Senior Spectrum Newspaper - March 2015 Issue

SeniorSpectrumNewspaper.com / March / 3

March 2015CONTENTS

THIS ISSUE - 78th Session BillsPage 7 - Sen. Reid IntroducesBill to Restore Vet BenefitsPage 19 - CMS StrengthensFive Star Nursing Home RatingPage 23 - Screening for LungCancer with TomographyPage 24 - Carson City WomanArrested for Elder FraudPage 25 - Governor NamesInterim Director of HHSPage 29 - Sen. Heller: SponsorsHearing-Aid Tax CreditPage 29 - No Place Like HomeEarns Care Award

EVERY ISSUEPage 6 - Opinion: Sen. HellerPage 26 - CalendarPage 27 - Eclectic ObserverPage 30 - Biggest Little City

Page 31 - Boomer PuzzlesPage 32 - this ‘n thatPage 34 - ResourcesPage 35 - CrosswordPage 36 - TinseltownPage 38 - Seniors4Travel

HEALTHPage 13 - CMS: When to SignUp for MedicarePage 15 - Center for HealthyAging: Keys to Wellness andHappinessPage 23 - Ophthalmology

FINANCIALPage 8 - Bradly Anderson, Surprise! You May Be aMillionaire - Anderson & DornPage 10 - Community Giving- Bequests Gone WrongPage 17 - AARP - Be Aware ofTax identity Theft

Senior Spectrum NewspaperP.O. Box 7124 • Reno, NV 89510

775-348-0717SeniorSpectrumNewspaper.com

[email protected]: Chris & Connie McMullen

Column opinions are writers, not publishers. Copyrighted publication.

17

Editorʼs Desk

Legislative Bills that SupportSeniors, Caregivers, People with

Disabilities, Families

There are 1,091 bill draftsmoving through the 78thLegislative Session, manymeant to benefit seniors,people with disabilities, andfamilies. The following is alist of a few with explanationof the content. To find acomplete list of bills and billdrafts log on to:www.leg.state.nv.us/.

SCR 2, sponsored by SenatorHardy, SCR 2 encourageseducation of medical careproviders and first respon-ders regarding care for per-sons with Alzheimer's dis-ease. Alzheimer's diseaseafflicts one out of every nineAmericans over 65 years ofage and is the sixth leadingcause of death in the UnitedStates.

AB 6, sponsored by theAssembly Committee onCommerce and Labor, revisesprovisions relating to autismspectrum disorders. Itremoves certification ofautism behavior intervention-

ists by the Board ofPsychological Examiners;sunsets the changes unlesslegislation providing for anautism behavior intervention-ist to obtain a certain othercertification is enacted; andremoves the cap on theamount of required insurancecoverage for certain treat-ment.

AB 9, sponsored by theAssembly Committee onJudiciary, relates to theadministration of guardian-ships; prohibiting a courtfrom granting a summaryadministration of a ward'sestate under guardianship ifthe ward is suffering fromdementia or resides with acare provider that is an insti-tution or facility located out-side this State.

AB 28, requested by theNevada Silver HairedLegislative Forum, Revisesthe duties of the State Long-Term Care Ombudsman to

(Legislation page 4)

develop certain training to be madeavailable to officers, directors andemployees of a facility for long-termcare. AB 28 also requires theOmbudsman to provide certain trainingto advocates who assist theOmbudsman in providing services tothe residents of a facility.

AB 93, sponsored by AssemblywomanTeresa Benitez-Thompson, revises pro-visions relating to continuing education,requiring certain licensed professionalsto receive suicide prevention andawareness training in order to renew alicense.

AB 128, a bill from the LegislativeCommittee on Seniors, Veterans andAdults with Special Needs, creates apower of attorney for health care deci-sions for adults with intellectual disabil-ities. Existing law provides an exampleof a form for a power of attorney forhealth care. AB 128 would also provide

an example of the form for adults withintellectual disabilities.

AB 164, sponsored by AssemblymanJames Ohrenschall, revises provisionsrelating to public health; authorizing amanufacturer to provide or make avail-able an investigational drug.

BDR 645, sponsored by AssemblymanKirner, would apply a penalty toPersonal Care Agencies that fail toobtain a license with the NevadaDivision of Public and BehavioralHealth as required by Nevada RevisedStatute. Currently, Personal CareAgencies are required to be licensed butthere is no penalty for noncompliance.

AB 6, revises provisions relating to thedelivery of health care; providing for thecreation of the Office for Patient-Centered Medical Homes within theDivision of Public and BehavioralHealth of the Department of Health andHuman Services; requiring certification

before a primary care practice mayoperate as a patient-centered medicalhome; and requiring the Administratorof the Division to evaluate patient-cen-tered medical homes and provide cer-tain oversight.

SB 35, ratifying and enacting theInterstate Compact on Mental Health;designating the Administrator of theDivision of Public and BehavioralHealth of the Department of Health andHuman Services as the CompactAdministrator.

SB 177, sponsored by Senator Hardy,requires a hospital to provide anopportunity for a patient who is admit-ted as an inpatient or certain other per-sons to designate a caregiver for thepatient to prevent hospital readmission. SB 177 also requires a hospital toattempt to provide certain notification,information and training to a caregiverbefore taking certain actions concerninga patient.

4 / March / SeniorSpectrumNewspaper.com

Legislation / page 3

As we moveinto March, thepressures of taxseason seem morereal with the April15th deadlineright around the

corner. During this time, individualsand businesses across the country workto fill out different tax documents,specifying data necessary to completetax returns. Though this happens annu-ally, it can be a stressful time of yearwithout experience or the correct helpto guide you through the process.

A couple of options to help those fil-ing taxes are the Volunteer Income TaxAssistance (VITA) program and the Tax

Counseling for the Elderly (TCE) pro-gram, both of which provide volunteersapproved through the Internal RevenueService (IRS). The first, VITA, is struc-tured to aid those making $53,000 orless, persons with disabilities, the elder-ly, and limited English-speaking taxpay-ers. The latter, TCE, is set up specifical-ly to guide those 60 years of age orolder through the process of completingtax returns, as well as specializing inpensions and retirement-related issues.VITA and TCE sites are generally locat-ed at community centers, libraries,schools, shopping malls, and other localvenues. You can call (800) 906-9887 toconfirm your local site.

Since my initial days in Congress,

tax reform has always been a priorityfor me. I strongly believe in a simplertax code, with less government interfer-ence. It is during these times, as peopleacross Nevada interact with the IRS,that I can see just how complicated ourtax code is. With my new assignment tothe Senate Committee on Finance, I willwork to make tax reform become a real-ity.

As we get closer to the April 15thdeadline, I recommend that allNevadans take the time in advance tofile their taxes correctly and seek help ifnecessary. Please feel free to contact myoffice if you need further guidance onthe topic. My Reno office number is(775) 686-5770.


OpinionSenator Dean Heller

Sen. Dean Heller

Tax Season is Upon Us

Nevada Senator Harry Reid hasreintroduced legislation known asconcurrent receipt to restore the fullretirement benefits and disabilitycompensation that veterans haveearned through their service.

Senator Reid has achieved signifi-cant progress since first introducingconcurrent receipt legislation in 2001.In 2003, Senator Reid led the passageof the 10-year phase-in of concurrentreceipt for military retirees with atleast a 50 percent disability rating. Hewas instrumental in fighting to endthe 10-year waiting period for veter-ans with a 100 percent service-relateddisability. In 2008, concurrent receiptwas expanded to include those with a100 percent disability due to un-employability. He also sought toextend equivalent financial payments

to those who are medically retired orhave retired prematurely due to forcereduction programs.

