Aug 2014 nh pages

A publication of the Eastern Nebraska Office on Aging

August 2014VOL. 39 • NO. 8

ENOA4223 Center StreetOmaha, NE 68105-2431

ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED

PRSRT STDU.S. POSTAGE

PAIDOMAHA NE

PERMIT NO. 389

GrandparentsMen and women like Pamela Bell (pictured) who are raising their grandchildren are encouraged to attend the Grandparents as Parents Conference on Thursday, Sept. 18. See page 5.

In 1998, Omaha artist Linda Meigs (pictured) and her husband, John, purchased the historic Florence Mill.

Today the mill – built in 1847 – is a museum, art gallery, and studio. Leo Adam Biga tells the story.

See page 10.

New HorizonsThe artist in

the mill

Men and women like Pame-la Bell (pictured) who are raising their grandchildren are encouraged to attend the Grandparents as Parents Conference on Thursday, Sept. 18. See page 5.

Nebraska prideBetty Sheaff, age 92,

has an extensive collection of

hand-painted china place settings that

highlight historical scenes throughout

Nebraska.See page 17.

• New Horizons • August 2014

Move-in Specials Get 6 months of FREE lot rent for moving a single wide home into the park, or $3,500 moving expenses. Call for more information.

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Amenities include:Playground

Off street parkingClubhouse • Pool

RV’s welcome

Call: 402.493.600012801 Spaulding Plaza

Omaha, NE 68164

Maplewood EstatesLifestyle • Community • Convenience • Family Values

Read it & eatBy Lois Friedman

[email protected]

Farmers’ markets are overflowing with goodies including fruits and veggies to cook up some healthy summer recipes. Enjoy the abundance of the season with these cookbooks.

The Picayune’s Creole Cook Book Edited by The Picayune (Andrews McMeel, $40)

This facsimile edition of the 1901 cookbook is a treasure trove of rich cooking tradition from local cooks and house-keepers.

From Da Capo Press:

Just Tell Me What To Eat! By Timothy S. Harlan ($15)

This six week weight loss plan from “Dr.Gourmet.” Your Rx for what, why, and how to eat. A day-by-day plan with recipes, graphs, guidelines, and variations.

The Mayo Clinic Guide To Stress-free Living By Amit Sood ($19.99)

Reach your personal goals in 2014 by conquering stress from this stress management and resiliency expert. “Ac-tionable steps to cultivate emotional and mental strength, find greater fulfillment and nurture a kind disposition.”

Ani’s Raw Food Asia By Ani Phyo ($22.50)

This chef/author shares 130 raw recipes from her Korean roots with step-by-step instructions. Arame, nori, daikon, and helpful essarys.

Juice It! By Robin Asbell (Chronicle, $18.95)

Use a juicer or blender and add more colorful fruits and vegetables to your diet. More than 60 recipes including Purple Haze, Sleepy Salad Red Relief, and this sweet and tangy drink with a little spice:

Keep the delicious summer recipes coming!

Red Rush(Makes about 2 cups)

1 large beet3 red Swiss chard leaves1 small red chile, seeded2 large plum (Roma) tomatoes, peeledPinch of salt (optional)

Juice the beet, chard, chile, and tomatoes in that order. Run the pulp through again to extract as much liquid as possible. Pour the mixture into a serving glass. Taste and add a little salt, if desired. Serve immediately.

The New Horizons is brought to you each month by the Eastern Nebraska Office on Aging.

By Jen Vogt

With such a busy life, it can be difficult to imagine making time to volunteer on a regular basis. However, volunteering can benefit you, your family, and your commu-nity. Finding the right volunteer opportunity can help you meet new people, make new friends, learn new skills, and interact with the community.

We often hear about the benefits of vol-unteering, but volunteering is often a two-way street for those who choose to commit some of their time to giving to others.

Some volunteer benefits include: • Improve your social life. One of the

best ways to make new friends or strength-en an existing friendship is to bond over a shared experience or interest. Volunteering is often a great way to meet new people in your neighborhood or if you’re new to the area. For individuals who have a difficult time meeting new people or who are natu-rally shy, volunteering can help you branch out and strengthen your social skills.

• Improve your mental and physical health. Volunteering can be a great self-confidence booster. People tend to feel good about themselves when they’re giving to others. Volunteering can reduce instances of depression because there’s often a social component to volunteering. Isolation plays a large role in depression, especially in older adults. Volunteering can also be great for physical health because it helps keep the volunteer active. In fact, studies have shown lower mortality rates in older adults who volunteer.

• Improve and share your career skills. Just because you aren’t being paid for the work you’re doing while volunteering doesn’t mean you can’t learn new skills. Your volunteer experiences could translate into your career, or could help if you’re looking for a new career. Similarly, com-

munity organizations can benefit from the skills you already bring to the table such as teamwork, communications, or marketing.

Now that you’ve seen some of the rea-sons why volunteering isn’t just good for the community, but good for you, you might be wondering how you can get started volunteering. Below are a few ques-tions to ask yourself that will help you find the right volunteer opportunity:

• What do you want to get from a vol-unteer experience? Some answers might include trying something new, working for a cause that’s important to me, meeting new people, learning more about a potential career, and so on.

• How much time can you commit?• How much responsibility are you ready

to take on?• What skills and experiences do you

have that would benefit a community orga-nization?

• What causes are important to you?The key to a successful volunteer expe-

rience is finding the right match for you. Answering the questions above can help narrow down your search to a few organiza-tions that might be a good match. Keep an open mind about finding the right organiza-tion for your preferences. Visiting the orga-nization, getting a sense of their volunteer program, and talking with staff and other volunteers might also help you decide if it’s the right fit for your situation.

Remember you’re donating your time when volunteering, which is an extremely valuable gift. Make the most of it by com-municating your goals, understanding expectations, and being willing to make a change if the experience isn’t the best fit for you. Most importantly, have fun. The best volunteer experiences benefit both the volunteer and the organization.

(Vogt is with Midwest Geriatrics, Inc. of Omaha.)

Volunteering can benefit you, your community

Advertisements appearing in New Horizons do not imply endorsement of the advertiser by the Eastern Nebraska Office on Aging. However, complaints about advertisers will be reviewed and, if warranted, their advertising discon-tinued. Display and insert advertising rates available on request. Open rates are commissionable, with discounts for extended runs. Circulation is 20,000 through direct mail and freehand distribution.

New Horizons is the official publication of the Eastern Nebraska Office on Aging. The paper is distributed free to people over age 60 in Douglas, Sarpy, Dodge, Washington, and Cass counties. Those living outside the five-county region may subscribe for $5 annually. Address all correspondence to: Jeff Reinhardt, Editor, 4223 Center Street, Omaha, NE 68105-2431. Phone 402-444-6654. FAX 402-444-3076. E-mail: [email protected]

The New Horizons and the Eastern Nebraska Office on Aging provide services without regard

to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, marital status, disability, or age.

Editor....................................................Jeff Reinhardt Ad Mgr................Mitch Laudenback, 402-444-4148Contributing Writers......Nick Schinker, Leo Biga, & Lois Friedman

ENOA Board of Governors: Mary Ann Borgeson, Douglas County, chairperson; Jim Warren, Sarpy County, vice-chairperson; Jerry Kruse, Washington County, secretary; Gary Osborn, Dodge County, & Jim Peterson, Cass County.

New Horizons

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August 2014 • New Horizons •

Damage to homes and property cre-ated by tornados and severe hail-storms can bring out the best in

people, as strangers reach out to help others in need. Unfortunately, the aftermath of a weather-related crisis can also bring out contractors who take advantage of those already victimized.

The Better Business Bureau is warning both businesses and residents affected by storms to beware of storm chasers who are out-of-town contractors soliciting business.

“These firms typically set up temporary shops in the area to capture construction work caused by the storm’s damage. Some-times they canvass the area with flyers or go from door to door offering their services,” said the BBB’s local President and CEO Jim Hegarty.

While some of these contractors may offer a low price and fast repairs, they may not stand behind their work or have the proper licensure.

The BBB offers the following tips for storm victims:

• Get the company’s complete name, ad-dress, and phone number. Be skeptical of any vague or hesitant answers or no offers of contracts, brochures, or anything in writ-ing. Beware of high-pressure sales tactics. A reputable company will be happy to let you check them out first.

• Make sure your contractor has all the appropriate permits for the work they’re do-ing and verify the company has liability and worker’s comp insurance. If a contractor cannot provide proof, beware. If possible, verify the insurance is active by contact-ing the contractor’s insurance company directly.

• If it’s an out-of-town or out-of-state company, ask how any warranty issues or

problems will be addressed after the work is done and the company is gone.

• Ask for references from previous jobs and check them out before signing the contract.

• Before work starts, have a signed, writ-ten contract including start and completion dates, exact costs, specific work to be done, and warranty information. Read any fine print carefully and understand all the terms before signing.

• Get at least three or four quotes from contractors and insist payments be made to the company, not an individual.

• If you have damage, check with your homeowners’ insurance to have an adjuster sent to determine if and how much they’ll cover to repair or replace damaged prop-erty.

• Be highly suspicious of a contractor that asks you to pay for the entire job upfront. He may take your money and never return.

Disaster victims should never feel forced to make a hasty decision or to choose an unknown contractor. Start with trust by visiting bbb.org or by calling your BBB’s office at 800-649-6814 to get business reviews or lists of BBB accredited repair firms.

BBB warns consumers victimized by storm damageto be on the lookout for unscrupulous contractors

Are you TURNING age 65 or are you new to Medicare?

Kim ShultersSenior Insurance [email protected]

For more information

contact:

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Independent & Assisted

Living Sometimes, not knowing the truth about something of immedi-ate importance can create some of the most intense stress, says former chronic pain sufferer Janet

Komanchuk.“For the families of victims who’ve been

missing for years or decades – identifying the body of their loved one, for example, can bring closure. For me, being diagnosed with fibromyalgia was also a relief – it meant that I had a name for my chronic pain,” says Komanchuk, whose pain was so intense over a period of several years she had to retire as a schoolteacher.

“My diagnosis meant I wasn’t crazy, that the pain wasn’t ‘all in my head,’ as some had suggested. It meant that my flu-like symptoms, accompanied by intense waves of pain, finally had form and dimension. I understood I was just one of many suffering with chronic pain that at last had a name.”

Fibromyalgia syndrome is a complex, chronic condition of widespread muscular pain and fatigue. It often includes sleep disturbances, impaired memory and concen-tration, depression, and other debilitating symptoms. The syndrome is one of the most common chronic pain disorders, affecting nearly one in every 60 Americans.

“When medical leave, morphine patches, codeine, and a myriad of pharmaceuticals brought no relief, I tried a different ap-proach in combination with medical treat-ment,” says Komanchuk who has since enjoyed more than 13 years of pain-free and prescription-free living after finding an al-ternative healing therapy that works for her. She now works as an educational writer and public relations assistant with Joy of Heal-ing, the alternative healing modality that she says brought about her remission.

“Through the years, I’ve learned a thing or two about dealing with the psychological trauma of illness.”

Komanchuk shares these tips to keep in mind for those suffering from an indetermi-nate condition.

• Trust in yourself. “At times, the pain was so intense that I was certain my flesh was tearing away from my bones,” says Ko-manchuk, who was just like the more than

100 million Americans who suffer from chronic pain, which costs nearly $600 bil-lion annually in medical treatments and lost productivity, according to the Institute of Medicine. Despite her unmistakable pain, the critical doubt from others as to what she was experiencing was disheartening, at times causing her to doubt herself.

“Trust in yourself, for you know what you’re feeling,” she says. “Don’t fall victim to the judgment and criticism of others who doubt your illness and the limitations it places on you or your activities.”

• Don’t quit. Despite the immense scope of chronic pain, very little is spent on re-search to find better ways to manage pain. Komanchuk was faced with the prospect of spending the rest of her life in a nursing home.

“Yes, the pain was excruciating, de-bilitating, and fatiguing, yet I still felt as though my life had the potential for vital-ity,” she says. “The idea of going to a nurs-ing home – reasonable for some – felt like a kind of death to me.”

Convinced there was hope for her in overcoming fibromyalgia, she persisted in her search for wellness answers.

• Seriously consider alternatives. Komanchuk was able to achieve what she thought was impossible – not just tempo-rary relief, but permanent, lasting mind-body-spirit wellness.

