Gazseniors mc010912

CORRECTIONIn the October 2011 issue of Gazette Seniors, in “Adventure Knows No Age,” the number ofmiles Jack Meiners has hiked over the last 30 years should have been reported as 17,000.

EditorGraphic DesignContributing Writers

Prepress Manager

CORPORATEPresident and PublisherAdvertising DirectorCreative DirectorDirector of Creative Services

Kim Bamber

Anna Joyce

Karen Finucan ClarksonEllen CohenBarbara DarkoBill HolleranMirian KischJim Mahaffie

John Schmitz

James F. Mannarino

Katrina LaPier

Anna Joyce

Lois Pruitt

Publisher: Post-Newsweek Media, Inc./The Gazette 9030 Comprint Court, Gaithersburg, MD 20877301-948-3120, Gazette.Net

COVER PHOTOS: ISTOCKPHOTO/LISAFX PHOTOGRAPHIC DESIGNS; GIRAFFE/HARVEY COHEN

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1823752

Gazette SENIORS | January 20122

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January 2012 | Gazette SENIORS 3

4 Gazette SENIORS | January 2012

IN ONE ROOM, brushes and paintscover the canvas with abstract or realistic strokes.In another room, pottery wheels and kilns stand atthe ready to give shape to the ideas of the artists.

Seniors who are interested in pursuing artisticbents have many opportunities to do so. The Re-naissance Art Center in Gaithersburg offers twodaytime classes, Pottery and Drawing and Painting,to older adults during three 10-week sessions. Eachcourse is offered on two days every week.

“It’s a laid-back atmosphere, with no pressure,no competition and no worrying about whetherthey did it right,” owner Sam Esposito says. “Weteach seniors, each at their own pace. They have agood time and there’s lots of camaraderie in theclasses.”

On a recent morning, four seniors were com-pleting colorful paintings based on Fauvism, a

movement that flourished in the early 1900s inFrance and featured bold colors. Each senior’s paint-ing was unique, with a compelling assortment offaces, trees or cats.

Christen Shank, who teaches all four classes forolder adults, is enthusiastic about her students. In ad-dition to specific art techniques, she also educatesstudents about the history of various art forms, suchas Expressionism and Cubism, and the kinds of glazesused in pottery. She cites the health benefits of art:brain stimulation, hand strengthening, sharpeningfocus and relieving stress.

“When they finish a project, their eyes light up,”she says. “I’m so proud of them.”

Most students come from the MontgomeryCounty area, but some travel from afar. Jill Brookscomes from Chantilly, Va., each week and plans tocontinue doing so. Brooks sees painting as an

extension of her photography career that spanned morethan 30 years.

“When I retired, I needed a creative outlet,” shesaid. “I had something in me that had to come out.Thisgives me great joy.”

Barbara Kaplan of Gaithersburg takes both paint-ing and pottery classes.This retired college administra-tor wants a second career as a ceramist and sees this asa first step.

“Christen has helped free me up to explore,” Ka-plan said. “You forget that the painting does not haveto look exactly like the photo or object,” she says, ex-amining her painting of a blue cat. Kaplan is planninga move to Florida and admits she’d like to take Shankwith her to continue the learning.

Shank sees herself as a “tourist guide”—steering herstudents to express themselves at their individual level.


Barbara Kaplan of Gaithersburg takesboth painting and pottery classes.

SEE ART, PAGE 30

“IT’S A LAID-BACKATMOSPHERE, WITH NO

PRESSURE, NO COMPETITIONAND NO WORRYING ABOUT

WHETHER (YOU) DIDIT RIGHT.”

-Sam Esposito, owner, Renaissance Art Center

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STORY AND PHOTOS BYKAREN FINUCAN CLARKSON

BOB BRIGHAM IS STRUGGLING to get his groove back.In his second practice game on this cold January morning, the75-year-old Silver Spring resident is contemplating a finishabout 50 points below his 298 average—an average that led toBrigham being named Wii Bowler of the Year in 2011 by theNational Senior League (NSL). “If I don’t get a 268, I feel like Ihaven’t really bowled,” he said.

Primarily associated with kids and teens, video games— suchas Wii Sports and Wii Fit—also are popular with older adults.The NSL, a virtual bowling league established in 2009, nowboasts more than 100 teams from 21 states, including theUnbeWiiVables from the Margaret Schweinhaut Senior Centerin Silver Spring. In October, the team became the 2011 nationalchampion, defeating a group of Wii bowlers from Georgia at theLeadingAge convention in Washington, D.C.

these bowlers areUNBEWIIVABLE

Bob Brigham, a member of the virtualbowling team the UnbeWiiVables

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“Wii bowling is a great sport. Anyone can do it,”said Karen Maxin, the team’s coach and an employeeof the Montgomery County Department of Recre-ation. “The fact that you’re not holding a 10- or 15-pound ball—just a light remote instead—makes thegame accessible.You can sit down and bowl or standon your head and bowl. It doesn’t matter. All youneed is a Wii and a TV.”

At the Schweinhaut Senior Center, the UnbeWii-Vables practice in front of a 52-inch-screen television.“It’s amazing how real it feels when you are bowling,”said Maxin.

The team practices for two hours each Tuesday,Wednesday and Saturday. “Sometimes you don’t getas much practice time as you’d like because only fourpeople can play at a time,” said Bing Cheung, 75, ofSilver Spring. In an attempt to grow the league, theUnbeWiiVables welcome anyone interested in thesport to join them.

Brigham is always willing to share his knowledgeand expertise. “Bob has this ability to watch someoneand then help them adjust,” said Maxin. “Once theyknow where they have to bowl from and what grip touse, they improve.”

“I enjoy teaching,” said Brigham. “I was a carpen-ter and taught many others over the years. Now Iteach Wii bowling.”

Brigham got hooked on virtual bowling after hescored 236 the first time he played. Over the past

three years he has refined his technique and increasedhis average. It was a routine eye exam, however, thatreally helped bolster his scores. “I’ve bowled 64 per-fect games—including four in a row—in the ninemonths since I got new glasses,” he said.

While the game itself is fun, it is the camaraderie

and friendly competition that keep the five team mem-bers—all of whom grace the NSLTop 40 Bowlers list—playing. “I like the company,” said Anh Nguyen, 63, ofSilver Spring. “We’ve become like a family.”

SEE WII BOWLING, PAGE 29

A Wii bowling screen on a television

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“I’M ALWAYS stretching myself—reach-ing for something, emotionally or physically. Ileave feeling exhilarated,” said Kathie Mack.

While it was the social service componentof The Heyday Players that initially attractedher to the seniors-only theater group, it is theopportunity to grow and to expand her hori-zons that keeps her coming back. “We’re en-couraged to experiment and try things,” saysthe retired Takoma Park resident.

The Heyday Players, established by RoundHouse Theatre in the mid 1990s, “providesseniors the opportunity to perform for seniorsin plays that deal with issues of importance toseniors,” said Jillian Levine-Sisson, RoundHouse’s education manager. Round House haslocations in Silver Spring and Bethesda. Theprogram is designed to channel the “tremen-dous spirit, talent and life experience” of olderadults into theatrical performance and classes,according to the theater’s website.

WhenThe Heyday Players began, it was oneof just a handful of senior theater companies inthe country. Today, there are more than 800nationwide, according to ArtAge’s Senior The-atre Resource Center. Still, the Round Houseprogram remains innovative in its approach,according to Levine-Sisson, by combiningeducation and performance.

The Heyday Players begins each fall with aseries of 10 master classes. “Each takes an in-depth look at a particular theater specialty,”said Brianna Letourneau, the lead teachingartist for the players.

“This year we had a wide variety, rangingfrom creative movement to commedia (del-l’arte), which is a specific way of telling storiesin the Italian and French tradition, to the busi-ness of acting,” Letourneau said. “The seriesculminated with playwriting.We wrote originalmonologues and scenes based on fables andfolktales.”

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“I’ve taken some wonderful master class-es with top people in the field,” said Mack.“These artists spend time teaching us thingslike stage combat—it’s amazing to see allthese elderly people hauling each otheraround by the hair—dialects and characterdevelopment.”