The legislation reintroduced, theRetired Pay Restoration Act of 2015,would permit retired members of theArmed Forces who have a service-connected disability of less than 50percent to receive both their militaryretirement pay and full disability com-pensation from the Department ofVeterans Affairs.

“I am pleased with our progress onthis issue over the past decade, but itremains unconscionable that veteranswho have sacrificed for the sake ofour country are being denied fullretirement and dis-ability pay,” said Reid.


Reid Reintroduces Bill To RestoreFull Benefits For Veterans

John Steinbeck oncesaid, “Socialism

never took root in America because thepoor see themselves not as an exploitedproletariat but as temporarily embar-rassed millionaires.”

One of the great things about the U.S. isthat anyone really can become a mil-lionaire, or at least amass a significantamount of money and assets over thecourse of their life. The Los AngelesTimes reported that there were moremillionaires in the U.S. in 2013 than atany time in past history. Today, most

U.S. millionaires and even billionairesare self-made. Tomorrow, you maybecome one of them - if you aren’talready.

In 2013, there were 9.63 million house-holds in the U.S. with a net worth of $1million or more, excluding their homes.This beat the previous record of 9.2million millionaires that was set in 2007before the global financial crisis sent thenumber of millionaires tumbling to 6.7in 2008.

Some other wealth records were broken

recently, as well. For example, a recordhigh of 132,000 households had a networth of $25 million or more, whichsurpasses the prior record of 125,000super-rich households in 2007. Thenumber of families with a net worthexceeding $100,000 also climbed to 38.6million in 2013.

While a few of these prosperous fami-lies inherited their money, most madetheir own fortunes through good old-fashioned hard work. This includes notjust millionaires, but even billionaires.

(Millionaire page 9)


Surprise! You May Be a Millionaire

Brad Anderson

Brought to you byBradley B. AndersonAnderson, Dorn, & Rader, Ltd.

The American Academy of Estate Planning Attorneyswww.probatebusters.com • blog.wealth-counselors.com

In 1984, a fourth of the peo-ple on the Forbes 400 list ofthe wealthiest people hadinherited their fortunes, butin 2014, only 7 percent wereliving on family fortunesthey’d done nothing to grow.A total of 8.5 percent of thebillionaires on the Forbes 400list in 2014 had inheritednothing at all and had madebillions completely on theirown.

Looking at the Forbes 400 list(with names like Bill Gates,Warren Buffett, and theWalton family), it’s easy toimagine you have to be acomputer programmer, retailmogul, or superstar investorto get really rich in the U.S.;however, this simply isn’ttrue! Just look at the inven-tor of the pet rock, whomade $15 million in the firstsix months his product wason the market; the inventorof the Snuggie who mademore than $200 million; theinventor of beanie babieswhose fortune is in the bil-lions; or the owner of theInternet site I Can HasCheezburger who sold hisfeline-friendly site for $2 mil-lion.

Since monetizing cat picturesand marketing cute stuffedanimals has already beendone, you can also make mil-lions by simply saving yourmoney. The authors of TheMillionaire Next Door saythat most millionaires savemore than 15 percent of

income they earn. Theauthors also provide a simpleformula to determine if youare on track for riches. If youmultiply your householdincome by your age in yearsand divide by 10, this shouldgive you your net worth. Ifyour net worth is greaterthan this number, you’re con-sidered a “wealth accumula-tor” and are probably goingto retire rich.

Of course, once you haveaccrued money through alifetime of hard work (orthrough creating the nextkookie cat Internet meme),make sure you protect whatyou have built and grown.This means talking to anexperienced estate planningattorney about how to leaveassets for your loved ones ina way that avoids familyfights or creditor claims ofbeneficiaries. No matter howmuch you are worth, plan-ning ahead for the future isthe greatest gift you can giveyour family (although aSnuggie may be a close sec-ond choice!). Talk to anestate planning attorneytoday to start the process ofprotecting your legacy.

About Our Law FirmThe Law Firm of Anderson,Dorn & Rader is devotedexclusively to estate planning.We are members of theAmerican Academy of EstatePlanning Attorneys and offerguidance and advice to ourclients in every area of estateplanning. We offer compre-hensive and personalizedestate planning consultations.For more information or toattend an upcoming seminar,please contact us at (775)823-9455 or visit us online atwww.wealth-counselors.com.


Millionaire / page 8


Last month Iwrote about whatyou can do now tobe sure your assets

are used, not just left, to benefit future gen-erations of your family. This month I’d liketo share some information about how goodintentions have, unfortunately, had badresults. Yes indeed, this column is my ver-sion of “Bequests Gone Wrong”.

Let’s begin with a remarkable woman inCarson City whose wish it was to help herelderly friends and neighbors stay in theirhomes as long as possible. She herself hadbeen able to stay in her home thanks tohospice support, meals on wheels, andother services. Because she was ambulato-ry and had her wits about her that was allthe support she needed. But she recog-nized that many of her friends had needed

to move to other facilities, leaving theirhomes, and sometimes their pets, behindas they did what they had to do. So herPlan, working with the CommunityFoundation, was to set up a bequest ofmost of her estate (she owned two homesfree and clear) to “fund” an endowmentthat could be used to help others in CarsonCity with services to stay in their homes.The plan was that upon her passing theendowment would provide thousands ofdollars per year to help. But, she had astrong distrust of attorneys and so her finalplan documents were not as well done asthey could have been, but her biggest mis-take was in naming a neighbor as her suc-cessor trustee. So the result following herpassing was that the neighbor/trustee verycarefully and methodically went throughher belongings to find all the valuables.

Well, at $300 per hour the neighbor spentmany months, and about $80,000, payingthemselves for this task, at the end ofwhich NOTHING of value had beenfound. The two houses were sold for anamount I would consider below marketrate, and the proceeds to the endowmentended up being about 30 percent of what itwould have been. I’m glad this generouswoman saw the results of her plan. In ret-rospect since she wanted the houses to goto the endowment I would have suggestedshe deed these assets directly to theFoundation upon her death, avoiding pro-bate and taking the disposition of theseassets, and the value, out of the hands ofthe trustee she had chosen. I would alsohave suggested that the attorney she hadused to draft her documents would have

(Your Estate page 12)

Chris Askin

Community Giving

By Chris Askin, President and CEOCommunity Foundation of Western Nevada

The Administration of Your Estate, or “Bequests Gone Wrong”?


been a much better choice for trustee.In clearly the most egregious case our

Foundation has ever seen, a donor inOregon made a plan that was wonderful,but it was foiled, again, by the successortrustee he chose to administer his estate.The donor’s wife had predeceased him.She was a native American from theWinnemucca area and had many familyartifacts. Her husband had accumulatedmore than $2 million of wealth, of whichhalf he was leaving to friends, including thetrustee friend, with the other half going toestablish an endowment to pay for scholar-ships for native American youth graduatingfrom the high school in Winnemucca. Hewanted the scholarship to be administeredby the Community Foundation. What awonderful tribute! He also wanted all ofthe artifacts from his wife’s family to go tothe museum in Winnemucca.

After he passed we sent letter after letterto the trustee with no response.Fortunately the donor had named theFoundation as beneficiary of some annu-ities he had, so we did receive those assets.The other results were not so good. After

a year we were successful in having thecourts replace the trustee with a profes-sional trustee, and she did a terrific job.She found out that the bad trustee hadstolen $700,000 in cash that was supposedto come to the Foundation. The courtordered him to pay this back but theDepartment of Justice declined to prose-cute, even though the evidence was clear.They are too busy on violent crimes to pur-sue this type of crime. After great expenseand effort we were able to take the badtrustee’s house and truck, and one otherpiece of property. All in all less than$200,000 was recovered. We still don’tknow where that cash went. The nativeAmerican artifacts were never found.

