be less strain on other federal programs like Medicaid and Social Security
As for Ed Commie says the VA sends visiting nurses to their home Her dad is also at the top of the list of eligible candidates to stay at the new VA home if it comes to that and if her mom were still alive the VA would have helped her get into assisted living
ldquoThey are entitled to thisrdquo Olney says ldquoItrsquos a thing theyrsquove sacrificed forhellipitrsquos something they have truly earned so why shouldnrsquot they have this benefit if theyrsquove truly earned itrdquo
obtain any assistance for her dad along the lines of a wheelchair or bathroom handlebars She sent them her phone number asking for some guidance
Dave Olney a local care advocate got in touch with her It turned out the VA could do a lot more for her and her dad than she realized
ldquoItrsquos just wonderfulrdquo she saysIt may not be the most widely known
aid program but the VA offers benefits to former members of the armed forces and their spouses to help pay for the cost of care The veteransrsquo benefits program helps eligible members pay for care costs like assisted living treatment after major medical conditions etc
julyaugust 2015 | 60PLUS S9
GHOST HOST
eeriness around every corner(in a place that doesnrsquot
have corners)
S10 60PLUS | julyaugust 2015 | omahamagazinecom
by judy horan | photography by bill sitzmann
60PLUS HISTORY
V ISITORS FROM OMAHA AND the spirit realm are welcome at the Squirrel Cage Jail Museum in Council Bluffs
Carla Borgaila says she has met several of the resident ghosts She remembers her hat being pulled from her head as she frantically tried to hold it on ldquoI could feel the fingers on my headrdquo she remembers ldquoBut no one was thererdquo Another time ldquoa guy came into my office and just stood thererdquo
Despite her personal experiences with ghosts Borgaila is a realist ldquoNinety percent is overactive imagination Nine percent we canrsquot explain but itrsquos not paranormal But then therersquos that one percentrdquo
Although a ghost has not spoken to her she has heard her name called But she never feels scared or threatened ldquoTheyrsquore like Casper the Friendly Ghost Therersquos no reason to be fearfulrdquo
Borgaila museum coordinator for the Historical Society of Pottawattamie County is responsible for arranging paranormal as well as regular tours of the quirky Squirrel Cage Jail Built in 1885 the jail on a turntable is now a museum
Adults who want to spend 8 pm to 4 am asking questions of alleged ghosts can call for an appointment But plan ahead Overnight paranormal investigation groups are already booked two months out The outing costs a minimum of $175 which covers the first seven people additional people are $25 each Youths age 16 and 17 are not allowed without a guardian only people age 21 and older can schedule an appointment
Some of the people who died in the build-ing may be lingering ldquoOne is an inmate who hung himself I firmly believe hersquos still there People describe him to a teerdquo Several ghostly jailers also hang around ldquoPeople see themrdquo
Groups spending the night at the Squirrel Cage Jail sometime pick up electronic voice phenomena ldquoYou donrsquot hear it then but it shows up in the background when later lis-tening to the audio recordingrsquo says Borgaila
Ghost hunting is not the only activity in the historical building Regular tours are available for individual visitors and groups of 15 or more Borgaila also has scheduled bridal showers and birthday parties
Even if ghost-less the buildingrsquos architec-ture is worth a visit Originally prisoners in pie-shaped cells got in and out when a hand crank turned to line the cell up with a single door on each of the three floors Because the cage rotated and jailers could view all the cells from one place fewer jailers were needed
The jail was built to be escape-proof but 60 inmates escaped over the years Inmates also had to be careful to avoid getting an arm or leg crushed by the rotating jail
The county jail was used from 1885 to 1969 Inmates still reside close by ldquoI run into them all the timerdquo she says ldquoItrsquos a badge of honor Theyrsquore proud they were in one of the most unique buildings in the United Statesrdquo
One of three remaining Lazy Susan jails it is on the National Register of Historic Places The Council Bluffs jail is the largest of the 18 built
CHECK IT OUT
SQUIRREL CAGE JAIL226 Pearl St in Council Bluffs
Open daily 10 am to 4 pm and Sundays 1 pm to 4 pm Closed Mondays major holidays and
the month of January
Tours are available year-round 712-323-2509
julyaugust 2015 | 60PLUS S11
with Travel and Transport
travelandtransportcom Located at 72nd amp Mercy | 4023994555 CORPORATE TRAVEL | EVENTS | LOYALTY | VACATIONS
For over 69 years Travel and Transport has made vacation dreams a reality In total our knowledgeable and seasoned travel specialists have visited over 50 countries on all seven continents and have sailed on over 50 cruises We provide our clients with the most advantageous pricing upgrades with leading hotels resorts spas cruise lines tour companies rail lines airlines and ground operators And through our partnership with Virtuoso we are able to offer exclusive amenities experiences and privileged access not available to the general public
The Plaza Napa Valley
Close To HomeNew York NY This summer spend your long days of sunlight in the city that never sleeps Visit New York City for the bustle of Times Square along with the wide-open spaces of the cityrsquos green areas Stroll through world-renowned museums take in a true Broadway show or shop to your heartrsquos content at some of the nationrsquos finest boutiques and department stores
Our RecommendationsThe PlazaNew York Hilton MidtownThe Westin New York at Times Square
Food amp Wine AdventureNapa Valley CA Spend your lazy summer days in peaceful Napa Valley part of Californiarsquos wine country region with its incredible weather and unforgettable scenery Saunter through wineries and take in the beautiful countryside before treating yourself to a souvenir at one of the eclectic shops in the cozy towns that dot the countryside Just a short drive to the coast you can also soak in the rolling waves of the Pacific Ocean Of course the area also boasts a great variety of dining options from artisan cafes to Tuscan fare to seafood Napa Valley is truly a dream for the foodie and wine enthusiast alike
Our Recommendations5-Day Napa Valley Experience with Kensington Tours7-Day Independent at The Westin Verasa Napa with Pleasant Holidays9-Day Trains Wineries amp Treasures of Northern California with Collette Tours
travelandtransportcom Located at 72nd amp Mercy | 4023994555 CORPORATE TRAVEL | EVENTS | LOYALTY | VACATIONS
Call today to book your getaway4023994555omahavacationstravelandtransportcom
Ultimate ExperienceGrand Voyage amp World Cruise For a truly once-in-a-lifetime experience spend the better part of a year traversing the world aboard a luxury cruise liner Visit Hawaii Fiji Australia Bangkok and countless other bucket list destinations aboard the Crystal Cruises linerhellipall in one trip Another option embark on a Grand Voyage with Holland America where yoursquoll swim in the Great Barrier Reef visit Egypt Greece Spain and many more Or go around the world in 180 days with Oceania for destinations like Iceland Cyprus India and the Seychelles When you return home from an experience like these you will have memories to last a lifetime
Our Recommendations95 or 103-Day World Cruise with Crystal Cruises (Round-trip from Miami or San Francisco)115-Day Grand Voyage with Holland America Line (Round-trip from Fort Lauderdale)180-Day Global Cruise with Oceania (Round-trip from Miami)
Grand Voyage amp World Cruise
travelandtransportcom Located at 72nd amp Mercy | 4023994555 CORPORATE TRAVEL | EVENTS | LOYALTY | VACATIONS
Call today to book your getaway4023994555omahavacationstravelandtransportcom
Ultimate ExperienceGrand Voyage amp World Cruise For a truly once-in-a-lifetime experience spend the better part of a year traversing the world aboard a luxury cruise liner Visit Hawaii Fiji Australia Bangkok and countless other bucket list destinations aboard the Crystal Cruises linerhellipall in one trip Another option embark on a Grand Voyage with Holland America where yoursquoll swim in the Great Barrier Reef visit Egypt Greece Spain and many more Or go around the world in 180 days with Oceania for destinations like Iceland Cyprus India and the Seychelles When you return home from an experience like these you will have memories to last a lifetime
Our Recommendations95 or 103-Day World Cruise with Crystal Cruises (Round-trip from Miami or San Francisco)115-Day Grand Voyage with Holland America Line (Round-trip from Fort Lauderdale)180-Day Global Cruise with Oceania (Round-trip from Miami)
Grand Voyage amp World Cruise
ldquo
PICKLEBALL more fun than drinking a
barrel of vinegar
S14 60PLUS | julyaugust 2015 | omahamagazinecom
60PLUS COVER FEATUREby kara schweiss | photography by bill sitzmann
I TrsquoS PLAYED ON A badminton-size court but with the net lowered to 34 inches at the center The paddles look like a hybrid
of racquetball racquets and table tennis pad-dles The rules are somewhat similar to tennis but the serve is underhand And the ball looks more like a whiffle ball than a vinegar-soaked cucumber Itrsquos Pickleballmdasha sport that is quickly gaining a large following with the local club Pickleball Omaha boasting around 225 members
The gamersquos origins date back to a 1965 Washington state backyard and even its
creators canrsquot quite agree on whether the name came from a family dog or a term associated with rowing Regardless of this pickleball has evolved over 50 years from an improvised family pastime to a thriving widely recog-nized passion The statewide organization Pickleball Nebraska was founded in 2012 and the sport has been part of Nebraskarsquos State Games of America (formerly Cornhusker State Games) since 2011 It is even going to be part of the State Games of Americarsquos national competition for the first time this summer when Nebraska serves as host state gt
julyaugust 2015 | 60PLUS S15
lt Pickleball Nebraska President Bill Holt (pictured on the cover) discovered the sport in 2008 while wintering in Arizona It was popular with the retirement crowd there he says but relatively unknown back home in Nebraskamdashwithout an organized following or designated courts So Holt and his wife Nancy created a makeshift playing field on an Omaha tennis court that spring and began introducing friends to the sport Interest has grown steadily since
ldquoThere was no place to play pickleball in Nebraska that I was aware of and nobody I knew playedrdquo Holt says ldquoWe now have 10 places to play listed (on the USA Pickleball Association website at uspaaorg) and there are actually more than thatrdquo More informa-tion on this pastime is available at pickleball-nebraskawordpresscom and players can now also find local places to participate through the clubrsquos page on Facebook
Like Holt Camille Culprsquos association with pickleball originated in Arizona Her hus-band Wayne played the game for the first time on a business trip six years ago intro-duced Camille and soon the couple found other enthusiasts in Omaha Culp was one of the first women to play locally and she
says introductory clinics open play sessions and a welcoming community have helped the sport grow in the area Women now make up more than half of Pickleball Nebraskarsquos membership
ldquoThatrsquos the pickleball thing always chat up whoever stops byrdquo says Culp who now serves as the grouprsquos treasurer ldquoThey can try it right away and see what they think and of course in my opinion 95 percent of them are hookedrdquo
Holt says club members range from 30-something to 82 and most participants play doubles A high degree of physical condi-tioning isnrsquot necessary to start but the game can be very intense and local players self-classify as A-level B-level or somewhere in between to determine if they should play recreationally or competitively
ldquoAnybody can join The typical person is 60-65 and has played sports Irsquove always been fairly active in one thing or anotherrdquo Holt says ldquoAnyone can learn to playhellipitrsquos great for all agesrdquo
ldquoItrsquos relatively easy to learnrdquo Culp agrees ldquoI only see the sport getting more popularrdquo
S16 60PLUS | julyaugust 2015 | omahamagazinecom
60PLUS COVER FEATURE
This certification is an honor a testament to our high standard of care mdash and a reminder that we must always strive to exceed our own expectations to better care for you Our twelve experienced highly-skilled cancer specialists are dedicated to complete cancer treatment and research with over 100 clinical trials available
CHI Health Cancer Center - Bergan (402) 393-3110Methodist Estabrook Cancer Center (402) 354-8124Midwest Cancer Center Papillion (402) 593-3141Midwest Cancer Center Legacy (402) 334-4773Health Park Plaza-Fremont Health (402) 941-7030
Margaret Block MD
M Salman Haroon MD
Ralph J Hauke MD
Timothy K Huyck MD
Robert M Langdon Jr MD
Kirsten M Leu MD
John M Longo MD
Geetha Palaniappan MD
David A Silverberg MD
Gamini S Soori MD
Yungpo Bernard Su MD
Stefano R Tarantolo MD
Benefit from everything we can offer as the largest independent QOPI-certified cancer practice in Nebraska
Receive the Highest Level of Cancer Care
NEBRASKA CANCER SPECIALISTS IS QOPIreg CERTIFIED
Nebraska Library CommissionTalking Book and Braille Service
402-471-4038 bull 800-742-7691nlctalkingbooknebraskagov bull wwwnlcnebraskagov
Reading is for Everyone Your Libraryreg
Talking Books are free for anyone who
has difficulty holding a book turning
a page or seeing regular print The
recordings are loaned and returned
through the mail ndash postage-free ndash or
can be downloaded
julyaugust 2015 | 60PLUS S17
WhenExperience Counts
Experience our State-of-the-Art Facilities
600 Brookestone Meadows PlazaElkhorn NE 68022 | (402) 289-2696wwBrookestoneMeadowscom
QUALITY LIFE | QUALITY CARE | EXCELLENT TEAMS | QUALITY REPUTATION | STEWARDSHIP
4330 South 144th StreetOmaha NE 68137
(402) 614-4000wwBrookestoneVillagecom
Proud Members of the Vetter Health Services Family
PhysicalOccupationalandSpeechTherapy Careaftertotaljointreplacement Strokerecovery Strengtheningaftercancertreatment Careaftersurgery Recoveryfromafallorextendedillness
Visit ourwebsite
to find outmore about us
OmahaBVampElkhornBM_Ad - Omaha 60+ Mag_111612_60+ Omaha Magazine Ad - BSV amp BSM 3112014 354 PM Page 1
Trouble Getting Up amp Down the StairsRegain your independence and the rest of your home
Largest showroom in the nationMultiple modelsone sure to fit your needs
Call for special pricing
12739 Q Street4024081990
wwwkohllscom
Recipient of
PLATINUM AWARD
T ONY LAZZARETTI KEPT AN eye on the mole on his chest for some time When it started getting bigger he made an
appointment with his doctor to get it checked A biopsy confirmed that it was melanomamdashthe deadliest form of skin cancer
Lazzaretti 70 years old at the time said he was never a ldquosun bunnyrdquo but he remembers getting some bad sunburns
Lazzaretti had surgery to remove the mole and several lymph nodes but a couple of years later the cancer returned This time the cancer was too extensive to remove with surgery says Alissa Marr MD an oncolo-gist at Nebraska Medicine specializing in melanoma and lung cancer
ldquoWe started him on a new immunomodu-latory drug and he has had no reoccurrence
SKIN CANCER CONTINUES
TO RISEgreatest increases among women and
men over 65
S18 60PLUS | julyaugust 2015 | omahamagazinecom
by susan meyers
60PLUS HEALTH
since thenrdquo she says ldquoThis is a remarkable story of how advanced treatments have become Over the past four years there have been six new drugs introduced for metastatic melanoma that have been very effective in a select group of patientsrdquo
The cases of melanoma have steadily increased over the past 30 years notes Dr Marr The greatest increases have been among white women between the ages of 15 and 39 years and in men over age 65
While the cause for the increase is not known better identification use of tanning beds and having one or more blistering sun-burns as a youth appear to boost the risk Some research shows that people who use tanning beds are 74 percent more likely to get melanoma than those who donrsquot use them notes Dr Marr
ldquoIf melanoma is caught at an early stage and treated with proper surgical resection it is highly curablerdquo she says
Melanoma typically starts as a mole See a doctor if you experience any of the ABCDErsquos of a mole asymmetry border irregularity color variation diameter (anything larger than a pencil eraser) and evolution mean-ing a mole that is changing itchy or bleeds
The highest incidence of this cancer occurs on the back of the legs in women and on the trunk and back for men However it can occur on any area of the body even those that have not been exposed to the sun says Marr If you get a suspicious mole removed it needs to be an excision or punch biopsy by a qualified physician in order to get an accurate evaluation
Basal and squamous cell skin cancers the most common forms of skin cancer typically occur on chronically sun-exposed areas such as the head neck ears and arms and are directly related to amount of sun exposure Suspicious symptoms include a shiny waxy scar-like spot that may be yellow or white with irregular borders a smooth bump that is indented in the middle a reddish patch that wonrsquot go away and may be painful or itchy or a sore that takes more than three weeks to heal
ldquoEveryone should have a full body skin exam every year by their doctor to check for skin cancerrdquo says Dr Marr ldquoThe goal is to find it before it progresses and when it is still very treatablerdquo
Now Lazzaretti tells his kids every chance he gets stay out of the sun stay away from tan-ning beds and wear sunscreen
julyaugust 2015 | 60PLUS S19
wwwNebraskaLowVisioncom 402-905-2794
Nebraska Low Vision wishes Mike Riley and
the Nebraska Cornhuskers Football Team much
success in 2015
S20 60PLUS | julyaugust 2015 | omahamagazinecom
60PLUS FACESby anna hensel | photography by bill sitzmann
RETIREMENT on the road
F RITZ SAMPSON SAYS HE likes to travel slowly but the words ldquotravelrdquo and ldquoslowlyrdquo can conjure up thoughts of
lounging over three hour-long dinners in Italy or spending an entire afternoon wandering through a village in France
For 65-year-old Fritz ldquotraveling slowlyrdquo means moving about 200 miles a day across Europe and Asia by motorcycle
Last March Fritz undertook a 115-day motorcycle journey through south-ern Europe the former Soviet bloc and Mongolia but his plans were cut short by more than three weeks after an accident in Mongolia
Itrsquos an itinerary that sounds crazy but when explained calmly by Fritz seems per-fectly reasonable
ldquoWhether itrsquos breaking a shoulder or get-ting stopped by police or running out of food things are going to happenrdquo Fritz says ldquoAnd thatrsquos why you take the trip because itrsquos an adventurerdquo
According to Sampson and his wife of 40 years Mary he always had a daring spirit
ldquoThatrsquos what I loved him for was his sense of adventurerdquo Mary says ldquoNo one is compa-rable to Fritzmdashhersquos all out for the experience
The couple met on the Model United Nations Team at Creighton University and married in 1975 right out of college They and their two children moved to Germany in 1998 while Fritz pursued a degree in inter-national tax law His career took him every-where from China to Belize but he still craved different ways to see the world
A long-distance cyclist he rode for years all over the United States But as he aged he turned to a new mode of transportation motorcycling
He bought a new Harley Davidson in 2007 and in 2008 rode with his son Marty from Omaha to Tierra del Fuego an island chain
off the southernmost point of South AmericaldquoOne of the reasons I do thismdashI like meet-
ing people on the roadrdquo Fritz saysAfter his South American excursion Fritz
was itching to do a similar trip elsewhere He read about two motorcycle adventures on travel blogs that looked really interestingmdashone to the Russian far east another in outer Mongoliamdashand decided to combine the two by retiring and traveling to 17 countries He planned to begin in Ireland meet Mary in Turkey and eventually end up in Mongolia and Russia but had no other itinerary
That meant he spent a week in Bulgaria because he felt like it He chose to go to Kazakhstan instead of Turkmenistan because he met a fellow motorcyclist who was headed
there And when he told local policemen in Turkey the name of the hostel where he was staying they told him he shouldnrsquot sleep there and took him to a friendrsquos house where they hosted a barbecue for him
He also had a run-in with corrupt police in Azerbaijan lost 22 pounds and experienced that fateful fall in Mongolia that cut his trip short and left him with a broken shoulder
Therersquos only one thing hersquos cutting out of his routine off-roading on his motorcycle which led to his accident But he still wants to ride on motorcycle trips across the continental United States Alaska and Mexico
After all he says those are ldquoeasyrdquo rides
julyaugust 2015 | 60PLUS S21
I rsquoVE NEVER OWNED A video camera of any kind Okay so Irsquove just been reminded that my cell phone gizmo has such a device
but having never used it I still qualify as a video virgin
Sony introduced the first consumer cam-corder in 1983 the year my youngest child was born This made our family a prime target for being an early adapter in what became something of a video mania Almost over-night a populist paparazzi were born where every dad (Why was it always the dads) at every kindergarten holiday program was armed with a cinder-block-sized camera that instantly made him some kind of Fellini wanna-be
I refused to join the Betamax Age because my makeup is one where I want to remember things the way I want to remember thingsmdashnot necessarily how they actually happened
Ample video of my kidsrsquo childhood years exists from the cameras of extended family members and a couple of clan get-togethers have been marred when some idiot got the
bright idea that we should all watch old videos together Irsquom sure any good shrink would have a field day getting inside my head but the experience of viewing those picnics and parties and plays unfold on screen washellipwell ldquodisturbingrdquo is not at all too powerful a word
Itrsquos not that I am a dispassionate stoic For whatever weird reason being confronted with a filmed retelling of events rearranges my mental furniture in an unsettling almost visceral way
That tyranny of memory has only grown over the years and wersquove all witnessed the rise of the camera-obsessed malady Irsquoll call the Fear of Missing Out Syndrome In a sickness typified by living vicariously through a view-finder itrsquos as if film and only film is capable of proving even to ourselves the existential reality of a person place or thing
ldquoI saw Pope Francisrdquo ldquoI saw Pres- ident Obamardquo ldquoI saw Garth Brooksrdquo people exclaim
No you didnrsquot You saw only mere pixels while struggling to center a celebrityrsquos image
on your camera You had exactly the same experience I had when I saw almost identical footage on CNN or the local news except that my experience was better in that it was rendered by seasoned videographers on pro-fessional equipment You were there but you werenrsquot there
Just check out the June 15 Sports Illustrated cover online Get my point
Our society has become one of dim imagi-nations reflected in the even dimmer glows of electronic gadgets
As some dude named Lord Acton once claimed ldquoHistory is not a burden on the memory but an illumination of the soulrdquo I kinda dig that Lord Acton guy even if his name sounds like a super-classy moniker for a faux-British-bad-guy rassler on WWE
At least according to his lordship I donrsquot have an almost pathological relationship with memory I have an illuminated soul
LORD ACTON SAID IT BESTlife through a viewfinder
S22 60PLUS | julyaugust 2015 | omahamagazinecom
by david williams
60PLUS THE GRANDPA CHRONICLES
julyaugust 2015 | 60PLUS S23
DIRECTORY
Elk Ridge Village on the Lake Retirement CommunityElk Ridge Village provides Independent and Assisted Living and Alzheimerrsquos Care and is committed to providing services of the highest quality
19303 Seward Plaza402-312-1198402-216-8835wwwelkridgeseniorlivingcom
Brookestone MeadowsBrookestone VillageSkilled nursing communities provid-ing short-term rehabilitation including physical occupational and speech ther-apy as well as long-term nursing care
wwwBrookestoneVillagecom402-614-4000 bull OmahawwwBrookestoneMeadowscom402-280-2696 bull Elkhorn
Home Care Assistance
Our services are distinguished by the caliber of our caregivers the respon-siveness of our staff and our expertise in Live-In care We embrace a positive balanced approach to aging centered on the evolving needs of older adults
402-763-9140homecareassistanceomahacom
EJ Militti JrFinancial AdvisorThe Militti Group at Morgan Stanley
Wealth and Estate Planning Risk-Management Executive Services Foundations amp Endowments
(402) 399-1513wwwmorganstanleyfacommilittigroup
Saint Jude Hospice
Rooted in Christian Love and Guided by the Holy Spirit our Radical Loving Care brings healing to those when their hope has changed from a cure to comfort
10506 Burt Circle402-609-4818saintjudehospiceorg
Steven D Wegner DDS
Dr Wegner has 35 years of clinical experi-ence and thousands of hours of continuing education He knows how to help seniors and all ages to achieve and keep a healthy smile
11840 Nicholas StSuite 210Omaha NE 68154402-498-0400
Travel and Transport
Travel and Transport is proud to be the 5th largest travel agency in the US servicing clients throughout the country as well as globally
travelandtransportcom 402-399-4500
Nebraska Cancer SpecialistsNebraska Cancer Specialists is dedicated to providing complete cancer treatment for patients medical oncology radiation oncology surgical specialists and diagnostic services
5 Convenient LocationsFor address and phone infovisit our websitenebraskacancercom
Kohllrsquos Pharmacy amp Homecare
8 locations amp free delivery Providing retail amp compounded prescriptions all medical equipment amp supplies
402-408-1990 wwwkohllscom
Home Instead Senior Care
If yoursquore looking for someone to help you or a loved one a few hours a week or need more comprehensive assistance Home Instead Senior Care can help
Metro 4024983444West 4029324555
Nebraska Low Vision
Regain the Joy ofreading and writing today
In Home Demo Call 402-905-2794wwwNebraskaLowVisioncom
hillcresthealthcomProviding the regionrsquos widest array of aging-related services
One family Many servicesHillcrest Country EstatesContinuing care retirement communityfeaturing the Grand LodgeHwy 370 amp 60th Street Papillion(402) 885-7007
Hillcrest Health amp RehabIn-patient rehabilitation1702 Hillcrest Drive Bellevue(402) 291-8500
Hillcrest Physical TherapyOutpatient physical occupational and speech therapy1804 Hillcrest Drive Bellevue(402) 682-4210
Hillcrest Victoria GardensMemory support assisted living1702 Hillcrest Drive Bellevue(402) 682-4295
Hillcrest Mable Rose amp The ClubAssisted living memory support amp adult day servicesHwy 370 amp 48th Street Bellevue(402) 291-9777
Hillcrest Home CareSkilled home health and in-home personal careServing 9 counties in NE and IA(402) 682-4808
Hillcrest Hospice CareCompassionate end-of-life supportServing 7 counties in NE(402) 934-2282
The Grand LodgeIndependent Living
Now Open(402) 885-7007
Enhancing L ives
WORLD TRAVELER HISTORIC PRESERVER
Susan Bray comes home
S4 60PLUS | julyaugust 2015 | omahamagazinecom
by mandy mowers | photography by bill sitzmann
60PLUS FEATURE
julyaugust 2015 | 60PLUS S5
S USAN BRAY HAS NEVER been one to shy away from attention She built her life around standing out
As a blonde long-haired ldquohippie chickrdquo in the 1970s Bray stood out in some Asian and Middle-Eastern countries that had never welcomed a white woman traveling solo
Her adventures started after she left Nebraska and moved to Honolulu to live with her brother after college A few years later Bray married a physicist They eventu-ally relocated to Guammdashldquothe hottest place on Godrsquos green earthrdquo according to Bray And she would know
The travel bug bit hard soon after the couple divorced Shersquos visited more than 50 countries in her 70 years of life Most of her 50 coun-tries came in a span of five years during three different trips
She saw the cage in Titian where she believes Amelia Earhart was held captive by the Japanese until her death She was goosed by a camel in Afghanistan And she was horned in the rear by a water buffalo in Nepal
Bray most recalls the kindness of the people in Nepal Itrsquos her favorite country While there she rented a motorcycle and headed toward Mount Everestmdashat least until it broke down She says ldquoIt wasnrsquot a Harley Irsquoll tell yourdquo But even out in the remote rice paddies she quickly found help
She went to Agra to see the Taj Mahal It is the second most beautiful work of archi-tecture shersquos ever seen The most stunning edifice Bray saw was the Golden Pagoda in Burma (now Myanmar) ldquoIt was like eight to 10 stories high and it had a spiral staircase like the Guggenheimrdquo In an excited whisper she then adds ldquoIt was all plated gold Just startling when you see itrdquo
Traveling cost a lot She came home to her mother in Omaha in 1976 with about 45 cents to her name Thankfully pay phones only cost a dime at the time
Subconsciously Bray may have been studying art and architecture all over the world because she knew thatrsquos where her heart was Her passion led her to city planning in Omaha which evolved into historic preservation
Soon she grew restless and weary of Midwestern winters Bray bought a house in Hawaii and lived there until her mother
became ill To be closer to her she moved to La Jolla Calif
Quickly getting involved in historic pres-ervation once again ldquoI ended up being in charge of the restoration of downtown San Diegordquo Bray says ldquoI did an area called the Gaslamp Quarter It was all old buildings I didhellip96 of themrdquo
In her living room is a newspaper clipping from the San Diego Tribune the headline of which reads ldquoGunslinger of the Gaslamp Susan Bray is the guardian of downtownrsquos historical integritymdashlike her or notrdquo
She looks at the photo in the clipping and says ldquoThe guys working on this building gave me a pink construction hat So cuterdquo
Reflecting on Gaslamp Bray says ldquoThatrsquos my biggest contribution I changed the foot-print of a city And thatrsquos foreverrdquo
Bray thinks a lot about legacies because shersquos been diagnosed with a rare degenerative brain disease similar to Lou Gehrigrsquos called Orthostatic Hypotension Itrsquos terminal This news came after she already survived lym-phoma and breast cancer
Her doctor in California recommended that she live near her burial site So six years
ago she threw all her photos a small red chair and a blue stool in her car to come back to Omaha
Although she always appreciated the sense of community here she felt sad to find so many of her good friends had already passed away or moved Shersquos grateful for the new friends she has made and some friends from Westide High School shersquos reconnected with
Bray does not know the meaning of the term stranger ldquoI dialed the wrong number the other night in San Diego and I ended up talking to a 79-year-old woman for an hourrdquo she says
Even sales calls get a taste of her gusto ldquoMy daily joy is making people laughrdquo she says ldquoI think thatrsquos why God put me on this earthrdquo
So even though Bray has to ldquofill a bathtub to feel at homerdquo so far from the ocean shersquos made a home again in Omaha Inside her apartment Brayrsquos parakeet Big Boy sings in the background Combine that with the vintage blond art deco floorsmdashldquoI would only ever live in a historic propertyrdquomdashit could almost be a tropical getaway
S6 60PLUS | julyaugust 2015 | omahamagazinecom
60PLUS FEATURE
60PLUS featureMemory loss Stumbles and falls A spousewho doesnrsquot sleep at night Most of ushave people in our lives facing challengeslike these
Many older adults in our community are struggling to stay in their own homes even if they have the means to hire help
Home Care Assistance provides a level of care that enhances the independence of older adults includingthose with Alzheimerrsquos Parkinsonrsquos or who are recovering from stroke or surgery
Perhaps you know an older adult who would benefit fromldquoassisted living mdash at homerdquo Encourage that person tolearn more about how Omaharsquos premier home care company can help him or her continue to lead a full life
Call us We can help 402-763-9140 HomeCareAssistanceOmahacom
Soins
omamagcomsave
SUBSCRIBE TODAY
Donrsquot miss a single issue of Omaha Magazine
trade
Mayor Jean Stothert
Jim FlowersWeathers the Storm
Omaharsquos Best Doctorsreg
Omaharsquos 2013 BIG GIVE
Leading in a Manrsquos World
SEPTEMBEROCTOBER bull 2013
$2a$10$BV2a7VBdNEaP8TLqH43gOY8GyBeii959fEMuGFh6fTZktxU5toeU1BBQ0UgR09FUyBIRVJFTkVXTElORSBHT0VTIEhFUkU=n$2a$10$VQy5sjVaOIi93aOzrmXNOWOEUlVTxtUp4KLHYoUvJHGImzEGnKqU1BBQ0UgR09FUyBIRVJFTkVXTElORSBHT0VTIEhFUkU=n$2a$10$BSUej3mkaYgBL6SHdzkruVCLTOdrTeuMC7tENIJRio4k7r1S522U1BBQ0UgR09FUyBIRVJFTkVXTElORSBHT0VTIEhFUkU=n$2a$10$8lJaZ1bjql9MsIVt9chbEODEK1V4DMh2sWCqgO3EOkcmLDpuOcv2OU1BBQ0UgR09FUyBIRVJFTkVXTElORSBHT0VTIEhFUkU=n$2a$10$bokog0hs0YeIDLS08Mtz1OiPJn75Gm7kUVRGxWiMvmNK96K15omCU1BBQ0UgR09FUyBIRVJFTkVXTElORSBHT0VTIEhFUkU=n$2a$10$6PwNCHEGBFnlVxWvtvWyOIUae5YKMbG9AKx4P0QQdYkJFnuQBedGU1BBQ0UgR09FUyBIRVJFTkVXTElORSBHT0VTIEhFUkU=n$2a$10$0zda1EWkCNLfq3f8IgljO0gl8u8SQWc9tfTcstxEmJlYbx85kAKU1BBQ0UgR09FUyBIRVJFTkVXTElORSBHT0VTIEhFUkU=n$2a$10$8HQyCRFmAbwq2RC1u3RBOGPwfqXvS4nK4obI8uQeYNWIAST0cM2U1BBQ0UgR09FUyBIRVJFTkVXTElORSBHT0VTIEhFUkU=n$2a$10$UvJ6oFqd71pgpO03WVqRuAqoS2JG9CR1BvNEHKqLySgt2C7hVUWU1BBQ0UgR09FUyBIRVJFTkVXTElORSBHT0VTIEhFUkU=n$2a$10$FmIjrLTWACeLTrwoJXJu8b8hgthtLuGDBy0sV8EJZjyFkEni0NyU1BBQ0UgR09FUyBIRVJFTkVXTElORSBHT0VTIEhFUkU=n$2a$10$CjZNVV1n0igQ5i4xti7ehyyyTwczBJ4Or3CNfvQsAtx1fHkrPXmU1BBQ0UgR09FUyBIRVJFTkVXTElORSBHT0VTIEhFUkU=n$2a$10$uPCaJPhRy7F01s3YTceEkeAtZvK9r2seNkqA5w3PCqdyBr0eWmCOVER TEXT DECODED INSIDE
trade
JULYAUGUST bull 2014
war amp PeaceChuck Hagel battles for a future free of the quagmires of the past
OmaharsquostopDentiststrade
Best of Omahatrade Campaign 2015
The Loyal Royal Alex Gordon
Malorie MaddoxOmaha Stories
tradetrade
NOVEMBERDECEMBER bull 2013
The Road Home
Prescription Drug Abuse
Among Teens
Nebraskarsquos Premier Wealth Advisors
The Making of NebraskaJohn Jackson
julyaugust 2015 | 60PLUS S7
WADING THROUGH THE FLOODWATERS
discovering how to apply for VA benefits
C OMMIE SCHABENrsquoS 82-YEAR-OLD FATHER Ed is a Korean War veteran who served at Virginia
Beach He survived horrors untold but last year he almost died after his small intestine ruptured
Commie was determined to have him live at home with her after that but she says making that happen without some kind of assistance would have been difficult
ldquoIrsquod be really hurtingrdquo she says ldquoIrsquod be skimping and scraping really bad I probably would have had to put him in a home Irsquod rather have him here with merdquo
So she went to the US Department of Veterans Affairs website to see if she could
S8 60PLUS | julyaugust 2015 | omahamagazinecom
by ryan borchers | photography by bill sitzmann
60PLUS FINANCE
Olney often works with clients seeking to obtain veterans benefits and says a veteran and hisher spouse are eligible to receive $25000 a year for care A veteran by him or herself may receive a little over $21000 annually and the surviving spouse of a veteran may be eligible for over $13000 annually
Only about 5 percent of eligible veterans are taking advantage of these benefits
ldquoIn todayrsquos society as you grow older quite often the more care you need and some of our elderly people [are in] need of care and protecting their assetsrdquo Olney says
So why are so few veterans collecting this money
Olney thinks there are two reasons The first is that not many people know about the benefits
The second is that the process can be com-plicated Even though no one can charge for filling out the requisite paperwork oftentimes that paperwork can be confusing and incor-rectly entered or missing information may lead to the VA denying an applicant without an explanation
Olney says one of his recent clients was denied because of a piece of paper missing from the application
ldquoHe wouldrsquove quit right then and there but thatrsquos the way it is when you deal with government They donrsquot always give you all the factsrdquo
Allan Jackson director of the Douglas County Veterans Services says the VA requires certain forms and documents to establish a given veteranrsquos service time and discharge status The VA also requests verifi-cation of income and assets as well as medical information if the requested benefits are for care however he says there are limits to what a Veterans Service officer is allowed to ask of someone inquiring about benefits
ldquoWe canrsquot get into an individualrsquos historyrdquo he says ldquoWe canrsquot get into an individualrsquos income and assets Confidentiality comes into playrdquo
Even if you fill out all the paperwork Olney says how you answer a given question may alter your chances of receiving benefits For example the paperwork asks about your assets What is considered an asset If you own a given asset do you own 100 percent of it (The correct answer is no) Questions like those arenrsquot explained in the rules Olney says and a care advocate can help applicants determine their finances and incomes and how care costs affect their incomes If you tell the VA you make a certain amount of money the VA might deny you benefits because your income is too high Jackson stresses the importance of itemizing the ways in which your income is spent on care And if you factor in the cost of your care Olney says that might help your case
Olney says hersquos found the average vet-eran who successfully applies and submits the paperwork will start receiving benefits within 90 days And if more eligible members take advantage of the benefits there might be other advantages as well Not only would the veterans and their families be better off but there would be less strain on other federal programs like Medicaid and Social Security
As for Ed Commie says the VA sends visiting nurses to their home Her dad is also at the top of the list of eligible candidates to stay at the new VA home if it comes to that and if her mom were still alive the VA would have helped her get into assisted living
ldquoThey are entitled to thisrdquo Olney says ldquoItrsquos a thing theyrsquove sacrificed forhellipitrsquos something they have truly earned so why shouldnrsquot they have this benefit if theyrsquove truly earned itrdquo
obtain any assistance for her dad along the lines of a wheelchair or bathroom handlebars She sent them her phone number asking for some guidance
Dave Olney a local care advocate got in touch with her It turned out the VA could do a lot more for her and her dad than she realized
ldquoItrsquos just wonderfulrdquo she saysIt may not be the most widely known
aid program but the VA offers benefits to former members of the armed forces and their spouses to help pay for the cost of care The veteransrsquo benefits program helps eligible members pay for care costs like assisted living treatment after major medical conditions etc
julyaugust 2015 | 60PLUS S9
GHOST HOST
eeriness around every corner(in a place that doesnrsquot
have corners)
S10 60PLUS | julyaugust 2015 | omahamagazinecom
by judy horan | photography by bill sitzmann
60PLUS HISTORY
V ISITORS FROM OMAHA AND the spirit realm are welcome at the Squirrel Cage Jail Museum in Council Bluffs
Carla Borgaila says she has met several of the resident ghosts She remembers her hat being pulled from her head as she frantically tried to hold it on ldquoI could feel the fingers on my headrdquo she remembers ldquoBut no one was thererdquo Another time ldquoa guy came into my office and just stood thererdquo
Despite her personal experiences with ghosts Borgaila is a realist ldquoNinety percent is overactive imagination Nine percent we canrsquot explain but itrsquos not paranormal But then therersquos that one percentrdquo
Although a ghost has not spoken to her she has heard her name called But she never feels scared or threatened ldquoTheyrsquore like Casper the Friendly Ghost Therersquos no reason to be fearfulrdquo
Borgaila museum coordinator for the Historical Society of Pottawattamie County is responsible for arranging paranormal as well as regular tours of the quirky Squirrel Cage Jail Built in 1885 the jail on a turntable is now a museum
Adults who want to spend 8 pm to 4 am asking questions of alleged ghosts can call for an appointment But plan ahead Overnight paranormal investigation groups are already booked two months out The outing costs a minimum of $175 which covers the first seven people additional people are $25 each Youths age 16 and 17 are not allowed without a guardian only people age 21 and older can schedule an appointment
Some of the people who died in the build-ing may be lingering ldquoOne is an inmate who hung himself I firmly believe hersquos still there People describe him to a teerdquo Several ghostly jailers also hang around ldquoPeople see themrdquo
Groups spending the night at the Squirrel Cage Jail sometime pick up electronic voice phenomena ldquoYou donrsquot hear it then but it shows up in the background when later lis-tening to the audio recordingrsquo says Borgaila
Ghost hunting is not the only activity in the historical building Regular tours are available for individual visitors and groups of 15 or more Borgaila also has scheduled bridal showers and birthday parties
Even if ghost-less the buildingrsquos architec-ture is worth a visit Originally prisoners in pie-shaped cells got in and out when a hand crank turned to line the cell up with a single door on each of the three floors Because the cage rotated and jailers could view all the cells from one place fewer jailers were needed
The jail was built to be escape-proof but 60 inmates escaped over the years Inmates also had to be careful to avoid getting an arm or leg crushed by the rotating jail
The county jail was used from 1885 to 1969 Inmates still reside close by ldquoI run into them all the timerdquo she says ldquoItrsquos a badge of honor Theyrsquore proud they were in one of the most unique buildings in the United Statesrdquo
One of three remaining Lazy Susan jails it is on the National Register of Historic Places The Council Bluffs jail is the largest of the 18 built
CHECK IT OUT
SQUIRREL CAGE JAIL226 Pearl St in Council Bluffs
Open daily 10 am to 4 pm and Sundays 1 pm to 4 pm Closed Mondays major holidays and
the month of January
Tours are available year-round 712-323-2509
julyaugust 2015 | 60PLUS S11
with Travel and Transport
travelandtransportcom Located at 72nd amp Mercy | 4023994555 CORPORATE TRAVEL | EVENTS | LOYALTY | VACATIONS
For over 69 years Travel and Transport has made vacation dreams a reality In total our knowledgeable and seasoned travel specialists have visited over 50 countries on all seven continents and have sailed on over 50 cruises We provide our clients with the most advantageous pricing upgrades with leading hotels resorts spas cruise lines tour companies rail lines airlines and ground operators And through our partnership with Virtuoso we are able to offer exclusive amenities experiences and privileged access not available to the general public
The Plaza Napa Valley
Close To HomeNew York NY This summer spend your long days of sunlight in the city that never sleeps Visit New York City for the bustle of Times Square along with the wide-open spaces of the cityrsquos green areas Stroll through world-renowned museums take in a true Broadway show or shop to your heartrsquos content at some of the nationrsquos finest boutiques and department stores
Our RecommendationsThe PlazaNew York Hilton MidtownThe Westin New York at Times Square
Food amp Wine AdventureNapa Valley CA Spend your lazy summer days in peaceful Napa Valley part of Californiarsquos wine country region with its incredible weather and unforgettable scenery Saunter through wineries and take in the beautiful countryside before treating yourself to a souvenir at one of the eclectic shops in the cozy towns that dot the countryside Just a short drive to the coast you can also soak in the rolling waves of the Pacific Ocean Of course the area also boasts a great variety of dining options from artisan cafes to Tuscan fare to seafood Napa Valley is truly a dream for the foodie and wine enthusiast alike
Our Recommendations5-Day Napa Valley Experience with Kensington Tours7-Day Independent at The Westin Verasa Napa with Pleasant Holidays9-Day Trains Wineries amp Treasures of Northern California with Collette Tours
travelandtransportcom Located at 72nd amp Mercy | 4023994555 CORPORATE TRAVEL | EVENTS | LOYALTY | VACATIONS
Call today to book your getaway4023994555omahavacationstravelandtransportcom
Ultimate ExperienceGrand Voyage amp World Cruise For a truly once-in-a-lifetime experience spend the better part of a year traversing the world aboard a luxury cruise liner Visit Hawaii Fiji Australia Bangkok and countless other bucket list destinations aboard the Crystal Cruises linerhellipall in one trip Another option embark on a Grand Voyage with Holland America where yoursquoll swim in the Great Barrier Reef visit Egypt Greece Spain and many more Or go around the world in 180 days with Oceania for destinations like Iceland Cyprus India and the Seychelles When you return home from an experience like these you will have memories to last a lifetime
Our Recommendations95 or 103-Day World Cruise with Crystal Cruises (Round-trip from Miami or San Francisco)115-Day Grand Voyage with Holland America Line (Round-trip from Fort Lauderdale)180-Day Global Cruise with Oceania (Round-trip from Miami)
Grand Voyage amp World Cruise
travelandtransportcom Located at 72nd amp Mercy | 4023994555 CORPORATE TRAVEL | EVENTS | LOYALTY | VACATIONS
Call today to book your getaway4023994555omahavacationstravelandtransportcom
Ultimate ExperienceGrand Voyage amp World Cruise For a truly once-in-a-lifetime experience spend the better part of a year traversing the world aboard a luxury cruise liner Visit Hawaii Fiji Australia Bangkok and countless other bucket list destinations aboard the Crystal Cruises linerhellipall in one trip Another option embark on a Grand Voyage with Holland America where yoursquoll swim in the Great Barrier Reef visit Egypt Greece Spain and many more Or go around the world in 180 days with Oceania for destinations like Iceland Cyprus India and the Seychelles When you return home from an experience like these you will have memories to last a lifetime
Our Recommendations95 or 103-Day World Cruise with Crystal Cruises (Round-trip from Miami or San Francisco)115-Day Grand Voyage with Holland America Line (Round-trip from Fort Lauderdale)180-Day Global Cruise with Oceania (Round-trip from Miami)
Grand Voyage amp World Cruise
ldquo
PICKLEBALL more fun than drinking a
barrel of vinegar
S14 60PLUS | julyaugust 2015 | omahamagazinecom
60PLUS COVER FEATUREby kara schweiss | photography by bill sitzmann
I TrsquoS PLAYED ON A badminton-size court but with the net lowered to 34 inches at the center The paddles look like a hybrid
of racquetball racquets and table tennis pad-dles The rules are somewhat similar to tennis but the serve is underhand And the ball looks more like a whiffle ball than a vinegar-soaked cucumber Itrsquos Pickleballmdasha sport that is quickly gaining a large following with the local club Pickleball Omaha boasting around 225 members
The gamersquos origins date back to a 1965 Washington state backyard and even its
creators canrsquot quite agree on whether the name came from a family dog or a term associated with rowing Regardless of this pickleball has evolved over 50 years from an improvised family pastime to a thriving widely recog-nized passion The statewide organization Pickleball Nebraska was founded in 2012 and the sport has been part of Nebraskarsquos State Games of America (formerly Cornhusker State Games) since 2011 It is even going to be part of the State Games of Americarsquos national competition for the first time this summer when Nebraska serves as host state gt
julyaugust 2015 | 60PLUS S15
lt Pickleball Nebraska President Bill Holt (pictured on the cover) discovered the sport in 2008 while wintering in Arizona It was popular with the retirement crowd there he says but relatively unknown back home in Nebraskamdashwithout an organized following or designated courts So Holt and his wife Nancy created a makeshift playing field on an Omaha tennis court that spring and began introducing friends to the sport Interest has grown steadily since
ldquoThere was no place to play pickleball in Nebraska that I was aware of and nobody I knew playedrdquo Holt says ldquoWe now have 10 places to play listed (on the USA Pickleball Association website at uspaaorg) and there are actually more than thatrdquo More informa-tion on this pastime is available at pickleball-nebraskawordpresscom and players can now also find local places to participate through the clubrsquos page on Facebook
Like Holt Camille Culprsquos association with pickleball originated in Arizona Her hus-band Wayne played the game for the first time on a business trip six years ago intro-duced Camille and soon the couple found other enthusiasts in Omaha Culp was one of the first women to play locally and she
says introductory clinics open play sessions and a welcoming community have helped the sport grow in the area Women now make up more than half of Pickleball Nebraskarsquos membership
ldquoThatrsquos the pickleball thing always chat up whoever stops byrdquo says Culp who now serves as the grouprsquos treasurer ldquoThey can try it right away and see what they think and of course in my opinion 95 percent of them are hookedrdquo
Holt says club members range from 30-something to 82 and most participants play doubles A high degree of physical condi-tioning isnrsquot necessary to start but the game can be very intense and local players self-classify as A-level B-level or somewhere in between to determine if they should play recreationally or competitively
ldquoAnybody can join The typical person is 60-65 and has played sports Irsquove always been fairly active in one thing or anotherrdquo Holt says ldquoAnyone can learn to playhellipitrsquos great for all agesrdquo
ldquoItrsquos relatively easy to learnrdquo Culp agrees ldquoI only see the sport getting more popularrdquo
S16 60PLUS | julyaugust 2015 | omahamagazinecom
60PLUS COVER FEATURE
This certification is an honor a testament to our high standard of care mdash and a reminder that we must always strive to exceed our own expectations to better care for you Our twelve experienced highly-skilled cancer specialists are dedicated to complete cancer treatment and research with over 100 clinical trials available
CHI Health Cancer Center - Bergan (402) 393-3110Methodist Estabrook Cancer Center (402) 354-8124Midwest Cancer Center Papillion (402) 593-3141Midwest Cancer Center Legacy (402) 334-4773Health Park Plaza-Fremont Health (402) 941-7030
Margaret Block MD
M Salman Haroon MD
Ralph J Hauke MD
Timothy K Huyck MD
Robert M Langdon Jr MD
Kirsten M Leu MD
John M Longo MD
Geetha Palaniappan MD
David A Silverberg MD
Gamini S Soori MD
Yungpo Bernard Su MD
Stefano R Tarantolo MD
Benefit from everything we can offer as the largest independent QOPI-certified cancer practice in Nebraska
Receive the Highest Level of Cancer Care
NEBRASKA CANCER SPECIALISTS IS QOPIreg CERTIFIED
Nebraska Library CommissionTalking Book and Braille Service
402-471-4038 bull 800-742-7691nlctalkingbooknebraskagov bull wwwnlcnebraskagov
Reading is for Everyone Your Libraryreg
Talking Books are free for anyone who
has difficulty holding a book turning
a page or seeing regular print The
recordings are loaned and returned
through the mail ndash postage-free ndash or
can be downloaded
julyaugust 2015 | 60PLUS S17
WhenExperience Counts
Experience our State-of-the-Art Facilities
600 Brookestone Meadows PlazaElkhorn NE 68022 | (402) 289-2696wwBrookestoneMeadowscom
QUALITY LIFE | QUALITY CARE | EXCELLENT TEAMS | QUALITY REPUTATION | STEWARDSHIP
4330 South 144th StreetOmaha NE 68137
(402) 614-4000wwBrookestoneVillagecom
Proud Members of the Vetter Health Services Family
PhysicalOccupationalandSpeechTherapy Careaftertotaljointreplacement Strokerecovery Strengtheningaftercancertreatment Careaftersurgery Recoveryfromafallorextendedillness
Visit ourwebsite
to find outmore about us
OmahaBVampElkhornBM_Ad - Omaha 60+ Mag_111612_60+ Omaha Magazine Ad - BSV amp BSM 3112014 354 PM Page 1
Trouble Getting Up amp Down the StairsRegain your independence and the rest of your home
Largest showroom in the nationMultiple modelsone sure to fit your needs
Call for special pricing
12739 Q Street4024081990
wwwkohllscom
Recipient of
PLATINUM AWARD
T ONY LAZZARETTI KEPT AN eye on the mole on his chest for some time When it started getting bigger he made an
appointment with his doctor to get it checked A biopsy confirmed that it was melanomamdashthe deadliest form of skin cancer
Lazzaretti 70 years old at the time said he was never a ldquosun bunnyrdquo but he remembers getting some bad sunburns
Lazzaretti had surgery to remove the mole and several lymph nodes but a couple of years later the cancer returned This time the cancer was too extensive to remove with surgery says Alissa Marr MD an oncolo-gist at Nebraska Medicine specializing in melanoma and lung cancer
ldquoWe started him on a new immunomodu-latory drug and he has had no reoccurrence
SKIN CANCER CONTINUES
TO RISEgreatest increases among women and
men over 65
S18 60PLUS | julyaugust 2015 | omahamagazinecom
by susan meyers
60PLUS HEALTH
since thenrdquo she says ldquoThis is a remarkable story of how advanced treatments have become Over the past four years there have been six new drugs introduced for metastatic melanoma that have been very effective in a select group of patientsrdquo
The cases of melanoma have steadily increased over the past 30 years notes Dr Marr The greatest increases have been among white women between the ages of 15 and 39 years and in men over age 65
While the cause for the increase is not known better identification use of tanning beds and having one or more blistering sun-burns as a youth appear to boost the risk Some research shows that people who use tanning beds are 74 percent more likely to get melanoma than those who donrsquot use them notes Dr Marr
ldquoIf melanoma is caught at an early stage and treated with proper surgical resection it is highly curablerdquo she says
Melanoma typically starts as a mole See a doctor if you experience any of the ABCDErsquos of a mole asymmetry border irregularity color variation diameter (anything larger than a pencil eraser) and evolution mean-ing a mole that is changing itchy or bleeds
The highest incidence of this cancer occurs on the back of the legs in women and on the trunk and back for men However it can occur on any area of the body even those that have not been exposed to the sun says Marr If you get a suspicious mole removed it needs to be an excision or punch biopsy by a qualified physician in order to get an accurate evaluation
Basal and squamous cell skin cancers the most common forms of skin cancer typically occur on chronically sun-exposed areas such as the head neck ears and arms and are directly related to amount of sun exposure Suspicious symptoms include a shiny waxy scar-like spot that may be yellow or white with irregular borders a smooth bump that is indented in the middle a reddish patch that wonrsquot go away and may be painful or itchy or a sore that takes more than three weeks to heal
ldquoEveryone should have a full body skin exam every year by their doctor to check for skin cancerrdquo says Dr Marr ldquoThe goal is to find it before it progresses and when it is still very treatablerdquo
Now Lazzaretti tells his kids every chance he gets stay out of the sun stay away from tan-ning beds and wear sunscreen
julyaugust 2015 | 60PLUS S19
wwwNebraskaLowVisioncom 402-905-2794
Nebraska Low Vision wishes Mike Riley and
the Nebraska Cornhuskers Football Team much
success in 2015
S20 60PLUS | julyaugust 2015 | omahamagazinecom
60PLUS FACESby anna hensel | photography by bill sitzmann
RETIREMENT on the road
F RITZ SAMPSON SAYS HE likes to travel slowly but the words ldquotravelrdquo and ldquoslowlyrdquo can conjure up thoughts of
lounging over three hour-long dinners in Italy or spending an entire afternoon wandering through a village in France
For 65-year-old Fritz ldquotraveling slowlyrdquo means moving about 200 miles a day across Europe and Asia by motorcycle
Last March Fritz undertook a 115-day motorcycle journey through south-ern Europe the former Soviet bloc and Mongolia but his plans were cut short by more than three weeks after an accident in Mongolia
Itrsquos an itinerary that sounds crazy but when explained calmly by Fritz seems per-fectly reasonable
