Senior Spectrum Newspaper - May 2015 Issue

SeniorSpectrumNewspaper.com / May / 3

May 2015CONTENTS

THIS ISSUEPage 23 - Library: Food for

Fines for the Food Bank

Page 24 - CARE Chest

Celebrates 25 Years!

EVERY ISSUEPage 4 - Opinion: Sen. Reid

Page 6 - Opinion: Sen. Heller

Page 27 - Eclectic Observer

Page 28 - Calendar

Page 30 - Biggest Little City

Page 32 - this ‘n that

Page 34 - Resources

Page 35 - Crossword

Page 36 - Seniors4Travel

HEALTHPage 10 - Health andPhilanthropy - Meaningful Life

Page 14 - Get in the ActPage 17 - Medicare FraudPage 26 - Ophthalmology

FINANCIALPage 8 - Bradly Anderson, Funding a Trust - Anderson &Dorn & Rader, Ltd.

Page 19 - AARP - Help forFamily Caregivers

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

775-348-0717SeniorSpectrumNewspaper.com

[email protected]: Chris & Connie McMullen

Column opinions are writers, not publishers. Copyrighted publication.

14

Editorʼs Desk

NevadaSupremeCourtJusticeJamesHardestywants astatewidecommit-tee to

review the guardianshipprocess in Nevada.Questionable practices of pri-vate guardianship cases hasbrought the subject to thelegal communities attention,prompting a series of mediacoverage in SouthernNevada, and an outcry forcorrective action by the ClarkCounty Commission.

Guardianship abuse ofstate laws has been an ongo-ing issue for court represen-tatives and judges in bothWashoe and Clark County’s.The statewide committeewould review the entireguardianship process, partic-ularly annual reporting byguardians representing wards

before the court. The pro-posed committee wouldinclude court and countypersonnel, elder rights advo-cates, guardians and otherlegal representatives.

In Washoe County,District Court Judge DavidHardy has been extremelycritical of the process, oftentimes involving seniors whocannot represent themselvesbecause of cognitive issues.In many cases, family mem-bers become a eldersguardian and take advantageof their finances.

In other news, AB 222 isquietly making its waythrough the NevadaLegislature requiring thatPersonal Care Agencies belicensed and fined a mone-tary penalty if they fall out ofcompliance with licensureregulations. Personal CareAgencies provide care in thehome for elderly clients whowould otherwise be institu-tionalized because they areunable to care for themselves.

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775.626.5665 2360 Wingfield Hills Road 775.626.5665

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Connie McMullen

Guardianship Practices ComeUnder Scrutiny of Nevada

Supreme Court Justice Hardesty

AlbertEinstein, oneof the great-

est minds in history,defined insanity as“doing the samething over and over

again and expecting different results.”Since I was elected to Congress in 1982,I have fought against repeated attemptsto force Nevadans to be the nation’snuclear waste dumping ground.Nevadans overwhelmingly opposed theYucca Mountain nuclear waste reposi-tory then, and we have overwhelminglyopposed it to this day. And yet, someelected officials in our state have recent-ly revisited this dead issue hoping forsomething to change.

In the face of public concern forsafety and decades of unanswered ques-tions by the federal government, these

officials believe that Nevada should stillconsider allowing nuclear waste to bedumped at Yucca Mountain. They areliving in a world that doesn’t exist.

Above all else, Nevadans want theirhealth and safety protected. Nevadanswant to ensure our tourism jobs andnew industries are not chased away byimmeasurable risks associated with amulti-decade nuclear waste shippingcampaign. Yet in desperate attempts toforce nuclear waste on Nevada, Yuccasupporters in Washington have attackedsafety standards, tried to preempt statetransportation safety law, and proposedsidestepping environmental and publichealth protections. It is also importantto note that Yucca advocates remaincompletely blind to the fact that thefederal government does not even havethe land or water rights needed to buildYucca, nor do they have any reason to

expect that Nevada will drop its objec-tions and hand over our precious waterfor the dump.

I believe that we need to identify safeand scientifically-sound ways to manageour nation’s nuclear waste. That is whyin 2010, I worked with the ObamaAdministration to create the BlueRibbon Commission on America’sNuclear Future to study solutions.Through the Commission, nuclearenergy experts, scientists, policy mak-ers, and environmental policy expertsrecommended alternatives to YuccaMountain. What’s more, they recom-mended that no location should be cho-sen for storing nuclear waste unless thegovernment has received consent fromthe Governor, affected counties, andIndian tribes.

These criteria have not been met in (Yucca page 7)

4 / May / SeniorSpectrumNewspaper.com

OpinionSenator Harry Reid

Sen. Reid

Stopping Nuclear Waste at Yucca Mountain

Identity theft isa crime affect-ing all age

groups; however,it impacts olderAmericans in par-ticular. Given thatseniors in Nevadarepresent 13 per-cent of our state’s

population, this is of great concern tome. Impersonating the Internal RevenueService (IRS) during tax season hasbecome one of the largest, most perva-sive scams in recent history, targetingthousands of Americans across thecountry and defrauding these victims ofmore than $15.5 million dollars to date.

According to the Federal TradeCommission (FTC), the number oneconsumer complaint for Nevadans is

imposter scams. As of February 2014,taxpayers in Nevada lost nearly$300,000 to the IRS impersonationscam.

As a member of the Senate SpecialCommittee on Aging, I am acutelyaware of issues affecting olderAmericans in Nevada. Recently, Iattended a hearing the Committee heldto examine identity thefts where scamartists posing as IRS employees dupeunsuspecting Americans into releasingimportant personal data. These scamartists then used this data to illegally filefalse tax returns and collect refunds andother benefits associated with the falsereturns.

If you’re like me, you’ve seen thisfirsthand. My dad and my adult daugh-ter were both targeted by fraudstersover the telephone earlier this year.

Now, my Dad and my daughter bothtold me the pitch given was pretty poorand easy to see through. But that is notalways the case. There are thousands ofindividuals who have been victimizedby this kind of fraud, and I want to dis-cuss ways to prevent these scams inNevada and across the country.

Here’s what you can do to preventbeing a victim of identity theft. 1. Only carry essential documentswith you.

That means do not carry extra creditcards, your Social Security card, birthcertificate or passport outside of home.

2. Be careful when giving out per-sonal information over the phone.

Identity thieves may call, posing asbanks or government agencies. To pre-

(Identity Theft page 7)


OpinionSenator Dean Heller

Sen. Dean Heller

Identity Theft during Tax Season

vent identity theft, do not give out per-sonal information over the phoneunless you initiated the call.

3. One person’s trash is anotherperson’s treasure.

To prevent identity theft, shred yourreceipts, credit card offers, bank state-ments, returned checks and any othersensitive information before throwing itaway.

4. Protect your Social SecurityNumber (SSN).

To prevent identity theft, make sureyour bank does not print your SSN onyour personal checks.

5. Keep a list of account numbers,expiration dates, and telephonenumbers filed away.

If your wallet is stolen, being able toquickly alert your creditors is essentialto prevent identity theft.