Planning for our estate is much moreimportant, and much more difficult, thanwe can imagine. If you’re automaticallyleaving your assets to your children orgrandchildren, I urge you to talk to a trustofficer. Ask them how many youth whoare “trust fund kids” go to college. Ask howmany of them work hard at their profes-sions, if they even have a profession. Askhow many of them give to charity. Askthem if their families, their relationships

with their siblings are close. Ask if thereare jealousies between branches of thefamily… the “have more’s” versus the “haveless”.

Ask them if their trust fund clients arehappy, healthy, and contributing to society.As you do your estate plans think aboutwho will administer your estate. Is one orall of your heirs really the best choice?What about an attorney, a professionalfiduciary, or a combination of a profession-al and family? Take the time to be sure thechoice you make is the right choice foryour family’s future health and happiness.

At the Community Foundation we haveseen wonderful plans for the administra-tion of an estate, all of which include chari-table bequests, and many of which actuallybring the family together and reinforcethose values you cherish.

The Community Foundation ofWestern Nevada is a local public charitablefoundation that connects people who carewith causes that matter. We have helpedhundreds of people do their giving in themost effective, efficient way possible. Tolearn more, visit us at nevadafund.org orcall (775) 333-5499.

Your Estate / page 10


When you're firsteligible for

Medicare, you have a seven-monthInitial Enrollment Period to sign up forMedicare’s Part A and/or Part B bene-fits and services. Part A covers hospital-ization and Part B covers doctor visits,outpatient care, and other medicalgoods and services.

Many people become eligible on their65th birthday. Those folks can sign upduring the seven-month period that

begins three months before the monththey turn 65, includes the month theyturn 65, and ends three months afterthe month they turn 65.

But what happens if you miss that win-dow?

If you didn't sign up for Part A and/orPart B (for which you must pay premi-ums) when you were first eligible, andyou aren’t eligible for a SpecialEnrollment Period (more on thatbelow), you can sign up during theGeneral Enrollment Period betweenJanuary 1–March 31 each year.

Your coverage will start July 1. However,you may have to pay a higher premiumfor late enrollment in Part A and/orPart B. How do you actually enroll? Youcan call Social Security (1-800-772-

1213) or visit a local Social Securityoffice. Or you can apply online atwww.ssa.gov.

After your Initial Enrollment Periodends, you may have the chance to signup for Medicare during a SpecialEnrollment Period.

If you're covered under a group healthplan based on current employment, youhave a Special Enrollment Period tosign up for Part A and/or Part B anytime as long as you or your spouse (orfamily member if you're disabled) areworking, and you're covered by a grouphealth plan through the employer orunion based on that work.

You also have an eight-month SpecialEnrollment Period to sign up for Part A

(Medicare page 14)

When to sign up for MedicareDavid Sayen, Regional Administrator

Medicare Region 9

David Sayen

Most people Iknow are look-ing forward tosigning up forMedicare justas soon as theycan.

and/or Part B that starts the monthafter the employment ends or the grouphealth insurance based on currentemployment ends, whichever happensfirst. Usually, you don't pay a late enroll-ment penalty if you sign up during aSpecial Enrollment Period.

Important Note: COBRA and retireehealth plans aren't considered coveragebased on current employment. You'renot eligible for a Special EnrollmentPeriod when such coverage ends. ThisSpecial Enrollment Period also doesn'tapply to people with End-Stage Renal

Disease (ESRD).

You may also qualify for a SpecialEnrollment Period for Part A and PartB if you're a volunteer, serving in aforeign country.

Some people get automaticallyenrolled in Medicare. Among themare people with certain disabilitiesand those who are already gettingbenefits from Social Security or theRailroad Retirement Board.

If you're automatically enrolled, you'llget your red, white, and blue Medicare

card in the mail three months beforeyour 65th birthday or your 25th monthof disability.

Also, Social Security is now processingsome Medicare enrollments forsame-sex spouses, including:

• Enrollments for premium-free Part A for uninsuredspouses age 65 or older basedon the work history of a cur-rent or former spouse;

• Enrollments for people withEnd Stage Renal Disease basedon the work history of a cur-rent or former spouse;

• Reductions in Part A premi-ums based on the work historyof a current or former spouse;

• Requests for SpecialEnrollment Periods based ongroup health plan coveragefrom current employment of asame-sex spouse;

• Reductions in late-enroll-ment penalties based on grouphealth plan coverage from cur-rent employment of a same-sexspouse.

David Sayen is Medicare’sregional administrator forArizona, California, Hawaii,Nevada, and the PacificTerritories. You can getanswers to your Medicarequestions 24/7 by calling 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227).


Medicare / page 13

Are you moredepressed now asyou age, or when

you were in your 40s and 50s? Are youhappier as you age? New figures fromthe Office for National Statistics showthat, far from preparing to take lifemore slowly, people turning 70 are justembarking on a happy decade.

The main indicators used to measurethe nation’s “well-being” show that gen-eral contentment and having a sense ofworth peak when people hit their 70s,up to their 80th birthday. Notably 41percent of people aged between 70 and75 rate themselves happier than those adecade younger. The figures pinpointmiddle age as the least carefree time oflife with those in their late 40s and 50sranking their anxiety levels higher thanother age groups. Happiness itself dipsto its lowest point in middle age.

Some studies show that elders may bemore prone to depression and loneli-ness, which can lead to higher rates of

unhappiness and even suicide. Butincreasingly, more and more studiessuggest that happiness may actually riseafter middle age — at least when scien-tists take into account some of the non-biological factors that can influencereports of contentment.

In a new study, which was published inPsychological Science, researchers led byAngelina Sutin of Florida StateUniversity College of Medicine wrote,“Well-being may increase with age andalso across generations. Those bornduring the early part of the 20th centuryhad lower levels of well-being thanthose born more recently. Once weaccounted for the fact that people grewup in different eras, it turns out, onaverage, people maintain or increasetheir sense of well-being as they getolder.” Fortunately, however, even thoseborn in tough times will see some risein happiness with age — or at least theywon’t become more unhappy.

So why do we tend to think of older

people as primarily depressed andunhappy, a perception that seems to besupported by the fact that elders havethe highest suicide rates, when theythemselves often report being happiernow than when they were younger —and when studies show that well-beingrises after mid-life? “It does seem like aparadox, but both happiness anddepression can increase with age,” saysSutin. It is possible to swing betweenthe two states and it is also possible thatage pushes people to one extreme oranother. “With age, people tend tobecome more emotional and experienceboth sadness and happiness,” she says.That could account in part for why wetend to see elders as sad. The sadness isboth more visible and more congruentwith expectations about old age. So let’schange that image.

“Especially when we’re young, it’s reallyeasy to look at older adults and see thelosses: loss of youth, loss of mobility,loss of loved ones,” Sutin says. “We

(Life to Years page 16)


Larry Weiss

“Adding Life to Years”

Dr. Larry WeissCenter for Healthy Aging

Keys to Wellness and Happiness

assume that all of that loss would makeolder adults unhappy. It’s harder to seethe benefits of aging: feelings of pridefor children and grandchildren, a mean-ingful career, more confidence, wisdom.There are a lot of reasons to be happyin older adulthood, but they may not beas visible as the losses.” When they are,however, it turns out that happiness isone of the benefits that come with age.