She had been to orthopedic surgeons, neurologists, rheumatologists, and psychol-ogists, underwent MRIs, and took all man-ner of medications for her unbearable pain. In a narrow sense, it would seem as though she exhausted her options until she looked beyond traditional Western medicine. Al-ternative treatment guided her to recognize the layers of stress throughout her life that she believes were a primary driver of her chronic pain.

“Every day, I am filled with gratitude for the fact that I am free of the torment from fibromyalgia that had plagued me through-out my life,” Komanchuk says. “I just wish I could give others a piece of the relief that I’ve found. All I can say is keep your eyes open, keep the hope alive, and don’t give up.”

Fighting the daily battle with fibromyalgia

Volunteer opportunities available through ENOA

The Eastern Nebras-ka Office on Ag-ing’s Foster Grand-parent Program,

Senior Companion Program, Ombudsman Advocate Pro-gram, and Senior Medicare Patrol Program are recruit-ing older adults to become volunteers.

Foster Grandparents and Senior Companions must be age 55 or older, meet income guidelines, have a government issued identi-fication card or a driver’s license, able to volunteer at least 15 hours a week, and must complete several background and reference checks.

Foster Grandparents and Senior Companions receive a $2.65 an hour stipend, transportation and meal re-imbursement, paid vacation, sick, and holiday leave, and

supplemental accident insurance.Foster Grandparents work with children who have spe-

cial needs while Senior Companions work to keep older adults living independently.

Ombudsman advocates work to ensure residents of nurs-ing homes and assisted living facilities enjoy the best pos-sible quality of life.

Ombudsman advocates, who must be age 18 or older, are enrolled through an application and screening process. These volunteers, who are not compensated monetarily for their time, must serve at least two hours a week.

The Senior Medicare Patrol program helps Medicaid beneficiaries avoid, detect, and prevent health care fraud. These volunteers, who are enrolled through an application and screening process, are not compensated monetarily for their time,

For more information, please call 402-444-6536.

Fontenelle ToursOmaha/Council Bluffs 712-366-9596

Quoted prices are per person, double occupancy. For more information about our tours, please call Ward or Kathy Kinney at Fontenelle Tours at the number listed above.

MotorcoachArrow Rock, Clydesdales, & Dinner Train. August 8 - 10. $489. Shop and explore in a Missouri village that is a National Historic Landmark, enjoy dinner together followed by “Lend Me a Tenor” at the historic Arrow Rock Lyceum Theater, tour the ranch where the Budweiser Clydesdales are raised, enjoy a four-course dinner on the Columbia Star dinner train, tour The Candy Factory, enjoy lunch and wine tasting at Les Bourgeois Vine-yards, and tour the World War I Museum in Kansas City.

Nebraska Junk Jaunt…with a Twist. September 26 – 27. $265. ($245 before 7/26/14). Join us for this garage sale extravaganza, but with a new route and a new motel. This is truly a fun adventure, whatever you’re hunting for!

Branson Christmas with Daniel O’Donnell. November 10 – 13. $749. ($709 before 8/10/14). Besides Daniel O’Donnell, enjoy “Jonah” at the Sight & Sound Theater, a backstage tour of Sight & Sound, Patsy Cline Remembered, The Brett Family Show with lunch, The Rankin Brothers, and #1 Hits of the 60s.

“Christmas Belles” at the Lofte. December 7. $99. ($89 before 10/7/14). Come along to witness a church Christmas program spin hilariously out of control in this Southern comedy ........followed by a delicious dinner at the Main Street Café in Louisville. Kansas City Christmas. December 10 - 11. $TBD. Includes the lunch buf-fet and “Shear Madness” at the New Theater (with Jamie Farr from “Mash”), the Webster House Holiday luncheon, a stop at the Strawberry Hill Povitica Bakery, and more.

Laughlin

Laughlin in August (by air). August 27 – 30. $249. Looking for an inex-pensive getaway? Spend four days and three nights in a resort hotel on the banks of the Colorado River including non-stop, round-trip airfare to Laughlin, Nevada

Quoted prices are per person, double occupancy, and do not include airfare.

Reflections of Italy ......................................................10 days from $2149 Shades of Ireland ........................................................10 days from $1799 Alaska Discovery with Cruise ....................................13 days from $3031 Australia .......................................................................21 days from $4899 New York City ................................................................5 days from $1749 Hawaiian Adventure ....................................................10 days from $2999 Canadian Rockies by Train.......................................... .9 days from $3099 Discover Switzerland ..................................................10 days from $2049 African Safari ...............................................................14 days from $3849 Rose Bowl Parade.........................................................5 days from $1449 The Galapagos Islands ...............................................10 days from $4359 Rhine River Cruise ........................................................9 days from $2599 Discover Scotland .......................................................10 days from $1849 Tropical Costa Rica .......................................................9 days from $1349 Discover Panama ..........................................................9 days from $1699 San Antonio ...................................................................5 days from $1149 Exploring Greece.........................................................15 days from $2549 Complete South Pacific ..............................................27 days from $6399 South Africa .................................................................13 days from $2499 British Landscapes .....................................................10 days from $2199 Flavors of Thailand........................................................4 days from $1549 Nova Scotia .................................................................11 days from $2949 Spain’s Classics ..........................................................11 days from $2099 Beijing China ...................................................................9 days from $899Colors of New England .................................................8 days from $2299Heritage of America ....................................................10 days from $2199

Watch New Horizons and our website www.fontenelletours.com for our trip schedule.

Our mailing address is: 2008 W. Broadway #329, Council Bluffs, Iowa 51501

In Partnership with Collette Vacations


‘Grandparents as Parents Conference’ set for Sept. 18

By Jeff ReinhardtNew Horizons Editor

Pamela Bell’s 35-year-old daughter has had a series of health issues during the last

several years. Raising her two sons – Jayden, age 10, and Brendyn, age 5 – was difficult for Bell’s daugh-ter, particularly after she became partially paralyzed following two strokes.

Realizing her daughter needed some assistance with the young-sters, Bell, age 58, has taken a more active role in her grandsons’ lives. “She’s a good mom and I wanted to make sure Jayden and Brendyn were OK,” Bell said. “I’ve become the other parent.”

Pamela said the hardest part of sharing the child-rearing responsi-bilities with her daughter is agreeing on how to handle certain situations. “She sees things a little differ-ently than I do,” Bell said. “I’m old school and don’t always feel the need for clarification when I’m disciplining my grandsons.”

Helping to raise two young males is an unique challenge for Bell. “I have to tell them ‘why’ all the time. I also want them to get into sports but I don’t want them to get hurt.”

For Pamela, the most satisfying part of being a grandparent is hug-ging and kissing Jayden and Bren-dyn after something positive like getting good grades in school has happened to them.

“I pray that I’m making a differ-ence in their lives,” she said.

Anna Perez, age 70, said rais-ing her three grandchildren requires hours and hours of

hard work, but in return, she re-ceives a lot of love from Quentin, Celia, and Josiah, ages 14, 7, and 6,

respectively.Child Protective Services took

Celia and Josiah away from their chemically dependent mother short-ly after their births. Within days, Perez brought each of the infants into her home. “The first time I held Celia, I was hooked,” she said.

Later, CPS placed Quentin with Anna after removing him from his alcoholic mother’s home.

While all three of these children take medications as a result of hav-ing Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, each is doing relatively well, according to Perez. “Celia is more outgoing and Josiah talks a lot more.”

Although cleaning up and keep-ing up with them can be difficult, Anna said the little things her grandkids do for her in return make it all worthwhile. “They call me ‘Nana.’”

Perez takes great pride know-ing she’s helping to provide a good life for Quentin, Celia, and Josiah. “Especially when I think about what their lives might have been.”

In 2007, Mic and Dorothy Ma-honey’s daughter gave birth to a special needs child. Within a

year, it was obvious to authorities the young lady didn’t have the cog-nitive ability to raise her son.

Child Protective Services knew the Mahoneys were deeply involved in their grandson’s life and suggest-ed they bring him into their home.

“He had vision problems, he didn’t smile, and he couldn’t crawl,” Mic Mahoney said. “He’s our grandson, he needed help, and we were there for him.”

In the last few years, the young-ster has had spinal chord surgery, several procedures for his vision, and was fitted for leg braces. De-

spite this series of health issues and the challenges they’ve created, Mic, age 64, and his 59-year-old wife, have never waivered in their com-mitment.

“You see this little boy and just love him and you know he has this love for you,” Mic said. “We ask ourselves if we’re doing the best we can?”

The Mahoneys are proud of the progress their grandson has made. “He loves to read and sometimes he wants to go the library twice a week,” Mic said. “He smiles a lot more and he’s not the same kid in so many ways.”

Knowing they needed some help with their grandchil-dren, Bell, Perez, and the

Mahoneys enrolled in the Eastern Nebraska Office on Aging’s Grand-parent Resource Center. The GRC – which works with 50 grandparents and more than 80 grandchildren – provides a variety of services for men and women age 55 and older who are raising their grandkids. Those include support group meet-ings, assistance with transportation to the meetings, telephone support, referrals to additional services, and access to other ENOA programs.

Persons enrolled in the GRC can explore and develop strategies designed to build and sustain rela-tionships among the parents, grand-parents, grandchildren, and other family members, according to Janet Miller who coordinates the project for ENOA.

“The program is designed to strengthen and support grandparents so they can provide safe and secure homes for the grandchildren in their care,” she said.

For Bell, attending the monthly support group meetings allows her

to meet and share stories with other families living a similar lifestyle. “I’m learning how to handle certain situations better and I’m now able to put my life into perspective,” she said.

Perez said meeting the other Grandparent Resource Center par-ticipants makes her realize she’s not alone. “You get a lot of knowledge and hope from the meetings.”

Mic Mahoney said being part of the GRC makes him and Dorothy feel like they’re part of a unique club filled with people who have a lot of love in their hearts.

On Thursday, Sept. 18, Bell, Perez, and the Mahoneys plan to attend the inaugural

Grandparents as Parents Confer-ence, a program provided by the GRC in partnership with the Ne-braska Children’s Home Society’s Children and Family Center, Right Turn, Behaven Kids, the Kim Foun-dation, and Comper Care & Rehab, Inc.

The free 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. conference – which is aimed at grandparents of all ages raising their grandchildren in their homes – will be held at St. Timothy’s Lutheran Church, 510 N. 93rd St.

Topics will include Understand-ing the Attachment Challenged Child, Jailhouse Rock: Dealing with Problem Behaviors, and Am I Will-ing and Able to Do This?

Lunch, featuring humorist Mary Maxwell as the guest speaker, will be provided.

The registration deadline is Wednesday, Sept. 10.

To register, or for more informa-tion about the GRC and the Grand-parents as Parents Conference, please contact Miller at 402-996-8444 or [email protected].

Anna Perez is raising Josiah, age 6 (left) and Celia, age 7. A third grandchild, Quentin, age 14, is also under Perez’s care.

Mic Mahoney and his wife, Dorothy, are bringing up their 7-year-old grandson who has special needs.


August 2014calendar of events

2Family

Fun CarnivalStrategic Air

and Space Museum10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

$6 and $12402-944-3100

Saturdays at Stinson Concert

The 402Aksarben Village

7 to 10 p.m.FREE

402-496-1616

Vibes at Village Pointe

Avaricious6:30 to 8:30 p.m.

FREE402-505-9773

8Nebraska Balloon and Wine Festival

Also Aug. 9South of 204th & Q streets

Friday 5 to 11 p.m.Saturday 3 to 11 p.m.

$5 to $15402-346-8003

9Saturdays at

Stinson ConcertJohn Doe

Aksarben Village7 to 10 p.m.

FREE402-496-1616

Vibes at Village PointeThe 402 Band

6:30 to 8:30 p.m.FREE

402-505-9773

16Back to School Bash

Henry Doorly Zoo 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Free for Zoo members or regular paid admission for non Zoo members

402-733-8401

Maha Music FestivalNoon to midnightAksarben Village

$50402-496-1616

Vibes at Village PointeeNVy

6:30 to 8:30 p.m.FREE

402-505-9773

21End of Summer Concert Series

Through Sept. 25Midtown Crossing

6:30 to 10 p.m.FREE

402-934-9275

23Saturdays at Stinson Concert

The ConfidentialsAksarben Village

7 to 10 p.m.FREE

402-496-1616

Vibes at Village PointePersonics

6:30 to 8:30 p.m.FREE

402-505-9773

30Saturdays at Stinson Concert

Taxi DriverAksarben Village

7 to 10 p.m.FREE

402-496-1616

Dora Bingel Senior Center

Millard Senior Center

You’re invited to visit the Dora Bingel Senior Center, 923 N. 38th St., this month for the following:

• Aug. 4, 11, 18, & 25: Al-Anon meeting @ 7 p.m.• Aug. 5, 12, 19, & 26: Grief Support Group @ 10 a.m.• Aug. 6: Holy Communion. • Aug. 20: Music from the Merrymakers @ 11:30 a.m.