If any of your personal informationhas been compromised, particularly

your SSN, you should follow the belowsteps.1. File a police report.

2. File an FTC complaint.

3. Contact one of the three creditbureaus to place a fraud alert on youraccount:

• Equifax: www.Equifax.com or (800)525-6285

• Experian: www.Experian.com or(888) 397-3742

• TransUnion: www.TransUnion.comor (800) 680-7289

4. Close any financial accounts openedwithout your permission.

As always, please feel free to call myReno office at (775) 686-5770 if youthink your personal information hasbeen compromised.


Yucca / page 4Theft / page 6Nevada. Nevada objected in 1987, whenCongress passed the first “screwNevada” bill. Nevada objected againwhen Congress voted to disregard ourgovernor’s veto in 2002. And recogniz-ing the project was a dead end waste oftaxpayer money, President Obama ter-minated the project in 2010, andCongress ceased funding it in 2011. It istime to move on.

Nevada will not be forced to accept anuclear waste dump it thinks is unwork-able, unsafe, and scientifically flawed.Those who seek to revisit this conversa-tion should wake up and take a lookaround because our state’s positionremains the same. Attempts to storenuclear waste in Yucca Mountainrepeatedly fail because the site was orig-inally selected based on a flawed, non-scientific, and political process. Pro-Yucca officials can try doing the samething over and over again, but the resultalways will be the same: Nuclear wastewill never be laid to rest at YuccaMountain.

When it comes toestate planning, Ted

and Emily thought they were ahead ofthe game. They went to their attorneyfor help with estate planning and creat-ed a Trust to protect their assets. Theyare in company with about only 21 per-cent of Americans who also have aTrust. After their lawyer prepared doc-uments, they signed or “executed” theirrevocable Trust, and both a propertyand health care power of attorney. Theywent home satisfied that they’d takencare of everything they needed tosecure their legacies.

The problem is… Ted and Emily did-

n’t realize that setting up a plan is justthe first step. Your Trust is just a treas-ure chest that is waiting to be filled withthe assets you own. If you don’t followthrough with funding it, the assets con-tinue to be owned by you rather thanthe Trust.

This could mean those assets will besubject to probate. If you counted onthe Trust to transfer your assets andyou didn’t sign a “Pourover Will”, theassets you tried so hard to protect couldactually be passed using intestacy laws.

What Happened to Ted and Emily? Unfortunately, Ted and Emily didn’t

realize that they didn’t properly fund

their Trust until after Ted passed away.The assets the couple held in joint ten-ancy passed to Emily. Some assetspassed to an unwanted beneficiary thathad been designated years ago. Theassets that remained in Ted’s own namehad to go through the probate process.This process is public, it’s sometimesdifficult, and it can be expensive. It’salso exactly what the couple wanted toavoid!

Funding: What Should Ted andEmily Have Done?

Ted and Emily (and anyone else whocreates a Trust) needed to follow

(Trust page 9)


Funding a Trust

Brad Anderson

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

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

through with funding theirTrust after it had been creat-ed.

In general, “Funding”means you transfer yourassets into your Trust. Allassets should be transferredinto your Trust with theexception of:

Retirement accounts, suchas IRAs, 401(K)s and 403(B)s.Transferring retirementaccounts into your Trust canhave undesirable tax conse-quences. However, in rarecircumstances, you may wantto make your Trust the desig-nated beneficiary of theaccounts.

UTMA, UGMA accountsand other custodial accounts.

Small checking accounts: By keeping a small per-

sonal checking account thatis not a part of the trust, your

day-to-day transactions maybe easier.

You should set anappointment to discuss withyour estate planning attorneyexactly what types of assetsyou plan to move into yourTrust and what the legalsteps are that you need totake in order to move them.A good estate planning attor-ney will help with the processof moving assets (and doingso in a strategic way) so youwill be able to reduce tax lia-bility, protect assets, andmake the most of the estateplan you have created.

The Law Firm ofAnderson, Dorn & Rader isdevoted exclusively to estateplanning, and are membersof the American Academy ofEstate Planning Attorneys.Contact us at (775) 823-9455or visit www.wealth-coun-selors.com.


Funding a Trust / page 8


We can allimproveour

health by connect-ing with people and needs in our com-munity. I don’t think any of us go oneday without thinking about our health,and what we can do to improve it. Butacting on those thoughts is anothermatter. I hope this article helps moti-vate you to improve your health, per-haps in ways you’ve never contemplat-ed. Let’s begin with a brief overview ofour new reality.

More than ever, our health is connectedto people everywhere in the world. Notjust through infectious diseases but

through our healthcare systems, medi-cines, lifestyles, funding, and a multi-tude of other factors. Clearly, we’re allin this together.

Do you know the top ten global healthissues? According to IntraHealthInternational, they include some areasof concern that seem obvious, plussome surprising subjects. I was sur-prised to learn that the number oneissue is the patients themselves. Youand I! We need to be more engaged inour personal health to make the sys-tems work.

Tenth on the list is mental health, fol-lowed by cancer, then Aids. The 7th

largest global health issue is family plan-ning (birth rates), 6th is very surprising,mobile tech. Mobile tech means thatone health care worker, literally work-ing alone, can now perform the work ofmany through portable medical andcommunication devices! Fifth on thelist is global health security and surveil-lance. It was pointed out that in theUSA we saw mumps sweep through thenational hockey league and measlescases reach a 20-year high last year.Clearly we must be ever vigilant.Fourth is war and unrest, particularly inrelation to the many health care work-ers that are being killed. Third is Ebola.The 2nd most important global health

Chris Askin

Community Giving

By Chris Askin, President and CEOCommunity Foundation of Western Nevada

Health and Philanthropy - Live a Long and Meaningful Life

(Philanthropy page 12)



issue and another surprise to me, is thecreation of new, sustainable develop-ment goals. According to IntraHealthInternational, “These new goals couldunite countries on the path toward oneof the international community’s mostambitious goals: universal health cover-age. To achieve it, we’ll need a greaterfocus on the global health workforcethan the world has ever seen.”

The improvements in healthcare hap-pening around the world would not bepossible without philanthropy. Donorssuch as the Bill and Melinda GatesFoundation are directly responsible forfunding and leadership that is savingmillions of lives. U.S. foundations suchas Rockefeller, Carnegie, Charles StuartMott, and Ford are partnering withgroups such as Rotary International onambitious projects such as the eradica-tion of Polio. Through coordinatedefforts like this more than 2 billion chil-dren in 122 countries have been immu-

nized. A relatively small number ofchildren remain to be immunized inAfghanistan, Nigeria, and Pakistan.

How are we doing in the USA?According to OECD (the Organizationfor Economic Co-operation andDevelopment), our life expectancy hasincreased between 2000 and 2012 by 2years. Globally, life expectancyincreased by more than 3 years. Wecurrently rank 27 out of 34 of the topindustrialized countries. We have madehuge gains in treating cancer, mortalityfrom cancer decreasing by 16 percent inthis same time period. Tobacco con-sumption dropped from 19.1 percent ofadults to just 14.2 percent, but thatdoesn’t include the increased use ofelectronic cigarettes we’re all hearing somuch about.