The master classes are open to all seniors.“No one needs prior knowledge or has to doany preparation. Each class is complete untoitself,” said Letourneau. For $50, partici-pants can take as many or as few classes asthey like. The classes are accessible to all.“We are always sensitive to any kind of phys-ical challenge and anything we do can bemodified,” she said.

“Some come to Heyday with a lot oftheater experience in their past, some haveminimal experience, and others have simply

enjoyed being audience members for a longtime but don’t have any actual stage experi-ence,” said Mack. “We draw heavily fromSilver Spring and the surrounding area, butthere are people from Bethesda and Olney—even one from Virginia.”

The two-hour classes are held each Tues-day morning at Round House’s Silver Springtheater. Come winter, the classes give way toperforming ensembles. “There typically aretwo casts of Heyday Players,” said Le-tourneau, “and instead of attending class,they attend rehearsals.”

Each season, Round House commissionsseveral area playwrights to write 10-minuteplays for the ensembles. Each cast, which con-sists of roughly a dozen actors, is assigned

ABOVE: COURTESY OF ROUND HOUSE THEATRE. OPPOSITE PAGE: ISTOCKPHOTO/MSCHENK

“These artists spend time teaching us things like stagecombat—it’s amazing to see all these elderly people

HAULING EACH OTHER AROUND BY THE HAIR...”-Kathie Mack of The Heyday Players

Kathie Mack in a production by senior’s-only theater group The Heyday Players

SEE HEYDAY PLAYERS, PAGE 28

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BY JOHN BYRDHOME FRONTS NEWS

HOW DOES A PERSON with limited mobilitylive comfortably in a three-level center-hall colonial? That’s thequestion that confronted Mike Tevnan, 63, and his wife, Kath-leen, 56, when, nearing retirement, the Silver Spring couplelearned that Kathleen would be confined to a wheelchair.

“Once my situation was diagnosed, we installed a platformlift in front of the house, and stair lift from the first floor to thesecond,” said Kathleen. “Still, getting around the house—which was built in the 1940s—was really time consuming andawkward.”

Fortunately, through trial and error, patience, and the even-tual emergence of a universal design team of remodelers whocould help them, the days of unnecessary obstacles are in thepast—replaced by a new freedom to circulate, manage every-day chores and live life fully.

Looking back, Kathleen is a little astonished at the chal-lenges she once confronted daily. For starters, just getting fromthe driveway to the ground-level lift an earlier contractor hadinstalled near the front portico was a challenge. There wasn’tenough space where the driveway intersects with the front walkfor her van to drop the wheelchair lift; and the sidewalk itselfwas too narrow.

Moreover, to exit the platform lift at the front door, Kath-leen had to turn 90 degrees in a severely restricted radius andpush forward onto a concrete mat not much wider than thewheelchair itself.

Once inside the house, a stair lift provided the only accessto the full bath on the second floor. And other logistical night-mares were everywhere. The bathroom was too narrow. Thelaundry was in the basement. For a while, she was sleeping inthe living room.

“It was awful,” she said. “Obviously the earlier access solu-tions hadn’t worked well. Mike and I spent a lot of time tryingto figure out the best path through the house, but it was hardto know what was best for my situation.”

Then, she found Russ Glickman, an aging-in- place/specialneeds expert and president of Glickman Design Build in NorthPotomac, which specializes in designing and building residen-tial renovations that meet the needs of homeowners. His name

u Universal design solution convertsretirees’ center-hall colonial intowheelchair-friendly environment

SEE DESIGN, PAGE 26

Kathleen Tevnan sought better wheelchair access in her home and abetter-integrated access solution. To accomplish this, Russ Glickmanredesigned the sidewalk from the driveway, introduced a wider porticowith a barrel vault ceiling and repositioned the lift for easier entry.

PHOTO BY TRISHA BOWER PHOTOGRAPHY


BY ELLEN R. COHEN

WHEN JULIEN SACKS and his wifetraveled from Roanoke, Va., to see family in2006, they visited Ring House, a Rockville sen-ior retirement community. Sacks had sold thechildren’s shoe store he owned, and his chil-dren suggested it was time to stop shovelingsnow, raking leaves and cutting grass. Despitemixed feelings, the Sackses moved to RingHouse. Although his wife passed away aboutfour years ago, Julien enjoys his home andserves on the community’s Residents’ Council.

Since 1989, Ring House has attracted inde-pendent seniors with supportive services, suchas help with transportation, cooking, cleaningand other chores that become more difficult,especially in winter weather, with age.

“Located in the heart of Rockville, RingHouse is near stores, banks, places of worshipand cultural activities. Residents enjoy beingnear family and friends while maintaining theirindependence, privacy and interests,” said JillBerkman, community outreach marketing di-rector. “Our community is set up like a Con-

tinuing Care Retirement Community (CCRC)in that we have everything on campus: inde-pendent living, assisted living, a nursing homeand a health center. Unlike a CCRC, there isno large down payment. You rent your unit.Also unlike a CCRC, we cannot initiate yourmovement from one place to another. If youneed more help here, you can go to assisted liv-ing or get help in your home. Getting in is easyand you need give only a 30-day notice to with-draw from your lease.”

While you must be 62 or disabled tomove in, some residents are 99 and 100, withthe average age in the late 80s, according toBerkman. Residents may choose from a varietyof one- and two-bedroom apartment configu-rations, many of which are currently being ren-ovated. Each floor has laundry facilities and therenovated apartments have a combinationwasher/dryer.

Another benefit is the opportunity to qualifyfor reduced rent. “Ring House has HOC subsi-dies,” said Berkman. “If you qualify with your

u Rockville community offers independentand assisted lifestyles for renters

SEE RING HOUSE, PAGE 27

Ring House is located in the heart of Rockville.

Florence and Jules Greenberg enjoy theirGazette in the sunny garden pavilion.

Mary Kurin and Liliane Marchetto discuss...well,we’re not sure, but it must have been a hoot.

ABOVE: PHOTO BY RICHARD GREENHOUSE, COURTESY OF RING HOUSE. BELOW: PHOTOS BY HILLARY SCHWAB, COURTESY OF RING HOUSE,


Finally, the idea of an African safaricaptured our imagination. We read travelguides, spoke to friends and researchedtour companies, finally choosing Thom-son Family Adventures, which specializesin small, multi-age groups, taking travel-ers to worldwide destinations.

After many phone calls, e-mails anddiscussion, we had a plan.We would all go—all 10 of us: Harvey and I; our son Jeff,daughter-in-law Shari and their 15-year-old twins Samantha and Zachary; ourdaughter Marcia, son-in-law Mark, 8-year-old Emma and 6-year-old Jonah.Would a trip that accommodated ourages, temperaments, interests, food pref-erences and schedules become a logisticalnightmare? OurThomson travel represen-tative recommended Tanzania, a peacefularea with “world-class wildlife viewing.”

Our itinerary included visits to theNgorongoro Crater, the Serengeti andseveral national parks. We would stay inlodges and in tented camps, traveling inLand Rovers with pop-up tops that couldbe lifted for wildlife viewing and phototaking, while keeping us safely in the vehi-cles. Our three guides, assigned to us forthe entire nine days of the safari, would beour tour directors and problem solvers.“We’re going to Africa!” we said.

Harvey and I departed from DullesInternational Airport Aug. 13, while ourchildren and grandchildren left from NewYork City.The next morning, we joined upin Amsterdam and boarded our approxi-

A giraffe and elephants on the Serengetiin eastern Africa, and a lion from theNgorongoro Crater in Tanzania

PHOTOS BY HARVEY M. COHEN

MARRIED 50 YEARS LASTJune, my husband Harveyand I considered how tocelebrate with the family.A trip? A party? Everyonehad suggestions.

BY ELLEN R. COHEN


mately eight-hour flight to Kilimanjaro,Tanzania. Oursenior guide, Ojukwo, met us at the airport and droveus to the Mount Meru Game Lodge & Sanctuary.