ldquoWhether itrsquos breaking a shoulder or get-ting stopped by police or running out of food things are going to happenrdquo Fritz says ldquoAnd thatrsquos why you take the trip because itrsquos an adventurerdquo
According to Sampson and his wife of 40 years Mary he always had a daring spirit
ldquoThatrsquos what I loved him for was his sense of adventurerdquo Mary says ldquoNo one is compa-rable to Fritzmdashhersquos all out for the experience
The couple met on the Model United Nations Team at Creighton University and married in 1975 right out of college They and their two children moved to Germany in 1998 while Fritz pursued a degree in inter-national tax law His career took him every-where from China to Belize but he still craved different ways to see the world
A long-distance cyclist he rode for years all over the United States But as he aged he turned to a new mode of transportation motorcycling
He bought a new Harley Davidson in 2007 and in 2008 rode with his son Marty from Omaha to Tierra del Fuego an island chain
off the southernmost point of South AmericaldquoOne of the reasons I do thismdashI like meet-
ing people on the roadrdquo Fritz saysAfter his South American excursion Fritz
was itching to do a similar trip elsewhere He read about two motorcycle adventures on travel blogs that looked really interestingmdashone to the Russian far east another in outer Mongoliamdashand decided to combine the two by retiring and traveling to 17 countries He planned to begin in Ireland meet Mary in Turkey and eventually end up in Mongolia and Russia but had no other itinerary
That meant he spent a week in Bulgaria because he felt like it He chose to go to Kazakhstan instead of Turkmenistan because he met a fellow motorcyclist who was headed
there And when he told local policemen in Turkey the name of the hostel where he was staying they told him he shouldnrsquot sleep there and took him to a friendrsquos house where they hosted a barbecue for him
He also had a run-in with corrupt police in Azerbaijan lost 22 pounds and experienced that fateful fall in Mongolia that cut his trip short and left him with a broken shoulder
Therersquos only one thing hersquos cutting out of his routine off-roading on his motorcycle which led to his accident But he still wants to ride on motorcycle trips across the continental United States Alaska and Mexico
After all he says those are ldquoeasyrdquo rides
julyaugust 2015 | 60PLUS S21
I rsquoVE NEVER OWNED A video camera of any kind Okay so Irsquove just been reminded that my cell phone gizmo has such a device
but having never used it I still qualify as a video virgin
Sony introduced the first consumer cam-corder in 1983 the year my youngest child was born This made our family a prime target for being an early adapter in what became something of a video mania Almost over-night a populist paparazzi were born where every dad (Why was it always the dads) at every kindergarten holiday program was armed with a cinder-block-sized camera that instantly made him some kind of Fellini wanna-be
I refused to join the Betamax Age because my makeup is one where I want to remember things the way I want to remember thingsmdashnot necessarily how they actually happened
Ample video of my kidsrsquo childhood years exists from the cameras of extended family members and a couple of clan get-togethers have been marred when some idiot got the
bright idea that we should all watch old videos together Irsquom sure any good shrink would have a field day getting inside my head but the experience of viewing those picnics and parties and plays unfold on screen washellipwell ldquodisturbingrdquo is not at all too powerful a word
Itrsquos not that I am a dispassionate stoic For whatever weird reason being confronted with a filmed retelling of events rearranges my mental furniture in an unsettling almost visceral way
That tyranny of memory has only grown over the years and wersquove all witnessed the rise of the camera-obsessed malady Irsquoll call the Fear of Missing Out Syndrome In a sickness typified by living vicariously through a view-finder itrsquos as if film and only film is capable of proving even to ourselves the existential reality of a person place or thing
ldquoI saw Pope Francisrdquo ldquoI saw Pres- ident Obamardquo ldquoI saw Garth Brooksrdquo people exclaim
No you didnrsquot You saw only mere pixels while struggling to center a celebrityrsquos image
on your camera You had exactly the same experience I had when I saw almost identical footage on CNN or the local news except that my experience was better in that it was rendered by seasoned videographers on pro-fessional equipment You were there but you werenrsquot there
Just check out the June 15 Sports Illustrated cover online Get my point
Our society has become one of dim imagi-nations reflected in the even dimmer glows of electronic gadgets
As some dude named Lord Acton once claimed ldquoHistory is not a burden on the memory but an illumination of the soulrdquo I kinda dig that Lord Acton guy even if his name sounds like a super-classy moniker for a faux-British-bad-guy rassler on WWE
At least according to his lordship I donrsquot have an almost pathological relationship with memory I have an illuminated soul
LORD ACTON SAID IT BESTlife through a viewfinder
S22 60PLUS | julyaugust 2015 | omahamagazinecom
by david williams
60PLUS THE GRANDPA CHRONICLES
julyaugust 2015 | 60PLUS S23
DIRECTORY
Elk Ridge Village on the Lake Retirement CommunityElk Ridge Village provides Independent and Assisted Living and Alzheimerrsquos Care and is committed to providing services of the highest quality
19303 Seward Plaza402-312-1198402-216-8835wwwelkridgeseniorlivingcom
Brookestone MeadowsBrookestone VillageSkilled nursing communities provid-ing short-term rehabilitation including physical occupational and speech ther-apy as well as long-term nursing care
wwwBrookestoneVillagecom402-614-4000 bull OmahawwwBrookestoneMeadowscom402-280-2696 bull Elkhorn
Home Care Assistance
Our services are distinguished by the caliber of our caregivers the respon-siveness of our staff and our expertise in Live-In care We embrace a positive balanced approach to aging centered on the evolving needs of older adults
402-763-9140homecareassistanceomahacom
EJ Militti JrFinancial AdvisorThe Militti Group at Morgan Stanley
Wealth and Estate Planning Risk-Management Executive Services Foundations amp Endowments
(402) 399-1513wwwmorganstanleyfacommilittigroup
Saint Jude Hospice
Rooted in Christian Love and Guided by the Holy Spirit our Radical Loving Care brings healing to those when their hope has changed from a cure to comfort
10506 Burt Circle402-609-4818saintjudehospiceorg
Steven D Wegner DDS
Dr Wegner has 35 years of clinical experi-ence and thousands of hours of continuing education He knows how to help seniors and all ages to achieve and keep a healthy smile
11840 Nicholas StSuite 210Omaha NE 68154402-498-0400
Travel and Transport
Travel and Transport is proud to be the 5th largest travel agency in the US servicing clients throughout the country as well as globally
travelandtransportcom 402-399-4500
Nebraska Cancer SpecialistsNebraska Cancer Specialists is dedicated to providing complete cancer treatment for patients medical oncology radiation oncology surgical specialists and diagnostic services
5 Convenient LocationsFor address and phone infovisit our websitenebraskacancercom
Kohllrsquos Pharmacy amp Homecare
8 locations amp free delivery Providing retail amp compounded prescriptions all medical equipment amp supplies
402-408-1990 wwwkohllscom
Home Instead Senior Care
If yoursquore looking for someone to help you or a loved one a few hours a week or need more comprehensive assistance Home Instead Senior Care can help
Metro 4024983444West 4029324555
Nebraska Low Vision
Regain the Joy ofreading and writing today
In Home Demo Call 402-905-2794wwwNebraskaLowVisioncom
hillcresthealthcomProviding the regionrsquos widest array of aging-related services
One family Many servicesHillcrest Country EstatesContinuing care retirement communityfeaturing the Grand LodgeHwy 370 amp 60th Street Papillion(402) 885-7007
Hillcrest Health amp RehabIn-patient rehabilitation1702 Hillcrest Drive Bellevue(402) 291-8500
Hillcrest Physical TherapyOutpatient physical occupational and speech therapy1804 Hillcrest Drive Bellevue(402) 682-4210
Hillcrest Victoria GardensMemory support assisted living1702 Hillcrest Drive Bellevue(402) 682-4295
Hillcrest Mable Rose amp The ClubAssisted living memory support amp adult day servicesHwy 370 amp 48th Street Bellevue(402) 291-9777
Hillcrest Home CareSkilled home health and in-home personal careServing 9 counties in NE and IA(402) 682-4808
Hillcrest Hospice CareCompassionate end-of-life supportServing 7 counties in NE(402) 934-2282
The Grand LodgeIndependent Living
Now Open(402) 885-7007
Enhancing L ives
julyaugust 2015 | 60PLUS S5
S USAN BRAY HAS NEVER been one to shy away from attention She built her life around standing out
As a blonde long-haired ldquohippie chickrdquo in the 1970s Bray stood out in some Asian and Middle-Eastern countries that had never welcomed a white woman traveling solo
Her adventures started after she left Nebraska and moved to Honolulu to live with her brother after college A few years later Bray married a physicist They eventu-ally relocated to Guammdashldquothe hottest place on Godrsquos green earthrdquo according to Bray And she would know
The travel bug bit hard soon after the couple divorced Shersquos visited more than 50 countries in her 70 years of life Most of her 50 coun-tries came in a span of five years during three different trips
She saw the cage in Titian where she believes Amelia Earhart was held captive by the Japanese until her death She was goosed by a camel in Afghanistan And she was horned in the rear by a water buffalo in Nepal
Bray most recalls the kindness of the people in Nepal Itrsquos her favorite country While there she rented a motorcycle and headed toward Mount Everestmdashat least until it broke down She says ldquoIt wasnrsquot a Harley Irsquoll tell yourdquo But even out in the remote rice paddies she quickly found help
She went to Agra to see the Taj Mahal It is the second most beautiful work of archi-tecture shersquos ever seen The most stunning edifice Bray saw was the Golden Pagoda in Burma (now Myanmar) ldquoIt was like eight to 10 stories high and it had a spiral staircase like the Guggenheimrdquo In an excited whisper she then adds ldquoIt was all plated gold Just startling when you see itrdquo
Traveling cost a lot She came home to her mother in Omaha in 1976 with about 45 cents to her name Thankfully pay phones only cost a dime at the time
Subconsciously Bray may have been studying art and architecture all over the world because she knew thatrsquos where her heart was Her passion led her to city planning in Omaha which evolved into historic preservation
Soon she grew restless and weary of Midwestern winters Bray bought a house in Hawaii and lived there until her mother
became ill To be closer to her she moved to La Jolla Calif
Quickly getting involved in historic pres-ervation once again ldquoI ended up being in charge of the restoration of downtown San Diegordquo Bray says ldquoI did an area called the Gaslamp Quarter It was all old buildings I didhellip96 of themrdquo
In her living room is a newspaper clipping from the San Diego Tribune the headline of which reads ldquoGunslinger of the Gaslamp Susan Bray is the guardian of downtownrsquos historical integritymdashlike her or notrdquo
She looks at the photo in the clipping and says ldquoThe guys working on this building gave me a pink construction hat So cuterdquo
Reflecting on Gaslamp Bray says ldquoThatrsquos my biggest contribution I changed the foot-print of a city And thatrsquos foreverrdquo
Bray thinks a lot about legacies because shersquos been diagnosed with a rare degenerative brain disease similar to Lou Gehrigrsquos called Orthostatic Hypotension Itrsquos terminal This news came after she already survived lym-phoma and breast cancer
Her doctor in California recommended that she live near her burial site So six years
ago she threw all her photos a small red chair and a blue stool in her car to come back to Omaha
Although she always appreciated the sense of community here she felt sad to find so many of her good friends had already passed away or moved Shersquos grateful for the new friends she has made and some friends from Westide High School shersquos reconnected with
Bray does not know the meaning of the term stranger ldquoI dialed the wrong number the other night in San Diego and I ended up talking to a 79-year-old woman for an hourrdquo she says
Even sales calls get a taste of her gusto ldquoMy daily joy is making people laughrdquo she says ldquoI think thatrsquos why God put me on this earthrdquo
So even though Bray has to ldquofill a bathtub to feel at homerdquo so far from the ocean shersquos made a home again in Omaha Inside her apartment Brayrsquos parakeet Big Boy sings in the background Combine that with the vintage blond art deco floorsmdashldquoI would only ever live in a historic propertyrdquomdashit could almost be a tropical getaway
S6 60PLUS | julyaugust 2015 | omahamagazinecom
60PLUS FEATURE
60PLUS featureMemory loss Stumbles and falls A spousewho doesnrsquot sleep at night Most of ushave people in our lives facing challengeslike these
Many older adults in our community are struggling to stay in their own homes even if they have the means to hire help
Home Care Assistance provides a level of care that enhances the independence of older adults includingthose with Alzheimerrsquos Parkinsonrsquos or who are recovering from stroke or surgery
Perhaps you know an older adult who would benefit fromldquoassisted living mdash at homerdquo Encourage that person tolearn more about how Omaharsquos premier home care company can help him or her continue to lead a full life
Call us We can help 402-763-9140 HomeCareAssistanceOmahacom
Soins
omamagcomsave
SUBSCRIBE TODAY
Donrsquot miss a single issue of Omaha Magazine
trade
Mayor Jean Stothert
Jim FlowersWeathers the Storm
Omaharsquos Best Doctorsreg
Omaharsquos 2013 BIG GIVE
Leading in a Manrsquos World
SEPTEMBEROCTOBER bull 2013
$2a$10$BV2a7VBdNEaP8TLqH43gOY8GyBeii959fEMuGFh6fTZktxU5toeU1BBQ0UgR09FUyBIRVJFTkVXTElORSBHT0VTIEhFUkU=n$2a$10$VQy5sjVaOIi93aOzrmXNOWOEUlVTxtUp4KLHYoUvJHGImzEGnKqU1BBQ0UgR09FUyBIRVJFTkVXTElORSBHT0VTIEhFUkU=n$2a$10$BSUej3mkaYgBL6SHdzkruVCLTOdrTeuMC7tENIJRio4k7r1S522U1BBQ0UgR09FUyBIRVJFTkVXTElORSBHT0VTIEhFUkU=n$2a$10$8lJaZ1bjql9MsIVt9chbEODEK1V4DMh2sWCqgO3EOkcmLDpuOcv2OU1BBQ0UgR09FUyBIRVJFTkVXTElORSBHT0VTIEhFUkU=n$2a$10$bokog0hs0YeIDLS08Mtz1OiPJn75Gm7kUVRGxWiMvmNK96K15omCU1BBQ0UgR09FUyBIRVJFTkVXTElORSBHT0VTIEhFUkU=n$2a$10$6PwNCHEGBFnlVxWvtvWyOIUae5YKMbG9AKx4P0QQdYkJFnuQBedGU1BBQ0UgR09FUyBIRVJFTkVXTElORSBHT0VTIEhFUkU=n$2a$10$0zda1EWkCNLfq3f8IgljO0gl8u8SQWc9tfTcstxEmJlYbx85kAKU1BBQ0UgR09FUyBIRVJFTkVXTElORSBHT0VTIEhFUkU=n$2a$10$8HQyCRFmAbwq2RC1u3RBOGPwfqXvS4nK4obI8uQeYNWIAST0cM2U1BBQ0UgR09FUyBIRVJFTkVXTElORSBHT0VTIEhFUkU=n$2a$10$UvJ6oFqd71pgpO03WVqRuAqoS2JG9CR1BvNEHKqLySgt2C7hVUWU1BBQ0UgR09FUyBIRVJFTkVXTElORSBHT0VTIEhFUkU=n$2a$10$FmIjrLTWACeLTrwoJXJu8b8hgthtLuGDBy0sV8EJZjyFkEni0NyU1BBQ0UgR09FUyBIRVJFTkVXTElORSBHT0VTIEhFUkU=n$2a$10$CjZNVV1n0igQ5i4xti7ehyyyTwczBJ4Or3CNfvQsAtx1fHkrPXmU1BBQ0UgR09FUyBIRVJFTkVXTElORSBHT0VTIEhFUkU=n$2a$10$uPCaJPhRy7F01s3YTceEkeAtZvK9r2seNkqA5w3PCqdyBr0eWmCOVER TEXT DECODED INSIDE
trade
JULYAUGUST bull 2014
war amp PeaceChuck Hagel battles for a future free of the quagmires of the past
OmaharsquostopDentiststrade
Best of Omahatrade Campaign 2015
The Loyal Royal Alex Gordon
Malorie MaddoxOmaha Stories
tradetrade
NOVEMBERDECEMBER bull 2013
The Road Home
Prescription Drug Abuse
Among Teens
Nebraskarsquos Premier Wealth Advisors
The Making of NebraskaJohn Jackson
julyaugust 2015 | 60PLUS S7
WADING THROUGH THE FLOODWATERS
discovering how to apply for VA benefits
C OMMIE SCHABENrsquoS 82-YEAR-OLD FATHER Ed is a Korean War veteran who served at Virginia
Beach He survived horrors untold but last year he almost died after his small intestine ruptured
Commie was determined to have him live at home with her after that but she says making that happen without some kind of assistance would have been difficult
ldquoIrsquod be really hurtingrdquo she says ldquoIrsquod be skimping and scraping really bad I probably would have had to put him in a home Irsquod rather have him here with merdquo
So she went to the US Department of Veterans Affairs website to see if she could
S8 60PLUS | julyaugust 2015 | omahamagazinecom
by ryan borchers | photography by bill sitzmann
60PLUS FINANCE
Olney often works with clients seeking to obtain veterans benefits and says a veteran and hisher spouse are eligible to receive $25000 a year for care A veteran by him or herself may receive a little over $21000 annually and the surviving spouse of a veteran may be eligible for over $13000 annually
Only about 5 percent of eligible veterans are taking advantage of these benefits
ldquoIn todayrsquos society as you grow older quite often the more care you need and some of our elderly people [are in] need of care and protecting their assetsrdquo Olney says
So why are so few veterans collecting this money
Olney thinks there are two reasons The first is that not many people know about the benefits
The second is that the process can be com-plicated Even though no one can charge for filling out the requisite paperwork oftentimes that paperwork can be confusing and incor-rectly entered or missing information may lead to the VA denying an applicant without an explanation
Olney says one of his recent clients was denied because of a piece of paper missing from the application
ldquoHe wouldrsquove quit right then and there but thatrsquos the way it is when you deal with government They donrsquot always give you all the factsrdquo
Allan Jackson director of the Douglas County Veterans Services says the VA requires certain forms and documents to establish a given veteranrsquos service time and discharge status The VA also requests verifi-cation of income and assets as well as medical information if the requested benefits are for care however he says there are limits to what a Veterans Service officer is allowed to ask of someone inquiring about benefits
ldquoWe canrsquot get into an individualrsquos historyrdquo he says ldquoWe canrsquot get into an individualrsquos income and assets Confidentiality comes into playrdquo
Even if you fill out all the paperwork Olney says how you answer a given question may alter your chances of receiving benefits For example the paperwork asks about your assets What is considered an asset If you own a given asset do you own 100 percent of it (The correct answer is no) Questions like those arenrsquot explained in the rules Olney says and a care advocate can help applicants determine their finances and incomes and how care costs affect their incomes If you tell the VA you make a certain amount of money the VA might deny you benefits because your income is too high Jackson stresses the importance of itemizing the ways in which your income is spent on care And if you factor in the cost of your care Olney says that might help your case
Olney says hersquos found the average vet-eran who successfully applies and submits the paperwork will start receiving benefits within 90 days And if more eligible members take advantage of the benefits there might be other advantages as well Not only would the veterans and their families be better off but there would be less strain on other federal programs like Medicaid and Social Security
As for Ed Commie says the VA sends visiting nurses to their home Her dad is also at the top of the list of eligible candidates to stay at the new VA home if it comes to that and if her mom were still alive the VA would have helped her get into assisted living
ldquoThey are entitled to thisrdquo Olney says ldquoItrsquos a thing theyrsquove sacrificed forhellipitrsquos something they have truly earned so why shouldnrsquot they have this benefit if theyrsquove truly earned itrdquo
obtain any assistance for her dad along the lines of a wheelchair or bathroom handlebars She sent them her phone number asking for some guidance
Dave Olney a local care advocate got in touch with her It turned out the VA could do a lot more for her and her dad than she realized
ldquoItrsquos just wonderfulrdquo she saysIt may not be the most widely known
aid program but the VA offers benefits to former members of the armed forces and their spouses to help pay for the cost of care The veteransrsquo benefits program helps eligible members pay for care costs like assisted living treatment after major medical conditions etc
julyaugust 2015 | 60PLUS S9
GHOST HOST
eeriness around every corner(in a place that doesnrsquot
have corners)
S10 60PLUS | julyaugust 2015 | omahamagazinecom
by judy horan | photography by bill sitzmann
60PLUS HISTORY
V ISITORS FROM OMAHA AND the spirit realm are welcome at the Squirrel Cage Jail Museum in Council Bluffs
Carla Borgaila says she has met several of the resident ghosts She remembers her hat being pulled from her head as she frantically tried to hold it on ldquoI could feel the fingers on my headrdquo she remembers ldquoBut no one was thererdquo Another time ldquoa guy came into my office and just stood thererdquo
Despite her personal experiences with ghosts Borgaila is a realist ldquoNinety percent is overactive imagination Nine percent we canrsquot explain but itrsquos not paranormal But then therersquos that one percentrdquo
Although a ghost has not spoken to her she has heard her name called But she never feels scared or threatened ldquoTheyrsquore like Casper the Friendly Ghost Therersquos no reason to be fearfulrdquo
Borgaila museum coordinator for the Historical Society of Pottawattamie County is responsible for arranging paranormal as well as regular tours of the quirky Squirrel Cage Jail Built in 1885 the jail on a turntable is now a museum
Adults who want to spend 8 pm to 4 am asking questions of alleged ghosts can call for an appointment But plan ahead Overnight paranormal investigation groups are already booked two months out The outing costs a minimum of $175 which covers the first seven people additional people are $25 each Youths age 16 and 17 are not allowed without a guardian only people age 21 and older can schedule an appointment
Some of the people who died in the build-ing may be lingering ldquoOne is an inmate who hung himself I firmly believe hersquos still there People describe him to a teerdquo Several ghostly jailers also hang around ldquoPeople see themrdquo
Groups spending the night at the Squirrel Cage Jail sometime pick up electronic voice phenomena ldquoYou donrsquot hear it then but it shows up in the background when later lis-tening to the audio recordingrsquo says Borgaila
Ghost hunting is not the only activity in the historical building Regular tours are available for individual visitors and groups of 15 or more Borgaila also has scheduled bridal showers and birthday parties
Even if ghost-less the buildingrsquos architec-ture is worth a visit Originally prisoners in pie-shaped cells got in and out when a hand crank turned to line the cell up with a single door on each of the three floors Because the cage rotated and jailers could view all the cells from one place fewer jailers were needed
The jail was built to be escape-proof but 60 inmates escaped over the years Inmates also had to be careful to avoid getting an arm or leg crushed by the rotating jail
The county jail was used from 1885 to 1969 Inmates still reside close by ldquoI run into them all the timerdquo she says ldquoItrsquos a badge of honor Theyrsquore proud they were in one of the most unique buildings in the United Statesrdquo
One of three remaining Lazy Susan jails it is on the National Register of Historic Places The Council Bluffs jail is the largest of the 18 built
CHECK IT OUT
SQUIRREL CAGE JAIL226 Pearl St in Council Bluffs
Open daily 10 am to 4 pm and Sundays 1 pm to 4 pm Closed Mondays major holidays and
the month of January
Tours are available year-round 712-323-2509
julyaugust 2015 | 60PLUS S11
with Travel and Transport
travelandtransportcom Located at 72nd amp Mercy | 4023994555 CORPORATE TRAVEL | EVENTS | LOYALTY | VACATIONS
For over 69 years Travel and Transport has made vacation dreams a reality In total our knowledgeable and seasoned travel specialists have visited over 50 countries on all seven continents and have sailed on over 50 cruises We provide our clients with the most advantageous pricing upgrades with leading hotels resorts spas cruise lines tour companies rail lines airlines and ground operators And through our partnership with Virtuoso we are able to offer exclusive amenities experiences and privileged access not available to the general public
The Plaza Napa Valley
Close To HomeNew York NY This summer spend your long days of sunlight in the city that never sleeps Visit New York City for the bustle of Times Square along with the wide-open spaces of the cityrsquos green areas Stroll through world-renowned museums take in a true Broadway show or shop to your heartrsquos content at some of the nationrsquos finest boutiques and department stores
Our RecommendationsThe PlazaNew York Hilton MidtownThe Westin New York at Times Square
Food amp Wine AdventureNapa Valley CA Spend your lazy summer days in peaceful Napa Valley part of Californiarsquos wine country region with its incredible weather and unforgettable scenery Saunter through wineries and take in the beautiful countryside before treating yourself to a souvenir at one of the eclectic shops in the cozy towns that dot the countryside Just a short drive to the coast you can also soak in the rolling waves of the Pacific Ocean Of course the area also boasts a great variety of dining options from artisan cafes to Tuscan fare to seafood Napa Valley is truly a dream for the foodie and wine enthusiast alike
Our Recommendations5-Day Napa Valley Experience with Kensington Tours7-Day Independent at The Westin Verasa Napa with Pleasant Holidays9-Day Trains Wineries amp Treasures of Northern California with Collette Tours
travelandtransportcom Located at 72nd amp Mercy | 4023994555 CORPORATE TRAVEL | EVENTS | LOYALTY | VACATIONS
Call today to book your getaway4023994555omahavacationstravelandtransportcom
Ultimate ExperienceGrand Voyage amp World Cruise For a truly once-in-a-lifetime experience spend the better part of a year traversing the world aboard a luxury cruise liner Visit Hawaii Fiji Australia Bangkok and countless other bucket list destinations aboard the Crystal Cruises linerhellipall in one trip Another option embark on a Grand Voyage with Holland America where yoursquoll swim in the Great Barrier Reef visit Egypt Greece Spain and many more Or go around the world in 180 days with Oceania for destinations like Iceland Cyprus India and the Seychelles When you return home from an experience like these you will have memories to last a lifetime
Our Recommendations95 or 103-Day World Cruise with Crystal Cruises (Round-trip from Miami or San Francisco)115-Day Grand Voyage with Holland America Line (Round-trip from Fort Lauderdale)180-Day Global Cruise with Oceania (Round-trip from Miami)
Grand Voyage amp World Cruise
travelandtransportcom Located at 72nd amp Mercy | 4023994555 CORPORATE TRAVEL | EVENTS | LOYALTY | VACATIONS
Call today to book your getaway4023994555omahavacationstravelandtransportcom
Ultimate ExperienceGrand Voyage amp World Cruise For a truly once-in-a-lifetime experience spend the better part of a year traversing the world aboard a luxury cruise liner Visit Hawaii Fiji Australia Bangkok and countless other bucket list destinations aboard the Crystal Cruises linerhellipall in one trip Another option embark on a Grand Voyage with Holland America where yoursquoll swim in the Great Barrier Reef visit Egypt Greece Spain and many more Or go around the world in 180 days with Oceania for destinations like Iceland Cyprus India and the Seychelles When you return home from an experience like these you will have memories to last a lifetime
Our Recommendations95 or 103-Day World Cruise with Crystal Cruises (Round-trip from Miami or San Francisco)115-Day Grand Voyage with Holland America Line (Round-trip from Fort Lauderdale)180-Day Global Cruise with Oceania (Round-trip from Miami)
Grand Voyage amp World Cruise
ldquo
PICKLEBALL more fun than drinking a
barrel of vinegar
S14 60PLUS | julyaugust 2015 | omahamagazinecom
60PLUS COVER FEATUREby kara schweiss | photography by bill sitzmann
I TrsquoS PLAYED ON A badminton-size court but with the net lowered to 34 inches at the center The paddles look like a hybrid
of racquetball racquets and table tennis pad-dles The rules are somewhat similar to tennis but the serve is underhand And the ball looks more like a whiffle ball than a vinegar-soaked cucumber Itrsquos Pickleballmdasha sport that is quickly gaining a large following with the local club Pickleball Omaha boasting around 225 members
The gamersquos origins date back to a 1965 Washington state backyard and even its
creators canrsquot quite agree on whether the name came from a family dog or a term associated with rowing Regardless of this pickleball has evolved over 50 years from an improvised family pastime to a thriving widely recog-nized passion The statewide organization Pickleball Nebraska was founded in 2012 and the sport has been part of Nebraskarsquos State Games of America (formerly Cornhusker State Games) since 2011 It is even going to be part of the State Games of Americarsquos national competition for the first time this summer when Nebraska serves as host state gt
julyaugust 2015 | 60PLUS S15
lt Pickleball Nebraska President Bill Holt (pictured on the cover) discovered the sport in 2008 while wintering in Arizona It was popular with the retirement crowd there he says but relatively unknown back home in Nebraskamdashwithout an organized following or designated courts So Holt and his wife Nancy created a makeshift playing field on an Omaha tennis court that spring and began introducing friends to the sport Interest has grown steadily since
ldquoThere was no place to play pickleball in Nebraska that I was aware of and nobody I knew playedrdquo Holt says ldquoWe now have 10 places to play listed (on the USA Pickleball Association website at uspaaorg) and there are actually more than thatrdquo More informa-tion on this pastime is available at pickleball-nebraskawordpresscom and players can now also find local places to participate through the clubrsquos page on Facebook
Like Holt Camille Culprsquos association with pickleball originated in Arizona Her hus-band Wayne played the game for the first time on a business trip six years ago intro-duced Camille and soon the couple found other enthusiasts in Omaha Culp was one of the first women to play locally and she
says introductory clinics open play sessions and a welcoming community have helped the sport grow in the area Women now make up more than half of Pickleball Nebraskarsquos membership
ldquoThatrsquos the pickleball thing always chat up whoever stops byrdquo says Culp who now serves as the grouprsquos treasurer ldquoThey can try it right away and see what they think and of course in my opinion 95 percent of them are hookedrdquo
Holt says club members range from 30-something to 82 and most participants play doubles A high degree of physical condi-tioning isnrsquot necessary to start but the game can be very intense and local players self-classify as A-level B-level or somewhere in between to determine if they should play recreationally or competitively
ldquoAnybody can join The typical person is 60-65 and has played sports Irsquove always been fairly active in one thing or anotherrdquo Holt says ldquoAnyone can learn to playhellipitrsquos great for all agesrdquo
ldquoItrsquos relatively easy to learnrdquo Culp agrees ldquoI only see the sport getting more popularrdquo
S16 60PLUS | julyaugust 2015 | omahamagazinecom
60PLUS COVER FEATURE
This certification is an honor a testament to our high standard of care mdash and a reminder that we must always strive to exceed our own expectations to better care for you Our twelve experienced highly-skilled cancer specialists are dedicated to complete cancer treatment and research with over 100 clinical trials available
CHI Health Cancer Center - Bergan (402) 393-3110Methodist Estabrook Cancer Center (402) 354-8124Midwest Cancer Center Papillion (402) 593-3141Midwest Cancer Center Legacy (402) 334-4773Health Park Plaza-Fremont Health (402) 941-7030
Margaret Block MD
M Salman Haroon MD
Ralph J Hauke MD
Timothy K Huyck MD
Robert M Langdon Jr MD
Kirsten M Leu MD
John M Longo MD
Geetha Palaniappan MD
David A Silverberg MD
Gamini S Soori MD
Yungpo Bernard Su MD
Stefano R Tarantolo MD
Benefit from everything we can offer as the largest independent QOPI-certified cancer practice in Nebraska
Receive the Highest Level of Cancer Care
NEBRASKA CANCER SPECIALISTS IS QOPIreg CERTIFIED
Nebraska Library CommissionTalking Book and Braille Service
402-471-4038 bull 800-742-7691nlctalkingbooknebraskagov bull wwwnlcnebraskagov
Reading is for Everyone Your Libraryreg
Talking Books are free for anyone who
has difficulty holding a book turning
a page or seeing regular print The
recordings are loaned and returned
through the mail ndash postage-free ndash or
can be downloaded
julyaugust 2015 | 60PLUS S17
WhenExperience Counts
Experience our State-of-the-Art Facilities
600 Brookestone Meadows PlazaElkhorn NE 68022 | (402) 289-2696wwBrookestoneMeadowscom
QUALITY LIFE | QUALITY CARE | EXCELLENT TEAMS | QUALITY REPUTATION | STEWARDSHIP
4330 South 144th StreetOmaha NE 68137
(402) 614-4000wwBrookestoneVillagecom
Proud Members of the Vetter Health Services Family
PhysicalOccupationalandSpeechTherapy Careaftertotaljointreplacement Strokerecovery Strengtheningaftercancertreatment Careaftersurgery Recoveryfromafallorextendedillness
Visit ourwebsite
to find outmore about us
OmahaBVampElkhornBM_Ad - Omaha 60+ Mag_111612_60+ Omaha Magazine Ad - BSV amp BSM 3112014 354 PM Page 1
Trouble Getting Up amp Down the StairsRegain your independence and the rest of your home
Largest showroom in the nationMultiple modelsone sure to fit your needs
Call for special pricing
12739 Q Street4024081990
wwwkohllscom
Recipient of
PLATINUM AWARD
T ONY LAZZARETTI KEPT AN eye on the mole on his chest for some time When it started getting bigger he made an
appointment with his doctor to get it checked A biopsy confirmed that it was melanomamdashthe deadliest form of skin cancer
Lazzaretti 70 years old at the time said he was never a ldquosun bunnyrdquo but he remembers getting some bad sunburns
Lazzaretti had surgery to remove the mole and several lymph nodes but a couple of years later the cancer returned This time the cancer was too extensive to remove with surgery says Alissa Marr MD an oncolo-gist at Nebraska Medicine specializing in melanoma and lung cancer
ldquoWe started him on a new immunomodu-latory drug and he has had no reoccurrence
SKIN CANCER CONTINUES
TO RISEgreatest increases among women and
men over 65
S18 60PLUS | julyaugust 2015 | omahamagazinecom
by susan meyers
60PLUS HEALTH
since thenrdquo she says ldquoThis is a remarkable story of how advanced treatments have become Over the past four years there have been six new drugs introduced for metastatic melanoma that have been very effective in a select group of patientsrdquo
The cases of melanoma have steadily increased over the past 30 years notes Dr Marr The greatest increases have been among white women between the ages of 15 and 39 years and in men over age 65
While the cause for the increase is not known better identification use of tanning beds and having one or more blistering sun-burns as a youth appear to boost the risk Some research shows that people who use tanning beds are 74 percent more likely to get melanoma than those who donrsquot use them notes Dr Marr
ldquoIf melanoma is caught at an early stage and treated with proper surgical resection it is highly curablerdquo she says
Melanoma typically starts as a mole See a doctor if you experience any of the ABCDErsquos of a mole asymmetry border irregularity color variation diameter (anything larger than a pencil eraser) and evolution mean-ing a mole that is changing itchy or bleeds
The highest incidence of this cancer occurs on the back of the legs in women and on the trunk and back for men However it can occur on any area of the body even those that have not been exposed to the sun says Marr If you get a suspicious mole removed it needs to be an excision or punch biopsy by a qualified physician in order to get an accurate evaluation
Basal and squamous cell skin cancers the most common forms of skin cancer typically occur on chronically sun-exposed areas such as the head neck ears and arms and are directly related to amount of sun exposure Suspicious symptoms include a shiny waxy scar-like spot that may be yellow or white with irregular borders a smooth bump that is indented in the middle a reddish patch that wonrsquot go away and may be painful or itchy or a sore that takes more than three weeks to heal
ldquoEveryone should have a full body skin exam every year by their doctor to check for skin cancerrdquo says Dr Marr ldquoThe goal is to find it before it progresses and when it is still very treatablerdquo
Now Lazzaretti tells his kids every chance he gets stay out of the sun stay away from tan-ning beds and wear sunscreen
julyaugust 2015 | 60PLUS S19
wwwNebraskaLowVisioncom 402-905-2794
Nebraska Low Vision wishes Mike Riley and
the Nebraska Cornhuskers Football Team much
success in 2015
S20 60PLUS | julyaugust 2015 | omahamagazinecom
60PLUS FACESby anna hensel | photography by bill sitzmann
RETIREMENT on the road
F RITZ SAMPSON SAYS HE likes to travel slowly but the words ldquotravelrdquo and ldquoslowlyrdquo can conjure up thoughts of
lounging over three hour-long dinners in Italy or spending an entire afternoon wandering through a village in France
For 65-year-old Fritz ldquotraveling slowlyrdquo means moving about 200 miles a day across Europe and Asia by motorcycle
Last March Fritz undertook a 115-day motorcycle journey through south-ern Europe the former Soviet bloc and Mongolia but his plans were cut short by more than three weeks after an accident in Mongolia
Itrsquos an itinerary that sounds crazy but when explained calmly by Fritz seems per-fectly reasonable
ldquoWhether itrsquos breaking a shoulder or get-ting stopped by police or running out of food things are going to happenrdquo Fritz says ldquoAnd thatrsquos why you take the trip because itrsquos an adventurerdquo
According to Sampson and his wife of 40 years Mary he always had a daring spirit
ldquoThatrsquos what I loved him for was his sense of adventurerdquo Mary says ldquoNo one is compa-rable to Fritzmdashhersquos all out for the experience
The couple met on the Model United Nations Team at Creighton University and married in 1975 right out of college They and their two children moved to Germany in 1998 while Fritz pursued a degree in inter-national tax law His career took him every-where from China to Belize but he still craved different ways to see the world
A long-distance cyclist he rode for years all over the United States But as he aged he turned to a new mode of transportation motorcycling
He bought a new Harley Davidson in 2007 and in 2008 rode with his son Marty from Omaha to Tierra del Fuego an island chain
off the southernmost point of South AmericaldquoOne of the reasons I do thismdashI like meet-
ing people on the roadrdquo Fritz saysAfter his South American excursion Fritz
was itching to do a similar trip elsewhere He read about two motorcycle adventures on travel blogs that looked really interestingmdashone to the Russian far east another in outer Mongoliamdashand decided to combine the two by retiring and traveling to 17 countries He planned to begin in Ireland meet Mary in Turkey and eventually end up in Mongolia and Russia but had no other itinerary
That meant he spent a week in Bulgaria because he felt like it He chose to go to Kazakhstan instead of Turkmenistan because he met a fellow motorcyclist who was headed
there And when he told local policemen in Turkey the name of the hostel where he was staying they told him he shouldnrsquot sleep there and took him to a friendrsquos house where they hosted a barbecue for him
He also had a run-in with corrupt police in Azerbaijan lost 22 pounds and experienced that fateful fall in Mongolia that cut his trip short and left him with a broken shoulder
Therersquos only one thing hersquos cutting out of his routine off-roading on his motorcycle which led to his accident But he still wants to ride on motorcycle trips across the continental United States Alaska and Mexico
After all he says those are ldquoeasyrdquo rides
julyaugust 2015 | 60PLUS S21
I rsquoVE NEVER OWNED A video camera of any kind Okay so Irsquove just been reminded that my cell phone gizmo has such a device
but having never used it I still qualify as a video virgin
Sony introduced the first consumer cam-corder in 1983 the year my youngest child was born This made our family a prime target for being an early adapter in what became something of a video mania Almost over-night a populist paparazzi were born where every dad (Why was it always the dads) at every kindergarten holiday program was armed with a cinder-block-sized camera that instantly made him some kind of Fellini wanna-be
I refused to join the Betamax Age because my makeup is one where I want to remember things the way I want to remember thingsmdashnot necessarily how they actually happened
Ample video of my kidsrsquo childhood years exists from the cameras of extended family members and a couple of clan get-togethers have been marred when some idiot got the
bright idea that we should all watch old videos together Irsquom sure any good shrink would have a field day getting inside my head but the experience of viewing those picnics and parties and plays unfold on screen washellipwell ldquodisturbingrdquo is not at all too powerful a word
Itrsquos not that I am a dispassionate stoic For whatever weird reason being confronted with a filmed retelling of events rearranges my mental furniture in an unsettling almost visceral way
That tyranny of memory has only grown over the years and wersquove all witnessed the rise of the camera-obsessed malady Irsquoll call the Fear of Missing Out Syndrome In a sickness typified by living vicariously through a view-finder itrsquos as if film and only film is capable of proving even to ourselves the existential reality of a person place or thing
ldquoI saw Pope Francisrdquo ldquoI saw Pres- ident Obamardquo ldquoI saw Garth Brooksrdquo people exclaim
No you didnrsquot You saw only mere pixels while struggling to center a celebrityrsquos image
on your camera You had exactly the same experience I had when I saw almost identical footage on CNN or the local news except that my experience was better in that it was rendered by seasoned videographers on pro-fessional equipment You were there but you werenrsquot there
Just check out the June 15 Sports Illustrated cover online Get my point
Our society has become one of dim imagi-nations reflected in the even dimmer glows of electronic gadgets
As some dude named Lord Acton once claimed ldquoHistory is not a burden on the memory but an illumination of the soulrdquo I kinda dig that Lord Acton guy even if his name sounds like a super-classy moniker for a faux-British-bad-guy rassler on WWE
At least according to his lordship I donrsquot have an almost pathological relationship with memory I have an illuminated soul
LORD ACTON SAID IT BESTlife through a viewfinder
S22 60PLUS | julyaugust 2015 | omahamagazinecom
by david williams
60PLUS THE GRANDPA CHRONICLES
julyaugust 2015 | 60PLUS S23
DIRECTORY
Elk Ridge Village on the Lake Retirement CommunityElk Ridge Village provides Independent and Assisted Living and Alzheimerrsquos Care and is committed to providing services of the highest quality
19303 Seward Plaza402-312-1198402-216-8835wwwelkridgeseniorlivingcom
Brookestone MeadowsBrookestone VillageSkilled nursing communities provid-ing short-term rehabilitation including physical occupational and speech ther-apy as well as long-term nursing care
wwwBrookestoneVillagecom402-614-4000 bull OmahawwwBrookestoneMeadowscom402-280-2696 bull Elkhorn
Home Care Assistance
Our services are distinguished by the caliber of our caregivers the respon-siveness of our staff and our expertise in Live-In care We embrace a positive balanced approach to aging centered on the evolving needs of older adults
402-763-9140homecareassistanceomahacom
EJ Militti JrFinancial AdvisorThe Militti Group at Morgan Stanley
Wealth and Estate Planning Risk-Management Executive Services Foundations amp Endowments
(402) 399-1513wwwmorganstanleyfacommilittigroup
Saint Jude Hospice
Rooted in Christian Love and Guided by the Holy Spirit our Radical Loving Care brings healing to those when their hope has changed from a cure to comfort
10506 Burt Circle402-609-4818saintjudehospiceorg
Steven D Wegner DDS
Dr Wegner has 35 years of clinical experi-ence and thousands of hours of continuing education He knows how to help seniors and all ages to achieve and keep a healthy smile
11840 Nicholas StSuite 210Omaha NE 68154402-498-0400
Travel and Transport
Travel and Transport is proud to be the 5th largest travel agency in the US servicing clients throughout the country as well as globally
travelandtransportcom 402-399-4500
Nebraska Cancer SpecialistsNebraska Cancer Specialists is dedicated to providing complete cancer treatment for patients medical oncology radiation oncology surgical specialists and diagnostic services
5 Convenient LocationsFor address and phone infovisit our websitenebraskacancercom
Kohllrsquos Pharmacy amp Homecare
8 locations amp free delivery Providing retail amp compounded prescriptions all medical equipment amp supplies
402-408-1990 wwwkohllscom
Home Instead Senior Care
If yoursquore looking for someone to help you or a loved one a few hours a week or need more comprehensive assistance Home Instead Senior Care can help
Metro 4024983444West 4029324555
Nebraska Low Vision
Regain the Joy ofreading and writing today
In Home Demo Call 402-905-2794wwwNebraskaLowVisioncom
hillcresthealthcomProviding the regionrsquos widest array of aging-related services
One family Many servicesHillcrest Country EstatesContinuing care retirement communityfeaturing the Grand LodgeHwy 370 amp 60th Street Papillion(402) 885-7007
Hillcrest Health amp RehabIn-patient rehabilitation1702 Hillcrest Drive Bellevue(402) 291-8500
Hillcrest Physical TherapyOutpatient physical occupational and speech therapy1804 Hillcrest Drive Bellevue(402) 682-4210
Hillcrest Victoria GardensMemory support assisted living1702 Hillcrest Drive Bellevue(402) 682-4295
Hillcrest Mable Rose amp The ClubAssisted living memory support amp adult day servicesHwy 370 amp 48th Street Bellevue(402) 291-9777
Hillcrest Home CareSkilled home health and in-home personal careServing 9 counties in NE and IA(402) 682-4808
Hillcrest Hospice CareCompassionate end-of-life supportServing 7 counties in NE(402) 934-2282
The Grand LodgeIndependent Living
Now Open(402) 885-7007
Enhancing L ives
S USAN BRAY HAS NEVER been one to shy away from attention She built her life around standing out
As a blonde long-haired ldquohippie chickrdquo in the 1970s Bray stood out in some Asian and Middle-Eastern countries that had never welcomed a white woman traveling solo
Her adventures started after she left Nebraska and moved to Honolulu to live with her brother after college A few years later Bray married a physicist They eventu-ally relocated to Guammdashldquothe hottest place on Godrsquos green earthrdquo according to Bray And she would know
The travel bug bit hard soon after the couple divorced Shersquos visited more than 50 countries in her 70 years of life Most of her 50 coun-tries came in a span of five years during three different trips
She saw the cage in Titian where she believes Amelia Earhart was held captive by the Japanese until her death She was goosed by a camel in Afghanistan And she was horned in the rear by a water buffalo in Nepal
Bray most recalls the kindness of the people in Nepal Itrsquos her favorite country While there she rented a motorcycle and headed toward Mount Everestmdashat least until it broke down She says ldquoIt wasnrsquot a Harley Irsquoll tell yourdquo But even out in the remote rice paddies she quickly found help
She went to Agra to see the Taj Mahal It is the second most beautiful work of archi-tecture shersquos ever seen The most stunning edifice Bray saw was the Golden Pagoda in Burma (now Myanmar) ldquoIt was like eight to 10 stories high and it had a spiral staircase like the Guggenheimrdquo In an excited whisper she then adds ldquoIt was all plated gold Just startling when you see itrdquo
Traveling cost a lot She came home to her mother in Omaha in 1976 with about 45 cents to her name Thankfully pay phones only cost a dime at the time
Subconsciously Bray may have been studying art and architecture all over the world because she knew thatrsquos where her heart was Her passion led her to city planning in Omaha which evolved into historic preservation
Soon she grew restless and weary of Midwestern winters Bray bought a house in Hawaii and lived there until her mother
became ill To be closer to her she moved to La Jolla Calif
Quickly getting involved in historic pres-ervation once again ldquoI ended up being in charge of the restoration of downtown San Diegordquo Bray says ldquoI did an area called the Gaslamp Quarter It was all old buildings I didhellip96 of themrdquo
In her living room is a newspaper clipping from the San Diego Tribune the headline of which reads ldquoGunslinger of the Gaslamp Susan Bray is the guardian of downtownrsquos historical integritymdashlike her or notrdquo
She looks at the photo in the clipping and says ldquoThe guys working on this building gave me a pink construction hat So cuterdquo
Reflecting on Gaslamp Bray says ldquoThatrsquos my biggest contribution I changed the foot-print of a city And thatrsquos foreverrdquo
Bray thinks a lot about legacies because shersquos been diagnosed with a rare degenerative brain disease similar to Lou Gehrigrsquos called Orthostatic Hypotension Itrsquos terminal This news came after she already survived lym-phoma and breast cancer
Her doctor in California recommended that she live near her burial site So six years
ago she threw all her photos a small red chair and a blue stool in her car to come back to Omaha
Although she always appreciated the sense of community here she felt sad to find so many of her good friends had already passed away or moved Shersquos grateful for the new friends she has made and some friends from Westide High School shersquos reconnected with
Bray does not know the meaning of the term stranger ldquoI dialed the wrong number the other night in San Diego and I ended up talking to a 79-year-old woman for an hourrdquo she says
Even sales calls get a taste of her gusto ldquoMy daily joy is making people laughrdquo she says ldquoI think thatrsquos why God put me on this earthrdquo
So even though Bray has to ldquofill a bathtub to feel at homerdquo so far from the ocean shersquos made a home again in Omaha Inside her apartment Brayrsquos parakeet Big Boy sings in the background Combine that with the vintage blond art deco floorsmdashldquoI would only ever live in a historic propertyrdquomdashit could almost be a tropical getaway
S6 60PLUS | julyaugust 2015 | omahamagazinecom
60PLUS FEATURE
60PLUS featureMemory loss Stumbles and falls A spousewho doesnrsquot sleep at night Most of ushave people in our lives facing challengeslike these
Many older adults in our community are struggling to stay in their own homes even if they have the means to hire help
Home Care Assistance provides a level of care that enhances the independence of older adults includingthose with Alzheimerrsquos Parkinsonrsquos or who are recovering from stroke or surgery
Perhaps you know an older adult who would benefit fromldquoassisted living mdash at homerdquo Encourage that person tolearn more about how Omaharsquos premier home care company can help him or her continue to lead a full life
Call us We can help 402-763-9140 HomeCareAssistanceOmahacom
Soins
omamagcomsave
SUBSCRIBE TODAY
Donrsquot miss a single issue of Omaha Magazine
trade
Mayor Jean Stothert
Jim FlowersWeathers the Storm
Omaharsquos Best Doctorsreg
Omaharsquos 2013 BIG GIVE
Leading in a Manrsquos World
SEPTEMBEROCTOBER bull 2013
$2a$10$BV2a7VBdNEaP8TLqH43gOY8GyBeii959fEMuGFh6fTZktxU5toeU1BBQ0UgR09FUyBIRVJFTkVXTElORSBHT0VTIEhFUkU=n$2a$10$VQy5sjVaOIi93aOzrmXNOWOEUlVTxtUp4KLHYoUvJHGImzEGnKqU1BBQ0UgR09FUyBIRVJFTkVXTElORSBHT0VTIEhFUkU=n$2a$10$BSUej3mkaYgBL6SHdzkruVCLTOdrTeuMC7tENIJRio4k7r1S522U1BBQ0UgR09FUyBIRVJFTkVXTElORSBHT0VTIEhFUkU=n$2a$10$8lJaZ1bjql9MsIVt9chbEODEK1V4DMh2sWCqgO3EOkcmLDpuOcv2OU1BBQ0UgR09FUyBIRVJFTkVXTElORSBHT0VTIEhFUkU=n$2a$10$bokog0hs0YeIDLS08Mtz1OiPJn75Gm7kUVRGxWiMvmNK96K15omCU1BBQ0UgR09FUyBIRVJFTkVXTElORSBHT0VTIEhFUkU=n$2a$10$6PwNCHEGBFnlVxWvtvWyOIUae5YKMbG9AKx4P0QQdYkJFnuQBedGU1BBQ0UgR09FUyBIRVJFTkVXTElORSBHT0VTIEhFUkU=n$2a$10$0zda1EWkCNLfq3f8IgljO0gl8u8SQWc9tfTcstxEmJlYbx85kAKU1BBQ0UgR09FUyBIRVJFTkVXTElORSBHT0VTIEhFUkU=n$2a$10$8HQyCRFmAbwq2RC1u3RBOGPwfqXvS4nK4obI8uQeYNWIAST0cM2U1BBQ0UgR09FUyBIRVJFTkVXTElORSBHT0VTIEhFUkU=n$2a$10$UvJ6oFqd71pgpO03WVqRuAqoS2JG9CR1BvNEHKqLySgt2C7hVUWU1BBQ0UgR09FUyBIRVJFTkVXTElORSBHT0VTIEhFUkU=n$2a$10$FmIjrLTWACeLTrwoJXJu8b8hgthtLuGDBy0sV8EJZjyFkEni0NyU1BBQ0UgR09FUyBIRVJFTkVXTElORSBHT0VTIEhFUkU=n$2a$10$CjZNVV1n0igQ5i4xti7ehyyyTwczBJ4Or3CNfvQsAtx1fHkrPXmU1BBQ0UgR09FUyBIRVJFTkVXTElORSBHT0VTIEhFUkU=n$2a$10$uPCaJPhRy7F01s3YTceEkeAtZvK9r2seNkqA5w3PCqdyBr0eWmCOVER TEXT DECODED INSIDE
trade
JULYAUGUST bull 2014
war amp PeaceChuck Hagel battles for a future free of the quagmires of the past
OmaharsquostopDentiststrade
Best of Omahatrade Campaign 2015
The Loyal Royal Alex Gordon
Malorie MaddoxOmaha Stories
tradetrade
NOVEMBERDECEMBER bull 2013
The Road Home
Prescription Drug Abuse
Among Teens
Nebraskarsquos Premier Wealth Advisors
The Making of NebraskaJohn Jackson
julyaugust 2015 | 60PLUS S7
WADING THROUGH THE FLOODWATERS
discovering how to apply for VA benefits
C OMMIE SCHABENrsquoS 82-YEAR-OLD FATHER Ed is a Korean War veteran who served at Virginia
Beach He survived horrors untold but last year he almost died after his small intestine ruptured
Commie was determined to have him live at home with her after that but she says making that happen without some kind of assistance would have been difficult
ldquoIrsquod be really hurtingrdquo she says ldquoIrsquod be skimping and scraping really bad I probably would have had to put him in a home Irsquod rather have him here with merdquo
So she went to the US Department of Veterans Affairs website to see if she could
S8 60PLUS | julyaugust 2015 | omahamagazinecom
by ryan borchers | photography by bill sitzmann
60PLUS FINANCE
Olney often works with clients seeking to obtain veterans benefits and says a veteran and hisher spouse are eligible to receive $25000 a year for care A veteran by him or herself may receive a little over $21000 annually and the surviving spouse of a veteran may be eligible for over $13000 annually
Only about 5 percent of eligible veterans are taking advantage of these benefits
ldquoIn todayrsquos society as you grow older quite often the more care you need and some of our elderly people [are in] need of care and protecting their assetsrdquo Olney says
So why are so few veterans collecting this money
Olney thinks there are two reasons The first is that not many people know about the benefits
The second is that the process can be com-plicated Even though no one can charge for filling out the requisite paperwork oftentimes that paperwork can be confusing and incor-rectly entered or missing information may lead to the VA denying an applicant without an explanation
Olney says one of his recent clients was denied because of a piece of paper missing from the application
ldquoHe wouldrsquove quit right then and there but thatrsquos the way it is when you deal with government They donrsquot always give you all the factsrdquo
Allan Jackson director of the Douglas County Veterans Services says the VA requires certain forms and documents to establish a given veteranrsquos service time and discharge status The VA also requests verifi-cation of income and assets as well as medical information if the requested benefits are for care however he says there are limits to what a Veterans Service officer is allowed to ask of someone inquiring about benefits
ldquoWe canrsquot get into an individualrsquos historyrdquo he says ldquoWe canrsquot get into an individualrsquos income and assets Confidentiality comes into playrdquo
Even if you fill out all the paperwork Olney says how you answer a given question may alter your chances of receiving benefits For example the paperwork asks about your assets What is considered an asset If you own a given asset do you own 100 percent of it (The correct answer is no) Questions like those arenrsquot explained in the rules Olney says and a care advocate can help applicants determine their finances and incomes and how care costs affect their incomes If you tell the VA you make a certain amount of money the VA might deny you benefits because your income is too high Jackson stresses the importance of itemizing the ways in which your income is spent on care And if you factor in the cost of your care Olney says that might help your case