Previous research reported that whenolder people are shown pictures of facesor situations, they tended to focus onand remember the happier ones moreand the negative ones less. Other stud-ies have shown that as people age, theyare more likely to seek out situations tolift their moods, such as cutting offfriends or acquaintances that mightbring them down. Researchers have alsofound that older adults are more likelyto let go of loss and disappointmentover unachieved goals to achievegreater emotional wellbeing.

Researchers have found that whereashappiness in younger people is oftenrelated to excitement, for older people,

contentment was associated with a happy existence. Studies indicate thereare two different kinds of happiness,"one associated with peacefulness andone associated with being excited,"states C. Mogilner from Wharton. Thedifference appears to result from theimportance placed on the future versusthe present. Younger people, generallymore concerned with the future, basetheir happiness more on excitement, theresearchers found, while older peopleplace a higher value on the present, andso contentment tends to be a greatersource of happiness for us.

Here are five keys to wellness and hap-piness that research has shown can cre-ate lasting positive change and improvehappiness:

1. Be grateful – In one study personswere asked to write letters of gratitudeto people who had helped them in someway. It was found that these peoplereported a lasting increase in happiness– over weeks and even months – afterimplementing the habit. What's evenmore surprising: Sending the letter isnot necessary. Even when people wrote

letters but never delivered them to the addressee, they still reported feelingbetter afterwards. Therefore, the firstkey is to have three gratitudes per dayfor three weeks.

2. Be positive or optimistic –Another practice that seems to help ispositive or optimistic thinking. Studyparticipants were asked to visualize anideal future – for example, living with aloving and supportive partner, or find-ing a job that was fulfilling – anddescribe the image in a journal entry.After doing this for a few weeks, thesepeople too reported increased feelingsof well-being. Therefore, journalingone positive experience per day is thesecond key to wellness and happiness.

3. Exercise – People who exercise reg-ularly boost their endorphins which inturn boost their wellness and happiness.

4. Use your strengths – Anotherstudy asked people to identify theirgreatest strengths, and then to try touse these strengths in new ways. Forexample, someone who says they have agood sense of humor could try telling

jokes to lighten up interactionsor even cheer up sad friends.This behavior, too, seems toheighten happiness.

5. Random acts of kindness– It turns out helping othersalso helps ourselves. Peoplewho donate time or money tocharity, or who altruisticallyassist people in need, reportimprovements in their ownhappiness.

Let’s practice these five keys towellness and happiness and“add life to years”!

Lawrence J. Weiss, Ph.D. isFounder and CEO of the Centerfor Healthy Aging. Dr. Weiss wel-comes your comments on this col-umn. Write to him [email protected] orc/o Center for Healthy Aging, 11Fillmore Way, Reno, NV 89519.16 / March / SeniorSpectrumNewspaper.com

Life to Years / page 15


Every twoseconds,someone’sidentity isstolen. Andwith tax seasonupon us, con

artists are stealing Social Security num-bers to file for fraudulent tax refunds.It’s a big problem. To date, the IRS hasidentified around 15 million false taxreturns alone. For more information onthe latest trends in tax identify theft,check out AARP’s Fraud WatchNetwork.

And you can also view targeted infor-mation and a special video devoted totax identity theft awareness atwww.aarp.org/scamalert.

The Warning SignsHow do you know if you’re a victim oftax identity theft? If someone files afraudulent tax return using your identi-fication, and then you file your return,the IRS will contact you by mail. Theletter will state that more than onereturn was filed using your SocialSecurity number. Note that the IRS willnot contact you by phone, email, text orsocial media. You can check the legiti-macy of any IRS mailing by calling 1-800-829-1040.

You’ll also get an IRS notice if someoneuses your Social Security number to geta job, and the employer reports thatincome to the IRS using your number.The letter will indicate that you did notreport all of your earnings on your taxreturn. Another warning sign could be

receiving a W-2 or Form 1099 from anemployer for whom you didn’t work.

Falling Victim If you become a victim of tax identitytheft, here are the steps to take:• Contact the IRS immediately usingthe contact information on the noticeyou received. You’ll be asked to fill outan IRS Identity Theft affidavit, Form14039.

• Contact your bank and credit cardcompanies and inform the creditbureaus of the fraud. Ask one creditbureau -- Experian, TransUnion orEquifax – to place a free fraud alert onyour report, and the others will follow.A fraud alert lasts 90 days, but you canrenew it.

(Scams page 18)

By Deborah BandaBe Aware of Tax Identity Theft


• Access your credit reportfree from all three creditbureaus. Ask the bureau that

places your fraud alert howto obtain your reports.

• File an Identity Theftreport with the Federal TradeCommission. This will helpyou get fraudulent informa-tion removed from yourcredit report and stop com-panies from trying to collectdebts related to fraudulentactivity.

• File a police report. Bringthe form you filed with theFTC to the police.

Tips for Avoiding TaxIdentify Theft

It’s becoming ever more diffi-cult to protect our identities,but here are some steps youcan take to protect yourselfand your family: • Monitor your creditreports. You can order freereports from all three creditbureaus once a year atwww.annualcreditreport.com

• Never give your SocialSecurity number or otherpersonal information tophone callers.

• If you file your tax returnelectronically, be sure to usea private, protected wireless

network. Filing your returnfrom the local coffee shop library or other public place is not a good idea.

• Provide information toyour tax preparer in person –avoid sending a fax that mayeasily be seen by someoneelse.

• Shred papers that containsensitive personal informa-tion.

Hopefully, you will neverencounter any form of identi-ty theft. Make sure to protectyour personal information tothe best of your ability, andknow what to do if you’vebeen victimized.

Sign up for the Fraud WatchNetwork atwww.aarp.org/FraudWatchNetwork to get the latest infor-mation on ID theft andscams. You can also call theFraud Watch NetworkHotline at 877-908-3360 toget your questions answereddirectly from trained volun-teers. And for help with filingtaxes safely, see informationabout AARP’s Tax Aide pro-gram atwww.aarp.org/TaxAide.

Deborah Banda is InterimVice President of theFinancial Security issuesteam at AARP.

Scams / page 17

The Centers for Medicare & MedicaidServices (CMS) have strengthened theFiveStar Quality Rating System for NursingHomes on the Nursing Home Comparewebsite to give families more precise andmeaningful information on quality whenthey consider facilities for themselves or aloved one. Today’s announcement alsomarks an important milestone to achievingthe goal of implementing further improve-ments to the Five Star system in 2015, asthe Administration announced lastOctober.

Star ratings allow users to see importantdifferences in quality among nursinghomes to help them make better care deci-sions. CMS rates nursing homes on threecategories: results from onsite inspectionsby trained surveyors, performance on cer-tain quality measures, and levels of staffing.

CMS uses these three categories to offer anoverall star rating, but consumers can seeand focus on any of the three individualcategories.

Nursing home star ratings will now:• Include use of antipsychotics in calcula-tion of the star ratings. These medicationsare often used for diagnoses that do notwarrant them. The two existing qualitymeasures – for short stay and long staypatients – will now be part of the calcula-tion for the quality measures star rating.

• Have improved calculations for staffinglevels. Research indicates that staffing isimportant to overall quality in a nursinghome.

• Reflect higher standards for nursinghomes to achieve a high rating on the qual-

ity measure dimension on the website.