Once a refuge for rescued animals, the lodge is hometo zebras, storks and peacocks. Monkeys also roamedfreely. Our two other guides, Adam and Peter, joined usand we departed in our Land Rovers for the Arusha Na-tional Park, our first experience with giraffes, zebras,monkeys, warthogs, buffalo and baboons. Later, back atthe lodge, it was feeding time for the African porcu-pines, which our grandkids loved watching.

Throughout the trip, we stayed either in a lodgeor in a tented camp called a nyumba, moving everytwo days within Tanzania. The lodges were comfort-able, the people were friendly, and the simple foodwas nicely prepared and healthy. The large tents in-cluded a floor, LED lights and comfortable beds. Alarge pitcher of water for the basin sink was deliveredto our tent twice a day. “Jambo”—or “good morning”in Swahili—was the signal that a pitcher of hot waterhad been placed outside the tent and breakfast wouldsoon be ready. Showers at the end of the day involvedhot water hoisted in buckets outside by the men whoworked at the tent camp.

The daily routine was similar: Early wake-up, fol-lowed by breakfast. After deciding who would ride inwhich of our two vehicles, we settled down to see ani-mals all morning until it was time to have a picnic boxlunch at a safe location. It felt good to get out of thevehicles and walk around a bit. More wildlife viewingfollowed until late afternoon, when we returned to ourlodge or tents, showered, changed to clean clothes for

dinner, and returned to the sleeping area to relax be-fore bedtime.

We visited several areas known for different animalspecies and spent many hours peering out of ourLand Rovers with binoculars, looking for elephants,giraffes and lions. We took many photos at TarangireNational Park, famous for its large elephant popula-tion. Our group especially loved the babies.

The Ngorongoro Crater, formed 2.5 million yearsago after a volcano exploded, has a huge caldera thatis home to giraffes, wildebeests, zebras, baboons, hip-pos, lions, cheetahs and many varieties of antelopes.Serengeti National Park was another highlight. Anarea of 6,000 square miles, it is famous for big herdsof annually migrating wildebeests, as well as zebras,antelopes, lions, cheetahs and hyenas. We went from“Look! There’s a zebra!” to “Look! There’s anotherzebra!” and, finally, “Look! There are lots of zebras!”We also saw a full pride of lions taking their afternoonnap under a large tree.

A visit to Ayalabe Primary School was an eye-opener for our grandchildren.We interacted with thestudents and teachers, and distributed small gifts ofschool supplies and toys that our children hadbrought. Students wear uniforms, sometimes torn orragged, and classrooms have a blackboard with noelectricity. Primary school is taught in Swahili; thechildren learn English in high school. Around thistime, Samantha and Zachary, our older grandkids,were realizing how fortunate they are to attend highschool in NewYork City.

Another highlight was a visit to the small village of

Robanda in Serengeti National Park. Women weremaking beautiful straw baskets, which we purchasedto take home. And, a pickup soccer game with ourgrandchildren and the local children was fun.We tookpictures to the delight of the village children who hadnever seen themselves in digital photos.

The nine days on safari were just enough to makeus want to return to Africa someday. When we droveto the Serengeti airstrip en route to Arusha, the clos-est city with an airport, the Land Rovers had to firstherd several zebras off the runway.

It was wonderful to celebrate a family milestonetogether, and we were very thankful to be able to giveour children and grandchildren this incredible experi-ence. Eight-year-old Emma couldn’t wait to go backto school and tell her class about her trip. “But,” shesaid, “I think maybe they won’t believe me.” We as-sured her she could certainly support her story withthe roughly 2,000 photos with which each family hadreturned home.

The author, third from left, and her family (from left): Shari Brasner, Samantha Cohen,Zachary Cohen, Jeffrey Cohen, Marcia Cohen, Mark Hotchkiss, Harvey Cohen. Children in front row,from left: Emma Hotchkiss, Jonah Hotchkiss. Above: A typical interior of the tents in which they stayed


BY J IM MAHAFFIE

MOST PEOPLE MAY dream of taking tripsto London, Paris and Rome. Stanley and HarryetteHelsel dream about Ashgabat, Ulan Bator and Wind-hoek, among many other far-flung destinations.

The Helsels, who live in Bethesda, spend lots of timereading up on exotic places to visit next.Their travelshave touched all continents, although Stanley passedup a trip to Antarctica because he’s not an avid sailorlike his wife. After that trip, Stanley joined Harryette forthe Tapati Festival of Easter Island in the southernPacific Ocean, where the couple enjoyed a celebrationof Rapa Nui culture.They’ve visited every state in theU.S. except Alaska, plus they’ve been to Mongolia,Myanmar, South Africa, India, Portugal,Tahiti,Tunisia,Russia, Siberia, Vietnam, China, Iran, Iceland…Itwould probably easier to name places they haven’t been(yet).And they’ve returned to many countries since theyenjoyed them so much.

When a country suddenly opens up to travelers,the Helsels are often among the first to visit. Main-

land China began granting visas in 1980, and theHelsels jumped at the opportunity. They rememberall the people in Mao suits, the women cleaning thestreets and reading newspapers encased in glass onwalls. They’ve returned to China over the past 30years to see the changes.

The Helsels first visited the USSR in the 1970s,and remember old women with brooms everywhere.On a trip from Moscow to Leningrad, people weretaken off the train because they had forbidden read-ing material.

“We’ve been to Russia every decade since and youdon’t see that anymore.The changes have been amaz-ing,” said Harryette. “I keep wanting to go back;there’s just something about it.” She said that the oldRussia still exists in Belarus, which became a republicin 1990, during the dissolution of the Soviet Union.

With their own travel style, the Helsels have hadmany adventures. In Mongolia, they lived in a herder’s

S T A N L E Y A N D H A R R Y E T T E H E L S E L A R E G O I N G P L A C E S

SEE HELSELS, PAGE 25

TOP: Stanley Helsel investigates moai, whichare large stone statues, on Easter Island inthe southeastern Pacific Ocean. ABOVE: Withwife Harryette at a stupa (temple) in Myanmar

(Burma) in southeast Asia

PHOTOS COURTESY OF STANLEY AND HARRYETTE HELSEL


1823751

BY BILL HOLLERAN

INTERNATIONALLY RENOWNED expert on ozone tech-nology. Musical virtuoso and band leader. Sharp-eyed historian. Forthe neighborhood of Sandy Spring, the 100-square-mile communi-ty situated between Olney and Ashton, the “leader of the band” isDr. Rip Rice. A musician and chemist, Rice and his wife of nearly65 years, Billie, have been independent-living residents of BrookeGrove Retirement Village in Sandy Spring since 2004.

Where did the name “Rip” come from? According to a biogra-phical profile written by Rice for the Brooke Grove IndependentLiving Residents Association (ILRA), Rice’s paternal grandfatherowned and operated a Mississippi River showboat named theOld Rip around the turn of the 20th century. Rice’s father, whospent his early-childhood years on the showboat before the fam-ily sold it, wanted to name his first-born son Rip after the boat.But Rice’s maternal grandfather didn’t like the name, so theboy’s mother named him Ripdon.Growing up, “this name was the butt of so much ridicule bymy playmates that I just started calling myself ‘Rip,’ and that

was that,” Rice said.

Rice, who will turn 88 in April, is known in the Washington,D.C.-area jazz community as the leader of The Olney Big Band.

Entertaining audiences since 2002, “the band’s 18 musicians andtwo vocalists perform American swing, dance and jazz music of the

big band era (1930s-40s) and beyond,” according to the band’s website.A native of NewYork City, Rice began playing the saxophone during his

early college years in Fort Worth,Texas, before World War II.After military service following D-Day in France, Bel-

gium and Germany with the 104th Infantry Division“Timberwolves,” Rice returned to the U.S. and fin-ished his undergraduate work in chemistry atGeorge Washington University, since his familymoved to Washington during the war. Heplayed the saxophone in the HarryVincent Or-chestra, later known as The Music Makers;before long, he was leading the orchestra.

In June 1948, Rice married Billie GeanWomack; their only child, son David, wasborn within the year. Rice, working as a


LEADEROF THE BAND

MEET RIP RICE:

PHOTOS COURTESY OF RIP RICE


chemist with the National Bureau of Standards—now named the National Institute of Standardsand Technology, continued to play with TheMusic Makers and other area combos.

