Maynard Street Senior Community Center
By Lou Hunsinger Jr.

There are 11 senior citizens’ community centers in Lycoming and Clinton counties. The Maynard Street Senior is one of them. Tammy Frye, who has worked for the Lycoming/Clinton Bi-County Office of the Aging and STEP for about 25 years, runs it.

"Our center and the other centers provide senior citizens are activity sites and a place for them to get warm lunches," Frye said. "But perhaps more importantly they provide a place of social contact for seniors and give them a place to keep their minds sharp through the presentation of various educational and recreational programs."

The motto of the Senior Community Centers throughout the two counties is "Stay active and live longer."

In addition to providing a nutritional noon meal, the centers offer social and recreational activities such as card parties, bingo, art classes, Bible study, art classes, square dances, health screenings and exercise programs.

Frye said that between 25 and 35 seniors use the senior center for the meals and various programs, although she said that number could fluctuate.

"We are trying to incorporate more health-conscious and physical fitness activities into our planned programs since good health is such an important issue for the seniors who visit us," Frye said. "We are trying to adapt ourselves to the changing needs and interests of the seniors."

She said several different sources provide funding for the activities at Maynard Street as well as the other 10 centers. Money is received from the state through the state lottery system, federal money and county funding, which is all administered by STEP and the Bi-County Office of the Aging.

Most of the Maynard Center’s activity programs are in the morning, although there are art classes held in the afternoon.

"After the noon meal this place pretty much clears out," Frye said.

As part of the aging agency’s campaign to promote health there often are various health-related activities at the various centers. They include blood pressure screenings, flu shots, the showing of health and wellness videos or even speakers who come in talk about various health topics. All this is done to help the seniors become more educated and informed about health issues.

There are visits by the James V. Brown Library’s READiscover Mobile, which Frye said is especially popular with the seniors.

"I enjoy the work I do because I enjoy older people a lot," Frye said. "I think they really appreciate what you do for them and I derive a great deal of satisfaction out of being able to help improve the quality of their lives." BACK TO TOP

Williamsport Home, expanding a tradition in excellence
By Beth Ann Scruggs

The Williamsport Home is continuing a long tradition of excellence with the new addition of the Woodland Vista Assisted Living wing last year, and the nearly completed Garden Terrace Special Care Unit.

The Woodland Terrace Assisted Living wing provides residents with a lovely, homelike environment. A spacious library provides residents with a quiet place to read. Along with kitchen and laundry facilities, residents of Woodland can enjoy the vista view from the porch overlooking the Williamsport Home grounds.

The nearly completed Garden Terrace Special Care Unit includes many new and exciting features to enhance the enjoyment of its residents.

Renovations to the Special Care Wing included adding an interior courtyard which opens into a lovely protected garden area. Park benches, a fountain, and lovely plantings add to the beauty of the private gardens.

The new dining and recreation room at Garden Terrace has also been added to enhance the dining atmosphere of residents by serving meals in a restaurant like atmosphere. Additionally, there is a television, a piano, and a lovely new gas fireplace complete with a sitting area. The room also permits individual and group activities, and really adds the quality of life of the residents. BACK TO TOP

YWCA warm-water pool loosens members’ rusty hinges
By Kate A. Griffith

When Paul Swoyer, 69, of Loyalsock Township had a stroke three years ago, he knew the fastest way to recover his muscle tone was to taking advantage of the warm water pool at the YWCA.

Swoyer, who has had arthritis since he was 25, said he learned the benefits of swimming for regaining strength when he injured his arm as a young man. His doctor told him that the best way to loosen his arm up after surgery was to go swimming.

Now Swoyer goes to the YWCA twice a week to participate in the facility’s water aerobics program.

"There isn’t anywhere else I could go to do what we do in the aerobics class," Swoyer said in a recent interview. Swoyer said he also exercises on a treadmill at home but doesn’t enjoy that nearly as much as the fellowship of the water aerobics class at the YWCA. "For the short haul, doing the aerobics loosens things up and helps with my arthritis. In the long haul, it’s helping build back the strength I lost with the stroke," he explained.

