Living 50 Plus

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A SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT TO lifestyletips for the

Over 50 Jet Set

Page 2 Living 50 Plus Week of March 11, 2012 Week of March 11, 2012 Living 50 Plus Page 3

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MISSION STATEMENT: It is the purpose of Forest Glen to honor God by providing high quality senior lifestyle services that promote the value and dignity of every person.

29601 Amerihost DriveDowagiac, MI 49047

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By CRAIG HAUPERTcraig.haupert

@leaderpub.com

Niles native John Quirk did something different for his 60th birthday.

He and his wife were sit-ting in their home in West Dundee, Ill., on an August day last year, reminiscing about days gone bye.

Quirk had trouble re-membering something from his youth so he turned to the internet for an

answer.He got on Facebook and

created a new group called “If you grew up in Niles/SW Michigan then you re-member what…”

“I can’t remember what question I asked, or who I asked, but I got a reply,” Quirk said. “Soon, more and more people were reminiscing about growing up in Niles.”

Today, the Facebook group has almost 1,000

members and more than 600 photos.

Quirk never imagined it would grow this big, this fast.

“It just shows you what you can do with social me-dia,” he said.

People, such as Niles na-tive Caryn Adler, use the site as a way to revisit their memories of Niles. They post old pictures and ask questions about old favor-ite restaurants or hangouts. The group also acts as a way for people to recon-nect with friends and fami-ly not seen or heard from for many years.

“It is not only an outlet for all our individual mem-ories we carry from grow-ing up, but it also helps people to recognize what their city was about,” said Adler, who graduated from Niles High in 1976. “It is a chance to open up the re-cesses of your mind to things you have forgotten about, and that is fun.”

Adler, 53, said the ma-ON

LIN

EO

NLI

NE Facebook page ignites memories of Niles

The Mill Run Playhouse, a site for many memories, was demolished in 1984.

Even Steinberg Baum’s mishap is recorded on the popu-lar Facebook site.

Week of March 11, 2012 Living 50 Plus Page 3

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When it comes to the number of retirement accounts you have, the

saying “more is better” is not necessarily true. In fact, if you hold multiple

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jority of people using the group are 50 years of age or older.

“I think our attachments to our past get stronger or more appreciated with age,” Adler said. “Most of us are at a point in our lives where we have built careers and families and we realize there are things in life more important than money, status and material things.”

Anita Frucci-Rodgers, 76, of Elkhart, joined the group in October. She was born and raised in Niles, living there from 1935-65.

She recalled using the group to reminisce about visiting in her youth Franky’s Restaurant , which used to be located on Lake Street but has since been torn down.

“It was famous for shaved ham sandwiches that were about three and a half inches high,” Rodgers said. “They were great.”

Sixty-four-year-old Da-vid Morse joined the group when there were a little more than 200 mem-bers. He graduated from Niles High in 1965 and worked for the city’s water department for 38 years.

“It is fun to reminisce and it’s important to know where we came from and how we evolved,” Morse said. “It is amazing how someone will mention something and it will all of a sudden spark a memory.”

Recently, group mem-bers have been meeting once a month at a local restaurant. Adler said she would post meeting dates on the Facebook page.

To access the Facebook group, visit Facebook and search for “if you grew up in Niles/SW Michigan then you r emember what…”

For questions, email Adler at [email protected].

Submitted photo

Almost 1,000 people have joined the Facebook group “If you grew up in Niles/SW Michigan then you remem-ber what…” Users upload old photos and reminisce about life growing up in a town that looked like this in 1967.

Submitted photo

More than 600 old photos have been uploaded to the Facebook group “If you grew up in Niles/SW Michigan then you remember what…” This photo depicts the sev-enth-grade class at St. Mary’s in 1957-58.


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WASHINGTON — A re-cent AARP survey demon-strates that while many Americans approaching re-tirement have a basic un-derstanding about the ben-efits they can expect to re-ceive from Social Security, they remain unaware of different claiming strate-gies that could have a sig-nificant impact on their in-come throughout retire-ment.