In 1955, “Rip decided to put music on theback burner while he concentrated on developing aprofessional career and helping to raise his family,”according to the website of Dixie Rascals—a seven-piece combo formed by “Head Rascal” Rice in themid-1990s and now a band within The Olney BigBand. Armed with a doctorate in organic chemistryfrom the University of Maryland, Rice spent thenext 15 years working at General Dynamics andW.R. Grace & Co.

With Grace as his first client, Rice “hung outhis shingle” in 1972 as an independent consult-ant in ozone technology, according to his ILRAprofile. Ozone, a gas that occurs both in theearth’s upper atmosphere and at ground level, isused industrially as a bleaching and deodorizingagent. A powerful germicide, ozone is also usedto sterilize air and drinking water. Rice said ittook him 10 years to gain the knowledge neededto market himself as expert on the commercialand industrial uses of ozone.

The profession, Rice said in his ILRA profile,“allows me to travel the world, attending meet-ings of the International Ozone Association(which he co-founded in 1974), consulting forfirms in many countries new to ozone, and assist-ing firms already in the ozone business to better understand and enter new ap-plication areas.”

Rice co-authored “The Ozone Laundry Handbook” last year, and is one offour editors of “Ozone in Food Processing,” a textbook on the subject sched-uled for publication in February, according to his ILRA profile.

Rice has authored more than 100 papers dealing with ozone applications,and has edited or co-edited 21 books, proceedings and monographs in theozone technology field.

Rice came out of his lengthy “musical hibernation,” as the Dixie Ras-cals’ website notes, in 1994. Over the next nine years, Rice would play tenorsax in the Rascals, the Rockville Concert Band, the Rock-’n-ville Swing Band,the Columbia Jazz Ensemble and the Starvation Army Band.

According to his ILRA profile, he joined The Olney Big Band in 2003 “toteach its members how to swing.” Under Rice’s direction as music directorand master of ceremonies, the band progressed “from a shaky dance band to areally good swing band that is in high demand.”

“It’s a hell of a lot of work,” said Rice about his leadership role with the OBB,as it is known to its fans. “Not only do you have to know music, but you’ve got tounderstand people.”

Early last year, Rice relinquished the role of musical director to Dr. RobertTennyson, but he remains band leader, chairman of the band’s board of direc-tors and member of the editorial board of “In the Mood,” the OBB quarterlye-newsletter.

When Rice and his wife were approach-ing 80 in 2003, they “needed someplace to go,”he said. “We had a two-acre lot (in Ashton) thatmy wife and I couldn’t handle any more. Wemade the move to Brooke Grove IndependentVillage, and we love it here.”

Now Brooke Grove residents, Rice foundedthe Independent Living Residents Associationand later became the campus historian.

“When I came here to Brooke Grove, I wasan ozone consultant and a musician,” said Rice.“I was not a history writer or, for that matter, awriter of anything other than technical papersdealing with ozone.

“About a year into life at Brooke Grove, I hadmet dozens of wonderful and, in some cases, un-usual people and I had a desire to write each per-son’s story,” he said. Rice wrote an orientation-type booklet for new residents, with some historyof the retirement village and in-depth profiles ofresidents—his profile included.

Fast forward to 2009. According to Rice’sILRA profile, he became friends with SandySpring-native and history-buff Delmas Wood,founder of the Sandy Spring Museum. Later,wrote Rice, Wood approached him with a pro-posal to “feed me historical information aboutthe Sandy Spring Neighborhood (the area with-in a six-mile radius of the Sandy Spring FriendsMeeting House). All villages and crossroads of

the past and present are within this imaginary circle.Wood convinced me thatsuch a history book is needed and that I am the man to write it.”

And the rest is history, or will be sometime this year. Rice is “close” to com-pleting the first volume of “A History of the Sandy Spring Neighborhood” cover-ing the period from roughly 1650 through the end of the Civil War in 1865.Thesecond volume will pick up with events following the CivilWar to the present day.

Entering 2012, what else is in store for Sandy Spring’s irrepressible leaderof the band? As Rice puts it in his ILRA profile, “As long as the Good Lordkeeps me in good health and of sound mind, and as long as my wife Billie cantolerate me, I plan to continue doing what I have been doing. Retirement is forthose who don’t like what they’re doing. I love what I am doing!”

“Rip has a real zest for life. His passion for big band music is contagious,and his love for his family and friends, as well as the Olney, Sandy Spring andBrooke Grove communities, is truly inspiring,” saidToni Davis, regional direc-tor of marketing at Brooke Grove Retirement Village. “While continuing toexplore a variety of lifelong interests, he also continues to contribute to hisprofession. He is an amazing man; he makes us all smile!”

Know a senior in Montgomery County with an interesting story to tell?Email us at [email protected].

“IT’S A HELL OF A LOT OFWORK. NOT ONLY DO YOU

HAVE TO KNOW MUSIC,BUT YOU’VE GOT TO

UNDERSTAND PEOPLE.”



“We don’t have any choice as tothe circumstances of our birth, but weshould have a choice as to how we leavethis life,” said Rosalind Kipping, vicepresident of the National Capital AreaChapter of Compassion & Choices.Thekey to ensuring that “end-of-life care re-flects your beliefs and values is to com-plete an advanced directive.”

The advance directive form madeavailable by the state of Maryland con-sists of two parts.The first allows you to“choose a health care agent—someoneto speak for you and make medical deci-sions for you if you are unable to speakfor yourself,” said Kipping.The secondpart is known as a living will. “It is a writ-ten advisory to the health care agent andcan indicate anything from ‘I want everysingle treatment possible through med-ical technology up to my very last breath’to ‘Nothing artificial, just let me go.’”

Roughly a third of Maryland adultshave an advance directive, according toDan Morhaim, M.D., deputy majorityleader of the Maryland House of Dele-gates and author of “The Better End:Surviving (and Dying) on Your Own

Terms in Today’s Modern MedicalWorld.” Among those who are “older,whiter and richer, the number only goesup to 45 percent. Amazing when youthink about it because 100 percent of usare going to die,” he said.

While a lack of information and amistrust of the health care system mayprevent some people from completingadvance directives, it is “our general cul-tural aversion to talking about death anddying that is the biggest barrier,” saidMorhaim.

For those unsure of how to begin oruneasy with such discussions, an advancedirective can serve as a springboard. “Itcan be a catalyst to meaningful conversa-tions, especially between people of differ-ent generations,” said Suzanne Adelman,clinical supervisor of the Jewish SocialService Agency (JSSA) Hospice inRockville. “The document itself is im-portant, but so are the conversations youhave with your health care agent so thatperson really understands what yourhealth care wishes are.”

In addition to ensuring that a per-son’s wishes for end-of-life care are fol-lowed, an advance directive can save

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families from emotional turmoil, espe-cially when there may be confusion ordisagreement about what’s really wantedat life’s end. An advance directive “takesthe burden off of family members,” saidMorhaim. “Emotions, such as guilt,stress and competition, are relieved.Everyone becomes more accepting. Ifyou love your family and friends, dothem a favor by completing an advancedirective.”

Filling out an advance directive is notcomplicated and does not require an at-torney. Two adults, neither of whom maybe your health care agent and at least oneof whom may not financially benefitfrom your death or handle your estate,are required to witness your signature.“Ittakes about 15 minutes to complete theform,” said Morhaim, “though it maytake longer than 15 minutes to thinkthrough your choices.”

A lot of thought should go into iden-tifying a health care agent, says ShawnBrennan, program manager for seniorhealth promotion with MontgomeryCounty Aging and Disability Servicesand co-chair of the Montgomery Coun-ty Coalition for Care at the End of Life.The coalition suggests looking for ahealth care agent whom you trust and

knows you well; is in close enough prox-imity to offer help when you need it; iscomfortable talking with and question-ing health care providers; and will not betoo emotionally upset by your illness orinjury to carry out your wishes.

“For some, a spouse may be the bestperson to make health care decisions,”said Brennan, “but if you’re estranged oryour spouse isn’t assertive or doesn’twork well under pressure, then youmight consider someone else.” Brennanalso suggests naming two alternates incase your first choice is unable or un-available to serve as your advocate.