Olney says hersquos found the average vet-eran who successfully applies and submits the paperwork will start receiving benefits within 90 days And if more eligible members take advantage of the benefits there might be other advantages as well Not only would the veterans and their families be better off but there would be less strain on other federal programs like Medicaid and Social Security
As for Ed Commie says the VA sends visiting nurses to their home Her dad is also at the top of the list of eligible candidates to stay at the new VA home if it comes to that and if her mom were still alive the VA would have helped her get into assisted living
ldquoThey are entitled to thisrdquo Olney says ldquoItrsquos a thing theyrsquove sacrificed forhellipitrsquos something they have truly earned so why shouldnrsquot they have this benefit if theyrsquove truly earned itrdquo
obtain any assistance for her dad along the lines of a wheelchair or bathroom handlebars She sent them her phone number asking for some guidance
Dave Olney a local care advocate got in touch with her It turned out the VA could do a lot more for her and her dad than she realized
ldquoItrsquos just wonderfulrdquo she saysIt may not be the most widely known
aid program but the VA offers benefits to former members of the armed forces and their spouses to help pay for the cost of care The veteransrsquo benefits program helps eligible members pay for care costs like assisted living treatment after major medical conditions etc
julyaugust 2015 | 60PLUS S9
GHOST HOST
eeriness around every corner(in a place that doesnrsquot
have corners)
S10 60PLUS | julyaugust 2015 | omahamagazinecom
by judy horan | photography by bill sitzmann
60PLUS HISTORY
V ISITORS FROM OMAHA AND the spirit realm are welcome at the Squirrel Cage Jail Museum in Council Bluffs
Carla Borgaila says she has met several of the resident ghosts She remembers her hat being pulled from her head as she frantically tried to hold it on ldquoI could feel the fingers on my headrdquo she remembers ldquoBut no one was thererdquo Another time ldquoa guy came into my office and just stood thererdquo
Despite her personal experiences with ghosts Borgaila is a realist ldquoNinety percent is overactive imagination Nine percent we canrsquot explain but itrsquos not paranormal But then therersquos that one percentrdquo
Although a ghost has not spoken to her she has heard her name called But she never feels scared or threatened ldquoTheyrsquore like Casper the Friendly Ghost Therersquos no reason to be fearfulrdquo
Borgaila museum coordinator for the Historical Society of Pottawattamie County is responsible for arranging paranormal as well as regular tours of the quirky Squirrel Cage Jail Built in 1885 the jail on a turntable is now a museum
Adults who want to spend 8 pm to 4 am asking questions of alleged ghosts can call for an appointment But plan ahead Overnight paranormal investigation groups are already booked two months out The outing costs a minimum of $175 which covers the first seven people additional people are $25 each Youths age 16 and 17 are not allowed without a guardian only people age 21 and older can schedule an appointment
Some of the people who died in the build-ing may be lingering ldquoOne is an inmate who hung himself I firmly believe hersquos still there People describe him to a teerdquo Several ghostly jailers also hang around ldquoPeople see themrdquo
Groups spending the night at the Squirrel Cage Jail sometime pick up electronic voice phenomena ldquoYou donrsquot hear it then but it shows up in the background when later lis-tening to the audio recordingrsquo says Borgaila
Ghost hunting is not the only activity in the historical building Regular tours are available for individual visitors and groups of 15 or more Borgaila also has scheduled bridal showers and birthday parties
Even if ghost-less the buildingrsquos architec-ture is worth a visit Originally prisoners in pie-shaped cells got in and out when a hand crank turned to line the cell up with a single door on each of the three floors Because the cage rotated and jailers could view all the cells from one place fewer jailers were needed
The jail was built to be escape-proof but 60 inmates escaped over the years Inmates also had to be careful to avoid getting an arm or leg crushed by the rotating jail
The county jail was used from 1885 to 1969 Inmates still reside close by ldquoI run into them all the timerdquo she says ldquoItrsquos a badge of honor Theyrsquore proud they were in one of the most unique buildings in the United Statesrdquo
One of three remaining Lazy Susan jails it is on the National Register of Historic Places The Council Bluffs jail is the largest of the 18 built
CHECK IT OUT
SQUIRREL CAGE JAIL226 Pearl St in Council Bluffs
Open daily 10 am to 4 pm and Sundays 1 pm to 4 pm Closed Mondays major holidays and
the month of January
Tours are available year-round 712-323-2509
julyaugust 2015 | 60PLUS S11
with Travel and Transport
travelandtransportcom Located at 72nd amp Mercy | 4023994555 CORPORATE TRAVEL | EVENTS | LOYALTY | VACATIONS
For over 69 years Travel and Transport has made vacation dreams a reality In total our knowledgeable and seasoned travel specialists have visited over 50 countries on all seven continents and have sailed on over 50 cruises We provide our clients with the most advantageous pricing upgrades with leading hotels resorts spas cruise lines tour companies rail lines airlines and ground operators And through our partnership with Virtuoso we are able to offer exclusive amenities experiences and privileged access not available to the general public
The Plaza Napa Valley
Close To HomeNew York NY This summer spend your long days of sunlight in the city that never sleeps Visit New York City for the bustle of Times Square along with the wide-open spaces of the cityrsquos green areas Stroll through world-renowned museums take in a true Broadway show or shop to your heartrsquos content at some of the nationrsquos finest boutiques and department stores
Our RecommendationsThe PlazaNew York Hilton MidtownThe Westin New York at Times Square
Food amp Wine AdventureNapa Valley CA Spend your lazy summer days in peaceful Napa Valley part of Californiarsquos wine country region with its incredible weather and unforgettable scenery Saunter through wineries and take in the beautiful countryside before treating yourself to a souvenir at one of the eclectic shops in the cozy towns that dot the countryside Just a short drive to the coast you can also soak in the rolling waves of the Pacific Ocean Of course the area also boasts a great variety of dining options from artisan cafes to Tuscan fare to seafood Napa Valley is truly a dream for the foodie and wine enthusiast alike
Our Recommendations5-Day Napa Valley Experience with Kensington Tours7-Day Independent at The Westin Verasa Napa with Pleasant Holidays9-Day Trains Wineries amp Treasures of Northern California with Collette Tours
travelandtransportcom Located at 72nd amp Mercy | 4023994555 CORPORATE TRAVEL | EVENTS | LOYALTY | VACATIONS
Call today to book your getaway4023994555omahavacationstravelandtransportcom
Ultimate ExperienceGrand Voyage amp World Cruise For a truly once-in-a-lifetime experience spend the better part of a year traversing the world aboard a luxury cruise liner Visit Hawaii Fiji Australia Bangkok and countless other bucket list destinations aboard the Crystal Cruises linerhellipall in one trip Another option embark on a Grand Voyage with Holland America where yoursquoll swim in the Great Barrier Reef visit Egypt Greece Spain and many more Or go around the world in 180 days with Oceania for destinations like Iceland Cyprus India and the Seychelles When you return home from an experience like these you will have memories to last a lifetime
Our Recommendations95 or 103-Day World Cruise with Crystal Cruises (Round-trip from Miami or San Francisco)115-Day Grand Voyage with Holland America Line (Round-trip from Fort Lauderdale)180-Day Global Cruise with Oceania (Round-trip from Miami)
Grand Voyage amp World Cruise
travelandtransportcom Located at 72nd amp Mercy | 4023994555 CORPORATE TRAVEL | EVENTS | LOYALTY | VACATIONS
Call today to book your getaway4023994555omahavacationstravelandtransportcom
Ultimate ExperienceGrand Voyage amp World Cruise For a truly once-in-a-lifetime experience spend the better part of a year traversing the world aboard a luxury cruise liner Visit Hawaii Fiji Australia Bangkok and countless other bucket list destinations aboard the Crystal Cruises linerhellipall in one trip Another option embark on a Grand Voyage with Holland America where yoursquoll swim in the Great Barrier Reef visit Egypt Greece Spain and many more Or go around the world in 180 days with Oceania for destinations like Iceland Cyprus India and the Seychelles When you return home from an experience like these you will have memories to last a lifetime
Our Recommendations95 or 103-Day World Cruise with Crystal Cruises (Round-trip from Miami or San Francisco)115-Day Grand Voyage with Holland America Line (Round-trip from Fort Lauderdale)180-Day Global Cruise with Oceania (Round-trip from Miami)
Grand Voyage amp World Cruise
ldquo
PICKLEBALL more fun than drinking a
barrel of vinegar
S14 60PLUS | julyaugust 2015 | omahamagazinecom
60PLUS COVER FEATUREby kara schweiss | photography by bill sitzmann
I TrsquoS PLAYED ON A badminton-size court but with the net lowered to 34 inches at the center The paddles look like a hybrid
of racquetball racquets and table tennis pad-dles The rules are somewhat similar to tennis but the serve is underhand And the ball looks more like a whiffle ball than a vinegar-soaked cucumber Itrsquos Pickleballmdasha sport that is quickly gaining a large following with the local club Pickleball Omaha boasting around 225 members
The gamersquos origins date back to a 1965 Washington state backyard and even its
creators canrsquot quite agree on whether the name came from a family dog or a term associated with rowing Regardless of this pickleball has evolved over 50 years from an improvised family pastime to a thriving widely recog-nized passion The statewide organization Pickleball Nebraska was founded in 2012 and the sport has been part of Nebraskarsquos State Games of America (formerly Cornhusker State Games) since 2011 It is even going to be part of the State Games of Americarsquos national competition for the first time this summer when Nebraska serves as host state gt
julyaugust 2015 | 60PLUS S15
lt Pickleball Nebraska President Bill Holt (pictured on the cover) discovered the sport in 2008 while wintering in Arizona It was popular with the retirement crowd there he says but relatively unknown back home in Nebraskamdashwithout an organized following or designated courts So Holt and his wife Nancy created a makeshift playing field on an Omaha tennis court that spring and began introducing friends to the sport Interest has grown steadily since
ldquoThere was no place to play pickleball in Nebraska that I was aware of and nobody I knew playedrdquo Holt says ldquoWe now have 10 places to play listed (on the USA Pickleball Association website at uspaaorg) and there are actually more than thatrdquo More informa-tion on this pastime is available at pickleball-nebraskawordpresscom and players can now also find local places to participate through the clubrsquos page on Facebook
Like Holt Camille Culprsquos association with pickleball originated in Arizona Her hus-band Wayne played the game for the first time on a business trip six years ago intro-duced Camille and soon the couple found other enthusiasts in Omaha Culp was one of the first women to play locally and she
says introductory clinics open play sessions and a welcoming community have helped the sport grow in the area Women now make up more than half of Pickleball Nebraskarsquos membership
ldquoThatrsquos the pickleball thing always chat up whoever stops byrdquo says Culp who now serves as the grouprsquos treasurer ldquoThey can try it right away and see what they think and of course in my opinion 95 percent of them are hookedrdquo
Holt says club members range from 30-something to 82 and most participants play doubles A high degree of physical condi-tioning isnrsquot necessary to start but the game can be very intense and local players self-classify as A-level B-level or somewhere in between to determine if they should play recreationally or competitively
ldquoAnybody can join The typical person is 60-65 and has played sports Irsquove always been fairly active in one thing or anotherrdquo Holt says ldquoAnyone can learn to playhellipitrsquos great for all agesrdquo
ldquoItrsquos relatively easy to learnrdquo Culp agrees ldquoI only see the sport getting more popularrdquo
S16 60PLUS | julyaugust 2015 | omahamagazinecom
60PLUS COVER FEATURE
This certification is an honor a testament to our high standard of care mdash and a reminder that we must always strive to exceed our own expectations to better care for you Our twelve experienced highly-skilled cancer specialists are dedicated to complete cancer treatment and research with over 100 clinical trials available
CHI Health Cancer Center - Bergan (402) 393-3110Methodist Estabrook Cancer Center (402) 354-8124Midwest Cancer Center Papillion (402) 593-3141Midwest Cancer Center Legacy (402) 334-4773Health Park Plaza-Fremont Health (402) 941-7030
Margaret Block MD
M Salman Haroon MD
Ralph J Hauke MD
Timothy K Huyck MD
Robert M Langdon Jr MD
Kirsten M Leu MD
John M Longo MD
Geetha Palaniappan MD
David A Silverberg MD
Gamini S Soori MD
Yungpo Bernard Su MD
Stefano R Tarantolo MD
Benefit from everything we can offer as the largest independent QOPI-certified cancer practice in Nebraska
Receive the Highest Level of Cancer Care
NEBRASKA CANCER SPECIALISTS IS QOPIreg CERTIFIED
Nebraska Library CommissionTalking Book and Braille Service
402-471-4038 bull 800-742-7691nlctalkingbooknebraskagov bull wwwnlcnebraskagov
Reading is for Everyone Your Libraryreg
Talking Books are free for anyone who
has difficulty holding a book turning
a page or seeing regular print The
recordings are loaned and returned
through the mail ndash postage-free ndash or
can be downloaded
julyaugust 2015 | 60PLUS S17
WhenExperience Counts
Experience our State-of-the-Art Facilities
600 Brookestone Meadows PlazaElkhorn NE 68022 | (402) 289-2696wwBrookestoneMeadowscom
QUALITY LIFE | QUALITY CARE | EXCELLENT TEAMS | QUALITY REPUTATION | STEWARDSHIP
4330 South 144th StreetOmaha NE 68137
(402) 614-4000wwBrookestoneVillagecom
Proud Members of the Vetter Health Services Family
PhysicalOccupationalandSpeechTherapy Careaftertotaljointreplacement Strokerecovery Strengtheningaftercancertreatment Careaftersurgery Recoveryfromafallorextendedillness
Visit ourwebsite
to find outmore about us
OmahaBVampElkhornBM_Ad - Omaha 60+ Mag_111612_60+ Omaha Magazine Ad - BSV amp BSM 3112014 354 PM Page 1
Trouble Getting Up amp Down the StairsRegain your independence and the rest of your home
Largest showroom in the nationMultiple modelsone sure to fit your needs
Call for special pricing
12739 Q Street4024081990
wwwkohllscom
Recipient of
PLATINUM AWARD
T ONY LAZZARETTI KEPT AN eye on the mole on his chest for some time When it started getting bigger he made an
appointment with his doctor to get it checked A biopsy confirmed that it was melanomamdashthe deadliest form of skin cancer
Lazzaretti 70 years old at the time said he was never a ldquosun bunnyrdquo but he remembers getting some bad sunburns
Lazzaretti had surgery to remove the mole and several lymph nodes but a couple of years later the cancer returned This time the cancer was too extensive to remove with surgery says Alissa Marr MD an oncolo-gist at Nebraska Medicine specializing in melanoma and lung cancer
ldquoWe started him on a new immunomodu-latory drug and he has had no reoccurrence
SKIN CANCER CONTINUES
TO RISEgreatest increases among women and
men over 65
S18 60PLUS | julyaugust 2015 | omahamagazinecom
by susan meyers
60PLUS HEALTH
since thenrdquo she says ldquoThis is a remarkable story of how advanced treatments have become Over the past four years there have been six new drugs introduced for metastatic melanoma that have been very effective in a select group of patientsrdquo
The cases of melanoma have steadily increased over the past 30 years notes Dr Marr The greatest increases have been among white women between the ages of 15 and 39 years and in men over age 65
While the cause for the increase is not known better identification use of tanning beds and having one or more blistering sun-burns as a youth appear to boost the risk Some research shows that people who use tanning beds are 74 percent more likely to get melanoma than those who donrsquot use them notes Dr Marr
ldquoIf melanoma is caught at an early stage and treated with proper surgical resection it is highly curablerdquo she says
Melanoma typically starts as a mole See a doctor if you experience any of the ABCDErsquos of a mole asymmetry border irregularity color variation diameter (anything larger than a pencil eraser) and evolution mean-ing a mole that is changing itchy or bleeds
The highest incidence of this cancer occurs on the back of the legs in women and on the trunk and back for men However it can occur on any area of the body even those that have not been exposed to the sun says Marr If you get a suspicious mole removed it needs to be an excision or punch biopsy by a qualified physician in order to get an accurate evaluation
Basal and squamous cell skin cancers the most common forms of skin cancer typically occur on chronically sun-exposed areas such as the head neck ears and arms and are directly related to amount of sun exposure Suspicious symptoms include a shiny waxy scar-like spot that may be yellow or white with irregular borders a smooth bump that is indented in the middle a reddish patch that wonrsquot go away and may be painful or itchy or a sore that takes more than three weeks to heal
ldquoEveryone should have a full body skin exam every year by their doctor to check for skin cancerrdquo says Dr Marr ldquoThe goal is to find it before it progresses and when it is still very treatablerdquo
Now Lazzaretti tells his kids every chance he gets stay out of the sun stay away from tan-ning beds and wear sunscreen
julyaugust 2015 | 60PLUS S19
wwwNebraskaLowVisioncom 402-905-2794
Nebraska Low Vision wishes Mike Riley and
the Nebraska Cornhuskers Football Team much
success in 2015
S20 60PLUS | julyaugust 2015 | omahamagazinecom
60PLUS FACESby anna hensel | photography by bill sitzmann
RETIREMENT on the road
F RITZ SAMPSON SAYS HE likes to travel slowly but the words ldquotravelrdquo and ldquoslowlyrdquo can conjure up thoughts of
lounging over three hour-long dinners in Italy or spending an entire afternoon wandering through a village in France
For 65-year-old Fritz ldquotraveling slowlyrdquo means moving about 200 miles a day across Europe and Asia by motorcycle
Last March Fritz undertook a 115-day motorcycle journey through south-ern Europe the former Soviet bloc and Mongolia but his plans were cut short by more than three weeks after an accident in Mongolia
Itrsquos an itinerary that sounds crazy but when explained calmly by Fritz seems per-fectly reasonable
ldquoWhether itrsquos breaking a shoulder or get-ting stopped by police or running out of food things are going to happenrdquo Fritz says ldquoAnd thatrsquos why you take the trip because itrsquos an adventurerdquo
According to Sampson and his wife of 40 years Mary he always had a daring spirit
ldquoThatrsquos what I loved him for was his sense of adventurerdquo Mary says ldquoNo one is compa-rable to Fritzmdashhersquos all out for the experience
The couple met on the Model United Nations Team at Creighton University and married in 1975 right out of college They and their two children moved to Germany in 1998 while Fritz pursued a degree in inter-national tax law His career took him every-where from China to Belize but he still craved different ways to see the world
A long-distance cyclist he rode for years all over the United States But as he aged he turned to a new mode of transportation motorcycling
He bought a new Harley Davidson in 2007 and in 2008 rode with his son Marty from Omaha to Tierra del Fuego an island chain
off the southernmost point of South AmericaldquoOne of the reasons I do thismdashI like meet-
ing people on the roadrdquo Fritz saysAfter his South American excursion Fritz
was itching to do a similar trip elsewhere He read about two motorcycle adventures on travel blogs that looked really interestingmdashone to the Russian far east another in outer Mongoliamdashand decided to combine the two by retiring and traveling to 17 countries He planned to begin in Ireland meet Mary in Turkey and eventually end up in Mongolia and Russia but had no other itinerary
That meant he spent a week in Bulgaria because he felt like it He chose to go to Kazakhstan instead of Turkmenistan because he met a fellow motorcyclist who was headed
there And when he told local policemen in Turkey the name of the hostel where he was staying they told him he shouldnrsquot sleep there and took him to a friendrsquos house where they hosted a barbecue for him
He also had a run-in with corrupt police in Azerbaijan lost 22 pounds and experienced that fateful fall in Mongolia that cut his trip short and left him with a broken shoulder
Therersquos only one thing hersquos cutting out of his routine off-roading on his motorcycle which led to his accident But he still wants to ride on motorcycle trips across the continental United States Alaska and Mexico
After all he says those are ldquoeasyrdquo rides
julyaugust 2015 | 60PLUS S21
I rsquoVE NEVER OWNED A video camera of any kind Okay so Irsquove just been reminded that my cell phone gizmo has such a device
but having never used it I still qualify as a video virgin
Sony introduced the first consumer cam-corder in 1983 the year my youngest child was born This made our family a prime target for being an early adapter in what became something of a video mania Almost over-night a populist paparazzi were born where every dad (Why was it always the dads) at every kindergarten holiday program was armed with a cinder-block-sized camera that instantly made him some kind of Fellini wanna-be
I refused to join the Betamax Age because my makeup is one where I want to remember things the way I want to remember thingsmdashnot necessarily how they actually happened
Ample video of my kidsrsquo childhood years exists from the cameras of extended family members and a couple of clan get-togethers have been marred when some idiot got the
bright idea that we should all watch old videos together Irsquom sure any good shrink would have a field day getting inside my head but the experience of viewing those picnics and parties and plays unfold on screen washellipwell ldquodisturbingrdquo is not at all too powerful a word
Itrsquos not that I am a dispassionate stoic For whatever weird reason being confronted with a filmed retelling of events rearranges my mental furniture in an unsettling almost visceral way
That tyranny of memory has only grown over the years and wersquove all witnessed the rise of the camera-obsessed malady Irsquoll call the Fear of Missing Out Syndrome In a sickness typified by living vicariously through a view-finder itrsquos as if film and only film is capable of proving even to ourselves the existential reality of a person place or thing
ldquoI saw Pope Francisrdquo ldquoI saw Pres- ident Obamardquo ldquoI saw Garth Brooksrdquo people exclaim
No you didnrsquot You saw only mere pixels while struggling to center a celebrityrsquos image
on your camera You had exactly the same experience I had when I saw almost identical footage on CNN or the local news except that my experience was better in that it was rendered by seasoned videographers on pro-fessional equipment You were there but you werenrsquot there
Just check out the June 15 Sports Illustrated cover online Get my point
Our society has become one of dim imagi-nations reflected in the even dimmer glows of electronic gadgets
As some dude named Lord Acton once claimed ldquoHistory is not a burden on the memory but an illumination of the soulrdquo I kinda dig that Lord Acton guy even if his name sounds like a super-classy moniker for a faux-British-bad-guy rassler on WWE
At least according to his lordship I donrsquot have an almost pathological relationship with memory I have an illuminated soul
LORD ACTON SAID IT BESTlife through a viewfinder
S22 60PLUS | julyaugust 2015 | omahamagazinecom
by david williams
60PLUS THE GRANDPA CHRONICLES
julyaugust 2015 | 60PLUS S23
DIRECTORY
Elk Ridge Village on the Lake Retirement CommunityElk Ridge Village provides Independent and Assisted Living and Alzheimerrsquos Care and is committed to providing services of the highest quality
19303 Seward Plaza402-312-1198402-216-8835wwwelkridgeseniorlivingcom
Brookestone MeadowsBrookestone VillageSkilled nursing communities provid-ing short-term rehabilitation including physical occupational and speech ther-apy as well as long-term nursing care
wwwBrookestoneVillagecom402-614-4000 bull OmahawwwBrookestoneMeadowscom402-280-2696 bull Elkhorn
Home Care Assistance
Our services are distinguished by the caliber of our caregivers the respon-siveness of our staff and our expertise in Live-In care We embrace a positive balanced approach to aging centered on the evolving needs of older adults
402-763-9140homecareassistanceomahacom
EJ Militti JrFinancial AdvisorThe Militti Group at Morgan Stanley
Wealth and Estate Planning Risk-Management Executive Services Foundations amp Endowments
(402) 399-1513wwwmorganstanleyfacommilittigroup
Saint Jude Hospice
Rooted in Christian Love and Guided by the Holy Spirit our Radical Loving Care brings healing to those when their hope has changed from a cure to comfort
10506 Burt Circle402-609-4818saintjudehospiceorg
Steven D Wegner DDS
Dr Wegner has 35 years of clinical experi-ence and thousands of hours of continuing education He knows how to help seniors and all ages to achieve and keep a healthy smile
11840 Nicholas StSuite 210Omaha NE 68154402-498-0400
Travel and Transport
Travel and Transport is proud to be the 5th largest travel agency in the US servicing clients throughout the country as well as globally
travelandtransportcom 402-399-4500
Nebraska Cancer SpecialistsNebraska Cancer Specialists is dedicated to providing complete cancer treatment for patients medical oncology radiation oncology surgical specialists and diagnostic services
5 Convenient LocationsFor address and phone infovisit our websitenebraskacancercom
Kohllrsquos Pharmacy amp Homecare
8 locations amp free delivery Providing retail amp compounded prescriptions all medical equipment amp supplies
402-408-1990 wwwkohllscom
Home Instead Senior Care
If yoursquore looking for someone to help you or a loved one a few hours a week or need more comprehensive assistance Home Instead Senior Care can help
Metro 4024983444West 4029324555
Nebraska Low Vision
Regain the Joy ofreading and writing today
In Home Demo Call 402-905-2794wwwNebraskaLowVisioncom
hillcresthealthcomProviding the regionrsquos widest array of aging-related services
One family Many servicesHillcrest Country EstatesContinuing care retirement communityfeaturing the Grand LodgeHwy 370 amp 60th Street Papillion(402) 885-7007
Hillcrest Health amp RehabIn-patient rehabilitation1702 Hillcrest Drive Bellevue(402) 291-8500
Hillcrest Physical TherapyOutpatient physical occupational and speech therapy1804 Hillcrest Drive Bellevue(402) 682-4210
Hillcrest Victoria GardensMemory support assisted living1702 Hillcrest Drive Bellevue(402) 682-4295
Hillcrest Mable Rose amp The ClubAssisted living memory support amp adult day servicesHwy 370 amp 48th Street Bellevue(402) 291-9777
Hillcrest Home CareSkilled home health and in-home personal careServing 9 counties in NE and IA(402) 682-4808
Hillcrest Hospice CareCompassionate end-of-life supportServing 7 counties in NE(402) 934-2282
The Grand LodgeIndependent Living
Now Open(402) 885-7007
Enhancing L ives
60PLUS featureMemory loss Stumbles and falls A spousewho doesnrsquot sleep at night Most of ushave people in our lives facing challengeslike these
Many older adults in our community are struggling to stay in their own homes even if they have the means to hire help
Home Care Assistance provides a level of care that enhances the independence of older adults includingthose with Alzheimerrsquos Parkinsonrsquos or who are recovering from stroke or surgery
Perhaps you know an older adult who would benefit fromldquoassisted living mdash at homerdquo Encourage that person tolearn more about how Omaharsquos premier home care company can help him or her continue to lead a full life
Call us We can help 402-763-9140 HomeCareAssistanceOmahacom
Soins
omamagcomsave
SUBSCRIBE TODAY
Donrsquot miss a single issue of Omaha Magazine
trade
Mayor Jean Stothert
Jim FlowersWeathers the Storm
Omaharsquos Best Doctorsreg
Omaharsquos 2013 BIG GIVE
Leading in a Manrsquos World
SEPTEMBEROCTOBER bull 2013
$2a$10$BV2a7VBdNEaP8TLqH43gOY8GyBeii959fEMuGFh6fTZktxU5toeU1BBQ0UgR09FUyBIRVJFTkVXTElORSBHT0VTIEhFUkU=n$2a$10$VQy5sjVaOIi93aOzrmXNOWOEUlVTxtUp4KLHYoUvJHGImzEGnKqU1BBQ0UgR09FUyBIRVJFTkVXTElORSBHT0VTIEhFUkU=n$2a$10$BSUej3mkaYgBL6SHdzkruVCLTOdrTeuMC7tENIJRio4k7r1S522U1BBQ0UgR09FUyBIRVJFTkVXTElORSBHT0VTIEhFUkU=n$2a$10$8lJaZ1bjql9MsIVt9chbEODEK1V4DMh2sWCqgO3EOkcmLDpuOcv2OU1BBQ0UgR09FUyBIRVJFTkVXTElORSBHT0VTIEhFUkU=n$2a$10$bokog0hs0YeIDLS08Mtz1OiPJn75Gm7kUVRGxWiMvmNK96K15omCU1BBQ0UgR09FUyBIRVJFTkVXTElORSBHT0VTIEhFUkU=n$2a$10$6PwNCHEGBFnlVxWvtvWyOIUae5YKMbG9AKx4P0QQdYkJFnuQBedGU1BBQ0UgR09FUyBIRVJFTkVXTElORSBHT0VTIEhFUkU=n$2a$10$0zda1EWkCNLfq3f8IgljO0gl8u8SQWc9tfTcstxEmJlYbx85kAKU1BBQ0UgR09FUyBIRVJFTkVXTElORSBHT0VTIEhFUkU=n$2a$10$8HQyCRFmAbwq2RC1u3RBOGPwfqXvS4nK4obI8uQeYNWIAST0cM2U1BBQ0UgR09FUyBIRVJFTkVXTElORSBHT0VTIEhFUkU=n$2a$10$UvJ6oFqd71pgpO03WVqRuAqoS2JG9CR1BvNEHKqLySgt2C7hVUWU1BBQ0UgR09FUyBIRVJFTkVXTElORSBHT0VTIEhFUkU=n$2a$10$FmIjrLTWACeLTrwoJXJu8b8hgthtLuGDBy0sV8EJZjyFkEni0NyU1BBQ0UgR09FUyBIRVJFTkVXTElORSBHT0VTIEhFUkU=n$2a$10$CjZNVV1n0igQ5i4xti7ehyyyTwczBJ4Or3CNfvQsAtx1fHkrPXmU1BBQ0UgR09FUyBIRVJFTkVXTElORSBHT0VTIEhFUkU=n$2a$10$uPCaJPhRy7F01s3YTceEkeAtZvK9r2seNkqA5w3PCqdyBr0eWmCOVER TEXT DECODED INSIDE
trade
JULYAUGUST bull 2014
war amp PeaceChuck Hagel battles for a future free of the quagmires of the past
OmaharsquostopDentiststrade
Best of Omahatrade Campaign 2015
The Loyal Royal Alex Gordon
Malorie MaddoxOmaha Stories
tradetrade
NOVEMBERDECEMBER bull 2013
The Road Home
Prescription Drug Abuse
Among Teens
Nebraskarsquos Premier Wealth Advisors
The Making of NebraskaJohn Jackson
julyaugust 2015 | 60PLUS S7
WADING THROUGH THE FLOODWATERS
discovering how to apply for VA benefits
C OMMIE SCHABENrsquoS 82-YEAR-OLD FATHER Ed is a Korean War veteran who served at Virginia
Beach He survived horrors untold but last year he almost died after his small intestine ruptured
Commie was determined to have him live at home with her after that but she says making that happen without some kind of assistance would have been difficult
ldquoIrsquod be really hurtingrdquo she says ldquoIrsquod be skimping and scraping really bad I probably would have had to put him in a home Irsquod rather have him here with merdquo
So she went to the US Department of Veterans Affairs website to see if she could
S8 60PLUS | julyaugust 2015 | omahamagazinecom
by ryan borchers | photography by bill sitzmann
60PLUS FINANCE
Olney often works with clients seeking to obtain veterans benefits and says a veteran and hisher spouse are eligible to receive $25000 a year for care A veteran by him or herself may receive a little over $21000 annually and the surviving spouse of a veteran may be eligible for over $13000 annually
Only about 5 percent of eligible veterans are taking advantage of these benefits
ldquoIn todayrsquos society as you grow older quite often the more care you need and some of our elderly people [are in] need of care and protecting their assetsrdquo Olney says
So why are so few veterans collecting this money
Olney thinks there are two reasons The first is that not many people know about the benefits
The second is that the process can be com-plicated Even though no one can charge for filling out the requisite paperwork oftentimes that paperwork can be confusing and incor-rectly entered or missing information may lead to the VA denying an applicant without an explanation
Olney says one of his recent clients was denied because of a piece of paper missing from the application
ldquoHe wouldrsquove quit right then and there but thatrsquos the way it is when you deal with government They donrsquot always give you all the factsrdquo
Allan Jackson director of the Douglas County Veterans Services says the VA requires certain forms and documents to establish a given veteranrsquos service time and discharge status The VA also requests verifi-cation of income and assets as well as medical information if the requested benefits are for care however he says there are limits to what a Veterans Service officer is allowed to ask of someone inquiring about benefits
ldquoWe canrsquot get into an individualrsquos historyrdquo he says ldquoWe canrsquot get into an individualrsquos income and assets Confidentiality comes into playrdquo
Even if you fill out all the paperwork Olney says how you answer a given question may alter your chances of receiving benefits For example the paperwork asks about your assets What is considered an asset If you own a given asset do you own 100 percent of it (The correct answer is no) Questions like those arenrsquot explained in the rules Olney says and a care advocate can help applicants determine their finances and incomes and how care costs affect their incomes If you tell the VA you make a certain amount of money the VA might deny you benefits because your income is too high Jackson stresses the importance of itemizing the ways in which your income is spent on care And if you factor in the cost of your care Olney says that might help your case
Olney says hersquos found the average vet-eran who successfully applies and submits the paperwork will start receiving benefits within 90 days And if more eligible members take advantage of the benefits there might be other advantages as well Not only would the veterans and their families be better off but there would be less strain on other federal programs like Medicaid and Social Security
As for Ed Commie says the VA sends visiting nurses to their home Her dad is also at the top of the list of eligible candidates to stay at the new VA home if it comes to that and if her mom were still alive the VA would have helped her get into assisted living
ldquoThey are entitled to thisrdquo Olney says ldquoItrsquos a thing theyrsquove sacrificed forhellipitrsquos something they have truly earned so why shouldnrsquot they have this benefit if theyrsquove truly earned itrdquo
obtain any assistance for her dad along the lines of a wheelchair or bathroom handlebars She sent them her phone number asking for some guidance
Dave Olney a local care advocate got in touch with her It turned out the VA could do a lot more for her and her dad than she realized
ldquoItrsquos just wonderfulrdquo she saysIt may not be the most widely known
aid program but the VA offers benefits to former members of the armed forces and their spouses to help pay for the cost of care The veteransrsquo benefits program helps eligible members pay for care costs like assisted living treatment after major medical conditions etc
julyaugust 2015 | 60PLUS S9
GHOST HOST
eeriness around every corner(in a place that doesnrsquot
have corners)
S10 60PLUS | julyaugust 2015 | omahamagazinecom
by judy horan | photography by bill sitzmann
60PLUS HISTORY
V ISITORS FROM OMAHA AND the spirit realm are welcome at the Squirrel Cage Jail Museum in Council Bluffs
Carla Borgaila says she has met several of the resident ghosts She remembers her hat being pulled from her head as she frantically tried to hold it on ldquoI could feel the fingers on my headrdquo she remembers ldquoBut no one was thererdquo Another time ldquoa guy came into my office and just stood thererdquo
Despite her personal experiences with ghosts Borgaila is a realist ldquoNinety percent is overactive imagination Nine percent we canrsquot explain but itrsquos not paranormal But then therersquos that one percentrdquo
Although a ghost has not spoken to her she has heard her name called But she never feels scared or threatened ldquoTheyrsquore like Casper the Friendly Ghost Therersquos no reason to be fearfulrdquo
Borgaila museum coordinator for the Historical Society of Pottawattamie County is responsible for arranging paranormal as well as regular tours of the quirky Squirrel Cage Jail Built in 1885 the jail on a turntable is now a museum
Adults who want to spend 8 pm to 4 am asking questions of alleged ghosts can call for an appointment But plan ahead Overnight paranormal investigation groups are already booked two months out The outing costs a minimum of $175 which covers the first seven people additional people are $25 each Youths age 16 and 17 are not allowed without a guardian only people age 21 and older can schedule an appointment
Some of the people who died in the build-ing may be lingering ldquoOne is an inmate who hung himself I firmly believe hersquos still there People describe him to a teerdquo Several ghostly jailers also hang around ldquoPeople see themrdquo
Groups spending the night at the Squirrel Cage Jail sometime pick up electronic voice phenomena ldquoYou donrsquot hear it then but it shows up in the background when later lis-tening to the audio recordingrsquo says Borgaila
Ghost hunting is not the only activity in the historical building Regular tours are available for individual visitors and groups of 15 or more Borgaila also has scheduled bridal showers and birthday parties
Even if ghost-less the buildingrsquos architec-ture is worth a visit Originally prisoners in pie-shaped cells got in and out when a hand crank turned to line the cell up with a single door on each of the three floors Because the cage rotated and jailers could view all the cells from one place fewer jailers were needed
The jail was built to be escape-proof but 60 inmates escaped over the years Inmates also had to be careful to avoid getting an arm or leg crushed by the rotating jail
The county jail was used from 1885 to 1969 Inmates still reside close by ldquoI run into them all the timerdquo she says ldquoItrsquos a badge of honor Theyrsquore proud they were in one of the most unique buildings in the United Statesrdquo
One of three remaining Lazy Susan jails it is on the National Register of Historic Places The Council Bluffs jail is the largest of the 18 built
CHECK IT OUT
SQUIRREL CAGE JAIL226 Pearl St in Council Bluffs
Open daily 10 am to 4 pm and Sundays 1 pm to 4 pm Closed Mondays major holidays and
the month of January
Tours are available year-round 712-323-2509
julyaugust 2015 | 60PLUS S11
with Travel and Transport
travelandtransportcom Located at 72nd amp Mercy | 4023994555 CORPORATE TRAVEL | EVENTS | LOYALTY | VACATIONS
For over 69 years Travel and Transport has made vacation dreams a reality In total our knowledgeable and seasoned travel specialists have visited over 50 countries on all seven continents and have sailed on over 50 cruises We provide our clients with the most advantageous pricing upgrades with leading hotels resorts spas cruise lines tour companies rail lines airlines and ground operators And through our partnership with Virtuoso we are able to offer exclusive amenities experiences and privileged access not available to the general public
The Plaza Napa Valley
Close To HomeNew York NY This summer spend your long days of sunlight in the city that never sleeps Visit New York City for the bustle of Times Square along with the wide-open spaces of the cityrsquos green areas Stroll through world-renowned museums take in a true Broadway show or shop to your heartrsquos content at some of the nationrsquos finest boutiques and department stores
Our RecommendationsThe PlazaNew York Hilton MidtownThe Westin New York at Times Square
Food amp Wine AdventureNapa Valley CA Spend your lazy summer days in peaceful Napa Valley part of Californiarsquos wine country region with its incredible weather and unforgettable scenery Saunter through wineries and take in the beautiful countryside before treating yourself to a souvenir at one of the eclectic shops in the cozy towns that dot the countryside Just a short drive to the coast you can also soak in the rolling waves of the Pacific Ocean Of course the area also boasts a great variety of dining options from artisan cafes to Tuscan fare to seafood Napa Valley is truly a dream for the foodie and wine enthusiast alike
Our Recommendations5-Day Napa Valley Experience with Kensington Tours7-Day Independent at The Westin Verasa Napa with Pleasant Holidays9-Day Trains Wineries amp Treasures of Northern California with Collette Tours
travelandtransportcom Located at 72nd amp Mercy | 4023994555 CORPORATE TRAVEL | EVENTS | LOYALTY | VACATIONS
Call today to book your getaway4023994555omahavacationstravelandtransportcom
Ultimate ExperienceGrand Voyage amp World Cruise For a truly once-in-a-lifetime experience spend the better part of a year traversing the world aboard a luxury cruise liner Visit Hawaii Fiji Australia Bangkok and countless other bucket list destinations aboard the Crystal Cruises linerhellipall in one trip Another option embark on a Grand Voyage with Holland America where yoursquoll swim in the Great Barrier Reef visit Egypt Greece Spain and many more Or go around the world in 180 days with Oceania for destinations like Iceland Cyprus India and the Seychelles When you return home from an experience like these you will have memories to last a lifetime
Our Recommendations95 or 103-Day World Cruise with Crystal Cruises (Round-trip from Miami or San Francisco)115-Day Grand Voyage with Holland America Line (Round-trip from Fort Lauderdale)180-Day Global Cruise with Oceania (Round-trip from Miami)
Grand Voyage amp World Cruise
travelandtransportcom Located at 72nd amp Mercy | 4023994555 CORPORATE TRAVEL | EVENTS | LOYALTY | VACATIONS
Call today to book your getaway4023994555omahavacationstravelandtransportcom
Ultimate ExperienceGrand Voyage amp World Cruise For a truly once-in-a-lifetime experience spend the better part of a year traversing the world aboard a luxury cruise liner Visit Hawaii Fiji Australia Bangkok and countless other bucket list destinations aboard the Crystal Cruises linerhellipall in one trip Another option embark on a Grand Voyage with Holland America where yoursquoll swim in the Great Barrier Reef visit Egypt Greece Spain and many more Or go around the world in 180 days with Oceania for destinations like Iceland Cyprus India and the Seychelles When you return home from an experience like these you will have memories to last a lifetime
Our Recommendations95 or 103-Day World Cruise with Crystal Cruises (Round-trip from Miami or San Francisco)115-Day Grand Voyage with Holland America Line (Round-trip from Fort Lauderdale)180-Day Global Cruise with Oceania (Round-trip from Miami)
Grand Voyage amp World Cruise
ldquo
PICKLEBALL more fun than drinking a
barrel of vinegar
S14 60PLUS | julyaugust 2015 | omahamagazinecom
60PLUS COVER FEATUREby kara schweiss | photography by bill sitzmann
I TrsquoS PLAYED ON A badminton-size court but with the net lowered to 34 inches at the center The paddles look like a hybrid
of racquetball racquets and table tennis pad-dles The rules are somewhat similar to tennis but the serve is underhand And the ball looks more like a whiffle ball than a vinegar-soaked cucumber Itrsquos Pickleballmdasha sport that is quickly gaining a large following with the local club Pickleball Omaha boasting around 225 members
The gamersquos origins date back to a 1965 Washington state backyard and even its
creators canrsquot quite agree on whether the name came from a family dog or a term associated with rowing Regardless of this pickleball has evolved over 50 years from an improvised family pastime to a thriving widely recog-nized passion The statewide organization Pickleball Nebraska was founded in 2012 and the sport has been part of Nebraskarsquos State Games of America (formerly Cornhusker State Games) since 2011 It is even going to be part of the State Games of Americarsquos national competition for the first time this summer when Nebraska serves as host state gt
julyaugust 2015 | 60PLUS S15
lt Pickleball Nebraska President Bill Holt (pictured on the cover) discovered the sport in 2008 while wintering in Arizona It was popular with the retirement crowd there he says but relatively unknown back home in Nebraskamdashwithout an organized following or designated courts So Holt and his wife Nancy created a makeshift playing field on an Omaha tennis court that spring and began introducing friends to the sport Interest has grown steadily since
ldquoThere was no place to play pickleball in Nebraska that I was aware of and nobody I knew playedrdquo Holt says ldquoWe now have 10 places to play listed (on the USA Pickleball Association website at uspaaorg) and there are actually more than thatrdquo More informa-tion on this pastime is available at pickleball-nebraskawordpresscom and players can now also find local places to participate through the clubrsquos page on Facebook
Like Holt Camille Culprsquos association with pickleball originated in Arizona Her hus-band Wayne played the game for the first time on a business trip six years ago intro-duced Camille and soon the couple found other enthusiasts in Omaha Culp was one of the first women to play locally and she
says introductory clinics open play sessions and a welcoming community have helped the sport grow in the area Women now make up more than half of Pickleball Nebraskarsquos membership
ldquoThatrsquos the pickleball thing always chat up whoever stops byrdquo says Culp who now serves as the grouprsquos treasurer ldquoThey can try it right away and see what they think and of course in my opinion 95 percent of them are hookedrdquo
Holt says club members range from 30-something to 82 and most participants play doubles A high degree of physical condi-tioning isnrsquot necessary to start but the game can be very intense and local players self-classify as A-level B-level or somewhere in between to determine if they should play recreationally or competitively
ldquoAnybody can join The typical person is 60-65 and has played sports Irsquove always been fairly active in one thing or anotherrdquo Holt says ldquoAnyone can learn to playhellipitrsquos great for all agesrdquo
ldquoItrsquos relatively easy to learnrdquo Culp agrees ldquoI only see the sport getting more popularrdquo
S16 60PLUS | julyaugust 2015 | omahamagazinecom
60PLUS COVER FEATURE
This certification is an honor a testament to our high standard of care mdash and a reminder that we must always strive to exceed our own expectations to better care for you Our twelve experienced highly-skilled cancer specialists are dedicated to complete cancer treatment and research with over 100 clinical trials available
CHI Health Cancer Center - Bergan (402) 393-3110Methodist Estabrook Cancer Center (402) 354-8124Midwest Cancer Center Papillion (402) 593-3141Midwest Cancer Center Legacy (402) 334-4773Health Park Plaza-Fremont Health (402) 941-7030
Margaret Block MD
M Salman Haroon MD
Ralph J Hauke MD
Timothy K Huyck MD
Robert M Langdon Jr MD
Kirsten M Leu MD
John M Longo MD
Geetha Palaniappan MD
David A Silverberg MD
Gamini S Soori MD
Yungpo Bernard Su MD
Stefano R Tarantolo MD
Benefit from everything we can offer as the largest independent QOPI-certified cancer practice in Nebraska
Receive the Highest Level of Cancer Care
NEBRASKA CANCER SPECIALISTS IS QOPIreg CERTIFIED
Nebraska Library CommissionTalking Book and Braille Service
402-471-4038 bull 800-742-7691nlctalkingbooknebraskagov bull wwwnlcnebraskagov
Reading is for Everyone Your Libraryreg
Talking Books are free for anyone who
has difficulty holding a book turning
a page or seeing regular print The
recordings are loaned and returned
through the mail ndash postage-free ndash or
can be downloaded
julyaugust 2015 | 60PLUS S17
WhenExperience Counts
Experience our State-of-the-Art Facilities
600 Brookestone Meadows PlazaElkhorn NE 68022 | (402) 289-2696wwBrookestoneMeadowscom
QUALITY LIFE | QUALITY CARE | EXCELLENT TEAMS | QUALITY REPUTATION | STEWARDSHIP
4330 South 144th StreetOmaha NE 68137
(402) 614-4000wwBrookestoneVillagecom
Proud Members of the Vetter Health Services Family
PhysicalOccupationalandSpeechTherapy Careaftertotaljointreplacement Strokerecovery Strengtheningaftercancertreatment Careaftersurgery Recoveryfromafallorextendedillness
Visit ourwebsite
to find outmore about us
OmahaBVampElkhornBM_Ad - Omaha 60+ Mag_111612_60+ Omaha Magazine Ad - BSV amp BSM 3112014 354 PM Page 1
Trouble Getting Up amp Down the StairsRegain your independence and the rest of your home
Largest showroom in the nationMultiple modelsone sure to fit your needs
Call for special pricing
12739 Q Street4024081990
wwwkohllscom
Recipient of
PLATINUM AWARD
T ONY LAZZARETTI KEPT AN eye on the mole on his chest for some time When it started getting bigger he made an
appointment with his doctor to get it checked A biopsy confirmed that it was melanomamdashthe deadliest form of skin cancer
Lazzaretti 70 years old at the time said he was never a ldquosun bunnyrdquo but he remembers getting some bad sunburns
Lazzaretti had surgery to remove the mole and several lymph nodes but a couple of years later the cancer returned This time the cancer was too extensive to remove with surgery says Alissa Marr MD an oncolo-gist at Nebraska Medicine specializing in melanoma and lung cancer
ldquoWe started him on a new immunomodu-latory drug and he has had no reoccurrence
SKIN CANCER CONTINUES
TO RISEgreatest increases among women and
men over 65
S18 60PLUS | julyaugust 2015 | omahamagazinecom
by susan meyers
60PLUS HEALTH
since thenrdquo she says ldquoThis is a remarkable story of how advanced treatments have become Over the past four years there have been six new drugs introduced for metastatic melanoma that have been very effective in a select group of patientsrdquo
The cases of melanoma have steadily increased over the past 30 years notes Dr Marr The greatest increases have been among white women between the ages of 15 and 39 years and in men over age 65
While the cause for the increase is not known better identification use of tanning beds and having one or more blistering sun-burns as a youth appear to boost the risk Some research shows that people who use tanning beds are 74 percent more likely to get melanoma than those who donrsquot use them notes Dr Marr
ldquoIf melanoma is caught at an early stage and treated with proper surgical resection it is highly curablerdquo she says
Melanoma typically starts as a mole See a doctor if you experience any of the ABCDErsquos of a mole asymmetry border irregularity color variation diameter (anything larger than a pencil eraser) and evolution mean-ing a mole that is changing itchy or bleeds
The highest incidence of this cancer occurs on the back of the legs in women and on the trunk and back for men However it can occur on any area of the body even those that have not been exposed to the sun says Marr If you get a suspicious mole removed it needs to be an excision or punch biopsy by a qualified physician in order to get an accurate evaluation
Basal and squamous cell skin cancers the most common forms of skin cancer typically occur on chronically sun-exposed areas such as the head neck ears and arms and are directly related to amount of sun exposure Suspicious symptoms include a shiny waxy scar-like spot that may be yellow or white with irregular borders a smooth bump that is indented in the middle a reddish patch that wonrsquot go away and may be painful or itchy or a sore that takes more than three weeks to heal
ldquoEveryone should have a full body skin exam every year by their doctor to check for skin cancerrdquo says Dr Marr ldquoThe goal is to find it before it progresses and when it is still very treatablerdquo
Now Lazzaretti tells his kids every chance he gets stay out of the sun stay away from tan-ning beds and wear sunscreen
julyaugust 2015 | 60PLUS S19
wwwNebraskaLowVisioncom 402-905-2794
Nebraska Low Vision wishes Mike Riley and
the Nebraska Cornhuskers Football Team much
success in 2015
S20 60PLUS | julyaugust 2015 | omahamagazinecom
60PLUS FACESby anna hensel | photography by bill sitzmann
RETIREMENT on the road
F RITZ SAMPSON SAYS HE likes to travel slowly but the words ldquotravelrdquo and ldquoslowlyrdquo can conjure up thoughts of
lounging over three hour-long dinners in Italy or spending an entire afternoon wandering through a village in France
For 65-year-old Fritz ldquotraveling slowlyrdquo means moving about 200 miles a day across Europe and Asia by motorcycle
Last March Fritz undertook a 115-day motorcycle journey through south-ern Europe the former Soviet bloc and Mongolia but his plans were cut short by more than three weeks after an accident in Mongolia
Itrsquos an itinerary that sounds crazy but when explained calmly by Fritz seems per-fectly reasonable
ldquoWhether itrsquos breaking a shoulder or get-ting stopped by police or running out of food things are going to happenrdquo Fritz says ldquoAnd thatrsquos why you take the trip because itrsquos an adventurerdquo
According to Sampson and his wife of 40 years Mary he always had a daring spirit
ldquoThatrsquos what I loved him for was his sense of adventurerdquo Mary says ldquoNo one is compa-rable to Fritzmdashhersquos all out for the experience
The couple met on the Model United Nations Team at Creighton University and married in 1975 right out of college They and their two children moved to Germany in 1998 while Fritz pursued a degree in inter-national tax law His career took him every-where from China to Belize but he still craved different ways to see the world
A long-distance cyclist he rode for years all over the United States But as he aged he turned to a new mode of transportation motorcycling
He bought a new Harley Davidson in 2007 and in 2008 rode with his son Marty from Omaha to Tierra del Fuego an island chain
off the southernmost point of South AmericaldquoOne of the reasons I do thismdashI like meet-
ing people on the roadrdquo Fritz saysAfter his South American excursion Fritz
was itching to do a similar trip elsewhere He read about two motorcycle adventures on travel blogs that looked really interestingmdashone to the Russian far east another in outer Mongoliamdashand decided to combine the two by retiring and traveling to 17 countries He planned to begin in Ireland meet Mary in Turkey and eventually end up in Mongolia and Russia but had no other itinerary
That meant he spent a week in Bulgaria because he felt like it He chose to go to Kazakhstan instead of Turkmenistan because he met a fellow motorcyclist who was headed
there And when he told local policemen in Turkey the name of the hostel where he was staying they told him he shouldnrsquot sleep there and took him to a friendrsquos house where they hosted a barbecue for him
He also had a run-in with corrupt police in Azerbaijan lost 22 pounds and experienced that fateful fall in Mongolia that cut his trip short and left him with a broken shoulder
Therersquos only one thing hersquos cutting out of his routine off-roading on his motorcycle which led to his accident But he still wants to ride on motorcycle trips across the continental United States Alaska and Mexico
After all he says those are ldquoeasyrdquo rides
julyaugust 2015 | 60PLUS S21
I rsquoVE NEVER OWNED A video camera of any kind Okay so Irsquove just been reminded that my cell phone gizmo has such a device
but having never used it I still qualify as a video virgin
Sony introduced the first consumer cam-corder in 1983 the year my youngest child was born This made our family a prime target for being an early adapter in what became something of a video mania Almost over-night a populist paparazzi were born where every dad (Why was it always the dads) at every kindergarten holiday program was armed with a cinder-block-sized camera that instantly made him some kind of Fellini wanna-be
I refused to join the Betamax Age because my makeup is one where I want to remember things the way I want to remember thingsmdashnot necessarily how they actually happened
Ample video of my kidsrsquo childhood years exists from the cameras of extended family members and a couple of clan get-togethers have been marred when some idiot got the
bright idea that we should all watch old videos together Irsquom sure any good shrink would have a field day getting inside my head but the experience of viewing those picnics and parties and plays unfold on screen washellipwell ldquodisturbingrdquo is not at all too powerful a word
Itrsquos not that I am a dispassionate stoic For whatever weird reason being confronted with a filmed retelling of events rearranges my mental furniture in an unsettling almost visceral way
That tyranny of memory has only grown over the years and wersquove all witnessed the rise of the camera-obsessed malady Irsquoll call the Fear of Missing Out Syndrome In a sickness typified by living vicariously through a view-finder itrsquos as if film and only film is capable of proving even to ourselves the existential reality of a person place or thing
ldquoI saw Pope Francisrdquo ldquoI saw Pres- ident Obamardquo ldquoI saw Garth Brooksrdquo people exclaim
No you didnrsquot You saw only mere pixels while struggling to center a celebrityrsquos image