Although the survey found widespread aware-ness that waiting to claim several years after age 62 can result in higher month-ly benefits, very few re-spondents had an accurate sense of how much higher their benefits could be. There was considerably more confusion about spousal benefits and the ramifications of claiming while working.

“When and how to claim Social Security retirement benefits can be a complex decision, and is different for everyone,” said Jean Setzfand, AARP vice presi-dent for financial security. “This survey shows us that people who are approach-

ing retirement may be fac-ing this decision without enough information to make the right choices for themselves and their fami-lies.”

“People are worried about retirement. Many know they haven’t saved enough, and they’re count-ing on Social Security,” Setzfand said. “By getting more information about claiming strategies that might result in a bigger base of monthly retirement income from Social Securi-ty, they can achieve some financial peace of mind.”

For many of the issues examined in AARP’s sur-vey, knowledge increased with education, household income, and savings, and as people approached their expected claiming age. Knowledge also tended to be higher among men than women and higher among non-Hispanic whites than among African Americans and Hispanics. AARP of-fers resources, including free webinars on Social Se-curity and retirement plan-ning, to help its members and all older Americans B

ENEF

ITS

BEN

EFIT

S Many unaware of SS strategies

Survey findingsn Just 29 percent of

respondents realized waiting until at least age 70 to claim would mean receiving the highest possible monthly retire-ment benefit. About one in five respondents — 19 percent — incorrectly believed they could re-ceive the maximum monthly benefits even before reaching full re-tirement age.n When asked at

what age they expect to start collecting Social Security retirement ben-efits, a majority — 57 percent — reported an age lower than their full retirement age. Only one in 10 expect to claim at age 70 or older, which would maximize their monthly benefits.n Approximately nine

in 10 respondents were aware their monthly benefits will be higher if

they claim benefits at their full retirement age rather than at age 62. But of those, half under-estimated by more than 10 percentage points how much their benefits would increase.n Fifty-seven percent

of the people who iden-tified themselves as the least knowledgeable about Social Security are, nonetheless, ex-pecting Social Security to be a major source of their retirement income. This gap in knowledge may mean they forego potential benefits.n Familiarity with So-

cial Security benefits for widows and widowers is high, but fewer than half of respondents who are or have ever been mar-ried were aware that spousal benefits are available while the worker is alive.

plan for a secure retirement at www.aarp.org. To get an estimate of how much you can expect to receive in Social Security retirement benefits, visit www.aarp.

org/socialsecuritybenefits. To find out if your plans are still on track to retire when – and how – you want, go to www.aarp.org/retirementcalculator.

Understanding could increase monthly benefits, improve retirement security

Online tool can help calculate benefits under health care law

WASHINGTON — AARP has launched a personalized online tool, the Health Law Guide, to help Americans un-derstand benefits avail-able currently and in the future under the Afford-able Care Act (ACA). Through a brief series of questions, offered in English or Spanish, AARP’s unique Web-based tool provides an individually tailored re-port outlining coverage details based on an indi-vidual’s existing health care coverage or what other health coverage the individual may be eligi-ble to get.

“The Affordable Care Act is complex but we can help,” AARP Vice President Nicole Duritz said.

“ A A R P ’s o n l i n e Health Law Guide is a fast and simple tool where, in less than five minutes, an individual can quickly assess bene-fits available today. Also, through an interac-tive timeline they can learn about the impact the law will have on them and their families when it fully goes into effect in 2014.”

To get started on the AARP Heal th Law Guide, users are asked to answer six basic ques-tions about themselves and/or their loved ones. Based on these respons-es, the tool provides us-ers with a personalized report.

Leader PublicationsTo order your subscription please call

(269) 683-2100 or (888) 725-0108

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South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg issued a procla-mation for Sylvia Rogers Suggs’ 100th birthday Feb. 14.

“Sylvia Rogers Suggs witnessed history through her eyes,” the mayoral proclamation said. “She ob-served soldiers living through two world wars, women fighting for their right to vote. She endured the afflictions of the Great Depression and, through courage and hard work, helped her family over-come great difficulties.”

Born in Marked Tree, Ark., to Lonnie and Mary Rogers, the birth of her sis-ter in December 1926 took the life of the teen’s mother.