“None of these choices are chiseled instone,” said Kipping. “You can changeyour mind anytime you want to by com-pleting a new advance directive.That’snot at all unusual. Over the years as wemature, our values change and we tendto look at life differently.”

While the state of Maryland has itsown form, available through the state At-torney General’s Office, it is not the onlydocument honored in Maryland. A pop-ular alternative is the Five Wishes form,created by the national nonprofit Aging

AGING WITH DIGNITYFive Wishes

www.agingwithdignity.org/five-wishes.php

[email protected]

AMERICAN BAR ASSOCIATIONPower of Attorney for Health Care

www.americanbar.org800-285-2221

COMPASSION & CHOICESNational Capital Area Chapter

[email protected]

202-347-2056

MARYLAND ATTORNEYGENERAL

Advance Directiveswww.oag.state.md.us/healthpol

/[email protected]

410-576-7000

MARYLAND MOTOR VEHICLEADMINISTRATIONEmergency ContactInformation Registry

https://securetransactions.mva.maryland.gov/emvastore

Click link on left.

MONTGOMERY COUNTYCOALITION FOR CARE AT THE

END OF LIFEwww.mccelc.org

[email protected]

240-777-1350

“THE BETTER END: SURVIVING(AND DYING) ON YOUR OWNTERMS IN TODAY'S MODERN

MEDICAL WORLD”By Dan Morhaim, M.D.

[email protected]

Published by The Johns HopkinsUniversity Press, November 2011

RESOURCES

SEE DIRECTIVE, PAGE 24 1823755


BY BARBARA DARKO

“ABUSE OF the elderly and vul-nerable adults is a widespread problemin Montgomery County. With a grow-ing population of seniors and vulnera-ble adults, we can expect cases of elderabuse to increase sharply.”

That bleak assessment comes fromthe Montgomery County State’s Attor-ney’s Office.“It runs the gamut,” saidAs-sistant State’s Attorney Karla Smithabout the mistreatment of older and vul-nerable adults who are victims of physi-cal, financial and other forms of abuseand neglect. Smith heads the FamilyVi-olence Division, responsible for the pros-ecution of vulnerable adult and elderabuse cases in the county.

According to studies cited by theNational Center on Elder Abuse, everyyear “between 1 and 2 million Ameri-cans age 65 or older have been injured,exploited, or otherwise mistreated bysomeone on whom they depended forcare or protection.” Those numbersmay not tell the whole story. For everyone case of elder abuse reported to au-thorities, the center estimates aboutfive more cases go unreported.

In Montgomery County, at least 530reports of elder abuse were investigatedlast year by Adult Protective Services(APS), a section of the county’s Depart-ment of Health and Human Services’Aging and Disability division. Bonnie

Klem, APS supervisor, said she has only10 investigators, “when we get maybe 50to 70 calls a month.”

Both Klem and Smith worry thatwith older residents living longer andtheir numbers growing, so will the hid-den problem of elder abuse. Currently,119,500 people 65 and older live in thecounty, according to a press release fromthe Montgomery County Commissionon Aging, but an increase of nearly 40percent—190,000 residents—is expect-ed by 2030. Similar growth is projectedacross the state, with the number of resi-dents over 60 expected to increase to 25percent by 2030, according to the Mary-land Department of Planning, Popula-tion Projections.

Elder abuse is considered a complexproblem with widespread misconcep-tions and varying definitions. Mont-gomery County and the State’s Attor-ney’s Office FamilyViolence Division de-fine abuse of the elderly as any physicalinjury “as a result of cruel or inhumanetreatment or as a result of a malicious actby another person.” It can range fromhitting to kicking to severe beatings, ac-cording to the American PsychologicalAssociation. Of APS’s 530 investigationslast year, 48, or about 9 percent, of thereported cases were for physical abuse.

Financial exploitation, “the misuse ofmoney, property or resources for anoth-er’s benefit,” is another form of abuse.

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Fraud, embezzlement, forgery and a va-riety of scams against the elderly arecommon.About 16 percent, or 86, of thereported cases investigated by APS werefor financial exploitation.

Most of the investigations however—355, or about 70 percent of reportedcases—were for self-neglect. Neglect byothers, such as a professional caregiveror a family member, accounted for 118,or about 22 percent, of reported cases in-vestigated by APS. Neglect is defined as“the willful deprivation of adequate food,clothing … medical treatment or rehabil-itative therapy, shelter or supervision.”Some of the signs of elder self-neglect,according to Klem, include hoarding,leaving old food around, and generallybeing unclean and unsanitary.

“They don’t have a solution,” saidKlem, who has served on an HHS-con-vened HoardingTask Force working withcounty agencies to help those who hoard.

Whether it is self-neglect, neglect bya caregiver, or physical or financial abuse,most incidents of elder abuse don’t hap-pen in a nursing home, as widely be-lieved. The National Center on ElderAbuse estimates that about “two-thirdsof all elder abuse perpetrators are familymembers, most often the victim’s adultchild or spouse,” or an intimate partner.

“They have this love-fear relationshipwith their caregiver,” said Klem. “Some-times people feel embarrassed and horri-fied that their loved one or caregiverwould treat them badly. It’s a conun-drum because if they say something orpolice get called, we’re going to want to

charge somebody.”Smith agrees. “Part of the issue with

many elderly people is they don’t want tosay anything, thinking that ‘if I turn thisperson in who’s giving me some help,then who’s going to be here to help me?’In other words, bad care is better than nocare,” she said.

To help educate caregivers and im-prove response to elder abuse, an Elderand Vulnerable Adult Abuse Task Forcewas convened by State’s Attorney John J.McCarthy. Co-chaired by Smith, thetask force is a multidisciplinary group ofabout a dozen people from a number ofcounty agencies who meet monthly toexchange information. The task forcealso provides speakers and training onways to prevent abuse of the elderly.

The task force is part of a larger net-work of elder abuse programs that inter-act with various county departments,agencies and other community stake-holders. Most of the services—frommental health to food/nutrition to hous-ing to transportation to support forfamily caregivers—can be accessedthrough the county’s Senior website orSenior Resource Line.

“HHS via Aging and Disability Ser-vices has bridges with community part-ners throughout the county,” said Klem,noting that “bank managers call us whenthey recognize that people are at risk oflosing their hard-earned money.” Shealso includes the county and state’s at-torneys, congressional representatives,hospitals, adult day care programs andcommunity leaders as “part of our ex-tended ‘family.’”

WHERE TO GET HELPAdult Protective Services (county)

240-777-3000

Montgomery County Crisis Center240-777-4000

Eldercare Locator800-677-1116, www.eldercare.gov

Family Violence Division, MontgomeryCounty State’s Attorney’s Office

240-777-7300

Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program240-777-3369

Montgomery County Officeof Consumer Affairs

240-777-3636

Montgomery County PoliceNon-Emergency301-279-8000

Montgomery County Police FamilyCrime Division240-777-5400

Montgomery County Police Fraud Unit301-840-2590

National Center on Elder Abuse,Administration on Aging

www.ncea.aoa.gov

National Long-Term Care OmbudsmanResource Center

www.ltcombudsman.org

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OUTLIVING ONE’S savings isthe greatest fear among older Ameri-cans.No matter which poll you look at—the one byTransamerica Center for Re-tirement Studies, Allianz Life InsuranceCompany of North America or Finan-cial Engines—people are worried thattheir assets will expire before they do.

“Think about this: A couple that is65 years of age today stands a 50 per-cent chance that one of them will liveto be 90,” said Clark Kendall, a certi-fied financial planner and founder ofKendall Capital in Rockville. “Andthat figure is for everyone, not justthose who have health insurance, arewell educated, don’t smoke and stayphysically fit.”

“Retirement could end up being athird of your life, or half as long asyou’ve already lived,” said Larry Paul,a certified financial planner with Ray-mond James Financial Services Inc. inRockville who teaches retirement plan-ning and wealth management coursesthrough Montgomery College’s Life-long Learning Institute. “You’re likelylooking at having to support yourselffinancially for a 20- to 30-year period.”