on your camera You had exactly the same experience I had when I saw almost identical footage on CNN or the local news except that my experience was better in that it was rendered by seasoned videographers on pro-fessional equipment You were there but you werenrsquot there
Just check out the June 15 Sports Illustrated cover online Get my point
Our society has become one of dim imagi-nations reflected in the even dimmer glows of electronic gadgets
As some dude named Lord Acton once claimed ldquoHistory is not a burden on the memory but an illumination of the soulrdquo I kinda dig that Lord Acton guy even if his name sounds like a super-classy moniker for a faux-British-bad-guy rassler on WWE
At least according to his lordship I donrsquot have an almost pathological relationship with memory I have an illuminated soul
LORD ACTON SAID IT BESTlife through a viewfinder
S22 60PLUS | julyaugust 2015 | omahamagazinecom
by david williams
60PLUS THE GRANDPA CHRONICLES
julyaugust 2015 | 60PLUS S23
DIRECTORY
Elk Ridge Village on the Lake Retirement CommunityElk Ridge Village provides Independent and Assisted Living and Alzheimerrsquos Care and is committed to providing services of the highest quality
19303 Seward Plaza402-312-1198402-216-8835wwwelkridgeseniorlivingcom
Brookestone MeadowsBrookestone VillageSkilled nursing communities provid-ing short-term rehabilitation including physical occupational and speech ther-apy as well as long-term nursing care
wwwBrookestoneVillagecom402-614-4000 bull OmahawwwBrookestoneMeadowscom402-280-2696 bull Elkhorn
Home Care Assistance
Our services are distinguished by the caliber of our caregivers the respon-siveness of our staff and our expertise in Live-In care We embrace a positive balanced approach to aging centered on the evolving needs of older adults
402-763-9140homecareassistanceomahacom
EJ Militti JrFinancial AdvisorThe Militti Group at Morgan Stanley
Wealth and Estate Planning Risk-Management Executive Services Foundations amp Endowments
(402) 399-1513wwwmorganstanleyfacommilittigroup
Saint Jude Hospice
Rooted in Christian Love and Guided by the Holy Spirit our Radical Loving Care brings healing to those when their hope has changed from a cure to comfort
10506 Burt Circle402-609-4818saintjudehospiceorg
Steven D Wegner DDS
Dr Wegner has 35 years of clinical experi-ence and thousands of hours of continuing education He knows how to help seniors and all ages to achieve and keep a healthy smile
11840 Nicholas StSuite 210Omaha NE 68154402-498-0400
Travel and Transport
Travel and Transport is proud to be the 5th largest travel agency in the US servicing clients throughout the country as well as globally
travelandtransportcom 402-399-4500
Nebraska Cancer SpecialistsNebraska Cancer Specialists is dedicated to providing complete cancer treatment for patients medical oncology radiation oncology surgical specialists and diagnostic services
5 Convenient LocationsFor address and phone infovisit our websitenebraskacancercom
Kohllrsquos Pharmacy amp Homecare
8 locations amp free delivery Providing retail amp compounded prescriptions all medical equipment amp supplies
402-408-1990 wwwkohllscom
Home Instead Senior Care
If yoursquore looking for someone to help you or a loved one a few hours a week or need more comprehensive assistance Home Instead Senior Care can help
Metro 4024983444West 4029324555
Nebraska Low Vision
Regain the Joy ofreading and writing today
In Home Demo Call 402-905-2794wwwNebraskaLowVisioncom
hillcresthealthcomProviding the regionrsquos widest array of aging-related services
One family Many servicesHillcrest Country EstatesContinuing care retirement communityfeaturing the Grand LodgeHwy 370 amp 60th Street Papillion(402) 885-7007
Hillcrest Health amp RehabIn-patient rehabilitation1702 Hillcrest Drive Bellevue(402) 291-8500
Hillcrest Physical TherapyOutpatient physical occupational and speech therapy1804 Hillcrest Drive Bellevue(402) 682-4210
Hillcrest Victoria GardensMemory support assisted living1702 Hillcrest Drive Bellevue(402) 682-4295
Hillcrest Mable Rose amp The ClubAssisted living memory support amp adult day servicesHwy 370 amp 48th Street Bellevue(402) 291-9777
Hillcrest Home CareSkilled home health and in-home personal careServing 9 counties in NE and IA(402) 682-4808
Hillcrest Hospice CareCompassionate end-of-life supportServing 7 counties in NE(402) 934-2282
The Grand LodgeIndependent Living
Now Open(402) 885-7007
Enhancing L ives
WADING THROUGH THE FLOODWATERS
discovering how to apply for VA benefits
C OMMIE SCHABENrsquoS 82-YEAR-OLD FATHER Ed is a Korean War veteran who served at Virginia
Beach He survived horrors untold but last year he almost died after his small intestine ruptured
Commie was determined to have him live at home with her after that but she says making that happen without some kind of assistance would have been difficult
ldquoIrsquod be really hurtingrdquo she says ldquoIrsquod be skimping and scraping really bad I probably would have had to put him in a home Irsquod rather have him here with merdquo
So she went to the US Department of Veterans Affairs website to see if she could
S8 60PLUS | julyaugust 2015 | omahamagazinecom
by ryan borchers | photography by bill sitzmann
60PLUS FINANCE
Olney often works with clients seeking to obtain veterans benefits and says a veteran and hisher spouse are eligible to receive $25000 a year for care A veteran by him or herself may receive a little over $21000 annually and the surviving spouse of a veteran may be eligible for over $13000 annually
Only about 5 percent of eligible veterans are taking advantage of these benefits
ldquoIn todayrsquos society as you grow older quite often the more care you need and some of our elderly people [are in] need of care and protecting their assetsrdquo Olney says
So why are so few veterans collecting this money
Olney thinks there are two reasons The first is that not many people know about the benefits
The second is that the process can be com-plicated Even though no one can charge for filling out the requisite paperwork oftentimes that paperwork can be confusing and incor-rectly entered or missing information may lead to the VA denying an applicant without an explanation
Olney says one of his recent clients was denied because of a piece of paper missing from the application
ldquoHe wouldrsquove quit right then and there but thatrsquos the way it is when you deal with government They donrsquot always give you all the factsrdquo
Allan Jackson director of the Douglas County Veterans Services says the VA requires certain forms and documents to establish a given veteranrsquos service time and discharge status The VA also requests verifi-cation of income and assets as well as medical information if the requested benefits are for care however he says there are limits to what a Veterans Service officer is allowed to ask of someone inquiring about benefits
ldquoWe canrsquot get into an individualrsquos historyrdquo he says ldquoWe canrsquot get into an individualrsquos income and assets Confidentiality comes into playrdquo
Even if you fill out all the paperwork Olney says how you answer a given question may alter your chances of receiving benefits For example the paperwork asks about your assets What is considered an asset If you own a given asset do you own 100 percent of it (The correct answer is no) Questions like those arenrsquot explained in the rules Olney says and a care advocate can help applicants determine their finances and incomes and how care costs affect their incomes If you tell the VA you make a certain amount of money the VA might deny you benefits because your income is too high Jackson stresses the importance of itemizing the ways in which your income is spent on care And if you factor in the cost of your care Olney says that might help your case
Olney says hersquos found the average vet-eran who successfully applies and submits the paperwork will start receiving benefits within 90 days And if more eligible members take advantage of the benefits there might be other advantages as well Not only would the veterans and their families be better off but there would be less strain on other federal programs like Medicaid and Social Security
As for Ed Commie says the VA sends visiting nurses to their home Her dad is also at the top of the list of eligible candidates to stay at the new VA home if it comes to that and if her mom were still alive the VA would have helped her get into assisted living
ldquoThey are entitled to thisrdquo Olney says ldquoItrsquos a thing theyrsquove sacrificed forhellipitrsquos something they have truly earned so why shouldnrsquot they have this benefit if theyrsquove truly earned itrdquo
obtain any assistance for her dad along the lines of a wheelchair or bathroom handlebars She sent them her phone number asking for some guidance
Dave Olney a local care advocate got in touch with her It turned out the VA could do a lot more for her and her dad than she realized
ldquoItrsquos just wonderfulrdquo she saysIt may not be the most widely known
aid program but the VA offers benefits to former members of the armed forces and their spouses to help pay for the cost of care The veteransrsquo benefits program helps eligible members pay for care costs like assisted living treatment after major medical conditions etc
julyaugust 2015 | 60PLUS S9
GHOST HOST
eeriness around every corner(in a place that doesnrsquot
have corners)
S10 60PLUS | julyaugust 2015 | omahamagazinecom
by judy horan | photography by bill sitzmann
60PLUS HISTORY
V ISITORS FROM OMAHA AND the spirit realm are welcome at the Squirrel Cage Jail Museum in Council Bluffs
Carla Borgaila says she has met several of the resident ghosts She remembers her hat being pulled from her head as she frantically tried to hold it on ldquoI could feel the fingers on my headrdquo she remembers ldquoBut no one was thererdquo Another time ldquoa guy came into my office and just stood thererdquo
Despite her personal experiences with ghosts Borgaila is a realist ldquoNinety percent is overactive imagination Nine percent we canrsquot explain but itrsquos not paranormal But then therersquos that one percentrdquo
Although a ghost has not spoken to her she has heard her name called But she never feels scared or threatened ldquoTheyrsquore like Casper the Friendly Ghost Therersquos no reason to be fearfulrdquo
Borgaila museum coordinator for the Historical Society of Pottawattamie County is responsible for arranging paranormal as well as regular tours of the quirky Squirrel Cage Jail Built in 1885 the jail on a turntable is now a museum
Adults who want to spend 8 pm to 4 am asking questions of alleged ghosts can call for an appointment But plan ahead Overnight paranormal investigation groups are already booked two months out The outing costs a minimum of $175 which covers the first seven people additional people are $25 each Youths age 16 and 17 are not allowed without a guardian only people age 21 and older can schedule an appointment
Some of the people who died in the build-ing may be lingering ldquoOne is an inmate who hung himself I firmly believe hersquos still there People describe him to a teerdquo Several ghostly jailers also hang around ldquoPeople see themrdquo
Groups spending the night at the Squirrel Cage Jail sometime pick up electronic voice phenomena ldquoYou donrsquot hear it then but it shows up in the background when later lis-tening to the audio recordingrsquo says Borgaila
Ghost hunting is not the only activity in the historical building Regular tours are available for individual visitors and groups of 15 or more Borgaila also has scheduled bridal showers and birthday parties
Even if ghost-less the buildingrsquos architec-ture is worth a visit Originally prisoners in pie-shaped cells got in and out when a hand crank turned to line the cell up with a single door on each of the three floors Because the cage rotated and jailers could view all the cells from one place fewer jailers were needed
The jail was built to be escape-proof but 60 inmates escaped over the years Inmates also had to be careful to avoid getting an arm or leg crushed by the rotating jail
The county jail was used from 1885 to 1969 Inmates still reside close by ldquoI run into them all the timerdquo she says ldquoItrsquos a badge of honor Theyrsquore proud they were in one of the most unique buildings in the United Statesrdquo
One of three remaining Lazy Susan jails it is on the National Register of Historic Places The Council Bluffs jail is the largest of the 18 built
CHECK IT OUT
SQUIRREL CAGE JAIL226 Pearl St in Council Bluffs
Open daily 10 am to 4 pm and Sundays 1 pm to 4 pm Closed Mondays major holidays and
the month of January
Tours are available year-round 712-323-2509
julyaugust 2015 | 60PLUS S11
with Travel and Transport
travelandtransportcom Located at 72nd amp Mercy | 4023994555 CORPORATE TRAVEL | EVENTS | LOYALTY | VACATIONS
For over 69 years Travel and Transport has made vacation dreams a reality In total our knowledgeable and seasoned travel specialists have visited over 50 countries on all seven continents and have sailed on over 50 cruises We provide our clients with the most advantageous pricing upgrades with leading hotels resorts spas cruise lines tour companies rail lines airlines and ground operators And through our partnership with Virtuoso we are able to offer exclusive amenities experiences and privileged access not available to the general public
The Plaza Napa Valley
Close To HomeNew York NY This summer spend your long days of sunlight in the city that never sleeps Visit New York City for the bustle of Times Square along with the wide-open spaces of the cityrsquos green areas Stroll through world-renowned museums take in a true Broadway show or shop to your heartrsquos content at some of the nationrsquos finest boutiques and department stores
Our RecommendationsThe PlazaNew York Hilton MidtownThe Westin New York at Times Square
Food amp Wine AdventureNapa Valley CA Spend your lazy summer days in peaceful Napa Valley part of Californiarsquos wine country region with its incredible weather and unforgettable scenery Saunter through wineries and take in the beautiful countryside before treating yourself to a souvenir at one of the eclectic shops in the cozy towns that dot the countryside Just a short drive to the coast you can also soak in the rolling waves of the Pacific Ocean Of course the area also boasts a great variety of dining options from artisan cafes to Tuscan fare to seafood Napa Valley is truly a dream for the foodie and wine enthusiast alike
Our Recommendations5-Day Napa Valley Experience with Kensington Tours7-Day Independent at The Westin Verasa Napa with Pleasant Holidays9-Day Trains Wineries amp Treasures of Northern California with Collette Tours
travelandtransportcom Located at 72nd amp Mercy | 4023994555 CORPORATE TRAVEL | EVENTS | LOYALTY | VACATIONS
Call today to book your getaway4023994555omahavacationstravelandtransportcom
Ultimate ExperienceGrand Voyage amp World Cruise For a truly once-in-a-lifetime experience spend the better part of a year traversing the world aboard a luxury cruise liner Visit Hawaii Fiji Australia Bangkok and countless other bucket list destinations aboard the Crystal Cruises linerhellipall in one trip Another option embark on a Grand Voyage with Holland America where yoursquoll swim in the Great Barrier Reef visit Egypt Greece Spain and many more Or go around the world in 180 days with Oceania for destinations like Iceland Cyprus India and the Seychelles When you return home from an experience like these you will have memories to last a lifetime
Our Recommendations95 or 103-Day World Cruise with Crystal Cruises (Round-trip from Miami or San Francisco)115-Day Grand Voyage with Holland America Line (Round-trip from Fort Lauderdale)180-Day Global Cruise with Oceania (Round-trip from Miami)
Grand Voyage amp World Cruise
travelandtransportcom Located at 72nd amp Mercy | 4023994555 CORPORATE TRAVEL | EVENTS | LOYALTY | VACATIONS
Call today to book your getaway4023994555omahavacationstravelandtransportcom
Ultimate ExperienceGrand Voyage amp World Cruise For a truly once-in-a-lifetime experience spend the better part of a year traversing the world aboard a luxury cruise liner Visit Hawaii Fiji Australia Bangkok and countless other bucket list destinations aboard the Crystal Cruises linerhellipall in one trip Another option embark on a Grand Voyage with Holland America where yoursquoll swim in the Great Barrier Reef visit Egypt Greece Spain and many more Or go around the world in 180 days with Oceania for destinations like Iceland Cyprus India and the Seychelles When you return home from an experience like these you will have memories to last a lifetime
Our Recommendations95 or 103-Day World Cruise with Crystal Cruises (Round-trip from Miami or San Francisco)115-Day Grand Voyage with Holland America Line (Round-trip from Fort Lauderdale)180-Day Global Cruise with Oceania (Round-trip from Miami)
Grand Voyage amp World Cruise
ldquo
PICKLEBALL more fun than drinking a
barrel of vinegar
S14 60PLUS | julyaugust 2015 | omahamagazinecom
60PLUS COVER FEATUREby kara schweiss | photography by bill sitzmann
I TrsquoS PLAYED ON A badminton-size court but with the net lowered to 34 inches at the center The paddles look like a hybrid
of racquetball racquets and table tennis pad-dles The rules are somewhat similar to tennis but the serve is underhand And the ball looks more like a whiffle ball than a vinegar-soaked cucumber Itrsquos Pickleballmdasha sport that is quickly gaining a large following with the local club Pickleball Omaha boasting around 225 members
The gamersquos origins date back to a 1965 Washington state backyard and even its
creators canrsquot quite agree on whether the name came from a family dog or a term associated with rowing Regardless of this pickleball has evolved over 50 years from an improvised family pastime to a thriving widely recog-nized passion The statewide organization Pickleball Nebraska was founded in 2012 and the sport has been part of Nebraskarsquos State Games of America (formerly Cornhusker State Games) since 2011 It is even going to be part of the State Games of Americarsquos national competition for the first time this summer when Nebraska serves as host state gt
julyaugust 2015 | 60PLUS S15
lt Pickleball Nebraska President Bill Holt (pictured on the cover) discovered the sport in 2008 while wintering in Arizona It was popular with the retirement crowd there he says but relatively unknown back home in Nebraskamdashwithout an organized following or designated courts So Holt and his wife Nancy created a makeshift playing field on an Omaha tennis court that spring and began introducing friends to the sport Interest has grown steadily since
ldquoThere was no place to play pickleball in Nebraska that I was aware of and nobody I knew playedrdquo Holt says ldquoWe now have 10 places to play listed (on the USA Pickleball Association website at uspaaorg) and there are actually more than thatrdquo More informa-tion on this pastime is available at pickleball-nebraskawordpresscom and players can now also find local places to participate through the clubrsquos page on Facebook
Like Holt Camille Culprsquos association with pickleball originated in Arizona Her hus-band Wayne played the game for the first time on a business trip six years ago intro-duced Camille and soon the couple found other enthusiasts in Omaha Culp was one of the first women to play locally and she
says introductory clinics open play sessions and a welcoming community have helped the sport grow in the area Women now make up more than half of Pickleball Nebraskarsquos membership
ldquoThatrsquos the pickleball thing always chat up whoever stops byrdquo says Culp who now serves as the grouprsquos treasurer ldquoThey can try it right away and see what they think and of course in my opinion 95 percent of them are hookedrdquo
Holt says club members range from 30-something to 82 and most participants play doubles A high degree of physical condi-tioning isnrsquot necessary to start but the game can be very intense and local players self-classify as A-level B-level or somewhere in between to determine if they should play recreationally or competitively
ldquoAnybody can join The typical person is 60-65 and has played sports Irsquove always been fairly active in one thing or anotherrdquo Holt says ldquoAnyone can learn to playhellipitrsquos great for all agesrdquo
ldquoItrsquos relatively easy to learnrdquo Culp agrees ldquoI only see the sport getting more popularrdquo
S16 60PLUS | julyaugust 2015 | omahamagazinecom
60PLUS COVER FEATURE
This certification is an honor a testament to our high standard of care mdash and a reminder that we must always strive to exceed our own expectations to better care for you Our twelve experienced highly-skilled cancer specialists are dedicated to complete cancer treatment and research with over 100 clinical trials available
CHI Health Cancer Center - Bergan (402) 393-3110Methodist Estabrook Cancer Center (402) 354-8124Midwest Cancer Center Papillion (402) 593-3141Midwest Cancer Center Legacy (402) 334-4773Health Park Plaza-Fremont Health (402) 941-7030
Margaret Block MD
M Salman Haroon MD
Ralph J Hauke MD
Timothy K Huyck MD
Robert M Langdon Jr MD
Kirsten M Leu MD
John M Longo MD
Geetha Palaniappan MD
David A Silverberg MD
Gamini S Soori MD
Yungpo Bernard Su MD
Stefano R Tarantolo MD
Benefit from everything we can offer as the largest independent QOPI-certified cancer practice in Nebraska
Receive the Highest Level of Cancer Care
NEBRASKA CANCER SPECIALISTS IS QOPIreg CERTIFIED
Nebraska Library CommissionTalking Book and Braille Service
402-471-4038 bull 800-742-7691nlctalkingbooknebraskagov bull wwwnlcnebraskagov
Reading is for Everyone Your Libraryreg
Talking Books are free for anyone who
has difficulty holding a book turning
a page or seeing regular print The
recordings are loaned and returned
through the mail ndash postage-free ndash or
can be downloaded
julyaugust 2015 | 60PLUS S17
WhenExperience Counts
Experience our State-of-the-Art Facilities
600 Brookestone Meadows PlazaElkhorn NE 68022 | (402) 289-2696wwBrookestoneMeadowscom
QUALITY LIFE | QUALITY CARE | EXCELLENT TEAMS | QUALITY REPUTATION | STEWARDSHIP
4330 South 144th StreetOmaha NE 68137
(402) 614-4000wwBrookestoneVillagecom
Proud Members of the Vetter Health Services Family
PhysicalOccupationalandSpeechTherapy Careaftertotaljointreplacement Strokerecovery Strengtheningaftercancertreatment Careaftersurgery Recoveryfromafallorextendedillness
Visit ourwebsite
to find outmore about us
OmahaBVampElkhornBM_Ad - Omaha 60+ Mag_111612_60+ Omaha Magazine Ad - BSV amp BSM 3112014 354 PM Page 1
Trouble Getting Up amp Down the StairsRegain your independence and the rest of your home
Largest showroom in the nationMultiple modelsone sure to fit your needs
Call for special pricing
12739 Q Street4024081990
wwwkohllscom
Recipient of
PLATINUM AWARD
T ONY LAZZARETTI KEPT AN eye on the mole on his chest for some time When it started getting bigger he made an
appointment with his doctor to get it checked A biopsy confirmed that it was melanomamdashthe deadliest form of skin cancer
Lazzaretti 70 years old at the time said he was never a ldquosun bunnyrdquo but he remembers getting some bad sunburns
Lazzaretti had surgery to remove the mole and several lymph nodes but a couple of years later the cancer returned This time the cancer was too extensive to remove with surgery says Alissa Marr MD an oncolo-gist at Nebraska Medicine specializing in melanoma and lung cancer
ldquoWe started him on a new immunomodu-latory drug and he has had no reoccurrence
SKIN CANCER CONTINUES
TO RISEgreatest increases among women and
men over 65
S18 60PLUS | julyaugust 2015 | omahamagazinecom
by susan meyers
60PLUS HEALTH
since thenrdquo she says ldquoThis is a remarkable story of how advanced treatments have become Over the past four years there have been six new drugs introduced for metastatic melanoma that have been very effective in a select group of patientsrdquo
The cases of melanoma have steadily increased over the past 30 years notes Dr Marr The greatest increases have been among white women between the ages of 15 and 39 years and in men over age 65
While the cause for the increase is not known better identification use of tanning beds and having one or more blistering sun-burns as a youth appear to boost the risk Some research shows that people who use tanning beds are 74 percent more likely to get melanoma than those who donrsquot use them notes Dr Marr
ldquoIf melanoma is caught at an early stage and treated with proper surgical resection it is highly curablerdquo she says
Melanoma typically starts as a mole See a doctor if you experience any of the ABCDErsquos of a mole asymmetry border irregularity color variation diameter (anything larger than a pencil eraser) and evolution mean-ing a mole that is changing itchy or bleeds
The highest incidence of this cancer occurs on the back of the legs in women and on the trunk and back for men However it can occur on any area of the body even those that have not been exposed to the sun says Marr If you get a suspicious mole removed it needs to be an excision or punch biopsy by a qualified physician in order to get an accurate evaluation
Basal and squamous cell skin cancers the most common forms of skin cancer typically occur on chronically sun-exposed areas such as the head neck ears and arms and are directly related to amount of sun exposure Suspicious symptoms include a shiny waxy scar-like spot that may be yellow or white with irregular borders a smooth bump that is indented in the middle a reddish patch that wonrsquot go away and may be painful or itchy or a sore that takes more than three weeks to heal
ldquoEveryone should have a full body skin exam every year by their doctor to check for skin cancerrdquo says Dr Marr ldquoThe goal is to find it before it progresses and when it is still very treatablerdquo
Now Lazzaretti tells his kids every chance he gets stay out of the sun stay away from tan-ning beds and wear sunscreen
julyaugust 2015 | 60PLUS S19
wwwNebraskaLowVisioncom 402-905-2794
Nebraska Low Vision wishes Mike Riley and
the Nebraska Cornhuskers Football Team much
success in 2015
S20 60PLUS | julyaugust 2015 | omahamagazinecom
60PLUS FACESby anna hensel | photography by bill sitzmann
RETIREMENT on the road
F RITZ SAMPSON SAYS HE likes to travel slowly but the words ldquotravelrdquo and ldquoslowlyrdquo can conjure up thoughts of
lounging over three hour-long dinners in Italy or spending an entire afternoon wandering through a village in France
For 65-year-old Fritz ldquotraveling slowlyrdquo means moving about 200 miles a day across Europe and Asia by motorcycle
Last March Fritz undertook a 115-day motorcycle journey through south-ern Europe the former Soviet bloc and Mongolia but his plans were cut short by more than three weeks after an accident in Mongolia
Itrsquos an itinerary that sounds crazy but when explained calmly by Fritz seems per-fectly reasonable
ldquoWhether itrsquos breaking a shoulder or get-ting stopped by police or running out of food things are going to happenrdquo Fritz says ldquoAnd thatrsquos why you take the trip because itrsquos an adventurerdquo
According to Sampson and his wife of 40 years Mary he always had a daring spirit
ldquoThatrsquos what I loved him for was his sense of adventurerdquo Mary says ldquoNo one is compa-rable to Fritzmdashhersquos all out for the experience
The couple met on the Model United Nations Team at Creighton University and married in 1975 right out of college They and their two children moved to Germany in 1998 while Fritz pursued a degree in inter-national tax law His career took him every-where from China to Belize but he still craved different ways to see the world
A long-distance cyclist he rode for years all over the United States But as he aged he turned to a new mode of transportation motorcycling
He bought a new Harley Davidson in 2007 and in 2008 rode with his son Marty from Omaha to Tierra del Fuego an island chain
off the southernmost point of South AmericaldquoOne of the reasons I do thismdashI like meet-
ing people on the roadrdquo Fritz saysAfter his South American excursion Fritz
was itching to do a similar trip elsewhere He read about two motorcycle adventures on travel blogs that looked really interestingmdashone to the Russian far east another in outer Mongoliamdashand decided to combine the two by retiring and traveling to 17 countries He planned to begin in Ireland meet Mary in Turkey and eventually end up in Mongolia and Russia but had no other itinerary
That meant he spent a week in Bulgaria because he felt like it He chose to go to Kazakhstan instead of Turkmenistan because he met a fellow motorcyclist who was headed
there And when he told local policemen in Turkey the name of the hostel where he was staying they told him he shouldnrsquot sleep there and took him to a friendrsquos house where they hosted a barbecue for him
He also had a run-in with corrupt police in Azerbaijan lost 22 pounds and experienced that fateful fall in Mongolia that cut his trip short and left him with a broken shoulder
Therersquos only one thing hersquos cutting out of his routine off-roading on his motorcycle which led to his accident But he still wants to ride on motorcycle trips across the continental United States Alaska and Mexico
After all he says those are ldquoeasyrdquo rides
julyaugust 2015 | 60PLUS S21
I rsquoVE NEVER OWNED A video camera of any kind Okay so Irsquove just been reminded that my cell phone gizmo has such a device
but having never used it I still qualify as a video virgin
Sony introduced the first consumer cam-corder in 1983 the year my youngest child was born This made our family a prime target for being an early adapter in what became something of a video mania Almost over-night a populist paparazzi were born where every dad (Why was it always the dads) at every kindergarten holiday program was armed with a cinder-block-sized camera that instantly made him some kind of Fellini wanna-be
I refused to join the Betamax Age because my makeup is one where I want to remember things the way I want to remember thingsmdashnot necessarily how they actually happened
Ample video of my kidsrsquo childhood years exists from the cameras of extended family members and a couple of clan get-togethers have been marred when some idiot got the
bright idea that we should all watch old videos together Irsquom sure any good shrink would have a field day getting inside my head but the experience of viewing those picnics and parties and plays unfold on screen washellipwell ldquodisturbingrdquo is not at all too powerful a word
Itrsquos not that I am a dispassionate stoic For whatever weird reason being confronted with a filmed retelling of events rearranges my mental furniture in an unsettling almost visceral way
That tyranny of memory has only grown over the years and wersquove all witnessed the rise of the camera-obsessed malady Irsquoll call the Fear of Missing Out Syndrome In a sickness typified by living vicariously through a view-finder itrsquos as if film and only film is capable of proving even to ourselves the existential reality of a person place or thing
ldquoI saw Pope Francisrdquo ldquoI saw Pres- ident Obamardquo ldquoI saw Garth Brooksrdquo people exclaim
No you didnrsquot You saw only mere pixels while struggling to center a celebrityrsquos image
on your camera You had exactly the same experience I had when I saw almost identical footage on CNN or the local news except that my experience was better in that it was rendered by seasoned videographers on pro-fessional equipment You were there but you werenrsquot there
Just check out the June 15 Sports Illustrated cover online Get my point
Our society has become one of dim imagi-nations reflected in the even dimmer glows of electronic gadgets
As some dude named Lord Acton once claimed ldquoHistory is not a burden on the memory but an illumination of the soulrdquo I kinda dig that Lord Acton guy even if his name sounds like a super-classy moniker for a faux-British-bad-guy rassler on WWE
At least according to his lordship I donrsquot have an almost pathological relationship with memory I have an illuminated soul
LORD ACTON SAID IT BESTlife through a viewfinder
S22 60PLUS | julyaugust 2015 | omahamagazinecom
by david williams
60PLUS THE GRANDPA CHRONICLES
julyaugust 2015 | 60PLUS S23
DIRECTORY
Elk Ridge Village on the Lake Retirement CommunityElk Ridge Village provides Independent and Assisted Living and Alzheimerrsquos Care and is committed to providing services of the highest quality
19303 Seward Plaza402-312-1198402-216-8835wwwelkridgeseniorlivingcom
Brookestone MeadowsBrookestone VillageSkilled nursing communities provid-ing short-term rehabilitation including physical occupational and speech ther-apy as well as long-term nursing care
wwwBrookestoneVillagecom402-614-4000 bull OmahawwwBrookestoneMeadowscom402-280-2696 bull Elkhorn
Home Care Assistance
Our services are distinguished by the caliber of our caregivers the respon-siveness of our staff and our expertise in Live-In care We embrace a positive balanced approach to aging centered on the evolving needs of older adults
402-763-9140homecareassistanceomahacom
EJ Militti JrFinancial AdvisorThe Militti Group at Morgan Stanley
Wealth and Estate Planning Risk-Management Executive Services Foundations amp Endowments
(402) 399-1513wwwmorganstanleyfacommilittigroup
Saint Jude Hospice
Rooted in Christian Love and Guided by the Holy Spirit our Radical Loving Care brings healing to those when their hope has changed from a cure to comfort
10506 Burt Circle402-609-4818saintjudehospiceorg
Steven D Wegner DDS
Dr Wegner has 35 years of clinical experi-ence and thousands of hours of continuing education He knows how to help seniors and all ages to achieve and keep a healthy smile
11840 Nicholas StSuite 210Omaha NE 68154402-498-0400
Travel and Transport
Travel and Transport is proud to be the 5th largest travel agency in the US servicing clients throughout the country as well as globally
travelandtransportcom 402-399-4500
Nebraska Cancer SpecialistsNebraska Cancer Specialists is dedicated to providing complete cancer treatment for patients medical oncology radiation oncology surgical specialists and diagnostic services
5 Convenient LocationsFor address and phone infovisit our websitenebraskacancercom
Kohllrsquos Pharmacy amp Homecare
8 locations amp free delivery Providing retail amp compounded prescriptions all medical equipment amp supplies
402-408-1990 wwwkohllscom
Home Instead Senior Care
If yoursquore looking for someone to help you or a loved one a few hours a week or need more comprehensive assistance Home Instead Senior Care can help
Metro 4024983444West 4029324555
Nebraska Low Vision
Regain the Joy ofreading and writing today
In Home Demo Call 402-905-2794wwwNebraskaLowVisioncom
hillcresthealthcomProviding the regionrsquos widest array of aging-related services
One family Many servicesHillcrest Country EstatesContinuing care retirement communityfeaturing the Grand LodgeHwy 370 amp 60th Street Papillion(402) 885-7007
Hillcrest Health amp RehabIn-patient rehabilitation1702 Hillcrest Drive Bellevue(402) 291-8500
Hillcrest Physical TherapyOutpatient physical occupational and speech therapy1804 Hillcrest Drive Bellevue(402) 682-4210
Hillcrest Victoria GardensMemory support assisted living1702 Hillcrest Drive Bellevue(402) 682-4295
Hillcrest Mable Rose amp The ClubAssisted living memory support amp adult day servicesHwy 370 amp 48th Street Bellevue(402) 291-9777
Hillcrest Home CareSkilled home health and in-home personal careServing 9 counties in NE and IA(402) 682-4808
Hillcrest Hospice CareCompassionate end-of-life supportServing 7 counties in NE(402) 934-2282
The Grand LodgeIndependent Living
Now Open(402) 885-7007
Enhancing L ives
Olney often works with clients seeking to obtain veterans benefits and says a veteran and hisher spouse are eligible to receive $25000 a year for care A veteran by him or herself may receive a little over $21000 annually and the surviving spouse of a veteran may be eligible for over $13000 annually
Only about 5 percent of eligible veterans are taking advantage of these benefits
ldquoIn todayrsquos society as you grow older quite often the more care you need and some of our elderly people [are in] need of care and protecting their assetsrdquo Olney says
So why are so few veterans collecting this money
Olney thinks there are two reasons The first is that not many people know about the benefits
The second is that the process can be com-plicated Even though no one can charge for filling out the requisite paperwork oftentimes that paperwork can be confusing and incor-rectly entered or missing information may lead to the VA denying an applicant without an explanation
Olney says one of his recent clients was denied because of a piece of paper missing from the application
ldquoHe wouldrsquove quit right then and there but thatrsquos the way it is when you deal with government They donrsquot always give you all the factsrdquo
Allan Jackson director of the Douglas County Veterans Services says the VA requires certain forms and documents to establish a given veteranrsquos service time and discharge status The VA also requests verifi-cation of income and assets as well as medical information if the requested benefits are for care however he says there are limits to what a Veterans Service officer is allowed to ask of someone inquiring about benefits
ldquoWe canrsquot get into an individualrsquos historyrdquo he says ldquoWe canrsquot get into an individualrsquos income and assets Confidentiality comes into playrdquo
Even if you fill out all the paperwork Olney says how you answer a given question may alter your chances of receiving benefits For example the paperwork asks about your assets What is considered an asset If you own a given asset do you own 100 percent of it (The correct answer is no) Questions like those arenrsquot explained in the rules Olney says and a care advocate can help applicants determine their finances and incomes and how care costs affect their incomes If you tell the VA you make a certain amount of money the VA might deny you benefits because your income is too high Jackson stresses the importance of itemizing the ways in which your income is spent on care And if you factor in the cost of your care Olney says that might help your case
Olney says hersquos found the average vet-eran who successfully applies and submits the paperwork will start receiving benefits within 90 days And if more eligible members take advantage of the benefits there might be other advantages as well Not only would the veterans and their families be better off but there would be less strain on other federal programs like Medicaid and Social Security
As for Ed Commie says the VA sends visiting nurses to their home Her dad is also at the top of the list of eligible candidates to stay at the new VA home if it comes to that and if her mom were still alive the VA would have helped her get into assisted living
ldquoThey are entitled to thisrdquo Olney says ldquoItrsquos a thing theyrsquove sacrificed forhellipitrsquos something they have truly earned so why shouldnrsquot they have this benefit if theyrsquove truly earned itrdquo
obtain any assistance for her dad along the lines of a wheelchair or bathroom handlebars She sent them her phone number asking for some guidance
Dave Olney a local care advocate got in touch with her It turned out the VA could do a lot more for her and her dad than she realized
ldquoItrsquos just wonderfulrdquo she saysIt may not be the most widely known
aid program but the VA offers benefits to former members of the armed forces and their spouses to help pay for the cost of care The veteransrsquo benefits program helps eligible members pay for care costs like assisted living treatment after major medical conditions etc
julyaugust 2015 | 60PLUS S9
GHOST HOST
eeriness around every corner(in a place that doesnrsquot
have corners)
S10 60PLUS | julyaugust 2015 | omahamagazinecom
by judy horan | photography by bill sitzmann
60PLUS HISTORY
V ISITORS FROM OMAHA AND the spirit realm are welcome at the Squirrel Cage Jail Museum in Council Bluffs
Carla Borgaila says she has met several of the resident ghosts She remembers her hat being pulled from her head as she frantically tried to hold it on ldquoI could feel the fingers on my headrdquo she remembers ldquoBut no one was thererdquo Another time ldquoa guy came into my office and just stood thererdquo
Despite her personal experiences with ghosts Borgaila is a realist ldquoNinety percent is overactive imagination Nine percent we canrsquot explain but itrsquos not paranormal But then therersquos that one percentrdquo
Although a ghost has not spoken to her she has heard her name called But she never feels scared or threatened ldquoTheyrsquore like Casper the Friendly Ghost Therersquos no reason to be fearfulrdquo
Borgaila museum coordinator for the Historical Society of Pottawattamie County is responsible for arranging paranormal as well as regular tours of the quirky Squirrel Cage Jail Built in 1885 the jail on a turntable is now a museum
Adults who want to spend 8 pm to 4 am asking questions of alleged ghosts can call for an appointment But plan ahead Overnight paranormal investigation groups are already booked two months out The outing costs a minimum of $175 which covers the first seven people additional people are $25 each Youths age 16 and 17 are not allowed without a guardian only people age 21 and older can schedule an appointment
Some of the people who died in the build-ing may be lingering ldquoOne is an inmate who hung himself I firmly believe hersquos still there People describe him to a teerdquo Several ghostly jailers also hang around ldquoPeople see themrdquo
Groups spending the night at the Squirrel Cage Jail sometime pick up electronic voice phenomena ldquoYou donrsquot hear it then but it shows up in the background when later lis-tening to the audio recordingrsquo says Borgaila
Ghost hunting is not the only activity in the historical building Regular tours are available for individual visitors and groups of 15 or more Borgaila also has scheduled bridal showers and birthday parties
Even if ghost-less the buildingrsquos architec-ture is worth a visit Originally prisoners in pie-shaped cells got in and out when a hand crank turned to line the cell up with a single door on each of the three floors Because the cage rotated and jailers could view all the cells from one place fewer jailers were needed
The jail was built to be escape-proof but 60 inmates escaped over the years Inmates also had to be careful to avoid getting an arm or leg crushed by the rotating jail
The county jail was used from 1885 to 1969 Inmates still reside close by ldquoI run into them all the timerdquo she says ldquoItrsquos a badge of honor Theyrsquore proud they were in one of the most unique buildings in the United Statesrdquo
One of three remaining Lazy Susan jails it is on the National Register of Historic Places The Council Bluffs jail is the largest of the 18 built
CHECK IT OUT
SQUIRREL CAGE JAIL226 Pearl St in Council Bluffs
Open daily 10 am to 4 pm and Sundays 1 pm to 4 pm Closed Mondays major holidays and
the month of January
Tours are available year-round 712-323-2509
julyaugust 2015 | 60PLUS S11
with Travel and Transport
travelandtransportcom Located at 72nd amp Mercy | 4023994555 CORPORATE TRAVEL | EVENTS | LOYALTY | VACATIONS
For over 69 years Travel and Transport has made vacation dreams a reality In total our knowledgeable and seasoned travel specialists have visited over 50 countries on all seven continents and have sailed on over 50 cruises We provide our clients with the most advantageous pricing upgrades with leading hotels resorts spas cruise lines tour companies rail lines airlines and ground operators And through our partnership with Virtuoso we are able to offer exclusive amenities experiences and privileged access not available to the general public
The Plaza Napa Valley
Close To HomeNew York NY This summer spend your long days of sunlight in the city that never sleeps Visit New York City for the bustle of Times Square along with the wide-open spaces of the cityrsquos green areas Stroll through world-renowned museums take in a true Broadway show or shop to your heartrsquos content at some of the nationrsquos finest boutiques and department stores
Our RecommendationsThe PlazaNew York Hilton MidtownThe Westin New York at Times Square
Food amp Wine AdventureNapa Valley CA Spend your lazy summer days in peaceful Napa Valley part of Californiarsquos wine country region with its incredible weather and unforgettable scenery Saunter through wineries and take in the beautiful countryside before treating yourself to a souvenir at one of the eclectic shops in the cozy towns that dot the countryside Just a short drive to the coast you can also soak in the rolling waves of the Pacific Ocean Of course the area also boasts a great variety of dining options from artisan cafes to Tuscan fare to seafood Napa Valley is truly a dream for the foodie and wine enthusiast alike
Our Recommendations5-Day Napa Valley Experience with Kensington Tours7-Day Independent at The Westin Verasa Napa with Pleasant Holidays9-Day Trains Wineries amp Treasures of Northern California with Collette Tours
travelandtransportcom Located at 72nd amp Mercy | 4023994555 CORPORATE TRAVEL | EVENTS | LOYALTY | VACATIONS
Call today to book your getaway4023994555omahavacationstravelandtransportcom
Ultimate ExperienceGrand Voyage amp World Cruise For a truly once-in-a-lifetime experience spend the better part of a year traversing the world aboard a luxury cruise liner Visit Hawaii Fiji Australia Bangkok and countless other bucket list destinations aboard the Crystal Cruises linerhellipall in one trip Another option embark on a Grand Voyage with Holland America where yoursquoll swim in the Great Barrier Reef visit Egypt Greece Spain and many more Or go around the world in 180 days with Oceania for destinations like Iceland Cyprus India and the Seychelles When you return home from an experience like these you will have memories to last a lifetime
Our Recommendations95 or 103-Day World Cruise with Crystal Cruises (Round-trip from Miami or San Francisco)115-Day Grand Voyage with Holland America Line (Round-trip from Fort Lauderdale)180-Day Global Cruise with Oceania (Round-trip from Miami)
Grand Voyage amp World Cruise
travelandtransportcom Located at 72nd amp Mercy | 4023994555 CORPORATE TRAVEL | EVENTS | LOYALTY | VACATIONS
Call today to book your getaway4023994555omahavacationstravelandtransportcom
Ultimate ExperienceGrand Voyage amp World Cruise For a truly once-in-a-lifetime experience spend the better part of a year traversing the world aboard a luxury cruise liner Visit Hawaii Fiji Australia Bangkok and countless other bucket list destinations aboard the Crystal Cruises linerhellipall in one trip Another option embark on a Grand Voyage with Holland America where yoursquoll swim in the Great Barrier Reef visit Egypt Greece Spain and many more Or go around the world in 180 days with Oceania for destinations like Iceland Cyprus India and the Seychelles When you return home from an experience like these you will have memories to last a lifetime
Our Recommendations95 or 103-Day World Cruise with Crystal Cruises (Round-trip from Miami or San Francisco)115-Day Grand Voyage with Holland America Line (Round-trip from Fort Lauderdale)180-Day Global Cruise with Oceania (Round-trip from Miami)
Grand Voyage amp World Cruise
ldquo
PICKLEBALL more fun than drinking a
barrel of vinegar
S14 60PLUS | julyaugust 2015 | omahamagazinecom
60PLUS COVER FEATUREby kara schweiss | photography by bill sitzmann
I TrsquoS PLAYED ON A badminton-size court but with the net lowered to 34 inches at the center The paddles look like a hybrid
of racquetball racquets and table tennis pad-dles The rules are somewhat similar to tennis but the serve is underhand And the ball looks more like a whiffle ball than a vinegar-soaked cucumber Itrsquos Pickleballmdasha sport that is quickly gaining a large following with the local club Pickleball Omaha boasting around 225 members
The gamersquos origins date back to a 1965 Washington state backyard and even its
creators canrsquot quite agree on whether the name came from a family dog or a term associated with rowing Regardless of this pickleball has evolved over 50 years from an improvised family pastime to a thriving widely recog-nized passion The statewide organization Pickleball Nebraska was founded in 2012 and the sport has been part of Nebraskarsquos State Games of America (formerly Cornhusker State Games) since 2011 It is even going to be part of the State Games of Americarsquos national competition for the first time this summer when Nebraska serves as host state gt
julyaugust 2015 | 60PLUS S15
lt Pickleball Nebraska President Bill Holt (pictured on the cover) discovered the sport in 2008 while wintering in Arizona It was popular with the retirement crowd there he says but relatively unknown back home in Nebraskamdashwithout an organized following or designated courts So Holt and his wife Nancy created a makeshift playing field on an Omaha tennis court that spring and began introducing friends to the sport Interest has grown steadily since
ldquoThere was no place to play pickleball in Nebraska that I was aware of and nobody I knew playedrdquo Holt says ldquoWe now have 10 places to play listed (on the USA Pickleball Association website at uspaaorg) and there are actually more than thatrdquo More informa-tion on this pastime is available at pickleball-nebraskawordpresscom and players can now also find local places to participate through the clubrsquos page on Facebook
Like Holt Camille Culprsquos association with pickleball originated in Arizona Her hus-band Wayne played the game for the first time on a business trip six years ago intro-duced Camille and soon the couple found other enthusiasts in Omaha Culp was one of the first women to play locally and she
says introductory clinics open play sessions and a welcoming community have helped the sport grow in the area Women now make up more than half of Pickleball Nebraskarsquos membership
ldquoThatrsquos the pickleball thing always chat up whoever stops byrdquo says Culp who now serves as the grouprsquos treasurer ldquoThey can try it right away and see what they think and of course in my opinion 95 percent of them are hookedrdquo
Holt says club members range from 30-something to 82 and most participants play doubles A high degree of physical condi-tioning isnrsquot necessary to start but the game can be very intense and local players self-classify as A-level B-level or somewhere in between to determine if they should play recreationally or competitively
ldquoAnybody can join The typical person is 60-65 and has played sports Irsquove always been fairly active in one thing or anotherrdquo Holt says ldquoAnyone can learn to playhellipitrsquos great for all agesrdquo
ldquoItrsquos relatively easy to learnrdquo Culp agrees ldquoI only see the sport getting more popularrdquo
S16 60PLUS | julyaugust 2015 | omahamagazinecom
60PLUS COVER FEATURE
This certification is an honor a testament to our high standard of care mdash and a reminder that we must always strive to exceed our own expectations to better care for you Our twelve experienced highly-skilled cancer specialists are dedicated to complete cancer treatment and research with over 100 clinical trials available
CHI Health Cancer Center - Bergan (402) 393-3110Methodist Estabrook Cancer Center (402) 354-8124Midwest Cancer Center Papillion (402) 593-3141Midwest Cancer Center Legacy (402) 334-4773Health Park Plaza-Fremont Health (402) 941-7030
Margaret Block MD
M Salman Haroon MD
Ralph J Hauke MD
Timothy K Huyck MD
Robert M Langdon Jr MD
Kirsten M Leu MD
John M Longo MD
Geetha Palaniappan MD
David A Silverberg MD
Gamini S Soori MD
Yungpo Bernard Su MD
Stefano R Tarantolo MD
Benefit from everything we can offer as the largest independent QOPI-certified cancer practice in Nebraska
Receive the Highest Level of Cancer Care
NEBRASKA CANCER SPECIALISTS IS QOPIreg CERTIFIED
Nebraska Library CommissionTalking Book and Braille Service
402-471-4038 bull 800-742-7691nlctalkingbooknebraskagov bull wwwnlcnebraskagov
Reading is for Everyone Your Libraryreg
Talking Books are free for anyone who
has difficulty holding a book turning
a page or seeing regular print The
recordings are loaned and returned
through the mail ndash postage-free ndash or
can be downloaded
julyaugust 2015 | 60PLUS S17
WhenExperience Counts
Experience our State-of-the-Art Facilities
600 Brookestone Meadows PlazaElkhorn NE 68022 | (402) 289-2696wwBrookestoneMeadowscom
QUALITY LIFE | QUALITY CARE | EXCELLENT TEAMS | QUALITY REPUTATION | STEWARDSHIP
4330 South 144th StreetOmaha NE 68137
(402) 614-4000wwBrookestoneVillagecom
Proud Members of the Vetter Health Services Family
PhysicalOccupationalandSpeechTherapy Careaftertotaljointreplacement Strokerecovery Strengtheningaftercancertreatment Careaftersurgery Recoveryfromafallorextendedillness
Visit ourwebsite
to find outmore about us
OmahaBVampElkhornBM_Ad - Omaha 60+ Mag_111612_60+ Omaha Magazine Ad - BSV amp BSM 3112014 354 PM Page 1
Trouble Getting Up amp Down the StairsRegain your independence and the rest of your home
Largest showroom in the nationMultiple modelsone sure to fit your needs
Call for special pricing
12739 Q Street4024081990
wwwkohllscom
Recipient of
PLATINUM AWARD
T ONY LAZZARETTI KEPT AN eye on the mole on his chest for some time When it started getting bigger he made an
appointment with his doctor to get it checked A biopsy confirmed that it was melanomamdashthe deadliest form of skin cancer
Lazzaretti 70 years old at the time said he was never a ldquosun bunnyrdquo but he remembers getting some bad sunburns
Lazzaretti had surgery to remove the mole and several lymph nodes but a couple of years later the cancer returned This time the cancer was too extensive to remove with surgery says Alissa Marr MD an oncolo-gist at Nebraska Medicine specializing in melanoma and lung cancer
ldquoWe started him on a new immunomodu-latory drug and he has had no reoccurrence
SKIN CANCER CONTINUES
TO RISEgreatest increases among women and
men over 65
S18 60PLUS | julyaugust 2015 | omahamagazinecom
by susan meyers
60PLUS HEALTH
since thenrdquo she says ldquoThis is a remarkable story of how advanced treatments have become Over the past four years there have been six new drugs introduced for metastatic melanoma that have been very effective in a select group of patientsrdquo
The cases of melanoma have steadily increased over the past 30 years notes Dr Marr The greatest increases have been among white women between the ages of 15 and 39 years and in men over age 65
While the cause for the increase is not known better identification use of tanning beds and having one or more blistering sun-burns as a youth appear to boost the risk Some research shows that people who use tanning beds are 74 percent more likely to get melanoma than those who donrsquot use them notes Dr Marr
ldquoIf melanoma is caught at an early stage and treated with proper surgical resection it is highly curablerdquo she says
Melanoma typically starts as a mole See a doctor if you experience any of the ABCDErsquos of a mole asymmetry border irregularity color variation diameter (anything larger than a pencil eraser) and evolution mean-ing a mole that is changing itchy or bleeds
The highest incidence of this cancer occurs on the back of the legs in women and on the trunk and back for men However it can occur on any area of the body even those that have not been exposed to the sun says Marr If you get a suspicious mole removed it needs to be an excision or punch biopsy by a qualified physician in order to get an accurate evaluation
Basal and squamous cell skin cancers the most common forms of skin cancer typically occur on chronically sun-exposed areas such as the head neck ears and arms and are directly related to amount of sun exposure Suspicious symptoms include a shiny waxy scar-like spot that may be yellow or white with irregular borders a smooth bump that is indented in the middle a reddish patch that wonrsquot go away and may be painful or itchy or a sore that takes more than three weeks to heal
ldquoEveryone should have a full body skin exam every year by their doctor to check for skin cancerrdquo says Dr Marr ldquoThe goal is to find it before it progresses and when it is still very treatablerdquo
Now Lazzaretti tells his kids every chance he gets stay out of the sun stay away from tan-ning beds and wear sunscreen
julyaugust 2015 | 60PLUS S19
wwwNebraskaLowVisioncom 402-905-2794
Nebraska Low Vision wishes Mike Riley and
the Nebraska Cornhuskers Football Team much
success in 2015
S20 60PLUS | julyaugust 2015 | omahamagazinecom
60PLUS FACESby anna hensel | photography by bill sitzmann
RETIREMENT on the road
F RITZ SAMPSON SAYS HE likes to travel slowly but the words ldquotravelrdquo and ldquoslowlyrdquo can conjure up thoughts of
lounging over three hour-long dinners in Italy or spending an entire afternoon wandering through a village in France
For 65-year-old Fritz ldquotraveling slowlyrdquo means moving about 200 miles a day across Europe and Asia by motorcycle
Last March Fritz undertook a 115-day motorcycle journey through south-ern Europe the former Soviet bloc and Mongolia but his plans were cut short by more than three weeks after an accident in Mongolia