The cost for the Regeneration lunch is $3.• Aug. 20: Visit by nurse Susan. Call 402-392-1818 for

an appointment• Aug. 22: Hard of Hearing Support Group @ 10:30 a.m. • Aug. 27: Birthday party luncheon @ noon. Eat free if

you have an August birthday. A nutritious lunch is served on Tuesdays and Fridays. A

fancier lunch is available on Wednesdays. A $1 donation is suggested for the meals other than $3 for Regeneration.

Round-trip transportation is available for $3.Reservations are required 24 hours in advance for all

meals.Other activities offered at the facility include: Tuesdays:

Free matinee @ 12:30 p.m. Wednesday: Devotions @ 10:30 a.m., Tai Chi @ 11:15 a.m., Bible study @ 12:30 p.m., and Bingo @ 12:30 p.m. Friday: Joy Club Devo-tions @ 9:30 a.m., Bible study @ 12:30 p.m., and Bingo @ 12:30 p.m.


WHITMORE LAW OFFICEWills • Trusts • Probate

AARP Legal Service Network • No Charge For Initial Consultation

7602 Pacific Street, Ste 200 • (402) 391-2400

http://whitmorelaw.com

Ask A Lawyer:Q — Should I put my child’s name on my home title?

A — Let’s look at the pros and cons of this. Pro — It will avoid the need for probate on your home. Con — You would make a gift of a share of the property, and your child would become an owner (joint tenancy). Your child and his/her spouse would have to sign if you ever wished to borrow against your home or sell it. If you ever need Medicaid, you would be subject to a penalty period. Your child would also have to pay capital gain tax on the difference between your original cost and the value at the time of your death.

You can avoid these negative factors by use of TOD Deed or a simple trust. We can help with that, so please call.

Have a question about estate planning? Give us a call!

You’re invited to visit the Millard Senior Center at Montclair, 2304 S. 135th Ave., for the following:

• Friday, Aug. 22: Music by Denelle and I @10:45.• Movies the first and third Monday of each month @

noon.• Wii games the second and fourth Wednesday of each

month @ noon.A trip to the Holy Family Shrine

on Interstate 80 is being scheduled. Call Susan for more details.

The Millard Senior Center is open weekdays from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Lunch is served at 11:30. A $3.50 donation is suggested for the meal. Reservations are due by noon the business day prior to the lunch you wish to enjoy.

Center activities include a walk-ing club (join and get a free t-shirt), Tai Chi class (Mon-days and Fridays from 10 to 10:45 a.m. for a $1 suggested donation), chair volleyball (Tuesdays and Thursdays @ 10 a.m.), quilting (Thursdays @ 9 a.m.), card games, and Bingo (Tuesdays and Fridays @ noon).

For meal reservations and more information, please call Susan at 402-546-1270.


Legal Aid of Nebraska operates a free telephone access line for Nebraskans age 60 and older.

Information is offered to help the state’s older men and women with questions on topics like bankruptcy, homestead exemptions, collections, powers of attorney, Medicare, Medicaid, grandparent rights, and Section 8 housing.

The telephone number for the Elder Access Line is 402-827-5656 in Omaha and 1-800-527-7249 statewide.

This service is available to Nebraskans age 60 and older regardless of income, race, or ethnicity.

For more information, log on the Internet to http://www.legalaidofnebraska.com/EAL.

Elder Access Line available statewide

According to the Bureau of Justice, an estimated 16.6 million people

experienced at least one incident of identity theft in 2012. Identity theft happens when someone steals your personal information and uses it without your permis-sion. It is a serious crime that can wreak havoc with your finances, credit his-tory, and reputation – and it can take time, money, and patience to resolve.

The Federal Trade Com-mission (FTC) advises there are many steps consumers can take to minimize their risk of being an identity theft victim. For example, consumers should closely guard their Social Security number and shred charge receipts, copies of credit ap-plications, and other sensi-tive documents.

Consumers also should review their credit card re-ports regularly and be aware of telltale signs to detect their identity may have been

stolen.If you have been the

victim of identity theft, take these steps immediately:

• Place an initial fraud alert: Contact one of the three nationwide credit

reporting companies that keep records of your credit history and ask them to put an initial fraud alert on your credit report.

• Order a copy of your credit report: After you place an initial fraud alert, the credit reporting compa-ny will explain your rights and how you can get a copy of your credit report.

• Create an identity theft report: Creating an identity

theft report involves these three steps: Submit a com-plaint about the theft to the FTC. Filing the complaint will involve writing the details of the identity theft. Print a copy of the report.

This report will serve as an identity theft affidavit. File a police report with lo-cal law enforcement about the identity theft, and get a copy of the police report or the report number. The af-fidavit and police report will serve as your identity theft report.

(Sgt. Payne – who super-vises the Crime Prevention Unit – has been an OPD officer for 20 years.)

Tips to avoid identity theft PARKSIDE

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Submissions are due by Friday, Sept. 26 for the sixth annual In-tergenerational Poetry Contest,

Poetry Across the Gen-erations, sponsored by the University of Nebraska at Omaha, the Omaha Public Schools, and the Omaha Public Library.

Poets are divided into two separate contests: One for students in grades seven through 12, and the other for men and women age 50 and older.

In 2014, the poets will

have two new topics. They are being asked to write a poem about how the world views and treats older people and another poem about how the world views and treats teenag-ers.

First prize in both contests is $100. Second and third prizes in both contests are $50 and $25, respectively. Seven honorable mention poets will each receive $10.

An additional $100 prize will be awarded in the age 50 and older category for poems that fit the “traditional, clas-sic, and rhyming style.” The Dale Wolf family is contribut-ing this prize money in honor of their deceased loved one who was a longtime poet.

The winning poets can collect their prizes on Sunday, Oct. 19 at a poetry recognition reception from 1 to 4 p.m. at UNO’s Milo Bail Student Center. The event will feature poetry readings, refreshments, and a poetry slam. Poets age 50 and older can submit their poems to Cindy Waldo, VP Sigma Phi Omega, Department of Gerontology, CB 211, University of Nebraska at Omaha, 6001 Dodge St., Omaha, Neb. 68182-0202. They can also be sent online to www.omahapoetsplacenet.

Teen poets may submit their poems to the Omaha Public Library, Bess Johnson Elkhorn Branch, Att: Karen Berry, 2100 Reading Plz., Elkhorn, Neb. 68022 or online to www.omahapoetsplace.net.

Two new topics in 2014

Submissions for ‘Poetry Across the Generations’ contestsponsored by UNO, Omaha schools, library due Sept. 26

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Please support New Horizons advertisers

New and prospec-tive small busi-ness owners are

invited to the Greater Omaha SCORE Entrepre-neur workshop on Aug. 6 and 7 from 6 to 10 p.m. each evening.

The sessions will be held at the Small Business Administration’s office, 10675 Bedford Ave.

The cost is $50 per person.

Registration is avail-able online at [email protected] or by calling 402-221-3606.

SCORE workshopon tap for Aug. 6, 7


Alzheimer’s support groups availablein Dodge, Douglas, Sarpy counties

DODGE COUNTY

• FREMONTLast Wednesday of month @ 2 p.m.

Nye Square655 W. 23rd St.

Second Tuesday @ 5:30 p.m.

Shalimar Gardens 749 E. 29th St.

DOUGLAS COUNTY

• BENNINGTONLast Thursday @ 6 p.m.

Ridgewood Active Retirement Community

12301 N. 149th Cr.

• ELKHORNThird Monday @ 6 p.m.

Elk Ridge Village Assisted Living 19400 Elk Ridge Dr.

• OMAHA

Every other Monday @ 7 p.m.Brighton Gardens 9220 Western Ave.

Men’s Group Third Wednesday @ 11:30 a.m.Alzheimer’s Association office

1941 S. 42nd St.

Third Tuesday @ 6:30 p.m. Fountain View Senior Living

5710 S 108th St.

Third Wednesday @ 5 p.m. Immanuel Fontenelle Home

6809 N. 68th Plz.

First and third Monday @ 1:30 p.m.

New Cassel/Franciscan Centre900 N. 90th St.

Adult day services are provided on-site.

The Alzheimer’s Association Midlands Chapter offers several caregiver support groups and specialty sup-port groups each month in Dodge, Douglas, and Sarpy counties. These support groups offer valuable space and educational opportunities for families impacted by Alz-heimer’s disease or a related form of dementia to engage and learn. Please call Elizabeth at 402-502-4301, ext. 205 for more information.

• OMAHA

Third Tuesday @ 5 p.m.Immanuel Pathways

5755 Sorensen Pkwy.

First Tuesday @ 5:30 p.m.Heritage Pointe

16811 Burdette St.

Third Saturday10:30 a.m. to noon

Younger Onset Support GroupFor persons age 65

or younger and a loved oneMethodist Hospital

8303 Dodge St.REGISTRATION REQUIRED

First Thursday @ 6:30 p.m.Early Stage Support Group

For persons age 65+ caregiverSecurity National Bank

1120 S. 101st St.REGISTRATION REQUIRED

• RALSTONSecond Monday @ 9:30 a.m.

Ralston Senior Center7301 Q St.

SARPY COUNTY

• BELLEVUE

Third Monday @ 7 p.m.Bellevue Senior Center

109 W. 22nd Ave.

First Wednesday @ 1 p.m. Eastern Nebraska Vets Home

12505 S. 40th St.

Fourth Thursday @ 6 p.m. Hillcrest Health Services

1804 Hillcrest Dr.

Second Tuesday @ 5:30 p.m.Heritage Ridge

1502 Fort Crook Rd. South

If you want good health, a long life, and to feel your best well into old age, the most important

thing you can do may be strength training, says Dr. Brett Osborn, author of Get Serious, A Neurosurgeon’s Guide to Optimal Health and Fitness.

“Our ability to fight off disease resides in our muscles,” Dr. Osborn says. “The greatest thing you can do for your body is to build muscle.”

He cites a large, long-term study of nearly 9,000 men ages 20 to 80. After nearly 19 years, the still liv-ing men were those with the most muscular strength.

Muscle is all protein – “nothing but good for you,” Dr. Osborn says.

Fat, however, is an en-docrine organ, meaning it releases hormones and other chemicals. When a person has excess fat, he or she also has a disrupted flow of ex-cess biochemicals that can increase insulin resistance and boost risk factors for stroke and high blood pres-sure, among other problems.

“Increased cytokines, an immune system chemical, for example, are associ-ated with increased risk for cardiovascular disease,” Dr. Osborn says. “You’re only as old as your arteries.”

Strength training has health benefits for everyone, he adds, no matter their size.

“Some fat is visceral fat – it’s stored around the organs and it’s even more dangerous than the fat you can see,” he says. “People who look thin may actually be carrying around a lot of visceral fat.”

So, what’s the workout Dr. Osborn recommends?

“Back to basics,” he says.

“These five exercises are the pillars of a solid training regime.”

• The squat is a full-body exercise. It’s the basic move-ment around which all training should be centered. Heavy squats generate a robust hormonal response as numerous muscular structures are traumatized during the movement (even your biceps). Standing erect with a heavy load on your back and then repeatedly squatting down will stress your body inordinately – in a good way – forcing it to grow more muscle.

• The overhead press primarily activates the shoulders, arm extend-ers, and chest. Lower body musculature is also activated as it counters the downward force of the dumbbell supported by the trainee. From the planted feet into the hands, force is transmitted through the skeletal system, stabilized by numerous muscular structures, most impor-tantly the lower back.

• The deadlift centers on the hamstrings, but-tocks, lumbar extensors, and quadriceps, essentially the large muscles of your back-side and the front of your thighs. As power is transferred from the lower body into the bar through the upper body conduit, upper back muscles are also stressed, contrasting with the squat, which is supported by the hands. Deadlifts are considered by some to be the most complete training exercise.