“Retirement is all about adequatesustainable lifetime income.You’ve gotto have it and you’ve got to have it for-ever,” said Jim Ruth, a certified finan-cial planner and founder of Potomac

Financial Group in Gaithersburg.When it comes to insuring a steadystream of income through one’s gold-en years, people often err in decidingwhen to tap into retirement funds andtoo many put off financial decisionsuntil the passage of time ultimatelymakes the decisions for them, he says.

“The biggest mistake people makein retirement is not doing Social Secu-rity right,” said Ruth. “The wrong de-cision can cost you tens of thousandsof dollars and, in some cases, hundredsof thousands of dollars. “With a Galluppoll reporting that more than half oftoday’s retirees consider Social Securi-ty their primary source of income, thatdecision takes on added importance.

For most people it pays to delay fil-ing for Social Security benefits until70, according to Ruth. “But, accordingto the Social Security Administration,76 percent of women and 71 percentof men take benefits early,” he said.

Those who file early—at 62—forSocial Security will receive a monthlybenefit check that is about 30 percent lessthan what they’d get if they waited until67, according to Ruth. Age 81 is the ac-tuarial break-even point, meaning thetotal payout would be the same regard-less of when an individual began receiv-ing benefits. So, those who delay filingfor benefits and live beyond 81 receivelarger benefit checks for the rest of their

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lives than early filers. The size of thecheck increases further for individualswho wait until 70 to file.

Gender, health and marital statusplay a role in deciding when to beginreceiving Social Security. “The generaladvice for single women is to take it aslate as possible, unless they are in poorhealth or have a family history of peo-ple dying young,” said Ruth. Sincemales don’t live as long as females, sin-gle men sometimes are better off tak-ing benefits earlier, but, generally, notbefore full retirement age, somewherebetween 66 and 67 depending on one’syear of birth.

“A couple needs to strategize,”said Ruth. He points to two underusedtechniques that couples should consid-er in order to maximize income andsurvivor benefits. While a number offactors—such as the age and earningsdifference between spouses and needfor additional income—can reduce oreliminate the utility of these strategies,they should still be evaluated, accord-ing to Ruth.

Under File and Suspend, the high-er-earning spouse, upon reaching fullretirement age, files for Social Securitybenefits and then immediately sus-pends them.The act of filing opens thedoor for the lower-earning spouse tobegin receiving spousal benefits at re-tirement age, which comes to 50 per-cent of his or her spouse’s benefit.Thehigher-earning spouse can then contin-ue to work or draw on income from anIRA, allowing Social Security benefitsto accrue.Then, at age 70, each spousecan begin collecting maximum retire-ment benefits. The delay in tappinginto the higher-earning spouse’s bene-fits also could result in a larger survivorbenefit for the lower-earning spouse.

With the Double Dip, the lower-earn-ing spouse begins receiving Social Secu-rity as early as 62.When the higher-earn-ing spouse reaches full retirement age, heor she files for spousal benefits, 50 per-cent of what the lower-earning spouse isreceiving, while continuing to work until70. At that point, the higher-earningspouse then files to receive benefits underhis or her own Social Security account.Like File and Suspend, this strategy al-lows couples to take full advantage of in-come and survivor benefits, Ruth said.

With Social Security figured out,it’s time to create a reasonable budgetand take an inventory of assets. “If your

outgo exceeds your income, your up-keep will be your downfall,” said Paul.

“The rule of thumb is that mostpeople will need 60 to 80 percent oftheir gross income to maintain theirlifestyle,” said Kendall. “If you’re mak-ing $100,000, you’ll probably needsomewhere between $60,000 and$80,000 per year.”

If you take the amount you thinkyou’ll need for expenses and deductthe amount you’ll receive from SocialSecurity and a pension if you have one,the number that remains is what you’llneed to come up with from othersources.The trick, according to Kendall,is to make sure that amount doesn’t ex-ceed 4 percent of your savings and in-vestments.

He offers this example:“Say you make$100,000 from ABC Corp. and you wantto live off of $75,000 a year. …Your com-bined benefits–for husband and wife–are$35,000 annually.That means you’ll needto draw $40,000 from your investmentportfolio. If you follow the 4-percent rule,you’ll need 1 million in today’s dollars.”

“If you take 4 percent and adjust an-nually for inflation, the probability of yourmoney lasting 25 or more years is almost90 percent,” said Ruth.“If you take 5 per-cent, the probability drops significantly,to around 70 percent.”

Many financial planners suggestlooking at retirement in three stages—short (one to two years), intermediate(three to five years) and long term(more than five years)—and then adopt-ing investment and distribution strate-gies to help make it through the longhaul. “These time frames allow you toback into what kind of investments tochoose. You generally wouldn’t wantstocks in the short term,” said Paul.

Paul suggests people kick off retire-ment with at least one and preferably twoyears of living expenses available in a “liq-uid, accessible, nonvolatile form. Mostpeople think of bank accounts, CDs andshort-term bond maturities.”

While retirement accounts may beused as a source of income as early as 59-and-a-half, financial planners suggestholding off as long as possible before tap-ping into one. By 70-and-a-half, thosewith IRAs and 401(k)s must begin takingminimum annual distributions. “Theamount is based on account value and lifeexpectancy,” said Kendall. “The tables[in Appendix C of Internal Revenue

SEE FUNDS, PAGE 24 18146761814676


with Dignity. “It’s a softer kind of form,”said Adelman. “In addition to the nutsand bolts, it has more specific considera-tions about the kind of care one mightwant to receive as one dies. For example,under ‘MyWish For How Comfortable IWant To Be,’ there is a wish list with afocus on pain relief and warm baths.…You simply cross out statements youdon’t agree with.”

“The American Bar Association re-cently came out with its power of attor-ney for health care,” said Brennan. “It’swell done–laid out nicely with photos.We(the Montgomery County Coalition forCare at the End of Life) may ultimatelyadopt it.”

Currently the coalition’s website of-fers its own Health Care Agent forms inthree languages. It has translated theMaryland Advance Directive form intosix foreign languages: Spanish, French,Russian, Korean, Chinese and Viet-namese.There are many senior citizenswho “came here as adults from anothercountry—who still read the newspaperand go to church in their native lan-guage,” said Kipping.“An advance direc-tive written in their native tongue mayenhance their understanding and in-crease their comfort level.”

Advance directives also are availablethrough a variety of spiritual organiza-

tions “and are targeted to specific reli-gious beliefs—Catholic, Jewish, Muslim,”said Morhaim. “They are consistent withfaith-based approaches.”

Once an advance directive hasbeen completed and witnessed, it shouldbe distributed widely. Among those whoshould have copies are your health careagent and physician.Those in assisted-living facilities or nursing homes shouldshare it with administrators. “If you trav-el, put it on a chip or print it out andcarry it with you,” said Morhaim, thoughit may not be valid in all states.

In addition to giving your health careagent a copy of the advance directive,Kipping suggests listing that individualwith the Maryland Motor Vehicle Ad-ministration’s Emergency Contact Infor-mation Registry, available online. “Ifyou’re in an accident and the police runyour driver’s license number, the namesand phone numbers you’ve entered willcome up,” she said.

While advance directives are usuallyassociated with elderly adults, everyone18 and older can and should have one,says Kipping. “After you’ve completedyour own form, give forms to your chil-dren.…Let them know you’re not doingthis because you’re old, you’re doing thisbecause life is fragile, so very fragile.”

DIRECTIVE, CONTINUED FROM PAGE 19

Service Publication 590] lay it all outfor you.”

Just because you must take the distri-butions, however, doesn't mean you’vegot to spend them. Reinvesting the fundscan help cushion your retirement yearsdown the road or provide an inheritancefor loved ones after your death. Kendallsuggests retirees consider a Roth IRA forreinvesting.While there are certain crite-ria and limits associated with Roth IRAs,their distributions will never be taxed.

