December 2011December 2011

of Douglas CountySenior TIMES

of Douglas CountySenior TIMES

Claus for a CauseClaus for a Cause

Gene Keller delights children at the Umpqua Valley Festival of Lights

Gene Keller delights children at the Umpqua Valley Festival of Lights

EURALEE SMITHFor The Senior Times

Here comes Santa Claus right downRiver Forks Park Road. But who isthe white-bearded man with twin-

kling eyes behind wire framed glasses?Like Superman and his cape, 68-year-

old Gene Keller, aka Santa Claus, insistsit’s all in the suit.

Keller’s career as the jolly elf began forthe Pacific Gas and Electric Co. corporateChristmas parties in San Francisco. UponKeller’s insistence, PG&E invested in aquality suit, paying $3,000 to give Kellerthe right look and feel for the job. WhenKeller retired in 2000, PG&E offered himthe suit. Keller declined, hoping someonewould step into the big black boots andcontinue the tradition.

Keller and his wife of 28 years, PatriciaMelendres-Keller, liked the Roseburg areaand her mother lived in Elkton. Upon anearly retirement, the Kellers settled inWinchester.

The couple was enjoying lunch at theUmpqua Lighthouse when Shawn Ram-

sey-Watson, director of the Umpqua ValleyArts Center and friend of the Kellers, toldhim about the position of Santa. She putKeller in touch with Kerwin Doughton, theowner of a local investment firm.

The Rotary Club was adding the Holi-day Village to the annual Festival of Lightsand Doughton wanted Keller as SantaClaus. Excited by the prospect, Kelleragreed — but only if the Rotary Clubfound the right suit.

Back in Santa’s chair, Keller said he hasa rule that Santa talks to the child as longas the child wants.

“It really bothers me when parents try tohurry the child along,” Keller said. He’sbeen known to give parents a discouraginglook for such behavior in the presence ofthe keeper of naughty and nice.

Last December the Holiday Village host-ed the Douglas County Foster Grandparentprogram. The children were served slicedpizza and given a gift, along with a photoopportunity with Santa. That was one ofthe highlights during the past four years

Page 2–The News-Review, Senior Times Roseburg Oregon, Monday, December 5, 2011

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OONN TTHHEE CCOOVVEERR::Winchester’s Gene Keller looks forward tooffering holiday cheer to area children as

part of the Umpqua Valley Festival of Lights.MICHAEL SULLIVAN/The News-Review

SSeenniioorr TTiimmeess

Please see CLAUS, page 3

Santa role keeps Keller coming back

MICHAEL SULLIVAN/The News-Review

Gene Keller, 68, sits near his post at The Umpqua Valley Festival of Lights’ HolidayVillage near River Forks Park in Roseburg. Keller tries to make sure each child whovisits Santa gets as much time to chat as he or she wants.

After years playing Santa Claus at office Christmas Parties, retireeGene Keller plays the role at the Umpqua Valley Festival of Lights

Editor’s NoteBill Duncan, editor of The Senior Times

since 1984, died in a Nov. 18 car accidentoutside his Roseburg home at the age of82. He was working on this issue at thetime of his death. Duncan’s daughter,Eularee Smith of Eugene, wrote thismonth’s cover story and is known toSenior Times readers as the author of themonthly “Wise Grandma” column.

Duncan’s duties for this publication willbe taken over by Tricia Jones, assistantcity editor for The News-Review. If youhave a feature idea for The Senior Times,you can contact Jones at 541-957-4216 orby email at tjones@nrtoday.com.

that Keller has volunteered.“Anything I can do for just a minute or

two to make the season a little brighter forthese kids,” Keller chuckled. “The beardhelps.”

Until he came to Roseburg, Keller worea fake beard. Now he lets his own grow afew weeks before the Holiday Villageopens and keeps it trimmed close to hisface.

And then there is Rudolph.When children question him as to the

location of the red-nosed reindeer, Santasimply points out that only he can seeRudolph.

“I’ve always been a good storyteller,”Keller said, adding that children want tobelieve and it is often the parents who getin the way. Sometimes little ones tell himthat Mom and Dad say that Santa isn’treal. One child asked if she could touch hisbeard as proof.

“He’s real,” she shrieked as she gave it atug.

Keller says he is mindful of what hesays in front of children. He only promisesthat he will work on their requests. Kellersays maybe one in 100 comes with a list.Most ask for something for their mommyor sister, rather than themselves.

Keller has a special place in his heart forchildren with disabilities. He reaches outto children with autism, waiting for themto fixate on something. He says that is the

key to drawing them out. The Holiday Village sits back from the

road in the Pitchford Boys Ranch near theentrance to the Festival of Lights at RiverForks Park. Surrounded by the seasonaltrimmings, including a train set chuggingthrough a Christmas village, a cozy fireand a collection of Santa toys, Santa sits inhis chair listening to the wishes of all whosit on his lap.

Nonprofit organizations provide elfhelper volunteers, as well as refreshmentsand information on their services in thecommunity.

Keller has two granddaughters and twograndsons and hopes his 13-year-oldgrandson joins him this year as an elf.

Wearing a shiny Christmas bell aroundhis neck, much like the bell in Chris VanAllsburg’s “The Polar Express,” Kellerhopes someday he can give every childwho visits him a keepsake bell.

It may seem obvious, but Santa’s primejob qualification is “you have to love chil-dren,” Keller said.

He is a hopeless romantic and wishes tokeep the magic of Christmas alive and wellin the hearts of all children. The momentyou hear his “Ho, Ho, Ho,” it is hard not tobelieve that Santa is truly in the house.

Holiday Village is open each Thursdaythrough Sunday from 5:30 to 9 p.m. untilJan. 1. Drop a letter for Santa in the mail-box at the Village, at Macy’s or online atsocial.macys.com/believe, and Macy’s willdonate $1 to the Make a Wish Foundation.

Eularee Smith is a freelance writer forthe Senior Times.