“CMS is committed to improving NursingHome Compare and the FiveStar QualityRating System to ensure they are the mosttrusted and easy-to-use resources we canprovide,” said Patrick Conway, M.D., CMSDeputy Administrator for Innovation andQuality and Chief Medical Officer forCMS. “Consumers can feel confident thatNursing Home Compare’s star ratingsinclude measures that matter most to nurs-ing home residents and their families andchallenge nursing homes to continuouslyimprove care.”

Since CMS standards for performance onquality measures are increasing, manynursing homes will see a decline in theirquality measures star rating. By making this

(Five Star page 22)


CMS Strengthens Five Star Quality RatingSystem for Nursing Homes


change, Nursing HomeCompare will include moremeaningful distinctions in per-formance for consumers and

focus nursing homes on contin-uously improving care focusedon residents, families, and theircaregivers. About two thirds ofnursing homes will see a

decline in their quality meas-ures rating and about one thirdof nursing homes will experi-ence a decline in their OverallFive Star Rating.

For example, before the recali-bration, about 80 percent ofnursing homes received eithera 4 or 5-star rating on theirquality measures. Now, about49 percent of nursing homeswill receive a 4 or 5 stars ontheir quality measure rating.Also, the number of nursinghomes receiving one star fortheir quality measures hasincreased from 8.5 percent to13 percent after the recalibra-tion.

CMS is also focusing changesin areas identified by con-sumers and other stakeholdersas important. For example, bythe end of 2013 nursing homesachieved a 15 percent reduc-tion in the use of anti-psy-chotics compared to 2011 lev-els. As part of the NationalPartnership to ImproveDementia Care, CMS is work-ing with the nursing home

community, patients, familiesand other important stakehold-ers to achieve a 30 percentreduction by the end of 2016.

The Nursing Home Comparewebsite was launched in 1998,and CMS added the FiveStarQuality Rating System (“NHCompare 2.0”) in 2008. NursingHome Compare gets approxi-mately 1.4 million visits peryear, and users report high sat-isfaction with the site.

The Five Star Quality RatingSystem for Nursing Homes ispart of an administration-wideeffort to increase the availabilityand accessibility of informationon quality, utilization and costsfor effective, informed deci-sion-making by consumers. Toread more visithttp://www.cms.gov/Newsroom/MediaReleaseDatabase/Fact-sheets/2015-Fact-sheets-items/2015-02-12-2.html.

To search for nursing homes inlocal areas, visitMedicare.gov/nursinghome-compare/search.html.

Five Star / p. 19


When patientsreport being ableto see betterclose-up as theyage, the“improvement”is most likelydue to changingeye lens power

influenced by a worseningcataract.

If so, so-called “second sight” isreally a sign that the clouding ofthe eye lens has grown acute. It isalso important to point out thatcataract is not a growth by sim-ply increasing opacity of the eye’snormally transparent lens.

With today’s advanced methodsof breaking up the cataract withultrasound and removing itthrough a small incision thatrequires no sutures, there is noreason to put off cataract sur-gery. If cataracts are interferingwith a person’s ability to conductdaily activities, cataract surgeryshould be an easy decision.

It should be noted cataract sur-gery has one of the highest suc-cess rates of any type of surgery.

If you would like further infor-mation on today’s topic, pleasecall my office at (775) 882-1726.We are conveniently located at3839 N. Carson Street, in CarsonCity, 89706. Hours open are 8-5p.m., Monday through Friday byappointment. Master Card, Visa,and Medicare Assignment areaccepted.

Michael J. Fischer

Ophthalmology

Having Second Thoughts?

Dr. Michael J. Fischer, M.D.Nevada Eye Surgery Center

Screening for Lung Cancer with LowDose Computed Tomography

The Centers for Medicare& Medicaid Services(CMS) issued a finalnational coverage determi-nation that provides forMedicare coverage ofScreening for LungCancer with LowDose ComputedTomography(LDCT).

The coverage iseffective immediately.“This is the first timethat Medicare hascovered lung cancerscreening. This is animportant newMedicare preventivebenefit since lungcancer is the thirdmost common can-

cer and the leading causeof cancer deaths in theUnited States,” said Dr.Patrick Conway, chiefmedical officer and deputyadministrator for innova-tion and quality for CMS.

Medicare will now coverlung cancer screeningwith LDCT once per yearfor beneficiaries who areage 55-77, and have anextensive smoking historyof 30-pack years.

Washoe County Sheriff ’s OfficeDeputies arrested Christen AshleeChamberlin, age 20, of Carson Cityon multiple charges related to fraud-ulently cashing over a dozen checksbelonging to an elderly InclineVillage woman.

Sheriff ’s Office investigators saidthat during a time when Chamberlinworked as a caregiver for the victim,Chamberlin fraudulently cashed 15checks from the victim’s bankaccount. The total amount of moneyChamberlin obtained from the vic-tim is estimated at just over $6,500.

The fraud was discovered after thevictim noticed discrepancies withher account. The victim notified the

Sheriff ’s Officeand Chamberlin’semployer.

Chamberlin wasarrested onSunday, January25, 2015 followingan investigation byDeputies from theSheriff ’s OfficePatrol Division.She faces multiplecharges includingExploitation of anOlder/VulnerablePerson, Forgery,Intent to Utter aFictitiousBill/Note/Check,and Larceny lessthan $3,500 from aPerson 60 orOlder. She is cur-rently being heldin the WashoeCounty DetentionFacility on $50,000bail.

“This arrest sends a message that theSheriff ’s Office is determined to bringjustice to those who would victimize thevulnerable in our community,” SheriffChuck Allen said. “I commend the vic-tim for having the courage to come for-ward, congratulate our Deputies for asuccessful investigation, and encourageanyone who is concerned about thesafety and security of an elderly personto notify law enforcement immediately.”

In September of last year, the Sheriff ’sOffice Detectives arrested Cherie MarieEndicott of Sparks on multiple chargesrelated to fraudulently obtaining nearly$50,000 from the bank account of anelderly victim. Endicott plead guilty inSparks Justice Court.

In November, Detectives arrested BrianOliver Dare of Reno for altering andcashing the check of an elderly Renowoman. Dare is currently in theWashoe County Detention Facilityawaiting trial.

The Sheriff ’s Office continues to inves-tigate the Chamberlin case. There is noevidence of additional victims at thistime, however investigators ask thatanyone with information that may beuseful to their investigation contact theWashoe County Sheriff ’s OfficeDetective Division at (775) 328-3320 orSecret Witness at (775) 322-4900.


Sheriff 's Deputies arrest Carson City woman forfraudulently cashing checks belonging to an elder

Photo: Christen Ashlee Chamberlin


Governor Brian Sandovalhas announced that RichardWhitley has been appointedInterim Director of theDepartment of Health andHuman Services (DHHS).Whitley currently serveswithin DHHS as theAdministrator of the Divisionof Public and BehavioralHealth.

HHS Director RomaineGilliland will return to retire-ment after an accomplishedcareer in public service hav-ing worked in theDepartment of Employment,Training and Rehabilitationand Administrator of theDivision of Welfare andSupportive Services.

“Richard has served as akey member of Nevada’s

Health and Human Servicesteam, has demonstratedextensive knowledge andfocused leadership, and willbring these skills into his newposition. The Department ofHealth and Human Servicesis our largest state agencyand houses many of theessential programs necessaryto help promote a healthycitizenry,” said GovernorSandoval.

“I would also like to thankRomaine Gilliland for hiscommitment to public serv-ice. Romaine selflessly leftretirement and temporarilytook the helm of DHHS lastJune during a time of transi-tion, cultivating the depart-ment’s current leadershipteam,” Sandoval said.