Another option, which can help at allstages of retirement, is an immediate an-nuity. “An annuity, in its purest form, isthe exchange of a lump sum of cash forlifetime income,” said Ruth. Annuities,offered by insurance companies andbacked by the firms’ claims-paying abili-ty, provide annual monthly income. Be-cause “the standard annuity is not cost-of-living adjusted, we tell clients to put offannuities as long as possible.”

For homeowners, determining how ahouse fits into the income equation is im-portant. Some may choose to downsize

and invest proceeds from the sale. Othersmay see their home as part of a contin-gency plan should retirement funds beginto run short. Home equity lines of creditand reverse mortgages allow retirees tomine the equity in their homes.

To protect your portfolio so that assetswill be available well into the future, fi-nancial planners suggest securing long-term care insurance in advance of or atthe start of retirement.

“At least 70 percent of people overage 65 will require some long-term careservices at some point in their lives,”said Ruth, quoting statistics from theU.S. Department of Health and HumanServices. “There’s not a possibility but ahigh probability that I will tap into thatbucket of money.”

“Retirement is different than it usedto be and we need to plan for it,” saidRuth. “Our parents got a gold watch anda pension, and these days pensions arefew and far between. Now we get a hand-shake and what’s in our 401(k)...”

FUNDS, CONTINUED FROM PAGE 23

1818765

1818748


yurt, and in Siberia, they lived in a ger,where they bathed out of a communaltub and dried themselves with treebranches. They have memories of thepower shutting off at all hours in IslaMargarita, an island off of Venezuela,and in the Azores, where they were theonly guests in the hotel. In Iran, Har-ryette had to dress in a burqa, while inIstanbul, a man pinched her rear—hard.“I ran after him, but couldn’t catchhim,” said Stanley. And after landing inDakar, Senegal, they were mobbed bypeople looking for work.

There have also been close calls.In New Guinea, a woman tried to leavethe tribe they were staying with, andthe Helsels thought they were going tobe in the middle of a war. “They final-ly traded an animal to solve the prob-lem,” said Stanley.

When a hydrofoil was grounded on aSiberian trip, the Helsels crossed theYenisei River on a rubber tire at 2 a.m.in the rain, the only visibility providedby truck headlights. On a train ride intoCopper Canyon in Mexico, they werecaught in a blizzard. Returning to Zim-babwe in Africa after photographingVic-toria Falls in Zambia, they came withina minute of being locked on a bridgewhere they would have had to spend afreezing night clad only in shorts and T-shirts. As they were trying to escape anangry hippo in Botswana, the outboardmotor on their small boat died, so theguide handed Stanley an oar and theyfrantically paddled to safety.

Why are they so passionate aboutvisiting so many unique places? “It’sjust interesting,” said Stanley. “So verydifferent from anything we have here inthe U.S.”

“We’re not anthropologists, just curi-ous,” said Harryette. As a little girl, shecollected stamps from around the world.She had a triangular stamp from theTuvan People’s Republic—popularlycalled Tannu Tuva then—a tiny republicin southern Siberia. “Curiosity took methere when I grew up, and it’s very hardto get to,” she said. Harryette bringsback stamps from different places, whileStanley collects bells made in the coun-tries and is a member of the AmericanBell Association International.

“They have always been interest-ed in places where most tourists don’tlike to go, to see truly how people live inother cultures,” said daughter MargiHelsel-Arnold. Helsel-Arnold said herson Ian became a geography wiz early onin school because he would track hisgrandparent’s whereabouts on maps andglobes when he was young. “He knewevery country’s flag, too,” she said.

In 2011, the Helsels visited TurkeyandTahiti. So where to next? Maybe theMaldives in the Indian Ocean, Harryettethinks. Stanley reminds her of the rugbyplayer they met while riding the luxuri-ous Blue Train in South Africa whoinvited them to his house in NewZealand. “See,” said Harryette. “It’s notjust the people in the countries, it’s alsopeople you meet along the way.”

HELSEL, CONTINUED FROM PAGE 14

The Helsels at a cabin in the Sayan Mountains,which are between Mongolia and Siberia

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surfaced from a list of recommended u-niversal design specialists, and from herfirst interview with him, Kathleen recog-nized the potentials.

“Early on I learned that Russ’s sonhas a mobility challenge…so he’s ad-dressed all the real-world issues in hisown home life for many years,” saidKathleen. “And more importantly, Iliked his process and his creativity. Hewas there to listen, study the situationand assemble the right team.”

Collaborative thinking was crucialto the project’s success. Glickman se-lected architects, engineers, interiordesigners and carpenters, and assem-bled and directed a team that had torethink the entire plan—inside andout, top to bottom.

“Russ inspired others to think cre-atively,” said Kathleen. “The ideaswould be flowing, and I began to real-ize that getting around my house wasgoing to be a lot easier.”

To facilitate access from outside,Glickman redesigned the front walk,introduced a substantially wider frontportico with a barrel-vault ceiling, andrepositioned the platform lift for im-proved function and a more discreterelationship to the house.

The primary “built” component in

the new plan, though, is a two-level, 30-by-15-foot addition Glickman designedand constructed on the home’s rear ele-vation. A custom 3-by-4-foot elevatorlinks the first floor to the spacious newmaster bedroom suite above.

The elevator opens directly into themaster bedroom—tucked in next tohis-and-her walk-in closets.

To create the bathroom, Glickmanconverted a former second-level bed-room, opening a structurally rein-forced threshold through the formerbearing wall. The door—set off bypocket doors—provides dedicated ac-cess from the bedroom.

The warmly textured master bath-room suite includes a roll-in showerdesigned for a waterproof wheelchair.Stone and granite flooring allow sur-faces to get wet without the need forcleanup. There’s a vanity and toiletsuited to Kathleen’s chair specifica-tions.

The project’s aesthetics lend con-siderable satisfaction to the Tevnans.

“The new portico sets off the facadebeautifully,” said Kathleen. “This is aneighborhood where people greet eachother from the front porch, so I reallylike sitting out front and talking to thelocal kids. It just feels like home.”

DESIGN, CONTINUED FROM PAGE 10

Before

After

Before thisSilver Springhome wasredesigned,Kathleen

Tevnan, whouses a wheel-chair, had to

turn 90 degreesin a severely

restricted radiusand push

forward onto aconcrete mat

not much widerthan the wheel-chair itself.

PHOTOS BY RUSS GLICKMAN

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income, you pay a reduced rate for yourrent.While 40 percent of the apartmentsare subsidized, no one knows who is inwhich category.”

Breakfast and dinner are provided.And with a large percentage of Jewishresidents, many appreciate the kosherkitchen. A buffet breakfast and dinnerwith two seating times are served in thespacious, decorated dining room, wheremany menu choices conform to heart-healthy, low-sodium and diabetic diets.

Sylvia Cherrick, who has lived atRing House since May 2010, camefrom St. Louis to be closer to her son’sfamily in Rockville. “I liked RingHouse from the day I arrived,” shesaid. After breaking a hip several yearsago, she realized she “should be livingin a place like Ring House because St.Louis has nothing like it.”

Cherrick enjoys the holiday obser-vances, the kosher meals and the feel-ing that she is part of a community. Asinger “all of my life,” she often singsfor programs and birthday parties, andeven donated her grand piano, now thefocal point of many lobby events.Cherrick exercises almost daily, andparticipates in a choral group and awriting class. “I like the activities, thestaff and the people who teach myclasses,” she said.

Joan Solomon, originally fromBethesda, has lived at Ring House forsix months. She likes interacting withother residents and especially enjoysthe concerts and other activities thatrequire an audience.

These activities and more can befound on the monthly calendar ofevents, which lists all the daily activi-

ties, including card games, movies,classes, music programs, arts andcrafts, needlework, bingo and exercise.Buses frequent local stores, restau-rants, the library and the Jewish Com-munity Center swimming pool. Andthere are trips periodically to Washing-ton, D.C., museums and concerts.

Five-year resident Eleanor Grun-berg came from Florida after her sonrecommended this senior community.“I still have my mentality and enoughphysical energy to continue the activelife I had led,” she said. “This place hasa huge variety of in-house and outsideactivities for me.”

Previously a nurse at a junior highschool, Grunberg now plays mahjongfour times a week, assists the RingHouse administrator organizing outdooractivities, is involved with Hadassah andalso leads the Ring House Book Club.