Monday, December 5, 2011–The News-Review, Senior Times Roseburg Oregon, Page 3

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Claus:CONTINUED FROM PAGE 2

Ifirst knew of Bill Duncan when hecalled to complain that he couldn’t gethis certified check cashed at my bank. A

certified check is like a cashier’s check. Itis good anywhere. The tellerwas new and the check wasjust a check to her. She was-n’t about to cash it. I apolo-gized, but the damage wasdone.

Years later, I served as aboard member of The Ameri-can Red Cross and there wasBill Duncan. He served asdirector for a long time. Thatwas the second time I methim, and we became friends.

I always had a hankering for genealogy,so I enrolled in the genealogy class atUmpqua Community College in my sparetime. It was for 10 weeks. About the thirdweek, the editor of The Senior Times askedthe instructor if she would write a columnabout it every month. She said “no,” butshe asked her class about it. I thought aboutit and finally volunteered to do it until hecould find someone else. The editor wasBill Duncan. I have written more than 100monthly columns for The Senior Times.

Bill always told me that the editor was toclarify the column and not to change it. Hedidn’t have much to clarify in my columnafter I got the hang of it.

At first, I wrote 1,000words or better. He said,“Tone it down.” I got so thatI could write it in half asmany words. One thing thatBill was adamant about wasthe three dots. Amateur writ-ers would use them any waythey could. They can be usedwhen the word can’t beexplained.

Bill was a Marine’sMarine. He enlisted when he

was only 16 years old during World War II.He let it slip that he was at Iwo Jima. He

told me that the real heroes were the oneswho had died during the early days of thelanding. He landed there about 15 dayslater. I was impressed.

The world will be poorer without WilliamJackson Duncan.

Columnist Ron Culbertson salutes hislongtime friend and colleague, Bill Dun-can.

Friendship flourished despiteawkward first impression

Ronald CulbertsonMusings

Page 4–The News-Review, Senior Times Roseburg Oregon, Monday, December 5, 2011

Ihave good news to share with the mil-lions of Americans who prefer to con-duct business in Spanish. You can now

apply online for Social Security retirementand Medicare benefits totally in Spanish.Go to www.segurosocial.gov and you willbe able to take advantage of other onlineservices offered in our language.

For years, Social Security has been atthe forefront of providing online servicesfor Americans, offering a wealth of infor-mation in Spanish.

I want to tell you about the expandedsuite of services offered in our language.

Let’s say that you are ready to apply for

Social Security retirement benefits. Whatwould you think if I told you that youcould do it online in only 15 minutes?Once you complete the online applicationand “sign” it with the click of a key, yourapplication is complete. In most casesthere are no documents to submit or addi-tional paperwork to fill out. It’s the easiestway to do this transaction, and now it’savailable in Spanish.

You can also go to the site to apply forMedicare, a process that will take about 10minutes.

If you are already receiving Medicareand are having trouble with the high cost

of drugs that have been prescribed, youmight qualify for extra help from SocialSecurity. The extra help can save you asmuch as $4,000 each year. Applicationsand more information are available on thewebsite.

If you are not ready to retire but want toget an immediate, personalized estimate ofyour Social Security benefit, try the Retire-ment Estimator. Using the actual wagesposted in your Social Security record, theEstimator gives you a good picture of whatto expect in retirement.

You can type in different situations andput in different amounts of wages to get

the estimates that can help you plan yourlife.

There is a lot of information in Spanishat www.segurosocial.gov, and you canconduct a lot of Social Security businessonline from the convenience and comfortof your home or office computer.

Need help getting started on the comput-er? Ask your children or grandchildren tohelp you.

Don Francisco is a volunteer spokesmanfor the Social Security Administration. TheEnglish version of the program’s website isat www.socialsecurity.gov.

Spanish version of Social Security website is muy facil

nd of the line” is a term some-times used in genealogy.Since each branch of our fam-

ily is considered a line, the term fits.“Hitting a brick wall” is anotherexpression oftenused. What thesephrases mean is thatyou are no longerable to proceed onthat particular line.

Dead ends comewhen it appears youhave exhausted yoursources and have notreached your objec-tive. There are sev-eral reasons this may happen. Youhave learned an ancestor was afoundling. You may be unable to tiein your last known person to the nextgeneration back. There may be anunexpected name change (such asoften happened in the case of immi-grants), misspelling of names,changes of location by family, firesand other losses of records.

My friend, Shannon, has beenunable to trace farther back than herGrandfather Roberts on one line.There was a son born, but her great-grandmother never divulged thename of the father. She gave her sonher maiden name.

Arkansas in 1883 had no birthrecords. Her grandfather had twoyounger half-siblings, but he diedyoung so the connection with his halffamily was lost to my friend.

Shannon has written letters to thearea where her grandfather was bornand grew up, but with no success.She was told the local church andcourthouse burned and that norecords appear to have been left.

DNA can be done through themale side of the family. Her brothersent his, but as yet to no avail. Untilsomeone else appears with the sameDNA, it will not produce results that

may lead to possibleparentage.

A lady from RandomActs of GenealogicalKindness, a web-basedresearch group run byvolunteers, sent myfriend an old newspaperclipping of an interestingstory involving the deathof the husband of hergrandfather’s half-sister.

A few weeks ago she found a geneal-ogy query by a man who appeared tobe a descendant of this half-sister.She promised to send him the story ifhe contacted her. So far she hasheard nothing.

One should not despair when hit-ting brick walls. Somewhere, there isa record. Putting your research asidemay allow you to come back withfresh eyes later and possibly pick upa clue you missed previously.Records are constantly being digi-tized and put online. Perhaps theinformation you are seeking is in theprocess of becoming available. Shan-non is not giving up, but declares it ismighty frustrating at times.

One of my dead ends opened upwhen a distant cousin told me thechildren of the family had changedtheir last name from Fought to Foftwhen their father died. This presenteda whole new area to search. I guesspatience was the key for me.

As mentioned earlier, many immi-grants changed their names whenthey came to America. County

boundaries changed over the years.Checking the history of the area maydivulge the actual place to search.