• The bench press mostly targets the chest, shoulders, and triceps. It’s the most popular among weightlifters, and it’s very simple. Trainees push the barbell off the lower chest until the arms are straight. This motion stresses not only the entire upper body, but also the lower body, which serves a stabilizing function. This provides a big hormonal response and plenty of bang for your buck.

• The pull-up/chin-up stress upper body musculature into the body. A pull-up is done when hands gripping over the bar; a chin-up is where hands are gripping under the bar. Nine out of 10 people can’t do this exercise because they haven’t put in the effort. It’s also been called a “man’s exercise, which is nonsense,” Dr. Osborn says. There are no gender-specific exercises. Women, too, should aspire to enjoy the health benefits entailed with this pillar.

“There are no secrets to a strong and healthier body; hard work is required for the body that will remain vital and strong at any age,” Dr. Osborn says. “Always practice proper form and safety. Otherwise, the result will be the opposite of your goal, an injury.”

As always, check with your health care provider before beginning any exercise routine.

Doctor’s book examines the benefits of strength training for older adults

With Lifeline by Immanuel, you can enjoy an independent lifestyle in your own home—knowing that you can get help if you ever need it. In a fall or emergency, every second counts. Lifeline by Immanuel with AutoAlert is a medical alert pendent that can automatically call for help, even if you can’t push your button. Getting you connected to someone with access to your medical history, someone who can evaluate your situation and immediately send help. To learn more about the security and peace of mind provided by Lifeline, call (402) 829-3277 or toll-free at (800) 676-9449.

Someday this button might save your life. For now, it sets you free.

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$30 = 7 meals or 1.75 hours of in-home homemaker services or 1 bath aide service for frail older adults.

$75 = 17 meals or 4.75 hours of in-home homemaker services or 4 bath aide services for frail older adults.



Other amount (please designate)__________________________

Please contact me. I would like to learn more about how to include the Eastern Nebraska Office on Aging in my estate planning.

ENOA

I would like to become a partner with the Eastern Nebraska Office on Aging, and help fulfill your mission with older adults.

Please mail your donation with this form to:Eastern Nebraska Office on AgingAttention: Jeff Reinhardt4223 Center StreetOmaha, NE 68105-2431(402) 444-6654

support!We need your Traditional funding sources are making it more difficult

for ENOA to fulfill its mission. Partnership

opportunities are available to businesses and individuals

wanting to help us. These opportunities include

volunteering, memorials, honorariums, gift annuities,

and other contributions.

Name:_____________________________________

Address:___________________________________

City:______________State:_____ Zip: __________

Phone:____________________________________

Today’s grandparents are much healthier and are living much longer than their parents. Much of this is due to the availability of today’s medications. Chronic pain, heart disease, high blood pressure, and diabetes can be treated with more effective medications today; however, they can be toxic to children. Accidental poisonings from medicine cause more emergency room visits for young children each year than car accidents.

Every minute of every day a poison center receives a call about a potential medi-cation poisoning for a child less than 5 years of age. One preventable reason may be grandparents store their medications within reach of their grandchildren. Tens of thousands of times a year a young child goes to the emergency room for a medication poisoning and 38 percent of the time the child got into a grandpar-ent’s medication.

According to a study, nearly one in four grand-parents told researchers they store their medications within reach of children or in easy-to-open containers. Grandparents were four times more likely to report leaving medications within easy reach of children than parents.

Older adults use more medications than any other age group in the United States. This group compris-

es 13 percent of the popu-lation but accounts for 34 percent of all prescription use. The medications older adults take often consist of dangerous prescription medications where even one pill could kill a small child.

Last year the Nebraska Regional Poison Center re-ceived over 1,000 calls from panicked grandparents after their grandchild took one or more of their medications.

Here are some tips to help keep your grandchildren safe:

• Don’t keep medications on nightstands, kitchen tables, or counters. Keep them locked up and out of sight.

• Children often imitate adults so take your medica-tions when the grandchil-dren aren’t watching.

• Use child resistant caps when possible. There is no such thing as childproof containers.

• Keep track of your medications and remember older grandchildren may be looking for prescription medications to abuse.

• Get unused, unwanted, and expired medications out of the house. The poison center can help you with that.

• Have the number to the poison center (1-800-222-1222) programmed into your phone or in a promi-nent place for easy access. The center is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Keep those medications away from kids to avoid accidental poisoning

AARP is offering a new four-hour, research-based Smart Driver Course for older adults.

By completing the course, participants will learn research-based driving safety strategies that can re-duce the likelihood of having an accident; understand the links between the driver, the vehicle, and the road environment, and how this awareness encourages safer driving; learn how aging, medications, alcohol, and health-related issues affect driving ability and ways to allow for these changes; increase confidence; know how to share the road safely with other drivers, and learn the newest safety and advance features in vehicles.

The fee is $15 for AARP members and $20 for non-AARP members.

No tests or examinations are involved, course comple-tion certificates are provided, and auto insurance dis-counts may apply. Here’s this month’s schedule:

AARP offering driving course

Saturday, August 91 p.m. to 5 p.m.

AARP Information Center1941 S. 42nd St.

Call 402-398-9568 to register

Wednesday, August 279 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Midlands Community Hospital11111 S. 84th St.

PapillionCall 800-253-4368

between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. to register

An exhibit titled, A History of Crime and Punishment in Sarpy County will be on display at the Sarpy County Mu-seum – 2402 Clay St. in Bellevue – from Sept. 2 through Nov. 1.

Visitors will learn more about moonshiners in Bellevue, escaped convicts in Gretna, and horse thieves in Papillion as they view photographs, police-related items, and more.

“We are excited to have the Sarpy County Sheriff’s office partnering with us on this exhibit,” said Ben Justman, the museum’s executive director.

The exhibit will also include a series of special presentations including:

• Sunday, Sept. 7 from 1 to 3 p.m.: Cops and Robbers, a guided tour through Bellevue Cemetery that will feature judges, law enforcement officials, and a few colorful law breakers.

• Saturday, Sept. 13 from 2 to 4 p.m.: Deputy Lloyd Schoolfield will tell stories about the early days of the Sarpy County Sheriff’s Department and provide information on changes in law enforcement equipment.

• Saturday, Sept. 28 from 2 to 4 p.m.: Cold Cases of Sarpy County.

• Saturday, Oct. 11 from 2 to 4 p.m.: Talk on the his-tory of the Sarpy County Attorney’s office.

Some of the festivities will include refreshments, so visi-tors are encouraged to RSVP by calling 402-292-1880.

While admission to the Sarpy County Museum is free, donations are always welcome.

Sarpy County Museum

Open auditions for the Pathfinder Chorus will be held on Thursday, Aug. 7 at 7 p.m. at Elkhorn South High School on 204th Street just south of Pacific Street.

Calling itself Nebraska’s “premiere a cappella cho-rus,” the Pathfinder Chorus features more than 100 men of all ages.

For more information, please send an e-mail to [email protected].

Auditions for men’schorus set for Aug. 7

Computer classes for men and women age 50 and older are being offered this fall through the AARP Information Center and the Kids Can Community Cen-ter. The nine-hour classes, which are taught over three days, run from Sept. 3 through Nov. 7. The cost is $20 and participants don’t need to be an AARP mem-ber. Students will learn a vari-ety of computer skills. To register or for more information, please call 402-398-9568.

Computer classes areavailable during fall


--Please turn to page 11.

Meigs brings art, history, ag together at the Florence Mill

By Leo Adam BigaContributing Writer

Artist, history buff, and preservation-ist Linda Meigs didn’t set out

to be the “Mill Lady,” but that’s what she’s known as in reference to Omaha’s historic Florence Mill, 9012 N. 30th St. It’s appropri-ate, too, because ever since saving this landmark from likely demolition it’s been her baby.

The wood structure dates back to the 1840s and boasts direct ties to the Great Mor-mon westward migration and to the Church of Latter Day Saints leader Brigham Young.

After near continuous use as a flour and lumber mill the building was abandoned in the 1970s and 1980s. Sitting vacant, the interior was exposed to the elements from a damaged roof and broken windows. Vandals

released stored grain from the chutes. Heaps of matted oats and dried pigeon and rodent droppings covered the floors.

Linda and her husband, John Meigs, acquired the Florence Mill in 1998 when no one else wanted the structure. They purchased the-then wreck for $63,000. Much more money than that has gone into its cleanup, repair, and restoration. The mill’s become her magnifi-cent obsession and all-con-suming art project.

Meigs, 64, operates the site as a historical museum. Photographs, interpretive text panels, tools, imple-ments, letters, and posters tell the story of the mill and its people. Because Linda’s retained the historical char-acter of the building includ-ing the original timber, the Florence Mill also speaks for itself.

The ArtLoft Gallery she created on the second floor

is dedicated to her late son, Connor Meigs, who fol-lowed her path to become an artist. He was a sopho-more at her alma mater, the University of Kansas, when killed in a 2004 automobile accident. Linda was already six years into the Florence Mill project when Connor died and since then she’s only thrown herself more into the project.

An outdoor farmer’s mar-ket happens Sundays on the grounds which she leases from the Nebraska Depart-ment of Roads. Linda also hosts a variety of special events at the mill.

This full-fledged cul-tural attraction be-gan as a cockeyed dream that nearly

everyone but her architect husband, John, tried talk-ing Meigs out of pursuing. It’s turned into a life’s work endeavor that’s preserved history, created a new com-munity space, and spurred tourism in one of Omaha’s oldest sections. Her efforts have earned recognition from several quarters.

She’s the mill’s owner, caretaker, curator, and ev-erything else.

“I’m doing everything here the executive direc-tor of any historical society does, only they have paid staff,” she says. “I’m the executive director, docent, historian, janitor, public relations person, events pro-grammer, (and) grant writer. It just goes on and on.”

Linda could have added market master. She “runs the show” at the Florence Farmers Market on Sundays in her gaudy market hat.

Those roles are in addi-tion to being a wife, mother, and rental property owner-manager. The Florence Mill though requires most of her

attention.“I’m the unpaid slave of

the mill,” Meigs says.She’s glad to be in service

to it, saying, “This is my gift to the city – to keep it open to the public. I’ve always been interested in preserva-tion. My husband, John, too. He worked on the restora-tion of the Orpheum Theatre and Union Station. We have a 100-year-old apartment building, the West Farnam, at 3817 Dewey Ave.

“I was an officer with Landmarks Inc. It makes me sick when we tear our history down and go to Europe for history. The mill is wonderful history. The building is really an encyclopedia of the grain industry. It has an unique niche as the only building in this region that bridges the eras of the overland pioneer trails and territorial settle-ment. I get a lot of visitors from outside Omaha, really from all across the country, who retrace the Mormon

and Gold Rush trails.”This intersection with

history would probably have been razed if not for her passion and perseverance.

The Florence Mill’s been endangered several times, first by the people who built it, the Mormon pioneers, when they left their winter quarters settlement to jour-ney west to Utah. Brigham Young himself supervised the mill’s construction. But after serving its purpose for that caravan of faithful, the mill was left to the Indians and nature.

Scottish émigré Alexan-der Hunter was on his way to the California Gold Rush when he saw an opportunity to rescue the mill. He rebuilt it, and an employee, Jacob Weber, later bought the building. The Mill remained in the Weber family for more than a century, thus it’s often called the Weber Mill and Elevator.

A 1930s flood nearly

To the thousands of men and women who visit the historic Florence Mill each year, Linda Meigs is

known as the ‘Mill Lady.’

Without a paid staff, Linda does everything required of a historical society’s executive director.

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--Please turn to page 12.

--Continued from page 10. claimed the Florence Mill. The threat of future floods motivated Jacob’s grandson, Lyman Weber, to move the building, intact, to higher ground.

In 1964 the Webers sold out to Ernie and Ruthie Harpster. Interstate 680 con-struction in the 1970s was slated to run right through the property before Ernie Harpster secured historic status for the site, which necessitated the Interstate being re-routed.

Meigs first learned of the mill when Harpster put it up for sale in 1997. Despite its awful condition Linda saw potential where others saw ruin.

“My role was to have it make a career change from an obsolete mill and grain elevator into a cultural site. And it took me years to figure out what its theme was, and it was just in the last year or two I recognized the obvious – it connects agriculture, history, and art. I never would have thought I’d be able to choreograph my life so that those very separate things would come together in anything as good as this building. It’s like they all tied together in this serendipity project.