Itrsquos an itinerary that sounds crazy but when explained calmly by Fritz seems per-fectly reasonable
ldquoWhether itrsquos breaking a shoulder or get-ting stopped by police or running out of food things are going to happenrdquo Fritz says ldquoAnd thatrsquos why you take the trip because itrsquos an adventurerdquo
According to Sampson and his wife of 40 years Mary he always had a daring spirit
ldquoThatrsquos what I loved him for was his sense of adventurerdquo Mary says ldquoNo one is compa-rable to Fritzmdashhersquos all out for the experience
The couple met on the Model United Nations Team at Creighton University and married in 1975 right out of college They and their two children moved to Germany in 1998 while Fritz pursued a degree in inter-national tax law His career took him every-where from China to Belize but he still craved different ways to see the world
A long-distance cyclist he rode for years all over the United States But as he aged he turned to a new mode of transportation motorcycling
He bought a new Harley Davidson in 2007 and in 2008 rode with his son Marty from Omaha to Tierra del Fuego an island chain
off the southernmost point of South AmericaldquoOne of the reasons I do thismdashI like meet-
ing people on the roadrdquo Fritz saysAfter his South American excursion Fritz
was itching to do a similar trip elsewhere He read about two motorcycle adventures on travel blogs that looked really interestingmdashone to the Russian far east another in outer Mongoliamdashand decided to combine the two by retiring and traveling to 17 countries He planned to begin in Ireland meet Mary in Turkey and eventually end up in Mongolia and Russia but had no other itinerary
That meant he spent a week in Bulgaria because he felt like it He chose to go to Kazakhstan instead of Turkmenistan because he met a fellow motorcyclist who was headed
there And when he told local policemen in Turkey the name of the hostel where he was staying they told him he shouldnrsquot sleep there and took him to a friendrsquos house where they hosted a barbecue for him
He also had a run-in with corrupt police in Azerbaijan lost 22 pounds and experienced that fateful fall in Mongolia that cut his trip short and left him with a broken shoulder
Therersquos only one thing hersquos cutting out of his routine off-roading on his motorcycle which led to his accident But he still wants to ride on motorcycle trips across the continental United States Alaska and Mexico
After all he says those are ldquoeasyrdquo rides
julyaugust 2015 | 60PLUS S21
I rsquoVE NEVER OWNED A video camera of any kind Okay so Irsquove just been reminded that my cell phone gizmo has such a device
but having never used it I still qualify as a video virgin
Sony introduced the first consumer cam-corder in 1983 the year my youngest child was born This made our family a prime target for being an early adapter in what became something of a video mania Almost over-night a populist paparazzi were born where every dad (Why was it always the dads) at every kindergarten holiday program was armed with a cinder-block-sized camera that instantly made him some kind of Fellini wanna-be
I refused to join the Betamax Age because my makeup is one where I want to remember things the way I want to remember thingsmdashnot necessarily how they actually happened
Ample video of my kidsrsquo childhood years exists from the cameras of extended family members and a couple of clan get-togethers have been marred when some idiot got the
bright idea that we should all watch old videos together Irsquom sure any good shrink would have a field day getting inside my head but the experience of viewing those picnics and parties and plays unfold on screen washellipwell ldquodisturbingrdquo is not at all too powerful a word
Itrsquos not that I am a dispassionate stoic For whatever weird reason being confronted with a filmed retelling of events rearranges my mental furniture in an unsettling almost visceral way
That tyranny of memory has only grown over the years and wersquove all witnessed the rise of the camera-obsessed malady Irsquoll call the Fear of Missing Out Syndrome In a sickness typified by living vicariously through a view-finder itrsquos as if film and only film is capable of proving even to ourselves the existential reality of a person place or thing
ldquoI saw Pope Francisrdquo ldquoI saw Pres- ident Obamardquo ldquoI saw Garth Brooksrdquo people exclaim
No you didnrsquot You saw only mere pixels while struggling to center a celebrityrsquos image
on your camera You had exactly the same experience I had when I saw almost identical footage on CNN or the local news except that my experience was better in that it was rendered by seasoned videographers on pro-fessional equipment You were there but you werenrsquot there
Just check out the June 15 Sports Illustrated cover online Get my point
Our society has become one of dim imagi-nations reflected in the even dimmer glows of electronic gadgets
As some dude named Lord Acton once claimed ldquoHistory is not a burden on the memory but an illumination of the soulrdquo I kinda dig that Lord Acton guy even if his name sounds like a super-classy moniker for a faux-British-bad-guy rassler on WWE
At least according to his lordship I donrsquot have an almost pathological relationship with memory I have an illuminated soul
LORD ACTON SAID IT BESTlife through a viewfinder
S22 60PLUS | julyaugust 2015 | omahamagazinecom
by david williams
60PLUS THE GRANDPA CHRONICLES
julyaugust 2015 | 60PLUS S23
DIRECTORY
Elk Ridge Village on the Lake Retirement CommunityElk Ridge Village provides Independent and Assisted Living and Alzheimerrsquos Care and is committed to providing services of the highest quality
19303 Seward Plaza402-312-1198402-216-8835wwwelkridgeseniorlivingcom
Brookestone MeadowsBrookestone VillageSkilled nursing communities provid-ing short-term rehabilitation including physical occupational and speech ther-apy as well as long-term nursing care
wwwBrookestoneVillagecom402-614-4000 bull OmahawwwBrookestoneMeadowscom402-280-2696 bull Elkhorn
Home Care Assistance
Our services are distinguished by the caliber of our caregivers the respon-siveness of our staff and our expertise in Live-In care We embrace a positive balanced approach to aging centered on the evolving needs of older adults
402-763-9140homecareassistanceomahacom
EJ Militti JrFinancial AdvisorThe Militti Group at Morgan Stanley
Wealth and Estate Planning Risk-Management Executive Services Foundations amp Endowments
(402) 399-1513wwwmorganstanleyfacommilittigroup
Saint Jude Hospice
Rooted in Christian Love and Guided by the Holy Spirit our Radical Loving Care brings healing to those when their hope has changed from a cure to comfort
10506 Burt Circle402-609-4818saintjudehospiceorg
Steven D Wegner DDS
Dr Wegner has 35 years of clinical experi-ence and thousands of hours of continuing education He knows how to help seniors and all ages to achieve and keep a healthy smile
11840 Nicholas StSuite 210Omaha NE 68154402-498-0400
Travel and Transport
Travel and Transport is proud to be the 5th largest travel agency in the US servicing clients throughout the country as well as globally
travelandtransportcom 402-399-4500
Nebraska Cancer SpecialistsNebraska Cancer Specialists is dedicated to providing complete cancer treatment for patients medical oncology radiation oncology surgical specialists and diagnostic services
5 Convenient LocationsFor address and phone infovisit our websitenebraskacancercom
Kohllrsquos Pharmacy amp Homecare
8 locations amp free delivery Providing retail amp compounded prescriptions all medical equipment amp supplies
402-408-1990 wwwkohllscom
Home Instead Senior Care
If yoursquore looking for someone to help you or a loved one a few hours a week or need more comprehensive assistance Home Instead Senior Care can help
Metro 4024983444West 4029324555
Nebraska Low Vision
Regain the Joy ofreading and writing today
In Home Demo Call 402-905-2794wwwNebraskaLowVisioncom
hillcresthealthcomProviding the regionrsquos widest array of aging-related services
One family Many servicesHillcrest Country EstatesContinuing care retirement communityfeaturing the Grand LodgeHwy 370 amp 60th Street Papillion(402) 885-7007
Hillcrest Health amp RehabIn-patient rehabilitation1702 Hillcrest Drive Bellevue(402) 291-8500
Hillcrest Physical TherapyOutpatient physical occupational and speech therapy1804 Hillcrest Drive Bellevue(402) 682-4210
Hillcrest Victoria GardensMemory support assisted living1702 Hillcrest Drive Bellevue(402) 682-4295
Hillcrest Mable Rose amp The ClubAssisted living memory support amp adult day servicesHwy 370 amp 48th Street Bellevue(402) 291-9777
Hillcrest Home CareSkilled home health and in-home personal careServing 9 counties in NE and IA(402) 682-4808
Hillcrest Hospice CareCompassionate end-of-life supportServing 7 counties in NE(402) 934-2282
The Grand LodgeIndependent Living
Now Open(402) 885-7007
Enhancing L ives
GHOST HOST
eeriness around every corner(in a place that doesnrsquot
have corners)
S10 60PLUS | julyaugust 2015 | omahamagazinecom
by judy horan | photography by bill sitzmann
60PLUS HISTORY
V ISITORS FROM OMAHA AND the spirit realm are welcome at the Squirrel Cage Jail Museum in Council Bluffs
Carla Borgaila says she has met several of the resident ghosts She remembers her hat being pulled from her head as she frantically tried to hold it on ldquoI could feel the fingers on my headrdquo she remembers ldquoBut no one was thererdquo Another time ldquoa guy came into my office and just stood thererdquo
Despite her personal experiences with ghosts Borgaila is a realist ldquoNinety percent is overactive imagination Nine percent we canrsquot explain but itrsquos not paranormal But then therersquos that one percentrdquo
Although a ghost has not spoken to her she has heard her name called But she never feels scared or threatened ldquoTheyrsquore like Casper the Friendly Ghost Therersquos no reason to be fearfulrdquo
Borgaila museum coordinator for the Historical Society of Pottawattamie County is responsible for arranging paranormal as well as regular tours of the quirky Squirrel Cage Jail Built in 1885 the jail on a turntable is now a museum
Adults who want to spend 8 pm to 4 am asking questions of alleged ghosts can call for an appointment But plan ahead Overnight paranormal investigation groups are already booked two months out The outing costs a minimum of $175 which covers the first seven people additional people are $25 each Youths age 16 and 17 are not allowed without a guardian only people age 21 and older can schedule an appointment
Some of the people who died in the build-ing may be lingering ldquoOne is an inmate who hung himself I firmly believe hersquos still there People describe him to a teerdquo Several ghostly jailers also hang around ldquoPeople see themrdquo
Groups spending the night at the Squirrel Cage Jail sometime pick up electronic voice phenomena ldquoYou donrsquot hear it then but it shows up in the background when later lis-tening to the audio recordingrsquo says Borgaila
Ghost hunting is not the only activity in the historical building Regular tours are available for individual visitors and groups of 15 or more Borgaila also has scheduled bridal showers and birthday parties
Even if ghost-less the buildingrsquos architec-ture is worth a visit Originally prisoners in pie-shaped cells got in and out when a hand crank turned to line the cell up with a single door on each of the three floors Because the cage rotated and jailers could view all the cells from one place fewer jailers were needed
The jail was built to be escape-proof but 60 inmates escaped over the years Inmates also had to be careful to avoid getting an arm or leg crushed by the rotating jail
The county jail was used from 1885 to 1969 Inmates still reside close by ldquoI run into them all the timerdquo she says ldquoItrsquos a badge of honor Theyrsquore proud they were in one of the most unique buildings in the United Statesrdquo
One of three remaining Lazy Susan jails it is on the National Register of Historic Places The Council Bluffs jail is the largest of the 18 built
CHECK IT OUT
SQUIRREL CAGE JAIL226 Pearl St in Council Bluffs
Open daily 10 am to 4 pm and Sundays 1 pm to 4 pm Closed Mondays major holidays and
the month of January
Tours are available year-round 712-323-2509
julyaugust 2015 | 60PLUS S11
with Travel and Transport
travelandtransportcom Located at 72nd amp Mercy | 4023994555 CORPORATE TRAVEL | EVENTS | LOYALTY | VACATIONS
For over 69 years Travel and Transport has made vacation dreams a reality In total our knowledgeable and seasoned travel specialists have visited over 50 countries on all seven continents and have sailed on over 50 cruises We provide our clients with the most advantageous pricing upgrades with leading hotels resorts spas cruise lines tour companies rail lines airlines and ground operators And through our partnership with Virtuoso we are able to offer exclusive amenities experiences and privileged access not available to the general public
The Plaza Napa Valley
Close To HomeNew York NY This summer spend your long days of sunlight in the city that never sleeps Visit New York City for the bustle of Times Square along with the wide-open spaces of the cityrsquos green areas Stroll through world-renowned museums take in a true Broadway show or shop to your heartrsquos content at some of the nationrsquos finest boutiques and department stores
Our RecommendationsThe PlazaNew York Hilton MidtownThe Westin New York at Times Square
Food amp Wine AdventureNapa Valley CA Spend your lazy summer days in peaceful Napa Valley part of Californiarsquos wine country region with its incredible weather and unforgettable scenery Saunter through wineries and take in the beautiful countryside before treating yourself to a souvenir at one of the eclectic shops in the cozy towns that dot the countryside Just a short drive to the coast you can also soak in the rolling waves of the Pacific Ocean Of course the area also boasts a great variety of dining options from artisan cafes to Tuscan fare to seafood Napa Valley is truly a dream for the foodie and wine enthusiast alike
Our Recommendations5-Day Napa Valley Experience with Kensington Tours7-Day Independent at The Westin Verasa Napa with Pleasant Holidays9-Day Trains Wineries amp Treasures of Northern California with Collette Tours
travelandtransportcom Located at 72nd amp Mercy | 4023994555 CORPORATE TRAVEL | EVENTS | LOYALTY | VACATIONS
Call today to book your getaway4023994555omahavacationstravelandtransportcom
Ultimate ExperienceGrand Voyage amp World Cruise For a truly once-in-a-lifetime experience spend the better part of a year traversing the world aboard a luxury cruise liner Visit Hawaii Fiji Australia Bangkok and countless other bucket list destinations aboard the Crystal Cruises linerhellipall in one trip Another option embark on a Grand Voyage with Holland America where yoursquoll swim in the Great Barrier Reef visit Egypt Greece Spain and many more Or go around the world in 180 days with Oceania for destinations like Iceland Cyprus India and the Seychelles When you return home from an experience like these you will have memories to last a lifetime
Our Recommendations95 or 103-Day World Cruise with Crystal Cruises (Round-trip from Miami or San Francisco)115-Day Grand Voyage with Holland America Line (Round-trip from Fort Lauderdale)180-Day Global Cruise with Oceania (Round-trip from Miami)
Grand Voyage amp World Cruise
travelandtransportcom Located at 72nd amp Mercy | 4023994555 CORPORATE TRAVEL | EVENTS | LOYALTY | VACATIONS
Call today to book your getaway4023994555omahavacationstravelandtransportcom
Ultimate ExperienceGrand Voyage amp World Cruise For a truly once-in-a-lifetime experience spend the better part of a year traversing the world aboard a luxury cruise liner Visit Hawaii Fiji Australia Bangkok and countless other bucket list destinations aboard the Crystal Cruises linerhellipall in one trip Another option embark on a Grand Voyage with Holland America where yoursquoll swim in the Great Barrier Reef visit Egypt Greece Spain and many more Or go around the world in 180 days with Oceania for destinations like Iceland Cyprus India and the Seychelles When you return home from an experience like these you will have memories to last a lifetime
Our Recommendations95 or 103-Day World Cruise with Crystal Cruises (Round-trip from Miami or San Francisco)115-Day Grand Voyage with Holland America Line (Round-trip from Fort Lauderdale)180-Day Global Cruise with Oceania (Round-trip from Miami)
Grand Voyage amp World Cruise
ldquo
PICKLEBALL more fun than drinking a
barrel of vinegar
S14 60PLUS | julyaugust 2015 | omahamagazinecom
60PLUS COVER FEATUREby kara schweiss | photography by bill sitzmann
I TrsquoS PLAYED ON A badminton-size court but with the net lowered to 34 inches at the center The paddles look like a hybrid
of racquetball racquets and table tennis pad-dles The rules are somewhat similar to tennis but the serve is underhand And the ball looks more like a whiffle ball than a vinegar-soaked cucumber Itrsquos Pickleballmdasha sport that is quickly gaining a large following with the local club Pickleball Omaha boasting around 225 members
The gamersquos origins date back to a 1965 Washington state backyard and even its
creators canrsquot quite agree on whether the name came from a family dog or a term associated with rowing Regardless of this pickleball has evolved over 50 years from an improvised family pastime to a thriving widely recog-nized passion The statewide organization Pickleball Nebraska was founded in 2012 and the sport has been part of Nebraskarsquos State Games of America (formerly Cornhusker State Games) since 2011 It is even going to be part of the State Games of Americarsquos national competition for the first time this summer when Nebraska serves as host state gt
julyaugust 2015 | 60PLUS S15
lt Pickleball Nebraska President Bill Holt (pictured on the cover) discovered the sport in 2008 while wintering in Arizona It was popular with the retirement crowd there he says but relatively unknown back home in Nebraskamdashwithout an organized following or designated courts So Holt and his wife Nancy created a makeshift playing field on an Omaha tennis court that spring and began introducing friends to the sport Interest has grown steadily since
ldquoThere was no place to play pickleball in Nebraska that I was aware of and nobody I knew playedrdquo Holt says ldquoWe now have 10 places to play listed (on the USA Pickleball Association website at uspaaorg) and there are actually more than thatrdquo More informa-tion on this pastime is available at pickleball-nebraskawordpresscom and players can now also find local places to participate through the clubrsquos page on Facebook
Like Holt Camille Culprsquos association with pickleball originated in Arizona Her hus-band Wayne played the game for the first time on a business trip six years ago intro-duced Camille and soon the couple found other enthusiasts in Omaha Culp was one of the first women to play locally and she
says introductory clinics open play sessions and a welcoming community have helped the sport grow in the area Women now make up more than half of Pickleball Nebraskarsquos membership
ldquoThatrsquos the pickleball thing always chat up whoever stops byrdquo says Culp who now serves as the grouprsquos treasurer ldquoThey can try it right away and see what they think and of course in my opinion 95 percent of them are hookedrdquo
Holt says club members range from 30-something to 82 and most participants play doubles A high degree of physical condi-tioning isnrsquot necessary to start but the game can be very intense and local players self-classify as A-level B-level or somewhere in between to determine if they should play recreationally or competitively
ldquoAnybody can join The typical person is 60-65 and has played sports Irsquove always been fairly active in one thing or anotherrdquo Holt says ldquoAnyone can learn to playhellipitrsquos great for all agesrdquo
ldquoItrsquos relatively easy to learnrdquo Culp agrees ldquoI only see the sport getting more popularrdquo
S16 60PLUS | julyaugust 2015 | omahamagazinecom
60PLUS COVER FEATURE
This certification is an honor a testament to our high standard of care mdash and a reminder that we must always strive to exceed our own expectations to better care for you Our twelve experienced highly-skilled cancer specialists are dedicated to complete cancer treatment and research with over 100 clinical trials available
CHI Health Cancer Center - Bergan (402) 393-3110Methodist Estabrook Cancer Center (402) 354-8124Midwest Cancer Center Papillion (402) 593-3141Midwest Cancer Center Legacy (402) 334-4773Health Park Plaza-Fremont Health (402) 941-7030
Margaret Block MD
M Salman Haroon MD
Ralph J Hauke MD
Timothy K Huyck MD
Robert M Langdon Jr MD
Kirsten M Leu MD
John M Longo MD
Geetha Palaniappan MD
David A Silverberg MD
Gamini S Soori MD
Yungpo Bernard Su MD
Stefano R Tarantolo MD
Benefit from everything we can offer as the largest independent QOPI-certified cancer practice in Nebraska
Receive the Highest Level of Cancer Care
NEBRASKA CANCER SPECIALISTS IS QOPIreg CERTIFIED
Nebraska Library CommissionTalking Book and Braille Service
402-471-4038 bull 800-742-7691nlctalkingbooknebraskagov bull wwwnlcnebraskagov
Reading is for Everyone Your Libraryreg
Talking Books are free for anyone who
has difficulty holding a book turning
a page or seeing regular print The
recordings are loaned and returned
through the mail ndash postage-free ndash or
can be downloaded
julyaugust 2015 | 60PLUS S17
WhenExperience Counts
Experience our State-of-the-Art Facilities
600 Brookestone Meadows PlazaElkhorn NE 68022 | (402) 289-2696wwBrookestoneMeadowscom
QUALITY LIFE | QUALITY CARE | EXCELLENT TEAMS | QUALITY REPUTATION | STEWARDSHIP
4330 South 144th StreetOmaha NE 68137
(402) 614-4000wwBrookestoneVillagecom
Proud Members of the Vetter Health Services Family
PhysicalOccupationalandSpeechTherapy Careaftertotaljointreplacement Strokerecovery Strengtheningaftercancertreatment Careaftersurgery Recoveryfromafallorextendedillness
Visit ourwebsite
to find outmore about us
OmahaBVampElkhornBM_Ad - Omaha 60+ Mag_111612_60+ Omaha Magazine Ad - BSV amp BSM 3112014 354 PM Page 1
Trouble Getting Up amp Down the StairsRegain your independence and the rest of your home
Largest showroom in the nationMultiple modelsone sure to fit your needs
Call for special pricing
12739 Q Street4024081990
wwwkohllscom
Recipient of
PLATINUM AWARD
T ONY LAZZARETTI KEPT AN eye on the mole on his chest for some time When it started getting bigger he made an
appointment with his doctor to get it checked A biopsy confirmed that it was melanomamdashthe deadliest form of skin cancer
Lazzaretti 70 years old at the time said he was never a ldquosun bunnyrdquo but he remembers getting some bad sunburns
Lazzaretti had surgery to remove the mole and several lymph nodes but a couple of years later the cancer returned This time the cancer was too extensive to remove with surgery says Alissa Marr MD an oncolo-gist at Nebraska Medicine specializing in melanoma and lung cancer
ldquoWe started him on a new immunomodu-latory drug and he has had no reoccurrence
SKIN CANCER CONTINUES
TO RISEgreatest increases among women and
men over 65
S18 60PLUS | julyaugust 2015 | omahamagazinecom
by susan meyers
60PLUS HEALTH
since thenrdquo she says ldquoThis is a remarkable story of how advanced treatments have become Over the past four years there have been six new drugs introduced for metastatic melanoma that have been very effective in a select group of patientsrdquo
The cases of melanoma have steadily increased over the past 30 years notes Dr Marr The greatest increases have been among white women between the ages of 15 and 39 years and in men over age 65
While the cause for the increase is not known better identification use of tanning beds and having one or more blistering sun-burns as a youth appear to boost the risk Some research shows that people who use tanning beds are 74 percent more likely to get melanoma than those who donrsquot use them notes Dr Marr
ldquoIf melanoma is caught at an early stage and treated with proper surgical resection it is highly curablerdquo she says
Melanoma typically starts as a mole See a doctor if you experience any of the ABCDErsquos of a mole asymmetry border irregularity color variation diameter (anything larger than a pencil eraser) and evolution mean-ing a mole that is changing itchy or bleeds
The highest incidence of this cancer occurs on the back of the legs in women and on the trunk and back for men However it can occur on any area of the body even those that have not been exposed to the sun says Marr If you get a suspicious mole removed it needs to be an excision or punch biopsy by a qualified physician in order to get an accurate evaluation
Basal and squamous cell skin cancers the most common forms of skin cancer typically occur on chronically sun-exposed areas such as the head neck ears and arms and are directly related to amount of sun exposure Suspicious symptoms include a shiny waxy scar-like spot that may be yellow or white with irregular borders a smooth bump that is indented in the middle a reddish patch that wonrsquot go away and may be painful or itchy or a sore that takes more than three weeks to heal
ldquoEveryone should have a full body skin exam every year by their doctor to check for skin cancerrdquo says Dr Marr ldquoThe goal is to find it before it progresses and when it is still very treatablerdquo
Now Lazzaretti tells his kids every chance he gets stay out of the sun stay away from tan-ning beds and wear sunscreen
julyaugust 2015 | 60PLUS S19
wwwNebraskaLowVisioncom 402-905-2794
Nebraska Low Vision wishes Mike Riley and
the Nebraska Cornhuskers Football Team much
success in 2015
S20 60PLUS | julyaugust 2015 | omahamagazinecom
60PLUS FACESby anna hensel | photography by bill sitzmann
RETIREMENT on the road
F RITZ SAMPSON SAYS HE likes to travel slowly but the words ldquotravelrdquo and ldquoslowlyrdquo can conjure up thoughts of
lounging over three hour-long dinners in Italy or spending an entire afternoon wandering through a village in France
For 65-year-old Fritz ldquotraveling slowlyrdquo means moving about 200 miles a day across Europe and Asia by motorcycle
Last March Fritz undertook a 115-day motorcycle journey through south-ern Europe the former Soviet bloc and Mongolia but his plans were cut short by more than three weeks after an accident in Mongolia
Itrsquos an itinerary that sounds crazy but when explained calmly by Fritz seems per-fectly reasonable
ldquoWhether itrsquos breaking a shoulder or get-ting stopped by police or running out of food things are going to happenrdquo Fritz says ldquoAnd thatrsquos why you take the trip because itrsquos an adventurerdquo
According to Sampson and his wife of 40 years Mary he always had a daring spirit
ldquoThatrsquos what I loved him for was his sense of adventurerdquo Mary says ldquoNo one is compa-rable to Fritzmdashhersquos all out for the experience
The couple met on the Model United Nations Team at Creighton University and married in 1975 right out of college They and their two children moved to Germany in 1998 while Fritz pursued a degree in inter-national tax law His career took him every-where from China to Belize but he still craved different ways to see the world
A long-distance cyclist he rode for years all over the United States But as he aged he turned to a new mode of transportation motorcycling
He bought a new Harley Davidson in 2007 and in 2008 rode with his son Marty from Omaha to Tierra del Fuego an island chain
off the southernmost point of South AmericaldquoOne of the reasons I do thismdashI like meet-
ing people on the roadrdquo Fritz saysAfter his South American excursion Fritz
was itching to do a similar trip elsewhere He read about two motorcycle adventures on travel blogs that looked really interestingmdashone to the Russian far east another in outer Mongoliamdashand decided to combine the two by retiring and traveling to 17 countries He planned to begin in Ireland meet Mary in Turkey and eventually end up in Mongolia and Russia but had no other itinerary
That meant he spent a week in Bulgaria because he felt like it He chose to go to Kazakhstan instead of Turkmenistan because he met a fellow motorcyclist who was headed
there And when he told local policemen in Turkey the name of the hostel where he was staying they told him he shouldnrsquot sleep there and took him to a friendrsquos house where they hosted a barbecue for him
He also had a run-in with corrupt police in Azerbaijan lost 22 pounds and experienced that fateful fall in Mongolia that cut his trip short and left him with a broken shoulder
Therersquos only one thing hersquos cutting out of his routine off-roading on his motorcycle which led to his accident But he still wants to ride on motorcycle trips across the continental United States Alaska and Mexico
After all he says those are ldquoeasyrdquo rides
julyaugust 2015 | 60PLUS S21
I rsquoVE NEVER OWNED A video camera of any kind Okay so Irsquove just been reminded that my cell phone gizmo has such a device
but having never used it I still qualify as a video virgin
Sony introduced the first consumer cam-corder in 1983 the year my youngest child was born This made our family a prime target for being an early adapter in what became something of a video mania Almost over-night a populist paparazzi were born where every dad (Why was it always the dads) at every kindergarten holiday program was armed with a cinder-block-sized camera that instantly made him some kind of Fellini wanna-be
I refused to join the Betamax Age because my makeup is one where I want to remember things the way I want to remember thingsmdashnot necessarily how they actually happened
Ample video of my kidsrsquo childhood years exists from the cameras of extended family members and a couple of clan get-togethers have been marred when some idiot got the
bright idea that we should all watch old videos together Irsquom sure any good shrink would have a field day getting inside my head but the experience of viewing those picnics and parties and plays unfold on screen washellipwell ldquodisturbingrdquo is not at all too powerful a word
Itrsquos not that I am a dispassionate stoic For whatever weird reason being confronted with a filmed retelling of events rearranges my mental furniture in an unsettling almost visceral way
That tyranny of memory has only grown over the years and wersquove all witnessed the rise of the camera-obsessed malady Irsquoll call the Fear of Missing Out Syndrome In a sickness typified by living vicariously through a view-finder itrsquos as if film and only film is capable of proving even to ourselves the existential reality of a person place or thing
ldquoI saw Pope Francisrdquo ldquoI saw Pres- ident Obamardquo ldquoI saw Garth Brooksrdquo people exclaim
No you didnrsquot You saw only mere pixels while struggling to center a celebrityrsquos image
on your camera You had exactly the same experience I had when I saw almost identical footage on CNN or the local news except that my experience was better in that it was rendered by seasoned videographers on pro-fessional equipment You were there but you werenrsquot there
Just check out the June 15 Sports Illustrated cover online Get my point
Our society has become one of dim imagi-nations reflected in the even dimmer glows of electronic gadgets
As some dude named Lord Acton once claimed ldquoHistory is not a burden on the memory but an illumination of the soulrdquo I kinda dig that Lord Acton guy even if his name sounds like a super-classy moniker for a faux-British-bad-guy rassler on WWE
At least according to his lordship I donrsquot have an almost pathological relationship with memory I have an illuminated soul
LORD ACTON SAID IT BESTlife through a viewfinder
S22 60PLUS | julyaugust 2015 | omahamagazinecom
by david williams
60PLUS THE GRANDPA CHRONICLES
julyaugust 2015 | 60PLUS S23
DIRECTORY
Elk Ridge Village on the Lake Retirement CommunityElk Ridge Village provides Independent and Assisted Living and Alzheimerrsquos Care and is committed to providing services of the highest quality
19303 Seward Plaza402-312-1198402-216-8835wwwelkridgeseniorlivingcom
Brookestone MeadowsBrookestone VillageSkilled nursing communities provid-ing short-term rehabilitation including physical occupational and speech ther-apy as well as long-term nursing care
wwwBrookestoneVillagecom402-614-4000 bull OmahawwwBrookestoneMeadowscom402-280-2696 bull Elkhorn
Home Care Assistance
Our services are distinguished by the caliber of our caregivers the respon-siveness of our staff and our expertise in Live-In care We embrace a positive balanced approach to aging centered on the evolving needs of older adults
402-763-9140homecareassistanceomahacom
EJ Militti JrFinancial AdvisorThe Militti Group at Morgan Stanley
Wealth and Estate Planning Risk-Management Executive Services Foundations amp Endowments
(402) 399-1513wwwmorganstanleyfacommilittigroup
Saint Jude Hospice
Rooted in Christian Love and Guided by the Holy Spirit our Radical Loving Care brings healing to those when their hope has changed from a cure to comfort
10506 Burt Circle402-609-4818saintjudehospiceorg
Steven D Wegner DDS
Dr Wegner has 35 years of clinical experi-ence and thousands of hours of continuing education He knows how to help seniors and all ages to achieve and keep a healthy smile
11840 Nicholas StSuite 210Omaha NE 68154402-498-0400
Travel and Transport
Travel and Transport is proud to be the 5th largest travel agency in the US servicing clients throughout the country as well as globally
travelandtransportcom 402-399-4500
Nebraska Cancer SpecialistsNebraska Cancer Specialists is dedicated to providing complete cancer treatment for patients medical oncology radiation oncology surgical specialists and diagnostic services
5 Convenient LocationsFor address and phone infovisit our websitenebraskacancercom
Kohllrsquos Pharmacy amp Homecare
8 locations amp free delivery Providing retail amp compounded prescriptions all medical equipment amp supplies
402-408-1990 wwwkohllscom
Home Instead Senior Care
If yoursquore looking for someone to help you or a loved one a few hours a week or need more comprehensive assistance Home Instead Senior Care can help
Metro 4024983444West 4029324555
Nebraska Low Vision
Regain the Joy ofreading and writing today
In Home Demo Call 402-905-2794wwwNebraskaLowVisioncom
hillcresthealthcomProviding the regionrsquos widest array of aging-related services
One family Many servicesHillcrest Country EstatesContinuing care retirement communityfeaturing the Grand LodgeHwy 370 amp 60th Street Papillion(402) 885-7007
Hillcrest Health amp RehabIn-patient rehabilitation1702 Hillcrest Drive Bellevue(402) 291-8500
Hillcrest Physical TherapyOutpatient physical occupational and speech therapy1804 Hillcrest Drive Bellevue(402) 682-4210
Hillcrest Victoria GardensMemory support assisted living1702 Hillcrest Drive Bellevue(402) 682-4295
Hillcrest Mable Rose amp The ClubAssisted living memory support amp adult day servicesHwy 370 amp 48th Street Bellevue(402) 291-9777
Hillcrest Home CareSkilled home health and in-home personal careServing 9 counties in NE and IA(402) 682-4808
Hillcrest Hospice CareCompassionate end-of-life supportServing 7 counties in NE(402) 934-2282
The Grand LodgeIndependent Living
Now Open(402) 885-7007
Enhancing L ives
V ISITORS FROM OMAHA AND the spirit realm are welcome at the Squirrel Cage Jail Museum in Council Bluffs
Carla Borgaila says she has met several of the resident ghosts She remembers her hat being pulled from her head as she frantically tried to hold it on ldquoI could feel the fingers on my headrdquo she remembers ldquoBut no one was thererdquo Another time ldquoa guy came into my office and just stood thererdquo
Despite her personal experiences with ghosts Borgaila is a realist ldquoNinety percent is overactive imagination Nine percent we canrsquot explain but itrsquos not paranormal But then therersquos that one percentrdquo
Although a ghost has not spoken to her she has heard her name called But she never feels scared or threatened ldquoTheyrsquore like Casper the Friendly Ghost Therersquos no reason to be fearfulrdquo
Borgaila museum coordinator for the Historical Society of Pottawattamie County is responsible for arranging paranormal as well as regular tours of the quirky Squirrel Cage Jail Built in 1885 the jail on a turntable is now a museum
Adults who want to spend 8 pm to 4 am asking questions of alleged ghosts can call for an appointment But plan ahead Overnight paranormal investigation groups are already booked two months out The outing costs a minimum of $175 which covers the first seven people additional people are $25 each Youths age 16 and 17 are not allowed without a guardian only people age 21 and older can schedule an appointment
Some of the people who died in the build-ing may be lingering ldquoOne is an inmate who hung himself I firmly believe hersquos still there People describe him to a teerdquo Several ghostly jailers also hang around ldquoPeople see themrdquo
Groups spending the night at the Squirrel Cage Jail sometime pick up electronic voice phenomena ldquoYou donrsquot hear it then but it shows up in the background when later lis-tening to the audio recordingrsquo says Borgaila
Ghost hunting is not the only activity in the historical building Regular tours are available for individual visitors and groups of 15 or more Borgaila also has scheduled bridal showers and birthday parties
Even if ghost-less the buildingrsquos architec-ture is worth a visit Originally prisoners in pie-shaped cells got in and out when a hand crank turned to line the cell up with a single door on each of the three floors Because the cage rotated and jailers could view all the cells from one place fewer jailers were needed
The jail was built to be escape-proof but 60 inmates escaped over the years Inmates also had to be careful to avoid getting an arm or leg crushed by the rotating jail
The county jail was used from 1885 to 1969 Inmates still reside close by ldquoI run into them all the timerdquo she says ldquoItrsquos a badge of honor Theyrsquore proud they were in one of the most unique buildings in the United Statesrdquo
One of three remaining Lazy Susan jails it is on the National Register of Historic Places The Council Bluffs jail is the largest of the 18 built
CHECK IT OUT
SQUIRREL CAGE JAIL226 Pearl St in Council Bluffs
Open daily 10 am to 4 pm and Sundays 1 pm to 4 pm Closed Mondays major holidays and
the month of January
Tours are available year-round 712-323-2509
julyaugust 2015 | 60PLUS S11
with Travel and Transport
travelandtransportcom Located at 72nd amp Mercy | 4023994555 CORPORATE TRAVEL | EVENTS | LOYALTY | VACATIONS
For over 69 years Travel and Transport has made vacation dreams a reality In total our knowledgeable and seasoned travel specialists have visited over 50 countries on all seven continents and have sailed on over 50 cruises We provide our clients with the most advantageous pricing upgrades with leading hotels resorts spas cruise lines tour companies rail lines airlines and ground operators And through our partnership with Virtuoso we are able to offer exclusive amenities experiences and privileged access not available to the general public
The Plaza Napa Valley
Close To HomeNew York NY This summer spend your long days of sunlight in the city that never sleeps Visit New York City for the bustle of Times Square along with the wide-open spaces of the cityrsquos green areas Stroll through world-renowned museums take in a true Broadway show or shop to your heartrsquos content at some of the nationrsquos finest boutiques and department stores
Our RecommendationsThe PlazaNew York Hilton MidtownThe Westin New York at Times Square
Food amp Wine AdventureNapa Valley CA Spend your lazy summer days in peaceful Napa Valley part of Californiarsquos wine country region with its incredible weather and unforgettable scenery Saunter through wineries and take in the beautiful countryside before treating yourself to a souvenir at one of the eclectic shops in the cozy towns that dot the countryside Just a short drive to the coast you can also soak in the rolling waves of the Pacific Ocean Of course the area also boasts a great variety of dining options from artisan cafes to Tuscan fare to seafood Napa Valley is truly a dream for the foodie and wine enthusiast alike
Our Recommendations5-Day Napa Valley Experience with Kensington Tours7-Day Independent at The Westin Verasa Napa with Pleasant Holidays9-Day Trains Wineries amp Treasures of Northern California with Collette Tours
travelandtransportcom Located at 72nd amp Mercy | 4023994555 CORPORATE TRAVEL | EVENTS | LOYALTY | VACATIONS
Call today to book your getaway4023994555omahavacationstravelandtransportcom
Ultimate ExperienceGrand Voyage amp World Cruise For a truly once-in-a-lifetime experience spend the better part of a year traversing the world aboard a luxury cruise liner Visit Hawaii Fiji Australia Bangkok and countless other bucket list destinations aboard the Crystal Cruises linerhellipall in one trip Another option embark on a Grand Voyage with Holland America where yoursquoll swim in the Great Barrier Reef visit Egypt Greece Spain and many more Or go around the world in 180 days with Oceania for destinations like Iceland Cyprus India and the Seychelles When you return home from an experience like these you will have memories to last a lifetime
Our Recommendations95 or 103-Day World Cruise with Crystal Cruises (Round-trip from Miami or San Francisco)115-Day Grand Voyage with Holland America Line (Round-trip from Fort Lauderdale)180-Day Global Cruise with Oceania (Round-trip from Miami)
Grand Voyage amp World Cruise
travelandtransportcom Located at 72nd amp Mercy | 4023994555 CORPORATE TRAVEL | EVENTS | LOYALTY | VACATIONS
Call today to book your getaway4023994555omahavacationstravelandtransportcom
Ultimate ExperienceGrand Voyage amp World Cruise For a truly once-in-a-lifetime experience spend the better part of a year traversing the world aboard a luxury cruise liner Visit Hawaii Fiji Australia Bangkok and countless other bucket list destinations aboard the Crystal Cruises linerhellipall in one trip Another option embark on a Grand Voyage with Holland America where yoursquoll swim in the Great Barrier Reef visit Egypt Greece Spain and many more Or go around the world in 180 days with Oceania for destinations like Iceland Cyprus India and the Seychelles When you return home from an experience like these you will have memories to last a lifetime
Our Recommendations95 or 103-Day World Cruise with Crystal Cruises (Round-trip from Miami or San Francisco)115-Day Grand Voyage with Holland America Line (Round-trip from Fort Lauderdale)180-Day Global Cruise with Oceania (Round-trip from Miami)
Grand Voyage amp World Cruise
ldquo
PICKLEBALL more fun than drinking a
barrel of vinegar
S14 60PLUS | julyaugust 2015 | omahamagazinecom
60PLUS COVER FEATUREby kara schweiss | photography by bill sitzmann
I TrsquoS PLAYED ON A badminton-size court but with the net lowered to 34 inches at the center The paddles look like a hybrid
of racquetball racquets and table tennis pad-dles The rules are somewhat similar to tennis but the serve is underhand And the ball looks more like a whiffle ball than a vinegar-soaked cucumber Itrsquos Pickleballmdasha sport that is quickly gaining a large following with the local club Pickleball Omaha boasting around 225 members
The gamersquos origins date back to a 1965 Washington state backyard and even its
creators canrsquot quite agree on whether the name came from a family dog or a term associated with rowing Regardless of this pickleball has evolved over 50 years from an improvised family pastime to a thriving widely recog-nized passion The statewide organization Pickleball Nebraska was founded in 2012 and the sport has been part of Nebraskarsquos State Games of America (formerly Cornhusker State Games) since 2011 It is even going to be part of the State Games of Americarsquos national competition for the first time this summer when Nebraska serves as host state gt
julyaugust 2015 | 60PLUS S15
lt Pickleball Nebraska President Bill Holt (pictured on the cover) discovered the sport in 2008 while wintering in Arizona It was popular with the retirement crowd there he says but relatively unknown back home in Nebraskamdashwithout an organized following or designated courts So Holt and his wife Nancy created a makeshift playing field on an Omaha tennis court that spring and began introducing friends to the sport Interest has grown steadily since
ldquoThere was no place to play pickleball in Nebraska that I was aware of and nobody I knew playedrdquo Holt says ldquoWe now have 10 places to play listed (on the USA Pickleball Association website at uspaaorg) and there are actually more than thatrdquo More informa-tion on this pastime is available at pickleball-nebraskawordpresscom and players can now also find local places to participate through the clubrsquos page on Facebook
Like Holt Camille Culprsquos association with pickleball originated in Arizona Her hus-band Wayne played the game for the first time on a business trip six years ago intro-duced Camille and soon the couple found other enthusiasts in Omaha Culp was one of the first women to play locally and she
says introductory clinics open play sessions and a welcoming community have helped the sport grow in the area Women now make up more than half of Pickleball Nebraskarsquos membership
ldquoThatrsquos the pickleball thing always chat up whoever stops byrdquo says Culp who now serves as the grouprsquos treasurer ldquoThey can try it right away and see what they think and of course in my opinion 95 percent of them are hookedrdquo
Holt says club members range from 30-something to 82 and most participants play doubles A high degree of physical condi-tioning isnrsquot necessary to start but the game can be very intense and local players self-classify as A-level B-level or somewhere in between to determine if they should play recreationally or competitively
ldquoAnybody can join The typical person is 60-65 and has played sports Irsquove always been fairly active in one thing or anotherrdquo Holt says ldquoAnyone can learn to playhellipitrsquos great for all agesrdquo
ldquoItrsquos relatively easy to learnrdquo Culp agrees ldquoI only see the sport getting more popularrdquo
S16 60PLUS | julyaugust 2015 | omahamagazinecom
60PLUS COVER FEATURE
This certification is an honor a testament to our high standard of care mdash and a reminder that we must always strive to exceed our own expectations to better care for you Our twelve experienced highly-skilled cancer specialists are dedicated to complete cancer treatment and research with over 100 clinical trials available
CHI Health Cancer Center - Bergan (402) 393-3110Methodist Estabrook Cancer Center (402) 354-8124Midwest Cancer Center Papillion (402) 593-3141Midwest Cancer Center Legacy (402) 334-4773Health Park Plaza-Fremont Health (402) 941-7030
Margaret Block MD
M Salman Haroon MD
Ralph J Hauke MD
Timothy K Huyck MD
Robert M Langdon Jr MD
Kirsten M Leu MD
John M Longo MD
Geetha Palaniappan MD
David A Silverberg MD
Gamini S Soori MD
Yungpo Bernard Su MD
Stefano R Tarantolo MD
Benefit from everything we can offer as the largest independent QOPI-certified cancer practice in Nebraska
Receive the Highest Level of Cancer Care
NEBRASKA CANCER SPECIALISTS IS QOPIreg CERTIFIED
Nebraska Library CommissionTalking Book and Braille Service
402-471-4038 bull 800-742-7691nlctalkingbooknebraskagov bull wwwnlcnebraskagov
Reading is for Everyone Your Libraryreg
Talking Books are free for anyone who
has difficulty holding a book turning
a page or seeing regular print The
recordings are loaned and returned
through the mail ndash postage-free ndash or
can be downloaded
julyaugust 2015 | 60PLUS S17
WhenExperience Counts
Experience our State-of-the-Art Facilities
600 Brookestone Meadows PlazaElkhorn NE 68022 | (402) 289-2696wwBrookestoneMeadowscom
QUALITY LIFE | QUALITY CARE | EXCELLENT TEAMS | QUALITY REPUTATION | STEWARDSHIP
4330 South 144th StreetOmaha NE 68137
(402) 614-4000wwBrookestoneVillagecom
Proud Members of the Vetter Health Services Family
PhysicalOccupationalandSpeechTherapy Careaftertotaljointreplacement Strokerecovery Strengtheningaftercancertreatment Careaftersurgery Recoveryfromafallorextendedillness
Visit ourwebsite
to find outmore about us
OmahaBVampElkhornBM_Ad - Omaha 60+ Mag_111612_60+ Omaha Magazine Ad - BSV amp BSM 3112014 354 PM Page 1
Trouble Getting Up amp Down the StairsRegain your independence and the rest of your home
Largest showroom in the nationMultiple modelsone sure to fit your needs
Call for special pricing
12739 Q Street4024081990
wwwkohllscom
Recipient of
PLATINUM AWARD
T ONY LAZZARETTI KEPT AN eye on the mole on his chest for some time When it started getting bigger he made an
appointment with his doctor to get it checked A biopsy confirmed that it was melanomamdashthe deadliest form of skin cancer
Lazzaretti 70 years old at the time said he was never a ldquosun bunnyrdquo but he remembers getting some bad sunburns
Lazzaretti had surgery to remove the mole and several lymph nodes but a couple of years later the cancer returned This time the cancer was too extensive to remove with surgery says Alissa Marr MD an oncolo-gist at Nebraska Medicine specializing in melanoma and lung cancer
ldquoWe started him on a new immunomodu-latory drug and he has had no reoccurrence
SKIN CANCER CONTINUES
TO RISEgreatest increases among women and
men over 65
S18 60PLUS | julyaugust 2015 | omahamagazinecom
by susan meyers
60PLUS HEALTH
since thenrdquo she says ldquoThis is a remarkable story of how advanced treatments have become Over the past four years there have been six new drugs introduced for metastatic melanoma that have been very effective in a select group of patientsrdquo
The cases of melanoma have steadily increased over the past 30 years notes Dr Marr The greatest increases have been among white women between the ages of 15 and 39 years and in men over age 65
While the cause for the increase is not known better identification use of tanning beds and having one or more blistering sun-burns as a youth appear to boost the risk Some research shows that people who use tanning beds are 74 percent more likely to get melanoma than those who donrsquot use them notes Dr Marr
ldquoIf melanoma is caught at an early stage and treated with proper surgical resection it is highly curablerdquo she says
Melanoma typically starts as a mole See a doctor if you experience any of the ABCDErsquos of a mole asymmetry border irregularity color variation diameter (anything larger than a pencil eraser) and evolution mean-ing a mole that is changing itchy or bleeds
The highest incidence of this cancer occurs on the back of the legs in women and on the trunk and back for men However it can occur on any area of the body even those that have not been exposed to the sun says Marr If you get a suspicious mole removed it needs to be an excision or punch biopsy by a qualified physician in order to get an accurate evaluation
Basal and squamous cell skin cancers the most common forms of skin cancer typically occur on chronically sun-exposed areas such as the head neck ears and arms and are directly related to amount of sun exposure Suspicious symptoms include a shiny waxy scar-like spot that may be yellow or white with irregular borders a smooth bump that is indented in the middle a reddish patch that wonrsquot go away and may be painful or itchy or a sore that takes more than three weeks to heal
ldquoEveryone should have a full body skin exam every year by their doctor to check for skin cancerrdquo says Dr Marr ldquoThe goal is to find it before it progresses and when it is still very treatablerdquo
Now Lazzaretti tells his kids every chance he gets stay out of the sun stay away from tan-ning beds and wear sunscreen
julyaugust 2015 | 60PLUS S19
wwwNebraskaLowVisioncom 402-905-2794
Nebraska Low Vision wishes Mike Riley and
the Nebraska Cornhuskers Football Team much
success in 2015
S20 60PLUS | julyaugust 2015 | omahamagazinecom
60PLUS FACESby anna hensel | photography by bill sitzmann
RETIREMENT on the road
F RITZ SAMPSON SAYS HE likes to travel slowly but the words ldquotravelrdquo and ldquoslowlyrdquo can conjure up thoughts of
lounging over three hour-long dinners in Italy or spending an entire afternoon wandering through a village in France
For 65-year-old Fritz ldquotraveling slowlyrdquo means moving about 200 miles a day across Europe and Asia by motorcycle
Last March Fritz undertook a 115-day motorcycle journey through south-ern Europe the former Soviet bloc and Mongolia but his plans were cut short by more than three weeks after an accident in Mongolia
Itrsquos an itinerary that sounds crazy but when explained calmly by Fritz seems per-fectly reasonable
ldquoWhether itrsquos breaking a shoulder or get-ting stopped by police or running out of food things are going to happenrdquo Fritz says ldquoAnd thatrsquos why you take the trip because itrsquos an adventurerdquo
According to Sampson and his wife of 40 years Mary he always had a daring spirit
ldquoThatrsquos what I loved him for was his sense of adventurerdquo Mary says ldquoNo one is compa-rable to Fritzmdashhersquos all out for the experience
The couple met on the Model United Nations Team at Creighton University and married in 1975 right out of college They and their two children moved to Germany in 1998 while Fritz pursued a degree in inter-national tax law His career took him every-where from China to Belize but he still craved different ways to see the world
A long-distance cyclist he rode for years all over the United States But as he aged he turned to a new mode of transportation motorcycling
He bought a new Harley Davidson in 2007 and in 2008 rode with his son Marty from Omaha to Tierra del Fuego an island chain
off the southernmost point of South AmericaldquoOne of the reasons I do thismdashI like meet-
ing people on the roadrdquo Fritz saysAfter his South American excursion Fritz
was itching to do a similar trip elsewhere He read about two motorcycle adventures on travel blogs that looked really interestingmdashone to the Russian far east another in outer Mongoliamdashand decided to combine the two by retiring and traveling to 17 countries He planned to begin in Ireland meet Mary in Turkey and eventually end up in Mongolia and Russia but had no other itinerary
That meant he spent a week in Bulgaria because he felt like it He chose to go to Kazakhstan instead of Turkmenistan because he met a fellow motorcyclist who was headed
there And when he told local policemen in Turkey the name of the hostel where he was staying they told him he shouldnrsquot sleep there and took him to a friendrsquos house where they hosted a barbecue for him
He also had a run-in with corrupt police in Azerbaijan lost 22 pounds and experienced that fateful fall in Mongolia that cut his trip short and left him with a broken shoulder
Therersquos only one thing hersquos cutting out of his routine off-roading on his motorcycle which led to his accident But he still wants to ride on motorcycle trips across the continental United States Alaska and Mexico
After all he says those are ldquoeasyrdquo rides
julyaugust 2015 | 60PLUS S21
I rsquoVE NEVER OWNED A video camera of any kind Okay so Irsquove just been reminded that my cell phone gizmo has such a device
but having never used it I still qualify as a video virgin
Sony introduced the first consumer cam-corder in 1983 the year my youngest child was born This made our family a prime target for being an early adapter in what became something of a video mania Almost over-night a populist paparazzi were born where every dad (Why was it always the dads) at every kindergarten holiday program was armed with a cinder-block-sized camera that instantly made him some kind of Fellini wanna-be
I refused to join the Betamax Age because my makeup is one where I want to remember things the way I want to remember thingsmdashnot necessarily how they actually happened
Ample video of my kidsrsquo childhood years exists from the cameras of extended family members and a couple of clan get-togethers have been marred when some idiot got the
bright idea that we should all watch old videos together Irsquom sure any good shrink would have a field day getting inside my head but the experience of viewing those picnics and parties and plays unfold on screen washellipwell ldquodisturbingrdquo is not at all too powerful a word
Itrsquos not that I am a dispassionate stoic For whatever weird reason being confronted with a filmed retelling of events rearranges my mental furniture in an unsettling almost visceral way
That tyranny of memory has only grown over the years and wersquove all witnessed the rise of the camera-obsessed malady Irsquoll call the Fear of Missing Out Syndrome In a sickness typified by living vicariously through a view-finder itrsquos as if film and only film is capable of proving even to ourselves the existential reality of a person place or thing
ldquoI saw Pope Francisrdquo ldquoI saw Pres- ident Obamardquo ldquoI saw Garth Brooksrdquo people exclaim
No you didnrsquot You saw only mere pixels while struggling to center a celebrityrsquos image
on your camera You had exactly the same experience I had when I saw almost identical footage on CNN or the local news except that my experience was better in that it was rendered by seasoned videographers on pro-fessional equipment You were there but you werenrsquot there