An Ancestry.com Quick Tip sug-gests writing to a genealogy-mindedfriend, giving all the backgroundinformation and thoroughly explain-ing the problem. George Mouchet,who submitted the tip, says thatanother person who is unfamiliarwith the problem may see connec-tions and new avenues to pursue. Hesaid that often he does not even haveto send the correspondence before hehas new insight. Of course, it neverhurts to go ahead and ask for an addi-tional point of view.

This month’s column is an end ofthe line for me. I have lived in Rose-burg for 25 years. I love it here. Foralmost five years of that time I haveshared my thoughts on genealogy andfamily history with you, my readers.Many of you have commented to meon different aspects of this sharing.One person told me she was keepinga notebook on my articles as theywere published. It has been a wonder-ful endeavor. I thank you.

The Roseburg Family History Cen-ter will have a new director to replaceme. It has been a privilege to servewith a great staff and meet so manywonderful people seeking to knowmore about their families. I will takemany memories of this town with me.

As for my future, we have threemarried children and their familieswho are urging us to come backhome to Grants Pass. We will missRoseburg, but after all, it is really allabout family.

Beverly Wellington can be reachedat bevwel@q.com.

Columnist reaches milestone, but doesn’t hit the brick wall

Beverly WellingtonFamily Tree

Dear Reader,December can create tension in our hurried lives.

Nerves get easily ruffled as we rush through theholidays. So for my per-sonal shield, I have assem-bled an emotional first-aidkit that contains words andsentences I repeat tomyself when my mindheads down a road to mis-erable thinking.

When I experience anxi-ety, fear, poor-me-pity-parties, or when I findmyself in a bad mood forno particular reason, I open my medicine chest door hopingto find a cure.

Immune to soap and water and even antibacterial cream,that nasty bad mood bug is a sly one. How he spreads fromone person to another. If I only knew, I could bottle thecure. In the meantime, my antidote is to swallow two heap-ing teaspoons full of just be nice.

“Just be nice, Suzanne.” Exhale, don’t beep the horn.Don’t repeat to yourself the not-so-nice comment someonesaid today, because reviewing nasty encounters keeps nasti-ness alive. Don’t roll your eyes when someone needs aprice check in the check-out line. Just be nice, Suzanne.

Take a deep breath and think about the weekly bakingsessions you have with your grandson, Paul. Think of thelast time little 3-year-old James said, “Grandma, I loveyou.”

Picture your husband turning down the sheets at nightand propping your pillow, so when you head into the bed-room, a comfy bed is waiting.

Recall the warm words a book club reader sent to youabout the column you wrote the other day. Be nice to othersand don’t forget to be nice to yourself.

Because maybe you didn’t catch this bad-mood bug fromanyone else. Maybe it started with you.

Thanks for reading with me. It’s so good to read withfriends.

Suzanne Beecher provides the online book club for theDouglas Country Library sponsored by The Senior Timesin cooperation with the Friends of the Library. Contacther at Suzanne@EmailBookClub.com or your librarybranch to sign up for the book club.

Act to deflect thebad mood bug

Suzanne BeecherCommentary

“E

Joy erupted easily among us girls in thefourth grade when the teacherannounced our class would plan to

attend a moving picture on a school after-noon. What the boys thought was difficultto guess, since they did not react as we did.They often needed to pondera change in routine.

Since my first and onlyexperience seeing silent mov-ing pictures had been in anautomobile showroom view-ing a large white area on onewall, I was eager to enter theinitial Princess movie theater.It occupied a single-widthcorner store space that facedthe central town square.

The plan was for us towalk together the six blocks from ourschool to the downtown area. I presume wehad been told to inform our parents, andprobably the teacher gave us some literarybackground about the drama we would see.But it was the excitement we girls generat-ed that was the fuel that caused a clearmemory to remain with me.

On a warm spring afternoon in 1929, we30 students chose a partner and followedthe teacher, happy to stroll the neighbor-hood sidewalks. As we entered the

Princess, no money was needed, possiblybecause the owner was the father of a girlin our class. I noticed on each side of thecenter aisle there were folding chairs boltedtogether in precise rows.

A piano was placed to the left side of anelevated screen. After quicklybeing seated, we had ourattention drawn to watchingthe movement of the actorswhile we also read the large-letter words to explain whatthey were saying. Pianomusic was played by an adultto accompany the film, whichhelped stimulate our imagina-tions.

What did we see during thismemorable first moving pic-

ture show? We were entertained by the“Romeo and Juliet” screenplay. At least thegirls were. What the boys thought, giventhat they might have expected rougher andtougher action, I never knew. Their down-cast demeanor did not match our joy andsadness as we absorbed the complicatedlove story.

Laura Kruse shares her reminiscingabout life with readers of The SeniorTimes.

First trip to the picture showgenerated a mixed response

What child doesn’t like a monsterstory? I read this book to MistyDavis’ first-grade class, along

with three other first-grade classes thatwanted to join us at Brockway ElementarySchool. The children sat on the floor withtheir big eyes sparkling and big smiles ontheir faces, waiting patientlyfor me to start the story.

“First, close your eyes.What do you see when I saythe word ‘monster’?” I askedthe children. Each child triedto tell me at the same time.Everyone imagined a differ-ent-looking monster andexpressed scary thoughtsabout monsters. They likedthe story before I even beganreading it. Kids love monsterstories and can’t wait to hear them.

We spent some time talking about cavesand what kind of animals live there. To mysurprise, many of the children respondedwith good answers.

Now we were ready for the story. LimaBear was waiting for his cousin, L. JoeBean, to arrive. L. Joe Bean was a bear,and tiny like Lima Bear. He was smoothand dark red and looked like a pinto bean,instead of a lima bean, like Lima Bear. Atonce Whistle Toe the rabbit dashed in to

announce: “L. Joe Bean has been capturedby the Cave Monster!”

“Oh, no! We must rescue him!” LimaBear ran to the door and called for theirfriends, Maskamal the raccoon and Back-Back the opossum. Back-Back was differ-ent from other opossums for he had noback. He was invisible and couldn’t be

seen if you were behindhim.