The widow of a black folklorist “rose above trag-edy and took upon herself the responsibility of caring for her family,” raising her sister and two brothers.

At 16, Suggs fell in love with her soulmate, an Army

Submitted photo

Martha Suggs Spencer with her mother, Sylvia Rog-ers Suggs of South Bend, who turned 100 on Valen-tine’s Day.

Sylvia celebrates long life

100T

H B

IRTH

DAY

100T

H B

IRTH

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veteran of World War I in France named James Doug-las Suggs.He proposed and received her father’s bless-ing amid laughter: “Hell, yes, take her!” The date May 28, 1928, was set.


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Your Financial AdvisorCall me to discussindividual plans.

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AARP.com offers tips to avoid six red-flag phrases used by con-artist contrac-tors:

“I was in the

neighborhood”

Beware of the handy-man who comes knocking unsolicited, with news he happened to notice some problem with the roof, driveway, chimney or win-dows while driving by.

Alarm bells should ring if he comes calling with a buddy or his truck has out-of-state license plates.

Good contractors are usually too busy to make unsolicited house calls, rarely have to travel far for work and may lack x-ray vision. For the scammers, the goal is to do a fast and faulty repair — like apply-FR

AUD

FRAU

DRecognizing the con artist

Why older people are more prone to consn Memory loss: With normal

aging, the pace of processing in-formation slows, becoming more noticeable in the 60s, according to Virginia Templeton, director of MemoryCare in Asheville, N.C. “In people with early memory loss, even before it’s clear there may be a problem, judgment, reason-ing ability and decision-making skills may change,” she says. “And in many scams — telemar-keting, fake lotteries — you have to ‘act now!’”

These demands for speed are there for a reason.

“Unless you’re patient enough to give yourself more time to pro-

cess everything, you can be more vulnerable,” Templeton said.

When faced with such state-ments as “You forgot to pay me!” or “We agreed on this price,” your defense is to write everything down. And ability to grasp details such as contract terms can start to wane daily at around 2 p.m. Scammers often call late in the day.

n Loneliness: It’s loneliness or feeling undervalued that boosts a senior’s risk of falling for scams by 30 percent, sug-gests research by Peter A. Lich-tenberg of Wayne State Universi-

ty’s Institute of Gerontology. Both states of mind, he says, “fall un-der the need of having status in society and those needs not be-ing met. It comes down to feeling socially isolated.” Scammers step in to provide fake emotional sup-port — while taking your money.

n More trusting: Studies find that many older people are better at detecting lies than younger folks. Still, older people “tend to be more patriotic and more reli-gious,” says neuropsychologist Stacey Wood of Scripps College, traits which the bad guys can sometimes exploit.

ing used motor oil to coat driveways or roof shin-gles. You only get wise to it after they’ve been paid and vanished.

When a pair of this

kind comes knocking, it’s not uncommon for one to try to distract you (often outside) while the other sneaks inside for a quick burglary.

“I need cash up-front. Or at least a large deposit.”

Never pay upfront — it’s too easy for a fix-it

fraudster to take the mon-ey and run (often under the guise of “leaving to buy materials”). Legiti-mate contractors have credit lines to buy materi-

http://www.aarp.org/money/scams-fraud/

http://www.aarp.org/money/scams-fraud/info-10-2010/scam_alert_a_lotto_concerns.html


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als and don’t charge be-fore the work is complete.

And although a deposit is often warranted for huge jobs — such as a complete kitchen renova-tion or new siding, roof and windows — it should be no more than a third of the total estimate (materi-als and labor), payable on the day materials arrive at the job site, suggests Tom Silva of the long-running public television program “This Old House.”

“I can help you finance the

project.”

Assuming the contrac-tor isn’t named J.P. Mor-gan, pass on these offers. What contractors claim is a special deal with a lend-er could really be a home- improvement loan scam.

If you sign, you may be socked with kickback earning high interest rates, fees and points, or un-knowingly agree to bor-row far more than the project costs. There have

even been cases of owners signing over the home to the contractor or his asso-ciates.