Swoyer, who started out in the Rusty Hinges classes at the YWCA, said one of the pluses of the water aerobics class is that attendees are able to go at their own pace in the classes. He said the "younger ones" in the class don’t intimidate him. "The water adds resistance," he explained. "If you’re weak, you can just go slower. You can pick up the pace by just moving your arms and legs faster. The resistance increases the faster you move your limbs."

Swoyer said he enjoys the convenient parking at the YWCA. "For somebody like me who can’t walk a lot, it means a lot to be able to park right behind the building and walk right in." He also likes that the classes are offered at a variety of times on a variety of days.

He said just about the only thing that keeps him from missing a class is the flu. "I’m one of their steadiest customers," Swoyer said. "You can’t keep me from going to class."

For nearly a century, the YWCA has been an integral part of helping people build better lives in the Williamsport area. The organization has featured an indoor, heated, public pool since it moved to its current location in 1927.

The YWCA offers daily "Dips," which are lap swims, swimming lessons for people of all ages, water exercise classes and private pool rentals.

Membership to the YWCA is $40 per year for adults and includes discounted rates on YWCA programs, as well as access to discounts at many businesses throughout the county, according to Kara Persun, communications director of the YWCA.

"Area health-care experts often recommend the YWCA pool to patients with arthritis, circulation problems, back, neck or hip injuries as well as other forms of mobility impairments," she said. "Doctors often send people here when they’re either preparing for or recovering from a surgery." Persun said the YWCA pool is accessible for most of the disabled community. BACK TO TOP

Outlook Pointe brings services to its residents
By Kate A. Griffith

If you’re looking for top-quality services without leaving your assisted-living community, Outlook Pointe may be the place to spend your twilight years.

Those who want to go have a look at the community and meet its staff should plan to attend Outlook Pointe’s fourth anniversary open house from 6 to 8 p.m. Nov. 7.

Outlook Pointe recently added a new program called Added Value Services where the facility brings different services from the community to its residents. One of the new additions through the program is Dr. Pam Herrington of Cornerstone Family Health. She visits the community once a month to treat all of the Cornerstone patients there, and she’s accepting new patients for those who wish to see her at the community.

Dr. Mark Hampton of Hampton Chiropractic also is seeing Outlook Pointe residents and staff at the community monthly. Podiatrists Dr. Nancy Raymond and Dr. Steve Hartung have been visiting the community prior to the addition of Added Value Services, as well as Kimberly Dikowski of Ace Hearing Aid, according to Community Director Pamala Fenderson. Dikowski comes to the community quarterly to give hearing screenings and to clean residents’ hearing aids. Sun Home Health and Susquehanna Health home-health agencies provide therapy services at the community.

"The Added Value Services program is working very well for the professionals involved, as well as the residents of the community," Fenderson said.

For those who need to visit doctors who do not come to the community, Outlook Pointe offers van service to doctor’s offices in the Williamsport and Montoursville area, Fenderson said.

The Added Value Service is not the only new change to Outlook Pointe.

"We recently saw a need for accommodations for individuals with depleted finances," Fenderson explained. "We have established a new suite called the Serenity Suite offering accommodations for individuals with lower incomes."

The rates at Outlook Pointe are all inclusive, Fenderson said, noting there are levels of care above assisted living available, including the administration of medications, transfers, medical monitoring, incontinence care, bathing and dressing. The rates do not include private telephones.

Outlook Pointe allows residents to have pets as long as they are able to care for them. Currently, the community has about half a dozen cats, two birds and two dogs.

Outlook Pointe offers an activity program seven days a week, according to Assistant Administrator Carol Shipman. Each weekday morning residents enjoy Bible devotions and a balanced-care exercise program followed by games or trivia. Afternoons consist of van rides to see the countryside, trips to Wal-Mart and stops for ice cream. Residents also enjoy afternoons of visiting on the porch and around the fireplace, and taking part in-group activities such as crossword puzzles, crafts, gardening and sing-a-longs, Shipman said. Saturdays are reserved for residents to enjoy visits from friends and family and on Sunday, the Rev. Paul Brown offers non-denominational services.

Along with the scheduled activities, musical programs and visits from Girl Scout troops and youth groups are provided throughout the month, she said.