They discussed andargued about how to save L.Joe Bean. They were allafraid to go in the blackcave and knew perfectlywell that’s where “The CaveMonster” had taking theirfriend. How would they res-cue him? Someone had togo into that black cave.

Maskamal stammered, “I d-d-don’twanna go in there!”

Back-Back shivered and shook his head,“Me neither.”

Lima Bear pulled himself up to his tallestand swallowed hard, “We have to save L.Joe Bean!”

It was finally decided they would comeback later when it was dark. Then maybe,if the Cave Monster were sleeping, theycould sneak in and grab L. Joe Bean.

They met again just before nightfall. Lit-

tle Lima Bear stood up tall and said hewould go in first and that gave everyonecourage. They entered the cave and saw L.Joe Bean tied up near a pot of boilingwater. Then they heard a huge roar andsaw the Cave Monster. What happens

next?The children of Brockway Elementary

School couldn’t wait for the end of thestory, and neither will your grandchildren.This was a great, exciting book fromThomas Weck and Peter Weck, a father-and-son team of writers. I recommend itfor any child who loves danger, suspenseand fun.

“The Cave Monster” also reinforces thevalue of friendship, courage, and apprecia-tion for others who look and think differ-ently.

Thomas Weck is a creative and captivat-ing national award-winning author of chil-dren’s books. He has traveled extensivelyin the U. S. and in foreign countries, andtaught children through the Peace Corps.He has four children of his own.

Peter Weck grew up enjoying hisfather’s stories of Lima Bear and hisfriends. He is on the board of the MenloPark Library Foundation and is CEO ofStoryJumper, a web-based company thatenables anyone to create and illustratechildren’s stories.

Len DiSalvo is the illustrator. He teachesat the Art Center design College in Tucson,Arizona.

Della Neavoll is the Reading Grandmawho reviews children’s books.

Monday, December 5, 2011–The News-Review, Senior Times Roseburg Oregon, Page 5

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Della NeavollReading Grandma

Laura KruseMemory Moments

In order to age gracefully, you must befully committed to the idea that youare only as old as you think, rather

than as old as you feel. The aches andpains, the failing eyesight, sleeplessnights and, of course, the onslaught ofwrinkles and shifting of body parts temptus to redefine the quality oflife.

All of us have had morn-ings we heard more creaksin our bones than in thefloor.

To avoid the noise of age,we color the gray, moistur-ize, nip and tuck. Even menare turning back the clock.

Like the Dylan Thomasclassic, the boomer genera-tion is being well noted fornot going gently or quietly into that goodnight. But despite the warnings from ourelders that growing old is not for sissies,we hopefully arrive at our scheduled des-tination — old age.

Delma Kollar of Creswell has defiedall the odds, celebrated her 114th birth-day on Halloween.

Delma is Oregon’s oldest resident andis ranked as the world’s fifth-oldest per-son, according to the Los Angeles-based

Gerontology Research Group. The groupverifies and debunks claims of super-cen-tenarians; those age 110 or more.

Delma has outlived her parents, both ofwhom lived into their 90s. Two of herthree children died in their 60s.

Her remaining daughter is 87 yearsold. Delma brags on her sixgrandchildren, 10 great-grandchildren, 11 great-greats and one great-great-great grandchild, all ofwhom she still recognizes.She delights in the simplepleasures of eating choco-late, especially M&Ms.

Celebrated poet andauthor Maya Angelouspoke with simple, honestwisdom to Oprah Winfrey

during an interview on the inevitabilityof growing old.

She talked candidly about the dailybody changes. Her breasts seemed to beracing to see which would reach herwaist first, she said.

But Angelou made one remark I foundto be quite revealing. It is perhaps thesecret to youthful aging.

I’ve learned that regardless of yourrelationship with your parents, you’ll

miss them when they’re gone from yourlife,” she said.

My mother-in-law, who is 90 years old,had hip replacement surgery in October.While she was struggling in the rehabili-tation facility, she looked up at me andsaid, “No matter how old I am, I stillmiss my mother.”

When I was a teenager, I demanded tobuy my own toothpaste, pay my waythrough college, in essence, be my ownperson. It has come to be a funny memo-ry of teenage rebellion, but recently itgave me pause for thought.

After I had a terrible bout with the fluin September, my father sent me a checkin the mail, with a note that read: “Go geta flu shot. That is an order.” Once aMarine, always a Marine. That is how myfather expressed his last word on anysubject.

But once my father, he is always myfather, no matter how old I am. As Iturned my head away from the encroach-ing needle, my thoughts were. “Ouch, Iwish my Mom was here.”

Despite the fact that Mother’s andFather’s Day are still six months away, Ispeak of them now at Christmas becauseI am a Christmas baby.

No, I wasn’t born on Christmas day, or

even in the season of Christmas, butrather on September 25th, nine monthslater. Which means that I was conceivedin the most joyous season of the year andmaybe even the most magical day of theyear. My parents gave me the gift of lifeon Christmas 1950. I am most gratefulfor this rare and precious gift.

Angelou speaks of a universal truth. Atage 18, when I wanted to buy my owntoothpaste; at age 39, when I was diag-nosed with breast cancer; even now atage 60, when I am getting a flu shot —my first thoughts are of my parents.

Since my childhood friends’ motherdied, we have often talked of the manytimes they went to pick up the phone tocall her. I believe our parents are thesecret of the fountain of youth.

When we think of them, we are sud-denly and miraculously young again.This Christmas I will celebrate my par-ents as the true gift that keeps on giving.That is what a wise grandma would do.

Eularee Smith is the proud daughter ofBill Duncan. She is grateful for the kind-ness of so many who loved her father andfor the caring support for her mother, AdaDuncan. Smith will miss her father everyday of her life. Semper fi.

Hold your parents close, in life or in memoryPage 6–The News-Review, Senior Times Roseburg Oregon, Monday, December 5, 2011

Eularee SmithWise Grandma

ALBANY (AP) — Albany is makingprogress in its effort to make it easier forthe disabled, especially people in wheel-chairs and also the aged, to get around.