In this same time period, obesity in theU.S. increased from 30.9 percent to 35.3percent. As you may expect, this per-centage is significantly higher than

other countries and we currently havethe highest obesity rate in the world.

U.S. pharmaceutical expendituresalmost doubled to more than $1,000 perperson per year, highest in the world,but out-of-pocket payments for healthcare reduced from 14.9 percent to 12percent expenditures. In another posi-tive development, the number of doc-tors increased from 2.3 per 1,000 to 2.5,and nurses also increased from 10.2 per1,000 to 11.1. Funding from groups likethe Gates Foundation provide hugedomestic as well as global benefitsthrough their funding of work to devel-op affordable vaccines and medicines.

In Nevada, according to United HealthFoundation’s America’s Health CareRankings, our health is a mixed bag ascompared to other states. We do have alower prevalence of obesity, and a lowerincidence of infectious disease. On thedownside we have a low prevalence ofphysical activity, a lower immunization

Philanthropy / page 10


coverage among our children, a highviolent crime rate, and a lower rateof high school graduation. Werank 39th overall.

Although we are all in this together,at the end of the day we, each of usare the only ones who can reallymake a difference in our ownhealth. So, what can we do? Theusual advice would be to take careof ourselves through good nutritionand exercise, and by keeping ourminds busy. But I believe that isnot enough. We need to engagewith others, to give back, to experi-ence the joy of being relevant andmaking an impact in our commu-nity. Much of what I have read onthe subject of philanthropy pro-vides substantive evidence thathaving a meaningful life and help-ing others will improve, andlengthen your own life.

An article in the Denver Post byBruce DeBoskey, reviews the grow-ing body of scientific evidenceproving that acts of philanthropydon’t just help the recipient, but infact help the giver. According toDeBoskey, researchers call thesebenefits the “helper’s high” and“givers glow”. The informationcomes by way of Dr. Stephen Post,a professor of preventative medi-cine and bioethics at Stony BrookUniversity School of Medicine.There is a strong relationshipbetween giving and happiness,

longevity and health. According to theresearch, “giving” adults report animproved sense of well-being, lowerstress levels, better physical health,enriched sense of purpose in life, andincreased happiness. Other researchersin Great Britain, Sanford, and HarvardUniversities report similar findingsincluding an increase in the productiveof protective antibodies and delayedmortality. We can improve our health -- by giving.

At the Community Foundation ofWestern Nevada donors granted morethan $300,000 to support health needs

in 2013 and double that in 2014. Anadditional $2 million was granted in2014 for education, children and family,much of which relates to health. I hopeyou will join the CommunityFoundation, live long, and prosper.

The Community Foundation ofWestern Nevada is a local public chari-table foundation that connects peoplewho care with causes that matter. Wehave helped hundreds of people just likeyou do their giving in the most effec-tive, efficient, and enjoyable way possi-ble. To find out more, visit us atnevadafund.org or call 775-333-5499.

May isOlderAmericansMonth! Thenationaltheme is

Get Into the Act. Eventhough the intent is toencourage people of all agesto focus on elders needs,take more action to providecommunity services, andhave legislation that targetelders and the disabled, myfocus is to have aging indi-viduals get into their ownact. We need to focus ontaking responsibility for our-selves and our lifestyles. Wehave more influence on ourown health through ourbehavior than our parentshad in conceiving us!

Healthy aging is a topic thatall of us need to be interest-ed in and act on. Whetheryou're concerned aboutweight gain, sex drive orchronic diseases, the key tohealthy aging is a healthylifestyle and behavior. Eatinga variety of healthy foods,practicing portion controland including physical activ-ity in your daily routine cango a long way toward pro-moting healthy aging. It'snever too late to makehealthier lifestyle choices.

If an interest in healthyaging leads you to consideranti-aging therapies — such

as restrictive diets, supple-ments or expensive treat-ments claiming to postponeor even reverse the agingprocess — be cautious.There's no quick fix. Often,anti-aging therapies don'tlive up to the claims.

What can you expect as youget older — and what canyou do about it? You knowthat aging will likely causeyou to develop wrinkles andgray hair, but do you knowhow aging will affect yourother body functions, suchas your heart, bones andmuscle, brain or cognitivefunctions, and your sexuali-ty?

As you age, your heart ratebecomes slightly slower andyour heart might becomebigger. Your blood vesselsand your arteries alsobecome stiffer, causing yourheart to work harder topump blood through them.This can lead to high bloodpressure (hypertension) andother cardiovascular prob-lems. About 90 percent ofAmericans eat more sodiumthan is recommended, whichcan increase a person's riskfor high blood pressure. Wecan limit the amount ofsodium intake, educate our-selves about sodium infoods, and buy lower sodiumfoods. We can choose topurchase healthy options,limit processed foods, and


Larry Weiss

“Adding Life to Years”

Dr. Larry WeissCenter for Healthy Aging

Get Into the Act: Healthy Aging is More Lifestyle than Genes

request lower sodiumoptions when we go out toeat. Eating a well-balancediet with lower amounts ofsodium and getting at least30 minutes of exercise dailywill help reduce the risk ofgetting high blood pressure.

With age, bones tend to shrink in size and density —which weakens them andmakes them more suscepti-ble to fracture. You mighteven become a bit shorter. Imyself have lost 1 1/2 inchesin height. Muscles generallylose strength and flexibility,and you might become lesscoordinated or have troublebalancing, therefore moresusceptible to falls. Forbones, get adequate amountsof calcium and vitamin D,include physical activity inyour daily routine, and avoidsmoking and don't drinkmore than two alcoholicdrinks a day.

Brain function, especiallymemory, tends to becomesless efficient with age. Itmight take longer to learnnew things or rememberfamiliar words or names.

Please note that just becauseyou lost your keys in yourhouse, you don’t necessarilyhave Alzheimer’s or demen-tia. There are many brainhealth programs, but youneed to simply eat a healthydiet, include physical activityin your daily routine, stimu-late your brain throughgames, activities, and learn-ing, and be social. Socialinteraction helps ward offdepression and stress, whichcan contribute to memoryloss.

Sexual needs, patterns andperformance might changewith age. Some illnesses ormedications can affect yourability to have or enjoy sex.For women, vaginal drynesscan make sex uncomfortable.For men, impotence mightbecome a concern. It mighttake longer to get an erec-tion, and erections might notbe as firm as they used to be.However, to promote yoursexual health you shouldpractice, and share yourneeds and concerns withyour partner. You mightexperiment with differentpositions or sexual activities.

If problems occur, youshould talk to your doctor.They could offer specifictreatment suggestions, suchas estrogen cream for vaginaldryness or oral medicationfor erectile dysfunction.

Remember, it's never too lateto adopt a healthy lifestyle.You can't stop the agingprocess, but you might beable to minimize its impactby making healthy choices.