Governor Names Interim Director ofHealth and Human Services

March 3 - School ofMedicine March Clinics, chil-dren’s’ clinic, 6 - 9 p.m.;March 14 - general clinic, 8 -noon; March 28 - women’sclinic, 8 - noon. UNR Schoolof Medicine, campus.

March 3 - Training andPruning Fruit Trees, CertifiedArborist and CooperativeExtension Master Gardener,Volunteer Michael Janik,Bartley Ranch Regional Park,Reno, (775) 784-4848, [email protected].

March 4 - Lecture andNevada Historical SocietyDocent Council Meeting, 10- 11:30 a.m., Stan Paher,Spirit of Nevada, book.

March 5 - Commodity FoodProgram, 8 - 10 a.m., RenoSenior Center, 9th and Wells,Reno.

March 9 - Older AmericansMonth Planning, 1:30 p.m.,Reno Senior Center.

March 10 - Paying itForward throughSustainable Gardening,Pamela Van Hoozer, 6 p.m.,Western Heritage InterpretiveCenter, Bartley Ranch Park,(775) 784-4848.

March 14 -BackcountryExperience, 9 - 3 p.m.,Diamond Peak, (775) 832-1177, [email protected].

March 14 - Death andDecay: The Art of ForensicScience, 4:30 - 6 p.m., WilburD. May Museum, Rancho SanRafael Regional Park, $5,(775) 785-5961, www.may-center.com.

March 14 - Corks & Kegs,2nd Annual Wine & Craft BeerTasting, 5 p.m., JA Nugget,(800) 648-1177,janugget.com.

March 16 – Alzheimer’sAdvocacy Day, Nevada State Legislature, 8 - 4 p.m.,Legislative Council Bureau Bldg., (775) 786-8061.

March 17 - AARP DriverSafety, 1 - 5:15 p.m., NationalAutomobile Museum, Reno,(775) 786-3509, $15 mem-bers, $20 others.

March 19 - Shootout withNeal Cobb, Nevada HistoricalSociety, noon - 1 p.m.

March 21 - AARP DriverSafety, 8:30 - 1 p.m., FernleySenior Center, 1170 W.Newlands Drive, Fernley,(775) 786-3509, $15 mem-bers, $20 non-members.

March 24 - SuccessfulVegetable Gardening, Part 1,Randy Robison, 6 p.m.,Western Heritage interpretiveCenter, Bartley Ranch Park;March 31, Part 2, (775) 784-4848.

March 28 - Erik Holland -Hotels, Bars & ChurchesTalk, a guided tour of his lat-est exhibit and iconic Nevadabuildings, Nevada HistoricalSociety, 2 - 3:30 p.m.

March 28 - AARP DriverSafety, 9:30 - 2 p.m., Neil Rd.Rec. Center,Reno, (775) 786-3509, $15 mem-bers, $20 others.


CALENDAR

Tax-Aide ProgramAARPʼs Tax-Aide program

will once again provide freetax assistance and prep forNevadans. The service isavailable to anyone in thecommunity filing a simplereturn – you do NOT have tobe a member of AARP or asenior to utilize the service. Those interested can visitwww.aarp.org/findtaxhelp orcall 1-888-227-7669 to find asite in their area.

ElenaGorokhovawas born in1956 andgrew up in

Leningrad, Russia. AlexandraFuller was born in England in

1969 and grew up in Rhodesia(Africa). Although it seemsunlikely, this pair share numer-ous parallels in their lives.

Elena's Leningrad was for-merly the Russian royal city ofSt. Petersburg, a name it wasreturned to in her lifetime.Alexandra's Rhodesian homebecame another country entire-ly; it is now Zimbabwe.

Both women eventually, asadults, emigrated to the UnitedStates and married Americans.

Both ended up divorcing thosehusbands. Elena and Alexandrarecently had second memoirspublished to critical acclaim.

Elena's first memoir, AMountain of Crumbs, spans herchildhood years in Russia afterStalin. It's an existence few of uscan imagine, where the Sovietsystem exercised complete con-trol of one's life from birth tograve. There was no room foropposition to the status quo,and Elena's intelligence had heroften questioning theCommunist government.Elena's mother, a physician, hadsurvived even more repressivetimes through force of will,leaving no room for her daugh-ter to reach out for freedom.Elena eventually found the free-dom she thought she wantedby marrying an American sci-entist and making a soulwrenching move to Texas.

(Eclectic page 28)


THE ECLECTIC OBSERVERby Janet Ross

Elena Gorokhova

Alexandra Fuller

Janet Ross

What makes thismemoir such acompelling read arethe details of life inthe Soviet Unionand the insights tothe character of theRussian people.

Alexandra's firstmemoir, Don't LetsGo to the Dogs

Tonight, takes us tothe Rhodesia of1972, a a country onthe edge disastrousracial conflict.Alexandra's parentsare a unconvention-al pair, dreamersand drinkers, andthey imbue theirdaughters with astrong love for all

that Africa encom-passes. It is an exis-tence many wouldconsider “crazy”, butthe sisters surviveseveral tragedies,being sent away toboarding school,and accepting waras a way of life.

Elena's newmemoir, RussianTattoo, finds herattempting to adjust

to not only a new country but an unsym-pathetic husband as well. It's an interestingstudy of what's involved in exchanging oneculture for another. In her heart Elena willalways be a Russian, but she finds love in asecond marriage and is able to bring bothher authoritarian mother and older sisterto live in the United States. Life is easier,more convenient, with greater opportuni-ties. However, it is mostly with her owndaughter that Elena must acknowledgeshe was permanently forged by her

Russian genes.Alexandra's new memoir, Leaving

Before the Rains Come, details the disinte-gration of her marriage to an Americanwho seems to promise order to replace thechaos of her childhood. She met CharlieRoss in Zambia where he had a businessguiding tourists. In 1994 they moved toWyoming where Charlie explored a careerin real estate and Alexandra began to writefor publication. The couple had three chil-dren, but the marriage faltered.

All four memoirs are memorable readsand available at Washoe County Librariesor local book stores.


Eclectic / p. 27

A Mountain of Crumbs Don’t Let’s Go to the Dogs

No Place Like Home Senior Careof Gardnerville has received the dis-tinguished Best of Home CareLeader in Excellence Award fromHome Care Pulse, the leading firm inquality assurance for private dutyhome care.

The award was given to a selectfew home care businesses that con-sistently ranked among the highest in18 or more quality metrics. To quali-fy for this award, 10 percent of theirclients and caregivers were inter-viewed each month by Home CarePulse. Over a 12-month period, NoPlace Like Home Senior Carereceived high client and caregiversatisfaction ratings in caregiver train-ing, compassion of caregivers, com-munication, scheduling, response toproblems, and overall quality of care.


No Place Like HomeSenior Care Receives

Care Award

U.S. Senators Dean Heller (R-NV)and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) haveintroduced the Hearing AidAssistance Tax Credit Act, S. 315,legislation designed to provideAmericans with an important taxcredit to help purchase the hearingdevices they need.

The legislation provides a non-refundable $500 tax credit for thepurchase of a hearing aid, or $1,000if two are needed, once every fiveyears.

Approximately 360,000 residentsof Nevada have some degree of hear-ing loss. Unfortunately, many ofthese individuals cannot afford thehearing devices they need. This leg-islation allows for individuals withhearing loss to live in a world wherethey can continue to be a function-ing member of a healthy society. I’dalso like to thank my colleagueSenator Klobuchar for her work onthis legislation affecting so many,”stated Senator Heller.