“Check my references.”

Indeed, you want to hear this. But you should understand sleazy contrac-tors can easily supply the names and phone numbers of buddies to give bogus praise. What you want — and will get, from legit workmen — are the names of past local cus-tomers, neighbors whose homes can be visited to check their work.

It’s also smart to check the local courthouse and the state’s contractor li-censing board, asking about any current or past lawsuits against the con-tractor and get a copy of the contractor’s license.

Other calls worth mak-ing: The building inspec-tor, who may only be al-lowed to verify a work-man’s credentials. Saying nothing may be code for

“pass on this guy.”Or try specialty lumber-

yards and plumbing and electrical supply stores where reputable contrac-tors are likely to be known.

“We have a special limited-time offer.”

This mantra is common among summertime door-to-door salesmen who claim to represent home improvement companies. And sometimes they do. But any legitimate offer for today should be hon-ored in coming weeks, af-ter you’ve had a chance to shop around and check references.

“I have leftover materials

from another job.”

His leftovers, his prob-lem — but hiring him could be yours. At best, assume this phrase means the contractor is inexperi-enced or incompetent for not accurately estimating

what was needed for the earlier job. And what does that say about the price he’ll quote for yours?

You should suspect that, at worst, he purposely cheated the last customer by overbuying, never finished the job or is just cruising neighborhoods looking for “act now” patsies who believe that unused two-by-fours or roof shingles will spoil on the back of his truck. Don’t be one of them.

Find a reputable contractor

n Look for a long-estab-lished company with a per-manent business location and a listed phone number.n Ask friends, neighbors

and coworkers for refer-rals. Just remember, there is no guarantee that the con-tractor will not be dishonest this time.n Contact local trade or-

ganizations, such as your lo-cal Home Builders Associa-tion.

http://www.aarp.org/home-garden/home-improvement/info-04-2011/kitchen-design-webinar-faqs.html

http://www.aarp.org/home-garden/home-improvement/info-04-2011/kitchen-design-webinar-faqs.html

http://www.aarp.org/home-garden/home-improvement/

http://www.aarp.org/home-garden/home-improvement/


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By JOHN EBYjohn.eby

@leaderpub.com

Call Cass County Coun-cil on Aging in Cassopolis and it’s likely the voice of Wendy Sanders on the oth-er end of the line. She’s been the COA receptionist for a year.

As the number of work-ers age 50 and older soars, from 20 percent of the workforce in 1996 to 31 percent today, older em-ployees might be carving out new careers, seeking different lives with more meaning or less stress.

In her previous life, Sanders had plenty of stress as a federal housing discrimination investigator for HUD, the Department

of Housing and Urban De-velopment, in Chicago.

Or they might be at a crossroads imposed by change, which Southwest-ern Michigan College or Lake Michigan College helped sort out for a long-time Whirlpool machinery operator interested in try-ing health care or a mainte-nance technician interested in stepping up to mecha-tronics.

Manufacturing isn’t dead, either, with lucrative jobs for CNC program-mers in high demand. But the jobs often are shunned by younger workers.

When Sanders and her husband retired, they built a house on Paradise Lake.

Compared to her old life, answering the phone part-

time at the COA is close by and “stress-free,” Sand-ers said.

She also coordinates out-of-county medical trans-portation for trips as close as Niles or Kalamazoo and as far as Ann Arbor.

A fulltime volunteer

Instead of working for a paycheck, Tom Celie be-came a dedicated volun-teer.

“That’s how I created my second career,” Celie said.

“It keeps you young.”Celie lives at Little

Fish Lake in the Cassop-olis-Marcellus area and has been a Cass County road commissioner since 2009.

When the accountant and controller retired after 35 years with National-Standard and Tyler-Refrig-eration (of Carrier Corp.) in Niles, he began by driv-

i n g M e a l s o n Wheels one day a week f o r C O A , f o r w h i c h he has also assisted with tax prep-aration and is now a board member.

At the COA, Celie is also active with Handy Helpers, a program which provides repairs and builds wheelchair ramps.