Just check out the June 15 Sports Illustrated cover online Get my point
Our society has become one of dim imagi-nations reflected in the even dimmer glows of electronic gadgets
As some dude named Lord Acton once claimed ldquoHistory is not a burden on the memory but an illumination of the soulrdquo I kinda dig that Lord Acton guy even if his name sounds like a super-classy moniker for a faux-British-bad-guy rassler on WWE
At least according to his lordship I donrsquot have an almost pathological relationship with memory I have an illuminated soul
LORD ACTON SAID IT BESTlife through a viewfinder
S22 60PLUS | julyaugust 2015 | omahamagazinecom
by david williams
60PLUS THE GRANDPA CHRONICLES
julyaugust 2015 | 60PLUS S23
DIRECTORY
Elk Ridge Village on the Lake Retirement CommunityElk Ridge Village provides Independent and Assisted Living and Alzheimerrsquos Care and is committed to providing services of the highest quality
19303 Seward Plaza402-312-1198402-216-8835wwwelkridgeseniorlivingcom
Brookestone MeadowsBrookestone VillageSkilled nursing communities provid-ing short-term rehabilitation including physical occupational and speech ther-apy as well as long-term nursing care
wwwBrookestoneVillagecom402-614-4000 bull OmahawwwBrookestoneMeadowscom402-280-2696 bull Elkhorn
Home Care Assistance
Our services are distinguished by the caliber of our caregivers the respon-siveness of our staff and our expertise in Live-In care We embrace a positive balanced approach to aging centered on the evolving needs of older adults
402-763-9140homecareassistanceomahacom
EJ Militti JrFinancial AdvisorThe Militti Group at Morgan Stanley
Wealth and Estate Planning Risk-Management Executive Services Foundations amp Endowments
(402) 399-1513wwwmorganstanleyfacommilittigroup
Saint Jude Hospice
Rooted in Christian Love and Guided by the Holy Spirit our Radical Loving Care brings healing to those when their hope has changed from a cure to comfort
10506 Burt Circle402-609-4818saintjudehospiceorg
Steven D Wegner DDS
Dr Wegner has 35 years of clinical experi-ence and thousands of hours of continuing education He knows how to help seniors and all ages to achieve and keep a healthy smile
11840 Nicholas StSuite 210Omaha NE 68154402-498-0400
Travel and Transport
Travel and Transport is proud to be the 5th largest travel agency in the US servicing clients throughout the country as well as globally
travelandtransportcom 402-399-4500
Nebraska Cancer SpecialistsNebraska Cancer Specialists is dedicated to providing complete cancer treatment for patients medical oncology radiation oncology surgical specialists and diagnostic services
5 Convenient LocationsFor address and phone infovisit our websitenebraskacancercom
Kohllrsquos Pharmacy amp Homecare
8 locations amp free delivery Providing retail amp compounded prescriptions all medical equipment amp supplies
402-408-1990 wwwkohllscom
Home Instead Senior Care
If yoursquore looking for someone to help you or a loved one a few hours a week or need more comprehensive assistance Home Instead Senior Care can help
Metro 4024983444West 4029324555
Nebraska Low Vision
Regain the Joy ofreading and writing today
In Home Demo Call 402-905-2794wwwNebraskaLowVisioncom
hillcresthealthcomProviding the regionrsquos widest array of aging-related services
One family Many servicesHillcrest Country EstatesContinuing care retirement communityfeaturing the Grand LodgeHwy 370 amp 60th Street Papillion(402) 885-7007
Hillcrest Health amp RehabIn-patient rehabilitation1702 Hillcrest Drive Bellevue(402) 291-8500
Hillcrest Physical TherapyOutpatient physical occupational and speech therapy1804 Hillcrest Drive Bellevue(402) 682-4210
Hillcrest Victoria GardensMemory support assisted living1702 Hillcrest Drive Bellevue(402) 682-4295
Hillcrest Mable Rose amp The ClubAssisted living memory support amp adult day servicesHwy 370 amp 48th Street Bellevue(402) 291-9777
Hillcrest Home CareSkilled home health and in-home personal careServing 9 counties in NE and IA(402) 682-4808
Hillcrest Hospice CareCompassionate end-of-life supportServing 7 counties in NE(402) 934-2282
The Grand LodgeIndependent Living
Now Open(402) 885-7007
Enhancing L ives
with Travel and Transport
travelandtransportcom Located at 72nd amp Mercy | 4023994555 CORPORATE TRAVEL | EVENTS | LOYALTY | VACATIONS
For over 69 years Travel and Transport has made vacation dreams a reality In total our knowledgeable and seasoned travel specialists have visited over 50 countries on all seven continents and have sailed on over 50 cruises We provide our clients with the most advantageous pricing upgrades with leading hotels resorts spas cruise lines tour companies rail lines airlines and ground operators And through our partnership with Virtuoso we are able to offer exclusive amenities experiences and privileged access not available to the general public
The Plaza Napa Valley
Close To HomeNew York NY This summer spend your long days of sunlight in the city that never sleeps Visit New York City for the bustle of Times Square along with the wide-open spaces of the cityrsquos green areas Stroll through world-renowned museums take in a true Broadway show or shop to your heartrsquos content at some of the nationrsquos finest boutiques and department stores
Our RecommendationsThe PlazaNew York Hilton MidtownThe Westin New York at Times Square
Food amp Wine AdventureNapa Valley CA Spend your lazy summer days in peaceful Napa Valley part of Californiarsquos wine country region with its incredible weather and unforgettable scenery Saunter through wineries and take in the beautiful countryside before treating yourself to a souvenir at one of the eclectic shops in the cozy towns that dot the countryside Just a short drive to the coast you can also soak in the rolling waves of the Pacific Ocean Of course the area also boasts a great variety of dining options from artisan cafes to Tuscan fare to seafood Napa Valley is truly a dream for the foodie and wine enthusiast alike
Our Recommendations5-Day Napa Valley Experience with Kensington Tours7-Day Independent at The Westin Verasa Napa with Pleasant Holidays9-Day Trains Wineries amp Treasures of Northern California with Collette Tours
travelandtransportcom Located at 72nd amp Mercy | 4023994555 CORPORATE TRAVEL | EVENTS | LOYALTY | VACATIONS
Call today to book your getaway4023994555omahavacationstravelandtransportcom
Ultimate ExperienceGrand Voyage amp World Cruise For a truly once-in-a-lifetime experience spend the better part of a year traversing the world aboard a luxury cruise liner Visit Hawaii Fiji Australia Bangkok and countless other bucket list destinations aboard the Crystal Cruises linerhellipall in one trip Another option embark on a Grand Voyage with Holland America where yoursquoll swim in the Great Barrier Reef visit Egypt Greece Spain and many more Or go around the world in 180 days with Oceania for destinations like Iceland Cyprus India and the Seychelles When you return home from an experience like these you will have memories to last a lifetime
Our Recommendations95 or 103-Day World Cruise with Crystal Cruises (Round-trip from Miami or San Francisco)115-Day Grand Voyage with Holland America Line (Round-trip from Fort Lauderdale)180-Day Global Cruise with Oceania (Round-trip from Miami)
Grand Voyage amp World Cruise
travelandtransportcom Located at 72nd amp Mercy | 4023994555 CORPORATE TRAVEL | EVENTS | LOYALTY | VACATIONS
Call today to book your getaway4023994555omahavacationstravelandtransportcom
Ultimate ExperienceGrand Voyage amp World Cruise For a truly once-in-a-lifetime experience spend the better part of a year traversing the world aboard a luxury cruise liner Visit Hawaii Fiji Australia Bangkok and countless other bucket list destinations aboard the Crystal Cruises linerhellipall in one trip Another option embark on a Grand Voyage with Holland America where yoursquoll swim in the Great Barrier Reef visit Egypt Greece Spain and many more Or go around the world in 180 days with Oceania for destinations like Iceland Cyprus India and the Seychelles When you return home from an experience like these you will have memories to last a lifetime
Our Recommendations95 or 103-Day World Cruise with Crystal Cruises (Round-trip from Miami or San Francisco)115-Day Grand Voyage with Holland America Line (Round-trip from Fort Lauderdale)180-Day Global Cruise with Oceania (Round-trip from Miami)
Grand Voyage amp World Cruise
ldquo
PICKLEBALL more fun than drinking a
barrel of vinegar
S14 60PLUS | julyaugust 2015 | omahamagazinecom
60PLUS COVER FEATUREby kara schweiss | photography by bill sitzmann
I TrsquoS PLAYED ON A badminton-size court but with the net lowered to 34 inches at the center The paddles look like a hybrid
of racquetball racquets and table tennis pad-dles The rules are somewhat similar to tennis but the serve is underhand And the ball looks more like a whiffle ball than a vinegar-soaked cucumber Itrsquos Pickleballmdasha sport that is quickly gaining a large following with the local club Pickleball Omaha boasting around 225 members
The gamersquos origins date back to a 1965 Washington state backyard and even its
creators canrsquot quite agree on whether the name came from a family dog or a term associated with rowing Regardless of this pickleball has evolved over 50 years from an improvised family pastime to a thriving widely recog-nized passion The statewide organization Pickleball Nebraska was founded in 2012 and the sport has been part of Nebraskarsquos State Games of America (formerly Cornhusker State Games) since 2011 It is even going to be part of the State Games of Americarsquos national competition for the first time this summer when Nebraska serves as host state gt
julyaugust 2015 | 60PLUS S15
lt Pickleball Nebraska President Bill Holt (pictured on the cover) discovered the sport in 2008 while wintering in Arizona It was popular with the retirement crowd there he says but relatively unknown back home in Nebraskamdashwithout an organized following or designated courts So Holt and his wife Nancy created a makeshift playing field on an Omaha tennis court that spring and began introducing friends to the sport Interest has grown steadily since
ldquoThere was no place to play pickleball in Nebraska that I was aware of and nobody I knew playedrdquo Holt says ldquoWe now have 10 places to play listed (on the USA Pickleball Association website at uspaaorg) and there are actually more than thatrdquo More informa-tion on this pastime is available at pickleball-nebraskawordpresscom and players can now also find local places to participate through the clubrsquos page on Facebook
Like Holt Camille Culprsquos association with pickleball originated in Arizona Her hus-band Wayne played the game for the first time on a business trip six years ago intro-duced Camille and soon the couple found other enthusiasts in Omaha Culp was one of the first women to play locally and she
says introductory clinics open play sessions and a welcoming community have helped the sport grow in the area Women now make up more than half of Pickleball Nebraskarsquos membership
ldquoThatrsquos the pickleball thing always chat up whoever stops byrdquo says Culp who now serves as the grouprsquos treasurer ldquoThey can try it right away and see what they think and of course in my opinion 95 percent of them are hookedrdquo
Holt says club members range from 30-something to 82 and most participants play doubles A high degree of physical condi-tioning isnrsquot necessary to start but the game can be very intense and local players self-classify as A-level B-level or somewhere in between to determine if they should play recreationally or competitively
ldquoAnybody can join The typical person is 60-65 and has played sports Irsquove always been fairly active in one thing or anotherrdquo Holt says ldquoAnyone can learn to playhellipitrsquos great for all agesrdquo
ldquoItrsquos relatively easy to learnrdquo Culp agrees ldquoI only see the sport getting more popularrdquo
S16 60PLUS | julyaugust 2015 | omahamagazinecom
60PLUS COVER FEATURE
This certification is an honor a testament to our high standard of care mdash and a reminder that we must always strive to exceed our own expectations to better care for you Our twelve experienced highly-skilled cancer specialists are dedicated to complete cancer treatment and research with over 100 clinical trials available
CHI Health Cancer Center - Bergan (402) 393-3110Methodist Estabrook Cancer Center (402) 354-8124Midwest Cancer Center Papillion (402) 593-3141Midwest Cancer Center Legacy (402) 334-4773Health Park Plaza-Fremont Health (402) 941-7030
Margaret Block MD
M Salman Haroon MD
Ralph J Hauke MD
Timothy K Huyck MD
Robert M Langdon Jr MD
Kirsten M Leu MD
John M Longo MD
Geetha Palaniappan MD
David A Silverberg MD
Gamini S Soori MD
Yungpo Bernard Su MD
Stefano R Tarantolo MD
Benefit from everything we can offer as the largest independent QOPI-certified cancer practice in Nebraska
Receive the Highest Level of Cancer Care
NEBRASKA CANCER SPECIALISTS IS QOPIreg CERTIFIED
Nebraska Library CommissionTalking Book and Braille Service
402-471-4038 bull 800-742-7691nlctalkingbooknebraskagov bull wwwnlcnebraskagov
Reading is for Everyone Your Libraryreg
Talking Books are free for anyone who
has difficulty holding a book turning
a page or seeing regular print The
recordings are loaned and returned
through the mail ndash postage-free ndash or
can be downloaded
julyaugust 2015 | 60PLUS S17
WhenExperience Counts
Experience our State-of-the-Art Facilities
600 Brookestone Meadows PlazaElkhorn NE 68022 | (402) 289-2696wwBrookestoneMeadowscom
QUALITY LIFE | QUALITY CARE | EXCELLENT TEAMS | QUALITY REPUTATION | STEWARDSHIP
4330 South 144th StreetOmaha NE 68137
(402) 614-4000wwBrookestoneVillagecom
Proud Members of the Vetter Health Services Family
PhysicalOccupationalandSpeechTherapy Careaftertotaljointreplacement Strokerecovery Strengtheningaftercancertreatment Careaftersurgery Recoveryfromafallorextendedillness
Visit ourwebsite
to find outmore about us
OmahaBVampElkhornBM_Ad - Omaha 60+ Mag_111612_60+ Omaha Magazine Ad - BSV amp BSM 3112014 354 PM Page 1
Trouble Getting Up amp Down the StairsRegain your independence and the rest of your home
Largest showroom in the nationMultiple modelsone sure to fit your needs
Call for special pricing
12739 Q Street4024081990
wwwkohllscom
Recipient of
PLATINUM AWARD
T ONY LAZZARETTI KEPT AN eye on the mole on his chest for some time When it started getting bigger he made an
appointment with his doctor to get it checked A biopsy confirmed that it was melanomamdashthe deadliest form of skin cancer
Lazzaretti 70 years old at the time said he was never a ldquosun bunnyrdquo but he remembers getting some bad sunburns
Lazzaretti had surgery to remove the mole and several lymph nodes but a couple of years later the cancer returned This time the cancer was too extensive to remove with surgery says Alissa Marr MD an oncolo-gist at Nebraska Medicine specializing in melanoma and lung cancer
ldquoWe started him on a new immunomodu-latory drug and he has had no reoccurrence
SKIN CANCER CONTINUES
TO RISEgreatest increases among women and
men over 65
S18 60PLUS | julyaugust 2015 | omahamagazinecom
by susan meyers
60PLUS HEALTH
since thenrdquo she says ldquoThis is a remarkable story of how advanced treatments have become Over the past four years there have been six new drugs introduced for metastatic melanoma that have been very effective in a select group of patientsrdquo
The cases of melanoma have steadily increased over the past 30 years notes Dr Marr The greatest increases have been among white women between the ages of 15 and 39 years and in men over age 65
While the cause for the increase is not known better identification use of tanning beds and having one or more blistering sun-burns as a youth appear to boost the risk Some research shows that people who use tanning beds are 74 percent more likely to get melanoma than those who donrsquot use them notes Dr Marr
ldquoIf melanoma is caught at an early stage and treated with proper surgical resection it is highly curablerdquo she says
Melanoma typically starts as a mole See a doctor if you experience any of the ABCDErsquos of a mole asymmetry border irregularity color variation diameter (anything larger than a pencil eraser) and evolution mean-ing a mole that is changing itchy or bleeds
The highest incidence of this cancer occurs on the back of the legs in women and on the trunk and back for men However it can occur on any area of the body even those that have not been exposed to the sun says Marr If you get a suspicious mole removed it needs to be an excision or punch biopsy by a qualified physician in order to get an accurate evaluation
Basal and squamous cell skin cancers the most common forms of skin cancer typically occur on chronically sun-exposed areas such as the head neck ears and arms and are directly related to amount of sun exposure Suspicious symptoms include a shiny waxy scar-like spot that may be yellow or white with irregular borders a smooth bump that is indented in the middle a reddish patch that wonrsquot go away and may be painful or itchy or a sore that takes more than three weeks to heal
ldquoEveryone should have a full body skin exam every year by their doctor to check for skin cancerrdquo says Dr Marr ldquoThe goal is to find it before it progresses and when it is still very treatablerdquo
Now Lazzaretti tells his kids every chance he gets stay out of the sun stay away from tan-ning beds and wear sunscreen
julyaugust 2015 | 60PLUS S19
wwwNebraskaLowVisioncom 402-905-2794
Nebraska Low Vision wishes Mike Riley and
the Nebraska Cornhuskers Football Team much
success in 2015
S20 60PLUS | julyaugust 2015 | omahamagazinecom
60PLUS FACESby anna hensel | photography by bill sitzmann
RETIREMENT on the road
F RITZ SAMPSON SAYS HE likes to travel slowly but the words ldquotravelrdquo and ldquoslowlyrdquo can conjure up thoughts of
lounging over three hour-long dinners in Italy or spending an entire afternoon wandering through a village in France
For 65-year-old Fritz ldquotraveling slowlyrdquo means moving about 200 miles a day across Europe and Asia by motorcycle
Last March Fritz undertook a 115-day motorcycle journey through south-ern Europe the former Soviet bloc and Mongolia but his plans were cut short by more than three weeks after an accident in Mongolia
Itrsquos an itinerary that sounds crazy but when explained calmly by Fritz seems per-fectly reasonable
ldquoWhether itrsquos breaking a shoulder or get-ting stopped by police or running out of food things are going to happenrdquo Fritz says ldquoAnd thatrsquos why you take the trip because itrsquos an adventurerdquo
According to Sampson and his wife of 40 years Mary he always had a daring spirit
ldquoThatrsquos what I loved him for was his sense of adventurerdquo Mary says ldquoNo one is compa-rable to Fritzmdashhersquos all out for the experience
The couple met on the Model United Nations Team at Creighton University and married in 1975 right out of college They and their two children moved to Germany in 1998 while Fritz pursued a degree in inter-national tax law His career took him every-where from China to Belize but he still craved different ways to see the world
A long-distance cyclist he rode for years all over the United States But as he aged he turned to a new mode of transportation motorcycling
He bought a new Harley Davidson in 2007 and in 2008 rode with his son Marty from Omaha to Tierra del Fuego an island chain
off the southernmost point of South AmericaldquoOne of the reasons I do thismdashI like meet-
ing people on the roadrdquo Fritz saysAfter his South American excursion Fritz
was itching to do a similar trip elsewhere He read about two motorcycle adventures on travel blogs that looked really interestingmdashone to the Russian far east another in outer Mongoliamdashand decided to combine the two by retiring and traveling to 17 countries He planned to begin in Ireland meet Mary in Turkey and eventually end up in Mongolia and Russia but had no other itinerary
That meant he spent a week in Bulgaria because he felt like it He chose to go to Kazakhstan instead of Turkmenistan because he met a fellow motorcyclist who was headed
there And when he told local policemen in Turkey the name of the hostel where he was staying they told him he shouldnrsquot sleep there and took him to a friendrsquos house where they hosted a barbecue for him
He also had a run-in with corrupt police in Azerbaijan lost 22 pounds and experienced that fateful fall in Mongolia that cut his trip short and left him with a broken shoulder
Therersquos only one thing hersquos cutting out of his routine off-roading on his motorcycle which led to his accident But he still wants to ride on motorcycle trips across the continental United States Alaska and Mexico
After all he says those are ldquoeasyrdquo rides
julyaugust 2015 | 60PLUS S21
I rsquoVE NEVER OWNED A video camera of any kind Okay so Irsquove just been reminded that my cell phone gizmo has such a device
but having never used it I still qualify as a video virgin
Sony introduced the first consumer cam-corder in 1983 the year my youngest child was born This made our family a prime target for being an early adapter in what became something of a video mania Almost over-night a populist paparazzi were born where every dad (Why was it always the dads) at every kindergarten holiday program was armed with a cinder-block-sized camera that instantly made him some kind of Fellini wanna-be
I refused to join the Betamax Age because my makeup is one where I want to remember things the way I want to remember thingsmdashnot necessarily how they actually happened
Ample video of my kidsrsquo childhood years exists from the cameras of extended family members and a couple of clan get-togethers have been marred when some idiot got the
bright idea that we should all watch old videos together Irsquom sure any good shrink would have a field day getting inside my head but the experience of viewing those picnics and parties and plays unfold on screen washellipwell ldquodisturbingrdquo is not at all too powerful a word
Itrsquos not that I am a dispassionate stoic For whatever weird reason being confronted with a filmed retelling of events rearranges my mental furniture in an unsettling almost visceral way
That tyranny of memory has only grown over the years and wersquove all witnessed the rise of the camera-obsessed malady Irsquoll call the Fear of Missing Out Syndrome In a sickness typified by living vicariously through a view-finder itrsquos as if film and only film is capable of proving even to ourselves the existential reality of a person place or thing
ldquoI saw Pope Francisrdquo ldquoI saw Pres- ident Obamardquo ldquoI saw Garth Brooksrdquo people exclaim
No you didnrsquot You saw only mere pixels while struggling to center a celebrityrsquos image
on your camera You had exactly the same experience I had when I saw almost identical footage on CNN or the local news except that my experience was better in that it was rendered by seasoned videographers on pro-fessional equipment You were there but you werenrsquot there
Just check out the June 15 Sports Illustrated cover online Get my point
Our society has become one of dim imagi-nations reflected in the even dimmer glows of electronic gadgets
As some dude named Lord Acton once claimed ldquoHistory is not a burden on the memory but an illumination of the soulrdquo I kinda dig that Lord Acton guy even if his name sounds like a super-classy moniker for a faux-British-bad-guy rassler on WWE
At least according to his lordship I donrsquot have an almost pathological relationship with memory I have an illuminated soul
LORD ACTON SAID IT BESTlife through a viewfinder
S22 60PLUS | julyaugust 2015 | omahamagazinecom
by david williams
60PLUS THE GRANDPA CHRONICLES
julyaugust 2015 | 60PLUS S23
DIRECTORY
Elk Ridge Village on the Lake Retirement CommunityElk Ridge Village provides Independent and Assisted Living and Alzheimerrsquos Care and is committed to providing services of the highest quality
19303 Seward Plaza402-312-1198402-216-8835wwwelkridgeseniorlivingcom
Brookestone MeadowsBrookestone VillageSkilled nursing communities provid-ing short-term rehabilitation including physical occupational and speech ther-apy as well as long-term nursing care
wwwBrookestoneVillagecom402-614-4000 bull OmahawwwBrookestoneMeadowscom402-280-2696 bull Elkhorn
Home Care Assistance
Our services are distinguished by the caliber of our caregivers the respon-siveness of our staff and our expertise in Live-In care We embrace a positive balanced approach to aging centered on the evolving needs of older adults
402-763-9140homecareassistanceomahacom
EJ Militti JrFinancial AdvisorThe Militti Group at Morgan Stanley
Wealth and Estate Planning Risk-Management Executive Services Foundations amp Endowments
(402) 399-1513wwwmorganstanleyfacommilittigroup
Saint Jude Hospice
Rooted in Christian Love and Guided by the Holy Spirit our Radical Loving Care brings healing to those when their hope has changed from a cure to comfort
10506 Burt Circle402-609-4818saintjudehospiceorg
Steven D Wegner DDS
Dr Wegner has 35 years of clinical experi-ence and thousands of hours of continuing education He knows how to help seniors and all ages to achieve and keep a healthy smile
11840 Nicholas StSuite 210Omaha NE 68154402-498-0400
Travel and Transport
Travel and Transport is proud to be the 5th largest travel agency in the US servicing clients throughout the country as well as globally
travelandtransportcom 402-399-4500
Nebraska Cancer SpecialistsNebraska Cancer Specialists is dedicated to providing complete cancer treatment for patients medical oncology radiation oncology surgical specialists and diagnostic services
5 Convenient LocationsFor address and phone infovisit our websitenebraskacancercom
Kohllrsquos Pharmacy amp Homecare
8 locations amp free delivery Providing retail amp compounded prescriptions all medical equipment amp supplies
402-408-1990 wwwkohllscom
Home Instead Senior Care
If yoursquore looking for someone to help you or a loved one a few hours a week or need more comprehensive assistance Home Instead Senior Care can help
Metro 4024983444West 4029324555
Nebraska Low Vision
Regain the Joy ofreading and writing today
In Home Demo Call 402-905-2794wwwNebraskaLowVisioncom
hillcresthealthcomProviding the regionrsquos widest array of aging-related services
One family Many servicesHillcrest Country EstatesContinuing care retirement communityfeaturing the Grand LodgeHwy 370 amp 60th Street Papillion(402) 885-7007
Hillcrest Health amp RehabIn-patient rehabilitation1702 Hillcrest Drive Bellevue(402) 291-8500
Hillcrest Physical TherapyOutpatient physical occupational and speech therapy1804 Hillcrest Drive Bellevue(402) 682-4210
Hillcrest Victoria GardensMemory support assisted living1702 Hillcrest Drive Bellevue(402) 682-4295
Hillcrest Mable Rose amp The ClubAssisted living memory support amp adult day servicesHwy 370 amp 48th Street Bellevue(402) 291-9777
Hillcrest Home CareSkilled home health and in-home personal careServing 9 counties in NE and IA(402) 682-4808
Hillcrest Hospice CareCompassionate end-of-life supportServing 7 counties in NE(402) 934-2282
The Grand LodgeIndependent Living
Now Open(402) 885-7007
Enhancing L ives
travelandtransportcom Located at 72nd amp Mercy | 4023994555 CORPORATE TRAVEL | EVENTS | LOYALTY | VACATIONS
Call today to book your getaway4023994555omahavacationstravelandtransportcom
Ultimate ExperienceGrand Voyage amp World Cruise For a truly once-in-a-lifetime experience spend the better part of a year traversing the world aboard a luxury cruise liner Visit Hawaii Fiji Australia Bangkok and countless other bucket list destinations aboard the Crystal Cruises linerhellipall in one trip Another option embark on a Grand Voyage with Holland America where yoursquoll swim in the Great Barrier Reef visit Egypt Greece Spain and many more Or go around the world in 180 days with Oceania for destinations like Iceland Cyprus India and the Seychelles When you return home from an experience like these you will have memories to last a lifetime
Our Recommendations95 or 103-Day World Cruise with Crystal Cruises (Round-trip from Miami or San Francisco)115-Day Grand Voyage with Holland America Line (Round-trip from Fort Lauderdale)180-Day Global Cruise with Oceania (Round-trip from Miami)
Grand Voyage amp World Cruise
ldquo
PICKLEBALL more fun than drinking a
barrel of vinegar
S14 60PLUS | julyaugust 2015 | omahamagazinecom
60PLUS COVER FEATUREby kara schweiss | photography by bill sitzmann
I TrsquoS PLAYED ON A badminton-size court but with the net lowered to 34 inches at the center The paddles look like a hybrid
of racquetball racquets and table tennis pad-dles The rules are somewhat similar to tennis but the serve is underhand And the ball looks more like a whiffle ball than a vinegar-soaked cucumber Itrsquos Pickleballmdasha sport that is quickly gaining a large following with the local club Pickleball Omaha boasting around 225 members
The gamersquos origins date back to a 1965 Washington state backyard and even its
creators canrsquot quite agree on whether the name came from a family dog or a term associated with rowing Regardless of this pickleball has evolved over 50 years from an improvised family pastime to a thriving widely recog-nized passion The statewide organization Pickleball Nebraska was founded in 2012 and the sport has been part of Nebraskarsquos State Games of America (formerly Cornhusker State Games) since 2011 It is even going to be part of the State Games of Americarsquos national competition for the first time this summer when Nebraska serves as host state gt
julyaugust 2015 | 60PLUS S15
lt Pickleball Nebraska President Bill Holt (pictured on the cover) discovered the sport in 2008 while wintering in Arizona It was popular with the retirement crowd there he says but relatively unknown back home in Nebraskamdashwithout an organized following or designated courts So Holt and his wife Nancy created a makeshift playing field on an Omaha tennis court that spring and began introducing friends to the sport Interest has grown steadily since
ldquoThere was no place to play pickleball in Nebraska that I was aware of and nobody I knew playedrdquo Holt says ldquoWe now have 10 places to play listed (on the USA Pickleball Association website at uspaaorg) and there are actually more than thatrdquo More informa-tion on this pastime is available at pickleball-nebraskawordpresscom and players can now also find local places to participate through the clubrsquos page on Facebook
Like Holt Camille Culprsquos association with pickleball originated in Arizona Her hus-band Wayne played the game for the first time on a business trip six years ago intro-duced Camille and soon the couple found other enthusiasts in Omaha Culp was one of the first women to play locally and she
says introductory clinics open play sessions and a welcoming community have helped the sport grow in the area Women now make up more than half of Pickleball Nebraskarsquos membership
ldquoThatrsquos the pickleball thing always chat up whoever stops byrdquo says Culp who now serves as the grouprsquos treasurer ldquoThey can try it right away and see what they think and of course in my opinion 95 percent of them are hookedrdquo
Holt says club members range from 30-something to 82 and most participants play doubles A high degree of physical condi-tioning isnrsquot necessary to start but the game can be very intense and local players self-classify as A-level B-level or somewhere in between to determine if they should play recreationally or competitively
ldquoAnybody can join The typical person is 60-65 and has played sports Irsquove always been fairly active in one thing or anotherrdquo Holt says ldquoAnyone can learn to playhellipitrsquos great for all agesrdquo
ldquoItrsquos relatively easy to learnrdquo Culp agrees ldquoI only see the sport getting more popularrdquo
S16 60PLUS | julyaugust 2015 | omahamagazinecom
60PLUS COVER FEATURE
This certification is an honor a testament to our high standard of care mdash and a reminder that we must always strive to exceed our own expectations to better care for you Our twelve experienced highly-skilled cancer specialists are dedicated to complete cancer treatment and research with over 100 clinical trials available
CHI Health Cancer Center - Bergan (402) 393-3110Methodist Estabrook Cancer Center (402) 354-8124Midwest Cancer Center Papillion (402) 593-3141Midwest Cancer Center Legacy (402) 334-4773Health Park Plaza-Fremont Health (402) 941-7030
Margaret Block MD
M Salman Haroon MD
Ralph J Hauke MD
Timothy K Huyck MD
Robert M Langdon Jr MD
Kirsten M Leu MD
John M Longo MD
Geetha Palaniappan MD
David A Silverberg MD
Gamini S Soori MD
Yungpo Bernard Su MD
Stefano R Tarantolo MD
Benefit from everything we can offer as the largest independent QOPI-certified cancer practice in Nebraska
Receive the Highest Level of Cancer Care
NEBRASKA CANCER SPECIALISTS IS QOPIreg CERTIFIED
Nebraska Library CommissionTalking Book and Braille Service
402-471-4038 bull 800-742-7691nlctalkingbooknebraskagov bull wwwnlcnebraskagov
Reading is for Everyone Your Libraryreg
Talking Books are free for anyone who
has difficulty holding a book turning
a page or seeing regular print The
recordings are loaned and returned
through the mail ndash postage-free ndash or
can be downloaded
julyaugust 2015 | 60PLUS S17
WhenExperience Counts
Experience our State-of-the-Art Facilities
600 Brookestone Meadows PlazaElkhorn NE 68022 | (402) 289-2696wwBrookestoneMeadowscom
QUALITY LIFE | QUALITY CARE | EXCELLENT TEAMS | QUALITY REPUTATION | STEWARDSHIP
4330 South 144th StreetOmaha NE 68137
(402) 614-4000wwBrookestoneVillagecom
Proud Members of the Vetter Health Services Family
PhysicalOccupationalandSpeechTherapy Careaftertotaljointreplacement Strokerecovery Strengtheningaftercancertreatment Careaftersurgery Recoveryfromafallorextendedillness
Visit ourwebsite
to find outmore about us
OmahaBVampElkhornBM_Ad - Omaha 60+ Mag_111612_60+ Omaha Magazine Ad - BSV amp BSM 3112014 354 PM Page 1
Trouble Getting Up amp Down the StairsRegain your independence and the rest of your home
Largest showroom in the nationMultiple modelsone sure to fit your needs
Call for special pricing
12739 Q Street4024081990
wwwkohllscom
Recipient of
PLATINUM AWARD
T ONY LAZZARETTI KEPT AN eye on the mole on his chest for some time When it started getting bigger he made an
appointment with his doctor to get it checked A biopsy confirmed that it was melanomamdashthe deadliest form of skin cancer
Lazzaretti 70 years old at the time said he was never a ldquosun bunnyrdquo but he remembers getting some bad sunburns
Lazzaretti had surgery to remove the mole and several lymph nodes but a couple of years later the cancer returned This time the cancer was too extensive to remove with surgery says Alissa Marr MD an oncolo-gist at Nebraska Medicine specializing in melanoma and lung cancer
ldquoWe started him on a new immunomodu-latory drug and he has had no reoccurrence
SKIN CANCER CONTINUES
TO RISEgreatest increases among women and
men over 65
S18 60PLUS | julyaugust 2015 | omahamagazinecom
by susan meyers
60PLUS HEALTH
since thenrdquo she says ldquoThis is a remarkable story of how advanced treatments have become Over the past four years there have been six new drugs introduced for metastatic melanoma that have been very effective in a select group of patientsrdquo
The cases of melanoma have steadily increased over the past 30 years notes Dr Marr The greatest increases have been among white women between the ages of 15 and 39 years and in men over age 65
While the cause for the increase is not known better identification use of tanning beds and having one or more blistering sun-burns as a youth appear to boost the risk Some research shows that people who use tanning beds are 74 percent more likely to get melanoma than those who donrsquot use them notes Dr Marr
ldquoIf melanoma is caught at an early stage and treated with proper surgical resection it is highly curablerdquo she says
Melanoma typically starts as a mole See a doctor if you experience any of the ABCDErsquos of a mole asymmetry border irregularity color variation diameter (anything larger than a pencil eraser) and evolution mean-ing a mole that is changing itchy or bleeds
The highest incidence of this cancer occurs on the back of the legs in women and on the trunk and back for men However it can occur on any area of the body even those that have not been exposed to the sun says Marr If you get a suspicious mole removed it needs to be an excision or punch biopsy by a qualified physician in order to get an accurate evaluation
Basal and squamous cell skin cancers the most common forms of skin cancer typically occur on chronically sun-exposed areas such as the head neck ears and arms and are directly related to amount of sun exposure Suspicious symptoms include a shiny waxy scar-like spot that may be yellow or white with irregular borders a smooth bump that is indented in the middle a reddish patch that wonrsquot go away and may be painful or itchy or a sore that takes more than three weeks to heal
ldquoEveryone should have a full body skin exam every year by their doctor to check for skin cancerrdquo says Dr Marr ldquoThe goal is to find it before it progresses and when it is still very treatablerdquo
Now Lazzaretti tells his kids every chance he gets stay out of the sun stay away from tan-ning beds and wear sunscreen
julyaugust 2015 | 60PLUS S19
wwwNebraskaLowVisioncom 402-905-2794
Nebraska Low Vision wishes Mike Riley and
the Nebraska Cornhuskers Football Team much
success in 2015
S20 60PLUS | julyaugust 2015 | omahamagazinecom
60PLUS FACESby anna hensel | photography by bill sitzmann
RETIREMENT on the road
F RITZ SAMPSON SAYS HE likes to travel slowly but the words ldquotravelrdquo and ldquoslowlyrdquo can conjure up thoughts of
lounging over three hour-long dinners in Italy or spending an entire afternoon wandering through a village in France
For 65-year-old Fritz ldquotraveling slowlyrdquo means moving about 200 miles a day across Europe and Asia by motorcycle
Last March Fritz undertook a 115-day motorcycle journey through south-ern Europe the former Soviet bloc and Mongolia but his plans were cut short by more than three weeks after an accident in Mongolia
Itrsquos an itinerary that sounds crazy but when explained calmly by Fritz seems per-fectly reasonable
ldquoWhether itrsquos breaking a shoulder or get-ting stopped by police or running out of food things are going to happenrdquo Fritz says ldquoAnd thatrsquos why you take the trip because itrsquos an adventurerdquo
According to Sampson and his wife of 40 years Mary he always had a daring spirit
ldquoThatrsquos what I loved him for was his sense of adventurerdquo Mary says ldquoNo one is compa-rable to Fritzmdashhersquos all out for the experience
The couple met on the Model United Nations Team at Creighton University and married in 1975 right out of college They and their two children moved to Germany in 1998 while Fritz pursued a degree in inter-national tax law His career took him every-where from China to Belize but he still craved different ways to see the world
A long-distance cyclist he rode for years all over the United States But as he aged he turned to a new mode of transportation motorcycling
He bought a new Harley Davidson in 2007 and in 2008 rode with his son Marty from Omaha to Tierra del Fuego an island chain
off the southernmost point of South AmericaldquoOne of the reasons I do thismdashI like meet-
ing people on the roadrdquo Fritz saysAfter his South American excursion Fritz
was itching to do a similar trip elsewhere He read about two motorcycle adventures on travel blogs that looked really interestingmdashone to the Russian far east another in outer Mongoliamdashand decided to combine the two by retiring and traveling to 17 countries He planned to begin in Ireland meet Mary in Turkey and eventually end up in Mongolia and Russia but had no other itinerary
That meant he spent a week in Bulgaria because he felt like it He chose to go to Kazakhstan instead of Turkmenistan because he met a fellow motorcyclist who was headed
there And when he told local policemen in Turkey the name of the hostel where he was staying they told him he shouldnrsquot sleep there and took him to a friendrsquos house where they hosted a barbecue for him
He also had a run-in with corrupt police in Azerbaijan lost 22 pounds and experienced that fateful fall in Mongolia that cut his trip short and left him with a broken shoulder
Therersquos only one thing hersquos cutting out of his routine off-roading on his motorcycle which led to his accident But he still wants to ride on motorcycle trips across the continental United States Alaska and Mexico
After all he says those are ldquoeasyrdquo rides
julyaugust 2015 | 60PLUS S21
I rsquoVE NEVER OWNED A video camera of any kind Okay so Irsquove just been reminded that my cell phone gizmo has such a device
but having never used it I still qualify as a video virgin
Sony introduced the first consumer cam-corder in 1983 the year my youngest child was born This made our family a prime target for being an early adapter in what became something of a video mania Almost over-night a populist paparazzi were born where every dad (Why was it always the dads) at every kindergarten holiday program was armed with a cinder-block-sized camera that instantly made him some kind of Fellini wanna-be
I refused to join the Betamax Age because my makeup is one where I want to remember things the way I want to remember thingsmdashnot necessarily how they actually happened
Ample video of my kidsrsquo childhood years exists from the cameras of extended family members and a couple of clan get-togethers have been marred when some idiot got the
bright idea that we should all watch old videos together Irsquom sure any good shrink would have a field day getting inside my head but the experience of viewing those picnics and parties and plays unfold on screen washellipwell ldquodisturbingrdquo is not at all too powerful a word
Itrsquos not that I am a dispassionate stoic For whatever weird reason being confronted with a filmed retelling of events rearranges my mental furniture in an unsettling almost visceral way
That tyranny of memory has only grown over the years and wersquove all witnessed the rise of the camera-obsessed malady Irsquoll call the Fear of Missing Out Syndrome In a sickness typified by living vicariously through a view-finder itrsquos as if film and only film is capable of proving even to ourselves the existential reality of a person place or thing
ldquoI saw Pope Francisrdquo ldquoI saw Pres- ident Obamardquo ldquoI saw Garth Brooksrdquo people exclaim
No you didnrsquot You saw only mere pixels while struggling to center a celebrityrsquos image
on your camera You had exactly the same experience I had when I saw almost identical footage on CNN or the local news except that my experience was better in that it was rendered by seasoned videographers on pro-fessional equipment You were there but you werenrsquot there
Just check out the June 15 Sports Illustrated cover online Get my point
Our society has become one of dim imagi-nations reflected in the even dimmer glows of electronic gadgets
As some dude named Lord Acton once claimed ldquoHistory is not a burden on the memory but an illumination of the soulrdquo I kinda dig that Lord Acton guy even if his name sounds like a super-classy moniker for a faux-British-bad-guy rassler on WWE
At least according to his lordship I donrsquot have an almost pathological relationship with memory I have an illuminated soul
LORD ACTON SAID IT BESTlife through a viewfinder
S22 60PLUS | julyaugust 2015 | omahamagazinecom
by david williams
60PLUS THE GRANDPA CHRONICLES
julyaugust 2015 | 60PLUS S23
DIRECTORY
Elk Ridge Village on the Lake Retirement CommunityElk Ridge Village provides Independent and Assisted Living and Alzheimerrsquos Care and is committed to providing services of the highest quality
19303 Seward Plaza402-312-1198402-216-8835wwwelkridgeseniorlivingcom
Brookestone MeadowsBrookestone VillageSkilled nursing communities provid-ing short-term rehabilitation including physical occupational and speech ther-apy as well as long-term nursing care
wwwBrookestoneVillagecom402-614-4000 bull OmahawwwBrookestoneMeadowscom402-280-2696 bull Elkhorn
Home Care Assistance
Our services are distinguished by the caliber of our caregivers the respon-siveness of our staff and our expertise in Live-In care We embrace a positive balanced approach to aging centered on the evolving needs of older adults
402-763-9140homecareassistanceomahacom
EJ Militti JrFinancial AdvisorThe Militti Group at Morgan Stanley
Wealth and Estate Planning Risk-Management Executive Services Foundations amp Endowments
(402) 399-1513wwwmorganstanleyfacommilittigroup
Saint Jude Hospice
Rooted in Christian Love and Guided by the Holy Spirit our Radical Loving Care brings healing to those when their hope has changed from a cure to comfort
10506 Burt Circle402-609-4818saintjudehospiceorg
Steven D Wegner DDS
Dr Wegner has 35 years of clinical experi-ence and thousands of hours of continuing education He knows how to help seniors and all ages to achieve and keep a healthy smile
11840 Nicholas StSuite 210Omaha NE 68154402-498-0400
Travel and Transport
Travel and Transport is proud to be the 5th largest travel agency in the US servicing clients throughout the country as well as globally
travelandtransportcom 402-399-4500
Nebraska Cancer SpecialistsNebraska Cancer Specialists is dedicated to providing complete cancer treatment for patients medical oncology radiation oncology surgical specialists and diagnostic services
5 Convenient LocationsFor address and phone infovisit our websitenebraskacancercom
Kohllrsquos Pharmacy amp Homecare
8 locations amp free delivery Providing retail amp compounded prescriptions all medical equipment amp supplies
402-408-1990 wwwkohllscom
Home Instead Senior Care
If yoursquore looking for someone to help you or a loved one a few hours a week or need more comprehensive assistance Home Instead Senior Care can help
Metro 4024983444West 4029324555
Nebraska Low Vision
Regain the Joy ofreading and writing today
In Home Demo Call 402-905-2794wwwNebraskaLowVisioncom
hillcresthealthcomProviding the regionrsquos widest array of aging-related services
One family Many servicesHillcrest Country EstatesContinuing care retirement communityfeaturing the Grand LodgeHwy 370 amp 60th Street Papillion(402) 885-7007
Hillcrest Health amp RehabIn-patient rehabilitation1702 Hillcrest Drive Bellevue(402) 291-8500
Hillcrest Physical TherapyOutpatient physical occupational and speech therapy1804 Hillcrest Drive Bellevue(402) 682-4210
Hillcrest Victoria GardensMemory support assisted living1702 Hillcrest Drive Bellevue(402) 682-4295
Hillcrest Mable Rose amp The ClubAssisted living memory support amp adult day servicesHwy 370 amp 48th Street Bellevue(402) 291-9777
Hillcrest Home CareSkilled home health and in-home personal careServing 9 counties in NE and IA(402) 682-4808
Hillcrest Hospice CareCompassionate end-of-life supportServing 7 counties in NE(402) 934-2282
The Grand LodgeIndependent Living
Now Open(402) 885-7007
Enhancing L ives
ldquo
PICKLEBALL more fun than drinking a
barrel of vinegar
S14 60PLUS | julyaugust 2015 | omahamagazinecom
60PLUS COVER FEATUREby kara schweiss | photography by bill sitzmann
I TrsquoS PLAYED ON A badminton-size court but with the net lowered to 34 inches at the center The paddles look like a hybrid
of racquetball racquets and table tennis pad-dles The rules are somewhat similar to tennis but the serve is underhand And the ball looks more like a whiffle ball than a vinegar-soaked cucumber Itrsquos Pickleballmdasha sport that is quickly gaining a large following with the local club Pickleball Omaha boasting around 225 members
The gamersquos origins date back to a 1965 Washington state backyard and even its
creators canrsquot quite agree on whether the name came from a family dog or a term associated with rowing Regardless of this pickleball has evolved over 50 years from an improvised family pastime to a thriving widely recog-nized passion The statewide organization Pickleball Nebraska was founded in 2012 and the sport has been part of Nebraskarsquos State Games of America (formerly Cornhusker State Games) since 2011 It is even going to be part of the State Games of Americarsquos national competition for the first time this summer when Nebraska serves as host state gt
julyaugust 2015 | 60PLUS S15
lt Pickleball Nebraska President Bill Holt (pictured on the cover) discovered the sport in 2008 while wintering in Arizona It was popular with the retirement crowd there he says but relatively unknown back home in Nebraskamdashwithout an organized following or designated courts So Holt and his wife Nancy created a makeshift playing field on an Omaha tennis court that spring and began introducing friends to the sport Interest has grown steadily since
ldquoThere was no place to play pickleball in Nebraska that I was aware of and nobody I knew playedrdquo Holt says ldquoWe now have 10 places to play listed (on the USA Pickleball Association website at uspaaorg) and there are actually more than thatrdquo More informa-tion on this pastime is available at pickleball-nebraskawordpresscom and players can now also find local places to participate through the clubrsquos page on Facebook
Like Holt Camille Culprsquos association with pickleball originated in Arizona Her hus-band Wayne played the game for the first time on a business trip six years ago intro-duced Camille and soon the couple found other enthusiasts in Omaha Culp was one of the first women to play locally and she
says introductory clinics open play sessions and a welcoming community have helped the sport grow in the area Women now make up more than half of Pickleball Nebraskarsquos membership
ldquoThatrsquos the pickleball thing always chat up whoever stops byrdquo says Culp who now serves as the grouprsquos treasurer ldquoThey can try it right away and see what they think and of course in my opinion 95 percent of them are hookedrdquo
Holt says club members range from 30-something to 82 and most participants play doubles A high degree of physical condi-tioning isnrsquot necessary to start but the game can be very intense and local players self-classify as A-level B-level or somewhere in between to determine if they should play recreationally or competitively
ldquoAnybody can join The typical person is 60-65 and has played sports Irsquove always been fairly active in one thing or anotherrdquo Holt says ldquoAnyone can learn to playhellipitrsquos great for all agesrdquo
ldquoItrsquos relatively easy to learnrdquo Culp agrees ldquoI only see the sport getting more popularrdquo
S16 60PLUS | julyaugust 2015 | omahamagazinecom
60PLUS COVER FEATURE
This certification is an honor a testament to our high standard of care mdash and a reminder that we must always strive to exceed our own expectations to better care for you Our twelve experienced highly-skilled cancer specialists are dedicated to complete cancer treatment and research with over 100 clinical trials available
CHI Health Cancer Center - Bergan (402) 393-3110Methodist Estabrook Cancer Center (402) 354-8124Midwest Cancer Center Papillion (402) 593-3141Midwest Cancer Center Legacy (402) 334-4773Health Park Plaza-Fremont Health (402) 941-7030
Margaret Block MD
M Salman Haroon MD
Ralph J Hauke MD
Timothy K Huyck MD
Robert M Langdon Jr MD
Kirsten M Leu MD
John M Longo MD
Geetha Palaniappan MD
David A Silverberg MD
Gamini S Soori MD
Yungpo Bernard Su MD
Stefano R Tarantolo MD
Benefit from everything we can offer as the largest independent QOPI-certified cancer practice in Nebraska
Receive the Highest Level of Cancer Care
NEBRASKA CANCER SPECIALISTS IS QOPIreg CERTIFIED
Nebraska Library CommissionTalking Book and Braille Service
402-471-4038 bull 800-742-7691nlctalkingbooknebraskagov bull wwwnlcnebraskagov
Reading is for Everyone Your Libraryreg
Talking Books are free for anyone who
has difficulty holding a book turning
a page or seeing regular print The
recordings are loaned and returned
through the mail ndash postage-free ndash or
can be downloaded
julyaugust 2015 | 60PLUS S17
WhenExperience Counts
Experience our State-of-the-Art Facilities
600 Brookestone Meadows PlazaElkhorn NE 68022 | (402) 289-2696wwBrookestoneMeadowscom
QUALITY LIFE | QUALITY CARE | EXCELLENT TEAMS | QUALITY REPUTATION | STEWARDSHIP
4330 South 144th StreetOmaha NE 68137
(402) 614-4000wwBrookestoneVillagecom
Proud Members of the Vetter Health Services Family
PhysicalOccupationalandSpeechTherapy Careaftertotaljointreplacement Strokerecovery Strengtheningaftercancertreatment Careaftersurgery Recoveryfromafallorextendedillness
Visit ourwebsite
to find outmore about us
OmahaBVampElkhornBM_Ad - Omaha 60+ Mag_111612_60+ Omaha Magazine Ad - BSV amp BSM 3112014 354 PM Page 1
Trouble Getting Up amp Down the StairsRegain your independence and the rest of your home
Largest showroom in the nationMultiple modelsone sure to fit your needs
Call for special pricing
12739 Q Street4024081990
wwwkohllscom
Recipient of
PLATINUM AWARD
T ONY LAZZARETTI KEPT AN eye on the mole on his chest for some time When it started getting bigger he made an
appointment with his doctor to get it checked A biopsy confirmed that it was melanomamdashthe deadliest form of skin cancer
Lazzaretti 70 years old at the time said he was never a ldquosun bunnyrdquo but he remembers getting some bad sunburns
Lazzaretti had surgery to remove the mole and several lymph nodes but a couple of years later the cancer returned This time the cancer was too extensive to remove with surgery says Alissa Marr MD an oncolo-gist at Nebraska Medicine specializing in melanoma and lung cancer
ldquoWe started him on a new immunomodu-latory drug and he has had no reoccurrence
SKIN CANCER CONTINUES
TO RISEgreatest increases among women and
men over 65
S18 60PLUS | julyaugust 2015 | omahamagazinecom
by susan meyers
60PLUS HEALTH
since thenrdquo she says ldquoThis is a remarkable story of how advanced treatments have become Over the past four years there have been six new drugs introduced for metastatic melanoma that have been very effective in a select group of patientsrdquo
The cases of melanoma have steadily increased over the past 30 years notes Dr Marr The greatest increases have been among white women between the ages of 15 and 39 years and in men over age 65
While the cause for the increase is not known better identification use of tanning beds and having one or more blistering sun-burns as a youth appear to boost the risk Some research shows that people who use tanning beds are 74 percent more likely to get melanoma than those who donrsquot use them notes Dr Marr
ldquoIf melanoma is caught at an early stage and treated with proper surgical resection it is highly curablerdquo she says
Melanoma typically starts as a mole See a doctor if you experience any of the ABCDErsquos of a mole asymmetry border irregularity color variation diameter (anything larger than a pencil eraser) and evolution mean-ing a mole that is changing itchy or bleeds
The highest incidence of this cancer occurs on the back of the legs in women and on the trunk and back for men However it can occur on any area of the body even those that have not been exposed to the sun says Marr If you get a suspicious mole removed it needs to be an excision or punch biopsy by a qualified physician in order to get an accurate evaluation
Basal and squamous cell skin cancers the most common forms of skin cancer typically occur on chronically sun-exposed areas such as the head neck ears and arms and are directly related to amount of sun exposure Suspicious symptoms include a shiny waxy scar-like spot that may be yellow or white with irregular borders a smooth bump that is indented in the middle a reddish patch that wonrsquot go away and may be painful or itchy or a sore that takes more than three weeks to heal
ldquoEveryone should have a full body skin exam every year by their doctor to check for skin cancerrdquo says Dr Marr ldquoThe goal is to find it before it progresses and when it is still very treatablerdquo
Now Lazzaretti tells his kids every chance he gets stay out of the sun stay away from tan-ning beds and wear sunscreen
julyaugust 2015 | 60PLUS S19
wwwNebraskaLowVisioncom 402-905-2794
Nebraska Low Vision wishes Mike Riley and
the Nebraska Cornhuskers Football Team much
success in 2015
S20 60PLUS | julyaugust 2015 | omahamagazinecom
60PLUS FACESby anna hensel | photography by bill sitzmann
RETIREMENT on the road
F RITZ SAMPSON SAYS HE likes to travel slowly but the words ldquotravelrdquo and ldquoslowlyrdquo can conjure up thoughts of
lounging over three hour-long dinners in Italy or spending an entire afternoon wandering through a village in France
For 65-year-old Fritz ldquotraveling slowlyrdquo means moving about 200 miles a day across Europe and Asia by motorcycle
Last March Fritz undertook a 115-day motorcycle journey through south-ern Europe the former Soviet bloc and Mongolia but his plans were cut short by more than three weeks after an accident in Mongolia
Itrsquos an itinerary that sounds crazy but when explained calmly by Fritz seems per-fectly reasonable
ldquoWhether itrsquos breaking a shoulder or get-ting stopped by police or running out of food things are going to happenrdquo Fritz says ldquoAnd thatrsquos why you take the trip because itrsquos an adventurerdquo