Heller IntroducesHearing Aid Tax Credit

The2015Ten-

nis season got off to a strongstart with the AustralianOpen competition.

While watching the high-velocity serves from differenttypes of high-tech racquets, Iwas reminded of the timewhen heavy wooden racquetsand white tennis balls werethe norm.

I was impressed also withthe escalating height of thetop players. This advantagein height usually leads to amuch stronger serve, sincethe ball is hit at a higherpoint. It has a tendency tobounce higher when it reach-es the other side of the net.

For many decades, theracquet sport was dominatedby individuals of mediumheight. Names that come tomind include Rod Laver, KenRosewald, Jimmy Connors,Bjorn Borg, John McEnroeand Nevada’s own Andre

Agassi. While Agassi is the most

famous Nevadan ever to playTennis, there’s an interestingNevada woman player of thelast century. Her name wasMarion Jones and she wasborn in Gold Hill, a tinytown south of Virginia City,on November 2, 1879. Herparents were Nevada SenatorJohn Percival Jones, whowent on to be a co-founderof the California town ofSanta Monica and GeorginaFrances Sullivan.

Although she was a nativeNevadan, she became thefirst Californian to reach thefinals at the women’s U.S.Tennis Championships in1898 at the age of 19. Thefollowing year she won thetitle at that tournament andshe repeated in 1902.

Among her many accom-plishments on court; she hasthe distinction of being thefirst American woman towin an Olympic medal.

Actually she won twoOlympic Bronze medals atthe 1900 Paris Olympiad,one for singles and one formixed doubles. Also thatsame year, she was the firstnon-British woman to playat Wimbledon.

She married architectRobert D. Farquhar in NewYork City in 1903. Followingher Tennis career, she waswell-known as a violinist andvoice coach. She also trans-lated opera librettos and fora short time was head of theNew York Chamber Opera.In 1961 she moved back toLos Angeles where she liveduntil her death in 1965.

Another seminal Tennisicon for Nevada is formerGov. Paul Laxalt, wholearned the game fromfamous women’s player,Helen Wills Moody when thelatter was here for a Nevadadivorce. I had the (mis)for-tune to face Laxalt on courtand the highlight of that

encounter was to take a post-game shower at theGovernor’s Mansion.

Possibly the one individ-ual who did the most for theTennis game in NorthernNevada was Peter Paxton,who operated the TahoeRacquet Club at InclineVillage, Lake Tahoe. In 1965he was able to sign up close

(Tennis page 31)


Biggest little CITY

By Harry SpencerTennis Tidbits

Marion Jones

to 300 members and his clubwas home to such Tennis starsas Pancho Gonzales, Laver,Rosewald and Tony Trabert.His club was renowned formany celebrities includingMerv Griffin, Clint Eastwood,Bill Cosby, Rick Barry, RobertStack and Pat Boone.

In the Reno area the long-time Tennis legend was TillyBotti, who won many Nevadachampionships. He was theonly Tennis player I ever sawwho played the game with acigar firmly clenched in hismouth.

Another name that res-onates in the area for long-time Tennis players is that ofGlen Grisillo, a university stal-wart who set a Guinness Bookrecord for continuous Tennisplay with his cousin MelBaleson. The two SouthAfricans were under the tute-lage of Nevada coach BobFairman.

The next big Tennis tour-ney on the calendar is the BNPParibas Open at Indian Wellsin mid-March. SeniorSpectrumNewspaper.com / March / 31

Tennis / page 30

Fill in the blanks

1. J _ _ _ _ _ _ _ e Rock2. S _ _ _ e3. A _ _ _ _ _ _ of a Murder4. G _ a _ _5. S _ _ _ _ _ a

Puzzles For Fifties Fans And Sixties SavorersAlan Stillson http://stillsonworks.com

Major movie titles of the 50s: Find the last names of the singers of these top songs of the 60s:

1. “Puppy Love” – 1960 – Paul __________a2. “At Lastʼ” – 1960 – Etta __________s3. “Hello Mary Lou” – 1961 – Ricky __________n4. “Palisades Park” – 1962 – Freddy __________n5. “Go Away Little Girl” – 1963 – Steve __________e

Answers page 38

BNP Paribas Open


this ‘n that By Anne Vargas [email protected]

Anne Vargas

On the day my spouse and I said “I Do” all of our possessionscould easily fit into the back seat of a car. In fact, when we madeour first of 23 military moves a few months later we took just about everything withus and that was fine with me. I was in my “minimalist” phase and quite content withthose few basics, certain I would never need more.

We progressed to the “acquiring”chapter when children came alongwith all the necessary paraphernalia.Then the Army sent us to Okinawawhere shopping was a epic event per-fected to a fine art and everyone wasparticipating; the opportunity to pur-chase lovely Asian artifacts at aston-ishingly affordable prices was some-thing no one could resist. When weflew to Hong Kong for a week wearrived there with detailed lists friendshad sent with us so we shopped forthem as well as for us.

Then there were three tours in Europewith a whole new array of things totempt us. This was when bargainswere abundant and finding them wasconsidered to be a sport. (Shortlyafter our arrival in Germany I wastaken to the Thursday Night Store. Ifit had another name no one knewwhat it was but once a week the doorswould open at six p.m. and peoplewould rush in to search for treasures.I paid $7 for an exquisite small writingdesk with a leather top.) Gone foreverwere the days of getting all our stuffinto the back seat of a car.

Nobody wants my “stuff”


Years passed and our possessionsincreased. Along with grief, familydeaths brought inheritances. Withretirement came a house, wonderfullyspacious and the first of our own, hav-ing lived in military quarters for thirtyyears. Settling in meant we no longerhad the enforced organization of tossingas we packed to move because now weweren’t going anywhere. The closetssteadily filled and our belongings multi-plied like rabbits. Somewhere along theway my spouse developed a passion forcooking and needed all thepots/pans/accessories accompanyingthat passion; more acquisitions. Weadded storage space.

If all of thisqualifies assomethingGail Sheeywould writeabout in“Passages”--steadily progressing from absolutely

nothing to waaaay-too-much-- then wehave assuredly now evolved to the stageafter that. I am no longer enticed intoany shop anywhere no matter what isadvertised. There is absolutely nothingwe want or need or are tempted to buy.What we do want is to divest ourselvesof this stuff. I am envious of friendswho have chosen to downsize intosmaller places, wondering how they didit, wondering whether we could do thesame. But leaving this house wouldrequire more work than I care to con-template.

How many are the things I can do without! Socrates

The three generational sets of inheritedchina, along with other heirlooms ofthose eras, remain unspoken for by anyof our children and the grandchildren,who admittedly are a bit young, showno interest either. The thought oftransporting all of it to a consignmentshop or a thrift shop or anywhere isclouded by vivid visions of bad backissues.

Maybe a garage sale if we could getorganized (and how long would thattake?) And would anyone else reallywant any of these things we oncethought we couldn’t live without? Weinadvertently (I swear it wasn’t inten-tional) left the garage door open onenight. It was the perfect chance forsomeone to “steal in” and steal...butnobody did.

I just wistfully want to return to thatearly marriage, no-possession chapterand ride off into the sunset with myspouse and a toothbrush and nothingelse. Nobody wants my stuff-- and nei-ther do I.

Vargas page 32

If you have watched televi-sion since the 1950s,there’s no avoiding

William Schallert.

His distinctive, mellow voiceand comfortingly familiarface have appeared on seriesranging from “Father KnowsBest” to “DesperateHousewives” and everythingin between (seewww.william-schallert.com).

