Senior Living Fall 2018

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14 ESSEX MEDIA GROUP SENIOR LIVING FALL 2018 Charles Bohlinger, left, congratulates Robert White after he was presented with a Bronze Star Tuesday afternoon at the Hampton VA Medical Center in Hampton, Va. PHOTO | TRIBUNE NEWS SERVICE Long overdue, a WWII vet gets his Bronze Star By Hugh Lessig DAILY PRESS (NEWPORT NEWS, VA.) Robert S. White received a Bronze Star Tuesday, Aug. 21, during a short ceremony at the Hampton VA Medical Center, more than 70 years after he helped liberate Europe from the Nazis. White didn’t seem to mind. In fact, he was stunned by the attention — a cake, well-wishers, TV cameras, even a congressman. He figured Uncle Sam would mail him a Bronze Star and he’d resume his busy life. White has been married for 72 years and had five children. He worked as a sheet metal mechanic at Newport News Shipbuilding for nearly four decades. He’s run nine marathons. He is 94 years old and last jogged on Monday, the usual 3 miles. The secret to longevity? Clean living and a steady diet of “beans, greens and sweet potatoes,” he says. So he hasn’t exactly been sitting around and waiting for his Bronze Star to arrive. In fact, he only realized his eligibility several years ago. With the help of friends at the Hampton VA, the Disabled American Veterans Chapter 13 of York County and Rep. Scott Taylor, the wheels went into motion. It culminated in Tuesday’s ceremony. “I never dreamed it was going to be this big,” White said, looking around the room. “It’s a shock to me.” Army Pvt. 1st Class White fought across Northern Europe in 1944-1945 with the 507th Parachute Infantry Regiment. He served as a communications lineman. The unit was involved in climactic offensives that heralded the beginning of the end of World War II, including the Battle of the Bulge. A native of Leland, N.C., White saw the worst of the Nazi war machine, helping to liberate a forced labor camp near Essen, Germany. He came upon starving prisoners and remembers a concrete wall pock-marked with bullet holes “where they mowed them down.” He served from 1943 to 1946 and moved to Hampton Roads in 1951. At the Hampton VA, White belongs to a group of World War II and Korean War veterans who talk about post-traumatic stress disorder. Carlson Pendleton, a clinical therapist and Vietnam War veteran, facilitates the group. He didn’t talk about White’s case specifically but said it can be difficult for veterans to seek help. The tough-it-out attitude in the armed forces can discourage some people from coming forward. “That’s probably the worse advice to give anybody,” he said. “It’s the same thing with any kind of emotional condition. If you deny it, it doesn’t go anywhere. You have to confront it.” Success tastes that much sweeter after a long, arduous journey By Ana Veciana-Suarez TRIBUNE NEWS SERVICE “Be not afraid of growing slowly. Be afraid only of standing still.” — Chinese proverb Perhaps it’s envy, perhaps a simple function of age, but I’ve grown weary (and wary) of stories about precocity. The teen who launches a successful startup. The college student who publishes a bestseller that also happens to be lyrical, compelling and wise. The 20-something who paints masterfully. They’re fascinating, these tales of early genius, but they make me wonder what the heck I’m doing at my computer, long day after long day, hoping for that big break. Surely I’m not alone in trying to figure out why success comes quick and easily to some, while others, just as talented and hardworking, plod and ponder for years, even decades. Mention genius and we think about the young whose proficiency flamed early. Mozart composed a famous piano concerto at 21 and Orson Welles wrote “Citizen Kane” at 25. Picasso’s first “serious” masterpiece was completed at 20. Saul Aaron Kripke thought up his first completeness theorem in modal logic — whatever that is — at the age of 17. Both Mark Zuckerberg and Bill Gates co-founded their companies as college students. So, yes, the examples of talent flowering early are plentiful and nothing short of amazing. Yet, I can’t help but draw more inspiration from those who met their victories with a headful of gray hair and a face with its share of wrinkles. They give me hope; they give me reason to continue believing that breakthrough work can come at any age, if you have faith in yourself and learn, learn, learn, work, work, work. That’s probably why encountering two articles last week about women who found success at an age when most of us believe the best is behind us has proven so encouraging. Sometimes good things come to us slowly, incrementally. Sometimes it’s about perseverance. Sometimes it’s about finding your calling after years of raising a family or earning a living. How you get to The Moment, however, really doesn’t