According to Sampson and his wife of 40 years Mary he always had a daring spirit
ldquoThatrsquos what I loved him for was his sense of adventurerdquo Mary says ldquoNo one is compa-rable to Fritzmdashhersquos all out for the experience
The couple met on the Model United Nations Team at Creighton University and married in 1975 right out of college They and their two children moved to Germany in 1998 while Fritz pursued a degree in inter-national tax law His career took him every-where from China to Belize but he still craved different ways to see the world
A long-distance cyclist he rode for years all over the United States But as he aged he turned to a new mode of transportation motorcycling
He bought a new Harley Davidson in 2007 and in 2008 rode with his son Marty from Omaha to Tierra del Fuego an island chain
off the southernmost point of South AmericaldquoOne of the reasons I do thismdashI like meet-
ing people on the roadrdquo Fritz saysAfter his South American excursion Fritz
was itching to do a similar trip elsewhere He read about two motorcycle adventures on travel blogs that looked really interestingmdashone to the Russian far east another in outer Mongoliamdashand decided to combine the two by retiring and traveling to 17 countries He planned to begin in Ireland meet Mary in Turkey and eventually end up in Mongolia and Russia but had no other itinerary
That meant he spent a week in Bulgaria because he felt like it He chose to go to Kazakhstan instead of Turkmenistan because he met a fellow motorcyclist who was headed
there And when he told local policemen in Turkey the name of the hostel where he was staying they told him he shouldnrsquot sleep there and took him to a friendrsquos house where they hosted a barbecue for him
He also had a run-in with corrupt police in Azerbaijan lost 22 pounds and experienced that fateful fall in Mongolia that cut his trip short and left him with a broken shoulder
Therersquos only one thing hersquos cutting out of his routine off-roading on his motorcycle which led to his accident But he still wants to ride on motorcycle trips across the continental United States Alaska and Mexico
After all he says those are ldquoeasyrdquo rides
julyaugust 2015 | 60PLUS S21
I rsquoVE NEVER OWNED A video camera of any kind Okay so Irsquove just been reminded that my cell phone gizmo has such a device
but having never used it I still qualify as a video virgin
Sony introduced the first consumer cam-corder in 1983 the year my youngest child was born This made our family a prime target for being an early adapter in what became something of a video mania Almost over-night a populist paparazzi were born where every dad (Why was it always the dads) at every kindergarten holiday program was armed with a cinder-block-sized camera that instantly made him some kind of Fellini wanna-be
I refused to join the Betamax Age because my makeup is one where I want to remember things the way I want to remember thingsmdashnot necessarily how they actually happened
Ample video of my kidsrsquo childhood years exists from the cameras of extended family members and a couple of clan get-togethers have been marred when some idiot got the
bright idea that we should all watch old videos together Irsquom sure any good shrink would have a field day getting inside my head but the experience of viewing those picnics and parties and plays unfold on screen washellipwell ldquodisturbingrdquo is not at all too powerful a word
Itrsquos not that I am a dispassionate stoic For whatever weird reason being confronted with a filmed retelling of events rearranges my mental furniture in an unsettling almost visceral way
That tyranny of memory has only grown over the years and wersquove all witnessed the rise of the camera-obsessed malady Irsquoll call the Fear of Missing Out Syndrome In a sickness typified by living vicariously through a view-finder itrsquos as if film and only film is capable of proving even to ourselves the existential reality of a person place or thing
ldquoI saw Pope Francisrdquo ldquoI saw Pres- ident Obamardquo ldquoI saw Garth Brooksrdquo people exclaim
No you didnrsquot You saw only mere pixels while struggling to center a celebrityrsquos image
on your camera You had exactly the same experience I had when I saw almost identical footage on CNN or the local news except that my experience was better in that it was rendered by seasoned videographers on pro-fessional equipment You were there but you werenrsquot there
Just check out the June 15 Sports Illustrated cover online Get my point
Our society has become one of dim imagi-nations reflected in the even dimmer glows of electronic gadgets
As some dude named Lord Acton once claimed ldquoHistory is not a burden on the memory but an illumination of the soulrdquo I kinda dig that Lord Acton guy even if his name sounds like a super-classy moniker for a faux-British-bad-guy rassler on WWE
At least according to his lordship I donrsquot have an almost pathological relationship with memory I have an illuminated soul
LORD ACTON SAID IT BESTlife through a viewfinder
S22 60PLUS | julyaugust 2015 | omahamagazinecom
by david williams
60PLUS THE GRANDPA CHRONICLES
julyaugust 2015 | 60PLUS S23
DIRECTORY
Elk Ridge Village on the Lake Retirement CommunityElk Ridge Village provides Independent and Assisted Living and Alzheimerrsquos Care and is committed to providing services of the highest quality
19303 Seward Plaza402-312-1198402-216-8835wwwelkridgeseniorlivingcom
Brookestone MeadowsBrookestone VillageSkilled nursing communities provid-ing short-term rehabilitation including physical occupational and speech ther-apy as well as long-term nursing care
wwwBrookestoneVillagecom402-614-4000 bull OmahawwwBrookestoneMeadowscom402-280-2696 bull Elkhorn
Home Care Assistance
Our services are distinguished by the caliber of our caregivers the respon-siveness of our staff and our expertise in Live-In care We embrace a positive balanced approach to aging centered on the evolving needs of older adults
402-763-9140homecareassistanceomahacom
EJ Militti JrFinancial AdvisorThe Militti Group at Morgan Stanley
Wealth and Estate Planning Risk-Management Executive Services Foundations amp Endowments
(402) 399-1513wwwmorganstanleyfacommilittigroup
Saint Jude Hospice
Rooted in Christian Love and Guided by the Holy Spirit our Radical Loving Care brings healing to those when their hope has changed from a cure to comfort
10506 Burt Circle402-609-4818saintjudehospiceorg
Steven D Wegner DDS
Dr Wegner has 35 years of clinical experi-ence and thousands of hours of continuing education He knows how to help seniors and all ages to achieve and keep a healthy smile
11840 Nicholas StSuite 210Omaha NE 68154402-498-0400
Travel and Transport
Travel and Transport is proud to be the 5th largest travel agency in the US servicing clients throughout the country as well as globally
travelandtransportcom 402-399-4500
Nebraska Cancer SpecialistsNebraska Cancer Specialists is dedicated to providing complete cancer treatment for patients medical oncology radiation oncology surgical specialists and diagnostic services
5 Convenient LocationsFor address and phone infovisit our websitenebraskacancercom
Kohllrsquos Pharmacy amp Homecare
8 locations amp free delivery Providing retail amp compounded prescriptions all medical equipment amp supplies
402-408-1990 wwwkohllscom
Home Instead Senior Care
If yoursquore looking for someone to help you or a loved one a few hours a week or need more comprehensive assistance Home Instead Senior Care can help
Metro 4024983444West 4029324555
Nebraska Low Vision
Regain the Joy ofreading and writing today
In Home Demo Call 402-905-2794wwwNebraskaLowVisioncom
hillcresthealthcomProviding the regionrsquos widest array of aging-related services
One family Many servicesHillcrest Country EstatesContinuing care retirement communityfeaturing the Grand LodgeHwy 370 amp 60th Street Papillion(402) 885-7007
Hillcrest Health amp RehabIn-patient rehabilitation1702 Hillcrest Drive Bellevue(402) 291-8500
Hillcrest Physical TherapyOutpatient physical occupational and speech therapy1804 Hillcrest Drive Bellevue(402) 682-4210
Hillcrest Victoria GardensMemory support assisted living1702 Hillcrest Drive Bellevue(402) 682-4295
Hillcrest Mable Rose amp The ClubAssisted living memory support amp adult day servicesHwy 370 amp 48th Street Bellevue(402) 291-9777
Hillcrest Home CareSkilled home health and in-home personal careServing 9 counties in NE and IA(402) 682-4808
Hillcrest Hospice CareCompassionate end-of-life supportServing 7 counties in NE(402) 934-2282
The Grand LodgeIndependent Living
Now Open(402) 885-7007
Enhancing L ives
I TrsquoS PLAYED ON A badminton-size court but with the net lowered to 34 inches at the center The paddles look like a hybrid
of racquetball racquets and table tennis pad-dles The rules are somewhat similar to tennis but the serve is underhand And the ball looks more like a whiffle ball than a vinegar-soaked cucumber Itrsquos Pickleballmdasha sport that is quickly gaining a large following with the local club Pickleball Omaha boasting around 225 members
The gamersquos origins date back to a 1965 Washington state backyard and even its
creators canrsquot quite agree on whether the name came from a family dog or a term associated with rowing Regardless of this pickleball has evolved over 50 years from an improvised family pastime to a thriving widely recog-nized passion The statewide organization Pickleball Nebraska was founded in 2012 and the sport has been part of Nebraskarsquos State Games of America (formerly Cornhusker State Games) since 2011 It is even going to be part of the State Games of Americarsquos national competition for the first time this summer when Nebraska serves as host state gt
julyaugust 2015 | 60PLUS S15
lt Pickleball Nebraska President Bill Holt (pictured on the cover) discovered the sport in 2008 while wintering in Arizona It was popular with the retirement crowd there he says but relatively unknown back home in Nebraskamdashwithout an organized following or designated courts So Holt and his wife Nancy created a makeshift playing field on an Omaha tennis court that spring and began introducing friends to the sport Interest has grown steadily since
ldquoThere was no place to play pickleball in Nebraska that I was aware of and nobody I knew playedrdquo Holt says ldquoWe now have 10 places to play listed (on the USA Pickleball Association website at uspaaorg) and there are actually more than thatrdquo More informa-tion on this pastime is available at pickleball-nebraskawordpresscom and players can now also find local places to participate through the clubrsquos page on Facebook
Like Holt Camille Culprsquos association with pickleball originated in Arizona Her hus-band Wayne played the game for the first time on a business trip six years ago intro-duced Camille and soon the couple found other enthusiasts in Omaha Culp was one of the first women to play locally and she
says introductory clinics open play sessions and a welcoming community have helped the sport grow in the area Women now make up more than half of Pickleball Nebraskarsquos membership
ldquoThatrsquos the pickleball thing always chat up whoever stops byrdquo says Culp who now serves as the grouprsquos treasurer ldquoThey can try it right away and see what they think and of course in my opinion 95 percent of them are hookedrdquo
Holt says club members range from 30-something to 82 and most participants play doubles A high degree of physical condi-tioning isnrsquot necessary to start but the game can be very intense and local players self-classify as A-level B-level or somewhere in between to determine if they should play recreationally or competitively
ldquoAnybody can join The typical person is 60-65 and has played sports Irsquove always been fairly active in one thing or anotherrdquo Holt says ldquoAnyone can learn to playhellipitrsquos great for all agesrdquo
ldquoItrsquos relatively easy to learnrdquo Culp agrees ldquoI only see the sport getting more popularrdquo
S16 60PLUS | julyaugust 2015 | omahamagazinecom
60PLUS COVER FEATURE
This certification is an honor a testament to our high standard of care mdash and a reminder that we must always strive to exceed our own expectations to better care for you Our twelve experienced highly-skilled cancer specialists are dedicated to complete cancer treatment and research with over 100 clinical trials available
CHI Health Cancer Center - Bergan (402) 393-3110Methodist Estabrook Cancer Center (402) 354-8124Midwest Cancer Center Papillion (402) 593-3141Midwest Cancer Center Legacy (402) 334-4773Health Park Plaza-Fremont Health (402) 941-7030
Margaret Block MD
M Salman Haroon MD
Ralph J Hauke MD
Timothy K Huyck MD
Robert M Langdon Jr MD
Kirsten M Leu MD
John M Longo MD
Geetha Palaniappan MD
David A Silverberg MD
Gamini S Soori MD
Yungpo Bernard Su MD
Stefano R Tarantolo MD
Benefit from everything we can offer as the largest independent QOPI-certified cancer practice in Nebraska
Receive the Highest Level of Cancer Care
NEBRASKA CANCER SPECIALISTS IS QOPIreg CERTIFIED
Nebraska Library CommissionTalking Book and Braille Service
402-471-4038 bull 800-742-7691nlctalkingbooknebraskagov bull wwwnlcnebraskagov
Reading is for Everyone Your Libraryreg
Talking Books are free for anyone who
has difficulty holding a book turning
a page or seeing regular print The
recordings are loaned and returned
through the mail ndash postage-free ndash or
can be downloaded
julyaugust 2015 | 60PLUS S17
WhenExperience Counts
Experience our State-of-the-Art Facilities
600 Brookestone Meadows PlazaElkhorn NE 68022 | (402) 289-2696wwBrookestoneMeadowscom
QUALITY LIFE | QUALITY CARE | EXCELLENT TEAMS | QUALITY REPUTATION | STEWARDSHIP
4330 South 144th StreetOmaha NE 68137
(402) 614-4000wwBrookestoneVillagecom
Proud Members of the Vetter Health Services Family
PhysicalOccupationalandSpeechTherapy Careaftertotaljointreplacement Strokerecovery Strengtheningaftercancertreatment Careaftersurgery Recoveryfromafallorextendedillness
Visit ourwebsite
to find outmore about us
OmahaBVampElkhornBM_Ad - Omaha 60+ Mag_111612_60+ Omaha Magazine Ad - BSV amp BSM 3112014 354 PM Page 1
Trouble Getting Up amp Down the StairsRegain your independence and the rest of your home
Largest showroom in the nationMultiple modelsone sure to fit your needs
Call for special pricing
12739 Q Street4024081990
wwwkohllscom
Recipient of
PLATINUM AWARD
T ONY LAZZARETTI KEPT AN eye on the mole on his chest for some time When it started getting bigger he made an
appointment with his doctor to get it checked A biopsy confirmed that it was melanomamdashthe deadliest form of skin cancer
Lazzaretti 70 years old at the time said he was never a ldquosun bunnyrdquo but he remembers getting some bad sunburns
Lazzaretti had surgery to remove the mole and several lymph nodes but a couple of years later the cancer returned This time the cancer was too extensive to remove with surgery says Alissa Marr MD an oncolo-gist at Nebraska Medicine specializing in melanoma and lung cancer
ldquoWe started him on a new immunomodu-latory drug and he has had no reoccurrence
SKIN CANCER CONTINUES
TO RISEgreatest increases among women and
men over 65
S18 60PLUS | julyaugust 2015 | omahamagazinecom
by susan meyers
60PLUS HEALTH
since thenrdquo she says ldquoThis is a remarkable story of how advanced treatments have become Over the past four years there have been six new drugs introduced for metastatic melanoma that have been very effective in a select group of patientsrdquo
The cases of melanoma have steadily increased over the past 30 years notes Dr Marr The greatest increases have been among white women between the ages of 15 and 39 years and in men over age 65
While the cause for the increase is not known better identification use of tanning beds and having one or more blistering sun-burns as a youth appear to boost the risk Some research shows that people who use tanning beds are 74 percent more likely to get melanoma than those who donrsquot use them notes Dr Marr
ldquoIf melanoma is caught at an early stage and treated with proper surgical resection it is highly curablerdquo she says
Melanoma typically starts as a mole See a doctor if you experience any of the ABCDErsquos of a mole asymmetry border irregularity color variation diameter (anything larger than a pencil eraser) and evolution mean-ing a mole that is changing itchy or bleeds
The highest incidence of this cancer occurs on the back of the legs in women and on the trunk and back for men However it can occur on any area of the body even those that have not been exposed to the sun says Marr If you get a suspicious mole removed it needs to be an excision or punch biopsy by a qualified physician in order to get an accurate evaluation
Basal and squamous cell skin cancers the most common forms of skin cancer typically occur on chronically sun-exposed areas such as the head neck ears and arms and are directly related to amount of sun exposure Suspicious symptoms include a shiny waxy scar-like spot that may be yellow or white with irregular borders a smooth bump that is indented in the middle a reddish patch that wonrsquot go away and may be painful or itchy or a sore that takes more than three weeks to heal
ldquoEveryone should have a full body skin exam every year by their doctor to check for skin cancerrdquo says Dr Marr ldquoThe goal is to find it before it progresses and when it is still very treatablerdquo
Now Lazzaretti tells his kids every chance he gets stay out of the sun stay away from tan-ning beds and wear sunscreen
julyaugust 2015 | 60PLUS S19
wwwNebraskaLowVisioncom 402-905-2794
Nebraska Low Vision wishes Mike Riley and
the Nebraska Cornhuskers Football Team much
success in 2015
S20 60PLUS | julyaugust 2015 | omahamagazinecom
60PLUS FACESby anna hensel | photography by bill sitzmann
RETIREMENT on the road
F RITZ SAMPSON SAYS HE likes to travel slowly but the words ldquotravelrdquo and ldquoslowlyrdquo can conjure up thoughts of
lounging over three hour-long dinners in Italy or spending an entire afternoon wandering through a village in France
For 65-year-old Fritz ldquotraveling slowlyrdquo means moving about 200 miles a day across Europe and Asia by motorcycle
Last March Fritz undertook a 115-day motorcycle journey through south-ern Europe the former Soviet bloc and Mongolia but his plans were cut short by more than three weeks after an accident in Mongolia
Itrsquos an itinerary that sounds crazy but when explained calmly by Fritz seems per-fectly reasonable
ldquoWhether itrsquos breaking a shoulder or get-ting stopped by police or running out of food things are going to happenrdquo Fritz says ldquoAnd thatrsquos why you take the trip because itrsquos an adventurerdquo
According to Sampson and his wife of 40 years Mary he always had a daring spirit
ldquoThatrsquos what I loved him for was his sense of adventurerdquo Mary says ldquoNo one is compa-rable to Fritzmdashhersquos all out for the experience
The couple met on the Model United Nations Team at Creighton University and married in 1975 right out of college They and their two children moved to Germany in 1998 while Fritz pursued a degree in inter-national tax law His career took him every-where from China to Belize but he still craved different ways to see the world
A long-distance cyclist he rode for years all over the United States But as he aged he turned to a new mode of transportation motorcycling
He bought a new Harley Davidson in 2007 and in 2008 rode with his son Marty from Omaha to Tierra del Fuego an island chain
off the southernmost point of South AmericaldquoOne of the reasons I do thismdashI like meet-
ing people on the roadrdquo Fritz saysAfter his South American excursion Fritz
was itching to do a similar trip elsewhere He read about two motorcycle adventures on travel blogs that looked really interestingmdashone to the Russian far east another in outer Mongoliamdashand decided to combine the two by retiring and traveling to 17 countries He planned to begin in Ireland meet Mary in Turkey and eventually end up in Mongolia and Russia but had no other itinerary
That meant he spent a week in Bulgaria because he felt like it He chose to go to Kazakhstan instead of Turkmenistan because he met a fellow motorcyclist who was headed
there And when he told local policemen in Turkey the name of the hostel where he was staying they told him he shouldnrsquot sleep there and took him to a friendrsquos house where they hosted a barbecue for him
He also had a run-in with corrupt police in Azerbaijan lost 22 pounds and experienced that fateful fall in Mongolia that cut his trip short and left him with a broken shoulder
Therersquos only one thing hersquos cutting out of his routine off-roading on his motorcycle which led to his accident But he still wants to ride on motorcycle trips across the continental United States Alaska and Mexico
After all he says those are ldquoeasyrdquo rides
julyaugust 2015 | 60PLUS S21
I rsquoVE NEVER OWNED A video camera of any kind Okay so Irsquove just been reminded that my cell phone gizmo has such a device
but having never used it I still qualify as a video virgin
Sony introduced the first consumer cam-corder in 1983 the year my youngest child was born This made our family a prime target for being an early adapter in what became something of a video mania Almost over-night a populist paparazzi were born where every dad (Why was it always the dads) at every kindergarten holiday program was armed with a cinder-block-sized camera that instantly made him some kind of Fellini wanna-be
I refused to join the Betamax Age because my makeup is one where I want to remember things the way I want to remember thingsmdashnot necessarily how they actually happened
Ample video of my kidsrsquo childhood years exists from the cameras of extended family members and a couple of clan get-togethers have been marred when some idiot got the
bright idea that we should all watch old videos together Irsquom sure any good shrink would have a field day getting inside my head but the experience of viewing those picnics and parties and plays unfold on screen washellipwell ldquodisturbingrdquo is not at all too powerful a word
Itrsquos not that I am a dispassionate stoic For whatever weird reason being confronted with a filmed retelling of events rearranges my mental furniture in an unsettling almost visceral way
That tyranny of memory has only grown over the years and wersquove all witnessed the rise of the camera-obsessed malady Irsquoll call the Fear of Missing Out Syndrome In a sickness typified by living vicariously through a view-finder itrsquos as if film and only film is capable of proving even to ourselves the existential reality of a person place or thing
ldquoI saw Pope Francisrdquo ldquoI saw Pres- ident Obamardquo ldquoI saw Garth Brooksrdquo people exclaim
No you didnrsquot You saw only mere pixels while struggling to center a celebrityrsquos image
on your camera You had exactly the same experience I had when I saw almost identical footage on CNN or the local news except that my experience was better in that it was rendered by seasoned videographers on pro-fessional equipment You were there but you werenrsquot there
Just check out the June 15 Sports Illustrated cover online Get my point
Our society has become one of dim imagi-nations reflected in the even dimmer glows of electronic gadgets
As some dude named Lord Acton once claimed ldquoHistory is not a burden on the memory but an illumination of the soulrdquo I kinda dig that Lord Acton guy even if his name sounds like a super-classy moniker for a faux-British-bad-guy rassler on WWE
At least according to his lordship I donrsquot have an almost pathological relationship with memory I have an illuminated soul
LORD ACTON SAID IT BESTlife through a viewfinder
S22 60PLUS | julyaugust 2015 | omahamagazinecom
by david williams
60PLUS THE GRANDPA CHRONICLES
julyaugust 2015 | 60PLUS S23
DIRECTORY
Elk Ridge Village on the Lake Retirement CommunityElk Ridge Village provides Independent and Assisted Living and Alzheimerrsquos Care and is committed to providing services of the highest quality
19303 Seward Plaza402-312-1198402-216-8835wwwelkridgeseniorlivingcom
Brookestone MeadowsBrookestone VillageSkilled nursing communities provid-ing short-term rehabilitation including physical occupational and speech ther-apy as well as long-term nursing care
wwwBrookestoneVillagecom402-614-4000 bull OmahawwwBrookestoneMeadowscom402-280-2696 bull Elkhorn
Home Care Assistance
Our services are distinguished by the caliber of our caregivers the respon-siveness of our staff and our expertise in Live-In care We embrace a positive balanced approach to aging centered on the evolving needs of older adults
402-763-9140homecareassistanceomahacom
EJ Militti JrFinancial AdvisorThe Militti Group at Morgan Stanley
Wealth and Estate Planning Risk-Management Executive Services Foundations amp Endowments
(402) 399-1513wwwmorganstanleyfacommilittigroup
Saint Jude Hospice
Rooted in Christian Love and Guided by the Holy Spirit our Radical Loving Care brings healing to those when their hope has changed from a cure to comfort
10506 Burt Circle402-609-4818saintjudehospiceorg
Steven D Wegner DDS
Dr Wegner has 35 years of clinical experi-ence and thousands of hours of continuing education He knows how to help seniors and all ages to achieve and keep a healthy smile
11840 Nicholas StSuite 210Omaha NE 68154402-498-0400
Travel and Transport
Travel and Transport is proud to be the 5th largest travel agency in the US servicing clients throughout the country as well as globally
travelandtransportcom 402-399-4500
Nebraska Cancer SpecialistsNebraska Cancer Specialists is dedicated to providing complete cancer treatment for patients medical oncology radiation oncology surgical specialists and diagnostic services
5 Convenient LocationsFor address and phone infovisit our websitenebraskacancercom
Kohllrsquos Pharmacy amp Homecare
8 locations amp free delivery Providing retail amp compounded prescriptions all medical equipment amp supplies
402-408-1990 wwwkohllscom
Home Instead Senior Care
If yoursquore looking for someone to help you or a loved one a few hours a week or need more comprehensive assistance Home Instead Senior Care can help
Metro 4024983444West 4029324555
Nebraska Low Vision
Regain the Joy ofreading and writing today
In Home Demo Call 402-905-2794wwwNebraskaLowVisioncom
hillcresthealthcomProviding the regionrsquos widest array of aging-related services
One family Many servicesHillcrest Country EstatesContinuing care retirement communityfeaturing the Grand LodgeHwy 370 amp 60th Street Papillion(402) 885-7007
Hillcrest Health amp RehabIn-patient rehabilitation1702 Hillcrest Drive Bellevue(402) 291-8500
Hillcrest Physical TherapyOutpatient physical occupational and speech therapy1804 Hillcrest Drive Bellevue(402) 682-4210
Hillcrest Victoria GardensMemory support assisted living1702 Hillcrest Drive Bellevue(402) 682-4295
Hillcrest Mable Rose amp The ClubAssisted living memory support amp adult day servicesHwy 370 amp 48th Street Bellevue(402) 291-9777
Hillcrest Home CareSkilled home health and in-home personal careServing 9 counties in NE and IA(402) 682-4808
Hillcrest Hospice CareCompassionate end-of-life supportServing 7 counties in NE(402) 934-2282
The Grand LodgeIndependent Living
Now Open(402) 885-7007
Enhancing L ives
lt Pickleball Nebraska President Bill Holt (pictured on the cover) discovered the sport in 2008 while wintering in Arizona It was popular with the retirement crowd there he says but relatively unknown back home in Nebraskamdashwithout an organized following or designated courts So Holt and his wife Nancy created a makeshift playing field on an Omaha tennis court that spring and began introducing friends to the sport Interest has grown steadily since
ldquoThere was no place to play pickleball in Nebraska that I was aware of and nobody I knew playedrdquo Holt says ldquoWe now have 10 places to play listed (on the USA Pickleball Association website at uspaaorg) and there are actually more than thatrdquo More informa-tion on this pastime is available at pickleball-nebraskawordpresscom and players can now also find local places to participate through the clubrsquos page on Facebook
Like Holt Camille Culprsquos association with pickleball originated in Arizona Her hus-band Wayne played the game for the first time on a business trip six years ago intro-duced Camille and soon the couple found other enthusiasts in Omaha Culp was one of the first women to play locally and she
says introductory clinics open play sessions and a welcoming community have helped the sport grow in the area Women now make up more than half of Pickleball Nebraskarsquos membership
ldquoThatrsquos the pickleball thing always chat up whoever stops byrdquo says Culp who now serves as the grouprsquos treasurer ldquoThey can try it right away and see what they think and of course in my opinion 95 percent of them are hookedrdquo
Holt says club members range from 30-something to 82 and most participants play doubles A high degree of physical condi-tioning isnrsquot necessary to start but the game can be very intense and local players self-classify as A-level B-level or somewhere in between to determine if they should play recreationally or competitively
ldquoAnybody can join The typical person is 60-65 and has played sports Irsquove always been fairly active in one thing or anotherrdquo Holt says ldquoAnyone can learn to playhellipitrsquos great for all agesrdquo
ldquoItrsquos relatively easy to learnrdquo Culp agrees ldquoI only see the sport getting more popularrdquo
S16 60PLUS | julyaugust 2015 | omahamagazinecom
60PLUS COVER FEATURE
This certification is an honor a testament to our high standard of care mdash and a reminder that we must always strive to exceed our own expectations to better care for you Our twelve experienced highly-skilled cancer specialists are dedicated to complete cancer treatment and research with over 100 clinical trials available
CHI Health Cancer Center - Bergan (402) 393-3110Methodist Estabrook Cancer Center (402) 354-8124Midwest Cancer Center Papillion (402) 593-3141Midwest Cancer Center Legacy (402) 334-4773Health Park Plaza-Fremont Health (402) 941-7030
Margaret Block MD
M Salman Haroon MD
Ralph J Hauke MD
Timothy K Huyck MD
Robert M Langdon Jr MD
Kirsten M Leu MD
John M Longo MD
Geetha Palaniappan MD
David A Silverberg MD
Gamini S Soori MD
Yungpo Bernard Su MD
Stefano R Tarantolo MD
Benefit from everything we can offer as the largest independent QOPI-certified cancer practice in Nebraska
Receive the Highest Level of Cancer Care
NEBRASKA CANCER SPECIALISTS IS QOPIreg CERTIFIED
Nebraska Library CommissionTalking Book and Braille Service
402-471-4038 bull 800-742-7691nlctalkingbooknebraskagov bull wwwnlcnebraskagov
Reading is for Everyone Your Libraryreg
Talking Books are free for anyone who
has difficulty holding a book turning
a page or seeing regular print The
recordings are loaned and returned
through the mail ndash postage-free ndash or
can be downloaded
julyaugust 2015 | 60PLUS S17
WhenExperience Counts
Experience our State-of-the-Art Facilities
600 Brookestone Meadows PlazaElkhorn NE 68022 | (402) 289-2696wwBrookestoneMeadowscom
QUALITY LIFE | QUALITY CARE | EXCELLENT TEAMS | QUALITY REPUTATION | STEWARDSHIP
4330 South 144th StreetOmaha NE 68137
(402) 614-4000wwBrookestoneVillagecom
Proud Members of the Vetter Health Services Family
PhysicalOccupationalandSpeechTherapy Careaftertotaljointreplacement Strokerecovery Strengtheningaftercancertreatment Careaftersurgery Recoveryfromafallorextendedillness
Visit ourwebsite
to find outmore about us
OmahaBVampElkhornBM_Ad - Omaha 60+ Mag_111612_60+ Omaha Magazine Ad - BSV amp BSM 3112014 354 PM Page 1
Trouble Getting Up amp Down the StairsRegain your independence and the rest of your home
Largest showroom in the nationMultiple modelsone sure to fit your needs
Call for special pricing
12739 Q Street4024081990
wwwkohllscom
Recipient of
PLATINUM AWARD
T ONY LAZZARETTI KEPT AN eye on the mole on his chest for some time When it started getting bigger he made an
appointment with his doctor to get it checked A biopsy confirmed that it was melanomamdashthe deadliest form of skin cancer
Lazzaretti 70 years old at the time said he was never a ldquosun bunnyrdquo but he remembers getting some bad sunburns
Lazzaretti had surgery to remove the mole and several lymph nodes but a couple of years later the cancer returned This time the cancer was too extensive to remove with surgery says Alissa Marr MD an oncolo-gist at Nebraska Medicine specializing in melanoma and lung cancer
ldquoWe started him on a new immunomodu-latory drug and he has had no reoccurrence
SKIN CANCER CONTINUES
TO RISEgreatest increases among women and
men over 65
S18 60PLUS | julyaugust 2015 | omahamagazinecom
by susan meyers
60PLUS HEALTH
since thenrdquo she says ldquoThis is a remarkable story of how advanced treatments have become Over the past four years there have been six new drugs introduced for metastatic melanoma that have been very effective in a select group of patientsrdquo
The cases of melanoma have steadily increased over the past 30 years notes Dr Marr The greatest increases have been among white women between the ages of 15 and 39 years and in men over age 65
While the cause for the increase is not known better identification use of tanning beds and having one or more blistering sun-burns as a youth appear to boost the risk Some research shows that people who use tanning beds are 74 percent more likely to get melanoma than those who donrsquot use them notes Dr Marr
ldquoIf melanoma is caught at an early stage and treated with proper surgical resection it is highly curablerdquo she says
Melanoma typically starts as a mole See a doctor if you experience any of the ABCDErsquos of a mole asymmetry border irregularity color variation diameter (anything larger than a pencil eraser) and evolution mean-ing a mole that is changing itchy or bleeds
The highest incidence of this cancer occurs on the back of the legs in women and on the trunk and back for men However it can occur on any area of the body even those that have not been exposed to the sun says Marr If you get a suspicious mole removed it needs to be an excision or punch biopsy by a qualified physician in order to get an accurate evaluation
Basal and squamous cell skin cancers the most common forms of skin cancer typically occur on chronically sun-exposed areas such as the head neck ears and arms and are directly related to amount of sun exposure Suspicious symptoms include a shiny waxy scar-like spot that may be yellow or white with irregular borders a smooth bump that is indented in the middle a reddish patch that wonrsquot go away and may be painful or itchy or a sore that takes more than three weeks to heal
ldquoEveryone should have a full body skin exam every year by their doctor to check for skin cancerrdquo says Dr Marr ldquoThe goal is to find it before it progresses and when it is still very treatablerdquo
Now Lazzaretti tells his kids every chance he gets stay out of the sun stay away from tan-ning beds and wear sunscreen
julyaugust 2015 | 60PLUS S19
wwwNebraskaLowVisioncom 402-905-2794
Nebraska Low Vision wishes Mike Riley and
the Nebraska Cornhuskers Football Team much
success in 2015
S20 60PLUS | julyaugust 2015 | omahamagazinecom
60PLUS FACESby anna hensel | photography by bill sitzmann
RETIREMENT on the road
F RITZ SAMPSON SAYS HE likes to travel slowly but the words ldquotravelrdquo and ldquoslowlyrdquo can conjure up thoughts of
lounging over three hour-long dinners in Italy or spending an entire afternoon wandering through a village in France
For 65-year-old Fritz ldquotraveling slowlyrdquo means moving about 200 miles a day across Europe and Asia by motorcycle
Last March Fritz undertook a 115-day motorcycle journey through south-ern Europe the former Soviet bloc and Mongolia but his plans were cut short by more than three weeks after an accident in Mongolia
Itrsquos an itinerary that sounds crazy but when explained calmly by Fritz seems per-fectly reasonable
ldquoWhether itrsquos breaking a shoulder or get-ting stopped by police or running out of food things are going to happenrdquo Fritz says ldquoAnd thatrsquos why you take the trip because itrsquos an adventurerdquo
According to Sampson and his wife of 40 years Mary he always had a daring spirit
ldquoThatrsquos what I loved him for was his sense of adventurerdquo Mary says ldquoNo one is compa-rable to Fritzmdashhersquos all out for the experience
The couple met on the Model United Nations Team at Creighton University and married in 1975 right out of college They and their two children moved to Germany in 1998 while Fritz pursued a degree in inter-national tax law His career took him every-where from China to Belize but he still craved different ways to see the world
A long-distance cyclist he rode for years all over the United States But as he aged he turned to a new mode of transportation motorcycling
He bought a new Harley Davidson in 2007 and in 2008 rode with his son Marty from Omaha to Tierra del Fuego an island chain
off the southernmost point of South AmericaldquoOne of the reasons I do thismdashI like meet-
ing people on the roadrdquo Fritz saysAfter his South American excursion Fritz
was itching to do a similar trip elsewhere He read about two motorcycle adventures on travel blogs that looked really interestingmdashone to the Russian far east another in outer Mongoliamdashand decided to combine the two by retiring and traveling to 17 countries He planned to begin in Ireland meet Mary in Turkey and eventually end up in Mongolia and Russia but had no other itinerary
That meant he spent a week in Bulgaria because he felt like it He chose to go to Kazakhstan instead of Turkmenistan because he met a fellow motorcyclist who was headed
there And when he told local policemen in Turkey the name of the hostel where he was staying they told him he shouldnrsquot sleep there and took him to a friendrsquos house where they hosted a barbecue for him
He also had a run-in with corrupt police in Azerbaijan lost 22 pounds and experienced that fateful fall in Mongolia that cut his trip short and left him with a broken shoulder
Therersquos only one thing hersquos cutting out of his routine off-roading on his motorcycle which led to his accident But he still wants to ride on motorcycle trips across the continental United States Alaska and Mexico
After all he says those are ldquoeasyrdquo rides
julyaugust 2015 | 60PLUS S21
I rsquoVE NEVER OWNED A video camera of any kind Okay so Irsquove just been reminded that my cell phone gizmo has such a device
but having never used it I still qualify as a video virgin
Sony introduced the first consumer cam-corder in 1983 the year my youngest child was born This made our family a prime target for being an early adapter in what became something of a video mania Almost over-night a populist paparazzi were born where every dad (Why was it always the dads) at every kindergarten holiday program was armed with a cinder-block-sized camera that instantly made him some kind of Fellini wanna-be
I refused to join the Betamax Age because my makeup is one where I want to remember things the way I want to remember thingsmdashnot necessarily how they actually happened
Ample video of my kidsrsquo childhood years exists from the cameras of extended family members and a couple of clan get-togethers have been marred when some idiot got the
bright idea that we should all watch old videos together Irsquom sure any good shrink would have a field day getting inside my head but the experience of viewing those picnics and parties and plays unfold on screen washellipwell ldquodisturbingrdquo is not at all too powerful a word
Itrsquos not that I am a dispassionate stoic For whatever weird reason being confronted with a filmed retelling of events rearranges my mental furniture in an unsettling almost visceral way
That tyranny of memory has only grown over the years and wersquove all witnessed the rise of the camera-obsessed malady Irsquoll call the Fear of Missing Out Syndrome In a sickness typified by living vicariously through a view-finder itrsquos as if film and only film is capable of proving even to ourselves the existential reality of a person place or thing
ldquoI saw Pope Francisrdquo ldquoI saw Pres- ident Obamardquo ldquoI saw Garth Brooksrdquo people exclaim
No you didnrsquot You saw only mere pixels while struggling to center a celebrityrsquos image
on your camera You had exactly the same experience I had when I saw almost identical footage on CNN or the local news except that my experience was better in that it was rendered by seasoned videographers on pro-fessional equipment You were there but you werenrsquot there
Just check out the June 15 Sports Illustrated cover online Get my point
Our society has become one of dim imagi-nations reflected in the even dimmer glows of electronic gadgets
As some dude named Lord Acton once claimed ldquoHistory is not a burden on the memory but an illumination of the soulrdquo I kinda dig that Lord Acton guy even if his name sounds like a super-classy moniker for a faux-British-bad-guy rassler on WWE
At least according to his lordship I donrsquot have an almost pathological relationship with memory I have an illuminated soul
LORD ACTON SAID IT BESTlife through a viewfinder
S22 60PLUS | julyaugust 2015 | omahamagazinecom
by david williams
60PLUS THE GRANDPA CHRONICLES
julyaugust 2015 | 60PLUS S23
DIRECTORY
Elk Ridge Village on the Lake Retirement CommunityElk Ridge Village provides Independent and Assisted Living and Alzheimerrsquos Care and is committed to providing services of the highest quality
19303 Seward Plaza402-312-1198402-216-8835wwwelkridgeseniorlivingcom
Brookestone MeadowsBrookestone VillageSkilled nursing communities provid-ing short-term rehabilitation including physical occupational and speech ther-apy as well as long-term nursing care
wwwBrookestoneVillagecom402-614-4000 bull OmahawwwBrookestoneMeadowscom402-280-2696 bull Elkhorn
Home Care Assistance
Our services are distinguished by the caliber of our caregivers the respon-siveness of our staff and our expertise in Live-In care We embrace a positive balanced approach to aging centered on the evolving needs of older adults
402-763-9140homecareassistanceomahacom
EJ Militti JrFinancial AdvisorThe Militti Group at Morgan Stanley
Wealth and Estate Planning Risk-Management Executive Services Foundations amp Endowments
(402) 399-1513wwwmorganstanleyfacommilittigroup
Saint Jude Hospice
Rooted in Christian Love and Guided by the Holy Spirit our Radical Loving Care brings healing to those when their hope has changed from a cure to comfort
10506 Burt Circle402-609-4818saintjudehospiceorg
Steven D Wegner DDS
Dr Wegner has 35 years of clinical experi-ence and thousands of hours of continuing education He knows how to help seniors and all ages to achieve and keep a healthy smile
11840 Nicholas StSuite 210Omaha NE 68154402-498-0400
Travel and Transport
Travel and Transport is proud to be the 5th largest travel agency in the US servicing clients throughout the country as well as globally
travelandtransportcom 402-399-4500
Nebraska Cancer SpecialistsNebraska Cancer Specialists is dedicated to providing complete cancer treatment for patients medical oncology radiation oncology surgical specialists and diagnostic services
5 Convenient LocationsFor address and phone infovisit our websitenebraskacancercom
Kohllrsquos Pharmacy amp Homecare
8 locations amp free delivery Providing retail amp compounded prescriptions all medical equipment amp supplies
402-408-1990 wwwkohllscom
Home Instead Senior Care
If yoursquore looking for someone to help you or a loved one a few hours a week or need more comprehensive assistance Home Instead Senior Care can help
Metro 4024983444West 4029324555
Nebraska Low Vision
Regain the Joy ofreading and writing today
In Home Demo Call 402-905-2794wwwNebraskaLowVisioncom
hillcresthealthcomProviding the regionrsquos widest array of aging-related services
One family Many servicesHillcrest Country EstatesContinuing care retirement communityfeaturing the Grand LodgeHwy 370 amp 60th Street Papillion(402) 885-7007
Hillcrest Health amp RehabIn-patient rehabilitation1702 Hillcrest Drive Bellevue(402) 291-8500
Hillcrest Physical TherapyOutpatient physical occupational and speech therapy1804 Hillcrest Drive Bellevue(402) 682-4210
Hillcrest Victoria GardensMemory support assisted living1702 Hillcrest Drive Bellevue(402) 682-4295
Hillcrest Mable Rose amp The ClubAssisted living memory support amp adult day servicesHwy 370 amp 48th Street Bellevue(402) 291-9777
Hillcrest Home CareSkilled home health and in-home personal careServing 9 counties in NE and IA(402) 682-4808
Hillcrest Hospice CareCompassionate end-of-life supportServing 7 counties in NE(402) 934-2282
The Grand LodgeIndependent Living
Now Open(402) 885-7007
Enhancing L ives
This certification is an honor a testament to our high standard of care mdash and a reminder that we must always strive to exceed our own expectations to better care for you Our twelve experienced highly-skilled cancer specialists are dedicated to complete cancer treatment and research with over 100 clinical trials available
CHI Health Cancer Center - Bergan (402) 393-3110Methodist Estabrook Cancer Center (402) 354-8124Midwest Cancer Center Papillion (402) 593-3141Midwest Cancer Center Legacy (402) 334-4773Health Park Plaza-Fremont Health (402) 941-7030
Margaret Block MD
M Salman Haroon MD
Ralph J Hauke MD
Timothy K Huyck MD
Robert M Langdon Jr MD
Kirsten M Leu MD
John M Longo MD
Geetha Palaniappan MD
David A Silverberg MD
Gamini S Soori MD
Yungpo Bernard Su MD
Stefano R Tarantolo MD
Benefit from everything we can offer as the largest independent QOPI-certified cancer practice in Nebraska
Receive the Highest Level of Cancer Care
NEBRASKA CANCER SPECIALISTS IS QOPIreg CERTIFIED
Nebraska Library CommissionTalking Book and Braille Service
402-471-4038 bull 800-742-7691nlctalkingbooknebraskagov bull wwwnlcnebraskagov
Reading is for Everyone Your Libraryreg
Talking Books are free for anyone who
has difficulty holding a book turning
a page or seeing regular print The
recordings are loaned and returned
through the mail ndash postage-free ndash or
can be downloaded
julyaugust 2015 | 60PLUS S17
WhenExperience Counts
Experience our State-of-the-Art Facilities
600 Brookestone Meadows PlazaElkhorn NE 68022 | (402) 289-2696wwBrookestoneMeadowscom
QUALITY LIFE | QUALITY CARE | EXCELLENT TEAMS | QUALITY REPUTATION | STEWARDSHIP
4330 South 144th StreetOmaha NE 68137
(402) 614-4000wwBrookestoneVillagecom
Proud Members of the Vetter Health Services Family
PhysicalOccupationalandSpeechTherapy Careaftertotaljointreplacement Strokerecovery Strengtheningaftercancertreatment Careaftersurgery Recoveryfromafallorextendedillness
Visit ourwebsite
to find outmore about us
OmahaBVampElkhornBM_Ad - Omaha 60+ Mag_111612_60+ Omaha Magazine Ad - BSV amp BSM 3112014 354 PM Page 1
Trouble Getting Up amp Down the StairsRegain your independence and the rest of your home
Largest showroom in the nationMultiple modelsone sure to fit your needs
Call for special pricing
12739 Q Street4024081990
wwwkohllscom
Recipient of
PLATINUM AWARD
T ONY LAZZARETTI KEPT AN eye on the mole on his chest for some time When it started getting bigger he made an
appointment with his doctor to get it checked A biopsy confirmed that it was melanomamdashthe deadliest form of skin cancer
Lazzaretti 70 years old at the time said he was never a ldquosun bunnyrdquo but he remembers getting some bad sunburns
Lazzaretti had surgery to remove the mole and several lymph nodes but a couple of years later the cancer returned This time the cancer was too extensive to remove with surgery says Alissa Marr MD an oncolo-gist at Nebraska Medicine specializing in melanoma and lung cancer
ldquoWe started him on a new immunomodu-latory drug and he has had no reoccurrence
SKIN CANCER CONTINUES
TO RISEgreatest increases among women and
men over 65
S18 60PLUS | julyaugust 2015 | omahamagazinecom
by susan meyers
60PLUS HEALTH
since thenrdquo she says ldquoThis is a remarkable story of how advanced treatments have become Over the past four years there have been six new drugs introduced for metastatic melanoma that have been very effective in a select group of patientsrdquo
The cases of melanoma have steadily increased over the past 30 years notes Dr Marr The greatest increases have been among white women between the ages of 15 and 39 years and in men over age 65
While the cause for the increase is not known better identification use of tanning beds and having one or more blistering sun-burns as a youth appear to boost the risk Some research shows that people who use tanning beds are 74 percent more likely to get melanoma than those who donrsquot use them notes Dr Marr
ldquoIf melanoma is caught at an early stage and treated with proper surgical resection it is highly curablerdquo she says
Melanoma typically starts as a mole See a doctor if you experience any of the ABCDErsquos of a mole asymmetry border irregularity color variation diameter (anything larger than a pencil eraser) and evolution mean-ing a mole that is changing itchy or bleeds
The highest incidence of this cancer occurs on the back of the legs in women and on the trunk and back for men However it can occur on any area of the body even those that have not been exposed to the sun says Marr If you get a suspicious mole removed it needs to be an excision or punch biopsy by a qualified physician in order to get an accurate evaluation
Basal and squamous cell skin cancers the most common forms of skin cancer typically occur on chronically sun-exposed areas such as the head neck ears and arms and are directly related to amount of sun exposure Suspicious symptoms include a shiny waxy scar-like spot that may be yellow or white with irregular borders a smooth bump that is indented in the middle a reddish patch that wonrsquot go away and may be painful or itchy or a sore that takes more than three weeks to heal
ldquoEveryone should have a full body skin exam every year by their doctor to check for skin cancerrdquo says Dr Marr ldquoThe goal is to find it before it progresses and when it is still very treatablerdquo
Now Lazzaretti tells his kids every chance he gets stay out of the sun stay away from tan-ning beds and wear sunscreen
julyaugust 2015 | 60PLUS S19
wwwNebraskaLowVisioncom 402-905-2794
Nebraska Low Vision wishes Mike Riley and
the Nebraska Cornhuskers Football Team much
success in 2015
S20 60PLUS | julyaugust 2015 | omahamagazinecom
60PLUS FACESby anna hensel | photography by bill sitzmann
RETIREMENT on the road
F RITZ SAMPSON SAYS HE likes to travel slowly but the words ldquotravelrdquo and ldquoslowlyrdquo can conjure up thoughts of
lounging over three hour-long dinners in Italy or spending an entire afternoon wandering through a village in France
For 65-year-old Fritz ldquotraveling slowlyrdquo means moving about 200 miles a day across Europe and Asia by motorcycle
Last March Fritz undertook a 115-day motorcycle journey through south-ern Europe the former Soviet bloc and Mongolia but his plans were cut short by more than three weeks after an accident in Mongolia
Itrsquos an itinerary that sounds crazy but when explained calmly by Fritz seems per-fectly reasonable
ldquoWhether itrsquos breaking a shoulder or get-ting stopped by police or running out of food things are going to happenrdquo Fritz says ldquoAnd thatrsquos why you take the trip because itrsquos an adventurerdquo
According to Sampson and his wife of 40 years Mary he always had a daring spirit
ldquoThatrsquos what I loved him for was his sense of adventurerdquo Mary says ldquoNo one is compa-rable to Fritzmdashhersquos all out for the experience
The couple met on the Model United Nations Team at Creighton University and married in 1975 right out of college They and their two children moved to Germany in 1998 while Fritz pursued a degree in inter-national tax law His career took him every-where from China to Belize but he still craved different ways to see the world
A long-distance cyclist he rode for years all over the United States But as he aged he turned to a new mode of transportation motorcycling
He bought a new Harley Davidson in 2007 and in 2008 rode with his son Marty from Omaha to Tierra del Fuego an island chain
off the southernmost point of South AmericaldquoOne of the reasons I do thismdashI like meet-
ing people on the roadrdquo Fritz saysAfter his South American excursion Fritz
was itching to do a similar trip elsewhere He read about two motorcycle adventures on travel blogs that looked really interestingmdashone to the Russian far east another in outer Mongoliamdashand decided to combine the two by retiring and traveling to 17 countries He planned to begin in Ireland meet Mary in Turkey and eventually end up in Mongolia and Russia but had no other itinerary
That meant he spent a week in Bulgaria because he felt like it He chose to go to Kazakhstan instead of Turkmenistan because he met a fellow motorcyclist who was headed
there And when he told local policemen in Turkey the name of the hostel where he was staying they told him he shouldnrsquot sleep there and took him to a friendrsquos house where they hosted a barbecue for him
He also had a run-in with corrupt police in Azerbaijan lost 22 pounds and experienced that fateful fall in Mongolia that cut his trip short and left him with a broken shoulder
Therersquos only one thing hersquos cutting out of his routine off-roading on his motorcycle which led to his accident But he still wants to ride on motorcycle trips across the continental United States Alaska and Mexico
After all he says those are ldquoeasyrdquo rides
julyaugust 2015 | 60PLUS S21
I rsquoVE NEVER OWNED A video camera of any kind Okay so Irsquove just been reminded that my cell phone gizmo has such a device
but having never used it I still qualify as a video virgin
Sony introduced the first consumer cam-corder in 1983 the year my youngest child was born This made our family a prime target for being an early adapter in what became something of a video mania Almost over-night a populist paparazzi were born where every dad (Why was it always the dads) at every kindergarten holiday program was armed with a cinder-block-sized camera that instantly made him some kind of Fellini wanna-be
I refused to join the Betamax Age because my makeup is one where I want to remember things the way I want to remember thingsmdashnot necessarily how they actually happened
Ample video of my kidsrsquo childhood years exists from the cameras of extended family members and a couple of clan get-togethers have been marred when some idiot got the
bright idea that we should all watch old videos together Irsquom sure any good shrink would have a field day getting inside my head but the experience of viewing those picnics and parties and plays unfold on screen washellipwell ldquodisturbingrdquo is not at all too powerful a word
Itrsquos not that I am a dispassionate stoic For whatever weird reason being confronted with a filmed retelling of events rearranges my mental furniture in an unsettling almost visceral way
That tyranny of memory has only grown over the years and wersquove all witnessed the rise of the camera-obsessed malady Irsquoll call the Fear of Missing Out Syndrome In a sickness typified by living vicariously through a view-finder itrsquos as if film and only film is capable of proving even to ourselves the existential reality of a person place or thing
ldquoI saw Pope Francisrdquo ldquoI saw Pres- ident Obamardquo ldquoI saw Garth Brooksrdquo people exclaim
No you didnrsquot You saw only mere pixels while struggling to center a celebrityrsquos image
on your camera You had exactly the same experience I had when I saw almost identical footage on CNN or the local news except that my experience was better in that it was rendered by seasoned videographers on pro-fessional equipment You were there but you werenrsquot there
Just check out the June 15 Sports Illustrated cover online Get my point
Our society has become one of dim imagi-nations reflected in the even dimmer glows of electronic gadgets
As some dude named Lord Acton once claimed ldquoHistory is not a burden on the memory but an illumination of the soulrdquo I kinda dig that Lord Acton guy even if his name sounds like a super-classy moniker for a faux-British-bad-guy rassler on WWE
At least according to his lordship I donrsquot have an almost pathological relationship with memory I have an illuminated soul
LORD ACTON SAID IT BESTlife through a viewfinder
S22 60PLUS | julyaugust 2015 | omahamagazinecom
by david williams
60PLUS THE GRANDPA CHRONICLES
julyaugust 2015 | 60PLUS S23
DIRECTORY
Elk Ridge Village on the Lake Retirement CommunityElk Ridge Village provides Independent and Assisted Living and Alzheimerrsquos Care and is committed to providing services of the highest quality
19303 Seward Plaza402-312-1198402-216-8835wwwelkridgeseniorlivingcom
Brookestone MeadowsBrookestone VillageSkilled nursing communities provid-ing short-term rehabilitation including physical occupational and speech ther-apy as well as long-term nursing care
wwwBrookestoneVillagecom402-614-4000 bull OmahawwwBrookestoneMeadowscom402-280-2696 bull Elkhorn
Home Care Assistance
Our services are distinguished by the caliber of our caregivers the respon-siveness of our staff and our expertise in Live-In care We embrace a positive balanced approach to aging centered on the evolving needs of older adults
402-763-9140homecareassistanceomahacom