(Adding Life page 16)


The Centers for Disease

Control and Prevention -CDC (2013), The State ofAging and Health in Americareport on several key indica-tors of health and wellnessand risk factors of differentage groups. Here I amreporting on just a few keyCDC indicators of the 65+age group and will follow upnext month on several morekey indicators of health andwellness:

1) Eating ≥ 2 fruits daily

(42% fulfill this recommen-dation) - Diets rich in fruits

and vegetables mayreduce the risk forsome cancers andchronic diseases suchas diabetes and cardio-vascular disease. Fruitsand vegetables provideessential vitamins andminerals, fiber, andother substances thatare important for goodhealth.

Eating ≥ 3 vegetablesdaily (30%) - Fruits and veg-etables provide essential vita-mins and minerals, fiber, andother substances that areimportant for good health.

2) Disability (38%) - Thechance of having a disabilitygoes up with age, from lessthan 10 percent for people 15years of age or younger, toalmost 75 percent for people80 years or older. People withdisabilities face many chal-lenges related to mobility

and accessibility.

3) Physically unhealthy days- Mean number of days (5) -Respondents are asked howmany of the previous 30 daysthey felt that their physicalhealth (including physical ill-ness and injury) was “notgood.” Older adults have thehighest rates of poor physicalhealth and activity limitationcompared with other agegroups.

4) No leisure-time physicalactivity within the pastmonth (31%) - Regular physi-cal activity is one of the mostimportant things we can dofor our health. Physical activ-ity can prevent many of thehealth problems that maycome with age. According tothe 2008 Physical ActivityGuidelines for Americans,older adults need to do twotypes of physical activityeach week to improve health– aerobic and muscle-strengthening.

Strong evidence shows thatregular physical activity issafe and reduces the risk offalls in older adults. Olderadults at risk of falling shoulddo exercises that maintain orimprove their balance. Forbest results, they should dothese exercises at least 3 daysa week and using exercisesfrom a program shown toreduce falls. Proven pro-grams include:EnhanceFitness (www.pro-jectenhance.org), an exerciseprogram that can increasestrength, boost activity lev-els, and elevate mood, andWalk With Ease(www.arthritis.org/walk-with-ease.php), a groupwalking program that canimprove health outcomesand boost confidence inmanaging symptoms andbeing physically active. Inaddition, Active Living EveryDay (ALED) (www.activeliv-ing.info) is a group-basedprogram developed to helppeople who are sedentarybecome and stay physicallyactive. Programs such asthese may help older adultsmaintain or improve theirphysical health status.

Clearly, just reporting on afew key indicators of healthyaging raises the importanceof lifestyle, especially aboutwhat we eat and the level ofphysical activity. These alonecan impact our health andwellness tremendously byadding life to our years.

Lawrence J. Weiss, Ph.D. isFounder and CEO of theCenter for Healthy Aging.Dr. Weiss welcomes yourcomments on this column.Write to him [email protected] c/o Center for HealthyAging, 11 Fillmore Way,Reno, NV 89519.16 / May / SeniorSpectrumNewspaper.com

Adding Life / page 15


Most doc-tors,pharma-

cists, and otherhealth careproviders whowork withMedicare are hon-

est. Unfortunately, some aren’t. Onecommon form of Medicare fraud iswhen Medicare is billed for health careservices or benefits that you neverreceived. Someone could have gottenaccess to your Medicare number andsubmitted a false claim. In some casesfraudsters pay Medicare beneficiaries touse their Medicare numbers. To preventthis from taking place, never share yourMedicare number with anyone youdon’t know and trust.

Medicare fraud costs taxpayers andpeople with Medicare lots of moneyeach year. So what can you do to helpstop it?

When you get health care services,write down the dates on your calendarand save the receipts and statementsyou get from your doctors and otherproviders to check for mistakes. If youthink you see an error, or you werebilled for services you didn’t get, takethese steps:

• If you are in the Original Medicareprogram (where the federal governmentpays health care claims for you), checkyour monthly “Medicare SummaryNotice” (MSN) to see if the applicableservices were billed correctly to

Medicare. The services and claimsshould match, like checks on a bankstatement. If there are services, doctors,or suppliers that you don’t know andcan’t reconcile, there may be a problem.

• If you’re in a Medicare Advantageprivate health plan, check the state-ments you get from your plan.

• If you’re unsure what services werebilled, call and ask the doctor or othersupplier for an itemized statement.They should give this to you within 30days.

In any case, the sooner you see andreport errors in your health care billing,the sooner we can help address and

(Medicare Fraud page 18)

How You Can Help Stop Medicare Fraud

David Sayen

David Sayen, Regional AdministratorMedicare Region 9


stop fraud. How do youreport suspected fraud?If you’ve contacted the healthcare provider or supplier, andyou suspect that Medicare isbeing charged for a service,device, or other supplies thatyou didn’t receive, or if youdon’t recognize the doctor orother providers listed on theclaim, here’s what to do:

• Call the fraud hotline ofthe U.S. Department ofHealth and Human ServicesOffice of the InspectorGeneral at 1-800-HHS-TIPS(1-800-447-8477). TTY usersshould call 1-800-377-4950.

• Alert Medicare’s customerservice team at 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) that you have concernsor questions about informa-tion appearing on your MSN.

Did you know that there’s aprogram that works withMedicare beneficiariesaround the country to fightfraud? It’s called the SeniorMedicare Patrol (SMP)Program. The SMP Programeducates and empowers peo-ple with Medicare and theirfamilies to take an active rolein detecting and preventinghealth care fraud and abuse.

SMP not only protects peo-ple with Medicare, it alsohelps preserve Medicare.There’s an SMP Program inevery state, the District ofColumbia, Guam, U.S. VirginIslands, and Puerto Rico.

You can contact your localSMP Program to get person-alized counseling, find outabout community events inyour area, or volunteer. Formore information or to findyour local SMP Program,visit smpresource.org, or call1-877-808-2468. You can alsocall 1-800-MEDICARE.Keep in mind that every tipcounts. Medicare takes allreports of suspected fraudseriously.

When you report fraud, youmay not hear of an outcomeright away. It takes time toinvestigate and build a case.Be assured that your infor-mation is helping us protectMedicare and you.

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

Medicare Fraud / page 17

Forty two-million Americans providesupport to older parents, spouses andother loved ones. If you’re caring for a

loved one, you may not think of yourselfthis way, but you are likely a family caregiv-er. Maybe you took on the role suddenly,or perhaps the responsibility evolved overtime. While each family situation is unique,you can learn a lot from those who havebeen on this path before you. Here’s someadvice from AARP and from peoplewho’ve been where you are now. For moreon family caregiving from AARP, visitwww.aarp.org/caregiving.

Find Ways to Juggle Roles“I am a caregiver for my 99-year-old moth-er….The last three years have been hardtrying to be a caregiver, full-time employee,grandma of eight ….I felt so stressed and Icould feel my heart racing to make sure mymom and my job had the right attention.”