Other amenities include the on-sitebeauty shop and access to the HirshHealth Center, its physicians and phys-ical therapy. “Everything I need ishere,” said Grunberg. “Many peoplehave gone to the Hebrew Home forrehab and have continued therapydownstairs here. In bad weather, that’swonderful. I also like the cleaning serv-ice every other week and the 24-hourmaintenance help.”

RING HOUSE, CONTINUED FROM PAGE 11

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Kitty Goldman, Helen Rathner and MartyGolinsky take one of the frequent Ring Housebus trips to a local shopping area.PHOTO BY HILLARY SCHWAB, COURTESY OF RING HOUSE

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three plays to work on over threemonths with their director. “Theylearn what’s involved in a professionalrehearsal process, how to bring charac-ters to life and how to collaborate,”said Letourneau.

Auditions are not currently requiredand casting is done based on the knowl-edge staff has gleaned from observingthe master classes. Memorization is notrequired as performances are donescript-in-hand. “It’s a mercy that theydon’t expect us to memorize lines,” saidMack, noting that some ensemble mem-bers find it daunting.

The rehearsal process “culminates inpublic performances in the RoundHouseTheatre black box space and var-ious locations—such as libraries andsenior facilities—throughout the com-munity,” said Letourneau.While the twocasts tour separately, they come togetherat Round House in the spring “for awonderful evening of theater, a nicevariety of comedy and drama.”

Each season’s plays have a theme.This year it’s folktales and fables. “Notall the characters are geriatric citizens,”said Letourneau, “as we want to chal-lenge our cast members to imaginecharacters outside themselves.”

Most plays, however, focus on sen-ior issues. One of Mack’s favorites was“a little play based on the writings ofRaymond Chandler,” she said. “It fea-tured a tough guy detective, who’d setup shop after retiring, and his no-non-sense wife, who’d come in every nowand again to talk about her shoppinglist. One day some dame hires the de-tective because she can’t find her hus-band and is afraid he’s run off withsomeone. Turns out, the husband hasretired or been let go but keeps going tothe commuter train station every day.

“The play speaks to issues olderpeople face, such as how do you transi-tion gracefully from one stage of life toanother?”

Humor is, for many seniors, a toolfor coping with life’s rough spots, saysStephanie Offutt, a teaching artist whooffers an acting class through Mont-gomery College’s Lifelong LearningInstitute. And that makes comedy agood starting place for those interestedin acting. “Comedy is often rooted insad truths...Finding humor in terriblethings is what helps a lot of people sur-vive,” she said.

The reasons people give for attend-ing Offutt’s class vary. “People tell me,‘My wife just died and I want to laugh,’or ‘Now that I’m retired I have the timeto do things I didn’t before’ or ‘I’ve al-ways wanted to be on stage and this ismy chance.’”

Comedy on Stage, which runs forsix weeks beginning March 20, willgive seniors the opportunity to study,prepare and perform comic, contem-porary scenes for the stage. In previousclasses, Offutt has started with NeilSimon. His work is “very approach-able,” she said. “A lot of older adultsare familiar with it and can relate to it.”

While some people are born with asense of comedic timing, “comedy ismade up of both talent and skill,” saidOffutt. “We rely on the script to help usbecome the character and use the linesand pacing to make it funny. … We ex-plore the use of props, staging andmovement to enhance the comic effect.”

Offutt’s class offers multiple bene-fits. “It’s good for people who want tobecome more conversational or a morecourageous public speaker,” she said.“It also allows them to watch moviesand theatrical productions with a neweye and enhanced level of enjoyment.”

Because the class emphasizes col-laboration, a sense of camaraderiedevelops among participants, accord-ing to Offutt. She recalls “one group ofwomen who were reticent when theyfirst were asked to work together whoeventually became friends and per-formed in a talent show.”

“Nourishing” is how Mack de-scribes her weekly interactions withother seniors, many of them older thanshe. Senior theater programs, she said,“answer a great call from a demo-graphic group that (in terms of per-formance opportunities) has beenunderserved.”

HEYDAY PLAYERS, CONTINUED FROM PAGE 9

THE HEYDAY PLAYERSRound House Theatre

[email protected]

www.roundhousetheatre.org

COMEDY ON STAGEMontgomery College Lifelong

Learning Institute240-567-5188

[email protected]/wdce

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1/31/12

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1823

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And, now that they are nationalchampions, the team members have atitle to defend. “That’s a big encour-agement for us,” said Nguyen.

With a new season set to begin inmid-February, the UnbeWiiVables areoptimistic that additional teams fromMaryland will join the league. “If weget 16 teams, we’ll be able to have astate champion,” said Brigham. TheSchweinhaut Senior Center now hastwo teams, as does the EmmitsburgSenior Center in Emmitsburg. One ofthe Emmitsburg teams—In OurPrime—is ranked sixth in the NSL.

Each week, as the UnbeWiiVablesprepare for another round of confer-ence play, Brigham researches thecompetition online and reports back tohis teammates. “The NSL website

shows who the high scorers are,” hesaid. “So, when you’re playing anotherteam, you can go in knowing every-thing about them.”

But, unless your team makes it tothe national finals, you never actuallymeet your opponents, says Brigham.All bowling is done virtually.

The spring season determines stateand regional champions; the nationalchampionship series takes place in thefall.While they don’t want to get aheadof themselves, it’s hard for the Unbe-WiiVables not to look forward to Oct.22. “That’s when they’ll hold the tour-nament in Denver, Colo.,” said Maxin.“We are so psyched and really hope weget to go. It would be such a great re-ward for an amazing group of peoplewho have devoted so much energy andtime.”

WII BOWLING, CONTINUED FROM PAGE 7

Unless your team makes it tothe national finals,YOU NEVER

ACTUALLY MEETYOUR OPPONENTS.All bowling is done virtually.

From left to right: Bing Cheung, Dennis Berkholtz(founder/commissioner, National Senior League), SusanCheung, Karen Maxin, Stephen Hatos, Bob Brigham

WII BOWLINGMargaret Schweinhaut Senior Center

[email protected]

PHOTO COURTESY OF NATIONAL SENIOR LEAGUE

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She gives whole-group instruction as well as one-on-one, offering suggestions—“make your strokes a little more fluid”—and answering questions. Sometimesshe even works along with her students on her own projects.

“I try to push them to realize their potential and express themselves. Everyoneshould do art,” Shank said.

This is the first time Shamim Shaikh of North Potomac has signed up forthe painting class, which she welcomes as “a break from my routine.” A formergovernment worker, she painted a lot growing up in her native India and “a lit-tle here and there” since she moved to the U.S. “This class lets my imaginationrun wild.”

Shaikh admits she’s not good at drawing faces and prefers portraying nature,like flowers and trees, in acrylics and watercolors.

The center is located at 12116 Darnestown Road, Gaithersburg. Call 301-987-0377 for more information, or visit rcarts.com.

ART, CONTINUED FROM PAGE 5

Jill Brooks travels from Chantilly, Va., toGaithersburg for art classes she sees asan extension of her photography career.

Shamim Shaikh of North Potomac saysart class helps her imagination run wild.

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OpenTuesday – Saturdayfrom 11 AM-6 PM.

THRIFT SHOPNational Alliance on Mental Illness of Montgomery County

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We sell furniture, clothes, books, household goods, china, art,glassware, jewelry, children’s items, antiques and more!

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50% off for seniors every Tuesday4th Friday Bag Sale. Buy a bag for $10.00 and

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BIG SALEBIG SALEFeb. 20th!

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Matches Senior Cats with Senior Citizens!Taking care of a pet is beneficial for seniors, in so many ways!Living with a cat helps you live healthier, live happier and livelonger lives!

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For Adoption information call 301-838-1990

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Being a Pet Owner:• Lowers Blood Pressure• Lessens Depression• Creates New Friendships

• Increases Activity• Eases Loss• Fights Loneliness

Seniors Adopting Senior Cats, can help save hundredsof mature cats. It’s a win-win for Cats and Seniors.

“It’s nice to have someoneto come home to.”

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