Celie also serves on the Medical Care Facility board and volunteers with SCORE, the nonprofit as-sociation dedicated to helping small businesses get off the ground and grow and achieve their goals through education and mentorship.

Through SCORE, Celie is involved with the Niles

Entrepreneurial and Culi-nary Incubator opening in May in the upper level of Leader Publications’ build-ing in the former Pickwick Club with the help of $20,000 in federal Com-muni ty Development Block Grant funds.

“It does keep me busy,” said Celie, “but it’s fulfill-ing.”

He admits he surprised himself with what has blossomed from a simple desire to give back to his community while broaden-ing his horizons and con-tinuing to learn.

The fastest-growing jobs projected by 2018, accord-ing to AARP, include home health aide — 460,900 new jobs, $20,460 2008 median wages, short-term on-the-job training re-quired — personal and home care aide — 375,800 jobs, $19,180, short-term-on-the-job training re-quired — and medical as-CAR

EER

CAR

EER Many 50 + move into new jobs

Celie

Mature workers are committing themselves to new careers in technology, medical fields


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sistant — 163,900 jobs, $28,300, moderate-term on-the-job training — along with 175,100 com-puter software engineer positions requiring a bach-elor’s degree to command $85,430.

SMC dean livinghis encore career

Tom Buszek, 58, the dean of the division of workforce education and business solutions at SMC’s Niles Area Campus in Milton Township, is a good person to speak with about second acts because he’s sort of following that script himself.

With a background in manufacturing, including employment with Frito-Lay, Buszek spent 17 years in human resources before joining SMC full-time 10 years ago.

Buszek came to this area from Detroit in 1984 and had been teaching on the adjunct faculty.

“Now I’m a dean,” he said.

Mechatronics, filtering down to the Van Buren Tech Center by fall, com-bines mechanical engi-neering, electronic engi-neering, computer engi-neering, software engi-neering, control engineer-ing and systems design en-

gineering to design and make useful products, though originally it re-ferred to merely mechanics and electronics.

Buszek said employers in this area aren’t gigantic like a Ford or General Mo-tors, but with more auto-mation, still need multital-ented individuals who can integrate robotics and maintain such systems which replace traditional factory jobs.

He is reminded of a col-lege open house in Decem-ber where a student’s laid-off father got interested in such a program for him-self, since a maintenance background can be a

launching pad.“There are opportunities

like that for adults who are nontraditional students,” Buszek said.

CNC machinistsdemand unabated

Buszek said demand for computer numerical con-trol (CNC) remains strong, so it could be a “good ca-reer move for older work-ers” with an aptitude for problem-solving, math and computers.

“We just had our adviso-ry committee meeting and heard it again,” Buszek said, adding, in the past three years, as bad as the

economy has been, he couldn’t recall any CNC machinists being laid off. He said some employers are considering passing on jobs unbid unless the de-mand can be met.

“Manufacturing is far from dead,” he said, and, within two years, a good job would be available paying $60,000 to $75,000 within five years.

“If we had a graduating class of 20, all could be placed.”

Short-term training

Deborah Gillespie, train-ing coordinator for com-

munity and business ser-vices in workforce devel-opment at Lake Michigan College’s M-Tech Center, noticed the career-change trend working with Whirl-pool manufacturing em-ployees who had been run-ning machinery for 15 to 25 years.

While some wanted up-dating in computer skills, there was a segment which expressed they “wanted to give health care a try,” Gil-lespie said.

In response, LMC has introduced a number of short-term training prepa-ration courses in such ar-eas as pharmacy techni-cian, certified nurse aide


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By JOHN [email protected]

As the generation which trusted no one over 30 qualifies for Social Securi-ty and rethinks Pete Town-shend’s rebel yell with The Who that he hoped to die before he got old, baby boomers are living on to leave their mark on travel, too.

“Boomers are more trav-eled and more active trav-eling,” according to Mi-chele L. Boyd of Signal

Travel and Tours.Signal Travel and Tours,

operated by Boyd since the year man walked on the moon, has been serving Michiana for more than 40 years.

Today, she has store-fronts in Niles, St. Joseph and Granger, Ind.