--Eileen from Indiana

Millions of family caregivers managejobs outside the home and the responsi-bility of providing care to a loved one.Whether you’re trying to figure out howto handle the juggling act now or areplanning for the future, take advantageof a free AARP e-book, Juggling Workand Caregiving, written by expert inaging and families Amy Goyer. You candownload it from one of several onlinebookstores, includingwww.amazon.com and www.barne-sandnoble.com.

Technology can also play a role in help-ing manage your caregiving and otherresponsibilities. AARP recently releasedan app called AARP Caregiving. It’savailable for free from the Apple iTunesapp store for iOS and can be used tohelp manage medications, keep up a listof contacts (doctors, insurance, friends,and others), store insurance card andphoto ID images, and more. You caneven share access to the app withfriends and family who are on yourcaregiving team. The app will be avail-

able soon on Google Play for Android.

Involve the Whole Family“During those years my mother was ill, theresponsibility for caregiving was assumedby several members of my family. I havetwo sisters, four nieces…, and a daughter.We all pitched in to help.”

--Jamie from Alabama

You don’t have to manage caregiving all byyourself. To help you begin, have a familymeeting. If your loved one is able to partici-pate, encourage their involvement in thediscussion. It’s important to talk aboutexpectations and how your lives maychange. As your responsibilities increase,you will probably need family members topitch in. They can help with chores, meals,driving, and other daily activities. If youhave out of town family members, perhapsthey can arrange to come in from time to

time to give you a break. If you do not haveother family members, you may want toconsider getting outside help, especially ifyou work outside the home. Read Hiring aHome Care Worker for insights and usefulplanning tips.

Learn About Medicare“My uncle is 91 and recently ended up in anursing home to recover from a brokenhip. I’m all he has. It was up to me to figureout what his health insurance would coverbetween trips to the hospital and his nurs-ing home stay. I realized I didn’t know thefirst thing about Medicare or his otherhealth coverage.” --Bob from Pennsylvania

If you’re caring for a loved one who is age65 or older, chances are they haveMedicare benefits. It’s helpful to under-stand the basics of the program, and AARP

(Caregiving page 22)


Help for New Family CaregiversBy Nicole Duritz

is here to help. We’ve created a

question-and-answer tool,www.aarp.org/MedicareQAwhich can help you understand

Medicare. You can browse sub-ject areas or enter keywords tosearch for information.

Take Care of Yourself“My advice would be to takebreaks when you can and neverlose sight of your own life. Asmuch as we love our family, weabsolutely must take care ofourselves. If we don't, we are ofno use to anyone.”

--Anita from California

It’s important that you remainmindful of your own healthand wellbeing. Take it fromAnita and the millions of familycare providers out there – youneed to take care of yourself inorder to provide care to others.The love and support you pro-vide your loved one is as strongas the love and support youyourself take in. Stay in touchwith your friends and let themhelp when they offer. Take in amovie [www.aarp.org/movies],go out for coffee or invitefriends to drop in to spend timewith you. Keep up with your

own health needs by keepingroutine doctor’s appointments.Be vigilant when managingyour own medications. And tryto exercise and rest when youcan.

If you are looking for insightsand advice from other care-givers, visit the AARP caregiv-ing community. Here you canchat online with others whoare in the same situation.

Help When You Need ItThe day-in and day-out respon-sibilities of family caregivingcan be overwhelming. Evenwith the assistance of friendsand family, you may still findthat you need additional help.One helpful resource is TheEldercare Locator atwww.eldercare.gov or 800-677-1116. This resource can con-nect you to government andcommunity-based organiza-tions that serve older adultsand their family caregivers. Inaddition to connecting you toservices that can help withthings like meals and trans-portation, you can also accesscaregiver training and educa-tion.

Share Your StoryYou may find it helpful andtherapeutic to share your care-giving story and read the storiesof others in the same situation.AARP’s I HEART CARE-GIVERS is an online resourcewhere you can post your ownstory and learn from the expe-rience of others in the process.You can also sign up on the siteto find out how AARP is fight-ing for you and your loved onesfor more support, help athome, workplace protections,training, and more. Visitwww.aarp.org/iheartcaregivers.If you’d like to get involved inAARP’s caregiving efforts inNevada visit AARP.org/NV.

Caregiving / p. 19



Library Foodfor Fines

Back by popular demand…forfour weeks this May get ridof those overdue fines by

helping those in need! From May4-31, patrons can bring cans orboxes of food to the library in lieuof fines to help feed the hungry.Food barrels will be placed atlibrary locations throughoutWashoe County and the food willbe delivered to the Food Bank ofNorthern Nevada. Food broughtto Incline Village Library will bedonated to Project MANA.

Library patrons are asked tobring one non-perishable fooditem for every overdue book orother item. (Food cannot beexchanged for lost or damagedlibrary materials.) Everyone iswelcome to participate in thisfood drive that has deliveredthousands of pounds of food tothe Food Bank of NorthernNevada and Project MANA.Washoe County Library Systemchose to add a Spring Food forFines in recognition of the factthat food banks are always in needas they feed the hungry in ourcommunity.

These food items are especiallyneeded: Canned meats, fish andpeanut butter; macaroni & cheeseand pasta meals; powdered milk,baby formula and baby food; com-plete meals in a can such as stew,chili, ravioli and hearty soups;canned fruits, juice and vegeta-bles; dry cereal, oatmeal, rice andpasta. In 2014 we collected over20,000 lbs. of food. Now is thetime to return library materialsand help our community.

For more information aboutlibrary hours, services and pro-grams please visit us online atwww.washoecountylibrary.us/


CARE Chest of the SierraNevada is marking a signifi-cant milestone this year.

The nonprofit has been making adifference in the lives of children,seniors, people with disabilities,and families for 25 years, providingmedical services to more than110,000 residents.

CARE Chest connects more than7,000 families annually to medicalequipment, prescription assistance,medical nutrition, home and vehi-cle modifications, and wellnesseducation focusing on diabetes andheart disease.

“The changing healthcare landscapecan be confusing, but we know theneed among underserved popula-

tions continues to grow,” CAREChest Executive Director PattiMeals said. As the program growsserving the low-income and disad-vantaged, new services are beingdeveloped for other demands.

It all began in 1990 when threelocal pharmacists recognized theneed for a prescription drug pro-gram at a time when no assistancewas available to those in need ofemergency medications. FoundersBill Kahl, Alex Rassuchine andCraig Collins established thePrescription Assistance Program in1993, connecting thousands withmedications they would otherwisego without. Three years later, theprogram was serving 1,000 annual-ly. Medical equipment, nutrition,

CARE Chest - 25 Years of Making a Difference

Jeanette Flynn

by Connie McMullen


diabetic supplies, and the CARE Loanprogram became the cornerstone of theCARE Chest business plan to assistpeople to be self sufficient and remainindependent.

Success eventually forced Meals and theCARE Chest Board of Directors to findnew housing, and in 1998 it embarkedon an ambitious plan to build a newfacility.

In 2000, the doors opened to a new9,000 sq. ft. structure on North VirginiaStreet, an office and warehouse com-plex to store all the products and equip-ment CARE Chest was now collectingand loaning out to people in need. Andfinally in 2008, the William N.Pennington Foundation retired theCARE Chest mortage.