“Its incredibly slow to make an entirecommunity fully accessible,” City Manag-er Wes Hare says. “And expensive.”

But there’s movement.In March 2010, the city council got a

report pointing out numerous potentialtrouble spots in city buildings and recom-mending changes.

Most of those things now have beenfixed, says Lisa Bennett, an employee inthe Community Development Departmentand the city’s coordinator for work con-nected with the Americans with Disabili-ties Act.

The federal law, passed during theadministration of President George H.W.Bush, aims to make sure that people withdisabilities get as much help as possible inmoving about and using public facilities.

“Most people think of wheelchair userswhen ADA is mentioned,” Bennett said,“but in our review and inspections, wealso plan for our older population, asabout half of people 65 and older havesome kind of disability.’”

Bennett, currently on maternity leavebut at work briefly last week, says thecity’s ADA efforts now are driven mostlyby complaints. If people point out prob-lem spots as far as accessibility is con-

cerned, she checks them out and recom-mends action.

Albany has paid greater attention to theissue of accessibility for about four years,Bennett said.

“We’re doing quite well,” she added.“Especially compared to some othercities, we’re doing quite well.”

For the next two or three years, cityplans include dealing with curb ramps,making sure the ramps exist and work asintended, according to Bennett.

Albany’s capital improvement plancalls for spending more than half a mil-lion dollars from 2012 through the 2015fiscal year on ADA improvements, start-ing with six blocks of Madison StreetS.E. in the coming budget year. The plancalls for replacing 10 curb ramps andrepairing heaved-up and broken side-walks on Madison near Lafayette Ele-mentary School.

The Madison Street schedule is theresult of citizen complaints, Bennett said.

The following two years, the plan callsfor improvements at 21 bus stops aroundtown, building new curb ramps, sheltersor other improvements.

Bennett notes that fixing problems isonly part of the job. The city, she said,also makes sure new construction com-plies with ADA, and she points to thesidewalks near the Walmart store set toopen in early 2012.

City continues creating access for elderly

Contemplating your travel plans for2012? Humanitarian travel is gain-ing popularity, as more and more

people who want to see the world alsowant to give back in some way.

In my years of travel, my fondestmemories have been when I wasinvolved in a service proj-ect. Any time I escortedgroups to developingcountries, I always includ-ed an opportunity to workside by side with locals, toserve them in some way.One of the happiest daysof my life was spent at theRift Valley Children’s Vil-lage in Tanzania, Africa,squatting in a shallow riverhelping care-giving womenwash clothes on rocks.

Those beautiful, hardworking, weather-beaten women spoke no English and Ispoke no Swahili, but by the end of theday we knew many things about eachother — mostly that we were sisters inserving. Saying goodbye to them wastearful. I still carry their faces in mymind and their goodness in my heart. Ionly hope they remember me as well.

There are countless opportunities for

social uplifting travel. Churches do mis-sion trips; service organizations such asRotary and Lions Club travel our countryand the world offering service. TheInternet is full of information aboutorganizations that offer rewardinghumanitarian experiences.

You don’t need be a doc-tor, a teacher or a builder.There are many babies inthe world who have neverbeen held, and I know peo-ple who have simply rockedbabies in orphanages.

Humanitarian servicetravel doesn’t need to be abig time commitment either.Some organizations ask fora week or two of your time,others only a day or two.

Whatever you give, you will never forgetand you will receive so much more inreturn.

For my good friend, Shaun Parry, aBroadway singer, actor, and dancer, serv-ing others became a life-changing experi-ence.

On Sept. 11, 2001, while living inNew York City, Shaun had no search andrescue training. But because he wasmuch more limber than the firefighters,

he was able to slip through huge cavernsunderneath the devastation with a fiber-optic scope. He utilized his dance talentsin a way he could never have imaginedby assisting in finding nine people alivebefore searchers were forced to evacuate.

After that experience, Shaun knew hehad to do something with his life that lefta mark on the world. In 2004 he met adancer from Peru who invited him toteach classes in her Lima dance studio. Athree-week agreement turned into threemonths as the two dancers worked withhungry kids from the Lima slum. Thechildren were hungry for food, but theywere even hungrier for direction, disci-pline and self-confidence.

As the students progressed, they foundjobs and returned to school. It was thenthat Shaun realized that he would offerthis type of experience to children allover the world. And so he foundedPromethean Spark — a nonprofit organi-zation that uses dance to improve thelives of neglected and troubled youngpeople in developing countries.

While very rewarding, humanitarianservice travel is definitely different thantraditional travel. In making your deci-sion, ask yourself the following ques-tions:

• Am I willing to offer my skills andinterests to a community needing help?

• Can I accept direction and instructionfrom program leaders and from localleaders?

• Can I work as a team member andplace the interest of the team ahead ofmy personal interests?

• Do I enjoy learning about new cul-tures and unfamiliar lifestyles?

• Am I able to adjust to unfamiliar set-tings and unknown circumstances?

• In the case of medical /dental pro-grams, can I work in difficult circum-stances and settings, at times with ashortage of equipment or supplies?

Some may ask, why go across the plan-et to serve when there is so much need inmy own town?

I agree, there is need everywhere, andas a human being we can enrich our ownlives and that of others by offering ourtime and talents anywhere. Whether theservice is offered locally or international-ly, to me it is all the same.

Gloria Johnson is a Douglas County-based tour conductor and world traveler.Contact gloriousideas@hotmail.com fordetails about upcoming group trips.

A desire to serve may spark bigger-picture travel Monday, December 5, 2011–The News-Review, Senior Times Roseburg Oregon, Page 7

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ADA DUNCANFor The Senior Times

As the community struggles to findfunding for many of the programswe all take for granted, our out-

standing library system is at risk. Whileothers take the lead with projects thatwill generate financial resources, thereare some hands-on tasks volunteers cando to keep the quality of that resourceintact.

As you assess that critical need, con-sider helping to cover new books withplastic coating for two hours once aweek, on Wednesday, Friday or Saturday.Call Francesca at 541-440-4314 or Samat 541-492-3917 and let them know youare willing to do your part.