“I feel I was the right person at the right time for this to steer it in a different direction – in an attraction direction.”

Indeed, it’s unlikely any-one else possessed the nec-essary skills and interests, plus will and vision, to take on the mill and repurpose its role.

The oldest of three siblings, Meigs is the only daughter of Francis and Pau-

line Sorensen. Her parents grew up on north-central Nebraska farms. Linda spent her early childhood in the Dundee neighborhood where she and John have resided since 1975, before the Sorensens moved to Omaha’s Sunset Hills.

Though she grew up in the city, Meigs gained an appreciation for agriculture visiting her maternal grand-parents’ farm.

“My mother’s family farm was my second home. We went out there week-ends and holidays. In fact. I’ve used it for my artwork quite a bit,” says the veteran visual artist who’s shown at the Artists Cooperative and Anderson O’Brien galleries.

In contrast to this bucolic idyll was her “Edgar Allan

Poe childhood.” Her mother sang at funerals and Linda accompanied her to the dark Victorian gothic mansions where these somber services were held.

Linda would sit on a red velvet settee outside the viewing room and wait for her mom to finish Danny Boy, In the Garden, and The Lord’s Prayer.

Meigs traces her love of old buildings to those times.

Linda’s talent for art as-serted itself early. She drew and colored on any paper she could lay her hands on, filling reams of notebooks with her Childcraft book-inspired designs,

“I won a Walt Disney coloring contest before kin-dergarten. I got free tickets to Westward Ho the Wagons at the Dundee Theater. That was the payoff. In grade school I got a scholarship to an art class at the Joslyn Art Museum. The teachers were always reinforcing about my artwork.”

Westside High School art teachers Ken Heimbuch and Diane (Hansen) Murphy were particularly “encourag-ing.”

“I still keep in touch with them and they come to my art shows here at the mill. We have a nice relation-ship.”

Meigs’ talent netted a scholarship to the Univer-sity of Kansas art camp, but her parents couldn’t afford to send her. Heartbroken, she still fixed her sights on studying art in college. She started at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln before switching to KU.

“I went to UNL my first year but I wasn’t very happy there. The art department wasn’t as large then as it is now. (Landscape painter) Keith Jacobshagen was a graduate student at the time and he encouraged me to check out KU, where he’d gotten his bachelor’s de-gree.”

The state university in Lawrence proved a good fit.

“It turned out my hus-band was down there. It all came together. I loved the campus. You’re on a hill and you can see the horizon from three directions. Aes-thetically, it’s very beauti-ful.”

Linda’s insurance adjus-tor father and homemaker mother never opposed their daughter from pursuing art.

“My parents were very accepting, they knew I had a gift in that area and were en-couraging. They were proud of me – even to the day I

graduated with a totally useless BFA in printmaking. My folks never pressured me about how I was going to make a living. I never worried about it because I always felt, and I raised my kids this way, that if you’re a creative person you could figure out what to do.”

She and John made a go of it after marrying in 1975. He worked as an architect for Leo A. Daly before go-ing into the building sup-plies business. She worked in a design studio before going off on her own as a

freelance illustrator. She’s taught art at the Joslyn and Metropolitan Community College and more recently with WhyArts?

Meigs kept her hand in art in other ways, too.

“I was the cultural arts chair of Washington El-ementary School for nine years. I invented a theme every year. The first one was Artists in Our Midst and every month I brought in a different artist. Whether they did pottery, silkscreen, or painting, there was an artist in residence in the

hallway demonstrating their work. I leaned on my artist friends for that to make this program for the school.

“One year we did a his-tory theme and we had an all-school quilting bee. Each class designed a different block for this school quilt that won two blue ribbons at the Douglas County Fair. All of that was practice for events at the mill. I learned how to be an event pro-ducer.”

Her and John’s apprecia-tion for history developed

Converting an obsolete grain depository into a cultural site

Photographs, interpretive text panels, tools, implements, letters, and posters tell the story of the Florence Mill and its people.

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During the spring of 1998, this group of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints missionaries and volunteers helped Meigs

begin to clean out and restore the Florence Mill.

In November 1998, the Florence Mill’s roof was replaced. --Please turn to page 13.

--Continued from page 11.into a hobby of driving around to admire houses and buildings in the older parts of town.

When they had four kids in six years, including twins, the Meigs developed an extra income stream by buying older residential proper-ties and renting them out. That led to Linda’ day job as “a landlady.”

Then in 1997 Meigs saw an Omaha World-Herald article that changed her life. Headlined History for Sale, it detailed the mill’s color-ful past. Having come to the end of its commercial life, the Florence Mill was for sale.

“When I read the article I had a sinking premonition it (the mill) would be my job,” Linda says with a laugh.

When she and John toured the mill for the first time it marked her initial visit to Florence. The build-ing was a mess.

“It was boarded up and pitch black inside. We used flashlights to see. It had 2,000 pounds of fermented grain in a bin. Another 12,000 pounds were on the floor. We shuffled through piles of grain, dirt, dead animals, and pigeon poop. It was stinky, dark, scary, and un-healthy in there.

“Another couple went through. The woman was Mormon and wanted to do a restaurant there. She asked me, ‘Are you interested in it?’ And I said, ‘Oh, I don’t know, it’s pretty rough.’ And I said, ‘Are you interested in it?’ And she said, ‘Oh, no, it’s too far gone for me.’”

It wasn’t too far gone for Linda, though. Not by a long shot.

“I thought, I can do this. It was a commitment, sure, but I thought this was a gem. I wasn’t afraid. I was used to working with old buildings. I didn’t know why there weren’t hundreds of people that wanted to buy an 1800s building.”

Still, it was a huge decision. After weeks hemming and hawing about the building’s potential she received a surprise. “On Valentine’s Day my husband came home with a loaf of my favorite bread. I set it out on the

counter, and he said, ‘Well, aren’t you going to open it?’ So I opened it and underneath the bread was a purchase agreement that said if I wanted to do this he would stand with me. That was lovely.”

If Linda hadn’t gone through with it, she says, the Florence Mill prob-ably would have been bulldozed. “It was falling on its own. There were letters to the editor asking why doesn’t somebody tear that ruin of a building down and others saying it needed to be fixed up. So there were two sides – there always is in pres-ervation. There are those who think it’s served its purpose, and so let it go. Then there are those who say it’s a link to our past and heritage that should be salvaged, and I’m in that camp.

“The writer David Bristow may have best captured its magic when he said, ‘I feel like I’m standing inside of a tree with the rings of his-tory around me.’ I love that – I think it’s such a perfect metaphor for this building. From the outside you don’t know what to expect from this industrial-looking building but the inside is very lovely and soulful.”

For Meigs, the Florence Mill is a living history lesson.

“The wood in here tells a story if you know where to look.”

She says the original hand-hewn timbers felled and erected by the Mormons are intact, as are the tim-bers Alexander Hunter used in the rebuilding effort. The circular marks from Hunter’s saw are visible in the timbers. There are vintage signs, pay stubs, and time cards about.

Getting things up to code meant addressing a myriad of problems; from fixing huge holes in the roof to replacing rotted windows to drain-ing fetid water in the basement she called “a stinky swimming pool” to removing seven tons of gunk.

“It was a big project,” Meigs says.Her first order of business was

cleaning all the walls and floors and open surfaces. “I scrubbed the entire building with trisodium phosphate and a brush.” Next was repairing the leaking roof.

Linda got a pleasant surprise when she discovered all those strewn oats acted as a sealant that protected the wood floors. “So the bane of the building was its bless-ing,” she says.

The building today “is a lot more solid than it was,” Linda says thanks to the new roof, siding, windows, and insulation. “We did the restora-tion on the outside to preserve the inside because it’s the inside of this building that’s historical. It’s just the opposite of most restora-tion projects, where they’ll keep the facade and gut the inside. We didn’t want to do that because it would ruin the building.”

It wasn’t long before Meigs got a sense the Florence Mill just might be the attraction she thought it could become.

“That first summer I was in here cleaning I had a thousand visitors and it wasn’t even open. Actually the mill told me through all those visitors that it needed to be open as a historical site. I had very vague ideas what to do with it. It’s an odd building functionally. As an artist I thought there would be a good gal-lery space here.

“I decided to open it up to the

public as a museum.”Meigs may have come to Florence

as an outsider but she soon estab-lished herself as a good neighbor dedicated to building the commu-nity and boosting economic devel-opment.

“It bothered me the historic sites of Florence were closed most of the summer, the mill included, except for the Mormon Trails Center,” she says. “Kiwanis was keeping the his-toric depot and bank open on sum-mer Sundays. I got a grant from the Mammel Foundation to staff those sites every day during the summer. It was a three-year grant and we kept them open with paid staff from Kiwanis clubs. It was a lovely rela-tionship of improving Omaha.”

When the grant ended the depot and bank went back to being open a few select days but Meigs decided to keep the mill open on a regular basis. “Because I could do it; I’m donating my time,” she says.

The mill’s open seasonally, May through October. It goes in hiberna-tion for the winter as it’s without heat and indoor restrooms.

Although still a newcomer to Florence, Linda’s become one of its biggest champions and feels it’s often overlooked considering its rich history.

“This is an unknown part of town. I call it the forgotten fringe. When I got the mill and I started doing the research I realized the depth of the history here and I got involved in the neighborhood.”

She chaired the group called Florence Futures that developed the master redevelopment plan for the Florence neighborhood.

When the Mormon Winter Quar-ters Temple opened, Meigs orga-nized a Lunch in Historic Flor-ence event that gave visitors to the Temple a button for a discounted lunch at area restaurants.

“It was the first time the com-munity had done a project with the Temple,” she says, adding the pro-motion won a state tourism award.

Much sweat equity and money went into getting the Florence Mill into its present restored state.

“It’s taken 17 years to do what we’ve done. It’s not been over-night.”

With no paid admission, the trickle of income from vendor rentals and gift shop sales isn’t nearly enough to keep the mill open and maintained. Meigs depends on grants and donations. She and John also “pitch in money to keep this afloat.” She estimates more than $300,000 has been invested in the building thus far from various sources.

“I have a Friends of the Mill group and people kindly donate to that. It fluctuates from year to year but the funds from that do not cover the operating costs.”

Some major donors have come through for pricy projects such as automatic barn doors. The Peter Kiewit Foundation and the Lozier

Newspaper article led Linda to her magnificent obsession


--Continued from page 12.Corporation helped fund their pur-chase and installation.

“A Questers group won a grant from the statewide Questers to replace the basement windows. It’s not like that happens all the time but there’s enough that it helps. When the need arises, good things happen, (and) angels appear.”

Linda’s proud of how she converted the mill’s loft into a rustic art gallery bathed in natural light.

“I put some things up there early on. The first show was a show of my farm photographs with fiber art by Dorothy Tuma.”

The space didn’t become a full-fledged gallery though until her son, Connor’s, death.

“Loss is hard. Losing a child is pretty unacceptable because it’s out of the order of things. He died from injuries in a car accident on Christ-mas Eve of 2004. He was 19.”

Connor was an award-winning editorial cartoonist with the Omaha Central High Register and the Daily Kansan newspapers. He was home for the holidays, driving with his twin brother, Doug, when the colli-sion happened near the south side of Elmwood Park.

“We were over at John’s parents’ house waiting for Doug and Con-nor to come over to play board games with us,” Linda says. “The roads turned to black ice. Both boys suffered injuries and lost conscious-ness.

“Doug came out of it and Connor did not.”

There was a huge outpouring of support, including $10,000 in me-morial gifts to the Florence Mill.

Linda also wanted to do some-thing to commemorate Connor’s love for art.

“It was actually in the wilderness of British Columbia that the idea came to me to give an art award in his memory,” Meigs explains. “I had promised Connor a show at the gallery when he graduated. I decid-ed to give one young person a year what I promised to give Connor.”

The Connor Meigs Art Award is a merit award to help launch a young artist’s career. It includes a month-long solo exhibit, mentoring, artist’s reception, lodging, and a $1,000 honorarium. Because Connor was an organ donor his mother knew he helped give life to others and he would live on through the recipients.

“I wrote a letter to the families of the transplant patients who received his organs about what kind of a young man he was. I wrote that he was a hockey player and an award-winning artist. It had been six months since his passing and I had not heard any response.”