matter. At the risk of sounding hokey, of eliciting eye-rolling and snickers, it’s about the journey; about discovery and determination. Consider the story of Mary Delany, a 72-year-old Englishwoman who, in the 1770s, invented a new art form as she grieved the death of her second husband. On a visit to a friend, she met two botanists who had accompanied an explorer on his journey through the South Pacific. Enthralled, she picked up a pair of scissors and began cutting pieces of paper to create mosaics of plant life. Those startlingly accurate mosaics are now in the British museum, according to an article in Literary Hub, and botanists continue to consult them two centuries later. Then there’s the 21st century version of that story. Anne Youngson is 70 and a debut author. Her novel, “Meet Me in the Museum,” is as much the story of two older people’s budding intimacy as it is about our ability to reimagine our lives, regardless of age. Away from the creative world, where maturity is a boon because of the wisdom it can confer, many greet success in midlife and way beyond. Colonel Sanders didn’t franchise KFC until he was 62. Cinde J. Dolphin created the firm Marketing For Mavericks, to help California winemakers with social media in her late 50s, when she wasn’t getting any callbacks on her job applications. And Fauja Singh ran his first marathon at 89. I suspect, however, that the best thing about being a late bloomer is not just about receiving lots of money or public recognition. It’s also about the long and arduous struggle for mastery. The recognition for success, when tempered with failures, tastes that much sweeter.
SENIOR LIVING FALL 2018 ESSEX MEDIA GROUP 15 About the Program: This innovative program provides caregivers with a monthly payment for taking care of a disabled or ill adult. Caregivers are special, dedicated people who may take care of a family member or a new friend and welcome them into their own home. Caregivers are reimbursed up to $1,500 monthly, tax-free, for personal care services. Each and every caregiver is supported by Adult Foster Care’s professional staff that helps train the individual regarding the personal care needs of their clients. Adult Foster Care carefully and selectively matches clients with caregivers to ensure compatibility. Adult Foster Care of the North Shore provides the following financial and emotional support: Financial Support: Through MassHealth, a monthly, tax-free stipend is given to the caregiver. Health & Social Support: Clients and caregivers are assigned a nurse and care manager who visit the homes regularly. Staff members can answer questions about health issues and serve as a resource for medical training, education and needed interventions. On call support is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. General Resource Support: Seasoned nurses and care managers can identify vital resources including: • Adult Day Health Programs • Specialized work and community support programs • Mental health counseling • Guardianship and health care proxy information • Transportation services Adult Foster Care of the North Shore provides financial and emotional solutions to families Adult Foster Care of the North Shore (AFCNS) is a one of a kind organization. For t1he last 17 years they have been providing financial and emotional solutions to families in need of care for a disabled or chronically ill loved one (clients). Many Adult Foster Care clients are already living with a parent, child or other family member who qualifies as a caregiver. Others are placed in homes with compassionate and diligent caregivers. In 2000, Dr. Cynthia Bjorlie left “Adult Foster Care of the North Shore has offered unwavering support from day one. When I was admitted for emergency surgery, the AFCNS team made sure my brother was in good hands while I recovered.” her private practice of 17 years and opened Adult Foster Care of the North Shore after reading an article in the NY Times about “Foster Seniors,” a program in New Jersey. Having always been interested in the care of people who cannot manage alone, she decided to develop her own program in Massachusetts. Since 2001, Adult Foster Care of the North Shore has grown to a staff of 30 and now serves over 400 clients. The difference between AFCNS and other similar companies is that, even though they share the same mission, the staff at Adult Foster Care of the North Shore actually lives the mission. AFCNS provides compassionate and flexible support for clients and their caregiver families. If you are interested in becoming a paid caregiver for a disabled family member or qualified disabled adult, visit AdultFosterCareNS.com or call today at 978-281-2612. ~ Toots, Caregiver to Brother, George 978-281-2612 AdultFosterCareNS.com Celebrating 17 Years
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