Others who need your help include:The Foster Grandparent Program is

looking for volunteers in Oakland, Myr-tle Creek, and Roseburg to help childrengain basic skills in reading, critical think-ing, positive behavior. Training as well asa tax-free stipend and mileage reimburse-ment are available. Service is in a publicschool or youth-oriented nonprofit centerin your community and requires 15 hoursper week. Please contact Berta at 541-492-3520 for details.

The Senior Companion Program needsyou to visit with frail elders, take them to

the doctor or shopping. Volunteers earnan hourly tax-free stipend, mileage andmeal reimbursement. You will berequired to volunteer a minimum of 15hours per week. Volunteers are needed inRoseburg, Yoncalla, and Sutherlin. CallBerta at 541-492-3520.

The Family Caregiver Support Pro-gram is offering a two-day training work-shop to certify class leaders in the classseries called “Powerful Tools of Caregiv-ing.” Certified volunteers teach classesfor family caregivers in four-hour ses-sions one day a week for six weeks. Alsoneeded are monthly helpers for four-hoursessions with the newsletter. If eitheropportunity is for you, call Nancy at 541-440-3677 or Sam at 541-492-3917.

The Roseburg Veterans Affairs MedicalCenter needs people to take patients toand from VA appointments in the Rose-burg area. Volunteers will drive the VAvan. You will receive training and have atuberculosis test. Call Voluntary Servicesat 541-440-1000 or Sam at 541-492-3917for requirements.

Douglas County Cancer Services wantsvolunteers to greet patients and helpthem with financial and personal needs.Call Dodie 541-459-1512 or Sam at 541-492-3917.

Sutherlin Senior Center Meals onWheels needs volunteers to serve meals

on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. Dutiesalso include dishwashing, janitorial tasks,or delivering meals to the homebound.Sign up with Kendra at 541-459-9405 orSam at 541-492-3917.

Umpqua Valley Rehab and Care Centeris looking for someone to lead a ceramicsworkshop for the residents any day ortime. The center also is seeking a manwho can relate to the interests of the maleresidents and would like to visit withthem. For more information, call Gina at541- 464-7108 or Sam at 541-492-3917.

United Community Action Networkneeds helpers to coach clients withrecovery, including personal finance;classes on cooking and nutrition; house-keeping responsibilities as well as trans-porting clients who need food boxes andassisting on the MOVES van. Call atSam 541-492-3917.

UCAN’s food bank is looking for vol-unteers to pick up supplies from variousdonors, drive the food bank truck, or putorders together for distribution in thewarehouse. Call Jeanine at 541-492-3524 or Sam at 541-492-3917.

UCAN TransLink is looking for one ortwo full-time volunteer drivers for Med-icaid transportation Monday through Fri-day. Volunteers use their own vehicles.Mileage reimbursement is available. Fordetails, call Cheryl at 541-440-6500 or

Sam at 541-492-3917.Dial-A-Ride needs drivers to provide

transportation in their own communities,to the grocery store, doctor appointmentsand to the Senior Centers for lunch threetimes a week. Each community has afleet of vehicles, so using your own isnot necessary. Communities needing youare Winston, Sutherlin and Reedsport.Call Sam at 541-492-3917 for anappointment.

Saving Grace Pet Adoption Center islooking for a clinic assistant technicianon Monday or Thursday from 9 a.m. to 1p.m. Duties include prepping for surgery,assisting the doctor and recovery needs.A front office person to greet clients,answer phones, and other duties is alsoneeded. To learn more, call Amy at 541-673-3907 or Sam at 541-492-3917.

Umpqua Valley Arts Center is lookingfor volunteers on Saturdays to greet visi-tors and acquaint them with the exhibits,as well as answer phones or other tasks.Call the arts center at 541-672-2532 orSam at 541-492-3917 to learn more.

Boy Scout troops need your help tocoordinate duties of parents and othervolunteers under the direction of theScoutmaster or district leader. Commit-ment requires one meeting per week,from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursdays. If you fit thebill, call Sam at 541-492-3917.

December offers a wealth of volunteer opportunities

December is the season for giving.And this month I hope to giveyou a gift of chocolate.

Usually sweets are discouraged asbeing unhealthy. Fortunately, researchhas consistently found that chocolate isassociated with heart healthby lowering blood pressureand decreasing “bad” cho-lesterol.

It seems that this is due toa whole host of plant com-pounds called phytochemi-cals, and chocolate hasmore than 300 of these.

Not just any chocolate hasthese health benefits. Stickwith chocolate that has morethan 70% cacao. Thatexcludes white chocolate,milk chocolate, cocoa powder andchocolate syrup.

It doesn’t take much dark chocolate toachieve these heart health benefits. Onerecent study published in the Journal ofthe American Medical Associationshowed that eating a daily portion ofabout 30 calories (about one-quarter ofan ounce) of dark chocolate was associ-ated with lowering blood pressure with-out weight gain or other adverse effects.

So here is a simple recipe that is bothdelicious and nutritious. I made this with72 percent cacao chocolate and pista-chios.

You could experiment with higher per-centages of dark chocolate, but I findthat 80 percent or higher cacao doesn’thave the lovely silky texture that is typi-cally associated with chocolate.

You could use any type of nut. Trytoasted almonds or roasted peanuts. Thesalt needs to have a bit of texture, so acoarse salt, like kosher salt, or some ofthe coarser sea salts, would work well.

Melting chocolate can be tricky. Thetraditional method is to putchocolate in a bowl that isthen placed over a pan ofsimmering water.

You need to take care notto allow any moisture,water or steam, to get intothe chocolate. Otherwise,the chocolate will “seize”and become one big, stiff,gooey mess. I like to meltmy chocolate in themicrowave to avoid that

possibility. Melting chocolate in the microwave

takes patience. Chocolate can look like itis not melting, as it tends to hold itsshape as it heats. Be sure to stir thechocolate every 15 to 30 seconds.