Linda had been waiting for a letter but she got a personal visit instead.

“We were here working at the mill on a Sunday cleaning pigeon poop when a couple drove up in a

car with outstate license plates. The woman got out and said, ‘We’d like to see Connor’s work.’ I said, ‘How did you know there was an exhibit?’ She looked down and after a pause she looked up to say, ‘I have Con-nor’s liver.’”

There had been a recent article about the Florence Mill’s renova-tion and Connor’s show. Maggie Steele of Norfolk, Neb. contacted the Nebraska Organ Donors Society saying she wanted to meet Connor’s family. She was told protocol re-quires a recipient correspond a year with the family before a meeting is set. Meigs says Steele persisted until the organization finally gave in and said, “Follow your heart.”

“Maggie and her husband, Phil, stop by to visit the mill nearly every summer,” Meigs says. “Though I wrote a letter to all the organ recipi-ents, Maggie was the only one we heard from. We are grateful to have heard from her.”

Historically, the mill’s always been a landmark for travelers, whether on foot, wagon, or motor vehicle, and it remains a magnet for all kinds of visitors and events.

“Its still a natural meeting place,” Meigs says. “It’s right next to the Interstate, it’s very easy access, and it’s on the way to the airport.”

Warren Buffett’s been there. The grounds have accommodated camp-ers following the Mormon Trail. The mill was the site for a Great Plains Theatre Conference program in May that drew hundreds. Each fall it’s part of the North Omaha Pottery Tour. The gallery hosts sev-eral exhibits annually. The farmers market features dozens of vendors on Sundays from June through September.

Meigs says the Mill gets 8,000 to 10,000 visitors each summer and the farmer’s market, begun in 2009, is a major draw. It’s an eclectic scene where you can listen to live bluegrass music and get a massage. Children can ride ponies and pet alpacas. Linda sometimes joins the circle jam of fiddle and dulcimer musicians to play the washboard.

The laid-back vibe is largely at-tributed to Meigs.

“I get a lot of thank you’s and gratitude from some people for saving this building but it’s blessed me back. I’ve met so many wonder-ful friends in this part of town. It’s enriched my life.”

Two measures of how much her efforts are appreciated happened this summer. She went with her family on a Bucket List trip to Brit-ish Columbia and artist friends ran the mill in her absence. “I almost wept when people stepped forward to say, ‘I’ll help.’”

Folks in Florence organized a Thank You for the Mill party. “What a nice thing for people to do,” she says. “It’s nice to be appreciated.”

She says fellow creative folks “al-ways understand the building itself is my art project – it is the creation, it is an art and history installation.”

Meigs feels she’s part of a long

lineage of people who have been entrusted with the Florence Mill.

“All of the owners of the building have honored that pioneer heritage and have had a role to play in the building’s preservation.” Linda doesn’t have a succession plan for handing-off the Florence Mill when she retires or dies. She says the Douglas County Histori-cal Society or the Nebraska State Historical Society may be possibili-ties. She thinks the Mormon Church might be interested.

Meigs isn’t giving it up anytime soon, though. Besides, she’s be-

come so identified with it that she and the mill are synonymous.

“People want me to be here. When they come here and I’m not here they’re disappointed. I guess my personality’s ingrained in this thing. I’m the ‘Mill Lady.’”

It may not be exactly what she had in mind as a young artist. Nevertheless, Meigs says, “It’s my dream.”

For more on Florence Mill hours and activities visit the websitewww.theflorencemill.org.

Read more of Biga’s work at leoadambiga.wordpress.com.

Florence Mill’s art gallery memorializes Connor Meigs

This is what the space now occupied by the Florence Mill’s second floor art gallery looked like when Linda and John Meigs

bought the building in 1998 for $63,000.

Although Linda had never been in Florence before scouting the mill for a possible purchase, she’s become an active member of

the area’s business and social community.


Bellevue Community Senior Center

A $25,000 gift from the Fremont Area Alzheimer’s Com-mittee will strengthen the University of Nebraska Medical Center’s efforts to successfully recruit individuals to partic-ipate in national clinical trials that focus on new drug treat-ments to prevent the development of Alzheimer’s disease or slow its progression.

UNMC, which is in the beginning stages of launching three new Alzheimer’s disease clinical trials in Nebraska, will join sites from across the United States to complete these studies.

The Fremont Area Alzheimer’s Committee’s gift to the University of Nebraska Foundation supports the efforts of the research staff at UNMC to initiate these studies, includ-ing recruitment of participants.

The gift also supports UNMC’s development of a regis-try of patients with Alzheimer’s disease and related demen-tias as well as healthy aging individuals who are interested in research. This registry will be a vital resource to help recruit patients for future Alzheimer’s disease clinical stud-ies and studies focused on aging and brain health.

Support for Alzheimer’s research at UNMC is a priority of the University of Nebraska Foundation’s Campaign for Nebraska: Unlimited Possibilities that ends Dec. 31.

Daniel Murman, M.D. will lead the three clinical tri-als at UNMC and start the registry. He is a professor in the UNMC Department of Neurological Sciences and the director of the Memory Disorders & Behavioral Neurology Program.

“The Fremont Area Alzheimer group’s support is criti-cal to helping UNMC get these clinical trials off the ground and will facilitate future Alzheimer’s disease research focused on finding effective disease modifying therapies,” Dr. Murman said.

“While the NIH and pharmaceutical companies are pro-viding support for the national studies and for participants once they are involved, private funding, such as this gift, benefits us by funding start-up and recruitment activities. This enhances UNMC’s ability to build and maintain the infrastructure needed for Alzheimer’s disease research now and in the future.”

Dr. Murman praised the Fremont Area Alzheimer’s Committee and the Fremont community for its extraordi-nary support in moving the promising research forward.

“Too many individuals suffer from the devastation of Alzheimer’s,” he said. “Our hope, through these efforts, is to lessen its impact on patients and families.”

For more information about participating in the Alzheim-er’s clinical trials at UNMC, please call 402-552-6233.

Gift from Alzheimer’s group in Fremont tohelp UNMC recruit clinical participants

The 2014-15 production schedule at the Blue Barn Theatre – 614 S. 11th St. – has been announced. This will be the final season of shows at the theatre that will move to 10th and Pacific streets in 2015-16.

• Oct. 2 to 25: American Buffalo.

• Nov. 28 to Dec. 21: Every Christmas Story Ever Told (and Then Some).

Blue Barn Theater• Jan. 8 to 10: Stand-

ing on Ceremony: The Gay Marriage Plays.

• Feb. 19 to March 14: Bad Jews.

• May 7 to June 7: Our Town.

Season tickets, which are now on sale, are $85 for adults and $70 for persons age 65 and older.


Volunteers Assisting Seniors

Volunteers Assisting Seniors, a local nonprofit organization, needs retired professionals for its Court Auditor and Medicare Counseling pro-grams.

Volunteer court auditors will review annual reports sub-mitted by guardians and conservators and report discrepan-cies to the court.

VAS’ volunteer Medicare counselors work with the State Health Insurance Assistance Program to offer free counseling and assistance for people that receive Medicare benefits. The Medicare volunteer counselors are required to take a training class on Sept. 5 and 12 before working with the Medicare beneficiaries.

For more information, please call VAS at 402-444-6617.

You’re invited to visit the Bellevue Se-nior Community Center – 109 W. 22nd Ave. – this month for:

• Aug. 4: Talk by Margaret Schaefer from Legal Aid of Nebraska @ 11 a.m.

• Aug. 7: Dinner with chicken Parmesan, potato wedges, Italian vegetables, a lettuce salad, and watermelon @ 6 p.m.

• Aug. 8: We’ll have a book swap all day in honor of Booklovers Day (Aug. 9).

• Aug. 14: Dinner with a hot turkey sand-wich, California blend vegetables, tropical fruit, and sherbet @ 6 p.m.

• Aug. 15: The Kiwanis Club will host a lasagna lunch at noon. Entertainment by Johnny Ray Gomez @ 10:45 a.m.

• Aug. 18: Home safety presentation @ 11 a.m. • Aug. 21: Dinner with pizza, a tossed

salad, peaches, and a Jell-O parfait @ 6 p.m.• Aug. 22: Rockin’ ’50s party from 10

a.m. to noon. • Aug. 26: Presentation on security

awareness by Officer Craig Welch from the Bellevue Police Department @ 12:30 p.m.

• Aug. 28: Red Cross blood drive from 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

• Aug. 28: Dinner with taco salad, chips, fruit salad, and a brownie sundae @ 6 p.m.

The Bellevue Senior Community Center is open Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and

Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Thursday from 8 am to 8 p.m. A $3.50 contribution is suggested for lunch. A $4 contribution is suggested for the evening meal. Reserva-tions are due by noon the business day prior to the lunch you wish to enjoy.

We offer chair volleyball on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 10:30 a.m. We have a Maj Jong group that plays Mondays at 11 a.m.

On Tuesdays and Fridays, a Tai Chi class is offered at 2 p.m. A 50 cents contribution is suggested for the class.

Ellen Shank (AKA the vegetable lady) will be at the center Tuesdays around 10 a.m. to sell fresh vegetables.

Get your walking shoes ready for the Sarpy County Alzheimer’s Disease Walk on Saturday, Oct. 4 at Papillion-LaVista South High School. Walkers, volunteers, and people willing to make purple scarves to sell as a fundraiser are needed.

Mark your calendars for the annual spa-ghetti dinner fundraiser at the Lied Center on Oct. 24. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for persons under age 12. The food will be served from 4:30 to 7 p.m. Music by Michael Lyon begins at 5 p.m.

For meal reservations or more informa-tion, call Regan or Cheryl @ 402-293-3041.


Whether moving to a new home, apartment, retirement community, or out of state like Bill and Mary; “MovingOn” will sort, pack, and arrange to move your belongings.

As a senior, or a child of a senior, life is busy and handling a house-hold liquidation or estate sale can be overwhelming and confusing. “MovingOn” decreases stress as it acts as your on-site advocate by taking care of all the details.

Our services include: • Plan, schedule, and coordinate the move.

• Arrange for utilities, cable, and mail delivery changes.

• Pack and unpack household contents, making the new home feel comfortable.

• Make arrangements for an estate sale, auction, donation pickup, or even shipment.

• Arrange for temporary storage

• Coordinate cleaning, staging, and preparing the home prior to listing or closing.

Katie WrayOwner-Operator

“ Love should be a tree whose roots are deep in the earth, but whose branches

extend into heaven.” Bertrand Russe

Call today for a free estimate!402-651-2711

[email protected]

Bill & Mary

Member of NASMM (National Association of Senior Move

Managers)

MovingOn

You’re encouraged to enroll in basic computer skills classes at the Heartland Workforce Solu-tions American Job Center, 5752

Ames Ave. The courses are held Mondays from 1 to 4 p.m.

Participants will receive hands on train-ing and learn how to use a personal com-puter, how to search the Internet, and learn Microsoft programs.

For more information, please call Bar-bara Thomas at 402-451-1066, ext. 35.

Computer classes on Mondays

You’re invited to attend a dance each Wednesday afternoon from 1 to 4 p.m.

at American Legion Post #1, 7811 Dav-enport St. Admis-sion is $2.

For more infor-mation, please call 402-392-0444.

Dance at Legion Post #1

The University of Nebraska Medical Center and the University of Califor-nia San Francisco have been awarded

a $10 million grant from the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation to create a new web-based model of demen-tia care. It will provide around the clock consultations for patients and their families, online education, and, for some patients, remote monitoring with smart phones and home sensors.

The Dementia Care Ecosystem won’t replace clinicians, but rather bring educa-tional resources developed over the past decade by UCSF’s Memory and Aging Center to patients and their families, while enabling clinicians to monitor their patients from afar.

Dr. Steve Bonasera, M.D., Ph.D., associ-ate professor of geriatrics at UNMC and co-investigator of the grant, said the proj-ect has the potential to give patients with Alzheimer’s disease, their families and care partners, advice and expertise no matter where they live or their income.

“We hope to show that by providing com-prehensive, personally tailored services, we can keep everyone healthier, happier, and decrease time spent in hospitals,” said Dr. Bonasera, who did his fellowship at UCSF. “I think the interventions in this trial will keep people with dementia at home longer, and at the same time lower family and care-giver stress.”