“They all have bucket lists,” Boyd said.

Popular destinations in-clude South America, Eu-rope, the Galapagos, Costa RIca and Central America, Australia and New Zea-

GALAPAGOS

TRAV

ELTR

AVEL

Boomers set a new paceland, Africa and Antarctica, where cruises and tours rely on smaller ships to guard against ecological damage.

Popular places to see in South America include Machu Picchu, an Incan site on a mountain ridge in Peru; Chile’s fjords and the Amazon River.

Boyd said boomers are taking longer trips to com-pensate for time restraints during their working years and they are more active when they arrive — zip lin-ing, hot air ballooning, kayaking.

Cruises have always been popular, but boomers like to return and explore the interior.

In addition to European river cruises, river boats are plying the Mississippi River again for the first time since 9/11, Boyd said.

The Pacific Northwest is a favored motor coach des-tination, but boomers might also travel by rail.

Visiting popular locations

at peak travel times can mean paying top dollar.

During winter in Michi-gan — at least typical ones where snow birds scurry south to escape snow — Arizona restaurants and golf courses would be packed.

There would be deals ga-lore in July because of fewer visitors, but you would be toas ted in 110-degree heat.

However, there might be values to be had in May or June with ideal weather be-fore sweltering heat and monsoon season arrive. Travel guides list the best and worst times to visit. Visit in between and save

hundreds of dollars.Boyd has watched social

media gather into a force that “has been a great aid to our business. Travelers are more informed and it’s increased interest and opened a lot of new desti-nations.

“I’ve seen a lot of chang-es in 30 years. But they still want professional ad-vice on how to buy and who to buy from. A perfect example is the motor coach tour we organized to Bran-son,” where a customer commented how nice it was that both of them could sit back, relax and leave driving details to someone else.

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TAX

ING

TAX

ING Volunteers make tax preparation easy

By JOHN EBYjohn.eby

@leaderpub.com

CASSOPOLIS — As a volunteer opportunity, helping prepare income taxes doesn’t sound very attractive.

Besides giving of time, there is training involved, plus responsibility for the preparation scrutinized by the Internal Revenue Service. The IRS even sends around the equiva-lent of secret shoppers to monitor work.

“We not only get tested on the law and the tax code,” Beth Dodge said, “but we also have an eth-ics test on honesty, thor-oughness and no cheat-ing. They send people out to various sites around the country with cash in-come to see if tax prepar-ers help them be less than forthright.

“If we were caught cheating, not only would we get fired, the site could get terminated and the whole county would lose.”

Yet Dodge calls the ex-perience at the Cass County Council on Aging “so gratifying,” and not jus t because of f ree lunch.

Eyes opened“It’s scary how little

money people live on,” she said.

“How do they put food on the table with $14,000 a year and they have to pay heat, lights, rent, food and drugs with no health insurance? It’s a good lesson for me.”

The four volunteers, in-cluding Larry Balok and Frank Maley, are affiliat-ed with the AARP Foun-dation Tax-Wise software program.

Balok, site coordinator, is in his 90s and has been at it for 28 years.

“He did about 73 re-turns going to Chestnut Towers and Stone Lake Woods,” Dodge said. “Next year I hope we have a branch at the new building,” Front Street Crossing next to Dowagi-ac City Hall, the COA satellite senior center opening in late April or early May.

“It’s an IRS program, so we’re required to take classes online or to go to classes and take tests to qualify to do taxes,” said Diane Celie, a certified public accountant (CPA) with a background in manufacturing.

Dodge, wife of Circuit Judge Michael Dodge, practiced law in Dowagi-ac and managed commu-nity corrections at the Cass County Sheriff ’s Office.

“Here, we’ve probably done about 200 returns,”

Celie said. “We started the first week in Febru-ary. Now we’re slowing down. We had the site five days a week through February, each of us three days a week.

“In the past, we only had enough space for one at a time.”

Now, the room can be subdivided. They work in pairs so they can check each other’s work.

“We can do 400 to 500 a year, February until April,” Celie said.

“The earlier you file, the quicker you get your refund,” Dodge said.