Stirring the chocolate is needed to dis-tribute the heated chocolate with theunmelted chocolate to get a wonderfullysmooth chocolate.

Be warned — this chocolate bark willmelt when you hold it in your hand, sotake just a small amount to pop in yourmouth. Have a wonderful holiday seasonand enjoy!

Nancy Goodale Graham is a registereddietitian at Cardiovascular Wellness andRehabilitation at Sacred Heart MedicalCenter at RiverBend in Springfield.

Monday, December 5, 2011–The News-Review, Senior Times Roseburg Oregon, Page 9

Mercy Medical Center

For Your Good Health

*Team-PD is a network of rehab teams trained by the OHSU Parkinson Center of Oregon in the comprehensive team care approach endorsed

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Presented by Jeff A. Kraakevik, MD, Movement Disordersand Parkinson’s specialist and Shannon Donovan, PA-C from the Oregon Health Science University’s Parkinson Center of Oregon, and TEAM-PD*, therapists from Mercy Institute of Rehabilitation, join us to learn more about the signs and symptoms of Parkinson’s Disease and the importance of early referrals to skilled rehab teams.

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Dreaming of a brown Christmas

NancyGoodale-Graham

Nutrition

Adapted from Whole Living November2011

Cooking spray8 ounces of dark chocolate (at least

70% cacao), chopped or broken intosmall bits

1/4 cup shelled pistachios, chopped1/4 teaspoon coarse salt

Spray an 8-inch-by-8-inch pan withcooking spray and then line the pan withparchment paper, leaving a small over-hang. Set aside while you melt thechocolate.

To melt the chocolate, place thechocolate in a microwaveable bowl. Heat

on high for 15 seconds, stir, then heatagain for 15 seconds. Continue the 15seconds/stir routine until the chocolateis melted. (Be patient! This can take upto five minutes.) Pour the melted choco-late in the prepared pan and smoothwith a spatula into an even layer.

Sprinkle the chopped pistachios andcoarse salt over the chocolate. Chill thepan in the refrigerator until completelyset, about an hour.

Peel off the parchment paper andbreak into pieces.

Makes eight 1-ounce servingsPer serving: 190 Calories; 14 g Fat; 7 g

Saturate Fat; 14 g Carbohydrate; 3 g pro-tein; 3 g Fiber; 70 mg Sodium

Dark Chocolate Bark with Pistachios

PERU, Ill. (AP) — It’s long been saidthat having a pet can extend one’s life, butfor many aging people illnesses or a moveinto an assisted living facility can meansaying goodbye to a beloved pet.

Kathy Copeland, now a resident ofManor Court Skilled Nursing and RehabCenter in Peru, lived much of her life inPeru and Spring Valley, usually with a petin her home.

“I always had animals. Dogs, cats, achinchilla, a rabbit — not all at one time,”she said.

But after suffering a stroke and havingdiabetes-related health problems it becamenecessary for her to move into a facility.

“I had a dog, a lab. He was my last dogbefore I came into the home,” she said.

It can be difficult saying goodbye to ananimal that you’ve grown attached to,Copeland said, but she was able to give herpet, who was beginning to show signs ofhealth concerns as well, to her brother’sfamily.

Knowing that his sister had spent muchof her life caring for animals, her brothergave her a canary as a pet she could takewith her to the first nursing home shemoved into, Copeland said.

“When I came here. ‘Oh, what am I

going to do? Can I bring him?’” sheremembers worrying at the time when shewas moving to Manor Court.

She now has been living for a number ofyears in her room at Manor Court justdown the hall from the activity roomwhere the canary is caged.

Named Mohawk for the tuft of featherson top of his head, the yellow canary isregularly visited by Copeland and theother residents of the home.

“He’s good entertainment. I mean notjust for me, for the other residents,” shesaid.

Just talking about the bird elicits greatlaughs and a smile from Copeland.

“He loves apples, he loves grahamcrackers,” she said.

“He’s a little boy and a he’s a messy lit-tle boy,” she later said with a laugh.

Living in a nursing home isn’t alwaysentertaining, according to Copeland, buthaving Mohawk nearby means she alwayshas something to see.

“When I get upset a lot of times I go inand talk to him. He’s not going to tell any-one,” she said.

Although her physical conditions limit

Pets can make a differencein the lives of senior citizens

Please see PETS, page 10

the amount of care she’s able to provideMohawk, she does what she can and theManor Court activity staff takes care of therest.

Patsy Wolsfeld, a resident of ColonialHall Care Center in Princeton, had a simi-lar experience to Copeland.

“I’ve had in my house everything youcan think of except snakes and spiders,”Wolsfeld said.

Before moving into Colonial Hall, shewas a widow living in a large home withher two Chihuahuas.

“I couldn’t take care of them myself,”she said.

The transition of moving away from herdogs was difficult.

“I missed them like I would one of mykids,” she said.

Luckily for Wolsfeld, her son, Frank,who lives just minutes away from the nurs-ing home, took her dogs. She’s now able tovisit them regularly whenever she goes toher son’s family’s home.

“Most of the time there’s a family mem-ber that will step up,” said local veterinari-an Dr. Stephen Dullard.

When there isn’t a family member orfriend able to help take over care of a pet,veterinary clinics, animal rescue groupsand others have helped find homes for petswhose owners have reached a point wherethey can no longer provide adequate care.

“I think it springs up on people and, ofcourse, no one wants to take it to a shelterbecause they’re overcrowded too,” saidTana Shaw of rural Mendota.

An assistant at Dullard’s Ancare Veteri-nary Clinic and owner of North of the RickAlpacas, Shaw has often taken home ani-mals for people who have been unable tocare for them either because of age, illness,or changing financial situations.

Relying on her personal network offriends and, increasingly, social network-ing sites, she often finds new homes forthese pets, although she only gives the petsto families she knows can take care ofthem.

It’s also becoming more common for

people to plan for their pet’s future byincluding them in their wills, either by set-ting up a trust for the pet’s care or outlin-ing a care plan with family or friends.