Beginning this fall, 2,100 patients, all diagnosed with varying stages of demen-tia, will be enrolled through San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center, the UCSF Medical Center, the UCSF clinics, the Chinatown Clinics, as well as UNMC and other organizations in Nebraska serving older adults.

Each patient will have a navigator who will check in by telephone or with a per-sonal visit as well as be monitored through an Internet dashboard. Navigators will be people without a formal medical degree who will be supervised closely by nurses, social workers, and pharmacists with exper-tise in dementia care.

The navigators will triage calls, making sure patients see nurses and doctors when necessary and helping with other things that don’t require medical expertise such as a hazardous situation in the home that could cause the patient to fall. Meanwhile, pa-tients and their families will be able to get training online to help make financial plans and work through tough medical decisions before their loved ones have reached a crisis stage.

“Our ecosystem will have wisdom and experience continuously piped in every day to caregivers who are overwhelmed,”

Researchers at the University of Ne-braska at Omaha are looking for pairs of individuals who are willing to participate in a joint one-time interview. One of these men or women needs to have dif-ficulty with excessive clutter. The other individual must be the first person’s close family member or friend.

There is no monetary compensation for persons participating in this research study.

For more information, please call Jen-nifer Baker at 402-554-2921 or send an e-mail to [email protected].

Hoarding study

Around the clock consultations offered

UNMC involved in study to createweb-based model of dementia care

said Bruce Miller, M.D., director of the Memory and Aging Center at UCSF. “Typi-cally, these people have a hard time getting through to anyone in the medical system.”

Researchers hope to create a virtual care system that is supportive enough to protect the mental and physical health of caregiv-ers who tend to neglect their own needs. If caregivers learn to cope better, patients may be able to remain at home longer before moving into assisted living.

Last year, according to the Alzheim-er’s Association, about 15.5 million people in the United States were

caring for friends and family members with dementia. Nearly 60 percent said the work was highly stressful and more than a third reported symptoms of depression.

Some patients in the study will use smart phones and electronic wristbands to record activity levels, count the number of steps they take, and measure how far they range from home. A small number will have sensors placed inside their homes to detect behavior changes that could signal the onset of a health problem like being up all night, staying in bed all day, or going to the bath-room more times than usual.

The system also will monitor the drugs that patients take and flag high risk and inappropriate medications that can send patients with certain forms of dementia to the emergency room.

Initial projections are that the improved caregiver support, more continuous access to medical help, and medication manage-ment will reduce emergency room visits by a half, cut hospitalizations by almost a third, and delay the move into a nursing home by six months. This is projected to save $4.3 million over the three years of the grant.

(UNMC’s Public Relations Department provided this information.)

You’re invited to attend a free six-week se-ries of programs titled Find Peace of Mind by Organizing Your Financial Life. The programs will be held on Tuesday morn-ings from 10 to 11:30 at 1055 N. 115th St., Suite 200.

The series will be offered Sept. 9 through Oct. 14.Here’s the schedule:• Week 1: Alzheimer’s Disease: The Road to a Diagno-

sis… and Beyond with Terry Johnson, a caregiver for his wife and an adjunct professor at Grace University.

• Week 2: Legal Documents: What if Something Hap-pens to Me? with Niel Nielsen from the Carlson Burnett Law Firm.

• Week 3: Protecting your Assets: What to do When the Forecast Calls for Rain with representatives from Financial Visions, LLC.

• Week 4: Family Dynamics: Expectations and Realities with journalist and caregiver Chris Christen.

• Week 5: Community Resources: Industry Bestsellers with Michaela Williams from Care Consultants for the Ag-ing.

• Week 6: Your Plan B: A Reality Check for Caregivers with Cathy Wyatt, CSA from Financial Visions, LLC.


Six-week series of financial programsscheduled for Sept. 9 though Oct. 14


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Corrigan Senior Center

The National Association of Retired Federal Employees’ Chapter 144 meets the first Wednesday of each month at 11:30 a.m. at the Amazing Pizza Machine, 13955 S Plz.

For more information, please call 402-333-6460.The National Association of Retired Federal Employees’

Aksarben Chapter 1370 meets the second Wednesday of each month at 11:30 a.m. at the Amazing Pizza Machine, 13955 S Plz.


Retired federal employees meet monthly

How do you support and provide the best care for dying patients and their families?

Although vital com-ponents of patient care, these poignant questions are rarely answered with conviction in the health care industry. In the new second edition of her book, To Comfort Always: A Nurse’s Guide to End-of-Life Care, Linda Norlander MS, BSN, RN, helps nurses navigate end-of-life care and communication by serving as a skilled clinician, advocate, and guide.

“All nurses experience death either professionally or personally, so all nurses should have a basic knowl-edge of how to care for dying patients,” Norlander said.

Published by the Honor Society of Nursing, Sigma Theta Tau International, this newly revised version provides readers with ad-ditional tools and resourc-es along with expanded content on chronic illness, dementia, care planning,

Nurse writes book about end-of-life care

The Douglas County Health Department is asking every-one to take it easy during extremely warm temperatures.

“The heat and humidity make for potentially deadly con-ditions,” said DCHD Health Director Dr. Adi Pour.

Some ideas to help you avoid heat-related problems include:

• Never leave a person or an animal in a closed, parked vehicle during hot weather.

• Drink plenty of fluids before you get thirsty, and avoid drinks with alcohol or caffeine. Water is the best drink to keep you cool.

• Take advantage of air conditioning as much as pos-sible.

• Wear light-colored, loose-fitting clothing.

• Outdoor activities should be limited to the cooler morn-ing and evening hours. Athletes participating in outdoor activities need special attention.

• Those age 65 or older and children are more at risk of being impacted by the heat and humidity. You can help by checking on these individuals during the day.

• A sunscreen of SPF 15 or higher should be used when outside.

“Heat is on average, by far, the biggest weather killer in the United States,” Dr. Pour said. “Please take the proper precautions.”

Advice for avoiding heat-related problems

clinical management, eth-ics, suffering, and grief to empower nurses to serve as an advocate for both the patient and their family.

Norlander is an award-winning author and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Executive Nurse Fellow with more than 30 years of experience in nursing. She believes the concept of presence is critical both when caring for patients and when educating nurses about patient care. She has committed her work to providing better care to patients at the end of their lives; inspired by the poorly managed medical care she experienced when her mother was ill.

“Our population is aging and experiencing more long-term chronic illness-es, including dementia,” Norlander said. “These will all be eventually fatal, and we need to be able to care for these patients in a compassionate and holistic way.”

The book is available for $34.95 from online book-sellers.

You’re invited to visit the Fremont Friendship Center, 1730 W. 16th St. (Chris-tensen Field) this month for the following:

• Aug. 1: We’ll host the traveling pitch tournament @ 9:30 a.m. If you’re play-ing cards, please have your snack here by 9 a.m.

• Aug. 6: Music by pia-nist Wally @ 10:30 a.m.

• Aug. 13: Dance to the music of Johnny Ray Go-mez @ 10:30 a.m. We’ll celebrate the August birth-days @ 11:30 a.m.

• Aug. 14: Let Laurie know if you’d like to join the Adaptive Recreation group for cosmic bowling.

• Aug. 20: Dance to the music of Wayne Miller @ 10:30 a.m.

• Aug. 26: A movie and popcorn with Larry @ 10:30 a.m.

• Aug. 27: Enjoy music by Al Knoell @ 10:30 a.m.

• Aug. 27: Toenail clinic for $10. Call Laurie at 402- 727-2815 for an appoint-ment.

• Aug. 29: Wear your red to our 10:30 a.m. tailgate party to kick off the Husk-ers’ football season.

The Fre-mont Friend-ship Center is open Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.; Tues-day from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.; and Friday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Lunch is served at 11:30 a.m. A $3.50 donation is suggested for lunch. Res-ervations must be made by noon the business day prior to the meal you wish to enjoy.

Other free activities include exercising, card games, billiards, and access to a computer lab.

For meal reservations and more information, please call Laurie at 402-727-2815.

Fremont FriendshipCenter events

You’re invited to visit the Corrigan Senior Center, 3819 X St. this month for:

• Tuesdays in August: Ellen’s Produce Market from 11:15 to 11:45 a.m. Fresh veggies and fruit from her Nebraska City garden. Cash or produce vouchers only.

• Wednesdays: Art & Social class @ 9:30 a.m. in the crafts room. Bring and work on any art project (and your own supplies). Share ideas and lots of laughs.

• Monday, Aug. 4: Cooking Matters food demonstration @ 11 a.m. A local chef will prepare a food item and then offer samples. The noon lunch features a baked chicken breast with orange and cranberry sauce or a deli choice. Bingo follows lunch.

• Monday, Aug. 18: Hawaiian Beach Party and Bingo. Wear your Hawaiian shirts and sandals. Beach ball blast and costume contest @ 10 a.m. Door prizes, island music by Paul Siebert from the Merrymakers, and lunch featuring herbed pork or a deli crabmeat macaroni salad. Bingo follows lunch.

• Thursday, Aug. 21: Lazy, Daisy, Crazy Days of Summer Dinner and Mega Bingo. The special noon lunch menu is a chicken breast, mashed potatoes, green beans, a tossed salad, a dinner roll, and strawberry shortcake. Mega bingo will follow lunch. Win part of the $75 pot. The suggested lunch donation is $3.50. The reservation deadline is noon on Fri., Aug. 15.

• Monday, Aug. 21: August birthday party and Bingo. Music by Charlie Glasgow from the Merrymakers @ 11 a.m. The noon lunch menu features a hot or a cold selection.

• Thursday, Aug. 28: Dog Days of Summer featuring lunch, Bingo, dog trivia, and ice cream floats. Lunch features a BBQ rib patty on a bun.

New players are welcome to play chair volleyball every Tuesday and Thursday @ 11 a.m. A noon lunch will follow.

Join us for Tai Chi, a relaxing and fun activity that’s proven to improve your balance Tuesdays and Thursdays at 10 a.m. in our spacious gym.

Bingo, ceramics, exercise, woodcarving, and loads of fun are also available.

The Corrigan Senior Center is open weekdays from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Lunch is served at noon. A $3 contribution is normally suggested for the meal. Reservations are normally due by noon the business day prior to the meal you wish to enjoy.

For meal reservations or more information, please call Lynnette at 402-731-7210.


Designed by Bertram Goodhue, the Nebraska State Capitol was completed in 1932 at a cost of less than $10 million.

A quilting group at Good Shepherd Methodist Church in Fremont has made a quilt with a Bible theme for each

of Betty Sheaff’s (pictured) eight grandkids.

Cass County’s Betty Sheaff proud of her state, place settings, quilts

A Pony Express rider near Chimney Rock which rises nearly 300 feet above the North Platte Valley in Morrill County.

On Sept. 23, 1869, construction began on U. Hall, the first building on the University of Nebraska campus in Lincoln.

Betty Sheaff, age 92, and her late husband, Roy, truly love Nebraska. To celebrate that pride and

as a way to decorate their Lincoln home, in 1963 the Sheaffs commis-sioned Minden, Neb. artists Velma Fairchild and her daughter, Donna Galahan, to paint 10 china place settings each showcasing a different historic site in Nebraska. The place settings feature a bread and butter plate emblazoned with the Nebraska state seal, a dinner plate, a cup, a saucer, a salad plate, and a soup bowl.

Fairchild and Galahan painted the china when they had downtime while working at their Minden grocery store. Once the painting – which took more than a year to complete – was finished the pieces were shipped 10 miles away to a

lady who fired (heated) the items in an oven.

The Nebraska historic sites which have been captured on the place settings are the first State Capitol, Daniel Freeman’s homestead, a Ne-braska sod house, a grist mill on the Niobrara River, the Old U. Hall on the University of Nebraska campus, Fairview (William Jennings Bryan’s home), Arbor Lodge, the old Hay-market Square, the Union Pacific Railroad, and Chimney Rock with a Pony Express rider.

The collection also has a pickle dish showing the first Method-ist church in Lancaster County, a pickle dish featuring the Sower that sits atop the State Capitol, a round platter with the Nebraska State Capitol, a vegetable bowl displaying a wagon train, and a covered dish with an outline of Nebraska’s 93

counties. The words: “Honor to pio-neers who broke the sod that men to come might live,” are inscribed on the covered dish.