The assisted-living facility has resident assistants on staff and a nurse on duty, Fenderson explained. The staff also includes Shipman and Licensed Practical Nurse Deb Lange, health promotions coordinator. "As a management team, we are very proud or our well-trained staff of kind and supportive care givers," Fenderson said.

For more information, attend the open house or call Outlook Pointe at 368-2076. BACK TO TOP

Many will require long-term care
By Christine Sleboda

Because we are living longer, statistics show that approximately 50 percent of us who reach age 65 will eventually require long term care.

Medicare covers only 2 percent of necessary care – and only part of the first 100 days of approved skilled nursing care, following hospitalization. To become eligible for care under Medicaid you must "spend down" your assets.

The cost of long term care continues to escalate at more than the rate of inflation – and it can cost $30,000 a year. Fearful of losing economic independence, many seniors are looking at how they will pay for long-term care costs. One option is long-term care insurance.

Most policies provide a fixed benefit at a premium cost of $1,000 to $5,000 a year. To keep up with rising costs and rising claims, premiums may be adjusted upwards or benefits downward. When designing a long-term care insurance program there are many options to consider, and the options you select effect the cost. Some issues to consider are: When you are eligible for benefits, inflation adjustments, is home heath care covered, how long coverage lasts, what services are not covered, and how much coverage you will have. You should get answers to these and other relevant questions before purchasing long-term care insurance.

My advice is to not be intimidated by the jargon of long term care. Take your time, do some homework and become educated. Find a good advisor; ask questions and expect answers that you can understand. If you don’t understand, ask again. Spending some time now may save you money down the road.

The preceding discussion is not meant to be a comprehensive analysis of long term care issues. You should contact your financial advisor to more fully understand how your specific situation should be handled. Material contained herein is taken from sources deemed to be reliable and any opinions contained herein should not be construed as fact. You may contact Christine Sleboda at 368-3680. Securities are offered through Wall Street Financial, Member: NASD and SIPC, 95 Allens Creek Road, Rochester, N.Y. BACK TO TOP

Residents enjoy outings, activities at Hillside Assisted Living Community
By Kate A. Griffith

If you’re looking for a room with a beautiful view in an assisted-living community, The Hillside Assisted Living Community is the place for you.

"We’re an assisted-living building, taking care of residents who are no longer able to stay in their homes or those who need assistance with the activities of daily living and with their medications," said The Hillside Administrator Amy Kehrer. "We also have residents living here because they no longer want the responsibility of taking care of a home."

The Autumn Group of Mechanicsburg took over The Hillside on Oct. 1. This "has no effect at all as far as the residents are concerned," according to Kehrer. "Our focus is on customer service and customer satisfaction."

The Hillside offers a variety of daily activities for its residents, including cooking classes, exercise classes, shopping trips and bingo and card clubs. Kehrer said church services are held at The Hillside, including Catholic communion and Protestant services weekly. There are Bible studies and the James V. Brown Library’s Bookmobile visits every-other week.

The Hillside also takes its residents on outings, whether it’s a drive through the country to see the fall foliage, a shopping trip to Lycoming Mall or to a grocery store. Kehrer said The Hillside offers transportation to baseball games, theatrical plays and anything else different going on in the area, "to keep the residents active in the community."

According to Hillside Activities Director Aimee Shebest, the Hillside offers many activities to keep its residents busy. Music therapist Camilla Crane visits the facility twice a month to sing songs with the residents and offer some type of presentation, Shebest said. If there is a holiday on the horizon, Crane focuses the music on that holiday and gives information about the special day. On Flag Day, she told residents "everything they needed to know about flags," Shebest said. "The residents really look forward to her program," she added.

One of the residents’ other favorite activity is their monthly visit to Becht Elementary where they learn what the kindergarten classes do throughout the day. "The kids read to them and they ask the residents about their pasts," Shebest said. "They all have a really good time. Its beneficial for both the residents and the kids." Last year, the children and residents made a quilt together and the students made pillows for the residents.