In 2012, CARE Chest implemented aWellness Program to teach clientschronic disease prevention and man-agement, fitness, nutrition and diabeteseducation. Classes are offered on-site

by medical professionals, a partnershipwith Renown Health and otherproviders.

There may be no way to measure thesignificance in the lives of those servedby CARE Chest services, but judgingfrom some of their comments, the out-come has been enormous.

“Clients are humbly grateful and tell thestories of how they are helped. It’s a lifechanging experience for them,” said JimScripps, CARE Chest DevelopmentDirector.

In January of this year, 245 peoplereceived medical equipment. Half wereover the age of 65 and a good percent-age were over age 80.

To celebrate the 25 year milestone,CARE Chest plans a special event in fallat Bartley Ranch, which will includefood, drinks, and music. To inquireabout CARE Chest activities and servic-es please contact 775-829-2273. CARE

Chest of the Sierra Nevada is located at7910 N. Virginia Street, Reno, NV89506.

CARE Chest gives Mary the tools to supporther family’s health. Mary, who has survived aliver transplant and several back surgeries, canno longer work. Her daughter, Annie, has asevere disability and requires round-the-clockcare. Thankfully, her husband works full-time asa bus driver, but as Mary puts it, “Any help wecan get is good! We are so appreciative!”


Dr. Michael J. Fischer, M.D.

Overweightand obese

children (andolderCaucasiangirls, in partic-ular) are atincreased riskfor a brain con-

dition that can cause blindness.An analysis of data involving900,000 children aged 2 to 19years show a 16-times risk ofidiopathic intracranial hyper-tension (IIH) among extremelyobese children. This condition,which causes symptoms ofheadache, blurred vision, nau-sea, and eye movement abnor-malities, can lead to blindnessin up to ten percent of patients,especially if IIH is not diag-

nosed and treated promptly.The risk of IIH is six timeshigher in moderately obesechildren and 3.5 times higher inoverweight children. Eighty-five percent of the childrenwith the condition were girlsaged 11 to 19, and nearly halfwere Caucasian. It should benoted that because ophthal-mologists can get a glimpseinside the body through theeye’s transparent window, theycan often make diagnoses onthe basis of visual observationalone.

If you would like furtherinformation on today’s topic,please call my office at (775)882-1726. We are convenientlylocated at 3839 N. CarsonStreet, in Carson City, 89706.

Michael J. Fischer

Ophthalmology

Child Obesity-Related Blindness

Thefly-er

arrivedwith aSunday

paper in March. With a large,black headline it announced,“How To Control Your AssetsFrom the Grave.” My first reac-tion was this must be a joke,but the headline was sufficientto pique my interest and I readon: “You have worked yourwhole life to accumulate yournest egg. Will your heirs use itwisely … or will they blow it?”Yuck. I found myself disgustedwith the entire concept.Inheritance, whether financialor material, can so easily tearfamilies apart. I don't comefrom a background of wealth,but I do have vivid memoriesof tussles over “things” whengrandparents died. A close rel-ative still fumes about theinheritance her children “lost”through mismanagement of aprevious generation's familytrust. I watched in stunnedsilence as the daughter of amale friend ransacked the fam-ily home, taking everythingshe wanted. Her mother hadrecently died, but her father(my friend) was still alive andliving there.

In the event our assets outlastus, leaving money or materialgoods to be distributed to ourfamilies (or friends), should itmatter if funds are spent frivo-lously or if the best china getstossed? Should we have moremoney than we need, why notshare it while we live? If thereare items we'd like others toenjoy, why not give thosethings as gifts before we die?If we consider any inheritance

a gift, isn't it also a condi-tion of giving that we do itwithout strings attached,especially from the grave?

On a lighter note, Aprilmail brought a copy of theSpring/Summer ActivityGuide produced by theCity of Sparks. The color-ful booklet is loaded withactivities and specialevents for the entire fami-ly. I was pleased to notethat the Cinco de Mayocelebration returns toVictorian Plaza May 2-3,from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.Again, there will be music,dance, art, a horse show,and food.

Bicycles take pride ofplace in two May events.First up is the 2015 Bike(Eclectic page 29)


THE ECLECTIC OBSERVERby Janet Ross

Janet Ross

May 7 - Community HealthFair, Northern Nevada MedicalCenter, 7:30 - 11 a.m., (775)356-NNMC.

May 8 - Medicare Counseling,Reno Senior Center, 1 - 2 p.m.;Sparks Senior Center, May 15,9:30 - 10:30 a.m.

May 11 - Wills and EstatePlanning, Reno Senior Center,2:30 - 4:30 p.m., (775) 328-2575.

May 11 - Beanbag Baseball, 11 -3 p.m., Neil Rd. Rec. Center,(775) 689-8484.

May 12 - Sanford Center forAging Medication TherapyManagement, 10:30 - 11:30a.m., Reno Senior Center, (775)784-1612.

May 13 - Basics of theMediterranean Diet, RenoSenior Center, 1:30 - 2:30 p.m.,(775) 328-2575.

May 13 - Senior AdvocacyWorkshop, 10 - 11 a.m., NeilRd. Rec. Center, (775) 334-2262; May 22, 10 - 11 a.m.,Teglia’s Paradise Park (775) 356-3176.

May 14 - Sparks Ice CreamSocial, 11:20 a.m., Sparks SeniorCenter.

May 18 - Know the 10 Signs ofAlzheimers, 12:30 - 1 p.m.,1301 Cordone Ave., Ste. 180,Reno.

May 19 - Republican Men’sClub of NV, speaker Thomas L.Schwenk, MD, Atlantis Casino,11 a.m., call Ray Rocha at (775)240-1564, [email protected].

May 19 - Dancing with theStars - Instruction andDancing, 1:30 - 2:30 p.m.,Teglia’s Paradise Park.

May 19 - Sand Harbor Picnic,Incline Village Rec. Center,10:30 a.m.

May 19 - Emergency FoodPantry, 9 a.m., Reno SeniorCenter. Food Stamps, 8:30 a.m,Reno Senior Center.

May 20 - Senior Morning at theLegislature, transportationavailable, call (775) 657-4602.

May 20 - Caregiver Forum/TheMusic of Colin Ross, 1:30 - 3p.m., The Continuum, RSVP byMay 18, (775) 829-4700.

May 22 - Spotlight - Senior

Dance, 8 p.m., Reno SeniorCenter.

May 23 - Movie Footprints inReno, Historic RenoPreservation Society WalkAlong Tour, 10 a.m., NationalAuto Museum, (775) 784-7506.

May 29 - Landlord/Tenant Lawin Nevada, Senior Law Project,1 - 2 p.m., Neil Road Rec.Center.

May 29 - For the Love ofMusic, Nelson Building, 10 - 11a.m., Sanford Center for Aging,(775) 784-7506.

May 30 - Closing Ceremonies,Older Americans Month, NeilRd. Rec. Center, 10 - 1 p.m., pic-nic, games, raffles, (775) 334-2262.