The AARP website recently included anarticle with advice on setting up a trust fora pet. The article advised detailing specificcare plans for the pet as well as saving fora fund that can cover the pet’s food, med-ical needs and supplies.

A couple local veterinarians said theyhave even heard of people includingmacabre requests in their wills to havetheir pets euthanized and buried with themwhen they die — something the vets don’trecommend, particularly in the case ofhealthy animals.

While planning for a pet’s care maymean a little extra work, few animal loverswould say older people should not consid-er having a pet.

“I think more people should have petsthan they do,” said Deb Moreland, whooperates Furry Friends, a traveling pettingzoo. “I think they’re really missing out onsomething. So I won’t say the older gener-ation should give up their pets.”

Wolsfeld, like many residents of localnursing homes and similar facilities, getsthe benefit of frequent visits from More-land and her Furry Friends.

“Hey, you little monkey,” Wolsfeldlaughed as Moreland’s Chihuaha, Yoda,climbed up her chest on began licking herface during a recent visit.

On the recent visit to Colonial Hall,Moreland walked the center’s corridorswith her entourage of animals, includingYoda, Cody the Husky, Grace the deer,Cuddles the chinchilla, Lulu the guineapig, Sam the rabbit, Petunia the skunk andTigger the cat.

Moreland and her menagerie stopped inrooms spreading a little joy wherever theywent.

For Wolsfeld, who has a reputation fortreating the animals with bits of food savedfrom her meals, Moreland’s dogs and deerquickly responded, edging up to her whenthey entered her room.

The animals seem to have a gift for rec-ognizing the agility and energy level ofeach resident and adjust their behavior tomatch the situation.

Page 10–The News-Review, Senior Times Roseburg Oregon, Monday, December 5, 2011

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At the end of October, people withMedicare got a welcome bit of good news.

The agency that runs Medicare announcedthat Part B premiums will increase by muchless than expected. In 2012, Medicare pre-miums for most people will increase by only$3.50 a month, up from $96.40 to $99.90.While this will be the first increase inMedicare premiums in several years, itshould be noted that this new premium isconsiderably lower than the $107 that hadbeen predicted last spring.

Premiums were frozen in 2010 and 2011because there has been no cost-of-livingincrease in Social Security benefits for thepast two years due to the slow economy.Federal law states that when Social Securitybenefits do not increase, there can be noincrease in Medicare premiums.

Happily, in 2012, Social Security benefitswill at last increase by 3.6 percent starting inJanuary.

Let’s put this in real terms. The averageSocial Security benefit for a retiree in 2011is $1,186 per month. That will increase in2012 by about $43 per month. Of thatincrease, only $3.50 will go towardsMedicare premiums.

It should be remembered that for mostpeople, the Medicare premium is automati-cally deducted from their Social Securitypayments. The rest stays in people’s pock-ets, giving them some real financial help inthese tough times.

Some important details: • Most people who have joined Medicare

in 2010 or 2011 will actually see a premiumdecrease. Their premiums have been unusu-ally high in order to offset the freeze ineveryone else’s Medicare premiums duringthe past two years.

• If you’re in a Medicare Advantage plan,your plan may charge an additional premi-um.

• If you have Medicare Part D prescrip-tion drug coverage, you pay a separate addi-tional premium set by your plan.

• Finally, high-income people (thosewhose annual incomes are above $85,000for an individual or $170,000 for a couple)pay higher premiums.

This very modest Medicare premiumincrease is particularly impressive, consider-ing that Medicare coverage has actually got-ten better in the past year. In 2011, thanks tothe Affordable Care Act, Medicare startedcovering most preventive services for free aswell as offering an annual wellness visit.Prescription drug coverage has alsoimproved. Yet costs have remained undercontrol.

So what’s going on? Some of the lower-than-expected costs are due to simple math.With Social Security benefits finally increas-ing, the costs of Medicare can be spreadmore evenly across all beneficiaries. Butthat’s only part of the story. The AffordableCare Act made a lot of changes to Medicareand the health care system to make costsmore manageable. Fully implementing thesechanges will take years, but it looks likethey are already having an effect.

Medicare’s overpayments to private insur-ance companies are dropping. Efforts toeliminate unnecessary care, such as betterdischarge planning so that people don’t needto return to the hospital after surgery, arestarting to take root around the country. Andstepped-up prosecution of the criminals whodefraud Medicare is paying dividends.

If you have limited income, check to seeif you might qualify for additional help withyour Part B or Part D premiums and costs.You can get information from your StateHealth Insurance Assistance Program, whichyou can find by calling 1-800-MEDICAREand asking for a referral, or go to the SocialSecurity website at www.ssa.gov/prescrip-tionhelp.

We still have a long way to go beforehealth care is affordable for everyone. But aswe head into 2012, there are some encourag-ing signs that we’re on the right track.

• Ron Pollack is executive director ofFamilies USA.

Medicare recipients will ring in new year with better benefits

Pets:CONTINUED FROM PAGE 9

Anna Dyer, aresident of Colo-nial Hall CareCenter in Prince-ton, Ill., pets Tig-ger, a cat in DebMorelands FurryFriends travelingpetting zoo, on arecent visit to thecenter.Visits fromMoreland’s ani-mals bring a bit ofjoy to the seniorsliving in facilitiesaround the area.

AP photo

Monday, December 5, 2011–The News-Review, Senior Times Roseburg Oregon, Page 11

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Page 12–The News-Review, Senior Times Roseburg Oregon, Monday, December 5, 2011

Douglas County’s Specialists in:

Retired Roseburg

ophthalmologist John Unruh

was back in the operating

room recently, this time as

a patient of Dr. Jon-Marc

Weston. “I’ve observed

cataract procedures all over

the world, and I’ve never

seen a better surgeon,”

Unruh said. “I now

have perfect vision!”

When asked about operating

on Unruh, Weston said,

“During his career, Unruh

was the fi rst in Oregon to

perform modern cataract

surgery. It is now considered

the standard of care, and it

was an honor to restore his

vision using the technology

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“I’ve never seen a more skilled ophthalmologist than Dr.Weston.”