The Hillside has a "safe Halloween" party for children from Four Mile Drive and Saint Ann’s schools, Shebest said. "The residents hand out treats and they all play games," she explained. "The residents really like to see the kids in their costumes." Children also are invited to The Hillside for an annual Easter egg hunt.

Massage therapist Linda Burke visits The Hillside monthly to massage the residents’ sore arms, legs and backs, according to the activity director. "It helps to get the blood flowing to wherever they’re sore," Shebest said.

The Hillside offers housekeeping services available on a daily basis, as well as a dining service with three meals plus snacks. Special diets are accommodated and Kosher meals are available. The heating and air conditioning is controlled in each room.

The Hillside also offers respite care for short-term stays. The rooms are completely furnished, Kehrer said. Residents can furnish their own rooms or use the furniture provided by The Hillside. Private and semi-private rooms are available at the facility, as are two-room suites.

"All of our residents are mobile," Kehrer explained. "There’s a wide range of residents here. We try to have more independent residents; they have to be able to get out of bed daily."

Medical Director Dr. William Pagana visits the building to see his Hillside patients, Kehrer explained and home health nurses come to the facility to offer any therapy residents may need.

"We have a beautiful view from our porches overlooking the valley," Kehrer said. "We have a very devoted staff that is very family oriented. The Hillside is a very warm, caring place." BACK TO TOP

Child responsible for mother’s nursing home bills
By Jeff Marshall

Can children be held liable for their parents’ nursing home bills? According to the Pennsylvania Superior Court the answer is yes, at least under certain circumstances.

When Betty Budd died in 1999, she owed a nursing home $96,000. The nursing home sued Betty’s daughter, Elizabeth, for the money. It claimed Elizabeth was responsible for her mother’s debt because of an old Pennsylvania statute requiring a child of sufficient financial ability to care for and maintain or financially assist an indigent parent (62 P.S. §1973). Under this statute, the court has the discretion to determine what amount of support is appropriate.

In essence, this law means that a child can be held liable for the parent’s nursing home costs if three elements exist: (1) the parent is indigent; (2) the child has sufficient ability to support the parent; and (3) the child is not protected by some other law.

In Betty’s case, the first two elements were easy to prove. Elizabeth had used a power of attorney to transfer most of her mother’s funds to herself. This made Betty indigent and made it clear that Elizabeth had sufficient ability to support her. However, parents often make substantial gifts to their children before or during a nursing home stay without resulting in the children becoming responsible for the cost of care. How can they do this? Because of the third element: the existence of a law that protects the children – a protection found in the Medicaid program laws.

Once a resident qualifies for Medicaid, a nursing home has to accept the Medicaid payments (including any co-pay amounts) as payment in full for all covered services. They cannot go after the child. Elizabeth talked to the County Assistance Office, but she never took the actions needed for her mother to qualify for Medicaid. Although Elizabeth transferred some of her mother’s funds, that only made Betty ineligible for Medicaid for a limited period of time. Betty could have become eligible after the waiting period expired. Once Betty qualified for Medicaid, the program, not Elizabeth, would have become responsible for her cost of care. But, since Elizabeth most likely didn’t understand the rules, Betty never became eligible for Medicaid and the protections didn’t apply.

Elizabeth obviously needed some expert help to get her mother qualified for Medicaid. The "spend down" and transfer rules are complex and it is clear that she never understood them. As a result, she will likely have to pay all of her mother’s nursing home bills.

Although the nursing home may end up collecting its debt, it also ends up being a loser in this case. It is already more than four years since Betty’s death and the nursing home still hasn’t collected the money it is owed. And there is little doubt that suing Elizabeth is costing the nursing home a lot in legal fees and costs. Both Elizabeth and the nursing home would have been well served if Elizabeth had obtained the help of an experienced elder law attorney. The lawyer could have made sure that the nursing home bills were paid from Betty’s funds until the transfer penalty period ran out, and then by Medicaid. Because the Medicaid laws were misunderstood or ignored, both Elizabeth and the nursing home lost in the end. The government was the ultimate winner. It never had to pay a cent towards the cost of Betty’s care.

• Marshall is a Board Certified Elder Law Attorney BACK TO TOP

Free flu shots

Free flu shots will be available to the public at the following locations:

Hughesville Fire Department, 8:30 to 10 a.m. Nov. 19.