CALENDAR


Week Mayoral Challenge Ridefrom Reno City Hall to SparksCity Hall on May 14th, begin-ning at 9 a.m.(bikewashoe.org). The nextday, May 15th, is the Riding onthe River Family Festival atCottonwood Park from 5:30-9p.m. Sponsored by the Kiwanisorganization, bike rides on the

river path will be just one ofthe family activities on tap.(kiwanisbikes.org)Grandparents in search of spe-cial activities for their grand-children this summer will findsome truly special classessponsored by Sparks Parks andRecreation. What 2-6 year-oldsweetheart wouldn't enjoy asession of Fairytale Ballet? Anolder grandchild might benefitfrom Babysitter's Training.Tennis, Golf and Soccer areoffered with instruction, alongwith Swimming lessons.

You can call the Recreationoffice for details, Mondaythrough Thursday between7:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. at(775) 353-2376, or email themat [email protected]. Ifyou're wondering why thereisn't any mention of the SparksSenior Citizens Center (97Richards Way, (775) 353-3110), that's because it is oper-ated by Washoe County SeniorServices. (www.washoecoun-ty.us/seniorsrv)

Eclectic / page 27

Frank Perezannounced recent-ly that he had sold

his historic Polo Lounge bar, located in theSports West Shopping Center in SouthwestReno. Ensconced in the busy shopping cen-ter since 2003, the Polo Lounge featured aneclectic mix of photographs of the manyshow-business and sports celebrities that

Perez had mixed with over his five decadesin the saloon business. The new ownersare Tim and Tana Ferguson, an amiablecouple who have years of bar operationexperience and have promised to retain theambiance of the establishment.

Frank himself was a hands-on, person-able individual, much in the mode of NewYork’s famous Toots Shorr. Unlike the

rotund Shorr, Perez is a strapping sixfooter who is equally at ease dressed intennis-player sweats or formal tuxedo.As a raconteur on virtually any subject,he was high on the list of rare individu-als in the Reno area. With a readysmile and firm handshake, he wel-comed his patrons individually andsoon remembered their name as well astheir choice of libation.

The symbolism of his attire could beattributed to the fact that he was asgifted an athlete as he was a superbmaître d.

As an athlete, his two favorite sportswere tennis and baseball. As to the for-mer, his tennis career included playingwith Billie Jean King and the latter wasthat he was a batting practice pitcherfor the San Francisco Giants.

A native of the Bay Area, he had anenormous coterie of friends, many of

whom journeyed to Reno for the specificpurpose of dropping in to the Lounge andremembering old times. As for his Renoclientele, he quickly assembled a dailygroup of patrons, each of whom had theirfavorite bar stool. In essence, the PoloLounge was Reno’s version of the popular“Cheers” TV show.

Shortly after he had the bar and loungesection of the club redecorated and refur-bished to his high standard, he expandedhis operation into an adjoining space. Thatspace contained comfortable seating, amini stage and one of the area’s only dancefloors. When his wooden flooring was fin-ished, it attracted a huge number of practi-tioners of the art of Terpsichore. The addi-tional space served as an excellent venuefor private parties and expanded seating forhis crowded bar.


Biggest little CITY

By Harry Spencer

Iconic Saloon Keeper Leaves Reno

Among the many live enter-tainers that worked for him, themost consistent was probablylocal entertainer, Corky Bennettwho had a permanentWednesday night gig. AbettingBennett was a very active jukebox that provided a wide vari-ety of music for the dancingcrowd.

On any given night youcould be treated to an up-and-coming performer along withfree tasty victuals prepared byFrank’s wife, Gena.

As to Frank’s personal bio, inhigh school he was an all-starfirst baseman, which accountsfor his appearance later on withthe Giants. After an early stintat Pan Am following gradua-tion, he worked at Jay Biggs, aclothing store which whettedhis sartorial appetite. Followinghis tour of duty in the Army, hegot a job at the Roaring 20’sSaloon in San Francisco as adoorman and bouncer. I proba-bly passed by him on many ofmy visits to the Roaring 20’s butfortunately never encounteredhim as a bouncer.

With the taste of saloon busi-ness now in his blood, he beganhis career in back of the plank.

The list of his bars andrestaurants is a long andimpressive one. It started in1963 with a tiny bar called theTiddley, which was familiar tome because I used his partner,TV personality Jack Carney, todo many TV spots for me inReno. In the ensuing elevenyears he was active in the BayArea from the Marina toBurlingame and points inbetween. A one year side-tripto Las Vegas where he ran apopular disco club was followedby a return to the Bay Areawhere he spent a half-dozenyears operating three differentestablishments.

His initial Northern Nevadaappearance came at Caesar’s

Lake Tahoe where he was thehigh-end restaurant managerfor six years.

Then in 1995 he establisheda top restaurant named JoeGarlic’s in Carson City. Whenthe 1997 flood wiped outGarlic’s, he became manager ofReno’s Atlantis Steak House forthe ensuing five years.Following that, he was managerof the Siena Hotel’s LexusRestaurant. After that stint, heopened the Polo Lounge in2003 and the rest is history.


We recentlysailed on a

“crossing’” fromFlorida toBarcelona. It was afifteen-day cruise

with only one stop, which translates to14 days at sea. I was apprehensiveabout this; stormy seas could havemade it miserable but we were blessedwith tranquil waters the entire way.

The 450 passengers were all sea-

soned travel-ers whochoose reposi-tioning cruisesbecause theylike the days atsea so it was apleasantgrouping ofinterestingpeople withplenty of time to get to know oneanother. No, we did not meet Koko theGorilla, nor did we meet QueenElizabeth but we did meet RichardStone who introduced them to us

Richard is a British painter, special-izing in portraits. He began cultivatinghis gift at the age of four and told hismother then that he wanted to paint aportrait of Queen Elizabeth. Althoughhe had little formal art training, his suc-cess is a direct result of a natural talentand a strong determination to succeed.At the age of 22, he became theyoungest commissioned royal portraitpainter in almost 200 years.

He has now completed numerousportraits of Queen Elizabeth II, the lat-est of which has been made into a com-memorative stamp, as well as theQueen Mother and virtually everyoneelse in the Royal Family. He also paint-ed the official Downing Street portrait

of Margaret Thatcher, The Lady inBlue. His portraits hang atBuckingham Palace, the NationalPortrait Gallery (London), and theNational Portrait Gallery (Australia)

Richard was one of my husband’s 32 / May / SeniorSpectrumNewspaper.com

We meet the most interesting people!!!this ‘n that By Anne Vargas [email protected]

Queen Elizabeth II

The Lady in Blue.


fellow lecturers on this voyage. He isdelightfully unassuming and we hadample opportunity to spend time withhim and his wife, which made thecruise even more special for us.Through the course of his lectures weall learned a great deal about him and

what it waslike to paintthose por-traits. Oneof his mostmoving sto-ries wasabout goingto SouthAfrica topaint

Nelson Mandela and the challenge ofcapturing the essence of the manthrough his eyes.