“I’ve never added up thetotal, but I did work a lot!”said Schallert, from his homein Pacific Palisades, Calif.

The tally of his televisionappearances is close to 300,with another 100 featurefilms – the first being anuncredited role in “The Foxesof Harrow” in 1947 whichSchallert still vividly recalls.

“I had one line as a bankerdelivering a message to theNew Orleans stock exchange:‘Gentlemen, gentlemen, thebank of the United States inPhiladelphia has closed itsdoors!’”

Schallert says the scene wasmemorable because it calledfor another actor to shoothimself, but was unable tocoordinate firing the gunwith the gunshot sound pro-duced by crew backstage.

“They couldn’t see eachother, so the shot would gooff sometimes before orsometimes after the triggerwas pulled. It got to be hys-terical,” laughed Schallert. “But they kept me over and Iended up getting three day’spay for one. So I figured this

(Tinseltown page 37)

Tinseltown TalksBy Nick Thomas

The Ubiquitous William Schallert


Jean Byron, Patty Duke, and William Schallert, The Patty Duke Show.

Solution from page 35

William Schallert at Monsterpalooza Convention 2010 with model of creature from “The Man From Planet X”. Photo: Carol Summers

was a great way to make a living!”

In the beginning, Schallert says rolescame slowly, but by 1959 he was hot.

“I worked 57 times that year, then got arecurring role on “Dobie Gillis,” and ofcourse as the father on “The Patty DukeShow” in 1963,” he said.

However, the uncertainty of serieswork could be unsettling.

“I knew the show was coming to anend, and was concerned what wouldhappen,” he said of The Patty DukeShow. “Fortunately I started doingvoiceover work in commercials andthat really paid the bills for the next20 years.”

Schallert has been invited to sci-ficonventions due to roles in 50s filmclassics such as “The Man fromPlanet X,” “Them,” and “TheIncredible Shrinking Man.” He alsoguest starred in “The Trouble withTribbles,” one of the most popular“Star Trek” episodes.

But he says one of his favorite TVguest roles was in “Get Smart,”where he appeared in severalepisodes as the very elderly and

unsteady Admiral Hargrade who wouldfall over at the slightest touch – anirony not lost on the 92-year-oldSchallert, now coincidentally the exactage as his character during the 1968season.

“The admiral was a charming characterand looking back as an actor, I still think

the ways I made him tumble over werefunny,” he said. “But now I am the agehis character was supposed to be, andthe actual falling down part isn’t funnyanymore! Falls can become serioushealth issues for seniors.”

While Schallert says he has experiencedsome falls, his main health issue is hislegs.

“I have peripheral neuropathy and wearbraces,” he said. “They help me stay bal-anced if I use a walker, but it’s just easi-er to get around in a wheelchair.”

Despite the physical limitation,Schallert doesn’t entirely rule out work-ing in the future.

“Although I’m more or less retired, ifsomeone offered me a stage role and itwas something I could manage, I’dprobably do it,” he says. “But working infilm or TV would be too difficult now.Besides, I did my share!”

Nick Thomas teaches at AuburnUniversity at Montgomery, Ala., andhas written columns and interviews forover 500 magazines and newspapers.


Screenshot of Don Adams and William Schallert as the admiral in Get Smart.

After acouplemonths

at home, in spite of the balmy weather,cabin fever is catching up with us. Thediscussion at our house is currently onwhere and when to go….after consult-ing with our cat-sitting friend on hisavailability, of course.

There was a time when travel for usmeant get out the passports and pick aninternational destination. That’s all welland good but it’s become apparent thatthere are places aplenty right here inour own country – and our state -worth exploring, as well as friends andrelatives to visit.

Don’t misunderstand, we haven’tgiven up on traveling abroad, and we’velearned to avoid depending too heavilyon a particular destination. On morethan one occasion, a last-minute dis-count travel offer has resulted in a tripas enjoyable as those we’d planned formonths.

What we have on the calendar so faris that May trip to Bentonville,Arkansas we wrote about last month,followed by a road trip to the Midwest.Rest assured, we will be back home byJuly 1st. Nothing beats our city’smonth-long Artown celebration.

Do the HomeworkResearch your travel destination

extensively. The internet is a goodplace to begin. Talk to folks who’vebeen there.

How do you prefer traveling, on yourown or with a tour company? We’vedone both. For several years we organ-ized and led small group tours to vari-ous European and California winecountry destinations. Now days when itcomes to international tours, we likeleaving the details to the travel compa-ny.

Go Ahead Tours We have traveled with Go Ahead

Tours several times and have neverbeen disappointed. One of our favoritetrips was the company’s Walking Tourof Provence. From Avignon's opulentPapal Palace and the glamour of theFrench Riviera to the Provençal coun-tryside and lavender fields of Vincentvan Gogh and Paul Cézanne, it was atruly memorable experience.Goaheadtours.com

Finding the Best AirfareStart with internet travel sites that

enable a search of several airlines at thesame time. Here are a few suggestions:

cheapflights.com,cheapoair.com, expe-dia.com, kayak.com,orbitz.com,priceline.com, andtravelocity.com. Enteryour travel dates anddestination and searchthe results for the bestprices. Then godirectly to the airlines’websites. Comparetheir best rates withthose of the travelsites.

It pays to be flexiblewith your departure.The day of the week

you fly can make a big difference in theairfare. Most airlines will post theirlowest fares on the internet Tuesdaysand Wednesdays.

Travel 50 & Beyond MagazineWe subscribe to Travel 50 & Beyond

Magazine, among others. The Travel50 & Beyond website lists senior traveldiscounts and last minute cruise offers(up to 75% off ).travel50andbeyond.com.

Travel AgenciesAAA has served as a valuable

resource for us when planning vaca-tions. The website is excellent, and thestaff at the Reno office is knowledgeableand happy to assist. AAA.com

PassportsWhen traveling outside the country,

don’t forget your passport. This shouldbe a no-brainer but we confess it hashappened to us (rather, one of us). Nomatter where you go outside of the U.S.,including Canada and Mexico, you needone. If you don’t have a passport or it’stime to renew, allow at least six weeksto get it. Some countries, includingBrazil, most countries in Africa (notSouth Africa) and Asia require visas.The visa process for Russia is quitecomplex, requiring a paid invitation tovalidate the visa. No visa is necessaryfor tourist visits to Japan or SouthKorea, of less than 90 days. You canvisit Hong Kong or Singapore without avisa in most instances.

For the most comprehensive visainformation, call PVS International inArlington, Virginia (1-800-556-9990).

Finally, as some smart person oncesaid…when preparing to travel, lay outall your clothes and all your money.Then take half the clothes and twice themoney. That is one of the more valu-able lessons we’ve learned from experi-ence.


Seniors4TravelRobert Boyd and Carolyn Prusa

SINGERS OF TOP SONGS - ANSWERS 1. “Puppy Love” – 1960 – Paul Anka2. “At Lastʼ” – 1960 – Etta James3. “Hello Mary Lou” – 1961 – Ricky Nelson4. “Palisades Park” – 1962 – Freddy Cannon5. “Go Away Little Girl” – 1963 – Steve Lawrence

MAJOR MOVIE TITLES - ANSWERS1.“Ja i lhouse Rock”2. “Shane”3. “Anatomy of a Murder”4. “Giant ”5 . “Sabr ina”

Puzzles from page 31

Travel Planning Tips

Senior Spectrum Newspaper - March 2015 Issue

Documents

Transcript of Senior Spectrum Newspaper - March 2015 Issue