Betty said each design was based on a black and white photograph at the Nebraska State Historical Soci-ety in Lincoln.

Over the years, the Sheaffs’ place settings and the other hand-painted pieces – which were used during several family meals – have been displayed at many locations in Nebraska including Omaha’s Joslyn Art Museum and St. Elizabeth’s Hospital in Lincoln.

Sheaff is pleased other Nebras-kans have had an opportunity to see and enjoy her china. “It’s a matter of sharing and serving,” she said.

Betty, who was a licensed mortician from 1941 to 1975 in California and Nebraska, and Roy, an

attorney and judge, were married for 62 years before Roy’s death in 2009. The Sheaffs have a son, John, an attorney and judge who died in 2000 and a daughter, Joleen Hilgen-feld, who teaches school in Table Rock, Neb.

Now a resident of South Bend,

Neb., Betty has eight grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren.

As a way to honor her grandkids, Sheaff asked members of a quilting group at Good Shepherd Methodist Church in Fremont to make a quilt with a Bible theme for each of her grandchildren.

The fourth of five daughters born to Floyd and Florence Umberger, Betty Um-berger Sheaff was raised

in Lincoln. Her family operated the Umberger Sheaff Mortuary in the capital city as well as mortuaries in Hallam and Waverly, Neb.

More recently, Betty has been an integral part of the activities at First United Methodist Church in Louis-ville, Neb. for more than 30 years. She attends the Wednesday morn-ing Bible study class at the church. “Her Bible is one you know has been used,” Pastor Bob Wynn said.

“She’s like the matriarch of our congregation,” he continued. “The kids give her hugs and sometimes sit on her lap during services.”

While Betty Sheaff and her fam-ily have always loved Nebraska, it’s obvious the people of her home state return that affection to her.


The Retired and Senior Volunteer Program is re-cruiting persons age 55 and older for a variety of oppor-tunities. For more informa-tion in Douglas, Sarpy, and Cass counties, please call 402-444-6536, ext. 224. In Dodge and Washington counties, call 402-721-7780.

The following have volunteer opportunities in Douglas, Sarpy, and Cass counties:

• The Disabled Ameri-can Veterans need volun-teer drivers.

• The Douglas County Health Center wants volunteers for a variety of assignments.

• Alegent Creighton Health Bergan Mercy Medical Center is look-ing for volunteers to help in several areas.

• The Omaha Children’s Museum needs volunteers for its train ride program.

• Rebuilding Together wants volunteers to work on home projects.

• The Omaha Conven-tion & Visitors Bureau is looking for volunteers for a variety of duties.

• Partnerships in Aging wants volunteers to help at the Grandparents as Par-ents conference on Sept. 18.

• Together, Inc. wants a volunteer intake assistant.

• Mount View Elemen-tary School is looking for a TeamMates mentor.

The following have a vol-unteer opportunity in Dodge and/or Washington County:

• The Blair and Fremont Car-Go Program needs volunteer drivers.

• The Fremont Friend-ship Center wants volun-teers to facilitate classes.

• The Danish American Archive Library is looking for volunteers to help with its archives.

• The American Red Cross needs volunteers.

The Alzheimer’s Associ-ation is offering a dementia safety conference on Friday, Aug. 22 from 7:45 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at the Ramada Plaza Convention Center, 3321 S. 72nd St.

The event is designed for caregivers for a friend or family member with Alzheimer’s or a related de-mentia as well as health care professionals and students.

Topics will include driv-ing, wandering, and fall prevention.

For more information, please call 402-502-4301.Reflects donations received through July 25, 2014.

See the ad on page 3

New Horizons Club membership roll rises$25

Barbara MausRudolph ChloupekConnie Kudlacek

John GahanGlenn Chapp

$15James & Wanda Ronni

$10Jean Granlund

$5Lorraine ChambersLonnie McIntoshJanet NestanderWilliam OsborneAudrey CottonDorothy AllisonBeverly Betts

Mary Ann Matteson

$1Lee Kulper

Alzheimer’s conferencescheduled for Aug. 22.

Retired and SeniorVolunteer Program


CLASSIFIEDSPlease call 402-444-4148

or 402- 444-6654to place your ad

Law Offices of Charles E. Dorwart

31 years of legal experience• Wills • Living Trusts • Probate

• Healthcare and Financial Powers of Attorney

• In Home Consultations • Free Initial Consultation

440 Regency Parkway Drive • Suite 139 Omaha, NE 68114

Office: (402) 558-1404 • Fax: (402) [email protected]

You’re invited to join the Omaha Computer Us-ers Group, an organization dedicated to helping people age 50 and older learn more about their computers.

The organization’s 50 members meet the fourth Saturday of each month from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Abrahams Li-brary, 5011 N. 90th St.

Annual dues to OCUG, which has existed for 15 years, are $25.

Members will have access to updated laptop computers with Microsoft Office 2010, the Microsoft 8 operating system, a Power Point pro-jector, and a printer.

For more information, please call OCUG’s presi-dent Phill Sherbon at 402-333-6529.

Omaha ComputerUsers Group

You’re invited to attend the River City Theatre Or-gan Society’s presentation of A Sentimental Musical Journey on Sunday, Aug. 17. The 3 p.m. concert will be held at the Rose Theater, 2001 Farnam St. The festivities will include Jonas Nordwall accompa-nying a Laurel and Hardy film on the Rose’s mighty Wurlitzer theatre pipe organ. Johnny Ray Gomez and Johnny Ray Gomez Jr. will be the special musical guests that afternoon. Pre-paid general admis-sion tickets are $15 by mail through Aug. 7. Checks should be sent to: RCTOS, 2864 Katelyn Cir., Lincoln, Neb. 68516. Tickets will also be avail-able at the door on Aug. 17 for $20. For more information, please call Jerry Pawlak at 402-421-1356.

Omaha resi-dent Bar-bara Combs Lewellen and her brother,

Dr. J.C Combs, have writ-ten a book featuring stories from their days growing up in Clearmont, Mo.

Titled Clearmont: Life in a Small Town in the 1940s and Early ’50s, the 97-page trade paperback chronicles the Combs’ life as they were being raised in a time of simplicity, unique beauty, and memorable life lessons.

“We know that over time they (the stories) have prob-ably become embellished a bit, but they are still true to the times,” the authors wrote in the book’s prologue.

For more information on Clearmont: Life in a Small Town in the 1940s and Early 50s, please contact Barbara Combs Lewellen at 402-630-8691.

Theatre organ showscheduled for Aug. 3

Omahan, brother write about their childhood

The Omaha Fire Department’s Public Education and Affairs Department is available to install free smoke and/or carbon monoxide detectors inside area resi-

dences.To have a free smoke and/or carbon monoxide detector

installed inside your home, send your name, address, and telephone number to:Omaha Fire DepartmentSmoke/Carbon Monoxide Requests10245 Weisman Dr.Omaha, NE 68134


Smoke detector installation REPUTABLE SERVICES, INC.

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• Painting Interior & Exterior

• Handyman Services

• Senior Discounts

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Better Business Bureau Member

Senior Citizens (62+)

Accepting applications for HUD-subsidized apartments in

Papillion & Bellevue. Rent determined by income and medical expenses.

Monarch Villa West201 Cedar Dale Road

Papillion (402) 331-6882

Bellewood Courts1002 Bellewood Court

Bellevue (402) 292-3300

Managed by Kimball Management., Inc.

We do business in accordance with

the Fair Housing Law.

Moving, refelting, assemble, repair,tear down. Used slate tables.

We pay CASH for slate pool tables.

Big Red Billiards402-598-5225

POOL TABLES

PAID THROUGH July 2014

Tree TrimmingBeat the

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Chipping & removal. Your prunings chipped. Experienced & insured.

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HOUSECLEANING

REFESH CLEANING SERVICESJUDY: 402-885-8731

Large or small jobs.

New Horizons Newspaper

Enoa Aging

Buying or selling?Use the NH Classifieds

Call 402-444-4148 or 402-444-6654 to place your ad.

A 30-minute program titled Safe, Secure, Seniors: Legal Services to Protect Older Nebraskans will be televised twice this month on NET2.

Nebraska’s State Unit on Aging in the Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Medicaid and Long-Term Care produced the show that features four panelists discussing Consumer Protection, Guardian-ship and Conservatorship, and Advance Directives.

The panelists are Margaret Schaefer, Legal Aid of Nebraska; Debora Denny, Nebraska State Court Administrator’s Office; Judge Susan Bazis, Douglas County Court; and Mary Wilson, Buford Law Offices. Mark Feit of the Alzheimer’s Association moderates the panel.

Broadcast dates and times on NET2 are Aug. 14 @ 8:30 p.m. and Aug. 17 @ 2:30 p.m. The program is also posted online at www.netnebraska.org.

Legal services for older Nebraskans topic of NET2 program on Aug. 14 and 17


Do you have a loved one in a nursing home? Do you have a loved one who will soon

be going into a nursing home?

14301 First National Bank ParkwaySuite 100 • Omaha, NE 68154

1-800-886-8673

630 North D StreetFremont, NE 68025

402-727-4845Not affiliated with any government agency.

Before you send another check to the nursing home, visit nebraskamedicaidplanning.com or call Chartered Advisor for Senior Living, Mark Guilliatt.

A recently released report, Men’s Health: What You Don’t Know Might Hurt You by the non-profit Envi-ronmental Working Group (EWG) concludes environ-

Report offers advice to help men avoid environmental health risks

The Color Vibe 5k is coming to Omaha on September 6th

and we don’t want you to miss out on any of the fun!A portion of our proceeds will also be donated to the

Eastern Nebraska Office on Aging!For more information go to thecolorvibe.com/omaha.php

5755 Sorensen Parkway | Omaha, NE 68152 | www.immanuelpathways.org

Your home. Your care. Your pace.

Your home is best and Immanuel Pathways can help you continue living there for as long as possible.

Our program provides a comprehensive system of health care. The model of service is PACE: Program of All-inclusive Care for the Elderly. Our program includes primary, acute and long-term health care as well as day therapeutic and recreational services and transportation. Services are provided in the home, in the community and at our PACE Center.

For complete program details and benefits, please call 402-991-0330.

PACE participants may be fully and personally liable for the costs of unauthorized or out-of-PACE program services. Emergency services are covered. Participants may disenroll at any time.

mental exposures may have major negative impacts on men’s health and outlines ways guys can avoid some of the major risks.

“Most men understand

smart lifestyle choices such as exercising regularly, eat-ing a healthy diet, and not smoking make a big differ-ence in staying healthy,” says EWG researcher and

report author Paul Pestano. “However, what many men might not know is research in the last few decades has shown environmental exposures may contribute to major diseases and health concerns that especially affect men including heart disease, prostate cancer, and infertility.”

He adds toxic substances in drinking water, food, food packaging, and per-sonal care products have all been linked to serious health problems that affect mil-lions of men.

According to the EWG, men’s heart disease risks are exacerbated by expo-sure to mercury in certain seafood, Teflon chemicals in non-stick cookware, and bisphenol-A in hard plas-tic containers and canned foods. Additionally, arsenic and lead in drinking water supplies is a contributing factor in elevated heart dis-

ease risks for men. Meanwhile, certain agri-

cultural pesticides common on fruits and vegetables as well as polychlorinated biphenyls that build up in meat and dairy products have been associated with prostate cancer.

Exposures to lead, pes-ticides, and chemicals in personal care products con-tribute to low sperm counts, infertility, and other repro-ductive issues.

EWG also underscores the importance of limiting sun exposure, as men face a higher risk of developing melanoma than women.

“While genetics can predetermine certain health outcomes, there are a number of ways men can dramatically reduce their potentially harmful environ-mental exposures,” Pestano says. Some tips include:

• Investing in a water filter system specifically designed to reduce exposure to lead, arsenic, and other drinking water contaminants.

• Avoiding canned foods and plastic containers with the recycling code #7 to limit BPA exposure.

• Using personal care products that don’t contain phthalates, parabens, or oth-er potential contaminants.

• Choosing conventionally grown fruits and vegetables that have the fewest pesti-cide residues and buying the organic versions of certain types of produce that other-wise rely heavily on chemi-cals.

• Using proper sun cover and getting regular skin checks with a dermatologist to reduce melanoma risks.

(EarthTalk® is written and edited by Roddy Scheer and Doug Moss and is a registered trademark of E - The Environmental Maga-zine.)

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