But the most fascinating story wasthis: Richard was asked a few years agowhether he would consider painting aportrait of Koko, a 35-year-old lowlandgorilla. As a mature female, she weighsover 300 lbs and has the strength of six

men. From the age of one she hasbeen trained by Stanford UniversityScientist, Dr. Penny Patterson and herteam, to 'talk' with the sign languageused by the deaf, and to understandspoken English. Koko has a vocabularyof more than 1,000 signs and under-stands about 2,000 English words.The center is attempting to raisemoney to continue this importantresearch and to move Koko to a largerand more suitable facility. All pro-ceeds from the sale of the portrait willgo entirely to this cause.

When he was approached with thisproposal, Richard was also told itwouldn’t work unless Koko liked him.He lives in England; Koko is inCalifornia. Plans were made for themeeting and Koko was told ahead oftime that she would have a visitor andthat he wanted to paint her portrait(picture). She was even given a book ofphotographs of Richard’s portraits.

Richard’s account of their first meet-ing was wonderful; Koko decidedimmediately that she did like him and

by the second visit insisted he comeinto her cage. With great trepidation hewent in and described to us how he wasfeeling at that moment: “She reachedforward and took my head in both her

(this ‘n that page 38)

Mandela

Robin Williams special bond with Koko.



We recently attended alecture at OLLI(Osher lifelong

learning Institute), titled“Keeping Nevada Wild”. Theprogram, presented byShevawn Von Tobel of Friendsof Nevada Wilderness, rekin-dled our latent intention toexplore more of Nevada’s wildlands, especially those officiallydesignated as WildernessAreas.

First, a word about theWilderness designation. It isthe highest form of protectionthe government can give to apublic land. As one mightguess, there are restrictions,including no permanent struc-tures, no roads, and no vehicles,motorized or not .… motorhomes, fun buggies, etc. Forgetyour bicycle, it too is a vehicle.

That said, consider the vari-ety of activities we can enjoy inthe thousands of acres ofNevada’ serene, pristine wildlands… such as hiking, tentcamping, bird watching, hunt-ing, trapping, fishing, canoeing,kayaking, swimming, andhorseback riding.

Throughout Nevada thereare numerous designatedwilderness zones, with newones under consideration as wewrite. Nevada’s Wildernesslands are managed by theBureau of Land Management,the Forest Service, the NationalPark Service and the Fish andWildlife Service.

Jarbidge Wilderness Congress approved the

Wilderness Act in 1964. In thatsame year Jarbidge Wilderness,

in northeastern Elko County,was designated as Nevada’s firstwilderness zone. It has eightpeaks over 10,000 feet, some ofwhich drop to canyons 4,000feet below.

The name Jarbidge translatesfrom the Shoshone to mean"monster that lurks in thecanyon" or "weird beastly crea-ture." According to legend, theShoshone braves chased thiscreature into a cave in theJarbidge Canyon and blocked itinside with rocks and boulders.Located at the bottom ofJarbidge Canyon near the northend of the Jarbidge Wildernessis the unincorporated commu-nity of Jarbidge where we oncespent a few days. AlthoughJarbidge is listed in GhostTowns of Nevada, we did notrun into any ghosts. Nor didwe encounter any monsters orweird beastly creatures. Wedid, however, meet some enter-prising folks living there. Acomfy B&B (where we stayed),an eatery, market and gas sta-tion can meet most folks’needs.

Wovoka Wilderness Wovoka Wilderness in Lyon

County encompasses thesouthern portion of the PineGrove Hills south ofWellington and north ofBridgeport, California. It is thenewest designated zone.

Mount Rose Wilderness Mount Rose Wilderness,

nestled between the two urbanenvironments of Reno andLake Tahoe is our closest.

Friends of NevadaWilderness

Friends of NevadaWilderness is dedicated to pre-serving all qualified Nevadapublic lands as wilderness, pro-tecting all present and potentialwilderness from ongoingthreats, educating the publicabout the values of and needfor wilderness, and improvingthe management and restora-tion of wild lands. Friends ofNevada Wilderness RenoOffice: P.O. Box 9754, Reno,NV 89507, (775) 324-7667.(www.friendsofnevadawilder-ness.org)

A couple of upcomingevents may spark your interest:Back Rock Rendezvous2015 - Friday, May 22, 2015 at10 a.m. , Black Rock Desert--northwest Nevada

Join Friends of NevadaWilderness, the BLM, Friendsof Black Rock, NevadaOutdoor School and others fora fun Memorial Day weekendexploring, protecting and cele-brating the beautiful BlackRock Desert. For information:[email protected].

Keeping Nevada Wild ArtReception - Saturday, July 11,2015 at 4 p.m., Friends ofNevada WildernessHeadquarters, 1360 GregStreet, Sparks

The second annual "WildNevada" exhibit features thework of noteworthy wildlifeand landscape artists and pho-tographers as they celebratewilderness in Nevada.


Solution from page 35

Seniors4TravelRobert Boyd and Carolyn Prusa

Keeping Nevada Wild


hands. I tensed: her hands are aboutthree times the size of mine, with knuck-les the size of walnuts. They completelyenveloped my head; this was a beastwith the ability to tear me limb fromlimb with just as much ease as shemight peel a banana. It was a moment Iwill not easily forget.”

Their relationship grew into a veryreal friendship; Koko was clearly fond ofRichard and was able to do a fairly goodjob of “sitting” as he sketched her. Shewanted her own sketchpad and penciland later presented Richard with herinterpretation of what he was doing.

Koko watches television and had

become fascinated withRobin Williams, signingthat she wanted to meethim. Robin agreed to goand there are wonderfulphotos of the two ofthem playing together.When Robin died lastyear, Koko overheard thestaff talking about it;they explained as care-fully as they could whathad happened. Kokocried.

She also likes to beread to. Her favoritestory is The Three Little

Kittens which led to her request for akitten of herown; shewantedsomethingto love andbe loved by.She wasshown a lit-ter of kit-tens andtold shecouldchoose one. She immediately displayeda deep maternal instinct, gently holdingthe kitten and caring for it. This wasthe basis for the popular children’s bookKoko’s Kitten. That kitten was the firstof several in Koko’s life and she hasbeen lovingly gentle with each of them.

There are many delightful Koko sto-ries but my favorite is the one that illus-trates her capacity to comprehend –and to lie. One day she was angryabout something and ripped the sink offthe wall in her cell. When Dr. Pattersonasked her why she had done that, Kokosigned that she hadn’t done it; shepointed to her tiny kitten, shifting theblame. That was remarkable but evenmore remarkable is the fact that a fewhours later a shame-faced Koko signedthat she was bad, that the kitten had notripped the sink off the wall, that sheherself had done it.

The full story Koko and their specialrelationship can be read/seen via videoby Googling Richard Stone and Koko.We meet the most interesting people!38 / May / SeniorSpectrumNewspaper.com

this ‘n that / page 33

Koko and kitten.

Richard shows Koko’s painting.

Documents

Senior Spectrum Newspaper - May 2015 Issue