EJ Militti JrFinancial AdvisorThe Militti Group at Morgan Stanley
Wealth and Estate Planning Risk-Management Executive Services Foundations amp Endowments
(402) 399-1513wwwmorganstanleyfacommilittigroup
Saint Jude Hospice
Rooted in Christian Love and Guided by the Holy Spirit our Radical Loving Care brings healing to those when their hope has changed from a cure to comfort
10506 Burt Circle402-609-4818saintjudehospiceorg
Steven D Wegner DDS
Dr Wegner has 35 years of clinical experi-ence and thousands of hours of continuing education He knows how to help seniors and all ages to achieve and keep a healthy smile
11840 Nicholas StSuite 210Omaha NE 68154402-498-0400
Travel and Transport
Travel and Transport is proud to be the 5th largest travel agency in the US servicing clients throughout the country as well as globally
travelandtransportcom 402-399-4500
Nebraska Cancer SpecialistsNebraska Cancer Specialists is dedicated to providing complete cancer treatment for patients medical oncology radiation oncology surgical specialists and diagnostic services
5 Convenient LocationsFor address and phone infovisit our websitenebraskacancercom
Kohllrsquos Pharmacy amp Homecare
8 locations amp free delivery Providing retail amp compounded prescriptions all medical equipment amp supplies
402-408-1990 wwwkohllscom
Home Instead Senior Care
If yoursquore looking for someone to help you or a loved one a few hours a week or need more comprehensive assistance Home Instead Senior Care can help
Metro 4024983444West 4029324555
Nebraska Low Vision
Regain the Joy ofreading and writing today
In Home Demo Call 402-905-2794wwwNebraskaLowVisioncom
hillcresthealthcomProviding the regionrsquos widest array of aging-related services
One family Many servicesHillcrest Country EstatesContinuing care retirement communityfeaturing the Grand LodgeHwy 370 amp 60th Street Papillion(402) 885-7007
Hillcrest Health amp RehabIn-patient rehabilitation1702 Hillcrest Drive Bellevue(402) 291-8500
Hillcrest Physical TherapyOutpatient physical occupational and speech therapy1804 Hillcrest Drive Bellevue(402) 682-4210
Hillcrest Victoria GardensMemory support assisted living1702 Hillcrest Drive Bellevue(402) 682-4295
Hillcrest Mable Rose amp The ClubAssisted living memory support amp adult day servicesHwy 370 amp 48th Street Bellevue(402) 291-9777
Hillcrest Home CareSkilled home health and in-home personal careServing 9 counties in NE and IA(402) 682-4808
Hillcrest Hospice CareCompassionate end-of-life supportServing 7 counties in NE(402) 934-2282
The Grand LodgeIndependent Living
Now Open(402) 885-7007
Enhancing L ives
T ONY LAZZARETTI KEPT AN eye on the mole on his chest for some time When it started getting bigger he made an
appointment with his doctor to get it checked A biopsy confirmed that it was melanomamdashthe deadliest form of skin cancer
Lazzaretti 70 years old at the time said he was never a ldquosun bunnyrdquo but he remembers getting some bad sunburns
Lazzaretti had surgery to remove the mole and several lymph nodes but a couple of years later the cancer returned This time the cancer was too extensive to remove with surgery says Alissa Marr MD an oncolo-gist at Nebraska Medicine specializing in melanoma and lung cancer
ldquoWe started him on a new immunomodu-latory drug and he has had no reoccurrence
SKIN CANCER CONTINUES
TO RISEgreatest increases among women and
men over 65
S18 60PLUS | julyaugust 2015 | omahamagazinecom
by susan meyers
60PLUS HEALTH
since thenrdquo she says ldquoThis is a remarkable story of how advanced treatments have become Over the past four years there have been six new drugs introduced for metastatic melanoma that have been very effective in a select group of patientsrdquo
The cases of melanoma have steadily increased over the past 30 years notes Dr Marr The greatest increases have been among white women between the ages of 15 and 39 years and in men over age 65
While the cause for the increase is not known better identification use of tanning beds and having one or more blistering sun-burns as a youth appear to boost the risk Some research shows that people who use tanning beds are 74 percent more likely to get melanoma than those who donrsquot use them notes Dr Marr
ldquoIf melanoma is caught at an early stage and treated with proper surgical resection it is highly curablerdquo she says
Melanoma typically starts as a mole See a doctor if you experience any of the ABCDErsquos of a mole asymmetry border irregularity color variation diameter (anything larger than a pencil eraser) and evolution mean-ing a mole that is changing itchy or bleeds
The highest incidence of this cancer occurs on the back of the legs in women and on the trunk and back for men However it can occur on any area of the body even those that have not been exposed to the sun says Marr If you get a suspicious mole removed it needs to be an excision or punch biopsy by a qualified physician in order to get an accurate evaluation
Basal and squamous cell skin cancers the most common forms of skin cancer typically occur on chronically sun-exposed areas such as the head neck ears and arms and are directly related to amount of sun exposure Suspicious symptoms include a shiny waxy scar-like spot that may be yellow or white with irregular borders a smooth bump that is indented in the middle a reddish patch that wonrsquot go away and may be painful or itchy or a sore that takes more than three weeks to heal
ldquoEveryone should have a full body skin exam every year by their doctor to check for skin cancerrdquo says Dr Marr ldquoThe goal is to find it before it progresses and when it is still very treatablerdquo
Now Lazzaretti tells his kids every chance he gets stay out of the sun stay away from tan-ning beds and wear sunscreen
julyaugust 2015 | 60PLUS S19
wwwNebraskaLowVisioncom 402-905-2794
Nebraska Low Vision wishes Mike Riley and
the Nebraska Cornhuskers Football Team much
success in 2015
S20 60PLUS | julyaugust 2015 | omahamagazinecom
60PLUS FACESby anna hensel | photography by bill sitzmann
RETIREMENT on the road
F RITZ SAMPSON SAYS HE likes to travel slowly but the words ldquotravelrdquo and ldquoslowlyrdquo can conjure up thoughts of
lounging over three hour-long dinners in Italy or spending an entire afternoon wandering through a village in France
For 65-year-old Fritz ldquotraveling slowlyrdquo means moving about 200 miles a day across Europe and Asia by motorcycle
Last March Fritz undertook a 115-day motorcycle journey through south-ern Europe the former Soviet bloc and Mongolia but his plans were cut short by more than three weeks after an accident in Mongolia
Itrsquos an itinerary that sounds crazy but when explained calmly by Fritz seems per-fectly reasonable
ldquoWhether itrsquos breaking a shoulder or get-ting stopped by police or running out of food things are going to happenrdquo Fritz says ldquoAnd thatrsquos why you take the trip because itrsquos an adventurerdquo
According to Sampson and his wife of 40 years Mary he always had a daring spirit
ldquoThatrsquos what I loved him for was his sense of adventurerdquo Mary says ldquoNo one is compa-rable to Fritzmdashhersquos all out for the experience
The couple met on the Model United Nations Team at Creighton University and married in 1975 right out of college They and their two children moved to Germany in 1998 while Fritz pursued a degree in inter-national tax law His career took him every-where from China to Belize but he still craved different ways to see the world
A long-distance cyclist he rode for years all over the United States But as he aged he turned to a new mode of transportation motorcycling
He bought a new Harley Davidson in 2007 and in 2008 rode with his son Marty from Omaha to Tierra del Fuego an island chain
off the southernmost point of South AmericaldquoOne of the reasons I do thismdashI like meet-
ing people on the roadrdquo Fritz saysAfter his South American excursion Fritz
was itching to do a similar trip elsewhere He read about two motorcycle adventures on travel blogs that looked really interestingmdashone to the Russian far east another in outer Mongoliamdashand decided to combine the two by retiring and traveling to 17 countries He planned to begin in Ireland meet Mary in Turkey and eventually end up in Mongolia and Russia but had no other itinerary
That meant he spent a week in Bulgaria because he felt like it He chose to go to Kazakhstan instead of Turkmenistan because he met a fellow motorcyclist who was headed
there And when he told local policemen in Turkey the name of the hostel where he was staying they told him he shouldnrsquot sleep there and took him to a friendrsquos house where they hosted a barbecue for him
He also had a run-in with corrupt police in Azerbaijan lost 22 pounds and experienced that fateful fall in Mongolia that cut his trip short and left him with a broken shoulder
Therersquos only one thing hersquos cutting out of his routine off-roading on his motorcycle which led to his accident But he still wants to ride on motorcycle trips across the continental United States Alaska and Mexico
After all he says those are ldquoeasyrdquo rides
julyaugust 2015 | 60PLUS S21
I rsquoVE NEVER OWNED A video camera of any kind Okay so Irsquove just been reminded that my cell phone gizmo has such a device
but having never used it I still qualify as a video virgin
Sony introduced the first consumer cam-corder in 1983 the year my youngest child was born This made our family a prime target for being an early adapter in what became something of a video mania Almost over-night a populist paparazzi were born where every dad (Why was it always the dads) at every kindergarten holiday program was armed with a cinder-block-sized camera that instantly made him some kind of Fellini wanna-be
I refused to join the Betamax Age because my makeup is one where I want to remember things the way I want to remember thingsmdashnot necessarily how they actually happened
Ample video of my kidsrsquo childhood years exists from the cameras of extended family members and a couple of clan get-togethers have been marred when some idiot got the
bright idea that we should all watch old videos together Irsquom sure any good shrink would have a field day getting inside my head but the experience of viewing those picnics and parties and plays unfold on screen washellipwell ldquodisturbingrdquo is not at all too powerful a word
Itrsquos not that I am a dispassionate stoic For whatever weird reason being confronted with a filmed retelling of events rearranges my mental furniture in an unsettling almost visceral way
That tyranny of memory has only grown over the years and wersquove all witnessed the rise of the camera-obsessed malady Irsquoll call the Fear of Missing Out Syndrome In a sickness typified by living vicariously through a view-finder itrsquos as if film and only film is capable of proving even to ourselves the existential reality of a person place or thing
ldquoI saw Pope Francisrdquo ldquoI saw Pres- ident Obamardquo ldquoI saw Garth Brooksrdquo people exclaim
No you didnrsquot You saw only mere pixels while struggling to center a celebrityrsquos image
on your camera You had exactly the same experience I had when I saw almost identical footage on CNN or the local news except that my experience was better in that it was rendered by seasoned videographers on pro-fessional equipment You were there but you werenrsquot there
Just check out the June 15 Sports Illustrated cover online Get my point
Our society has become one of dim imagi-nations reflected in the even dimmer glows of electronic gadgets
As some dude named Lord Acton once claimed ldquoHistory is not a burden on the memory but an illumination of the soulrdquo I kinda dig that Lord Acton guy even if his name sounds like a super-classy moniker for a faux-British-bad-guy rassler on WWE
At least according to his lordship I donrsquot have an almost pathological relationship with memory I have an illuminated soul
LORD ACTON SAID IT BESTlife through a viewfinder
S22 60PLUS | julyaugust 2015 | omahamagazinecom
by david williams
60PLUS THE GRANDPA CHRONICLES
julyaugust 2015 | 60PLUS S23
DIRECTORY
Elk Ridge Village on the Lake Retirement CommunityElk Ridge Village provides Independent and Assisted Living and Alzheimerrsquos Care and is committed to providing services of the highest quality
19303 Seward Plaza402-312-1198402-216-8835wwwelkridgeseniorlivingcom
Brookestone MeadowsBrookestone VillageSkilled nursing communities provid-ing short-term rehabilitation including physical occupational and speech ther-apy as well as long-term nursing care
wwwBrookestoneVillagecom402-614-4000 bull OmahawwwBrookestoneMeadowscom402-280-2696 bull Elkhorn
Home Care Assistance
Our services are distinguished by the caliber of our caregivers the respon-siveness of our staff and our expertise in Live-In care We embrace a positive balanced approach to aging centered on the evolving needs of older adults
402-763-9140homecareassistanceomahacom
EJ Militti JrFinancial AdvisorThe Militti Group at Morgan Stanley
Wealth and Estate Planning Risk-Management Executive Services Foundations amp Endowments
(402) 399-1513wwwmorganstanleyfacommilittigroup
Saint Jude Hospice
Rooted in Christian Love and Guided by the Holy Spirit our Radical Loving Care brings healing to those when their hope has changed from a cure to comfort
10506 Burt Circle402-609-4818saintjudehospiceorg
Steven D Wegner DDS
Dr Wegner has 35 years of clinical experi-ence and thousands of hours of continuing education He knows how to help seniors and all ages to achieve and keep a healthy smile
11840 Nicholas StSuite 210Omaha NE 68154402-498-0400
Travel and Transport
Travel and Transport is proud to be the 5th largest travel agency in the US servicing clients throughout the country as well as globally
travelandtransportcom 402-399-4500
Nebraska Cancer SpecialistsNebraska Cancer Specialists is dedicated to providing complete cancer treatment for patients medical oncology radiation oncology surgical specialists and diagnostic services
5 Convenient LocationsFor address and phone infovisit our websitenebraskacancercom
Kohllrsquos Pharmacy amp Homecare
8 locations amp free delivery Providing retail amp compounded prescriptions all medical equipment amp supplies
402-408-1990 wwwkohllscom
Home Instead Senior Care
If yoursquore looking for someone to help you or a loved one a few hours a week or need more comprehensive assistance Home Instead Senior Care can help
Metro 4024983444West 4029324555
Nebraska Low Vision
Regain the Joy ofreading and writing today
In Home Demo Call 402-905-2794wwwNebraskaLowVisioncom
hillcresthealthcomProviding the regionrsquos widest array of aging-related services
One family Many servicesHillcrest Country EstatesContinuing care retirement communityfeaturing the Grand LodgeHwy 370 amp 60th Street Papillion(402) 885-7007
Hillcrest Health amp RehabIn-patient rehabilitation1702 Hillcrest Drive Bellevue(402) 291-8500
Hillcrest Physical TherapyOutpatient physical occupational and speech therapy1804 Hillcrest Drive Bellevue(402) 682-4210
Hillcrest Victoria GardensMemory support assisted living1702 Hillcrest Drive Bellevue(402) 682-4295
Hillcrest Mable Rose amp The ClubAssisted living memory support amp adult day servicesHwy 370 amp 48th Street Bellevue(402) 291-9777
Hillcrest Home CareSkilled home health and in-home personal careServing 9 counties in NE and IA(402) 682-4808
Hillcrest Hospice CareCompassionate end-of-life supportServing 7 counties in NE(402) 934-2282
The Grand LodgeIndependent Living
Now Open(402) 885-7007
Enhancing L ives
since thenrdquo she says ldquoThis is a remarkable story of how advanced treatments have become Over the past four years there have been six new drugs introduced for metastatic melanoma that have been very effective in a select group of patientsrdquo
The cases of melanoma have steadily increased over the past 30 years notes Dr Marr The greatest increases have been among white women between the ages of 15 and 39 years and in men over age 65
While the cause for the increase is not known better identification use of tanning beds and having one or more blistering sun-burns as a youth appear to boost the risk Some research shows that people who use tanning beds are 74 percent more likely to get melanoma than those who donrsquot use them notes Dr Marr
ldquoIf melanoma is caught at an early stage and treated with proper surgical resection it is highly curablerdquo she says
Melanoma typically starts as a mole See a doctor if you experience any of the ABCDErsquos of a mole asymmetry border irregularity color variation diameter (anything larger than a pencil eraser) and evolution mean-ing a mole that is changing itchy or bleeds
The highest incidence of this cancer occurs on the back of the legs in women and on the trunk and back for men However it can occur on any area of the body even those that have not been exposed to the sun says Marr If you get a suspicious mole removed it needs to be an excision or punch biopsy by a qualified physician in order to get an accurate evaluation
Basal and squamous cell skin cancers the most common forms of skin cancer typically occur on chronically sun-exposed areas such as the head neck ears and arms and are directly related to amount of sun exposure Suspicious symptoms include a shiny waxy scar-like spot that may be yellow or white with irregular borders a smooth bump that is indented in the middle a reddish patch that wonrsquot go away and may be painful or itchy or a sore that takes more than three weeks to heal
ldquoEveryone should have a full body skin exam every year by their doctor to check for skin cancerrdquo says Dr Marr ldquoThe goal is to find it before it progresses and when it is still very treatablerdquo
Now Lazzaretti tells his kids every chance he gets stay out of the sun stay away from tan-ning beds and wear sunscreen
julyaugust 2015 | 60PLUS S19
wwwNebraskaLowVisioncom 402-905-2794
Nebraska Low Vision wishes Mike Riley and
the Nebraska Cornhuskers Football Team much
success in 2015
S20 60PLUS | julyaugust 2015 | omahamagazinecom
60PLUS FACESby anna hensel | photography by bill sitzmann
RETIREMENT on the road
F RITZ SAMPSON SAYS HE likes to travel slowly but the words ldquotravelrdquo and ldquoslowlyrdquo can conjure up thoughts of
lounging over three hour-long dinners in Italy or spending an entire afternoon wandering through a village in France
For 65-year-old Fritz ldquotraveling slowlyrdquo means moving about 200 miles a day across Europe and Asia by motorcycle
Last March Fritz undertook a 115-day motorcycle journey through south-ern Europe the former Soviet bloc and Mongolia but his plans were cut short by more than three weeks after an accident in Mongolia
Itrsquos an itinerary that sounds crazy but when explained calmly by Fritz seems per-fectly reasonable
ldquoWhether itrsquos breaking a shoulder or get-ting stopped by police or running out of food things are going to happenrdquo Fritz says ldquoAnd thatrsquos why you take the trip because itrsquos an adventurerdquo
According to Sampson and his wife of 40 years Mary he always had a daring spirit
ldquoThatrsquos what I loved him for was his sense of adventurerdquo Mary says ldquoNo one is compa-rable to Fritzmdashhersquos all out for the experience
The couple met on the Model United Nations Team at Creighton University and married in 1975 right out of college They and their two children moved to Germany in 1998 while Fritz pursued a degree in inter-national tax law His career took him every-where from China to Belize but he still craved different ways to see the world
A long-distance cyclist he rode for years all over the United States But as he aged he turned to a new mode of transportation motorcycling
He bought a new Harley Davidson in 2007 and in 2008 rode with his son Marty from Omaha to Tierra del Fuego an island chain
off the southernmost point of South AmericaldquoOne of the reasons I do thismdashI like meet-
ing people on the roadrdquo Fritz saysAfter his South American excursion Fritz
was itching to do a similar trip elsewhere He read about two motorcycle adventures on travel blogs that looked really interestingmdashone to the Russian far east another in outer Mongoliamdashand decided to combine the two by retiring and traveling to 17 countries He planned to begin in Ireland meet Mary in Turkey and eventually end up in Mongolia and Russia but had no other itinerary
That meant he spent a week in Bulgaria because he felt like it He chose to go to Kazakhstan instead of Turkmenistan because he met a fellow motorcyclist who was headed
there And when he told local policemen in Turkey the name of the hostel where he was staying they told him he shouldnrsquot sleep there and took him to a friendrsquos house where they hosted a barbecue for him
He also had a run-in with corrupt police in Azerbaijan lost 22 pounds and experienced that fateful fall in Mongolia that cut his trip short and left him with a broken shoulder
Therersquos only one thing hersquos cutting out of his routine off-roading on his motorcycle which led to his accident But he still wants to ride on motorcycle trips across the continental United States Alaska and Mexico
After all he says those are ldquoeasyrdquo rides
julyaugust 2015 | 60PLUS S21
I rsquoVE NEVER OWNED A video camera of any kind Okay so Irsquove just been reminded that my cell phone gizmo has such a device
but having never used it I still qualify as a video virgin
Sony introduced the first consumer cam-corder in 1983 the year my youngest child was born This made our family a prime target for being an early adapter in what became something of a video mania Almost over-night a populist paparazzi were born where every dad (Why was it always the dads) at every kindergarten holiday program was armed with a cinder-block-sized camera that instantly made him some kind of Fellini wanna-be
I refused to join the Betamax Age because my makeup is one where I want to remember things the way I want to remember thingsmdashnot necessarily how they actually happened
Ample video of my kidsrsquo childhood years exists from the cameras of extended family members and a couple of clan get-togethers have been marred when some idiot got the
bright idea that we should all watch old videos together Irsquom sure any good shrink would have a field day getting inside my head but the experience of viewing those picnics and parties and plays unfold on screen washellipwell ldquodisturbingrdquo is not at all too powerful a word
Itrsquos not that I am a dispassionate stoic For whatever weird reason being confronted with a filmed retelling of events rearranges my mental furniture in an unsettling almost visceral way
That tyranny of memory has only grown over the years and wersquove all witnessed the rise of the camera-obsessed malady Irsquoll call the Fear of Missing Out Syndrome In a sickness typified by living vicariously through a view-finder itrsquos as if film and only film is capable of proving even to ourselves the existential reality of a person place or thing
ldquoI saw Pope Francisrdquo ldquoI saw Pres- ident Obamardquo ldquoI saw Garth Brooksrdquo people exclaim
No you didnrsquot You saw only mere pixels while struggling to center a celebrityrsquos image
on your camera You had exactly the same experience I had when I saw almost identical footage on CNN or the local news except that my experience was better in that it was rendered by seasoned videographers on pro-fessional equipment You were there but you werenrsquot there
Just check out the June 15 Sports Illustrated cover online Get my point
Our society has become one of dim imagi-nations reflected in the even dimmer glows of electronic gadgets
As some dude named Lord Acton once claimed ldquoHistory is not a burden on the memory but an illumination of the soulrdquo I kinda dig that Lord Acton guy even if his name sounds like a super-classy moniker for a faux-British-bad-guy rassler on WWE
At least according to his lordship I donrsquot have an almost pathological relationship with memory I have an illuminated soul
LORD ACTON SAID IT BESTlife through a viewfinder
S22 60PLUS | julyaugust 2015 | omahamagazinecom
by david williams
60PLUS THE GRANDPA CHRONICLES
julyaugust 2015 | 60PLUS S23
DIRECTORY
Elk Ridge Village on the Lake Retirement CommunityElk Ridge Village provides Independent and Assisted Living and Alzheimerrsquos Care and is committed to providing services of the highest quality
19303 Seward Plaza402-312-1198402-216-8835wwwelkridgeseniorlivingcom
Brookestone MeadowsBrookestone VillageSkilled nursing communities provid-ing short-term rehabilitation including physical occupational and speech ther-apy as well as long-term nursing care
wwwBrookestoneVillagecom402-614-4000 bull OmahawwwBrookestoneMeadowscom402-280-2696 bull Elkhorn
Home Care Assistance
Our services are distinguished by the caliber of our caregivers the respon-siveness of our staff and our expertise in Live-In care We embrace a positive balanced approach to aging centered on the evolving needs of older adults
402-763-9140homecareassistanceomahacom
EJ Militti JrFinancial AdvisorThe Militti Group at Morgan Stanley
Wealth and Estate Planning Risk-Management Executive Services Foundations amp Endowments
(402) 399-1513wwwmorganstanleyfacommilittigroup
Saint Jude Hospice
Rooted in Christian Love and Guided by the Holy Spirit our Radical Loving Care brings healing to those when their hope has changed from a cure to comfort
10506 Burt Circle402-609-4818saintjudehospiceorg
Steven D Wegner DDS
Dr Wegner has 35 years of clinical experi-ence and thousands of hours of continuing education He knows how to help seniors and all ages to achieve and keep a healthy smile
11840 Nicholas StSuite 210Omaha NE 68154402-498-0400
Travel and Transport
Travel and Transport is proud to be the 5th largest travel agency in the US servicing clients throughout the country as well as globally
travelandtransportcom 402-399-4500
Nebraska Cancer SpecialistsNebraska Cancer Specialists is dedicated to providing complete cancer treatment for patients medical oncology radiation oncology surgical specialists and diagnostic services
5 Convenient LocationsFor address and phone infovisit our websitenebraskacancercom
Kohllrsquos Pharmacy amp Homecare
8 locations amp free delivery Providing retail amp compounded prescriptions all medical equipment amp supplies
402-408-1990 wwwkohllscom
Home Instead Senior Care
If yoursquore looking for someone to help you or a loved one a few hours a week or need more comprehensive assistance Home Instead Senior Care can help
Metro 4024983444West 4029324555
Nebraska Low Vision
Regain the Joy ofreading and writing today
In Home Demo Call 402-905-2794wwwNebraskaLowVisioncom
hillcresthealthcomProviding the regionrsquos widest array of aging-related services
One family Many servicesHillcrest Country EstatesContinuing care retirement communityfeaturing the Grand LodgeHwy 370 amp 60th Street Papillion(402) 885-7007
Hillcrest Health amp RehabIn-patient rehabilitation1702 Hillcrest Drive Bellevue(402) 291-8500
Hillcrest Physical TherapyOutpatient physical occupational and speech therapy1804 Hillcrest Drive Bellevue(402) 682-4210
Hillcrest Victoria GardensMemory support assisted living1702 Hillcrest Drive Bellevue(402) 682-4295
Hillcrest Mable Rose amp The ClubAssisted living memory support amp adult day servicesHwy 370 amp 48th Street Bellevue(402) 291-9777
Hillcrest Home CareSkilled home health and in-home personal careServing 9 counties in NE and IA(402) 682-4808
Hillcrest Hospice CareCompassionate end-of-life supportServing 7 counties in NE(402) 934-2282
The Grand LodgeIndependent Living
Now Open(402) 885-7007
Enhancing L ives
S20 60PLUS | julyaugust 2015 | omahamagazinecom
60PLUS FACESby anna hensel | photography by bill sitzmann
RETIREMENT on the road
F RITZ SAMPSON SAYS HE likes to travel slowly but the words ldquotravelrdquo and ldquoslowlyrdquo can conjure up thoughts of
lounging over three hour-long dinners in Italy or spending an entire afternoon wandering through a village in France
For 65-year-old Fritz ldquotraveling slowlyrdquo means moving about 200 miles a day across Europe and Asia by motorcycle
Last March Fritz undertook a 115-day motorcycle journey through south-ern Europe the former Soviet bloc and Mongolia but his plans were cut short by more than three weeks after an accident in Mongolia
Itrsquos an itinerary that sounds crazy but when explained calmly by Fritz seems per-fectly reasonable
ldquoWhether itrsquos breaking a shoulder or get-ting stopped by police or running out of food things are going to happenrdquo Fritz says ldquoAnd thatrsquos why you take the trip because itrsquos an adventurerdquo
According to Sampson and his wife of 40 years Mary he always had a daring spirit
ldquoThatrsquos what I loved him for was his sense of adventurerdquo Mary says ldquoNo one is compa-rable to Fritzmdashhersquos all out for the experience
The couple met on the Model United Nations Team at Creighton University and married in 1975 right out of college They and their two children moved to Germany in 1998 while Fritz pursued a degree in inter-national tax law His career took him every-where from China to Belize but he still craved different ways to see the world
A long-distance cyclist he rode for years all over the United States But as he aged he turned to a new mode of transportation motorcycling
He bought a new Harley Davidson in 2007 and in 2008 rode with his son Marty from Omaha to Tierra del Fuego an island chain
off the southernmost point of South AmericaldquoOne of the reasons I do thismdashI like meet-
ing people on the roadrdquo Fritz saysAfter his South American excursion Fritz
was itching to do a similar trip elsewhere He read about two motorcycle adventures on travel blogs that looked really interestingmdashone to the Russian far east another in outer Mongoliamdashand decided to combine the two by retiring and traveling to 17 countries He planned to begin in Ireland meet Mary in Turkey and eventually end up in Mongolia and Russia but had no other itinerary
That meant he spent a week in Bulgaria because he felt like it He chose to go to Kazakhstan instead of Turkmenistan because he met a fellow motorcyclist who was headed
there And when he told local policemen in Turkey the name of the hostel where he was staying they told him he shouldnrsquot sleep there and took him to a friendrsquos house where they hosted a barbecue for him
He also had a run-in with corrupt police in Azerbaijan lost 22 pounds and experienced that fateful fall in Mongolia that cut his trip short and left him with a broken shoulder
Therersquos only one thing hersquos cutting out of his routine off-roading on his motorcycle which led to his accident But he still wants to ride on motorcycle trips across the continental United States Alaska and Mexico
After all he says those are ldquoeasyrdquo rides
julyaugust 2015 | 60PLUS S21
I rsquoVE NEVER OWNED A video camera of any kind Okay so Irsquove just been reminded that my cell phone gizmo has such a device
but having never used it I still qualify as a video virgin
Sony introduced the first consumer cam-corder in 1983 the year my youngest child was born This made our family a prime target for being an early adapter in what became something of a video mania Almost over-night a populist paparazzi were born where every dad (Why was it always the dads) at every kindergarten holiday program was armed with a cinder-block-sized camera that instantly made him some kind of Fellini wanna-be
I refused to join the Betamax Age because my makeup is one where I want to remember things the way I want to remember thingsmdashnot necessarily how they actually happened
Ample video of my kidsrsquo childhood years exists from the cameras of extended family members and a couple of clan get-togethers have been marred when some idiot got the
bright idea that we should all watch old videos together Irsquom sure any good shrink would have a field day getting inside my head but the experience of viewing those picnics and parties and plays unfold on screen washellipwell ldquodisturbingrdquo is not at all too powerful a word
Itrsquos not that I am a dispassionate stoic For whatever weird reason being confronted with a filmed retelling of events rearranges my mental furniture in an unsettling almost visceral way
That tyranny of memory has only grown over the years and wersquove all witnessed the rise of the camera-obsessed malady Irsquoll call the Fear of Missing Out Syndrome In a sickness typified by living vicariously through a view-finder itrsquos as if film and only film is capable of proving even to ourselves the existential reality of a person place or thing
ldquoI saw Pope Francisrdquo ldquoI saw Pres- ident Obamardquo ldquoI saw Garth Brooksrdquo people exclaim
No you didnrsquot You saw only mere pixels while struggling to center a celebrityrsquos image
on your camera You had exactly the same experience I had when I saw almost identical footage on CNN or the local news except that my experience was better in that it was rendered by seasoned videographers on pro-fessional equipment You were there but you werenrsquot there
Just check out the June 15 Sports Illustrated cover online Get my point
Our society has become one of dim imagi-nations reflected in the even dimmer glows of electronic gadgets
As some dude named Lord Acton once claimed ldquoHistory is not a burden on the memory but an illumination of the soulrdquo I kinda dig that Lord Acton guy even if his name sounds like a super-classy moniker for a faux-British-bad-guy rassler on WWE
At least according to his lordship I donrsquot have an almost pathological relationship with memory I have an illuminated soul
LORD ACTON SAID IT BESTlife through a viewfinder
S22 60PLUS | julyaugust 2015 | omahamagazinecom
by david williams
60PLUS THE GRANDPA CHRONICLES
julyaugust 2015 | 60PLUS S23
DIRECTORY
Elk Ridge Village on the Lake Retirement CommunityElk Ridge Village provides Independent and Assisted Living and Alzheimerrsquos Care and is committed to providing services of the highest quality
19303 Seward Plaza402-312-1198402-216-8835wwwelkridgeseniorlivingcom
Brookestone MeadowsBrookestone VillageSkilled nursing communities provid-ing short-term rehabilitation including physical occupational and speech ther-apy as well as long-term nursing care
wwwBrookestoneVillagecom402-614-4000 bull OmahawwwBrookestoneMeadowscom402-280-2696 bull Elkhorn
Home Care Assistance
Our services are distinguished by the caliber of our caregivers the respon-siveness of our staff and our expertise in Live-In care We embrace a positive balanced approach to aging centered on the evolving needs of older adults
402-763-9140homecareassistanceomahacom
EJ Militti JrFinancial AdvisorThe Militti Group at Morgan Stanley
Wealth and Estate Planning Risk-Management Executive Services Foundations amp Endowments
(402) 399-1513wwwmorganstanleyfacommilittigroup
Saint Jude Hospice
Rooted in Christian Love and Guided by the Holy Spirit our Radical Loving Care brings healing to those when their hope has changed from a cure to comfort
10506 Burt Circle402-609-4818saintjudehospiceorg
Steven D Wegner DDS
Dr Wegner has 35 years of clinical experi-ence and thousands of hours of continuing education He knows how to help seniors and all ages to achieve and keep a healthy smile
11840 Nicholas StSuite 210Omaha NE 68154402-498-0400
Travel and Transport
Travel and Transport is proud to be the 5th largest travel agency in the US servicing clients throughout the country as well as globally
travelandtransportcom 402-399-4500
Nebraska Cancer SpecialistsNebraska Cancer Specialists is dedicated to providing complete cancer treatment for patients medical oncology radiation oncology surgical specialists and diagnostic services
5 Convenient LocationsFor address and phone infovisit our websitenebraskacancercom
Kohllrsquos Pharmacy amp Homecare
8 locations amp free delivery Providing retail amp compounded prescriptions all medical equipment amp supplies
402-408-1990 wwwkohllscom
Home Instead Senior Care
If yoursquore looking for someone to help you or a loved one a few hours a week or need more comprehensive assistance Home Instead Senior Care can help
Metro 4024983444West 4029324555
Nebraska Low Vision
Regain the Joy ofreading and writing today
In Home Demo Call 402-905-2794wwwNebraskaLowVisioncom
hillcresthealthcomProviding the regionrsquos widest array of aging-related services
One family Many servicesHillcrest Country EstatesContinuing care retirement communityfeaturing the Grand LodgeHwy 370 amp 60th Street Papillion(402) 885-7007
Hillcrest Health amp RehabIn-patient rehabilitation1702 Hillcrest Drive Bellevue(402) 291-8500
Hillcrest Physical TherapyOutpatient physical occupational and speech therapy1804 Hillcrest Drive Bellevue(402) 682-4210
Hillcrest Victoria GardensMemory support assisted living1702 Hillcrest Drive Bellevue(402) 682-4295
Hillcrest Mable Rose amp The ClubAssisted living memory support amp adult day servicesHwy 370 amp 48th Street Bellevue(402) 291-9777
Hillcrest Home CareSkilled home health and in-home personal careServing 9 counties in NE and IA(402) 682-4808
Hillcrest Hospice CareCompassionate end-of-life supportServing 7 counties in NE(402) 934-2282
The Grand LodgeIndependent Living
Now Open(402) 885-7007
Enhancing L ives
RETIREMENT on the road
F RITZ SAMPSON SAYS HE likes to travel slowly but the words ldquotravelrdquo and ldquoslowlyrdquo can conjure up thoughts of
lounging over three hour-long dinners in Italy or spending an entire afternoon wandering through a village in France
For 65-year-old Fritz ldquotraveling slowlyrdquo means moving about 200 miles a day across Europe and Asia by motorcycle
Last March Fritz undertook a 115-day motorcycle journey through south-ern Europe the former Soviet bloc and Mongolia but his plans were cut short by more than three weeks after an accident in Mongolia
Itrsquos an itinerary that sounds crazy but when explained calmly by Fritz seems per-fectly reasonable
ldquoWhether itrsquos breaking a shoulder or get-ting stopped by police or running out of food things are going to happenrdquo Fritz says ldquoAnd thatrsquos why you take the trip because itrsquos an adventurerdquo
According to Sampson and his wife of 40 years Mary he always had a daring spirit
ldquoThatrsquos what I loved him for was his sense of adventurerdquo Mary says ldquoNo one is compa-rable to Fritzmdashhersquos all out for the experience
The couple met on the Model United Nations Team at Creighton University and married in 1975 right out of college They and their two children moved to Germany in 1998 while Fritz pursued a degree in inter-national tax law His career took him every-where from China to Belize but he still craved different ways to see the world
A long-distance cyclist he rode for years all over the United States But as he aged he turned to a new mode of transportation motorcycling
He bought a new Harley Davidson in 2007 and in 2008 rode with his son Marty from Omaha to Tierra del Fuego an island chain
off the southernmost point of South AmericaldquoOne of the reasons I do thismdashI like meet-
ing people on the roadrdquo Fritz saysAfter his South American excursion Fritz
was itching to do a similar trip elsewhere He read about two motorcycle adventures on travel blogs that looked really interestingmdashone to the Russian far east another in outer Mongoliamdashand decided to combine the two by retiring and traveling to 17 countries He planned to begin in Ireland meet Mary in Turkey and eventually end up in Mongolia and Russia but had no other itinerary
That meant he spent a week in Bulgaria because he felt like it He chose to go to Kazakhstan instead of Turkmenistan because he met a fellow motorcyclist who was headed
there And when he told local policemen in Turkey the name of the hostel where he was staying they told him he shouldnrsquot sleep there and took him to a friendrsquos house where they hosted a barbecue for him
He also had a run-in with corrupt police in Azerbaijan lost 22 pounds and experienced that fateful fall in Mongolia that cut his trip short and left him with a broken shoulder
Therersquos only one thing hersquos cutting out of his routine off-roading on his motorcycle which led to his accident But he still wants to ride on motorcycle trips across the continental United States Alaska and Mexico
After all he says those are ldquoeasyrdquo rides
julyaugust 2015 | 60PLUS S21
I rsquoVE NEVER OWNED A video camera of any kind Okay so Irsquove just been reminded that my cell phone gizmo has such a device
but having never used it I still qualify as a video virgin
Sony introduced the first consumer cam-corder in 1983 the year my youngest child was born This made our family a prime target for being an early adapter in what became something of a video mania Almost over-night a populist paparazzi were born where every dad (Why was it always the dads) at every kindergarten holiday program was armed with a cinder-block-sized camera that instantly made him some kind of Fellini wanna-be
I refused to join the Betamax Age because my makeup is one where I want to remember things the way I want to remember thingsmdashnot necessarily how they actually happened
Ample video of my kidsrsquo childhood years exists from the cameras of extended family members and a couple of clan get-togethers have been marred when some idiot got the
bright idea that we should all watch old videos together Irsquom sure any good shrink would have a field day getting inside my head but the experience of viewing those picnics and parties and plays unfold on screen washellipwell ldquodisturbingrdquo is not at all too powerful a word
Itrsquos not that I am a dispassionate stoic For whatever weird reason being confronted with a filmed retelling of events rearranges my mental furniture in an unsettling almost visceral way
That tyranny of memory has only grown over the years and wersquove all witnessed the rise of the camera-obsessed malady Irsquoll call the Fear of Missing Out Syndrome In a sickness typified by living vicariously through a view-finder itrsquos as if film and only film is capable of proving even to ourselves the existential reality of a person place or thing
ldquoI saw Pope Francisrdquo ldquoI saw Pres- ident Obamardquo ldquoI saw Garth Brooksrdquo people exclaim
No you didnrsquot You saw only mere pixels while struggling to center a celebrityrsquos image
on your camera You had exactly the same experience I had when I saw almost identical footage on CNN or the local news except that my experience was better in that it was rendered by seasoned videographers on pro-fessional equipment You were there but you werenrsquot there
Just check out the June 15 Sports Illustrated cover online Get my point
Our society has become one of dim imagi-nations reflected in the even dimmer glows of electronic gadgets
As some dude named Lord Acton once claimed ldquoHistory is not a burden on the memory but an illumination of the soulrdquo I kinda dig that Lord Acton guy even if his name sounds like a super-classy moniker for a faux-British-bad-guy rassler on WWE
At least according to his lordship I donrsquot have an almost pathological relationship with memory I have an illuminated soul
LORD ACTON SAID IT BESTlife through a viewfinder
S22 60PLUS | julyaugust 2015 | omahamagazinecom
by david williams
60PLUS THE GRANDPA CHRONICLES
julyaugust 2015 | 60PLUS S23
DIRECTORY
Elk Ridge Village on the Lake Retirement CommunityElk Ridge Village provides Independent and Assisted Living and Alzheimerrsquos Care and is committed to providing services of the highest quality
19303 Seward Plaza402-312-1198402-216-8835wwwelkridgeseniorlivingcom
Brookestone MeadowsBrookestone VillageSkilled nursing communities provid-ing short-term rehabilitation including physical occupational and speech ther-apy as well as long-term nursing care
wwwBrookestoneVillagecom402-614-4000 bull OmahawwwBrookestoneMeadowscom402-280-2696 bull Elkhorn
Home Care Assistance
Our services are distinguished by the caliber of our caregivers the respon-siveness of our staff and our expertise in Live-In care We embrace a positive balanced approach to aging centered on the evolving needs of older adults
402-763-9140homecareassistanceomahacom
EJ Militti JrFinancial AdvisorThe Militti Group at Morgan Stanley
Wealth and Estate Planning Risk-Management Executive Services Foundations amp Endowments
(402) 399-1513wwwmorganstanleyfacommilittigroup
Saint Jude Hospice
Rooted in Christian Love and Guided by the Holy Spirit our Radical Loving Care brings healing to those when their hope has changed from a cure to comfort
10506 Burt Circle402-609-4818saintjudehospiceorg
Steven D Wegner DDS
Dr Wegner has 35 years of clinical experi-ence and thousands of hours of continuing education He knows how to help seniors and all ages to achieve and keep a healthy smile
11840 Nicholas StSuite 210Omaha NE 68154402-498-0400
Travel and Transport
Travel and Transport is proud to be the 5th largest travel agency in the US servicing clients throughout the country as well as globally
travelandtransportcom 402-399-4500
Nebraska Cancer SpecialistsNebraska Cancer Specialists is dedicated to providing complete cancer treatment for patients medical oncology radiation oncology surgical specialists and diagnostic services
5 Convenient LocationsFor address and phone infovisit our websitenebraskacancercom
Kohllrsquos Pharmacy amp Homecare
8 locations amp free delivery Providing retail amp compounded prescriptions all medical equipment amp supplies
402-408-1990 wwwkohllscom
Home Instead Senior Care
If yoursquore looking for someone to help you or a loved one a few hours a week or need more comprehensive assistance Home Instead Senior Care can help
Metro 4024983444West 4029324555
Nebraska Low Vision
Regain the Joy ofreading and writing today
In Home Demo Call 402-905-2794wwwNebraskaLowVisioncom
hillcresthealthcomProviding the regionrsquos widest array of aging-related services
One family Many servicesHillcrest Country EstatesContinuing care retirement communityfeaturing the Grand LodgeHwy 370 amp 60th Street Papillion(402) 885-7007
Hillcrest Health amp RehabIn-patient rehabilitation1702 Hillcrest Drive Bellevue(402) 291-8500
Hillcrest Physical TherapyOutpatient physical occupational and speech therapy1804 Hillcrest Drive Bellevue(402) 682-4210
Hillcrest Victoria GardensMemory support assisted living1702 Hillcrest Drive Bellevue(402) 682-4295
Hillcrest Mable Rose amp The ClubAssisted living memory support amp adult day servicesHwy 370 amp 48th Street Bellevue(402) 291-9777
Hillcrest Home CareSkilled home health and in-home personal careServing 9 counties in NE and IA(402) 682-4808
Hillcrest Hospice CareCompassionate end-of-life supportServing 7 counties in NE(402) 934-2282
The Grand LodgeIndependent Living
Now Open(402) 885-7007
Enhancing L ives
I rsquoVE NEVER OWNED A video camera of any kind Okay so Irsquove just been reminded that my cell phone gizmo has such a device
but having never used it I still qualify as a video virgin
Sony introduced the first consumer cam-corder in 1983 the year my youngest child was born This made our family a prime target for being an early adapter in what became something of a video mania Almost over-night a populist paparazzi were born where every dad (Why was it always the dads) at every kindergarten holiday program was armed with a cinder-block-sized camera that instantly made him some kind of Fellini wanna-be
I refused to join the Betamax Age because my makeup is one where I want to remember things the way I want to remember thingsmdashnot necessarily how they actually happened
Ample video of my kidsrsquo childhood years exists from the cameras of extended family members and a couple of clan get-togethers have been marred when some idiot got the
bright idea that we should all watch old videos together Irsquom sure any good shrink would have a field day getting inside my head but the experience of viewing those picnics and parties and plays unfold on screen washellipwell ldquodisturbingrdquo is not at all too powerful a word
Itrsquos not that I am a dispassionate stoic For whatever weird reason being confronted with a filmed retelling of events rearranges my mental furniture in an unsettling almost visceral way
That tyranny of memory has only grown over the years and wersquove all witnessed the rise of the camera-obsessed malady Irsquoll call the Fear of Missing Out Syndrome In a sickness typified by living vicariously through a view-finder itrsquos as if film and only film is capable of proving even to ourselves the existential reality of a person place or thing
ldquoI saw Pope Francisrdquo ldquoI saw Pres- ident Obamardquo ldquoI saw Garth Brooksrdquo people exclaim
No you didnrsquot You saw only mere pixels while struggling to center a celebrityrsquos image
on your camera You had exactly the same experience I had when I saw almost identical footage on CNN or the local news except that my experience was better in that it was rendered by seasoned videographers on pro-fessional equipment You were there but you werenrsquot there
Just check out the June 15 Sports Illustrated cover online Get my point
Our society has become one of dim imagi-nations reflected in the even dimmer glows of electronic gadgets
As some dude named Lord Acton once claimed ldquoHistory is not a burden on the memory but an illumination of the soulrdquo I kinda dig that Lord Acton guy even if his name sounds like a super-classy moniker for a faux-British-bad-guy rassler on WWE
At least according to his lordship I donrsquot have an almost pathological relationship with memory I have an illuminated soul
LORD ACTON SAID IT BESTlife through a viewfinder
S22 60PLUS | julyaugust 2015 | omahamagazinecom
by david williams
60PLUS THE GRANDPA CHRONICLES
julyaugust 2015 | 60PLUS S23
DIRECTORY
Elk Ridge Village on the Lake Retirement CommunityElk Ridge Village provides Independent and Assisted Living and Alzheimerrsquos Care and is committed to providing services of the highest quality
19303 Seward Plaza402-312-1198402-216-8835wwwelkridgeseniorlivingcom
Brookestone MeadowsBrookestone VillageSkilled nursing communities provid-ing short-term rehabilitation including physical occupational and speech ther-apy as well as long-term nursing care
wwwBrookestoneVillagecom402-614-4000 bull OmahawwwBrookestoneMeadowscom402-280-2696 bull Elkhorn
Home Care Assistance
Our services are distinguished by the caliber of our caregivers the respon-siveness of our staff and our expertise in Live-In care We embrace a positive balanced approach to aging centered on the evolving needs of older adults
402-763-9140homecareassistanceomahacom
EJ Militti JrFinancial AdvisorThe Militti Group at Morgan Stanley
Wealth and Estate Planning Risk-Management Executive Services Foundations amp Endowments
(402) 399-1513wwwmorganstanleyfacommilittigroup
Saint Jude Hospice
Rooted in Christian Love and Guided by the Holy Spirit our Radical Loving Care brings healing to those when their hope has changed from a cure to comfort
10506 Burt Circle402-609-4818saintjudehospiceorg
Steven D Wegner DDS
Dr Wegner has 35 years of clinical experi-ence and thousands of hours of continuing education He knows how to help seniors and all ages to achieve and keep a healthy smile
11840 Nicholas StSuite 210Omaha NE 68154402-498-0400
Travel and Transport
Travel and Transport is proud to be the 5th largest travel agency in the US servicing clients throughout the country as well as globally
travelandtransportcom 402-399-4500
Nebraska Cancer SpecialistsNebraska Cancer Specialists is dedicated to providing complete cancer treatment for patients medical oncology radiation oncology surgical specialists and diagnostic services
5 Convenient LocationsFor address and phone infovisit our websitenebraskacancercom
Kohllrsquos Pharmacy amp Homecare
8 locations amp free delivery Providing retail amp compounded prescriptions all medical equipment amp supplies
402-408-1990 wwwkohllscom
Home Instead Senior Care
If yoursquore looking for someone to help you or a loved one a few hours a week or need more comprehensive assistance Home Instead Senior Care can help
Metro 4024983444West 4029324555
Nebraska Low Vision
Regain the Joy ofreading and writing today
In Home Demo Call 402-905-2794wwwNebraskaLowVisioncom
hillcresthealthcomProviding the regionrsquos widest array of aging-related services
One family Many servicesHillcrest Country EstatesContinuing care retirement communityfeaturing the Grand LodgeHwy 370 amp 60th Street Papillion(402) 885-7007
Hillcrest Health amp RehabIn-patient rehabilitation1702 Hillcrest Drive Bellevue(402) 291-8500
Hillcrest Physical TherapyOutpatient physical occupational and speech therapy1804 Hillcrest Drive Bellevue(402) 682-4210
Hillcrest Victoria GardensMemory support assisted living1702 Hillcrest Drive Bellevue(402) 682-4295
Hillcrest Mable Rose amp The ClubAssisted living memory support amp adult day servicesHwy 370 amp 48th Street Bellevue(402) 291-9777
Hillcrest Home CareSkilled home health and in-home personal careServing 9 counties in NE and IA(402) 682-4808
Hillcrest Hospice CareCompassionate end-of-life supportServing 7 counties in NE(402) 934-2282
The Grand LodgeIndependent Living
Now Open(402) 885-7007
Enhancing L ives
julyaugust 2015 | 60PLUS S23
DIRECTORY
Elk Ridge Village on the Lake Retirement CommunityElk Ridge Village provides Independent and Assisted Living and Alzheimerrsquos Care and is committed to providing services of the highest quality
19303 Seward Plaza402-312-1198402-216-8835wwwelkridgeseniorlivingcom
Brookestone MeadowsBrookestone VillageSkilled nursing communities provid-ing short-term rehabilitation including physical occupational and speech ther-apy as well as long-term nursing care
wwwBrookestoneVillagecom402-614-4000 bull OmahawwwBrookestoneMeadowscom402-280-2696 bull Elkhorn
Home Care Assistance
Our services are distinguished by the caliber of our caregivers the respon-siveness of our staff and our expertise in Live-In care We embrace a positive balanced approach to aging centered on the evolving needs of older adults
402-763-9140homecareassistanceomahacom
EJ Militti JrFinancial AdvisorThe Militti Group at Morgan Stanley
Wealth and Estate Planning Risk-Management Executive Services Foundations amp Endowments
(402) 399-1513wwwmorganstanleyfacommilittigroup
Saint Jude Hospice
Rooted in Christian Love and Guided by the Holy Spirit our Radical Loving Care brings healing to those when their hope has changed from a cure to comfort
10506 Burt Circle402-609-4818saintjudehospiceorg
Steven D Wegner DDS
Dr Wegner has 35 years of clinical experi-ence and thousands of hours of continuing education He knows how to help seniors and all ages to achieve and keep a healthy smile
11840 Nicholas StSuite 210Omaha NE 68154402-498-0400
Travel and Transport
Travel and Transport is proud to be the 5th largest travel agency in the US servicing clients throughout the country as well as globally
travelandtransportcom 402-399-4500
Nebraska Cancer SpecialistsNebraska Cancer Specialists is dedicated to providing complete cancer treatment for patients medical oncology radiation oncology surgical specialists and diagnostic services
5 Convenient LocationsFor address and phone infovisit our websitenebraskacancercom
Kohllrsquos Pharmacy amp Homecare
8 locations amp free delivery Providing retail amp compounded prescriptions all medical equipment amp supplies
402-408-1990 wwwkohllscom
Home Instead Senior Care
If yoursquore looking for someone to help you or a loved one a few hours a week or need more comprehensive assistance Home Instead Senior Care can help
Metro 4024983444West 4029324555
Nebraska Low Vision
Regain the Joy ofreading and writing today
In Home Demo Call 402-905-2794wwwNebraskaLowVisioncom
hillcresthealthcomProviding the regionrsquos widest array of aging-related services
One family Many servicesHillcrest Country EstatesContinuing care retirement communityfeaturing the Grand LodgeHwy 370 amp 60th Street Papillion(402) 885-7007
Hillcrest Health amp RehabIn-patient rehabilitation1702 Hillcrest Drive Bellevue(402) 291-8500
Hillcrest Physical TherapyOutpatient physical occupational and speech therapy1804 Hillcrest Drive Bellevue(402) 682-4210
Hillcrest Victoria GardensMemory support assisted living1702 Hillcrest Drive Bellevue(402) 682-4295
Hillcrest Mable Rose amp The ClubAssisted living memory support amp adult day servicesHwy 370 amp 48th Street Bellevue(402) 291-9777
Hillcrest Home CareSkilled home health and in-home personal careServing 9 counties in NE and IA(402) 682-4808
Hillcrest Hospice CareCompassionate end-of-life supportServing 7 counties in NE(402) 934-2282
The Grand LodgeIndependent Living
Now Open(402) 885-7007
Enhancing L ives
hillcresthealthcomProviding the regionrsquos widest array of aging-related services
One family Many servicesHillcrest Country EstatesContinuing care retirement communityfeaturing the Grand LodgeHwy 370 amp 60th Street Papillion(402) 885-7007
Hillcrest Health amp RehabIn-patient rehabilitation1702 Hillcrest Drive Bellevue(402) 291-8500
Hillcrest Physical TherapyOutpatient physical occupational and speech therapy1804 Hillcrest Drive Bellevue(402) 682-4210
Hillcrest Victoria GardensMemory support assisted living1702 Hillcrest Drive Bellevue(402) 682-4295
Hillcrest Mable Rose amp The ClubAssisted living memory support amp adult day servicesHwy 370 amp 48th Street Bellevue(402) 291-9777
Hillcrest Home CareSkilled home health and in-home personal careServing 9 counties in NE and IA(402) 682-4808
Hillcrest Hospice CareCompassionate end-of-life supportServing 7 counties in NE(402) 934-2282
The Grand LodgeIndependent Living
Now Open(402) 885-7007
Enhancing L ives