Keystone Hook and Ladder, Muncy, 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. Nov. 19.

Montgomery Volunteer Fire Company, 3:30 to 5 p.m. Nov. 19.

Waterville Fire Department, 9 to 10 a.m. Nov. 20.

Wheeland Center, Jersey Shore, 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Nov. 20.

Hepburnville Volunteer Fire Company, Cogan Station, 3 to 5 p.m. Nov. 20.

Campbell Street Family Youth and Community Association, 9 a.m. to noon Nov. 21. BACK TO TOP

Just desserts and gravy, too
By Melinda L. Wentzel

My parent’s kitchen table is usually the place where my childhood memories come to life once again. Over milk and apple pie, we often share countless stories of my younger days as a tiny newborn, an impish toddler, a boisterous child and, of course, as a spirited teenager eager to become independent.

Among those tales are some truths, some embellishments and even some outright fabrications that piece together the details that define my youth. But mostly, they are warm recollections that spark wonderful discussions that I can now enjoy and benefit from as an adult. It seems that time and experience have miraculously opened my stubborn eyes and ears to the wealth of knowledge my parents have possessed all along. Who would have guessed it? I thought I knew all there was to know at 18.

Perhaps it takes the actual experience of raising children to understand what our parents have tried to tell us for years, that it’s probably the toughest job we’ll ever love. Of course, this statement is undoubtedly cliche. But it’s genuine, it’s simple and it’s powerful. Parenting is frustrating, exhausting and often thankless while at the same time the bountiful rewards we receive are unparalleled. I would suspect that the depth and breadth of this message cannot successfully be conveyed unless and until we have had children. The words simply carry no relevance until then.

So when we are faced with difficulties that arise throughout the long and winding road of parenting, it is only fitting that our offspring mirror our own youthful spirit. Like a double-edged sword, we are both blessed and cursed as our children often reflect our every asset and flaw. And we only come to understand both the frustration and the joy our parents must have felt while raising us when we experience those same things within our own homes-firsthand.

How can our parents begin to describe how incredibly exhausted they were while caring for us throughout our infancy? Or how they had endlessly doubted their ability to parent, but eventually learned to trust their instincts? And is it even feasible for our parents, who survived our teenage years, to tell what it was like? Mood swings, unabashed arrogance, cattiness and immaturity are difficult concepts to convey.

Likewise, how can they possibly put into words how it felt to hold us for the first time or breathe in our newborn scent while nuzzling our soft, downy hair? Or what went through their minds as they watched us mingle among new friends on our first day of kindergarten, glancing over our shoulders as if to say, "Don’t cry, Mom, I’ll be alright." Or how it felt to look on as we accepted our diplomas 12 years later, glancing over our shoulders with that same message?

How, also, can our parents explain why staying up through the night with a sick child, chasing away imaginary monsters, kissing boo-boos and listening intently to affirmations of first loves are just part of what parents do? And how can they describe how it felt to lose us bit by bit, as our independence grew right along with our shoe size? As we took our tentative first steps, learned to steady a two-wheeler, ventured behind the wheel and out into the world, then took those momentous strides down the aisle as husband and wife, they looked on in anxious pride-but pride nonetheless.

Finally, we sought their approval and blessings upon announcing that we would soon become parents ourselves. We can only imagine what thoughts must have flooded their minds at that moment, elation mixed with a bit of apprehensiveness, perhaps, wanting only the best for us, but unsure as to how to help us achieve it. And we cannot even fathom how it must have felt as we gingerly handed them our babies to cradle-their grandchildren. How extraordinary it must be for them to recall a familiar smile or twinkle in our children’s eyes, and instantly be taken back in time. I guess that’s why grandchildren are so grand.

And I suppose that is precisely why grandparents feel so indescribably blessed. They are fortunate enough to be able to witness the wonder again, but with a different perspective. And as a gesture of their sincere thanks, what do they do? They spoil our children. What better way to ensure that we receive our "just desserts?" But there is no need to worry, for the gravy will be plentiful as well. BACK TO TOP

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