While the $400/$800 if married, filing jointly, make work pay credit has been eliminated.

“We don’t get a lot of earned income tax cred-its, though we had a guy, 72 , f rom Dowagiac , who’s raising grandchil-dren. I’ve even had Bu-chanan people,” Dodge said.

“The bulk are home-

stead property tax credits and heat credits. Michi-gan is accepting those electronically this year, so that helps,” Celie said. “People can choose direct deposit or paper checks. Some people still like to have paper in hand, but we file them electronical-ly.

“We got acceptance back on all we filed yes-terday.”

Signing bonus“I had one lady who

qual if ied for a $500 homestead property tax credit, and she had not filed for five years be-cause she didn’t think there was anything in it for her,” Dodge said.

“She wasn’t under any legal obligation to file, but once she learned about this opportunity to get a refundable credit, she was happier than a clam, wondering where she ’d been fo r f ive years.”

Cass County on Aging offers help


12

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A pair of her mother’s purple stiletto pumps from the 1950s inspires Christine Hoffman. Her “working-girl” style once put her ahead of her time in an era of stay-at-home moms.

Today, Hoffman pays homage to her mother by keeping the shoes on display at her shop, Niles Styles. Although she doesn’t stock anything close to a sky-high pair of heels, Hoffman says a woman can express herself at any age with the right look.

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“I do not tell people, ‘you look good,’ just to make a sale,” she said. “I want them to feel confident in what they’re wear-ing. It’s a matter of comfort, too.”

Hoffman travels to Chicago and Las Vegas to buy merchan-dise, viewing her purchases as an opportunity to introduce the conservative, practical-dressed Michiana residents to other styles.

“Going out of the area, I can bring in things that are popular on the West Coast,” she said. “I

always keep in mind what this market is.”

Tops“The biggest trend right now

is tunic tops,” Hoffman said. “The young girls like to wear the tunics, and you can get real-ly edgy with that, but it can be turned down, too.”

Niles Styles stocks the Jess and Jane brand, an American-made company that carries mis-sy cut tops. Hoffman can spe-cial-order them in a variety of sizes up to 3X.

Leader photos/KATIE ROHMAN

Christine Hoffman, owner of Niles Styles, displays a popular handkerchief-cut tunic. Customers may special order it in a variety of sizes.


13

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Christine Hoffman’s style tips

n Avoid low-rise jeans. No matter what age, this cut is not usually flattering on most figures — even small frames — unless the wearer has a very flat tummy. A boot-cut, classic-rise jean can be worn anywhere, with anything.n Purses can age a person. Make a statement with

a bright-colored bag in a classic style. Avoid frills and excessive embellishments. n Leggings are a popular style, but don’t fall into a

fashion fad. A simple denim legging works well with long tunics and flats or boots. Keep it simple — lace and zippers aren’t always for everyone, but if that is your personality, flaunt it.n Don’t be afraid of color. Comfort is important, but

to update a boring look without going overboard, try a pop of orange, pink or green in a purse, scarf or top. n Tunics are popular with all ages of women. Pair

with a boot-cut jean or legging. Try a bright color or print. A straight-cut tunic is a good style to try for those unsure of how to wear the look.

A popular style of the brand’s tunics has a hand-kerchief-cut bottom, pastel pattern and lightweight fabric.

“When I initially ordered this company in, I only or-dered a few,” Hoffman said. “Ever since, I have been ordering in bigger sizes.”

Hoffman recommends wearing a straight-cut tunic without frills over boot-cut jeans or leggings.

Tunics come in a variety of fabrics, colors and pat-terns and are forgiving on most figures. Hoffman said the length worn should de-pend on the wearer’s stat-ure.

“They make tunics in all different lengths,” she said.

BottomsLeggings are another

style that works well on most frames. Pair with a long tunic and flats or boots.

Hoffman offers a wide selection of leggings in neutral, lightweight fabrics and is now stocking denim leggings, which can have zippers or just a classic cut.

“We ladies like our jeans,” Hoffman said.

For those looking for tra-ditional jeans, Hoffman recommends investing in a well-fitting, higher-cut waist pant.

Avoid low-rise jeans,

which don’t usually flatter even smaller figures.

“You don’t always have to show all your skin to be sexy,” Hoffman said. “I think the worst fashion faux pas is low-rise. They’re (the fashion indus-try) thinking everyone is size 3, size 6.”

Colors and patternsLonger necklaces with

pendants are all the rage, including those with clocks. Peacock pendants and costume-style jewelry are a continuing trend.

“Bling is always good,” Hoffman said.

Bright colors can update a tired look without ap-pearing too trendy. Hoff-man said she is seeing or-ange this summer as well as into the autumn. Avoid frills or embellishments to make a fashion statement without being a fashion victim.

“A purse can age you, so pick a fun color,” she said. “Sometime less is more.”

Animal prints — in mod-eration — in tops, purses and accessories can ex-press style.

Hoffman is also carrying jackets, tops and purses with hippie-inspired patch-work and peace signs.

“Everything old is new again,” she said. “Here we are with peace, love and rock ‘n’ roll.”

Hippie-style patchwork, above, peace signs and bright colors are pop-ping up in cloth-ing, accessories and purses.

These tops, left, can either be worn as tunics over leggings or as dresses.


14

DAN

CED

ANCEBy JOHN EBY

[email protected]

E D W A R D S B U R G — Adams Therapeutic Massage is a bit off the beaten path, but its rural setting in Jefferson Town-ship suits Ruthann Adams’ outdoorsy personality.

Adams Therapeutic Mas-sage has been around since January 2003. She built a snug stand-alone building adjacent to her residence at 26228 Yankee St. in 2006.

Gentle music and the faint splash of water in a small fountain set a sooth-ing mood before her heal-ing hands melt stress into her heated table.

“I had been receiving massage, really enjoyed it and thought providing it would be a good mid-life change,” said Adams, who is nationally certified.

Adams Therapeutic Massage offers outlet to calmer lifestyle

Leaderpub photo/JOHN EBY

Ruthann Adams stands ready to soothe custom-ers.M

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CASSOPOLIS — It’s Thursday morning at Cass County Council on Aging, and the country music is cranked.

That can only mean one thing — dance club, with deejay Louis Desrochers from Lewis Lake, Vandal-ia, and his wife, Betty.

He’s 84. She’s 82. Married 62 years.Lunch time is still a

while away, so there’s only one couple, Bob and Peggy from Bristol, Ind., gliding around the dance floor, but it will fill before their weekly 9 a.m. to noon gig ends.

Louis’ story starts way up north with his French

Canadian ancestors and makes its way south to the Upper Peninsula, where he lived in Rudyard and Sault Ste. Marie, where his $40-a-week salary printing Evening News papers and his new wife’s 50-cent-an-hou r r e s t au r an t pay couldn’t sustain them.They crossed Michigan for more lucrative em-ployment in South Bend, Ind. His check jumped to $180, “pretty good money in those days.”

His music setup pro-vides some clue to his background in construc-tion. Although his custom cabinet isn’t built of bricks, it does have a stained glass window, like a wooden jukebox.

“I was a brick layer for

DAN

CED

ANCE

Leaderpub photo/JOHN EBY

Lois and Betty Derochers host the dance club at Cass County Council on Aging.

50 years,” he offers affa-bly, proved by the glint of his half-century BAC wristwatch (Bricklayers and Allied Craftsmen).

Desrochers came to South Bend in 1951. He also called Elkhart home before settling in the vi-cinity of Dr. T.K. Lawless Park.

They had a Cass County lake cottage, but replaced

it with a permanent home he built.

When he ret ired in 1989, they began winter-ing in Texas until 2000.

Dance club is in its 10th year. A kid brother with more computer savvy helped him transfer his music collection from old Time-Life and Reader’s Digest records to compact discs.

In Rudyard, where he graduated in 1947, “We had an outside toilet and had to carry water,” he said, hands on his red sus-penders.

Whether or not his dance floor is full doesn’t matter.

“It’s good therapy to get get together,” he said, but dancing “will keep you in shape.”

Get your groove on


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